50 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



he was going into a great honey har- 

 vest and the care of his bees fell in- 

 to my hands, at the request of his 

 widow. Just at that time we were 

 greatly pushed with our work and it 

 seemed we had all we could stand, 

 as we were in a great honey flow 

 everywhere, and the bees claiming our 

 attention as fast as we could get 

 around. I brought the situation be- 

 fore my men and asked them if they 

 could do r, little bit more and if so 

 we would take the bees. They told 

 me they could and would and for me 

 to take them. I gave every man one 

 or two more apiaries, equalizing the 

 work as it were, and I took my best 

 helper and together we made a hur- 

 ried trip around to the Herlong bees 

 and noted conditions, etc. 



After examining them as best we 

 could in a hurry, I left and went back 

 home, where I was most needed, leav- 

 ing the helper in charge of the bees 

 of Mrs. Herlong, with full insti'uc- 

 tions how to proceed during my ab- 

 sence. On reaching home, I sent 

 two assistants to help in the work. 

 The first helper had had considerable 

 experience already, and could direct 

 the work of his two assistants to 

 good advantage. 



To be on the safe side I made a 

 hurried trip over their work again 

 and found everything done as I had 

 directed, and the work progressing 

 nicely, wh,;n I left, not to return any 

 more that season, and a great harvest 

 v/as the result. Well, this was "bee- 

 keeping some" and after the fashion 

 I had so long desired. 



We now come to the fourth year 

 of work. Mrs. Herlong notified me 

 about the first of the year that her 

 bees were for sale and I was in po- 

 sition to buy them and I really want- 

 ed them, as they were near mine. 

 I went to see her and soon closed 

 the trade for them, which consisted 

 of seven apiaries. This deal gave 

 us our Fort White branch, making 

 three branches in the new field. I 

 turned these bees over to the man 

 who had worked them for me the 

 previous season to work them on 

 shares and thus he has worked them 

 ever since. 



These three branches are about 200 

 miles from the home branch and op- 

 erated solely for comb honey. 



Now the business was in fine shape 

 for the approaching season: well ar- 

 ranged and plenty of experienced help 

 right where it was needed and could 



be used to best advantage. All the 

 bees in all the branches were to be 

 worked on shai'es, dividing equally 

 between us the honey and the supply 

 bills, except in the case of making 

 increase, when I furnished all sup- 

 plies and paid 50 cents per colony 

 for all increase, but not much was 

 made. 



During the past several seasons I 

 had had a little bitter experience with 

 some to whom I had intrusted the 

 care of some of my bees at the new 

 branches. 



They slacked work somewhat at 

 the critical time and never pushed it 

 as they should or as they wrote me 

 they were doing. This resulted in 

 losses, and one or two fell "flat down 

 on me," but I have always let such 

 hands go as soon as discovered and 

 never give them employment again in 

 any way. I saw that I needed a gen- 

 eral overseer for all my bee business 

 whose duty it should be to go from 

 yard to yard and from one branch to 

 another and keep the business right 

 up to what it should be and keep me 

 posted as to progress all around. In 

 our ranks we had a young apiarist 

 who made things happen and happen 

 in the right way and our choice fell 

 on him. He knew where every yard 

 was, its name and in whose care it 

 was. As scon as the spring was on 

 and the weather permitted the hand- 

 ling cf bees, he went at the work of 

 making the rounds to all yards as 

 quickly as possible, starting at home 

 yard first, afoot, with smoker, veil 

 hive tool and apiary book, a memo- 

 randum or small tablet. The route 

 of his rounds was planned: he was 

 to travel by foot, rail and with 

 apiarist when convenient. He was 

 to move by the quickest and most 

 convenient routes and stop wherever 

 night overtook him. His duty was 

 to examine every hive in every yard 

 and whatever was most needed he 

 was to do it, and what he did not 

 do was fully outlined in the tablet 

 he carried and the sheet containing 

 it torn off and placed where apiarist 

 in charge would find it and carry 

 out the work. This was done at ev- 

 ery yard and general conditions noted 

 and sent to me. Thus I was kept well 

 posted throughout the season on con- 

 ditions and progress, etc. I gave in- 

 structions where and when needed. 

 The work moved along well under 

 the new system. I saw the foreman 

 but twice during the season after he 



