MAY 1, 1U16 



369 



milage was done "with tlie side car loaded. 



I have had no punctures, and only two 

 stoppages worth recording — once with a 

 choked petrol pipe, and once by a faulty 

 plug. Economically driven at speeds aver- 

 aging 12 to 16 miles an hour, the expendi- 

 ture for fuel and wear and tear are reduced 

 to a minimum. The total cost of mainte- 

 nance, including two new tires and a belt 

 was a fraction over half a shilling per mile, 

 or 14 cents. 



A Canoelet side car offers several advan- 

 tages over the bare side-carrier I have often 

 seen illustrated. No tying on of goods is 

 r.ecessai-y ; and when starting out on a bee- 

 tour one can load up with small articles 



such a.s smoker, carbolic cloth, knives, some 

 frames of foundation, a super or two, a 

 roll of sections, and a package of booklets 

 and pamphlets to be distributed at each 

 stopping-place. All can be easily found 

 when wanted, and there is no risk of the ar- 

 ticles being shaken ofl when traveling along 

 a rougli country road. Outfits of lliis kind 

 are very popular in England among people 

 who can not afford to own a ear. The first 

 expense and cost of maintenance is not so 

 heavy; and with care it will give long and 

 lasting service. It is particularly well suit- 

 ed to the needs of the present-day business 

 beekeeper, and my own machine has stood 

 the test far bettei- than I first anticipated. 

 Cheltenham, England. 



SOME EXPERIENCES WITH A MOTORCYCLE 



BY RAY C. WILCOX 



In the spring of 1914 I was engaged as 

 helper by a large apiarist of Tompkins 

 County, some 35 miles from my home, 

 where I had an apiai*y of 30 colonies. The 

 bees were in good condition, and it was my 

 desire to work them to the best of my abil- 

 ity, both for extracted honey and increase. 

 Owing to the fact that the railroad connec- 

 tions between my home town and that of 

 my employer were indirect, and that my 

 bees were nearly two miles from the rail- 

 road station, I realized that the expense of 

 working my bees would be high in time and 

 car fare. 



I had been interested in motor cycles, 

 and, after some consideration, I decided 

 tliat one was just what was needed to work 

 my little apiary to the best advantage and 

 give me maximum amount of time for my 

 employer. I finally bought a twin-cylinder 

 macliine of a popular make. It was a sec- 

 ond-hand atfair, but was in fine order, and, 

 as motor cycles go, I believe I got my mon- 

 ey's worth. Indeed, while I had the machine 

 tlie more important parts of the motor 

 never troubled me. 



But from the first I Was disappointed 

 with my purchase. Even after learning to 

 handle the motor, which I did with compar- 

 ative ease, I found that it gi'eatly preferred 

 smooth roads. To be sui'e, one could ride 

 over rough roads, but it was a most shaky 

 experience, and very hard on all concerned 

 — except the road, perhaps. I have often 

 wondered at the durability of motor cycles. 

 On the whole these machines are certainly 

 well made to stand up under the usage they 

 receive. However, I soon found that there 

 is a knack about picking one's way; and 

 after .six months' experience 1 could tide 



with comparative comfort and at fair speed 

 over roads which, at first, would have well 

 righ unseated me. 



But while rough roads were unpleasant 

 they were passed over with ease as com- 

 pared with muddy ones. . Indeed, it was the 

 helplessness of the machine in the mud that 

 was most disappointing, for I found it 

 almost impossible to get ray heavy macliine 

 over wet slippery roads. It not unf requent- 

 ly happened that a rain came up while I 

 was at my apiaiy with the motor, and the 

 road would become so slippery as to be 

 liractically impassable for a motor cycle. 

 That meant loss of time, or returning to 

 work by rail, which meant that I must make 

 tlie next visit to the beeyard in the same 

 way. The same conditions often necessi- 

 tated a trip to my yard by train. Of course 

 these were not the usual conditions, but 

 they were often enough so to be very an- 

 noying. At the close of the season I figured 

 that I had saved $19.00 in car fare, and 

 jiossibly as much more in time, at a cost of 

 $16.00 maintenance on machine, to say 

 nothing of depreciation, which, when fig- 

 ured in, left me considerably behind on my 

 investment. Some of tlie wear and tear, 

 however, was due to pleasure riding, for 

 which the machine was used a good deal. 



During the season of 1915 I lived some 

 10 miles from my apiaiy. The motor cycle 

 ]n-oved a great help during the whole sum- 

 mer, but was es|)ecially convenient because 

 of the exee&sive swarming, so common last 

 season. Muddy roads were often bother- 

 some as in the previous season, but the dis- 

 tance was easily within driving range for 

 my horse, altho the time re(|uired was fully 

 four limes that needed to make a trip with 



