no 



fHE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



farm too ; one or the other must go. I be- 

 lieve that Mr. Heddon is right on this point; 

 that all the advantages are with the special- 

 ist." We replied that the highest success in 

 anything could be attained only through 

 specialty, but there were some things to be 

 said on the other side — there were two sides 

 to the question — and that we had often 

 thought of making the subject one of special 

 discussion in the Review. He urged us 

 quite strongly to do so, saying that the sub- 

 ject was interesting, and that there were 

 probably others situated like himself. We 

 believe he is correct. There are farmers 

 who are keeping a few bees, perhaps a good 

 many bees, and apiarists who are managing 

 a small farm, perhaps a large one ; there are 

 men engaged in some other vocation who 

 are thinking of taking up bee-keeping, or 

 may have already done so, and bee-keepers 

 who are asking "wliat will best mix with 

 bee-keeping?" Is this the better way? We 

 have little faith in that old saw about "not 

 having all the eggs in one basket." We say 

 yes, have them all in one basket, and then 

 carry it so skillfully tliat none are broken. 

 We know there are trying seasons for spe- 

 cialists in any branch of business : times 

 when it miglit be better, in that particu- 

 lar year, if there were more that one egg 

 basket ; but doesn't the specialist do enough 

 better in the good years to bring specialty 

 out at the head, in the long run? The spe- 

 cialist can have the best tools, appliances 

 and labor saving implements, things that 

 the dabbler cannot afford ; he can do 

 and have many things in a wholesale way 

 that would be unprofitable upon a small 

 scale. Many professional men take up bee- 

 keeping as a pastime. With them we can 

 have no more argument than we could with 

 the bee-keeper who studies music or garden- 

 ing for pleasure. But upon a money basis, 

 it is a far different thing. When a man is 

 engaged in some pursuit that is capable of 

 absorbing all of his energies and capital, we 

 doubt if he can add to his pleasure or his 

 pocket book by adding some other busi- 

 ness to his regular occupation. We will ad- 

 mit having heard farmer bee-kee[)ers say 

 that their bees were the most profitable 

 thing on the farm. We have often asked 

 why they didn't drop farming and make a 

 specialty of bee-keeping. The answer usu- 

 ally is that bee-keeping is too risky. This 

 means that it may pay exceedingly well one 

 year, and yield nothing the next. The only 



true way to compare one occupation with 

 another, is for a series of years. If bee- 

 keeping falls behind in such a comparison, 

 it is not so profitable, even though the 

 yields may be enormous some years. If bee- 

 keeping is such a precarious business that it 

 cannot be depended upon for a living — must 

 be mixed up with something more staple — 

 made a drag upon some other pursuit — let 

 us know about it ; if more money and enjoy- 

 ment can be secured by making it a specialty, 

 let us know that. 



Some of the friends have said, both in 

 letters and in conversation, that we are too 

 elaborate in our leaders — that we cover the 

 ground so thoroughly that nothing is left for 

 them to say. We don't think so ; but, by 

 way of experiment, we will cut this one 

 short, and close by saying that the subject 

 we have been discussing is to be our special 

 topic for November. 



Since the above was in type we have been 

 over to Port Huron and awarded the premi- 

 ums in the apiarian depai'tment of their 

 fair. Here we met another enterprising, 

 young farmer-bee-keeper. While strolling 

 about the grounds he said: "I don't know 

 just how to manage. I have over 200 colo- 

 nies of bees and a farm on my hands. I 

 have been thinking of writing to Mr, Hed- 

 don, to learn upon what terms I could get 

 one of his students to come and run my api- 

 ary." There is no doubt but we have now 

 gotten hold of one of those live, practical 

 questions of the day ; and we hope it will re- 

 ceive the discussion that it merits. 



eXXR7=^OXED. 



Do Bees Make, or Gather Honeyl 



10 SHOW that the idea that honey is 

 h'^ "partially digested nectar" is not 

 new, but is true, we take pleasure in 

 reproducing the following essay. It was 

 written by Mr. P. L. Viallon, and was pub- 

 lished in the A. B. J. exactly thirteen years 

 ago. 



In taking up the subject, " Do bees make, 

 or gather honey?" I will not try to prove 

 that bees make honey, but that they gather 

 a sweet matter — nectar — from flowers, and 

 that this matter is transformed into honey ; 

 and my only aim in writing this will be to 

 try to raise a serious interest on this too 

 much neglected question. Though this 

 question may not be of interest to a major- 

 ity of bee-keepers, it is nevertheless of great 

 utility in apiculture, and might have in 



