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GLEANINGS IN BEE CQLTURE 



February, 1920 



m FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



' ' There are some who seem to think there 

 is little danger of overstocking their neigh- 

 bor's territory." Eight there is where the 

 trouble arises. If one considers that a 

 smaller average from a larger number of 

 colonics will net him a greater income, and 

 if he can increase the number of colonies 

 without injuring his neighbor, then such 

 action is entirely his own business. But, 

 alas! it happens all too often that in the 

 mad scramble for dollars, little thought or 

 consideration is shown neighboring beekeep- 

 ers, to whom in many eases long years of 

 priority have given the moral right to the 

 location. 



We have recently been receiving letters 

 from various parts of the country showing 

 that overstocking is now becoming a real 

 problem to many beekeepers. A well-known 

 beekeeper has lately written us that he has 

 actually been driven out of the business and 

 has been compelled to take up queen-rearing 

 instead of honey production because of other 

 beekeepers who have gradually been moving 

 in on his territory. Is it any wonder that 

 in some parts of the country a very bitter 

 feeling has arisen toward the newcomers? 

 Remember that the crop of honey is the 

 man's bread and butter, and he may be so 

 situated that he can not move away. If 

 any one with the slightest sense of justice 

 or fair play will only put himself in the 

 other man 's place, he certainly will not care 

 to lower himself by crowding out or stealing 

 another's location. 



For those who are now obtaining too small 

 a crop, of course, the logical solution is to 

 move to an unoccupied and better location. 

 Mr. Crane's excellent advice, however, as 

 we have previously stated, is intended for 

 those who are unable thus to better their 

 condition and who can increase the number 

 of colonies without injuring their neighbors. 

 There is more of value in this article than 

 appears at first glance. It is well wortli 

 reading a second time. — Editor.] 



BEEKEEPING IN THE NORTHWEST 



What the Country is Like and How Beekeeping 

 Varies There 



That the great Northwest is an empire in 

 itself, ' ' with' conditions more varied than 

 any other part of this great United States, ' ' 

 may seem to some a surprising assertion, 

 but true nevertheless. Mountains and plains, 

 rivers and lakes, humid and arid, fertile and 

 desert, temperate and extreme, all can be 

 found in the great Northwest; and such a 

 conglomeration of conditions necessarily ex- 

 isting in such varied localities would in it- 

 self raise a doubt in the minds of those who 

 understand the keeping of bees, as to 

 whether honey could be produced in quanti- 

 ties sufHcient to be of interest to commercial 

 l*roducers. In other words, can it be done, 

 or is it being done? This may readily be 

 answered. Yes, in some parts, depending 

 largely, as in every other part of the U. S., 

 on the ability and care of the individual 

 beekeeper. It is a well-known fact that 

 some always secure crops in larger quanti- 

 ties than others in the same or adjacent 

 territory; so while locality has a great deal 

 to do with it, success depends on the man 

 behind the gun. I understand that in the 

 eastern part of the great Northwest, the 

 beekeeper's sole dependence is alfalfa; but 

 since I am not sufficiently familiar with con- 

 ditions in the, eastern part to give intelli- 

 gent details, I shall attempt to give some 

 ideas as to honey production in the North- 

 western and humid belt of the territory, 

 known as the Coast Range and Cascade 

 Range of mountains, between which lays the 

 beautiful Willamette Valley. 



On the Columbia, over 30 years ago, I 

 noticed bees working on red clover in No- 

 vember. The weather had been wet and 

 was then quite cold, but there they were; 

 and if anything will stir an enthusiast's 

 blood any quicker than seeing bees working 

 under difficulties, I don't know what it is. 

 Just as soon as possible I looked up someone 

 who offered the information, "Why, boy. 



Ideal fireweed location in the Pacific Northwest. 



