1881 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



175 



FROM THE "STAR APIARY." 



BEE CtlLTURE VERSUS KEEPING A SALOON. 



^ WAS engaged in the business of saloon-keeping 

 Jt| from the year 1867 to '77. One nice spring 

 morning In May, '77, I went fishing, for a little 

 out-door recreation, just at the time the willows 

 were in bloom. On them I saw many bees at work, 

 and finally I became more interested in watching the 

 bees at work than I was in my fishing. I noticed 

 .they all took an eastern course, and flew low. I took 

 it into my head that they went in some tree not far 

 off, and so I traced them to a sycamore stub not far 

 off, and found them working very strong, and that 

 they were a bright yellow bee (what I then called a 

 tame bee.) I went homo rejoicing over my good 

 luck. Assisted by two men, that evening I cut a 

 gum off containing the bees and comb. "We took it 

 across the river in a skiff, and carried it to my place 

 of residence. The first of June I got Mr. Fansher, a 

 miller in town, and an old bee man, to assist me in 

 transferring them to an L. hive. They proved to be 

 pure Italians, and about ready to swarm. I divided 

 twice that season, making three in all, but took no 

 surplus honey. 



That summer I put all my means in a new build- 

 ing for my saloon, billiard hall, and residence. On 

 the night of the 27th of Sept., '77, our building was 

 discovered to be on fire, and we were alarmed just 

 in time to escape frombeiugconsumed in the flames. 

 My boy of ten, and two younger girls, were already 

 nearly surrounded by the flames in a back bedroom, 

 but we escaped through a front window by means of 

 a'ladder. Owing to the darkness, smoke, fire, etc., 

 we saved scarcely a suit of clothes apiece; but, 

 thanks to the good people of Colfax, they provided 

 for us some clothing and bedding. I had no insur- 

 ance, so it was a total loss of over .?2000. 



I was advised to build again, and the lumbermen 

 said they would give me all the credit I wanted for 

 lumber, by getting it insured in their favor. So I 

 built and opened up again in Nov., '77. My trade 

 prospered until the night of the 2d of April, when 

 my building was burned to the ground again. But 

 little of the contents were saved. It was the most 

 severe stroke on me that I ever received. My 

 strength all departed fJDm within me, and I was tak- 

 en away from the scene of the fire in an almost un- 

 conscious state. I then said I would never engage in 

 the saloon or liquor tralEc again. My loss was near- 

 ly $3000, and some in debt. I was left without any 

 thing, and a small family to support, which I did by 

 day's labor the best I could. But the three stands 

 of bees were safe up at the place where I lived the 

 fore part of the season. I wintered them in a cellar, 

 and in the spring of 1878 I bought 9 more and lost 

 one by robbing, and increased the 11 to 32, and had 

 about 2C0 lbs. of extracted honey; sold it to neigh- 

 bors for 15 cts. per lb. 



I worked up some sign-boards that were lettered 

 "Billiards, Beer, and Wine;" the letters show on the 

 hives yet, although I gave them a coat of paint. I 

 wintered the 32 in my cellar, without the loss of one, 

 and but one queenless in the spring of 1879. From 

 the 32 1 increased to 72 that season, and sold 600 lbs. 

 of extracted honey at 10 cts. per lb., and 300 lbs. at 15 

 cts. I put bees in the cellar Nov. 1st, and took them 

 out March 2-tth, 1880; lost two; bought7, and increas- 

 ed to 96, and had 3100 lbs. of extracted honey and 800 

 bs. comb honey. The extracted was a 11 sold by • the 



last of Oct., except what we reserved for home use. 

 We use considerable for putting up fruits, and mak- 

 ing jells. We sold the comb honey at 15 cts. ; have 

 about 100 lbs. yet for sale. I have my bees this win- 

 ter in a cave, or side-hill house, with ventilation ar- 

 rangements, etc.; have them on racks, or shelves, 

 in three tiers. The temperature has averaged in it 

 40°. I keep it dark, and visit it often; have lost 3 

 stands up to date, which leaves me 103 yet. I bought 

 10 late in the fall. 



I use the L. hive. I bought a piece of timber land 

 one mile from railroad station, and near the mineral 

 springs. Thousands of people visit these springs for 

 health, and they efl'ect some wonderful cures; large 

 hotels, and good accommodations. I am fitting up 

 my land for a honey-farm, and expect to make api- 

 culture my business in the future. I will say this to 

 the brethren in apiculture: Throw off the blinding 

 influences of prejudice, and throw open wide the 

 gates of benevolence and enterprise, and permit the 

 streaming light of apicultural science to take full 

 possession of your intellectual department. 



I know 1 could have done much better in my 3 

 years' work in apiculture had I not had to woi-k 

 against disadvantages; I have experimented a great 

 deal with comb fdu., and am highly pleased with the 

 advantages derived from it. Gko. W. Penn. 



Colfax, Iowa, Feb. 16, 1881. 



May the Lord be praised, friend P., that 

 you have exchanged the damaging saloon 

 business for the peaceful one of bees. In 

 selhng honey, you never send a fellow-being 

 on in his way to ruin; but in the other, even 

 put it in the best possible light, it has at 

 least the appearance of evil. Go one step 

 more, if you have not already, and choose 

 God for your guide and helper, and your 

 ways shall be pleasantness, and all your 

 paths peace. 



^ ■■■ m 



EARLY FEEDING TO GET GREAT 

 AMOUNTS OF HONEY. 



WILL IT WOBK? 



f NOTICE one point in your comments on Mrs. Liz- 

 zie E. Cotton's book that drew my attention to 

 — ' a point that I have been thinking of writing to 

 you about for some time, and that is in regard to 

 building up stocks to their fullest strength by the 

 time white clover opens. It has been advocated in 

 Gleanings before, and I have been trying to prac- 

 tice it, but it has not been satisfactory tome. I do 

 not care about increasing my bees above 30 stocks. 

 My aim has been, the last two years, for honey. In 

 the spring of 1879 I built up my colonies early, and 

 had them strong before clover opened. There were 

 three colonies that I had in chaff hives, and I had 

 built large air-castles about the amount of honey I 

 would take from these three hives. Having them 

 in large hives, I gave them plenty of room so they 

 should not get the swarming fever as I call it; but 

 about the time white clover commenced to yield. 

 No. 1 commenced to swarm, but I thought I was 

 running the apiary, and would run it for honey. So 

 I clipped the queen's wings and put them back and 

 destroj'ed queen-cells and gave more room, expect- 

 ing they would go to work; but they did not feel 

 disposed to do so, but came out the next day again 

 to swarm. I was on hand and caged the queen and 

 waited till they came back; then I let the queen en' 

 ter with them, thinking I had played a trick on them" 



