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>* Entered at the Post-Offlce at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter. 



QEORQE W. YORK, Editor. 



CHICAGO, ILL, APRIL 7, 1904. 



VoLXLIV— Nal4. 



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Editorial Comments 



J 



Ordering Bee-Supplies Early. 



It has been customary to offer an annual suggestion to purchasers 

 of bee-supplies to order them early. While there may never be 

 another season like that of l',)03, still there are always quite a number 

 of those who put off ordering the necessary supplies until the rush- 

 time comes, which is usually in May and June. We shall never forget 

 last season's experience. While all dealers like to do a good business, 

 it did seem that for several months last year it was " too much of a 

 good thing." If we had to go through such an experience every year, 

 we would think that life was hardly worth living. But having had 

 that experience, we can the tietter sympathize with those dealers who 

 become overwhelmed with orders during the rush-time of the season. 

 In view of this, we want to urge upon all of our readers, who can 

 foresee that they will require certain supplies, that they order them nt 

 once, so that they can receive them before the time when they will 

 actually be needed. There must have been many bee-keepers last year 

 who lost much honey because they could not get the necessary sup- 

 plies. No doubt many of them decided then that they would never be 

 caught that way again. 



We believe that most dealers have made an extra effort during the 

 past winter to provide themselves with a large stock of goods, so as to 

 be able to till orders as promptly as possible. Of course, their present 

 stock may not last very long, but those who get their orders in first 

 will be the ones who will be supplied. 



We can not conceive of anything more exasperating, and trying 

 on the nerves, than to be disappointed in getting bee-supplies when 

 they are absolutely required in order to take care of the honey- flow in 

 a proper manner. It certainly does not pay to get the colonies of bees 

 in good condition for the harvest, and then be unalile to give them 

 plenty of storage-room when the honey-tiow is on in good earnest. As 

 we recollect the many urgent orders received last year, when it was 

 impossible tor us to get supplies fast enough from the factory to liU 

 our orders, it makes us want to impress the fact very emphatically 

 upon our readers that they should get their orders In early, so that 

 there will be no doubt about their having the goods they need just 

 when they must be used. We think a great many make the mistake 

 of " living from hand to mouth " in this matter. They seem to be 

 afraid of having on hand a tew extra supplies. Fortunately, most 

 bee-supplies are not perishable, so no one need fear loss from that 

 cause when they have an extra supply. 



During the rush honey season of last year, it .was not a question 

 of what bee-supplies cost, but the trouble was to get them at all. It 

 seemed that practically all the iieiz-supply factories were several weeks 

 behind and could not get caUL'ht up, as the season continued for so 

 long a time. We remember having placed orders for three car-loads 

 of goods at one time, but of coarse we could not have used them all in 

 one week, even had they been so shipped. In fact, we could not pos- 

 sibly have handled three ca: loads of supplies in one week, even 

 though working night and da;. 



But please do not blame the supply-dealer later on if he fails to 

 fill your order when there are - i many others who, like yourself, have 



delayed sending in their orders. He probably will be doing the best 

 he can, as no doubt every dealer desires to ship as promptly as pos- 

 sible, especially when he has received the money with the order. 



Again we say, do not delay giving your order for bee-supplies to 

 your dealer in time. Give him a chance to serve you promptly and 

 well, and he will likely do it. 



A Fault of the Paper Honey-Paekaffe. 



Editor Root says that honey in paper packages must be gotten out 

 of the way before hot weather, under penalty of making a dauby, 

 sticky mess. That is a rather serious objection to the paper honey- 



Wintep Losses of Bees. 



A request was made by Gleanings in Bee-Culture, some time ago, 

 as to the result of the wintering of bees among its readers. The re- 

 sponses are summed up as follows for points east of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains : 



There will be heavy losses, just as I feared. A large number re- 

 port from 50 to 7.5 percent of the bees dead — some all dead. New York 

 seems to have sustained the heaviest losses ; then next in order I would 

 place Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Wisconsin, and the New 

 England States. Illinois does not seem to have had very severe losses, 

 although some bee-keepers have had a good many bees die. Iowa 

 seems to show up well. In Missouri, and in most of the States west of 

 the Mississippi and east of the Rockies, the winter has been very 

 favorable, and the bees are in prime condition. There have been some 

 losses in West Virginia, but most of the other States south of the Ohio 

 River will show good wintering. 



But now let it be understood, the places where losses were very 

 heavy seemed to be confined almost entirely to outdoor-wintered bees. 

 I do not remember to have had a siugle report out of the large number 

 received when there was bad wintering in cellars or repositories. A 

 few liee-keepers in regions where losses have been extremely heavy, 

 report excellent wintering outdoors. Among the number is J. B. 

 Hall, of Canada. 



Whether these losses will affect the clover market next sum- 

 mer remains to be seen. 



Since the first of March the weather has moderated very materially 

 over the country — just enough to give occasional flights in warm 

 localities, but cool enough to prevent brood-rearing going on to any 

 extent. 



The foregoing agrees with the reports we have received on the 

 same subject, as may be noted from week to week in our department 

 "From Many Fields." 



The " Glueose-Honey " Story Again. 



We have received the following letter from Mr. J. F. Michael, of 

 Randolph Co., Ind., dated March 19: 



Wonders never cease to multiply. My old home county news- 

 paper has this statement: 



" The greater part of the honey sold in this country never saw 

 inside of a bee-hive. A little dextro-gluoose makes a • pure select 

 table honey.' This is quicker than the bees can make the 2,625,000 

 cells necessary to gather a pound of honey." 



I mailed the editor a copy of the editorial on the Inter-Ocean arti- 

 cle, which appeared on page 195 of the American Bee Journal. I told 

 him he was doing an injury to a great American industry, which has 

 no trust to boom prices, but relies on supply and demand for its 

 profit. I believe he did not intend any harm to our industry, and 

 furthermore I believe he will tell his readers that there luver mis oiie 

 pound of maniifiictured honey sold in America. J. F. Michael. 



We are glad that Mr. Michael sn promptly called the attention of 

 that newspaper editor to his yreal luistake. He certainly should be 

 willing to make prompt and full corrt'ction. We wish more bee-keep- 



