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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Dec. 22, 1904. 



Are Bee-Supply Dealers to Be Encouraged ? 



There seems sometinies a disposition to look askance at 

 all bee-supply manufacturers and dealers, as if thej were 

 the natural-bom enemies of bee-keepers. For any one who 

 holds such a view the way out is easy : He is under no sort 

 of compulsion to pay a cent into the pocket of any manu- 

 facturer or dealer, and can let them entirely alone. Cer- 

 tainly they can not harm him if he has no dealing^s with 

 them. 



A bee-keeper may buy all his hives nailed, painted, 

 ready for use. He may buy them in the flat, doing his own 

 nailing' and painting. He may have the lumber cut at his 

 local planing-mill : or, finally, he may do all the sawing-, 

 planing, etc., himself. Each one should select from these 

 four plans that one which is for hint most economical. 



The amateur, perhaps a professional man who keeps 

 only one or two colonies of bees, may well select the first 

 plan, getting hives all ready to receive the bees. For the 

 great majority this would be too expensive. Equally ex- 

 pensive — perhaps more so — would be the last plan, to say 

 nothing about the character of the finished product. 



In a few cases the third plan may be advisable, the bee- 

 keeper being able to get satisfactory work at his local mill 

 at a cost less than he would have to pay the supply dealers. 

 But the great majority will find true economy in the second 

 plan, purchasing the stuff from the supply dealer, all ready 

 to nail together. A strong proof that this is the most 



economical plan for the majority lies in the fact that that 

 majority does thus purchase : and in this view of the case 

 it would be a distinct loss to the average bee-keeper if the 

 supply dealer were wiped out of existence. 



Tarred Paper for Winter Hive-Protection. 



Some unfavorable reports having been made with re- 

 gard to this, the originator of the plan. Arthur C. Miller, in 

 an article in the Bee-Keepers' Review, thinks the failures 

 have not been due to the tarred paper, but to overlooking 

 one or more factors important in any plan for outdoor win- 

 tering. He says : 



Tarred paper layed over a hive and folded down about 

 it, just as one would wrap a bundle, and with the lower 

 edges fastened down with strips of wood tacked on, gives a 

 water and wind proof protection. With this should be 

 coupled, besides the "colony conditions" before men- 

 tioned, an abundance of ventilation at the entrance. I give 

 an entrance ';Xl4 inches. 



The tarred paper accomplishes this, keeps out water, 

 keeps out wind, absorbs the sun's rays, which runs up the 

 temperature within the hive, thus driving out any con- 

 densed moisture, and enabling the bees to feed, clean 

 house, and move about. When the sun is gone it lets that 

 heat eacape so slowly that the bees have abundant time to 

 settle down as they should. 



Bees do not fly unduly from hives thus protected and 

 so ventilated, and such bees as do fly and fail to return, are 

 those which otherwise would die within the hive. 



We Wish "A MeFFy Christmas" to every reader of 

 the American Bee Journal. 



Offering Seeded Baisins to bee-keepers through an 

 advertisement is something new, we think. But in another 

 column Mr. H. L. Weems, a California bee-keeper, who is 

 in Chicago for a time with honey and raisins, offers some 

 seeded raisins that are fine. 



Mr. G. E. Baeon and the picture of the dam right at 

 the factory of the G. B. Lewis Co., of Watertown. Wis., 

 are shown on the front page this week. Mr. Bacon, is an 

 energetic, capable, and faithful assistant in the office. He 

 also attends to the preparation of the advertising matter, 

 and has origfinated several attractive designs. The dam 

 shown is a new one, built last spring at a cost of about 

 $1000. So the G. B. Lewis Co. have both steam and water 

 power to run their big factory. 



100,000 Copies of the "ABC".— This weU-known 

 and standard encyclopedia of bee-literature has just reached 

 its 100,000th mark. A new edition 'for 19051 is just off the 

 press. It contains nearly 500 large pages, and is thoroughly 

 up-to-date in every particular. Xo bee-keeper who hopes 

 to be successful can afford to be without it. It is now put 

 up in three styles of binding, viz.: cloth, at S1.20, postpaid : 

 half leather, 51.75; and full leather, $2.00. "We club the 

 first binding with the American Bee Journal one year, both 

 for 52.00 ; the second, $2.5<3 ; and the third for $2.75. 



The B. H. Schmidt Co.— On Oct. 21, we visited Shaboy- 

 gan. Wis., where the R. H. Schmidt Co. have a bee-supply 

 factory. We found Mr. Schmidt's oldest son, Walter, in 



I the factory. He is a bright, energetic young man. and 

 takes a deep interest in the business. They have the facili- 

 ties for turning out a large line of bee-supplies, and their 

 trade amounts to many car-loads each season. Mr. R. H. 

 Schmidt is a natural mechanic, and made practically all the 

 machines in their factory. Their section capacity is about 

 •tO.OOO a day. Basswood lumber of the very best quality 

 was on hand that would make several million sections, 

 which is cut by their own mill direct from the log ; it is 

 second-growth and young timber. 



They were expecting in a few days to install a berry- 

 "dox machine, which will add to their business. 



Mr. Schmidt has over 100 colonies of bees, from which 

 he secures a good crop annually. His honey is sold to 

 private families in Sheboygan. 



For an hour or so Mr. Schmidt drove ns over the city 

 with his horse and buggy. We were surprised to see what 

 a place Sheboygan is. It has a poptilation of nearly 30,000, 

 is beautifully situated on the shore of Lake Mic'nigan, and 

 is crowded with large furniture and other factories, employ- 

 ing thousands of people. 



Mr. Schmidt was bom in Sheboygan about 45 years 

 ago, so he is quite familiar with everything connected with 

 the city. 



Later.— Since the foregoing was written the R. H. 

 Schmidt Co. have incorporated their business under the 

 name of the Sheboygan Fruit-Box Co.. and are about to 

 enlarge their present plant to double its capacity. R. H. 

 Schmidt is president, treasurer and general manager ; 

 Walter N. Schmidt is the secretary, and A. J. Mueller vice- 

 president. They will continue to manufacture bee-supplies 

 as in the past. 



