THE BEE-irEEPERS' REVIEW 



21 



potatoes from freezing by the use of 

 charcoal. Perhaps the same plan 

 might be used to warm up a bee-cellar. 

 The only objection that I can think of 

 is that possibly there might some gas 

 escape as the result of the combustion 

 of the charcoal. I confess my ignor- 

 ance on this point, and would be glad 

 if some of m}' readers would enlighten 

 me on this point. Of course we don't 

 wish to asphyxiate our bees, but, if 

 there is no danger on this score, it 

 seems to me that the burning of char- 

 coal in a bee cellar would be practical. 

 Here is what the Rural New Yorker 

 said: — 



One day during the severe winter of 

 1903-4, a farmer happened to be in a 

 tin-shop, and noticed that the solder 

 was kept in a molten state with a 

 charcoal fire. His potato cellar was 

 threatened with frost, and it was not 

 convenient to set up a stove in it. He 

 took home live bushes of charcoal, and 

 placing a shovelful of live coals in an 

 old iron pot, he filled it with charcoal. 

 In a short time the kettle was alive 

 with coals, and the iron was red hot. 

 What a heat came from it, and no 

 smoke ! Frost had to stand back when 

 confronted with a red-faced, hot- 

 breathed thing like that. ?^ach bushel 

 of charcoal thus used saved man3' times 

 its bulk of potatoes. I have seen open 

 fires of dry pine kindled on a cellar 

 bottom, but the soot-laden smoke will 

 penetrate ne;irly every part of the 

 house. 



BEE-KEEPERS' SUPPLIES. 



In What Way Bee-Keepers Can Secure 

 Them at Lower Prices. 



It is almost a law of Nature, it cer- 

 tainly is a law of business, that the 

 man who buys in large quantities buys 

 at a low price. There is also another 

 truth to be considered in this connec- 

 tion, and that is, "In union there is 

 strength." If bee-keepers would con- 

 sider these two facts, and act accord- 

 ingly, the3' might do much to reduce 

 the cost of their supplies. But I won't 

 steal the thunder out of Bro. Putnam's 



article, which I am copying entire, as 

 it appears in the December issue of his 

 paper, the Rural B-^e-Keeper. I asked 

 him to prepare a paper on this subject, 

 and read it at the recent convention of 

 the National. He did so, and then 

 printed it in his paper, and I copy it 

 from there. Mr. Putnam says: — 



Fellow Bee-Keepers: 



To me has been assigned the difficult 

 task of discussing the question "In 

 what wa}' can bee-keepers secure their 

 supplies at lower prices?" 



Coming in contact, as I do, in my at- 

 tempts to circulate my publication, the 

 Rural Bee-Keeper, with many thou- 

 sands of bee-keepers, I am amazed at 

 the indifference displayed by the 99 

 out of 100 who are attempting to make 

 a part of their living out of bee-keep- 

 ing. It is variously estimated that 

 from 400 to 700 t'lousand people in the 

 United States are to some extent en- 

 gaged in bee-keeping. Of that vast 

 army scarcely 2000 can be coaxed, en- 

 treated or bribed to join a bee-keepers' 

 association of any kind. I have heard 

 your general tnan:iger talk for hours to 

 a gathering of bee-keepers, detailing 

 the benefits to be derived from organi- 

 zation, and had it not been for the de- 

 termination of one or two who had 

 originated the movement the organiza- 

 tion could not have been effected. 



The first step in the way of lower 

 prices, then, in my opinion, is to 

 awaken interest — to induce the bee- 

 keepers themselves to co-operate. But 

 let us see. What are the conditions ? 

 We find that the catalogues read very 

 much alike. Without sections and 

 starters the 1,'-^ story 8-frame hive 

 nailed and painted, $2.45; nailed only, 

 $2.20: one in flat, $1.HS; five in fliit at 

 $1.70; tea in flat at $1.55; 25 in flat at 

 $1.45 each. Tie foregoing are sup- 

 posed to be for retail amounts. The 

 wholesale range is from 2~) to 200 hives 

 on a descending scale -50 hives at 

 $1.35; 100 at $1.25; 200 at $1.15 each; 

 and finally the carload price of $1.02 

 each. 



Some dealers put a Chinese puzile 

 before their quotations, and if you are 

 an adept at rebus deciphering you will 

 make out that A. E 5. 2. S. 8 des- 

 cribes the same .articles as mentioned 

 above. One dealer says, "What's the 

 use of alt thesi tables of complicated 

 figures ? I will make a flat rate, one 

 hive $1.85, and give the customer a dis- 



