1904 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



59 



(Mr. Le Haulx) was called to dislodge 

 them, if possible without doing too 

 much demolition. After some hard 

 thinking, Mr. Le Haulx brought a hive 

 with a comb of brood and honey from 

 his apiary, installed the hive against 

 the opening in the wall putting a Por- 

 ter escape between the wall and the 

 hive so the bees could come out of 

 their place but not go back. He thus 

 succeeded in capturing the entire 

 swarm. — Gazette Apicole. 



THE FUTURE. 



It would not be surprising if, after a 

 year so discouraging as 1903, many 

 bee-keepers should feel inclined to take 

 less interest in the industry. Indeed, 

 the reports — the "Melancholy Record," 

 which we publish in October would go 

 far towards justifying a falling-off in 

 enthusiasm. But there has been no 

 falling-olf, nor any sign of despair; 

 and this, in itself, is of more value to 

 the country than an abundant honey 

 harvejst would have been. Because 

 it is now, more than ever before, evi- 

 dent that the men who have taken to 

 bee-keeping are made of the stuff that 

 the country wants; men who are not 

 to be defeated by reverses, who are 

 prepared to take the rough with the 

 smooth, and who, when they suffer 

 loss, to determine to make the future 

 retrieve it. 



It is refreshing; it is worth going 

 through a disastrous season, to expe- 

 rience this kind of hopeful enthusiasm 

 on the part of men w^ho have, beyond 

 doubt, been badly hit in their business. 

 Truth to tell, our correspondence has 

 brought us more encouragement this 

 year, just because of the evidence it 

 has given of a spirit of confidence on 

 the part of our friends — confidence in 

 themselves, and in the recompense 

 which ttiey look forward to. "We like 

 the man who can say: "It was not 

 the fault of the bees. They will serve 

 me well when bi-ighter days come for 

 them and for me," and who puts on 

 the candy cakes, and dry, warm wraps, 

 waits for the future with steady hope. 

 By such as he it is that success is de- 

 deserved or won. 



There ard three or four months to 

 come before active work in tne apiary 

 can begin again. What is to be done 

 with the winter months? Well, this 

 is the season for making and repair- 



ing hives, for re-arranging apiaries, 

 for comparing notes, and forming 

 plans for the coming year. Now, in 

 the long evenings, there is time for 

 study. A good, useful bee-book; an 

 hour by the fireside with Maeterlinck, 

 will yield both pleasure and profit. 

 The great point is to leave nothing un- 

 done that can help to the attainment 

 of the objects in view. The practical 

 bee-keeper looks well ahead. He is 

 ne'V'er taken by surprise when the 

 business in hand calls for his attention 

 at a moment's notice. He knows that 

 few things done in a hurry ai'e 

 lasting, are well done. He makes his 

 preparations beforehand. Not even 

 the activities of bee-life can find him 

 unready. — Irish Bee Journal. 



A GREAT SUFFERER. 



Perhaps the Bohemian bumble-bee 

 has been the greatest sufferer from 

 weather ravages. He has no warm 

 hive to shelter him, and no candy or 

 syrup put down for his consumption. 

 When belated frosts or untimely 

 storms come, his nest of withered 

 grass or moss is often devastated, and 

 poor Bombus, as he is called from the 

 volume of his buzz, perishes. There 

 has been so far this year as great a 

 scarcity of bumble bees as of butter- 

 fiies, owing to inclement weather. One, 

 the first this year, was seen in an un- 

 cut clover field near Epping. The 

 great velvety fellow was blundering 

 and buzzing among the purple clover 

 heads with all the bustle characteris- 

 tic of his species. And he knew that 

 he had the purple clover to himself, 

 for the hive bee's tongue is not long 

 enough to reach that flower's nectar. 

 Perhaps that was some compensation 

 for the fact that a bumble-bee is born 

 to shift for himself, and face storms, 

 —Daily Express (London), July 14th. 



We like the American Bee-Keeper 

 very much, and wish you much suc- 

 cess for 1904.— T. S. Hall. 



Chaff cushion divisions are prefer- 

 able to boards alone, as they are 

 warmer. 



Division boards should be used in all 

 weak calonies, thus contracting the 

 space. 



