216 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 15 



Whole number of eggs laid, 1464 dozen; 

 whole number of eggs sold, 1262 dozen, or 

 $335.55; fowls and chickens sold, $76.31. 

 Total amount taken in, $411.86. Feed, etc., 

 bought 14,614 lbs., costing $188.16, leaving 

 a net profit of $223.70. 



The above figures represent actual money 

 taken in and paid out. No record has been 

 kept of the grain that has been raised on the 

 farm and fed to the hens, or of the chickens 

 and eggs used by the family. The value of 

 one is nearly balanced by the other. 



Mr. McGlade's advice is to try bees alone. 

 My advice is to try both poultry and bees in 

 a small way, at first, if you live near a good 

 market for eggs and honey; then if you can 

 succeed at both you have a double income; 

 but if you have the luck of Mr. McGlade 

 you can drop one and still have the other to 

 fall back upon. 



My bees produced an average of 70 lbs. 

 per colony last year, mostly from buckwheat 

 and goldenrod. I use the plain sections and 

 fence separators, arid sell by the piece as J. 

 E. Crane recommends. I have not been 

 able to secure enough honey to supply the 

 demand. 



The Hoffman frame is here to stay. I 

 have used it since keeping bees, and do not 

 care to change. 



South Fallsburg, N. Y., Jan. 8. 



THE VALUE OF BEE BOOKS AND JOUR- 

 NALS. 



How to Read an Article. 



BY J. G. BAUMGAERTNER. 



Several of the bee journals have lately 

 touched upon the question, ' ' How many bee 

 journals snould a bee-keeper read? " 



The same question should be asked regard- 

 ing bee-books, for they are of no less impor- 

 tance than the journals. These questions 

 are by no means insignificant, for bee liter- 

 ature is to-day playing such an important 

 part in modem apiculture that it is some- 

 thing indispensable to any one who would 

 keep abreast with the bee-keeping world, 

 and take advantage of the best inventions 

 and discoveries along apicultural lines. 

 What has done more toward building up 

 American bee-keeping to what it is to-day 

 than the agency of bee literature? Without 

 it the majority of us would still be plodding 

 along as did our ancestors of the skep and 

 box-hive age. With the information given 

 by experienced men through the pages of 

 bee journals and bee books the beginner can 

 to-day set in where the veteran left off, 

 without having to go over the same old 

 ground once more. Thus progress is made. 

 New ideas are now spread broadcast over 

 the land in a few weeks, whereas without 

 our journals they scarcely ever reach beyond 

 the immediate neighborhood of the origi- 

 nator. 



But, bearing in mind that bee books and 

 papers are a necessity — yes, a blessing — to 



our industry, the question confronts every 

 bee-keeper, how many of the numerous 

 books and papers on bees shall he read? 



This question has been answered, at least 

 regarding bee journals (and the same, un- 

 doubtedly, applies to books) several times, 

 that a man should take at least two or three, 

 as usually each journal has a distinctive fea- 

 ture of its own (and so have the books) , and 

 consequently an importance of its own. I 

 consider this good advice; but I will add, 

 however, do not take any more than you can 

 do justice to. It is not so much the quanti- 

 ty as the quality of what we read that is of 

 real value to us. Again, if we read too 

 much we are unable to digest what we read, 

 and are apt to be as much, if not more, 

 harmed than benefited. How many journals 

 and books a bee-keeper can read and derive 

 the greatest benefit from his reading is, I 

 think, a matter greatly depending on the 

 mental abilities and the spare time of the 

 individual. 



I find that, in order to make my jour- 

 nals most profitable to me, I must not only 

 read them but shidy them. Where new 

 plans and ideas are set forth it pays to get 

 down and study matters with closest atten- 

 tion to every detail of methods described. A 

 lead- pencil and some paper are frequently 

 found useful to note down this or that as I 

 read along, or even outline certain methods 

 while I read the description. It makes 

 things plainer, and helps to impress details 

 upon the mind; for it is of no small impor- 

 tance to be positive about the minutest de- 

 tail of the description read, when out among 

 the hives testing a new plan. 



I am frank enough to say that I am of the 

 opinion that, in regard to thoroughness, 

 many, even more experienced bee-keepers 

 are "found wanting. " For instance, I have 

 noticed many times when new ideas were 

 advanced regarding some feature of apicul- 

 ture that almost invariably some have re- 

 ported that they failed in carrying it out 

 successfully; and not seldom it finally ap- 



E eared that some little but essential parts 

 ad been overlooked, or either a change had 

 been made willfully. Here let me call at- 

 tention to what Mr. E. W. Alexander says 

 on page 1189: "Now a few words to all who 

 try new methods which the writers for our 

 bee journals recommend. Either carry out 

 those methods to the letter or let them 

 alone; don't mix up a lot of your own ideas 

 with those of others, and then condemn the 

 writer for not giving a practical method." 



A short time ago I met an old bee-keeper. 

 Our conversation turned upon bee books. 

 He told me that beginners often consulted 

 him as to what book they should get, and 

 that his answer usually was, "Do not get 

 any book. If you want to find out any thing 

 about the management of bees, come here 

 and spend half a day with me and see how 

 bees are hardled; for it is a known fact that 

 farmers working according to books never 

 raise any com. ' ' 



Now, while I esteem this gentleman very 

 highly, and respect his advice as coming 



