10.. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



113 



liilo another seemingly under exactly 

 le same conditions bustles? Do 

 ■ones find the queens by sight, by 

 nell or by hearing? One colony 

 ailds smoolii, even combs while the 

 '\t wrinkles tliem and covers them 

 itli buiT-combs. Why? The next 

 asou it i^ turn-about, and why? One 

 ildijy enters supers readily, the next 

 ill not be either coaxed or" driven in, 

 id who can tell why? 

 These are a few of the things we 

 aut correct answers to, and up to 

 te I know of almost no effort to oB- 

 in careful, accurate data on which to 

 n-k. Sift all answers and they 



;iiOunt to naught but general state- 

 rmts of things, nothing exact. To be 

 <re it is most exceedingly difficult 

 1 learn the exact tiniths in these mat- 

 Ts, and yet it is just such difficulties 

 Mich must be surmounted if bee- 

 1 aping is ever to rise to a science. 

 See what strides horticulture and 

 jriculture have taken in the last few 

 jiirs. Look at the results of plant 

 l!eding, of the analyses of soils, of 

 t' action oif sundry fertilizers, bac- 

 tia, etc., etc. Then look at our own 

 i' ustry and wliat can we show be- 

 j id a few improvements in the tool-s 

 \ use? Aside from a very few items 

 rarding diseases and two or three 

 t? of light on habits we can show 

 nhing. And yet we veterans pat each 

 oer on the back; crow about how 

 nch we know; tell the beginners ex- 

 a[ly how to run their bees, and then 

 gout into our own yards and find out 

 bs refusing to do as we had suppos- 

 ei they always did. We are a wise 

 b ich, we veterans. Our rules are very 

 ttjh like old professor's rules on the 

 Gman verb, which he had worked 

 d'.n into one small book, while the 

 e:eptions to the rule filled a score of 

 la;e volumes. 



Ve self-appointed instructors of the 

 im'titude have roosted so high and 

 ci'.ved so loud that we have actually 

 ccvinced ourselves that we are in- 

 faible. Haven't we? Just look at 

 Wit we have said and the way we 

 sa it. Only one among us has been 

 m''.est — the modesty of real knowl- 

 ec3 — and his "I don't know" will 

 U> down the ages long after the rest 

 'JfLs are forgotten. 



t not the foregoing deter the be- 

 r from continuing with bee-keep- 

 ! or he can have the fun of blun- 

 - and stumbling most as much as 



we have, and if he knows that we are 

 only guessing Avhen we say we know, 

 he may set to work to find out the 

 truth and his hand may be the one ta 

 raise apiculture to^ a science. 

 Providence, R. I., March 1, 1905. 



HOAV TO SUCCESSFULLY RUN 

 AN OUT-APIARY FOR COMB 

 HONEY. 



By A. A. French. 



Enad before the .lefferson County (N. Y.) 

 Bee-keepers Ashociation, January 17, 1905. 



WE TAKE it for granted that we 

 have bees and supplies for an 

 out-apiary. Then the first 

 thing to be considered is its location. 

 I will talk from experience and not 

 theory. 



First. Have it as near home as pos- 

 sible and not interfere with the home 

 yard. 



Second. Give it the best pasture you 

 can. 



Third. Protect it from heavy winds, 

 especially from the north and west. 



I do not know as I could do any bet- 

 ter than toi describe my present out- 

 apiary, which is run exclusively for 

 comb honey. It is located three miles 

 from my home yard, at almost the top 

 of the Champion hills; on the side that 

 slopes north, on an incline of about 200 

 feet to each half mile. It is pi-otected 

 on the west and north by a thick hedge 

 of plum and choke-cherry trees; on the 

 east and south by an orchard of ap- 

 ple trees. On the south side of the 

 yard is the honey house, facing north, 

 overlooking the bee yard. At the east 

 side is a honey cabinet for the filled 

 surplus supers. 



The hivesi are placed in groups of 

 twelve, with two hives on each stand 

 arranged in a semi-circle; six on each 

 side facing each other. The groups of 

 hives are in rows each way, giving an 

 alley 12 feet wide with the rear of the 

 hives on either side. 



The honey house rests on wooden 

 blocks, so that it can be moved when 

 a new location is desired. Just inside 

 of the door, in easy reach, is a four- 

 inch Bingham smoker, two whisk 

 brooms, honey knife, hive opener, a 

 propolis scraper, Alley drone traps, 

 queen cages, bee veils, screwdriver and 

 an extension hiver. Inside is a work- 

 bench with a fair supply of tools. The 



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