FOURTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART IX. 631 



ence. You will therefore listen between the lines and allow for disci"ep- 

 ancies, by being generous enough to realize that I may "come out of it 

 some day." 



It tickles me every time I think of the funny things I have read in 

 Dr. Miller's "Fifty Years Among the Bees." I am not related to Dr. 

 Miller, the pioneer bee man, that I know of, but I have experienced some 

 of his early and peculiar symptoms of bee troubles in my own bee work 

 infancy. I often congratulate myself upon the fortunate escapes I several 

 times have already made, and fully appreciate the many hints and expe- 

 riences that others have given in the bee journals, that have helped me to 

 avoid many pitfalls and needless humiliations that I otherwise would 

 have fallen heir to, in spite of my already fast accumulating experience 

 in bee culture, or "bee smartness." Right here I do not want to forget to 

 mention that I owe the greater part of my bee knowledge to the bright, 

 up-to-date and resourceful bee journals. 



Just as soon as I discovered I was coming down with the "bee fever" 

 and had become thoroughly infected with the disease, I consulted Brother 

 E. C. Wheeler of my home town and (by the way, he is one of the 

 honorable board of directors of this association) he at once diagnosed my 

 case at first sight as a very serious attack and almost hopeless. He 

 thought a go-slow-poultice of caution should be tied on tight and with 

 the three colonies of bees I had already secured and no knowledge what- 

 ever about the pesky Italians, I certainly had been thoroughly stung with 

 the "bee fever." He also recommended Gleanings in Bee Culture, as a 

 good prescription for my ailment. I never knew mails to be so slow in 

 all my life as they were after I had sent in my $1.50 for my first year's 

 subscription. He gave me an old sample copy he had and I read every 

 word in it, advertisements and all, including the chicken ads and Mr. 

 Root's Home Department, before my subscription got started. I studied 

 the markets like an old-time board of trade habitue. Mr. Wheeler also 

 recommended that I get ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture. 



Oh, I was going some. My wife couldn't get me to stop long enough 

 to eat my meals. My physician had ordered me to go on a diet. I even 

 overworked that. I fasted. I didn't eat at all, seemingly. Soon lost 

 thirty-five pounds of flesh with my fasting and "bee fever." But then it 

 did me good. Have regained part of my flesh, but have never been able 

 to break the fever. 



I saw b3^ advertisements in Gleanings that there were other bee jour- 

 nals. I subscribed for the American Bee Journal and the Review — also 

 joining the National Association at the same time. Didn't hear of any 

 others, or probably would have kept on subscribing. I was simply read- 

 ing everything I found that had the word bee in it, so you can readily 

 see I soon became possessed of a book knowledge of bees as well as one 

 of fool experiences. Let me thank the writers who have exposed their 

 foolish notions and ideas, as well as wise experiences in the bee ■journals. 

 They have helped me wonderfully and no doubt have also helped others. 

 Keep up your gQOd work. It assists the beginner and there are always 

 beginiiers. 



