■2'i FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



up my zeal tonsiderably. In the winter 1 losl three cnhjnii's, 

 so I commenced the season of 1871 -with 16 colonies, took 408 

 pounds of honey, and, the season being favorable, I increased 

 ■without much difficulty until I reached thirty or forty, and I 

 thought it would be a nice thing to have an even fifty, so I 

 reached about that number, for so many of them were weak, 

 that I am not sure exactly how many it would be fair to call 

 them. I fed them some quite late, too late for them to seal ovt-r, 

 and they were put into the cellar with little anxiety as to the 

 result. 



DISASTROUS "WINTERING. 



In the winter they became quite uneasy, and February 11 

 I took out five colonies, which flew a little, and then I put them 

 back. They continued to become more and more uneasy and to 

 be affected with diarrhoea, and, February 22, 1 took them all out 

 and found only twenty-three alive. They flew a little, but it 

 was not warm enough for a good cleansing flight ; and soon 

 after there came a cold storm with snow a foot deep, and by 

 April 1 had only three colonies living, two of which I united, 

 making a total of two left from the forty-ftve or fifty. 



It was some comfort to know that nearly every one lost 

 heavily that winter, but what encouragement was tl-.ero tu con- 

 tinue under such adverse cijcumstances ? I was on the load 

 traveling for Root & Cady all the time, with only an occasional 

 visit to my bees, and no certainly of being there upon any par- 

 ticular date, and evidently with no peat knowledge of the bus- 

 iness if I had been home all the time. To be sure, I may have 

 got enough money so as to feel that there was no particular 

 money loss, but after eleven years of beekeeping, and after hav- 

 ing bought, first and last, quite a number of colonies, here I 

 was with only two colonies to show for all my efforts ! 



I do not remember, however, that any question as to con- 

 tinuance occurred to me at that time. Perhaps I didn't know 

 enough to be discouraged. Instead of selling off Ibe two colo- 

 nies and going out of the business, I bought five more colonies 

 early in April. They were in box hi\-es, and one of them died 

 before the season Avarmcd up, so I began the season of 1872 

 with six colonies. These I increased to nineteen, and I think I 



