with Indians and became familiar with the men and events that 

 made the early days so full of what has come to be of so much 

 interest at the present day. 



"Like many others, Mr. Lykins, whose home was and is in 

 Little Thompson Canon, neglected his bees, and the increase for 

 many years w^ent to the trees in the mountains where are to be 

 found the only full blood black bees in this county. After Mr. 

 Lykins was married his wife took charge of the bees, and bought 

 twenty-five colonies of Italians from Mrs. Baker of Upper St. Vrain, 

 paying eight dollars a colony for them. She sold honey to the 

 amount of $175 the first year, 1885. She had a swarm come off on 

 September 9th and afterwards make honey enough to winter on. 



"Dr. King of Boulder and Mr. Barten and W. S. Flory of 

 Hygiene were among the first to handle bees according to scientific 

 principles. Mr. Flory shipped four colonies direct from Italy. Others 

 bought Italian queens from breeders in the East. From these nearly 

 all the bees in this country have become Italianized." 



-99i$S$S£Se«- 



A Corner of one of W. B. Hopper's Apiaries, 

 Otero County. 



