THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



after a dry summer. We thought we 

 should have to feed largely, but as it 

 seemed to us almost as much a miracle 

 as manna from Heaven, so suddenly tlie 

 honey came. A small spreading herb 

 that belonged to the mint tribe, seemed 

 to grow everywhere, bountifully yielding 

 honey. The bees fairly swarmed upon 

 it ; it was wonderfully visited by the little 

 busy workers that search everywhere for 

 sweets and nothing is neglected. Since 

 that year we have scarce noticed that 

 particular plant growing. 



Another fall we had about decided 

 to send off for several barrels of sugar, 

 when on the ninth of September we no- 

 iticed the bees were very busy as if they 

 had struck a bonanza. On examining 

 their hives we found they were storing 

 new honey quite lively; they filled up 

 •for winter and gave some surplus. Had 

 the colonies been left to dwindle into 

 ■mere handfuls they could not have stored 

 .even enough for winter without any sur- 

 ,plus. 



If we make up our minds to feed our 

 bees all they need, we shall find in the 

 long run they pay us much better than 

 when we feed only just as little as we 

 can possibly give them, and then we 

 shall cease to worry about them. If we 

 know they are all right as far as feed is 

 concerned, we can dismiss them from 

 our minds ; it is worth a good deal to 

 know our bees have a plenty. 



I think people will now cease to cry 

 out sugared honey, they having had to go 

 without so long. Honey has been plenty 

 for several years, in the west especially. 

 Many neglect their bees because they 

 have no time to take care of them they 

 say, but really it is a want of interest 

 in them ; they have neglected them so 

 long that they have not received much 



benefit from them and so take no time to 

 look after them. They can take time to 

 visit and to receive company ; have time 

 to feed and care for everything else, but 

 they seem to think bees must feed them- 

 selves and work for tl'.eir owner. They 

 have time to "rob" them of what little 

 honey they have and then let them 

 dwindle down, and perhaps starve and 

 they say, "bees don't pay." 



A woman bought a colony of bees of 

 us several years ago. It \\'as a dry sea- 

 son ; we had but few swarms and returned 

 what we had. She divided her bees into 

 three colonies, afterwards said her bees 

 were doing no good. We advised her 

 to feed them as she wanted to increase 

 them, but she had no time to feed as 

 she had so much company ; finally, did 

 feel sorry when it was too late for them 

 to build up into good colonies. In the 

 fall she sent over for our extractor, and 

 took what honey they had, thinking they 

 would get enough for winter which they 

 (lid not and all died as would be ex- 

 pected, and she said "bees did not pay." 



The greatest drawback to beekeep- 

 ing is that we do not understand the 

 business and we don't take time to in- 

 telligently study it up. One has truly 

 said "It is less trouble and less expen- 

 sive to succeed than to fail," and if we 

 haven't time nor inclination to keep and 

 handle bees intelligently, we had better 

 sell them or turn them over to some 

 other person, or to some other member 

 of the family, as a change of ownership 

 often gives a stimulus to read them up 

 and when one is thoroughly posted in 

 bee culture it becomes so fascinating 

 that the bees are rarely neglected. 



I used to think every one who owned 

 land ought to keep a few bees. I 

 think so now ; but no more than that 



