Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1885-06-18
INDUSTRIAL TOPICS.
Suggestions to Persons Who Contemplate
Engaging In the Business Of Beekeeping-
Items of Interest
Commencing with Bees.

nlveS. hOney-eXtractOrS, boxes, anu
frames than the purchasers ever real
ize for honey sold in the market or
eaten in their own houses is also un-
doubtedly true. Every few years there
Is honey craze that affects entire
communities. The inventor of some
newfangled beehive obtains patent
on it and advertises to sell territorial
rights. Enterprising agents scour the
country, and by means of plausible
talk and tempting circulars induce
many persons to engage in the business
of keeping bees. Several enthusiasts
have written books on the profits of
bee-culture which are misleading. Oc-
casionally magazine writer prepares
an article on this subject which secures
million leaders and gains many
thousands of converts to the belief
that almost any person can gain fort
une by keeping bees. Paragraphs in
newspapers, which become sweeter
every time they are copied, state
how some crippled soldier, lone widow,
or friendless orphan secured a colony
of bees, and in the course of u few
years had an apiary of thousand
hives and an income of retired capt.
talist. The press is always ready to
chronicle success in any department
of husbandry. 1t is responsible for
many of the failures in raising,
sugar-making, poultry breeding, and
bookkeeping, because it does not give
the number and extent of the failures
that occur. 1t presents the bright side
of every portion of farm life. The
local paper will inform the public if
one of its subscribers quadrupled his
colonies in year and lifted mort
gage with the money received from
the sale of honey. 1t will make no
mention of the losses sustained by an
other person living in the same town.
That many persons fail in keeping
bees is not wonderful. They 60 into
the business with no knowledge OF 1t
derived from books, observation, or
experience. They are not adapted to
it by nature and do not take kindly to
it. They are not situated where they
can keep bees to advantage, and they
have little or no time to devote to
them. They read that Bookkeeping
pays and they are DESTROYS of making
money without work. They should
nv CAPCOb w ouCCCCu III q DuSluC>S
that requires knowledge, skill. care,
and watchfulness, as well as a favor
able location. That many persons
have found Bookkeeping both pleasant
and profitable is certain. Not only
men but women and youths have sue
ceeded in keeping bees. In Germany
boys and girls manage apiaries and
derive large incomes from them. That
many persons in this country would
find the keeping of bees pleasant
and profitable employment seems GER
tain. They should, however, exercise
caution and discretion in commencing
it. They should acquire considerable
| knowledge from books before they
purchase their first colony of bees.
The literature pertaining to bees is
very extensive. Among the best and
most practical treatises on the subject
are Langstroth's "Hiye and Honey
Bee, " "Quimby's New Bee-Keeping,'
Cooks "Bee-Keeper's Guide" Kings
"Bee-Keeper's Text Book" and "Bee:
and Honey" by Thomas G. Newman
of this city, who is publisher of Thu
american Bee Journal. Either of tn,
above named works will furnish the
information that is essential to the
novice. in bookkeeping. By carefully
studying it he can form an opinion a!
to whether he is adapted to the bust
ness of keeping bees and is willing u
take the proper steps in order to be-
come a successful apiarian. He viii
learn that something is required o
him besides buying hive of bees ant
getting box to keep them in.
1t is stated by those who have bees
be kept in city, village, or country t.
excellent advantage. This may b.
true if an expert keep the bees. There
are locations particularly adapted t.
the successful keeping of bees as Their,
are locations specially suited to othe
industries. A good location for bee
may be determined by an abundance,
of flowers yielding honey during sew
eral months in heyear. Considerable
may be done in raising crops on
farm where bees are kept that furnisl
honey that Can be gathered. Still
there is little evidence to show tina
there is any profit in raising flower
simply to produce honey. Buckwhea
IS profitable crop TO raise for produc
ing grain, and the honey furnished b.
l'the blossoms will enable bees to fill tn
combs in their hives. White clover /
desirable in every pasture, as 1t fur
nishes excellent food for stock. Will
it yields large amount of honey
Many other plants can be raised in
field or garden that will return prof
on their production and besides yiel
considerable amount of honey. Still
tho bee-keeper must rely principally
on trees and minor plants of spontane
Gus production for honey. In this par
of the country the linden, or Eastwood
locust, tulip, willow, and box eide
trees yield the largest amount Q
honey. An apiary established nea
large collections of these trees vii
have a great advantage over one lo
Gated on treeless prairie or nea
woods consisting of trees that do no
blossom or whose trees contain little O
no honey. In newly settled portion
of the country most of the honey wi
be furnished by native trees, but i
places long settled the supply will b
derived from fruit trees or small plant
that have been introduced. Person
contemplating engaging in bee-keepin
would do well to take these facts int
consideration. They would also d
well to ascertain If the territory is nc
already we'll occupied by persons win
have established apiaries.
Persons who have had no experienc
in Bookkeeping would do we'll to con
mence on a very small scale A star
can be made with single colony. Til
will cost but small sum, and th
management of il and the swarms