THE BEE-KEEPERS- REVIEW 127 



of it at the yards. My helper had sume e.\]H'rience willi bees and 

 was coming' in ])lent_\' of time for tlie husy season, and excrvthing" 

 must be in order ;ind well planned. 



At this stage of my bee-keeping life 1 was no "spring chicken" 

 at the business. I was well up on the subject in all lines from actual 

 experience, so I did not set out to make a fortune or a big sum of 

 uToney at it just in one season, and neither to extend my business 

 beyond reason just in one season, for 1 never yet have sacrificed a 

 honey crop at an apiary for the sake of increase except in a few cases 

 at my home yard. Neither should any bee-keey)er think of doing 

 such a thing who expects to make the most out of his business. When 

 it comes to increase it is the steady "knock" that counts in the years 

 to come, just keep up a certain per cent of increase and bv and hv 

 the "goal will be reached." And- let me say here that J have never 

 had a failure in a honey crop, and I have never had what might be 

 called a "bumper" honey crop. A y^ear has never passed since I have 

 been in the bee business as a specialist when I didn't clear a good 

 per cent nu my money invested. So the point is to press on at a 

 moderate gait. 



Well, when the season came on, m.y helper and I did not have 

 to make near the "350 colonies increase over the yards, for I had 

 bought bees in every kind of a hive and located them, and all we had 

 to do was to transfer. This was done per my method, wdiich was no 

 task at all, and the increase we did make was in the usual manner 

 from the strongest colonies in the apiaries, which always calls for an 

 equaling up of colonies. I'his wc have always held is the proper 

 thing to do to expect best results, for the colonies w^hich seem de- 

 termined to swarm are best handled in this way. Well, the harx-c^t 

 as usual was good and at the close of the season the honey was all 

 sold and 800' colonies put up for winter in good condition. 



There will be only two more articles, when bee-keeping with me 

 took an entirelv different course, and man}' things will come up in 

 these two articles, and let me s^y here that along with bee-keeping 

 and the progress of it I have developed a market for my product, and 

 this has been no small task, for when I first started, honey was 

 known as an article of food to but few people who did not produce it, 

 here in this location. In large cities it was sold mostly for medical 

 purposes. Well, T started at home by giving several honey suppers 

 at which fresh honey, butter and bread was served free. Those sup- 

 pers were largely attended and the best articles served, with the 

 result that my entire town and the surrounding country took to 

 eating hone\', and ever since se\eral tons are bought by the home 

 citizens each season. Soon I could no longer sell to the consumers, 

 as it required too much of my time, and sales were made through the 

 retail grocerymen here and then around at other towns. I went into 

 the large cities with it. selling only to retailers. Soon collecting was 



