1903 



GLELA.NINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1043 



ing^ up the farm, but finally concluded to 

 hold on to it one year more, to make sure 

 that I could make bee-keeping- pay as a 

 specialty. After deducting- the expenses of 

 the bees from the sales, I found that I had 

 the next year (1875) the amount of SI431, 

 and hesitated no longer, but g-ave up farm- 

 ing- and embarked in the bee business, with 

 nothing- else as a source of revenue. Since 

 then the profits have varied according- to 

 the seasons and the prices obtained; but in 

 figuring- up a few days ago I found that the 

 average since 1875. or for the past 28 3-ears, 

 has been about S1045 each year, free of all 

 expense incurred by the bees; or, in other 

 words, that has been my salary which the 

 bees have paid me, with an averag-e of about 

 75 colonies in the spring- of each year." 



"Do you spend all of your time on so 

 small a number of colonies?" 



"No. In the early eighties I kept from 

 200 to 2-0 colonies for a year or two; but the 

 long continued sickness (five .years) of my 

 father, and his death, brought new cares 

 upon me; and, having other irons in the 

 fire, I was obliged to reduce the number of 

 colonies kept." 



"I see I must soon be g-oing, as it is get- 

 ting late. Tell me in a few words just 

 what your advice to one contemplating- go- 

 ing- into the bee business would be." 



"M3' advice to you, and all others who 

 think of trying bee- keeping as a business, 

 would be. procure from three to five colo- 

 nies of bees: post yourself by reading- about 

 and experimenting- with them, as you can 

 find time to do from the business you are 

 already in, and thus find out for j-ourself 

 which you are adapted to, and which is the 

 better for a livelihood — the business 3'ou are 

 alread}' in. or keeping- bees. If successful, 

 after a series of j'ears you can give up j'our 

 other business if you wish to. On the con- 

 trary', if bees are a failure in your hands, 

 then you will be but little out for having- 

 tested j'our abilit3' in that direction." 



Thk Arkansas Valley Honey-producers' 

 Association has now organized with a cap- 

 ital of S.'OOO, with headquarters at Rocky 

 Ford, Colo. 



"the wonderful ways of honey-bees." 

 This is the title of an interesting- article in 

 the Cleveland Leader for Nov. 29. It seems 

 that a reporter had visited the veteran, J. 

 B. Hains, of Bedford, Ohio, and from him 

 gleaned seme interesting- and valuable mat- 

 ter on the subject of bees in general. So 

 far as I have read, the facts stated are 



mainly correct. The Leader is probably 

 onlj'-one of the syndicate papers publishing 

 it; and if so, this article will have a wide 

 publicity. 



OUR indexes. 

 By glancing over the indexes of the various 

 departments covering the entire year one 

 will get a pretty fair idea of the "immense 

 amount of ma.tter we give to our subscribers 

 for Si. 00. These indexes are verj' carefully 

 prepared, and we believe they will pro%-e to 

 be of great value to the careful student of 

 bee culture. 



THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FORGIKC". 



ahead. 

 The National is fast reaching the 2000 

 mark in membership. Mr. France is to be 

 congratulated on the energy which he has 

 put into his work. I do not believe the bee- 

 keepers can do better than re elect him. So 

 far as I know, there is no other candidate 

 in the field. So long as we have so capa- 

 ble a man for the otfice we don't need a ri- 

 val for the position. 



BEE-PARALVSIS EASILY CURABLE. 



In preparing the index for 1903 I was 

 greatly surprised to see the number of cases 

 during the past year of the successful use 

 of sulphur for curing bee-paralysis. These, 

 coming from time to time, did not attract 

 my special attention ; but the fact that so 

 many of them confirm O. O. Poppleton's 

 observations all through is somewhat signif- 

 icant. Indeed. I think we may safely'con- 

 clude that the once incurable disease is now 

 easily curable. The American Bee-keeper 

 has our thanks for directing our attention 

 forcibly to this fact. 



MOVING BEES A SHORT DISTANCE IN WINTER. 



We are asked a great many times during 

 the year how to move bees a short distance, 

 say 15 or 20 reds. Sometimes it happens 

 the bees are too near the highway, and it is 

 desired to move them from the front yard to 

 the back, or to a little grove near by. The 

 question is, how to get them over to the 

 other spot. While, of course, they can be 

 moved anj' distance in summer greater than 

 1'2 or 2 miles, they can not be readily 

 moved ashort distance without some loss and 

 inconvenience. During the winter, how- 

 ever, you can move them a few rods without 

 any ditliculty. Put the hives in the cellar, 

 and in the spring put them where vou like. 

 A confinement of six weeks in chaft" hives 

 outdoors during the cold weather ought to 

 put the bees into condition where they will 

 stay in the new location if they were moved 

 before they had a fly. 



FRAMES SUPPORTED ON NAILS. 



Mr. Hutchinson- describes what he con- 

 siders an excellent method of frame support 

 used by Mr. E. B. Terrill. The projection 

 of an ordinary hanging frame is cut ot^". 



