Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1896-05-16
FARM AND GARDEN.
LOCATING AN APiARY.
Colonies Should Not BE Placed Too Neel
= Highway or Street.

Highway Street.
The person who wishes to make bee
keeping a sole means of procuring q
living will do well to study well the
honey resources Of locality before
locating an aplary. Too many colonies
must not be kept in the immediate vi
cinity, as there is danger of overstoek-
ing, and if location can be found
where there will be a succession of
bloom from carly spring until late IN
the fall, success, with the right man
agement, will be assured. But if the
design is to combine beekeeping with
some other pursuit, or branch of farm
ing, II matters but little where the
apiary is located, as in almost any locn-
ton few colonies of bees can be kept
with both pleasure and profit, especial
ly SO when 1T is remembered that bees
often go miles to gather honey So
would advise that no person who has
a desire to have the most healthful of
sweets to use in the family be deferred
from keeping bees on account of what,
to them, may appear to be an insult
able location.
OF course, any farm, no matter how
small, has plenty of room for a few
colonies of bees. But many readers are
engaged in mechanical and other pur-
suits and are living in towns. 1t may
be well to assure them that they can.
right where they are, keep a colony or
a few colonies of bees, and, besides the
pleasure in caring for them, they can
secure for themselves honey to use, and
perhaps some to spare. This, of course,
if bees are properly managed.
Even in our largest cities bees are
kept with profit. c. F. Muth, of Cincin-
natl, O., has for many years kept bees
on the roof of his store building with
profit. Thomas G. Newman, of Chica-
go, ILL.,, has for years successfully kent
his bees near one of the main thorough
fares of the city where street cars pass
every few minutes. Other instances of
keeping bees in cities could be cited both
in New York and Philadelphia. In one
of the larger towns in this county
person has been keeping from so 70
100 colonies of bees on a small lot, and
without gaining the i'll will of his
neighbors.
The ideal location would be one with
woods on the west and north for protec-
ton of the apiary from the cold wintry
winds, especially if said woods con-
tanned maple, Eastwood and chestnut
timber. Such location would furnish
honey and pollen in abundance. A
gradual slope of the land to the south
southeast or { asst would also be desir-
able.
Where only few bees are kept they
should be located near the house where
the boys and girls could see when
swarm issues. If an orchard is near
the apiary it would be great help, as
the nearer they are to the field the bet
ter.
Apple bloom and good weather will
help toward building up colonies for
the white clover crop. 1t is often the
case that persons fail in getting yield
of white clover honey because of weak
colonies. Without a hive overlooking
with bees a large yield of honey need
never be expected.
1t might be well to not place colonies
too near the highway or street, unless
there is a high fence or hedge which
would cause the bees to rise in their
fight to and fro, and so fly over the per-
sons passing.-George Splitter, in Ohio
Farmer.