The evening times., 1901-05-04
THE ART OF BE CULTURE
Department Clerks Find Profit IN
1t as a Side Line.

Many Government Employees Engage
in the Honey-HaEInG Business,
some Quite SuccessfuIIy-Depar
nsent of Agriculture Experiments
Department clerks drawing small sala-
ries and occupied but a few hours Of the
day, have taken up a great many occupa-
tious to fill out their hours for work and
to add to their incomes There ara few
kinds of business into which they have
not entered. Some have been successful
in these side lines. some have not
Fhc latest mouey-makiug scheme TO be
come popuiag among the employees OF the
Government. however Is bee keeping n
year or so ago an agent OF a Belgian hare
farm canvassed the departments quite en-
ereeticaIIy with the result that he was
responsible for the starting of many Bel
gian hare farms One or two of these
manned out well. but the rest went the
way of al ..fads.' and eventually dropped
out OF existence
Now comes bee raising and it requires
to be seen if II is to be only fad. or
L. be lasting Several Of the Older Gov
eminent employees have been enIlged IN
the business for years, and they manage
20 make quite a neat little sum each year
outside their regular salaries. in addition
to furnishing their own table and the
tables Of many of thair friends with most
delicious honey fresh from the hives
one clerk is noted for the product of his
apiary. and his acquaiutances await
Christmas and other gift days with glad
ness. because they know chat they VIII
be sure Of a jar Of honey Several depart
ment heads arr supplied throughout the
year with the honey for their breakfast
table by grateful members of the force
Under them.
In fact. It might be said that ,he Civil
! service is honeycombed with b"e-raisers,
! and as the years go by the list of men
J and women who have taken up the bust
: ness grows longer and longer. The indus
Try Is especially attractive to women. be-
/ cause it requires no great amount of Ia
/ Dor. but simIy steady care It is all done
! at home and. in contrast with other pro
/ tessions and businesses. it requires
( no going out among the people of the city.
All that there IS needed TO be done to
/ carry on the affairs Of q colony OF bees
( can be done in the hour OF 50 before the
/ operiing of the departments and the few
hours after. 1t Is Ieisurely business, re
/ quiring only enough manual labor 20 be
/ stimulating and keeping the worker out in
! the open air enough to he healthfui and
robust
Another thing which recommends bee
I keeping to the department clerk IS the fact
that il is easy To start into, as far as the
initial investment Of capital is concerned.
\ beginning though not a very large one
can be made on SO. but that so IN a short
time begins TO increase itself The keeping
Of bees requires some knowledge of the
business hut that knowledge can be ac-
! ouired readily and in a short enough time
to make the first investment safe ana a
/ rapid increase of the dividend possible II
is possible that the nrSt colony Oh pt,eS
started may fail a victim To some OF Jne
numerous pests that kill of bees, but II IS
not probable. and. especially not 50 III
Washington, where the climate Is Wen
ADAPTED to the culture of the bee
( One reason Why the present craze Tor bee
keeping on the part Of employees IN the de-
( DartmentS i not likely To prove d l3d Is
fh7r WASHINGTON is itself 50 constituted aS
TO its vegeta don that bees can De raised
! in the city very profitable It IS pOSSIbl e
| to have an apiary in a back yard IN the
| most busy portion Of the city. and IL is
! not really necessary even to have q back
| yard. In New York and Chicago there
| are extensive apiaries located on the tops
| Of business blocks and apartment houses
| and they bring to their owners a Tine re-
| turn in money and honey
| Washington Is particularly favored be.
| cause Of its large parks, and of its thOuS
| auds of trees. An expert Iii the AgriCUl
| turaI Department has this to say in re.
/ gard TO bee raising in cities
! OF near towns and, To a limited extent, il
! large cities IL even happens in some in
! stances that bees in cltieS- or towns hnl
/ more abundant FasturaEe than in coun
/ try locations which are considered fair
The city of Washington is an example
! of this. heeS located here doing better dur
. ing the spring and summer months thar
- / those in the surrounding country owing
TO the bee paSturage found in the nJmer
Gus gardens and parks and the nectar
yielding shade trees along the streets
B. 10 duo in no Fat hat Ia
linden or baSSWUOd. which is rarely seer
in the country about Washington. hai
- been planted extensively in the parks auS
for miles on both sides of many of tn
streets and avenues Of the city AnOthe
; source in the city not found eNtensivel!
IN the country adjacent IS mcliiot- Box
hara OF sweet clover tAIeHIOtUs Alba
which has crept into vacant lots and neg
lected corners. and spreads abOutS il
agreeable perfume 20 the delight of al
city dweIIers. whether human or insect
The writer has practiced with profit tn
. ! transportation of nearly a hundred colo