THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



31 



comitant vexatious plagues and 

 inconveniences. And vice versa, 

 when her winters are long and 

 dreary, she compensates the dreary 

 part, with a short but gloriously 

 spring-like summer, accompanied 

 by soft balmy air which laves the 

 blushing flowers and allures the 

 precious nectar to fill their tiny 

 cups, and inspires the busy bees to 

 " double diligence." 



Along and careful study of all the 

 features applicable to the science of 

 apiculture will convince the student 

 that nature is more nearly balanced 

 in her favors bestowed on her sub- 

 jects than he is willing to admit, be- 

 fore the investigation has removed 

 the scales from his eyes. It is well 

 to bear in mind that there is no par- 

 adise for the honey bee, any more 

 than there is an earthly paradise 

 for man, since the "earth was 

 cursed for man's sake." No matter 

 how favorable your surroundings 

 may be, or the circumstances under 

 which you operate, close study, and 

 hard, incessant toil is the " polar 

 star" of success in bee-culture. 

 " Bee-culture in the south" is too 

 large a theme for a single article, 

 hence I must reserve much interest- 

 ing matter connected therewith for 

 a future occasion. 



Taking all things into consider-, 

 ation, I am of the impression that 

 a medium climate such as may be 

 enjoyed in Kentucky, Tennessee, 

 Virginia, southern Missouri, north- 

 ern Arkansas and other like 

 geographical positions are peculiar- 

 ly adapted to the culture of tlie 

 honey bee, and the production of 

 honey. While more extreme cli- 



mates either north or south may 

 give greater yields of honey at 

 times, this advantage is more than 

 overbalanced b}' disastrous winter- 

 ing in the north, and on the other 

 hand by parching drought, which is 

 little less destructive to the bee 

 interest, in the extreme south. For 

 one I prefer a more steady series 

 of results ; even though they be 

 small in detail they " pan out" 

 well in the long run. 



In my judgment any location 

 where forty or fifty pounds of comb 

 honey, or sixty or seventy pounds 

 of extracted, can be obtained by 

 skilful management, on the average, 

 from a large apiary, and where 

 there is no " fussing" about " win- 

 tering bees," and consequently no 

 loss on that account, and where but 

 little or no expensive feeding is 

 necessary, and no dread anxiety 

 to wear the spirit of the apiarist, 

 — well, such is my idea of a good 

 location for the culture of the 

 honey bee, and hundreds of just 

 such localities can be found in 

 Kentucky and the states before 

 mentioned. 



I have often noticed that the 

 southern people are a little slow to 

 take hold of new things — bee- 

 culture as a science is comparatively 

 a new thing — nevertheless there 

 are to be found in the south some as 

 thorough!}^ posted apiarists as can 

 be found on the globe, and though 

 they make but little noise as they 

 work silently on, they are rapidly 

 developing the bee interest in their 

 respective localities, and doubtless 

 man}' of them will live to see bee- 

 culture as a business take its place 



