12 Advanced Bee Culture 



following the advice to "keep more bees." I can give an example right 

 near home — that of my own brother, Elmer. He had a small farm 

 and kept a few bees, and I hope he will pardon me for saying it, but 

 he had quite a struggle to make a living. Then I became so enthused 

 with Northern Michigan and her ^vild red raspberries, that Elmer 

 caught the enthusiasm, sold his farm, moved to Northern Michigan, and 

 turned his whole time and little capital to the keeping of bees ; and, 

 while it has cost a lot to move and establish apiaries, build cellars and 

 honey-houses, and we have had many things to contend with, the forest 

 fires, for instance, Elmer says that he has never had an easier time to 

 get along and make a living, never felt happier and more free from 

 care, than since he turned his w hole time and talents into one channel — 

 bee-keeping. His wife once said to me that they had never had so 

 many things in the house, had as good clothes, and other comforts, as 

 since they had gone into bee-keeping as a sole business. 



I am aware that the circumstances and the man are not always 

 adapted to exclusive bee-keeping, but there are many men now mixing 

 bee-keeping with something else who would be better off if they would 

 drop one or the other. It is much better to have a whole lot of one 

 thing to do than to have a little bit of each of a lot of different things. 

 Many say that they would like to keep more bees, but the)- haven't got 

 them to keep, nor the mone\' to bu\' them with. Let me say that the 

 first, and most difficult, step in keeping more bees is to decide to keep 

 more bees. Once a man really comes to that decision, makes up his 

 mind that he Zi'ill keep more bees, he can find wa)-s of accomplishing his 

 object. 



It should be understood, how ever, that bee-keeping is not an occu- 

 pation in which one can easily become wcalfh\. In this respect it is 

 much like other rural pursuits. Rightly managed, in a locality adapted 

 to the business, it can be depended upon to furnish a comfortable living, 

 and perhaps enable a man to lay up a few thousands of dollars, but 

 such fortunes as are sometimes amassed in merchandising or manufac- 

 turing can never be h()])e(l for by the bee-keeper. Fortunately, however, 

 the perfection of a man's happiness bears but little relation to the size 

 of his fortune ; and many a man with the hum of the bees over his 

 head finds happiness deeper and sweeter than ever comes to the merchant 

 prince with his cares and his thousands. 



