226 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Mar. 24, 19(4. 



all over it. I have thought sometimes, as a dealer, that I 

 would quit handling those grades of extractors — A. I. Root 

 Company's and others — because the trade belongs to me ; 

 I have to put in my hard licks for it, and I think there is 

 too much advantage taken of us fellows who handle supplies. 

 When I began selling supplies in St. Jo, you couldn't have 

 sold a wheelbarrow or the cheapest hive which was $2.75, 

 and now I can sell four or five carloads, and I have done 

 it all myself. I want an extractor, and here comes an ex- 

 tractor with A. I. Root all over it, and the minute the 

 customer gets it he writes to A. I. Root to find out what I 

 got it for. 



Dr. Miller — This whole thing is simply a matter of 

 contract, and there is no trouble about it at all. If I make 

 a trade with a man, before the trade is completed we must 

 both agree to it. If I want to sell some honey to a man, 

 if he says he wants my name on it, and if he will pay me 

 enough for putting it on, I will do so. If he doesn't want it 

 on, I am willing to leave it off. There are cases like Mr. 

 Meredith says, where men will want the name on, but the 

 majority of cases don't want it, and if you don't want to 

 sell to a man of that kind, don't sell to him. You are not 

 obliged to. This thing of saying the middle man is dishonest 

 because he scrapes the name off — you are off, decidedly. 

 As to the matter of articles like extractors, etc., the man 

 that puts his name on. put it there for the sake of adver- 

 tisin<T. and the man that buys it buys it with that under- 

 standing, and it is a fair thing. They don't always put it 

 on. You will find that on some of these things the manu- 

 facturer's name is not on. You will find a Singer sewing 

 machine having Montgomery Ward's name on it, or a 

 Fairbanks' scale will have some prominent farmer's name 

 on it. It is an understanding of bargain and sale. I wish 

 we could get rid of the idea that there is any dishonesty 

 going on. We will go through life happier if we believe 

 that there are honest men— and outside of Cincinnati, too ! 



Mr. -Meredith— In putting uo horse-radish, according 

 to law, I am compelled to label the contents of that jar. 



Pres. York— You must mention the contents on the label, 

 not your own name. 



Mr. Meredith— If it is a combination of horse-radish and 

 vmegar. 



Dr. Miller— Are you compelled to put your own name 

 on? 



Mr. Meredith— I must put my own name on together 

 with the contents of that bottle. 



Mr. France— That part is simply to protect the public in 

 view of the pure food law in case of adulteration, that the 

 inspector may know where to go. 



Mr. Baldridge— Wouldn't that apply, though, to section 

 honey? To oblige them to stamp it? 



Mr. Wilco.x— If there is such a law in Illinois. There 

 IS not in Wisconsin, and I can't understand how they can 

 enact such a law. It certainly must apply to food products. 



^/'^s. \ork— Comb honey isn't a manufactured article. 



Mr. Wilco.x— There might be a statute applying to 

 manufactured food products. 



WHY USE 8-FRAME HIVES. 



"Will Dr. Miller please tell us why he uses 8-frame 

 hives ? 



Dr. Miller— As nearly as I can tell the principal rea- 

 son is because I have them. One great reason, a very 

 strong reason with me— it wouldn't be a strong reason with 

 everybody— but if you were an old man as I am expecting 

 to be withm the next fifty years, and you had no help ex. 

 cept a weak woman, you would want things as light as 

 possible. Ihat is a strong reason in favor of that hive; 

 It IS light to handle. Another reason is, I think I can get 

 more comb honey with the 8-frame hives than with the larger 

 size. 



HOW TO SUCCEED IN THE BEE-BUSINESS. 



"How can I succeed in the bee-business? To be an- 

 swered by Dr. Miller." 



Pres. York— You could probably answer it better if you 

 knew who it was. Doctor. 



Dr. Miller— If the questioner will raise his hand I will 

 look him over and tell him. 



Mr. Longsdon— I didn't ask it, but I want to raise my 

 hand. 



Dr. Miller— You get a bee-book, and read that carefully, 



and study it through, and learn all you can from it, and 

 then get another bee-book, until you get several. But. of 

 course, above all get "Forty Years Among the Bees !" It is 

 one of the best books in the world ! Then get a bee-paper, 

 and some of the best bee-papers of the world are published 

 in the United States; and don't take foreign journals. Then 

 attend conventions, and then go home and work it all out. 

 Try carefully, watch your mistakes, and talk it over with 

 your wife ! 



Mr. Johnson — And get some bees ! 



Dr. Miller — Oh, yes, get some bees. And when you have 

 gone that far you will see through for yourself; and if you 

 don't, call on me and I will tell you the rest! 



Mr. Wheeler — Mr. Muth would say, "Get a long-tongued 

 queen !" 



LICENSE FOR SELLING HONEY. 



"If I sell all my honey, and buy more to sell, am I 

 compelled to get a license?" 



Mr. Abbott — If he lived in Missouri he would have to get 

 a license. 



Mr. Moore — That's a question that perhaps I can an- 

 swer. It depends largely upon the laws of the municipality, 

 or town, or city. I believe 12 or 1.3 years ago they made me 

 pay a license in Ft. Wayne. The general rule is that taking 

 orders and delivering afterwards puts you in the class of 

 commercial travelers. The only question would be in some 

 town or city where it was the rule. It is a question to look 

 up in your locality what the law is. If you don't peddle 

 there is no license required, in general. 



BEE-KEEPING IN ILLINOIS AND INDIANA. 



"Does it pay to keep bees in Illinois or Indiana?" 



Dr. Miller — Illinois, I think. Is the question which of 

 the two States? 



Pres. York — It means the two States. 



Mr. Abbott — Anybody knows it pays in Illinois. Look 

 at this crowd and the clothes they have on I 



Mr. Duff — I don't think there would be many that would 

 have very much clothing on if they depended on bee-cul- 

 ture! 



Dr. Miller — I believe the question is entitled to a fair 

 and honest answer. Take simply the matter of the profits 

 from bee-culture alone, and I believe there are very few men 

 that would make it a paying business. I believe a few who 

 have a special aptitude might, but if a young man came to 

 me in regard to his choice of a business for making money. 

 I believe 19 out of 20, if not gg out of 100, can make more 

 money out of any other business. 



Mr. Londgsdon — Then you were making a fool of me a 

 little bit ago? 



Dr. Miller — No, I wouldn't of you. Did you ever go 

 fishing? 



A Member — Yes. 



Dr. Miller — Did you make a success of it? I caught 

 three fish. I counted it a big success, but I didn't make any 

 money at it. 



Mr. Londgsdon — You mean a financial success? 



Dr. Miller — In the bee-keeping business a lot of suc- 

 cess comes just from the fun you have in it. There is hard 

 work, and a lot of enjoyment. I don't know of any other 

 business that you will have as much enioyment studying 

 out problems. You have gone to bed studying out prob- 

 lems, and when you are gray-headed jou will still be study- 

 ing out problems that way. It is a paying business in that 

 way. It is an enjoyable business. I will give you one rea- 

 son why I count it a profitable business, even if you have 

 to have something else to go along with it to make your 

 living: There are a great many men, thousands of men in 

 this city to-day, men who have a great deal of wealth, and 

 are working hard, and they are counting on the day when 

 they will be able to lay business aside and go into the 

 country and enjoy life; and nearly every one is looking for- 

 ward to the time when he can take things easy. I am going 

 fishing every day. I am having fun every day at bee- 

 keeping. I am having a good time as I go along, and that's 

 one of the reasons I can keep on at the bee-keeping and 

 make less money because I don't need to look forward to 

 the good time by and by. I am having my good time right 

 now. Again, a man could do it in Illinois or Indiana with no 

 other object in view except making money Then I say it 

 is doubtful if he can count it a very profitable business in 

 either of these two 'States. 



