286 



September, 1910. 



(American ~^ee Journal 



done with the Ideal shallow supers and 

 shallow frames. And we think that 

 tiiere is no doubt about it that these 

 will be considered the standard and 

 proper size after a while, because they 

 possess too many advantages to be ig- 

 nored. The trouble at the present time 

 is that the deep frames are claimed as 

 the standard size, and there are so 

 many of them in use tliat it is a hard 

 matter to change things. But we, who 

 have had extensive experience with 

 both, have found the shallow ones so 

 much better that we use them through- 

 out, in our brood-chambers and our 

 supers alike. 



But before closing this article, it 

 would be well to show the readers just 

 what kind of things are in those su- 

 pers that the fellow is jerking ofT the 

 hive in the first picture. So we are 

 giving you a glimpse of some of the 

 combs, just as they come out of the 

 supers. Unfortunately it is impossible 

 to show in a picture the very beautiful 

 comb honey that we do produce. It is 

 not possible for us even to describe to 

 the reader how beautiful the piles of 

 honey look even to us, who have had 

 tons and tons of this kind of combs 

 year after vear. But if you can imagine 

 iiow your fancy section honey looks, 

 you can get an idea of what we are 

 trying to show in the pictures. 



Next issue we will show some of the 

 receptacles in which this honey is put 

 for the market. 



Texas and the Honey-Crop Reports 



We have noted for some time that in 

 all the honey-crop reports that are got- 

 ten together to find the conditions in 

 the different parts of the country, Texas 

 does not play any great part, it seems. 

 .\t least one does not often see any 

 mention of conditions about the honey 

 crop from this State among the many 

 reports that have appeared lately. It 

 either shows one thing or another; 

 first, that they do not need us, or do 

 not consider us away down here in the 

 South as of any importance ; or, on the 

 other hand, that we are a kingdom of 

 our own down here in this glorious 

 Lone Star State of ours, and through 

 the high feeling of respect toward such 

 a grand kingdom, with its many ways 

 of its own, it is not put down with the 

 names of the others on the lists that 

 have appeared. 



Now, we are not kicking, neither are 

 we feeling " stuck up " about it, but we 

 just would like to know where we do 

 stand, anyway. 



Bulk-Comb Honey at the National 



That fellow Byer, in spite of his hint, 

 page 252, better bring his lunch of 

 Canadian "bear meat" and "whale oil" 

 with him when he comes across the 

 border. While he counts on the Texan 

 bringing along his lunch of "bulk- 

 comb honey," he need not rest assured 

 that he might not need his own kind of 

 lunch. While the Texan has thought 

 about the Canuck's lunch, and the fact 

 that each of the two could divide up 

 their lunches, he is sure that he would 

 not enjoy anything that is not as good 

 as "bulk-coml) honey." If the Canuck 

 thinks his lunch better than mine, he 

 would better bring his along. . 



Apiarian and Farm Help 



Editor American Bee Journal:— I am in 

 receipt of notice that my subscription for 

 your good Journal has expired, and suggesting 

 that I renew it. I ara quite discouraged in 

 the bee-business, not because we do not have 

 forage for the bee, nor because your Journal 

 fails to give the best current information con- 

 cerning all subjects pertaining to this indus- 

 try, but my men on the farm, through sheer 

 neglect and laziness, let my bees all die dur- 

 ing my absence last winter- 

 In this connection, it might not be out of 

 the way to ask if it is not time that journals 

 like yours were taking up this question of 

 labor on tlie farm, and asking all politicians, 

 especially those who are talking so much about 

 the tariff (which they justify in order to 

 maintain the dignity of American Labor) , 

 what about the American farm owner ? The 

 American farmers are not only the largest 

 class of manual laborers in our country, but 

 40 years ago they were the highest type of 

 manual laborers the sun ever shone on. Since 

 then, the artificial handicaps put upon agri- 

 culture, especially those growing out of trades* 

 iniionism, tariff, and watered stocks, and the 

 like, have brought about a deterioration in 

 the personnel of the farmers of our entire 

 country. These artificial handicaps are not 

 only driving the intelligent country-born boys 

 from the farm, but are keeping the intelli- 

 gent and better class of foreigners from tak- 

 ing their places, so they are being replaced 

 with a much lower type of foreigners. We 

 are getting no emigration from those prov- 

 inces of Germany that rear the best men, but 

 the great bulk of the emigrants that come to 

 the agricultural districts, are from the worst 

 provinces of Austria, Poland, including the 

 Russian Jew, and the Assyrians. 



In spite of the extortionately high prices 

 of food-stuffs in the market, the bulk of the 

 farms throughout the corn-belt liave been, in 

 the last ten years, operated with no profit, 

 except the advance in price of the land, which 

 will vanish like dew before the sun, with 

 the appearance of either short crops or low 

 prices for farm products. 'i he average farm 

 throughout the corn-belt is not producing 40 

 percent of what it should, and would, produce 

 if competent labor was obtainable. 



A few days since, 1 needed an extra man 

 in the hay-field. In going out to find one, 

 I counted, within three blocks, 30 men "look- 

 ing for work." Of that 30 only one was 

 willing to go out to the farm. Of the other 

 20 only one was sufficiently interested even 

 to inquire as to the wages I would pay. Yet, 

 if you or I would go to Europe, and attempt 

 to bring over some one who is capable and 

 willing to go upon a farm, he is stopped at 

 our port, and deported under a contract-labor 

 law. All for the purpose of "preserving the 

 dignity of American Labor," of which the 30 

 referred to on the streets of Omaha are sam- 

 ples. 



It seems to me that every writer, not only 

 interested in agriculture, but interested in the 

 general good of this country, should insist 

 that the American farmer be at liberty to 

 find and liire his help wherever it can be 

 obtained. It having been demonstrated that 

 the people of this country will not do the 

 work on the farm, the agriculturist should be 

 allowed to get iiis labor wherever he may find 

 it. We" should be able to furnish more and 

 better food at a lower price, in this country, 

 than any other place on earth, and can, if 

 the artificial handicaps be removed from agri- 

 culture. Yours very truly, 



Omaha, Neb., July 16. William Stull. 



[We referred the foregoing letter to 

 Mr. C. P. Dadant, who replies to it as 

 fiiHows : — FoiTOR.] 



Mr. Editor: — The contribution which you 

 submit to me for an appreciation and criti- 

 cism contains some assertions tliat I could 

 not possibly endorse. The gentleman is evi 

 dently viewing tht- farmers' "deterioration" 

 from a local standpoint. But there arc things 

 in his argument worthy of consideration. 



If v.e view this article as bce-ktepers only, 

 we must leave out the broad lines which it 

 considers, for bee-culture is in a special con- 

 dition brought about by its great strides of 

 the past 60 years. If we view it as farmers 

 or members of the great producing class, we 

 must discuss political and social conditions, 

 which will make our field a wide one. 



The slogan of a relatively large portion of 

 our population, for the past 20 years, has 

 been "America for Americans." Very good. 

 But who are Americans? We will certainly 

 not confine this name to the aborigines or so- 

 called Indians. Then whom will we include 

 under this title? Will we take in those whose 

 ancestors came over in the Mayflower? Why 

 not add also those who have been at least 

 for three successive generations on American 

 soil? And why not those whose fathers were 

 born in Europe, or those who, like myself, 

 are natives of the Old World, but have set- 

 tled, married and reared American-born chil- 

 dren ? With a little more liberality, we might 

 accept those who 5 years ago applied for citi- 

 zenship and have sworn allegiance. How 

 abciut those who have just arrived and set- 

 tled here, and those who contemplate coming? 



In shcnt, what wiaild America be without 

 the foreign element landed here at one time 

 or another? How many of you are there, 

 readers, who cannot trace their ancestry back 

 to some part ot Europe ? 



When I was brought over as a child, from 

 Europe, nearly half a century ago, no re- 

 strictions were put upon immigration. The 

 foreign born population was 14 percent of 

 the total. Nothing but good was secured 

 from this immigration. I cannot understand 

 why in 1863 we foreigners were welcomed as 

 a benefit, and the door has since been closed 

 on millions of others. That we should ob- 

 ject to the influx of too many paupers is in- 

 telligible, but that wc should make it diffi- 

 cult for respectable people to settle in our 

 sparsely settled plains lias always been beyond 

 my comprehension. The country is certainly 

 not overstocked with human beings, for if the 

 entire population of the United States should 

 be congregated in the single State of Texas, 

 it would not be more thickly populated than 

 the wealthy kingdom of Belgium ! 



We are told that the people who come 

 here to work and send their earnings back 

 to Europe or Asia are a detriment. I cannot 

 see it. If I hire a man for $3 per day, I 

 evidently have something for him to do which 

 will net me a greater sum than the amount 

 I pay him. If his work brings me $3, I 

 have netted a profit of $1 for each day that 

 I have employed him. It does not matter if 

 he carries his money away, I am still the 

 gainer; although I would, of course, prefer 

 to have him spend it with me, and give nu 

 another item of profit on what he consumes. 

 But I have already cleared a profit. 



As a nation, wc are very selfish. We havr 

 imposed ourselves upon the Chinese and the 

 Japanese against their will, and yet we de- 

 mand that they should keep off our shores. 

 We are foreigners and yet pretend to keep 

 the foreigners away. vV^e do not look at the 

 question of justice, but only at our own self- 

 ish interest, and then dare talk about our 

 philanthropy ! 



The gentleman above mentioned claims that 

 the personnel of the farms has deteriorated. 

 This I cannot grant. The farmers are better 

 off, have better homes, more education, read 

 more (owing to the rural delivery), have bet- 

 ter agricultural implements, and a better grade 

 of live stock than ever. They dress better, 

 have less hardships than formerly. Their sons 

 go to the agricultural colleges in many in- 

 stances, and come home with progressive ideas 

 concerning manures, soil adaptation, injurious 

 insects, selection of seeds, etc. In fact, they 

 learn scientific farming. The farmer has less 

 need of employees; that is, owing to greater 

 perfection of implements, less are needed than 

 formerly, and the hard tasks, such as liai 

 vesting, are done with less fatigue than be- 

 fore. 



It is true, there is yet a great deal tnc* 

 much waste on the farm, but waste is an 

 American habit, in city as well as in tlir 

 country, and the education of the .\inrri 

 can concerning economy has yet I<i bt- m.ule. 



