1919 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



87 



The girls are as enthusiastic as the boys. 



These reports make interesting 

 reading. The boys tell intimate ex- 

 periences which are worth while, in 

 addition to the profits from their 

 venture. Except in a few cases, the 

 members paid all expenses for new 

 equipment, and showed a substantial 

 profit besides. Although the past 

 season has not been favorable for 

 honey production, being below the 

 average, the extremely high prices 

 prevailing have been very encourag- 

 ing to those who have had honey for 

 sale. The first prize winner, Dale 

 Stout, showed a profit of $39 from his 

 colony, with 130 pounds of honey sold 

 at 30 cents per pound. Since his col- 

 ony had paid for itself the previous 

 year, his venture showed no expen- 

 diture. Edward Palmer came next, 

 with a total income from his colony 

 of $37.50 and an expenditure of $3.85, 

 leaving a profit of $33.65. 



Clarence Morlok has reason to be 

 proud of his record, as he was able 

 to produce 113J/2 pounds of extracted 

 honey from his one colony, while his 

 father only had 200 pounds of comb 

 honey from 14 colonies. 



One boy was ridiculed by a neigh- 

 bor for taking up with Boyle's new- 

 fangled notions. This boy produced 

 more than twice as much honey from 

 his one hive as the neighbor did from 

 fifty colonies. "He who laughs last 

 laughs best." 



When Samuel Wingert decided to 

 join the bee club his father was not 

 much impressed, and thought he 

 could buy enough honey to last the 

 family two years with the money the 

 boy proposed to put into new equip- 

 ment. Mrs. Wingert sided with Sam- 

 uel, and he started out to see what 

 he could do. After paying back the 

 money which his mother advanced to 

 buy the hives, Samuel's bees did so 

 well that the best colony showed a 

 profit of $19.30, with the second one 

 nearly as good. Samuel is to be 

 congratulated in justifying his moth- 



er's faith so abundantly the first sea- 

 son. 



Edward McMilland, Clarence Glad- 

 felter, Lester Ptacek, Edwin Collins 

 and James Morris all showed a profit 

 of at least $18 from their best colo- 

 nies. Some of the members had only 

 one colony, while others had several. 

 The contest was for largest produc- 

 tion from one colony. 



The Emporia Gazette called the 

 club members "the Honey Bunch," 

 and gave an extended account of the 

 season's work. The influenza epi- 

 demic prevented the display of the 

 product, which had been planned for 

 early fall. 



There is no means of estimating 

 the value of such work among the 

 young folks. They are taught the 

 best methods of caring for the bees, 

 and whether they keep only a few 

 colonies to supply the family table or 

 take up beekeeping seriously, they 

 will be prepared to get the largest 

 return for the labor expended. In 

 spite of the fact that the boys were 

 in a contest to show the largest pro- 

 duction, one boy writes that he left 

 an extra super of honey on the hive 

 for safety in wintering. He reasons 

 that, if it is not all needed, he can 

 remove it at the beginning of the 

 honeyflow next June. Here is an im- 

 portant lesson for many an old bee- 

 man. With prices ruling high, there 

 is a constant temptation to remove 

 the surplus too closely and thus de- 

 prive the bees of a sufficient reserve 

 with which to build up early the fol- 

 lowing spring. Many a good crop is 

 lost because the beekeeper is too 

 short-sigl.ted to provide for next sea- 

 son at the close of this year's crop. 



The members of the Lyons County 

 Bee Club may rest assured that the 

 American Bee Journal is watching 

 with much interest the growth of 

 their club. The writer expects to 

 visit them again in the future. We 

 confidently predict that some of the 

 members will make expert beekeep- 

 ers, who will produce honey by the 

 car load ere many years. 



Progressive Beekeeping in Mexico 



By P. Provensal 



IN November, 1917, I had the pleas- 

 ure of making the readers of the 

 American Bee Journal acquainted 

 with some of the conditions of bee- 

 keeping in Mexico and the chances of 

 success. 



Perhaps in these times of food 

 shortage and economy, when such 

 great efforts are made to produce a 

 sufficiency for the world, a detail of 

 a two years' experience in Mexico 

 will illustrate the possibilities of bee- 

 keeping as a "side line," in order to 

 increase the production of honey. 



First let me repeat what 1 find in 

 "The Hive and Honey-Bee" by Lang- 

 stroth and Dadant : "The sooner 

 those abandon beekeeping who con- 

 sider the proper care of theii bees as 

 too much trouble, the better . for 

 themselves and their unfortunate 

 bees." I believe that beekeeping, for 

 the beginners as well as for the pro- 

 fessional beekeeper, is a science of 

 detail, of daily attention and of con- 

 stant study. 



Having had occasion, during my 

 travels as professor of the French 

 language, to visit a number of wel'- 

 managed apiaries and to be present 

 at diverse manipulations, I became 

 convinced that those alone <vho take 

 enthusiastic interest in the bees, who 

 care for their apiaries and look after 

 the needs of the colonies, can be suc- 

 cessful in beekeeping 



After settling in Uruapan, where 

 many fruit trees grow, such as or- 

 ange trees, citrus fruits, etc.. I con- 

 cluded to buy a hive of bees. At the 

 same time, I read several bee-books: 

 "Las Abejas," by J. De Boer, a well- 

 printed book with abundant illustra- 

 tions, sold for $1 by the Agricultural 

 Department of Mexico; "Bees," by 

 Dr. E. F. Phillips, of Washington, 

 Farmers' Bulletin No. 447; "First Les- 

 sons in Beekeeping," by C. P. Da- 

 dant; and lastly "L'Apiculture Mod- 

 erne," by A. L. Clement. 



A little later I bought from a "ran- 

 chero" some 20 hives similar to those 



Mr Boyle makes frequent visits to the members of the club and assists them 

 problems. 



