318 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



comes ont. When the apiary fails the poul- 

 try, dairy, garden, grain, or other pursuits 

 will bridge over the " poor season." 



Yes, "study your field most thoroughly ; " 

 know just when and from what you get your 

 honey ; know just as much as possible of 

 your sources, and the whys and wherefores, 

 and govern yourself accordingly, for therein 

 often lies the secret of the difference between 

 a crop that only pays expenses and one that 

 pays a profit. 



Planting for honey alone I have no faith 

 in, neither in a combination crop, i. e., both 

 honey and grain, or otherwise, unless such 

 crop be extensively cultivated and adapted 

 to soil, climate, etc. An acre of buckwheat, 

 clover, alfalfa, or whatever it may be, is as a 

 drop in the bucket, so far as getting a sur- 

 plus yield is concerned. But it will help just 

 a little in a general way. 



Going "to the flowers" may help out, 

 even in the matter of out apiaries — dividing 

 the eggs you see — for when one apiary does 

 poorly, another may do well. But when it 

 comes to pulling up stakes and moving to 

 "the Alfalfa fields of Colorado," or else- 

 where, or moving to any entirely new field, 

 be sure you know what you are doing, or 

 that you have a "bank account." That 

 "long drawn out" alfalfa bloom may prove 

 " a snare and a delusion." But I will speak 

 of that in another article. " Thorough in- 

 vestigation " is the only safe way when going 

 to new fields, or into a new line of business. 



As for " migratory bee keeping," I have 

 great hopes in that line, but, as yet I have 

 not capital to carry out my ideas. He who 

 depends on his small capital and own labor 

 for his bread and butter, can't afford to do 

 too much experimenting, nor to be a spe- 

 cialist to the extent of putting his all into 

 one thing. A man with capital can be a 

 specialist, can make specialism pay, because 

 he can go right along, even with several fail- 

 ures in succession, while the good and extra 

 good seasons make the whole average fair, 

 so that he has ruade money in the end. 



These thoughts I have written especially 

 for the benefit of those who "live by the 

 sweat of their brow " in producing honey. 

 But, brethren, don't " labor " and "sweat" 

 all the time. Do some thinking. Carefully 

 count the cost of everything. Look your 

 field over, and if it won't support many col- 

 onies, keep only a few. Have a garden, even 

 if it be but a few sciuare feet of ground. 

 Make everything count and pay its own way. 



I know a man of wealth, with over 1,000 

 acres of land ; and yet, with all his wealth 

 and farms, he has, the past two years, raised 

 almost all the vegetables and truck used by 

 a large family, in "truck" season, and did 

 it on only three square rods of ground. He 

 raised onions, beets, cabbage, lettuce, rad- 

 ishes, peas, beans and corn, and the time 

 spent on it was scarcely noticed. Just a few 

 minutes every now and then, but always 

 when it was needed. So, friends, do you 

 likewise ; and when the apiary does pay, lay 

 up a bank account, which will always be a 

 source of comfort. 



LovELAND, Col., Nov. 20, 1891. 



What to Do if the Bad Seasons Keep on 

 Coming Indefinitely. 



E. E. HASTY. 



fF the flowers do not resume business we 

 may have to feed syrup of white sugar 

 as the basis of our nice white comb 

 honey. Shockingly heretical as this propo- 

 sition will be considered by many, let us 

 take a candid look at it. It has long been 

 taught us l)y high authority that bees do not 

 " make " honey, but only store what they 

 find. Bluntly, this doctrine is not true. If 

 bees do not make honey no mortal creature 

 makes anything. God alone can make 

 things creating the material in the operation. 

 All other makers take material that comes to 

 hand, and by manipulation form a product 

 of a distinctly diflfereut character from the 

 raw material. E. g.. Material, iron ; the 

 maker makes nails. Material, clay ; the 

 maker makes brick. Material, cider ; the 

 . maker makes vinegar. Material, granulated 

 sugar ; the makers make comb honey. 

 Whether the thing made be beneficient or 

 pestilent in character does not affect the fact 

 of the making. Bees take the nectar of 

 flowers, or they take other sweets their 

 keeper furnishes them, and make honey 

 therewith. Nectar has lots of cane sugar in 

 it, honey none, or next to none. Honey is 

 understood to be in part secreted matter 

 from animal glands of the bee anatomy; 

 and of animal secretion nectar has none. 

 Nectar often lias a very " silly " and unat- 

 tractive taste. Honey has a ripe and desir- 

 able taste. There are plainly material, 

 makers and product; and the product de- 

 cidedly different from the material. In fact, 

 so far as the term "making" goes, there is 



