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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Nov. S, 1903. 



Importance of Reading Bee-Papers. 



This can hardly be over-estimated by auy one wiio desires to make 

 a real success of keeping bees. We do not say liiis because we iiave 

 a bee-paper to sell, but because it is true. Read what Mr. W. L. 

 Coggshall says on this subject, in a late number of Gleanings in Bee- 

 Culture: 



When I see a good labor-saving device it makes my heart glad; or 

 when some bee-keeper writes an article that gives a shorter cut for 

 doing anything, it pleases me, and I say to myself, " He is a benefac- 

 tor." To be an up-to-date bee-keeper one must read everything be- 

 tween the covers of the bee-journals, advertisements and all. Don't 

 skip a thing if you are starling in to make money out of heee. 



Out of the 15 young men who have worked for me at bees, 12 are 

 stir, doing so for a living. The most successful ones are farmers' boys 

 who were willing to do any kind of work on the farm. The most suc- 

 cessful ones are those who read the most, and talked bees at all times 

 and places. 



I wish to emphasize the fact that a desire to talk bees is impor- 

 tant. It is better to have it as a hobby if one would succeed. 



When it is remembered that Mr. Coggshall is one of the very 

 largest bee-keepers in the world, his words should have some weight. 



The fact is, a bee-keeper, like any other business man, can not 

 know too much about his business. No one bee-paper, no more than 

 any one man, contains all the information there is to be had. So it is 

 best to read as much as possible, and from as many different sources 

 as one can. And if you don't see what you want of practical informa- 

 tion in the American Bee Journal, all you have to do is to ask for it — 

 that is, if you are a regular paid subscriber to it. Of course, any bee- 

 keepers who are not subscribers to this journal, have no right to its 

 invitation to ask questions whenever they so desire. Not even a bee- 

 paper can be run very long on air alone. It takes rash to pay for 

 white paper, press-work, printers, etc. But every honest person is 

 glad to pay for what he gets that is really valuable. 



The Literature of Bee-Keeping. 



Did you ever think of the valuable and helpful literature that the 

 industry of bee-keeping has developed in the past 50 years? Not only 

 can those who seek information concerning bee-culture and honey- 

 production find it in the large and complete volumes of bee-books, but 

 the current publications, issued weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly, 

 afford most lively and up-to-date reading. Current events, as related 

 to bees and bee-keeping, are reported, and thus put in permanent and 

 useful form. 



How many present-day bee-keepers ever stop to think of the 

 advantage they have over their predecessors of a halt century ago 1 

 The growth of recorded information has been wonderful. Now, by 

 getting one of the several excellent bee-books, and one or more of the 

 bee-papers, any one with a little determination and application, can 

 soon learn to handle bees profitably, and with much pleasure as well. 

 But no one should think of starting with bees without first getting one 

 of the best books on the subject. Even if one never does a thing with 

 bees, such a book is well worth reading, simply for recreation and 

 general information, if no higher motive. 



Of course, the bee-papers will be found in the home of every bee- 

 keeper who expects or desires to be successful with bees. It takes too 

 long to discover everything by and for one's self. Life is too short, 

 and competition too fierce now, to permit the ox -cart method of travel 

 when the automobile method can be had. Read up in winter, and 

 practice in summer, is a pretty good way to proceed. To be sure, 

 some reading by way of current bee-papers should be done at all times 

 of the year. Reading and practice. Both are needed. 



Horizontal Bar in the Brood-Frame. 



Frank McNay, of Los Angeles Co., Calif., writes as follows : 

 On page 643, is mentioned a horizontal t:)ar instead of wires in 

 brood-frames. Can you tell us how it is put in the frame, dimensions 

 of Slick, etc.? Also, is a full sheet of foundation used, or two half 

 sheets? 



The Australian journal, from which the clipping was taken, made 

 no mention of particulars, but it is quite prpbable that the middle bar 

 was simply a bar the same length as the inside length of the frame, 

 two half sheets of foundation being used. Better not try it on too 

 large a scale at first. ^^_^_____^ 



Honey-Prices in England. 



These seem better than on this side, so that the British bee-keeper 

 may well be satisfied with a smaller yield. Twenty-five cents for 

 comb, and 12 for extracted, are spoken of as prices not unusual. 



Miscellaneous Items 



] 



Ohio Bee-Keepers are at work trying to secure afoul-brood 

 law. Success to them. 



Kditor E. K. Root announces in Gleanings in Bee-Culture that 

 in the coming election for National Association directors, he is not a 

 candidate for re-election. The office of director is no sinecure, and 

 one can hardly blame Mr. Root for desiring to cut off some of the 

 many demands upon his time, but his declining to serve longer will be 

 a matter of regret to many, for he has been a most efficient officer. It 

 will not be easy to ftpd so faithful and conscientious a successor. 



Herman F. 3Io<>re, of Park Ridge, Cook Co., 111., has been 

 appointed a deputy inspector of apiaries for northern Illinois. He is 

 about 15 miles northwest of Chicago. Any bee-keepers who may 

 desire his services at any time, should address him as above. Mr. 

 Moore is the hustling secretary of the Chicago-Norlhwestern Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, and to his untiring and faithful efforts, more 

 than to any other one person, is due the success and prosperity of that 

 organization. 



Buckwheat Cakes and Honey. — Four-year-old Garland is 

 devoted to his young and beautiful Aunt Louise. One morning, as 

 she was talking to him from the second-story window while he gave 

 her ecstatic answers from the brick sidewalk, he suddenly held up 

 his chubby arms and called up to her: 



" Throw yourself down in my arms, auntie! I'll catch you." 



" Why, Garland, if I were to do that," his auntie said, laughing, 

 " I might make a buckwheat cake of you." 



" Well, then, auntie," said the gallant little lover, " I'd be the 

 buckwheat cake and you'd be the honey!'' — Selected. 



O. O. Poppleton, of Dade Co., Fla., wrote us as follows Oct. 

 24, 1903 : 



Friend York: — I expect to leave in about a week for a six or. 

 eight weeks' cruise in my launch down among the Florida Keys. We 

 will visit both the coral and the sponge reefs while gone. We will be 

 almost entirely away from mail facilities, getting letters only; no 

 papers while gone. We will live in our boat, moving from place to 

 place as the notion takes us. Such a life down here in the tropics 

 will be a little different from the one you will be living with all the 

 surroundings of a big city, with the cold and storms of the North. 



With well wishes for Mrs. York and yourself. 



Yours as ever, O. O. Poppleton. 



What a nice time Mr. Poppleton will have in that delightful snm- 

 merland — or summerwa(er — trip. It does seem that some people are 

 more fortunate than others. But we are glad our good friend can 

 have such an outing. It will do him good. 



Look at Your Wrapper-Label.— According to the ruling of 

 the Posl-Oflice Department at Washington, as announced heretofore 

 in the Bee .Journal, unexpired subscriptions to any newspaper or 

 magazine do not constitute legitimate subscriptions, so as to maintain 

 the second-class rate of postage. In view of this, we are compelled 

 to stop sending the American Bee Journal as soon as the subscription 

 or time paid for expires. 



Please look at your wrapper-label, and if it reads " nov03," it 

 means that your subscription ends with this month. If it is " dec03,'' 

 it will expire with the end of next month. 



We trust that all whose subscriptions expire will renew promptly, 

 so as not to miss a single copy of the old American Bee Journal. 

 Remember our liberal offers, which we will repeat here: Two years 

 for $1.S0 ; 3 years for .$2 50 ; or 5 years for .*!4.00. 



Also, when sending in your own renewal, why not get a new reader 

 for a year, to send with iti For securing ticn new subscribers (at 

 Sl.OO each), we mail you free a copy of Dr. Miller's book, " Forty 

 Y'ears Among the Bees;" or for three new subscribers (at $1.00 each) 

 you can have your choice of either Prof. Cook's "Bee-Keepers' 

 Guide," " Langstroth on the Honey-Bee," or " A BC of Bee-Culture,'' 

 Surely, here is an opportunity to get some splendid bee-literature for 

 a very little effort. Either of the last three books with the Journal a 

 year, both for S^a.OO. 



But, above all, don't let yourown subscription expire. There will 

 soon be just one department that will be worth, several limes over, the 

 amount of a year's subscription. This will be announced later. But 

 think of all the other helpful departments in the Bee Journal each 

 week! The American Bee Journal will simply be invaluable the com- 

 ing year. A good many say it is that now. 



