20 



THE BEE-KEEPERS" REVIEW 



cessively high, unless it is in exceptional 

 cases. Condititons are decidedly against 

 any such result. However, when the 

 producer can get ten cents a pound, 

 wholesale, for white extracted honey, and 

 eight cents for dark or amber as many 

 of them are now realizing, conditions are 

 not so bad; especially when we remember 

 that improved methods allow us to "keep 

 more bees" and produce much larger 

 crops than in the past. 



The Help that may Come from Reading. 



I have referred to this subject before, 

 but its importance is such that it is well- 

 nigh impossible to say too much in its 

 favor. A man's success depends largely 

 upon his thoughts. Reading is not think- 

 ing, but it stimulates thought and arouses 

 ideas. Great help comes from instruc- 

 tive articles, those that tell us "how to 

 do things," but help also comes from 

 reading that cheers, encourages, in- 

 spires, and arouses in us the proper 

 state of mind. 



A man can't know too much about his 

 work. It is knowledge that brings suc- 

 cess. If I were a farmer I should own, 

 read and study a comprehensive farm 

 library, embracing standard works upon 

 every subject having a bearing upon my 

 occupation. I should also read all of the 

 leading agricultural jaurnals. A bee 

 keeper ought to read all of the leading 

 text books and all of the journals. 



Of course, my main business is that 

 of a publisher, and I read everything that 

 can possibly have a bearing upon that 

 subject. For instance, 1 read the Inland 

 Printer, National Printer and Journalist, 

 Printer's Ink and The Editor. For the 

 business end I read System and Business 

 and the Book Keeper. Then I read other 

 journals simply for the influence they 

 may have on my mind. For instance, I 

 read Collier's, or, rather, its editorials, 

 because they are so short, vigorous, 

 forceful and fearless. Such editorials as 

 1 admire and strive to writs, and the 

 reading of such week after week has its 

 influence upon my own style. Then 1 



look over, and sometimes read, some of 

 the popular magazines, such as Success, 

 Scribner's, Everybody's, Cosmopolitan, 

 Hamptjn's. Saturday Evening Post, 

 Ladies' Home Journal, Youth's Com- 

 panion, etc. I also often visit the news- 

 depot of a friend and spend an hour or 

 two in looking over journals and maga- 

 zines for which I am not a subscriber. I 

 like to see how other publisher's "do 

 things" Of course, I read all of the bee 

 journals and the photographic journals. 



Let no one imagine that I read all of 

 the matter in all of the magazines.. Per- 

 haps I don't read one-tenth of the matter 

 that comes into the house, but the part I 

 do read is worth all it costs me. Here is 

 the way I read: Sit down in a big rock- 

 ing chair before the grate in the evening, 

 with the electric light over my head. 

 Pick up a magazine, and examine the 

 first article, note the title, author and 

 sub-heads, if any. Often that is enough. 

 It's something that I care nothing about. 

 Go to the next article, and treat it the 

 same. I may find one that interests me 

 enough to read, or glance at, a paragraph 

 here and there. 1 can get at the gist of 

 an article in about five minutes. Oc- 

 casionally I come across an article that I 

 care enough about to read it all through, 

 from beginning to end. I seldom spend 

 more than half an hour on a single copy 

 of a magazine. When there is so much 

 reading in this world in which a man has 

 an interest, why spend time in reading 

 that that does not interest him? Let him 

 skim off the cream, as it appears to him. 



Of course, it costs something to sub- 

 scribe for so many magazines and 

 journals, but, if they are well chosen, I 

 believe it a most profitable investment. 

 1 would go without sometning else, rather 

 than deprive myself of the best reading 

 obtainable. In fact, I have the courage 

 this winter to wear an old overcoat, in- 

 stead of getting a new one, that I may 

 thereby have the money for magazines. 



In the foregoing 1 have written about 

 myself, given my own experience, be- 

 cause I know of the help that has come 



