632 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOLRryAU. 



Sept. IS, 1904. 



honey into the brood apartment, which would make it safer 

 for winter. When a colony is given ample space with ex- 

 tractor-combs already built, there is a liability of their 

 scattering their honey so that the lower story is in danger 

 of not being sufficiently supplied with food for winter. 



The prospect just now for a fall honey-flow is very 

 promising. We have never seen more bloom and stronger 

 colonies than at present. If the weather is not too cool or 

 too wet from now until frost, there is promise of as ample 

 a harvest as I ever saw. Hancock Co., 111., Aug. 23. 



Priority Rights in Locations for Bees. 



BY L. V. RICKETTS. 



ON page 327 appears an article on the rights of bee- 

 keepers, in which I asked a number of questions. On 



page 425, Mr. Hasty attempted to reply to the article, 

 but made no attempt at answering any of the questions. 

 He seems to be trying to evade the main issue by substan- 

 tially alleging that all who think differently from him on 

 this subject are actuated by a desire to do a wrong. This 

 accusation is as absurd and as unreasonable as was his pre- 

 vious attack on the crowding bee-keepers, in which he 

 called them names. ( Page 346— 1903 ; and page lOS— 1904.) 

 We will now sum up the evidence at hand, and see whether 

 or not Mr. Hasty is right in his conclusions. 



On page 805 (1903), Delos Wood, of California, while 

 attending the Los Angeles convention, spoke very emphati- 

 cally in line with the argument as set forth in my article on 

 page 327, and judging from the fact that Mr. Wood was 

 attending the convention, and from his writings in the 

 American Bee Journal, we may safely conclude that he is 

 one of California's leading bee-keepers. This would show 

 that he was not prompted from lust, but was speaking from 

 a clear and unselfish desire to give each one his just dues. 



On page 381, Mr. McColley says : "I rather admire the 

 way L. V. Ricketts goes for those bee-men that think they 

 own the earth. I rather think ' hog ' would fit them ". Now 

 we find by reading Mr. McColley's article that he has an 

 apiary in the South and one in the North, yet he takes sides 

 against Mr. Hasty's views. Does this show lust or a desire 

 to do wrong on the part of Mr. McColley ? 



On page 441, Mrs. Amos, in her very interesting article, 

 says that she has a home apiary and a small out-apiary, 

 which indicates that she is an established beekeeper, hav- 

 ing territory occupied by her bees, yet in her article she 

 says: " I call Mr. Ricketts' article a strong one, too. Bee- 

 keepers, as well as others, need to be reminded that there 

 are two sides to a question ". No lust or selfishness in 

 this, Mr. Hasty. 



Now, as to myself, I own 80 acres of land four miles 

 southwest from Pullman, Wash., on which I live and keep 

 my bees, and five miles south from Pullman and five miles 

 southeast from home I own 160 acres. On this last place I 

 have never established an apiary, although it is a splendid 

 location, and no apiary nearer than 12 miles of either place. 

 I am so very busy with my farms, stock, and dairy business, 

 that I haven't the time to give attention to an out-apiary, 

 so you see I am not lusting for some one's bee-territory. 



Could it be possible that Mr. Hasty has a petit interest 

 in the shape of a small apiary which he is zealously guard- 

 ing against all would-be intruders, that causes him to be so 

 outspoken against others likely to crowd him a little ? Or 

 is it because he is paid to afterthink, and this is one of his 

 afterthinklets ? It appears to me that Mr. Hasty sought, 

 with one fell swoop of his pen, to settle for all time the 

 question of the priority rights of bee-keepers. I could not 



sit back and silently observe him posing a.& lawyer, judge, 

 3.\i6jury in this case. 



My only motive for writing the previous article on this 

 subject was to arouse interest on the question, and to show 

 that it is a great problem having two sides. My advice is 

 to use great judgment and discretion in each individual 

 case. 



Mr. Hasty concludes his article by saying : "Now, it 

 isn't by calling things by their right names that Mr. Hasty 

 will disgrace his department and himself ". Now let us see 

 whether or not Mr. Hasty always calls people and things by 

 their right name. 



On page 10 (1903), when referring to the picture of some 

 distinguished ladies and gentlemen on the title page of No. 

 48 (1902), he says, " My, what a lot of donkeys gazed out 

 upon us from the title page of No. 48 "1 Now, really, Mr. 

 Hasty, is that calling things by their right name ? 



On page 8 (1904), in speaking of that beautiful young 

 Texas bride, whose picture appears on the title page of No. 

 SO, page 785(1903), he refers to her as " that critter ". If 

 Mrs. Hyde gets after Mr. Hasty with a broom-stick, she 

 will make him hide-out in great haste. 



That naughty child, what shall we do with him if he 

 does not desist from calling people and things " by their 

 right names "? 



Having accomplished my purpose, as stated above, and 

 realizing that space in the " Old Reliable " is too valuable 

 to be filled with long-drawn wars of words, there shall be 

 no long war between my friend Mr. Hasty and me. Thus 

 ends th'e controversy so far as I am concerned. 



Whitman Co., Wash. 



[ Our Bee-Hccpln§ Sisters | 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. 



Floor Polish. 



A paragraph in the Herald and Presbyter says that 

 turpentine mixed with beeswax makes the very best floor 

 polish. 



Milk-Crackers and Honey. 



A supply of dainty biscuit or crackers is very useful in 

 hot weather. Saltines, or even milk-crackers, spread lightly 

 with butter and crisped in the oven, and served with a 

 comb of honey, a plate of candied ginger, or a jar of mar- 

 malade, make an acceptable finish to an unpretending mid- 

 day meal. 



So says the Herald and Presbyter. 



Importance of Carefulness with Bees. 



Now comes the time of year when habits of neatness 

 generally accredited to the gentler sex are of importance in 

 a very practical way. One who is slovenly, whether man 

 or woman, is likely to be careless in exposing honey toward 

 the close of the season, when robber-bees are prowling 

 about, eager for stolen sweets. Perhaps a comb of brood is 

 taken out of a hive and carelessly left for a time, while the 

 operator is attending to something else — perhaps entirely 

 forgotten for a time. It does not take the robber-bees long 

 to start a land-ofiice business, and if the comb is hastily 

 taken away it may only make matters worse if a weak col- 



