A YEAR'S WORK IN AN OUT-APIARY 



13 



'empty' after mowing the first swath in front of row No. 1; also after 

 fifth in rear of row No. 2. If after mowing in front of row No. 1 he will 

 commence at the west end of row No. 1 and mow a swath in the rear of 

 the same row, and come back in front of row No. 2, then back from west 

 to east in rear of row No. 2, and back to west in front of row No. 3, and 

 return in rear of same, he will save two trips across the yard 'empty' and 

 therefore do the mowing in less time than by his plan." I wish to thank 

 Mr. P. for calling attention to this matter, as his plan would seem the 

 quicker to many; and it would be not only the quicker, but the hetter, if 

 room enough could be afforded so the rows of hives could be 14 to 16 

 feet apart. But as 10 feet between rows is all that can well be afforded, 

 considering both land rent and travel, other things come in that hinder 

 mowing as Mr. Perkins proposes. A man naturally cuts a swath about 

 seven or eight feet wide, which Is little less than the distance between 



0SE OF HIVE AS TEMPOBABY STAND; HIVE 



THERETO. 



2 ABOUT TO BE TEANSFEBEED 



hives when the rows are ten feet from center to center; and if we cut 

 back of row No. 1, or any other row, as Mr. P. proposes, the swath of 

 grass would be thrown on and into the entrances of the hives on row No. 

 2, resulting in our seeing which was the "quickest" and "best" way out 

 of the apiary, rather than the quickest and best way to cut the grass or to 

 save time. By the plan I have given, the swath of grass is thrown against 

 the back side of the hive first, and consequently the bees take no offense 

 thereat. At half past six the grass is cut, raked up, and put in a pile out- 

 side the bee-yard fence, for the farmer who owns the land to use, if he so 

 desires, and I am ready for my breakfast lunch, which I eat sitting In 

 the auto. 



That the reader may better understand, I will say that the fence 

 enclosure is calculated for SO colonies, three rows with ten on each row. 

 The rows are ten feet apart from center to center, and the hives are 

 six feet apart in the row, which distance I prefer to any thing else, after 

 having tried distances both less and greater. When I bought this out- 



