THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



141 



eij^ht liours with this liiy machine, cut- 

 tinj,^ ami rabbeting hives, selling at the 

 lowest price quoted, and pav $50 per M 

 for lumber. Excellent lumber can be 

 purchased here, in car lots, or less, for 

 from 522.00 to 527.50 per M feet. The 

 strips from sizing and rabbeting offset the 

 little waste. I defy any one to deny these 

 facts and figures. 



This combine, to get all the profits, is 

 a reality that we must meet, or starve. 

 How men (to say nothing of professing 

 Christians) can even attempt to combat 

 these statements, or justify their own, I 

 fail to see. Where lumber is cheaper 

 than it is here, these cormorants gobble 

 up and down, bigger falsehoods and pro- 

 fits. The Review seems to be the onlj- 

 bee paper not shackled b}- a dovetailing 

 machine. These leeches are, as they 

 .suppose, entrenched behind a redoubt of 

 ignorance; but the bee men are not all 

 fools. When such men as Dr. Miller say 

 that hives, etc., are cheap enough, the 

 ordinary poor man does not stop to think 

 how^ misleading such sayings may be. 



I have taken as a basis the Union Hive 

 & Box Co.'s price list; and I desire to say 

 that I consider these men above the aver- 

 age in their class, and, personally, I feel 

 friendly to them. 



This letter is, I believe, in line with the 

 stand the Review has always taken; ex- 

 cepting, perhaps, that of language. 



CoKON".\, Calif. I'eb. 13, 1900. 



[While the above may be an extreme 

 view of the case, I give it, as 1 wish every 

 one to have their "say," so long as the 

 language is not abusive. There is no 

 question that the difference between the 

 wholesale prici of lumber and the price at 

 which hives are sold in the flat seems 

 great, but there are many expenses con- 

 nected with manufacturing besides that 

 of buying lumber. If a man can buy 

 himself a foot-jjower saw, and has the 

 skill to use it, it is quite likely that he 

 can cut up luinber and make his hives 

 cheaper than he can buy them. I have 

 no desire, whatever, to uphold manufac- 



turers in charging exorbitant prices; on. 

 the other hand, I know of some manu- 

 facturers who have gone out of the busi- 

 ness because there was not enough profit 

 in it to keep a going. Prices on these 

 things usually find their level. If they 

 are too high, somebody will go into the 

 business and furnish the goods at a lower 

 price. If they are too low, some of the 

 manufacturers will drop out, competition 

 will be lessened, and prices go up. — Ed. 

 Review.] 



EPARABLE QUEEN CELLS 

 AND THEIR ADVANTAGES. 

 BV H. E. HILL. 

 I note that the May Review 

 is to be a queen-rearing number. This 

 will be interesting. I had not thought of 

 it before, but today the idea occurred to 

 me that, in get- 

 ting out a special 

 number on this 

 line, every little 

 idea would add 

 to the complete- 

 ness of the thing, 

 and, perhaps, our 

 method of hav- 

 i n g cells built 

 would interest 

 you. I accord- 

 ingly exposed a 

 plate on some of the cells that we are 

 now using, and if the negative is dry be- 

 fore the mail leaves in the morning I 

 will enclose a proof from it, and if you 

 think it worth while I will be glad to 

 send you a picture a little later. 



I am not an expert queen-breeder, and 

 would not think of entering the competi- 

 tion for the "V," but it the idea is at all 

 interesting to you I would simply say re- 

 garding it: 



I believe the advantages of having 

 cells readily separal)le aijd interchangea- 

 ble will be obvious to the practicable 

 queen-breeder, and the accompanying 



