43d YEAR. 



CHICAGO, ILL, OCT. 8, 1903, 



No. 41. 





Editorial Comments 



] 



Scourene removes propolis from the hands almost instantly, 

 says Ralph D. Cleveland. We suppose all grocers have scourene for 

 sale. 



Honey Crop Kuined by Insects. — A Utah correspondent 

 reports in the Rocky Mountain Bee Journal that " those little insects 

 are in the alfalfa by the million?, and are in some of the bee-hives eat- 

 ing up the honey," resulting in only a fourth of a crop. 



Honey and Wax in France.— Government reports show 

 that in the ten years ending with 1901 the value of wax produced was 

 nearly half as much as that of honey, or 41 percent. That looks like 

 a large proportion of wax ; but then the yield of honey was less than 

 11 pounds per colony. 



A Middle Bar in Place of Wiring, is advised by the editor 

 of the Australian Bee-Bulletin. He says; 



We, ourselves, have not used wired foundation for several years, 

 both on account of its stretching when the frame is full of comb and 

 honey, and because the horizontal stick across the center of the frame 

 is much better, and less trouble to put in. We know a number of 

 good beekeepers who are adopting the stick-plan instead of wires. 



Choice of Location.— On page 5T9, an editorial ends with say- 

 ing, " On the whole the probability is that not one bee-keeper in 



ten will find himself better off anywhere in the world than, right where 

 he is now." This view is neatly confirmed by the first item in the 

 editorial columns of the September Bee-Keepers' Review, where Editor 

 Hutchinson says: "Michigan seems doubly desirable as a home, 

 since taking my Western trip." 



Bees Embalming Mice.— The question has been raised 

 whether there is any truth in the statement that when some offending 

 body as large as a dead mouse is found in a hive the bees seal it her- 

 metically with propolis. Perhaps in the majority of cases, when a 

 mouse dies in a hive, it will be found dried to a mummy, with no 

 offensive smell, but with no coating of propolis. At least two cases, 

 however, are reported in Gleanings in Bee-Culture, in which the dead 

 mouse was entirely encased in bee-glue. 



A Variation of the Stanley Cartridge, or queen-nursery, 

 is given in (ileanings in Bee-Culture, as used by the A. I. Root Co. 

 Instead of queen-excluding ;dnc being used, the perforations are 

 smaller, so that workers can not get through, instead of gun-wads, 

 cylindrical wooden plugs are used. Through the upper one of these 

 plugs a nail-point projects, the cartridge being fastened to the cell- 

 bar by means of this cell-point. Through the lower plug a hole is 

 bored and a smaller plug inserted. This smaller plug is hollowed to 

 contain candy. 



Some use leather instead of trun-wads for plugs, and claim they 

 are better. 



Co-operative Advertising.— In the discussions as to the 

 advantages of organization among bee-keepers, very little has been 

 said about the matter of calling the attention of the public to the great 

 desirability of making honey a leading article of diet. Yet the gain 

 possible in that direction is not one of the least to be expected from 

 proper united action. Morley Pettil, in the Farmers' Advocate, uses 

 these sensible words on the subject : 



A matter which is at present sadly neglected is the advertising of 

 honey. The very heavens resound with the names of food fads and 

 medicines, while the most pleasant and nutritious of natural sweets is 

 comparatively unknown in our Canadian homes. The reason is not 

 far to seek. "Honey is honey," and, under existing conditions, if 

 Smith advertised he would be increasing the sale of Brown's honey 

 almost as much as his own. The only way out of it is for Smith, 

 Brown, et al, to form a honey exchange and advertise the honey of the 

 exchange. They would then agree upon a remunerative price, which 

 would not become exorbitant, by the way, on account of the direct 

 competition of fruit, syrups, and foreign honey. They would adver- 

 tise extensively until " honey " would become a household word, 

 learned along with " papa " and " mamma " by the lisping child. 



"C. O. D. by Mail" is a somewhat novel thing mentioned by 

 H. H. Charles, in Class Advertising. More than a thousand transac- 

 tions of that kind were made by him with great satisfaction. A cus- 

 tomer would want some part of an incubator and order it, perhaps 

 without knowing the cost. If sent by express it would cost 2.5 cents, 

 if by mail perhaps 3 or 4 cents. It was sent by mail with instructions 

 to the postmaster to collect on delivery and remit, deducting his fee, 

 which was never more than 10 cents. This might not be a bad plan 

 with small orders in bee-supplies. But we wouldn't like to advise it 

 until it is approved by the post-oHice department of our government. 



Comuiercial Organization is up for discussion nowadays, 

 and it is well that it should be carefully viewed from all sides. Not 

 only should the advantages be shown, but the difliculties and objec- 

 tions as well. Some of these latter are considered by Hon. R. L. Tay- 

 lor in the Bee-Keepers' Review. He shows the difficulty of making 

 local organizations with the hope of uniting these into State organiza- 

 tions, and later uniting the State organizations into a single National 

 organization. And yet, in the end, that is the very thing he advises, 

 his views being summed up in the caption, " Commercial Organiza- 

 tion Must Begin Locally." The only difference that appears between 

 what is so hard to be done and what ought to be done is that action 

 should only be taken in such localities as feel the need of it. He says: 



" When several bee-keepers in the State of Michigan, or in an}' 

 section of it, think they can dispose of their crop to better advantage 

 by union, let them unite in such manner as seems best suited to iheir 

 circumstances. If they are successful, their successes and mistakes 

 will be a source of sound instruelioa to those of other communities 

 who shall desire to take like action. Thus, each organization will be 

 firmly cemented by a natural growth through experience, and, if need 

 appear, its roots and branches will reach out until they meet and in- 

 tertwine with those surrounding it, and all shall become one great 

 growth, furnishing shade to all of the whole land who seek its shelter." 



But if each organization is to intertwine with those surrounding 

 it, will there not be necessity for some one to take the initiative to 

 direct the intertwining; And if all are to become one great growth, 

 who or what is to bring about the merging! 



Probably the majority who urge unity of action advise the reverse 

 course, begining at the center and working outward, and they will be 

 likely to ask why it may not be better to form the main organization 

 at the start to foster the local growths, rather than to wait the years 

 \iecessary for natual growth to blend all into one. 



