Putnam patriot., 1915-08-27

of them.
 Small fruits and bees are a combins- ton which does not call for the state ment made of poultry and bees. One can serve these two masters and keep on loving both. Bees are coming more and more to be recognized as es. sential to successful fruit culture, and that very fact yokes these two busi- nesses together Then it Is very easy to regulate the work required b.; these two industries so that one will not de- mand attention while the other is be- ing treated. Each of these pursuits furnishes opportunity for work in win ter months, spring months, and all months, but the heavy stress or work in one does not fall simultaneously with the heavy stress of work Of the other.
 It is extremely doubtful whether bees could be well combined with the business of market gardening. 1 have known few market gardeners who successfully kept a few colonies, but they kept these largely for pleasure and the honey for their own table. l never knew of market gardener who also was an apiarist. Here, AS with the general farmer, the bees would de- mand attention at the very time when the vegetables are being rushed to mar ket. The stress of work with the bees would fall with the stress of work with the vegetables, and one of three things would break ,down-the market gar dening, the bookkeeping, or the bee. keeping g-market-gardener
 There are other rural pursuits which might be mentioned, but to cover all the ground would be tedious. What of the professional pursuits? Does not literature abound with instances of bees being Kept by school teachers and elcrgymen2 Why so many teachers keep bees and why so many ministers find pleasure in the same property is deep q Ieslien, possibly more ethical than otherwise That many persons of these two professions do find great pleasure in the keeping of bees is be- yond questlon-ean they also find ii. naneial profit in the same?
 Custom has given to the teacher a long summer vacation, and custom al so gives the elergymau a fairly long vacation Also both these professions call for short hours of undivided atten- ton. IL thus follows that men of these professions find it possible 10 care for a rather large numbeT of colonies Of bees without interference with their professional duties.
 It is especially true in Connecticut that beekeeping can be taken up oy teachers. As the big honey flow comes in July while school is not in session the teacher can give his whole atten- ton To his bees. He must adopt some system of beeKeeping which will allow him 10 give but little attention to bis bees while school is keeping. His af- tetnoon and his Saturdays are more or less at his disposal and he can manage to keep his bees going through the spring months. He must be e0mpia- cent over the loss of swarms. But if swarms do get away in May, his July crop is still safe. several eolonies of mine which sent of a swarm in May gave me this year sixty and SC 1entS sections. From one point Of view my loss of swarms the past spring might be sreckoned as serious, amounting to possibly sI25. But that is not loss in my case for it is one of the ceFtainties when beekeeping and school teaching are combined. If, in spite of those runaway swarms in May, l can pro- duce several thousand sections Of haney, wilhon. letting Ihe two ansi'