330 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



with the number of members we balance of the year to do sonie- 



have and it would be a disgrace thing along: the line of raising this 



, ,, . ^ debt. You who have good crops can 



to the association to allow it to ^^^^^ j^ ^.^^ ^^ t^n dollars without 



be sold for so small an obligation, noticing it. Let it come forthwith, 



Come on members! We have the lest it be too late. 



Selecting a Location for Outyards 



Bee Keepers' Review: — Enclosed 

 please find P. O. money order of 

 $1.00 for my renewal to the Bee- 

 Keepers' Review. I am a little late 

 with my renewal but I hope you 

 will kindly excuse me. 



I must say I like the REVIEW 

 all right and it is a great help to 

 me. I am very much interested in 

 Mr. Wilder's writings about his 

 many out apiaries as I myself have 

 an intention to increase in the 

 Bee-Business and start an out yard 

 about seven or eight miles off 

 from where I live now, but do not 

 know how to go about it, that is 

 whether one should lease, rent or 

 buy the land he intends to locate 

 on and also what the general terms 

 are in such cases between the two 

 parties concerned. You would do me 

 quite a favor if you would write an 

 article in the near future on the 

 above given subject headed some- 

 thing like "Starting an Out Apiary." 

 where you would treat all the 

 phases of starting such an outyard. 

 Thanking you in advance for 

 such a favor and wishing you the 

 best of success. 



I am very truly yours, 

 AUGUST THOMMEN. 

 Member Thomen: We do not 

 buy the ground to set our out- 

 yards upon, although there would 

 iDe no disadvantage in owning it, 

 except as it often happens the lo- 

 cation changes and we are com- 

 pelled to move to greener fields. If 

 you have confidence in your pro- 

 posed new location and condition 

 would warrant, there is a consider- 

 able advantage in owning the prop- 

 erty you locate your outyard on. 

 These advantages are so apparent, 

 that one need not dwell upon them 

 at this time. As we have already 

 rented three parcels of ground this 

 spring upon which we will set three 

 different yards, the experience is 

 fresh upon our mind how we go 



about it. The first requisit in the 

 new location, is the forage for the 

 bees to work upon. This is some 

 times rather hard to determine, 

 1. e., which is the better location 

 for best returns. This brings to 

 mind our Manchester yard; with 

 Alsike galore, likely three times as 

 much as at any other yard, still 

 no better results are obtained at 

 this yard, than at other, apparent- 

 ly less favored location. After de- 

 ciding upon the location you pre- 

 fer to set your outyard, the next 

 move is to find a sheltered "nook" 

 to locate the apiary in. This nook 

 to be ideal should be protected, 

 preferably by natural forest on the 

 North, East and West sides, a 

 wedge shaped opening to the South. 

 After finding this favored place, 

 just as likely as not when you ap- 

 proach the owner you will not be 

 able to rent it. Just at this point a 

 little "tact" comes in play, for you 

 must not give up at the first ans- 

 wer, as favorable and sheltered lo- 

 cations are few and far between 

 and when found one can hardly af- 

 ford to give them up simply on ac- 

 count of some "whim'' of the own- 

 er. Usually our locations are in 

 pasture lots, which usually includes 

 the wood lot. We explain to the 

 owner that we have had bees in 

 pasture lots, for years that stock of 

 all kinds soon get used to the 

 bees and avoid stings; that a pas- 

 ture field containing bees produces 

 much more pasture than otherwise 

 on account of meriods of dead bees 

 being constantly dropping upon the 

 ground enriches it. That the bees 

 are of great assistance in pollen- 

 izing his and nieghbors' fruit of 

 nearly all description, that a full 

 crop of clover seed in not usually 

 acquired without bees to pollenize 

 the blossoms. Then we tell him of 

 fruit growers who have had us 

 move bees to their farm, especially 



