Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-06-12
BEE.kEEPING.
The Modern Methods of Agriculture Pc
culiarlY Adanted to the Farm.

modern method OF Keeping pees. AHo
amount of honey obtained rom a
sworn of bees on the present system Is
more than double that formerly OBJ
tanned when the common box hive was
used, The manufacture Of comb
foundation and the furnishing OF wax
tor comb-making saves a great amount
of labor for the bees. Perhaps the
greatest gain is in the invention OF a
machine for extracting the honey from
the comb, so that the bees can fill it
again without taking time to build
anew. The manufacture OF comb is
for the bee an expensive operation, as
the comb is made from honey. and it
requires a great deal of honey for a lit
tie comb. In the improved system the
foundation is made by machinery; that
is, q surface the exact form OF the
cell is made of wax, and enough waNis
deposited on this surface to complete
the cell, and the bees very quickly
draw it into the perfect cell.
Honey is the purest sweet in the
world, and if we could stimulate the
people to produce it in larger quanti-
ties we should do good work. There
is not half enough raised at present,
and Il large portion of what is raised is
! exported TO Europe. Our honey has
had atoreign market at paying prices,
and tip consequence has been a short
supplIfor the home market. We have
sold Europe honey at a high price, and
boughtsugar at a low price. While SO
many i the farm products are too low,
honeybf the best quality is much too
high. I'VE want to induce more people
to rails it, and this is for the interest
Of all%foncerned. l advise my neigh
bors + get at least a swarm or two OF
bees and try them. 1t is neither eN-
pensite nor risky. No matter whether
they Ire the common black bees, or the
ltalial, or what breed. The difference
in thdn is greatly exaggerated. 1t is
in fad doubtful whether the Italian is
superior to the common black bee. l
have seen as good results from the
black bee as from the Italian. The
first thing is to learn to keep bees. and
the kid a be changed when desired.
No mtter what hive We begin with,
We cab make such hives as we choose
for th young swarms, and the best
hives known have 10 patent on them.
The value of a swarm depends in part
on thehive, but much more on other
circumstances. In buying, if the swarm
is in theAold hive-boX, avoid such hives
as are full of cracks, as the miller lays
her eggsin them, and the worms are
there protected from the bees.
The destruction of swarms by worms
has dond more to discourage bee-kecp-
ing than any other one thing. BY the
use OF hives that contain movable
frames fhis difficulty is to a great eN-
tent avbided. The invention of this
kind Of hive has made bookkeeping a
comparatively safe business. The dan
ger of starvation of late swarms is
avoided, and the amount of bees in the
h.Ye subject to control. In the old sys-
ten some warns would contain too
many bees. others too few. BY the help
Of these frames the transfer from one
swarm to anotheris easy. The swarm-
ing is regulated to a great extent.
Some claim that they never allow their
bees to swarm, but divide them as they
choose. We formerly considered it an
object to increase our swarms as rapidly
as possible. AT present most people
do not think so. All that is now de-
sired is to raise one swarm from each
hive. Beyond this the production of
honey pays better than raising bees.
IN the old system we took up the late
swarms that did not make enough
honey to winter, as we did not know
any better way. We are not now
obliged, rs formerly, to kill the bees to
get their honey.
Some localities are much better
adapted to this business than others.
The best localitions are neal large for
csts that abound in Eastwood. This
tree yields more honey than any other
source, and a whole hive is often filled
with honey in a few days while the
passwords are in blossom. White
clover honey is considered the standard
OF excellence, and the flowers yield a
large amount. Buckwheat yields a
great amount of poor honey. L
noticed last season that the blossoms of
the artichoke were covered with bees,
but how much honey they get or OF
what quality l have no means of know
ing. If the artichoke should prove a
good honey plant it would add greatly
To its value, as it produces a great
many blossoms that last a long time.
We have here aplant called the Kill
cali" from which bees get poison
honey, and yet IN agricultural Journal
advises people to raise this plant be-
cause it produces a beautiful blossom.
We do not dare to use anyhoney raised
here except what is made after these
plants are out of blossom. In raising
any kind of flowers people interested
in bees should have regard to their
effect on the quantity and quality Of
honey they yield.
If the boy that has saved his pennies
untll he has a few dollars will buy a
hive OF bees and take care of them. he
will get a large percentage on his in
vestment. 1t is a common estimate
that a swarm will average as much
clear profit as a good COW. l do not
think this a large estimate. 1 notice
some writer's claim that it pays to take
away so much honey that there is not
enough left for the bees to live on
through the winter, and then supply
the deficiency with sugar. as the bees
will be less subject to disease feeding
on this than honey, and it is much
cheaper. One thing is certain, when
the SIlOnlv Of honey il chort +ho bo,,