Aug-. 22, 1901. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



537 



excluders are not necessary ; and when excluders are not 

 used then the surplus arrangements should not be put on 

 the swarm for perhaps two days, so as to allow the queen 

 time enough to become established in the brood-chamber 

 below. If the surplus arrangements are put on at time of 

 hiving there is danger of the queen going above, if no ex- 

 cluder is present. 



^ The Afterthought. * 



The "Old Reliable" seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. 

 By B. E. HASTY, Sta. B Rural, Toledo, O. 



CO-OPERATION IN COLORADO. 



W. Ii. Porter's account of co-operation in Colorado, on 

 page 437, seems to show considerable success — a sort of boy- 

 woodchuck success — had to succeed, their local prices being 

 cut down so low, and lilcely to go lower. Their being driven 

 by their distance from market to act together in selling may 

 eventually have an important effect on honey-selling almost 

 everywhere. The boy who does not /lave to catch woodchuek 

 may also go in to catch one. 



WIBE-CLOTH OVER SMOKER-VALVE. 



So to keep that bungling "other fellow " from half spoil- 

 ing your smoker-valve with his bedaubed finger-tips — so simple 

 — just a bit of wire-cloth put over. I'd go to work and thank 

 Harry Howe for that, only no one ever uses my smoker but 

 myself. Page 444. 



BEARS AND TURTLE'S EGSS. 



We sometimes envy those who have the very best ranges 

 of the world without thinking of the drawbacks. Where the 

 ocean occasionally blows in almost ala Galveston, and bears 

 are pretty sure to come in, and both contingencies must be 

 provided against — well, unless a fellow was pretty enterpris- 

 ing he might wish himself somewhere else. Stands seven feet 

 high and bear-fence of barbed wire — say, dear Hoss, ask him 

 for a photograph of it. 



From Mr. Gifford's saying that sea-turtle's eggs are about 

 as large as hen's-eggs but not as good, I .iudge they use them 

 — the better article being scarce in howling wildernesses. In a 

 swamp near Fort Wayne, Ind., there used to be enormous 

 turtles whose correspondingly big eggs provoked one to see if 

 they could not be eaten. I have eaten them, but only a pretty 

 hungry man would vote them worth eating. Page 444. 



NATURAL INCREASE BY NATURAL SWARMING. 



Dr. Miller touches a very sore spot, on page 445. Nat- 

 ural increase by natural swarming has many things in its 

 favor. Perhaps the most important thing (most important if 

 true) is, that the man who undertakes to improve bees, 

 improves them the other way — disimproves thetn — and 

 nature's process will obviate the most of that. But we have 

 to pause before the fact that the Oest colonies seldom swarm, 

 and therefore we do not get increase from them but from 

 poorer ones. 



"DEAR BOSS" OR "DEAR BEESWAX." 



And so instead of saying " Dear Boss," shall I say " Dear 

 Beeswax 7" Page 450. 



THE CROPS OF WAX-SCALES. 



If it takes 1,474,560 wax-scales to the pound, and the 

 bee produces six at a crop, the number of crops is ^i45,7(iO. 

 Conundrum : How many crops will one bee produce as the 

 result of a flow of honey lasting say seven days ? I was going 

 to say about three. But that would call for 81,920 bees. 

 What's the matter ? At least three things may be the matter. 

 Possibly the secretions bees add to the scales in making tlii-in 

 up into finished wax largely increase the weight. Perhaps it 

 seldom happens that so much as a pound of wax is made dur- 

 ing one run of honey. And perhaps my three crops from each 

 bee should be increased. Who knows in how rapid succession 

 crops of scales are raised? Possibly it may be already in 

 print somewhere. 



Let's begin again at the other end of the puzzle. A five- 

 pound swarm (22,000 bees) need, in addition to the start 

 their keeper gave them, a pound of wax to fill their chamber. 

 If they really need 245,760 sets of scales, and nearly but ndi 



quite all the bees secrete, that is twelve crops for each bee. 

 So it looks as if when once begun the scale harvests came 

 oftener than once a day. Page 446. 



EVILS OF IN-BUEEDING. 



Anent the Simpson article on in-breeding, I am glad to 

 see in-breeding opposed. Decidedly harmful — and "just 

 awfully " handy. Often the ambitious breeder seems to have 

 only the choice of breeding close, or giving up the thing he is 

 working at. It is in us all to minimize too strongly the evils 

 of a practice which we find very convenient indeed. The wise 

 man should deplore necessary evils, not warp his judgment 

 into praising them. 



I can hardly agree that long tongues are merely a symp- 

 tom. The long pole brings down the persimmons ; it is not a 

 symptom of the gale which blows them down. Pages 453-5. 



^ The Home Circle. ^ 



Conducted bu Frof. ft. J. Cook, Glaremont, Calif. 



KINDNESS TO ANIMALS. 



I have already, perhaps more than once, referred to 

 thoughtful care and kindness in the treatment of our animal 

 friends. I love the " Beatitudes" — the preface to that grand- 

 est, sweetest and best of sermons, "The Sermon on the 

 Mount" — the incomparable 5th chapter of Matthew, with the 

 chapters following. I once heard a superintendent of pub- 

 lic instruction, of Michigan, say that he would not grant a 

 teacher a certificate who could not repeat the words to 

 "America." Such a one would be incompetent in the line of 

 patriotic instincts. 



One is certainly better equipped for all life's struggle who 

 has the "Beatitudes," not only fast locked in memory, but 

 also enshrined in his heart. It is suggestive that of the nine 

 Beatitudes the fifth, or pivotal one (and the one next to 

 "Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God,"' 

 which is surely best, as it may be said to insure all others) is 

 this : '• Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain 

 mercy." The dear old Book does not leave us in the dark as 

 to who the merciful man is, or at least as to his character. 

 The merciful man is merciful to his beast. It always makes 

 me grieve to pass a horse whose ribs cry out loudly against 

 his care and treatment. Just think of twenty-eight— a horse 

 has fourteen pairs of ribs— living indictments against one for 

 breaking the 5th Beatitude ! What a comfort to drive, to 

 care for, to be with our horses, when they are fat, round, sleek, 

 and beautiful. The added pleasure is enough to urge one to 

 give the care necessary to .secure the blessed results. It is 

 real economy thus to feed and care for these faithful servants. 



The well-conditioned horse is comfortable, and discom- 

 fort preys upon energy and competency. The ribless horse, 

 so far as vision is concerned, is the efficient horse. 



Then, too, we ought to give earnest heed to our own repu- 

 tation. The same blessed Book says : " Avoid the appear- 

 ance of evil." How sadly must everyone be judged— who 

 drives a lean, hungry, decrepit old horse. I can but think 

 that such a one may well pray. " Lord be merciful unto me a 

 sinner." Cruelty to a man, who can speak and defend his 

 right, is indefensible ; to a child unable to defend himself, it 

 is despicable. What shall we say, then, of him who neglects 

 or mistreats his horse or cow ? These faithful friends can 

 neither defend themselves nor voice their ills. Shakespeare 

 might well have said of such a one, as he did of the miser, 

 " I'd rather be a dog and bay the moon, than such a man." 

 Surely, if we could all realize that our own pleasure, our 

 profit, our reputation, were being weighed in the balance, we 

 would clothe up the uncanny old ribs of the faithful old 

 horse, and would feel more like men, in the assurance that we 

 were not treading under foot that best precept— the golden 

 rule. 



All this is written because of an object lesson which our 

 canyon experience brought to us. Each of two men— both 

 splendid men— had their horses with them. These men were 

 both of our party. They are men of high Christian character, 

 and possess, deservedly, the love and sincere respect and 

 esteem of all their neighbors and acquaintances. Yet in one 

 respect there was a contrast. The horses of one were fat, 

 fine and beautiful. Their round, plump bodies, and fine 

 sleek, shining coats, showed that they were subjects of thought- 



