New-York tribune., 1901-06-02
HINTS ON BEE KEEPING.
FINDS IT A PROFITABLE
OCCTTP PATTON
OCCUPATION

There is probably no rural occupation that pays
so well requires so little capital and gives so much
real enjoyment as bee keeping said Mrs. Frances
Ellen Wheeler, who a large apiary in the
northern part of this State. with able bodied
assistant to do the heavy work even a delicate
woman may find II profitable To be sure. IL Is a
much simpler matter to theorize on bee keeping
TO set out gliterng array of figures representing
a minimum of labor against maximum Of honey
ana pronts-than 1t is to work out such problem
Tor ones self. The prevailing idea that bee keepers
as rule choose the occupation because the work
Is light and the profits heavy is erroneous. on the
contrary, 1t entails the necessary drudgery common
TO all work. while patient attention 10 detail is
just Indispensable financial success It is in
other pursuits. But for its votary IL holds in
terest and intele ctual delight sufficient counter
balance all the toll
Honey crops are uncertain because of the vary
ing climates and seasons, and 1t is impossible 10
count on any given amount from one hive. As an
example. apiary with which l familiar
failed for several years to produce any surplus
Finally one fall the owner not only had honey
for his use, but obliged to supplement his
bees fare with two barrels Of sugar. But during
the three succeeding seasons the yard yielded
sixty thousand pounds of surplus honey. This was
the result of honey burst which is produced by
peculiar atmospheric conditions recurring during
the prolific bloom of some special fora, such as
clover Eastwood buckwheat. Successive warm.
quiet. sunny days and hot. humid nights favor the
secretion of nectar in such abundance to give q
very deluge of sweets. When this occurs the bees
work day and night, Juggling it in until tons OF
valuable produce harvested in a short time.
TIE AUTOCRATIC BEE.
The disposition OF bees is a subject that has
been much discussed and that is generally misun-
derstood. That bad temper is peculiar to certain
varieties while Il dovelike disposition distin-
guishes others. is of the commonly accepted
theories The standard honey gatherer OF thls
part of the world Is thoroughly an autocrat on
it's own ground IS the Car Of Russia on MS
So long as he observes certain laws the bee keeper
is safe but he infringes on the bees preserves
and transgresses It's statutes he Is In trouble The
same laws apply to the entire family. Because
the Matching and development OF the young re-
quire as accurate temperature as does an in
cubator of hens eggs. and because thousands OF
Larvae constantly Matching, exposure to wind
and cold entails great danger to the colony. Hence.
the hives should be opened only warm WindlesS
days after the is well up and before evening
chill comes. There should be loud talking.
jarrng crushing OF little lives and ven
mosquito netting answers very well for this pur-
pose. With observance of these precautions
any strain OF bees be manipulated an entHe
season with practically no discomfort.
''As fast the escape from their cells the
queen fills the vacancies with fresh eggs. SO care
fully are these guarded that In cold weather the
bees cling. sometimes three deep 10 the
from their bodies TO the eggs on the other hand