38 



EIGHTH ANNUAL. REPORT OF THE 



Mr. York: I should think honey bees 

 would be a good thing. 



Mr. Becker: I wrote the question 

 that was asked. A minister was pres- 

 ent and had a talk just before dinner. 

 He would like to have a little more 

 light on this question. 



He is located below Springfield by- 

 Rochester, in a good country for white 

 clover and also fall clover. He is quite 

 a poultry man but he is unfamiliar 

 with bees. 



He is thinking of investing some 

 money and starting in with bees. He 

 is the one that asked me. These an- 

 swers given are very good but they 

 wouldn't be to my satisfaction. 



When I started in the bee business I 

 bought about twenty colonies from a 

 man in Christian County by the name 

 of G. G. Lamp. He is dead now. It 

 happened to be a good year that year. 

 The first year in connection with the 

 bees I got an A. B. C. culture and I 

 don't think anything is equal to it 

 to a new beginner. If he has any dif- 

 ficulty with his bees he can turn to 

 the index and look for it; everything 

 explains itself. Of course, you know 

 how bee-keeping is, it has its ups 

 and downs, generally more downs than 

 ups. 



My ambition always has been to 

 have one hundred (100) colonies. Three 

 years ago last spring I had them. Two 

 years ago I had less. I now have 

 eighty-two (82). 



This has been one of the best years 

 we have had in my locality. For ten 

 (10) years, at least, there has been 

 no better. 



I would advise new beginners if 

 they are in a good locality to start with 

 four or five (4 or 5) colonies with good 

 hives, and have the hives alike, and 

 have all the hives the same kind. I 

 have four (4) different hives and I 

 know the difficulty I have to contend 

 with during sw'arming season and honey 

 season to get the frames fitted. Many 

 times when I want to get tw^o or three 

 (2 or 3) colonies together I have to 

 run around and look for a frame that 

 will fit in that hive. Therefore, I 

 would advise a bee-keeper to have all 

 the hives alike. They are all good 

 that I have now. And not invest too 

 much money the first year. At the end 

 of the year, if it is a good honey sea- 

 son, if he likes it or his profit safe, 

 the bees will increase very rapidly. 



And in a bad season the decrease will 

 be in proportion to the increase. 



Dr. Miller: I think the advice given 

 is good, and one thing further, I think 

 it will be best to begin with pure 

 Italian bees. He is not likely to con- 

 tinue with them, but I think these are 

 the best bees for them to start with. 



Mr. York: When a beginner is ad- 

 vised to get several of the bee books 

 and bee papers and also talk wath 

 some practical bee-keeper a man 

 might as well come in and say. How 

 would you start farming? That would 

 be impossible. But it seems to me 

 when the advice is given to get bee 

 books and papers from Fall to Spring 

 and then get some bees, and if he 

 can talk with some practical bee-keep- 

 er he will be all right. But it is im- 

 possible to tell all the points about 

 starting with bees. 



Dr. Miller: I would like to suggest 

 a little addition to the answer as 

 given. In the first place, I wouldn't 

 advise the average beginner to get 

 several, I would advise him to get one 

 before the bee paper. He must have 

 the book, anyhow, and there are some, 

 perhaps, who want to get more, but 

 generally speaking, one book is enough. 

 I would say begin and get your bees in 

 the spring. When to start with the 

 bees depends on the time of the year. 



If a young man should come to me 

 in the spring and ask when to begin 

 with bees, I would say, get the bees 

 and a bee book. And if he would come 

 now I would say, get a bee book and 

 bee papers and read till next spring 

 your books, but for the sake of sup- 

 porting these bee papers and editors 

 I wouldn't advise him to get the books 

 before the bees. 



Mr. Stone: 

 he started. 



I expect he forgot how 



I find anything I read up on before 

 I start to practice it I don't know any- 

 thing about it. 



You may think you know all about 

 farming by reading, but you don't 

 remember anything you read unless 

 you have had a little practice. And I 

 wlli take the practice before the bee 

 books, and I would advise the getting- 

 of a bee journal the first thing, and 

 you see the ads and know what you 

 want to start with. When I first got 

 the bee journal I w^ould look at the ads 

 and they always advertise what you 

 want, and you won't make a mistake 



