Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1883-05-31
Bookkeeping for Farmers.

Upon looking over one of our bee
publications not long ago, 1 noted these
words: '"There are very few farmers
who do not keep hogs, sheep, cattle,
horses and poultry. All these seem
necessary to use up the products of the
farm and to make the occupation safe
and certain. The addition of the apiary
is just as important as the keeping of
the varieties of stock mentioned, and
the farm is hardly complete withoutit. "
If the above is the truth-and believe
it is-the question arises swhy is it that
not one farmer in twenty keeps even
one colony of bees to secure the honey
allowed to 90 to waste from not having
the bees to gather it. Is it not just as
bad to let this honey, secreted by the
abundant flora of the farm, go to waste,
as it would be to allow field of pasture
to thus waste for want of stock to con-
sumo it? I believe it is so to be, vet
how eagerly we see the farmer gather
ing every ear of grain, securing stock
enough to consume the grass from his
pasture, and outstanding all the pro-
ducts accruing from the farm, except
the honey which is allowed to 90 to
waste as far as he is concerned.
Each farmer might keep bees enough
at least to supply his own table with
this luscious sweet. but there are very
few who do it. The reason of all this
neglect in my opinion, is that farmers
as a class are not willing to bestOW
upon the bees the time they require;
hence failure is almost certain. These
failures being known in the neighbor-
hood, others are deferred from making
a trial.
How patiently we see the average
farmer care for his stock, feeding his
COWS three times day for seven months
out of the year, and milking the same
twice day for nearly ten months, get
ting little more for his butter and milk
than he could have got for the produce
the cow consumed if it had been dis
posed of in the shape of hay and grain
sold or pasture rented. But let this
same person buy a swarm of bees which
is capable of giving as good as, If not
greater returns than a cow, if given the
same care and attention, and ten
chances to one he will put it in some
out-of-the-way place, not 90 near it
once a month, let it go into winter
quarters with little or no prospect of its
Surviving, and then declare Bookkeeping
does not pay. Others who have little
more thought regarding them will
partially attend to their wants till the
hurry of harvest comes on, and then,
lust when the bees need the most care,
neglect them entirely. allowing swarms
to 90 to the woods and the bees to lie
idle for want of surplus receptacles in
which to store the honey which is being
secreted plentifully at the time But no
matter how much the hurry or how
great the pressure of business, the hogs
are fed, and the COWS are MIXED, while
the poor bees are left to care for them
selves. wish we might see 3 new era
dawning among our farmers regarding
this branch of rural industry, seeing It
placed where it should be upon an equal
footing with any other branch of farm
ing Cor Rural NeaC Yorker.
The largest man in the British SER
vice is Lieutenant Switzerland, of the
Fifty-sixth Regiment. He Is eight feet
four inches high, and weighs shout three
hundred and sixty-four pounds.