116 Location of the Apiary. 



crease both of honey and bees. If you desire to purchase in 

 autumn, that you may gain by the experience of wintering, 

 either demand that the one of whom you purchase insure the 

 safe wintering of the bees, or else that he reduce the selling 

 price, at least one-third, from his rates the next April. 

 Otherwise, the novice had better wait and purchase in the 

 spring. If you are to transfer at once, it is almost imperative 

 that you buy in spring, as it is vexatious, especially for the 

 novice, to transfer when the hives are crowded with brood and 

 honey. 



HOW MUCH TO PAY. 



Of course the market, which will ever be governed by sup- 

 ply and demand, must guide you. But to aid you, I will 

 append what at present would be a reasonable schedule of 

 spring prices almost anywhere in the United States : For box 

 hives, crowded with black bees — ^Italians would rarely be found 

 in such hives — ^five dollars per colony is a fair price. 

 For black bees in hives sqch as you desire to use, eight dollars 

 would be reasonable. For pure Italians in such hives, ten 

 dollars is not too much. 



If the person of whom you purchase will take back the 

 movable hives after you transfer the bees, you can afford to 

 pay five dollars for black bees, and seven dollars for pure 

 Italians. If you purchase in the fall, require 33J^ per cent, 

 discount on these rates. 



WHERE TO LOCATE. 



If apiculture is an avocation, then your location will be 

 fixed by your principal business or profession. And here I 

 may state that, if we may judge from reports which come 

 from nearly every section of the United States, from Maine to 

 Texas, and from Florida to Oregon, you can hardly go amiss 

 anywhere in our goodly land. 



If you are to engage as a specialist, then you can select 

 first with reference to society and climate, after which it will 

 be well to secure a succession of natural honey-plants (Chap. 

 XVn.), by virtue of your locality. It will also be well to 

 look for reasonable prospects of a good home market, as good 

 home markets are, and must ever be, the most desirable. It will 

 be desirable, too, that your neighborhood is not overstocked 



