364 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



A HEART TO HEART TALK. 



To those whose subscriptions expire 

 this month I am sending, for their con- 

 venience in renewing, an addressed en- 

 velope and an order-sheet. In addition 

 to filling out the latter and enclosing 

 the one dollar, I wish each subscriber 

 would write me a heart to heart letter 

 — write just as you would talk if we 

 were both dangling our legs from the 

 top of j'our work bench in yovir shop or 

 honey house. Tell me of your bee- 

 keeping life; when and how you began; 

 of your successes and failures; of the 

 numbers of colonies you are keeping 

 and have kept; of the kinds of bees, 

 hives and implements you are using, 

 of the crops of hone,y you have produc- 

 ed, from what it was gathered, how 

 and where you have marketed it, and 

 the price secured. Tell of the gi-eatest 

 difficulties with which you have had to 

 contend, and if you have overcome them 

 and how. What are your present dif- 

 ficulties, and how are you working 

 against them? What are your advan- 

 tages? From what have you gained 

 the most help in your business? Tell 

 me of all the little helpful hints you 

 have learned — especially those you 

 have not seen in print. 



I don't expect you to literally answer 

 all the questions I have asked. They 

 are given simply to indicate some- 

 thing of what I would like to have you 

 write about. You may think these 

 little things don't help any, but they 

 do. If I could sit down and have a 

 half-hour's chat with each subscriber, 

 and he would tell me all he could that 

 would be helpful to his brethren, there 

 would be refreshing freshness about 

 the Review. What I am asking you to 

 do is to write just those things that you 

 would tell me, that you think would in- 

 terest me, if we should meet. If you 

 wish to write confidentially, that con- 

 fidence will be held sacred. 



One thing more: Tell me what _voii 

 think of the Review. Criticise it. No, 



I am not fishing for compliments. If 

 it has helped 3'ou, I wish to know hoiv 

 it has done it, that I may enlarge and 

 encourage that feature. If there is 

 some feature that you care little for, be 

 equally free to mention that, as it will 

 be equally helpful. If you find it an 

 absolute necessity to have me stop send- 

 ing you the Review, I wish you would 

 tell me ivhy, and tell me truly — make 

 no excuses to spare my feelings. If it 

 is because of some fault or shortcoming 

 of the Review, I will be particularly 

 tliaiikful if you will frank U' mention it. 



I have an ambition, and perhaps vou 

 can help me to realize it. I am am- 

 bitious of being of some real, practical 

 help to bee-keepers. To be sure, I ex- 

 pect to make some profit in publishing 

 the Review, but I have no ambition to 

 become rich, as that word is under- 

 stood. I have always had a comfort- 

 able home, enough to eat, drink and 

 wear, and UKjre than that is only an 

 added burden and responsibility, but 

 as I have just said, I am possessed of 

 an ambition to be helpful to bee-keep- 

 ers all over this broad land; to bring 

 to light and teach them better methods; 

 to induce them to keep more bees; to 

 lead them to organize and co-operate, 

 in short, to make of their business a 

 more pleasant and profitable pursuit; 

 and I ask my subscribers to help with 

 the work — let us work together. Write 

 to me if you can and will, and write 

 freely — no matter how long the letter, 

 it will be read and enjoyed. Even 

 though I maj- not have the time to write 

 a reply (probably will not) it will 

 leave an impression on my mind that 

 will have its influence upon what goes 

 into the Review. 



The closer men can get together, the 

 more thoroughly they become acquaint- 

 ed with one another, the more helpful 

 can they be, and nothing can bring the 

 editor and his readers nearer together 

 than for them to write him long, friend* 

 ly, chatty' letters. 



