1324 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 15 



5000 lbs. each, and in a few days it is run ofif 

 into wooden casks holding about 160 lbs. each, 

 and in such shape it is sold at wholesale. 



Mr. Alexander raises his own queens, and 

 is in touch with all of the detail of manage- 

 ment ; and in conversation with his hired as- 

 sistants I learned that they esteemed it a 

 great pleasure to work for such a man. 



Though somewhat advanced in years our 

 friend has a youthful step ; his eyes fairly 

 twinkle as he talks about the bees, and he 

 has no secrets of management that he keeps 

 from his fellow bee-keepers. 



My visit to their home lingers as a sweet 

 memory; and as I left its portals it was with 

 the prayer that there might be more and more 

 of such lovely Christian homes in our land; 

 for these things make life worth the living, 

 act as a sweetening leaven in society, and at 

 life's close cheer the last moments with the 

 thought that life has not been in vain, and 

 that one has lived to build up, not to tear 

 down. 



[I fully indorse all that Dr. Lyon has said 

 concerning Mr. Alexander ; and it has been 

 a wonder to me how it was possible that 

 so successful a bee-keepec has been operat- 

 ing for these thirty years on those York 

 State hills, with little or nothing being known 

 of him in the bee journals. Perhaps it is 

 well, for now we are permitted to enjoy the 

 ripest experience of one of the most suc- 

 cessful and at the same time most extensive 

 bee-keepers jn the world. 



Mr. Alexander is quite alone in the dis- 

 tinction that he operates more bees in a 

 given locality than perhaps any other man 

 in the world. While he formerly worked 

 out-apiaries, he has now demonstrated that 

 he can make more money by keeping his 

 bees all in one place than wasting valuable 

 time on the road that might be more pro- 

 fitably spent among the bees in productive 

 labor. And yet Mr. Alexander contemplates 

 increasing his 750 colonies to 1000, because 

 he believes that the extra number will still 

 be able to keep up the general average. The 

 ordinary bee-keeper will be nonplused to 

 know how it is that so many colonies are 

 worked to advantage all in one spot. A 

 glance at the large engravings in this is- 

 sue will partly explain the secret. The 

 surrounding country is very hilly, and from 

 the bee-yard one can look in a number 

 of directions and actually see immense fields 

 oi white (buckwheat), which in the dis- 

 tance look like mere specks or white patches 

 on the landscape. When it is understood 

 that these 750 colonies have a range of 5000 

 acres of buckwheat, and probably as many 

 more of goldenrod, one can begin to com- 

 prehend something of the possibilities of this 

 location. Next to basswood buckwheat is 

 the heaviest yielder of nectar o-f any plant 

 in the world at least in this part of York 

 State. 



Some of the buckwheat-fields, if you will 

 look at the top view, are probably four or 

 five miles distant. We ordinarily estimate 



that bees do not generally go beyond a mile or 

 a mile and a half on the average; but the con- 

 ditions afforded by this hill country are some- 

 what peculiar. I suspect the bees have a 

 telescopic vision — that they can actually see 

 these white patches as far as or further 

 than we can; that they learn that these 

 patches contain honey; and as soon as they 

 e.xhaust the nectar from near-by fields they 

 will go to the further ones, with the result 

 that they are kept busy all day. 



In most localities buckwheat yields nec- 

 tar only about two hours in the morning. 

 During the night it is secreted, and the bees 

 are kept busy another tvm hours ; but here 

 the multiplicity of the fields makes it im- 

 possible for the bees to gather all the nec- 

 tar. Then the problem simmers itself down 

 to this : That if one can induce the bees 

 to fly five miles, and bring back heavy loads 

 of nectar, it is cheaper to produce a crop 

 of honey thus, by having all the bees in 

 one location, than to have them scattered in 

 several yards, because the bees will travel 

 cheaper than their owner. 



Now, the question naturally arises, "Do 

 the bees actually go five miles?" I think 

 Mr. Alexander told me that he had visited 

 buckwheat patches that distance from home, 

 and actually lined bees going from those 

 patches in a direct line toward his mammoth 

 yard, proving conclusively that his bees 

 would actually go five miles, and did do it. 

 By a scheme of outyards having lOO colonies 

 in a spot the bees probably would not go 

 over two miles, for the simple reason that 

 they could not gather all the nectar in a 

 radius of that length ; but, on the other 

 hand, when we increase the number of 

 colonies we compel the bees to go further, 

 and further they go. 



The question might arise, "What is to 

 prevent some one else from locating a yard 

 of 500 colonies three miles from Mr. Alex- 

 ander's?" Nothing, so far as I know; but 

 I will say this: Anybody who would do this 

 would have to be a good deal smarter than 

 the average bee-keeper if he beats Mr. Alex- 

 ander in the game of getting nectar; and 

 besides he knozvs this locality as an inter- 

 loper would not. Then I am convinced that, 

 all through these York State hills, there is 

 a sort of moral code that one bee-keeper is 

 not to overlap on another's territory. 



The top view, unfortunately, does not show 

 the number of white patches that one will 

 actually see while lie is on the spot. As a 

 matter of fact, no photo can do justice to the 

 landscape. 



The lower picture shows a close view of 

 one of the fields of buckwheat. One can get 

 some idea of its size by the height of the 

 trees in the distance. 



The middle view shows the entire Alex- 

 ander apiary. All three of these views were 

 taken with a Panoram camera that takes in 

 a scope of 142 degrees. If one has the 

 time and patience he will be able to count 

 750 colonies; and with some few exceptions 



