GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



(liiolion of comb; and the result was, the 

 aggregate yield is very much lighter than it 

 \vonld have been, but about the same as last 

 year. Taking it all in all, comb honey will 

 rule about the same as a year ago. 



The Californians estimate that their crop 

 will be 40 per cent normal. Last year it 

 was about 50 per cent; but a large amount 

 of California honey was held over. Last 

 year's crop and this year's crop combined 

 has tended to reduce the price of California 

 honey anywhere from 15 to 25. per cent. 

 The lower grades of amber are selling very 

 slowly. Before the great war, large quanti- 

 ties of amber went to the European mar- 

 kets. This outlet has been shut o& for over 

 a year. Undoubtedly a large part of this 

 lias found its way into the manufacturing 

 trade because it is cheaper than invert su- 

 gar, and is always better, because it has 

 llavor. 



In Imperial Valley, according to J. W. 

 George, one of the largest producers there, 

 the crop has been the poorest of any year 

 since bees were introduced there. It will 

 not run over 40 lbs. per colony. 



The Colorado crop will be light, especial- 

 ly in the eastern part. In other portions of 

 the alfalfa regions the yield will be nearly 

 normal. 



Taking it all in all, prices on all grades 

 of honey will be lower this year than last, 

 except comb honey, which will be about the 

 same as last year. 



Cost of Operating Built-over Automo- 

 biles, Touring-cars, and Trucks 



A CERTAIN man once went to the editor 

 of a newspaper, complaining that said 

 editor had made the announcement that tlie 

 complainant was dead. " Sir," said he, " I 

 will have you to understand that 1 am not 

 dead. I am very much alive." 



The editor replied, " A newspaper never 

 makes any mistakes, and therefore never 

 retracts. If we said you were dead you were 

 dead ; but if you have come to life again we 

 shall be glad to publish the fact, but that 

 is all we can or will do." 



Whatever may be newspaper policy or 

 etiquette. Gleanings does not believe in 

 that policy. While we have not made any 

 statement to the effect that somebody was 

 dead, we do know that some things ought to 

 be dead. On page 609 of our issue for 

 August 1 we stated that one could become 

 the owner of an automobile truck that 

 would cost him but a small sum of money 

 by putting a truck body on a second-hand 

 touring-car. Sometimes that may be true, 

 and sometimes it isn't. 



It is said that an open confession is good 

 for the soul. It may be good for other 

 people who may be inclined to follow the 

 editor's well-meant but bad advice. Well, 

 we found that the repairs on this second- 

 hand auto, if continued at the present rate, 

 would make tlie machine cost nearly as 

 much as a tirst-class new automobile truck 

 or a first-class new touring-ear. 



In buying a second-hand machine it is 

 not always possible for one to know how 

 much repairs will be required in the near 

 future to keep the thing going, how much 

 time there will be lost on the road, and cost 

 of breakdowns. Some second-hand auto- 

 mobiles are dear at any price, while others 

 are good bargains. Much will depend on 

 the party who owned or operated them 

 while they were passing from the new to 

 the second-hand stage. At all events, our 

 rebuilt auto '' auto " be dead because it is 

 costing us altogether too much to maintain, 

 and we are beginning to fear that it would 

 be cheaper for us to make it real dead with 

 a sledge-hammer* and sell the junk to the 

 dealer. A half-dead auto is a nuisance. 



Wilmon Newell of Texas Accepts a 

 State Position in Florida 



WiLMON Newell^ who has been doing 

 such good work as state entomologist and 

 apieulturist at College Station, Texas, has 

 resigned to accept the position of state 

 plant commissioner of Florida. He is one 

 of the best bee entomologists in tlie whole 

 United States. Any state that can get him 

 is fortunate. He will make good anywhere. 

 His successor has not yet been decided on. 



Mr. Newell took an active interest in 

 beekeeping in Texas. He issued a number 

 of bulletins on various matters connected 

 with the industr}' that had more than ordi- 

 nary merit. He kept a large number of 

 bees himself, and this season sold to the 

 A. T. Root Co. a carload of bees. He there- 

 fore knows the practical as well as the sci- 

 entific side of the bee question. What will 

 be a loss for Texas will be Florida's gain ; 

 but, unfortunately for American apiculture, 

 Mr. Newell probably will not be in position 

 where he can do as much with bees and bee- 

 keeping as he formerly did. He will, how- 

 ever, have a wide field in studying a large 

 number of plants and trees that yield honey 

 in the state where he is going. It is to be 

 hoped he will not wholly lose his interest 

 in tilings apicultural, for the beekeepers of 

 the country would be sorry to lose his valu- 

 able help in research work. His work was 



* Siimo autos ought to be dead, that's sure. 



