152 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15 



entrances in the cellar, or appear to be covering 

 the bottom of the cellar to a considerable extent, 

 or if all of them are more or less uneasy, or begin 

 to " roar," we would not keep them in the cellar 

 one day longer, although we would try to hold 

 off until there is a possibility for the bees to fly. 



A GREAT SURPLUS OF ARTICLFS FOR PUBLICATION. 



Never before in all our experience have we 

 had so much good matter awaiting its turn for 

 publica'ion. We have almost enough on hand 

 at present to keep the journal running for six 

 months, even if we didn't get any more. As 

 will be observed, we are enlarging our journal; 

 but even this extra space will piobably not en- 

 able us to get in all the good matter on time — 

 that is, so it wMl be seasonable. As it is, some 

 of it will have to wait till next yext or be left out 

 altogether. 



We would request our correspondents to make 

 their communications as brief as possible, and 

 omit all preliminaries or explanations. Get right 

 down to the kernel of the matter. We are 

 obliged to trim or cut down much of what we 

 do publish. 



OUR Pi»INTIVG DEPARTMENT RUSHED 



OuK printing department has been rushed away 

 beyond its capacity. Certain of our booklets are 

 now out of print. The series of Alexander arti- 

 cles, which we hoped to put in book form, are 

 not yet out, and probably will not be for a 

 month yet. Those of our readers who have 

 placed orders for these bjoks and booklets will 

 bear with us a little longer. We are ordering 

 special machinery by telegraph to increase our 

 output. Our presses are now running overtime, 

 but we hope to be caught up inside of about six 

 weeks. 



The 1907 edition of the A B C and X Y Z of 

 Bee Culture, of 15,000 copies, that was taken off 

 the press a little over a year ago, is going at a 

 rapid rate, and probably will not hold out until 

 the next edition is ready for delivery. We felt 

 that, when we put up our large and magnificent 

 forty-thousand-dollar printing-plant with its new 

 equipment and machinery, we should be able to 

 take care of any demand that might be made on 

 US; but already it is taxed beyond its capacity. 



Later.— We just placed an order for nearly $3000 

 worth of new printing machinery, consisting of 

 two automatic press feeders. These will not 

 only increase our output but effect a great saving 

 in the cost of feeding and in the loss of spoiled 

 sheets. 



USELESS TARIFF ON LUMBER; DANGER THAT IT 

 WILL BE RETAINED. 



The lumber interests of the country are mak- 

 ing a desperate effort for the retention of the duty 

 of $2.50 to $3.00 on their product. It is said 

 that it has the largest lobby in Washington of 

 any of the great interests in the country. We 

 are also told that those interests have already en- 

 tertained 150 members of Congress at a big din- 

 ner; of sumptuous banquets given to scores of 

 other national officials, and that they are even 

 now boasting that they have enough men "won 

 over" so that the present tariff will be retained. 



If the American people allow a tariff on a com- 



modity that is becoming more and more scarce, 

 without a protest, they will have only themselves 

 to blame. We urgently request every one of 

 our readers to write to their Representative and 

 their Senators, asking them to use their influence, 

 both in committees and on the floor of the House 

 and Senate, for the repeal of the tariff on lumber. 

 Do it noijo ere it is too late. While you are about 

 it, write to the Hon. Sereno E Payne, chairman 

 of the Ways and Means Committee, to the same 

 effect. 



It has been well said that, if there is a single 

 industry in the United States that does not now 

 require protection, and should not have it, it is 

 lumber. It can have no other effect ihan to pr( - 

 tect the feiv and compel the masses to pay more 

 for every thing made of wood. The availal le 

 supply in the United Statts is limited to very 

 small areas. There is no reason why the big 

 output in Canada should not come to the United 

 States free of duty. 



HO EY PROSPECTS NIXT YEAR AND PRI ES; WILL 

 IT BE SAFE TO HOLD OVER CLOVER EXTRACT- 

 ED FOR BETTER PRICES.? 



As reports begin to come in from different 

 parts of the country we find there are scattering 

 localities where white clover has been killed out 

 entirely by the drouth of last fall; but, so far as 

 we can ascertain, in the great majority of places 

 this valuable plant is coming up smiling, and 

 doubtless will be ready to give us a big crop this 

 season. Unless weather conditions change ma- 

 terially, the bee-keeper who is holding over his 

 white-clover honey, thinking there will be a 

 scarcity for the next season, is making a mistake. 

 While we do not anticipate by any means a large 

 clover yield, such as we had last year, yet we be- 

 lieve tliat such honey will be very much in evi- 

 dence in most markets during the coming sum- 

 mer. And even if it should be much scarcer 

 than usual, the prospects for a big crop from 

 California were never better. Colorado had a 

 rather indifferent season during 1908, but she 

 will prohably more than make up the deficit of 

 last year with a crop this season. The condi- 

 ti^ns in Texas are exceedingly favorable, so that, 

 taking conditions as they appear, any one who is 

 holding back his extracted honey hoping for a 

 new and better market during the coming sum- 

 mer is taking chances, although a first tjuality 

 of strictly pure clover, without any other flavor, 

 will always have a good market, and at fair prices. 



Of course, the white clover that has not been 

 killed out in our north-central States may yet 

 get a setback. There may be a drouth at just 

 the wrong time of the year. But this is hardly 

 possible in view of the severity of the drouth last 

 summer and fall. Nature is not likely to give 

 us two drouths so near together. 



DID THE DROUTH OF LAST FALL KILL THE CLO- 

 VERS.? AN INTERESTING COLLECTION OF FACTS 

 FROM MANY SOURCES TO SHOW THAT IT D D 

 NOT. 



In response to requests for information on this 

 subject we leceived a large number of letteis and 

 articles. We only regret that we have not the 

 necessary space to publish them all, as some of 

 them are very interesting and valuable. About 



