482 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 1 



In the illustration there are 54 colonies, 

 the ^reat bulk of which are in one-story 

 chaff hives. There are a few jumbos — in 

 fact, one is seen close to the driver's feet. 

 Mr. Bowman, the teamster, althoug-h not a 

 bee-keeper, is not afraid to take hold and 

 help in the bee-yard when necessary. He 

 is of that stocky muscular build that enables 

 him to lift hives to and from the wagon 

 with no very great effort. Mr. G. W. Phil- 

 lips, the head man of the apiary, recently 

 from Jamaica, stands in the midst of the 

 load. On this occasion we took the 54 col- 

 onies, set them under some large apple- 

 trees in groups of four and five, a little 

 south of the farmhouse where myself and 

 wife expect to spend the summer. As I go 

 back and forth I can look after the bees 

 and enjoy the fun and the work of getting a 

 crop of honey as well as testing for breed- 

 ers, at the same time gather fresh facts from 

 experience. 



The Harrington location is our best. We 

 own quite an extensive piece of woods ma Je 

 up of old basswoods just adjoining, that 

 have never been cut out. The farming 

 country round about is rich and productive; 

 and I have noticed that the bees in this 

 yard will gather honey, oftentimes, when 

 those in others will be robbing; so iJE there 

 is any honey to be had, this place is emi- 

 nently fitted to test out honey-queens. 



Our Mr. Bowman, the teamster, and Mr. 

 Phillips, after disposing of their load at 

 the yard, as shown in the engraving, went 

 on about two miles further and picked up 

 another yard of bees which I had previous- 

 ly visited with the automobile, and pur- 

 chased.. An old farmer had become tired 

 of the business, and wanted to sell out. 

 Now we have a clean territory all to our- 

 selves. 



Our basswood yard, a mile and a half 

 north of us, will be devoted mainly to queen- 

 rearing. Instead of having 400 nuclei all 

 in one yard, all requiring to be fed at times, 

 we now have them in two yards where the 

 bees will have more opportunity to gather 

 honey from natural sources. While we 

 can get good queens by feeding, it is a 

 great deal more work, and more expensive. 

 A larger percentage of the queens can be 

 mated successfully when honey is coming 

 in than when the individual nuclei have to 

 be fed. 



DEATH OF JOHN NEBEL. 



Another one of our old veterans passes 

 off the field. This time it is our friend 

 John Nebel, familiarly known to bee-keep- 

 ers who have bought supplies of him fo^ 

 many years at High Hill, Mo. He was a 

 man of strict integrity, well liked, and 

 loved by all who knew him. We have ob- 

 tained a brief biographical sketch from a 

 member of the family, and take pleasure 

 in presenting it herewith: 



John Nebel, aged 69 years and C months, died very 

 suddenly of rheumatism of the heart at his home in 

 High HfU, Mo., May 5, 1903. He was a prominent and 



highly respected citizen of High Hill, the leading 

 lumber-dealei , also conducting a lumber-yard in Jones- 

 burg, Mo. 



He dealt extensively in bees and bee-keepers' .sup- 

 plies, being an active member of the North American 

 Bee-keepers' Association since its organization. 



Mr. Nebel first commenced with bees on a small 

 ■scale in 1870. In 18S0 he went into the business in an 

 extensive way, uniting the supply department with it 

 in 1883. He had at timf s as manv as :iiiO colonies. He 

 took 16 000 lbs. of honey in ISSti from 123 colonies, 

 spring count, and increa.sed to 183 that year, besides 

 selling many queens. April 22d, 19(13. he went to Mo- 

 berly, where he assisted in organizing the Missouri 

 Bee-keepers' Association, being elected its president. 

 He was taken sick while at IMoberly. On his return 

 home he took to his bed where he lemaii ed until his 

 death. He ate breakfast on the morning of Mav 5, 

 after which he lay down to sleep from which he nev- 

 er awoke. The funeral services took place at Mount 



JOHN NEBEL. 



Pleasant Cemetery, near High Hill, conducted by his 

 son-in law, G. K. Keler, under the auspices of the A. 

 F. and A M of Jonesburg. 



High Hill has lost a good citizen ; the bee-keeping 

 fraternity a friend ; a wife, a kind husband ; and fovir 

 children a loving father. 



A friend who knew Mr. Nebel well has 

 also written this of him: 



I have been acquainted with Mr. Nebel but a short 

 time, yet he seemed lite a father to me. I began trad- 

 ing with him in 190O, and have bought all my supplies 

 of him ever since ; and last year he sold a number of 

 queens for me which I saved up from swarming-cells 

 during the unprecedented display of the swarming 

 propensity of my bees. I know he was a good man 

 — genial and kind in all h s dealings, and was sociable 

 and ready at all times to give good advice No one 

 knows how I appreciated him. I can now appreciate 

 more than ever the mournful statements of the jour- 

 nals regarding the veterans. Our Missouri State Bee- 

 keepers' Association had just sprung up, and we had 

 elected Mr. Nebel as president for the ensuing year. 

 There was not a dissenting vote cast. Every member 

 present voted for him at the convention : and, besides, 

 I had over forty votes for him through the mails from 

 parties who could not attend. W. T. Gary, 



Sec. Missouri State Bee-keepers' Association. 



