.12 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



up my zeal considerably. In the winter I lost three colonies, 

 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 

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

 tl:\e result. 



y ,. 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, I took 

 them all out and found only twenty-three alive. They flew 

 a little, but it was riot warm enough for a good cleansing-flight; 

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

 and by April I had only three colonies living, two of which I 

 united, making a total of two left from the forty-five or fifty. 



It was some comfort to know that nearly every one had 

 lost heavily that winter, but what encouragement was there to 

 continue under such adverse circumstances? I was on the 

 road traveling for Root & Cady all the time, with only an occa- 

 sional visit to my bees, and no certainty of being there upon 

 any particular date, and evidently with no great knowledge of 

 the business 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 having bought, first and last, quite a number of colo- 

 nies, 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 the two colo- 

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

 early in April. They were in box hives, and one of them died 

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

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



