552 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Aug. 27, 



<F<rs 





eSOROB W. YORK, - Edtter. 



PCBLISHED WEEKLY BY 



GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 

 IIS AUcblgaa St.. - CHICAGO, ILL. 



$1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. 

 [Kntered at the PostrOfflce at ChicaKO as Second-Class Mail-Matter.J 



VoLfflVI. CHICAGO, ILL, AUG. 21, 1896. No. 35. 



Begfinners and Bee-Books. — It seems strange 

 that any begiDners in bee-keeping will think of getting along 

 without a good book on the subject. It would save them ask- 

 ing many simple questions, and especially from pestering 

 older bee-keepers, oue of whom (who is in our Question-Box 

 corps, and who lives east of Illinois) says this in a private 

 letter : 



Me. Editor: — I find in my own experience, that If I 

 would write to all the querists who write me (and don't even 

 send stamps for reply), that I would have quite a handful. It 

 surprises me that there are so many who say to me (and I of 

 course get but a few of them), " Why, you can tell me this at 

 once, with no trouble." They don't think, I suppose, that I 

 had to be at the trouble to learn it, or that my time is of any 

 value. Well, I say to them all, " Get a bee-book, study it, and 

 you will then know." 



I get six or eight letters a week, now — sometimes I have 

 had 20 or more — asking foolish questions. You, as publisher 

 of the American Bee Journal, have to use some consideration 

 in the matter, but even In that case, why should any one sup- 

 pose a bee-paper Is a treatise on bee-keeping ? 



I have written three letters to-day in answer to those who 

 ask me why the bee-papers don't give more information to be- 

 ginners. My only reply can be, that beginners are supposed 

 to know first principles, and that bee-pnpers are published to 

 keep their subscribers in touch with the bee-world, and to 

 post them on new ideas and new theories as they are 

 advanced. 



I am pleased to know from week to week, that the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal, in your hands, is fulfilling its mission; that 

 it Is of great value to bee-keepers in that it treats of the sub- 

 ject calmly and dispassionately ; that it lets in the ideas of its 

 writers without fear or favor, and dares at all times to com- 

 ment on those ideas, as to your mind they seem to need. 



* * * 



Now, we submit the above to all beginners, feeling as- 

 sured that they will easily see that it is not right to annoy 

 older bee-keepers with a lot of simple questions, whose an- 

 swers can be found in any of the standard text-books. A good 

 bee-book is to the new bee-keeper what a needful tool is to the 

 mechanic. No one should think of starting with bees without 

 getting a book in addition to the papers. 



Again, beginners must remember that there are those who 

 have taken the papers for years, and they do not wish to read 

 ABC matter all the time. Neither would it be right for the 

 papers to devote thelT space entirely to primary bee-keeping, 

 any more than the great daily newspapers should teach people 

 how to read, or how to solve simple problems in arithmetic. 



By all means, Mr. Beginner, get a good book on bee-cul- 

 ture, read it in connection with the bees themselves, and thus 

 gain knowledge for yourself. All questions that cannot be 

 answered by the books, are proper ones to send to a bee- 

 paper. But please excuse publishers if they do not tell over 

 and over the first principles of bee-keeping in their papers. 



Xlie Lincoln Convention, Oct. 7 and 8.— 



We have received the following further notice concerning the 

 next North American meeting, from the Secretary, Dr. A. B. 

 Mason : 



Station B, Toledo, Ohio, Aug. 18, 1896. 



Mr. Editor : — As you already know, the next meeting of 

 the North American Bee-Keepers' Association is to be held in 

 Lincoln, Nebr., in one of the University buildings, on the 7th 

 and 8th of next October, commencing at 9 o'clock a.m. of the 

 7th, and closing with the evening session on the 8th. 



The securing of railroad rates, and all arrangements at 

 Lincoln, have been left by the Executive Committee with the 

 Nebraska bee-keepers, and my correspondence has been mostly 

 with Mr. L. D. Stilson, editor of the Nebraska Bee-Keeper, 

 and Secretary of the Nebraska State Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion, and through his efforts arrangements have been made 

 by which the railroad rate will be one fare plus $2.00 for the 

 round trip, tickets to be bought on Oct. 6, but I learn that the 

 Lake Shore and Michigan Southern railroad has not yet en- 

 tered into the agreement, but probably will do so before the 

 time of meeting. 



The way for bee-keepers east of Lincoln to take advan- 

 tage of the Homeseekers' Excursion rates is, to purchase their 

 tickets to a point beyond Lincoln, then stop off at Lincoln for 

 the convention, and afterward go on to the point to which the 

 tickets were purchased, pay the extra .S2.00 there, and start 

 on the return trip. But your local railroad agent should be 

 able to give you definite information about this. 



In addition to the above it Is possible that a rate of a fare 

 and a third on the certificate plan will also be made to accom- 

 modate those who cannot take advantage of the Homeseekers" 

 Excursion rate. Watch the bee-papers for further announce- 

 ments as to rates. 



The Wabash railroad will sell tickets on the above date 

 for one fare for the round trip, which, from here, is $21.40. 

 As yet, I have received no information about rates from north, 

 south, or west of Lincoln. 



The Nebraska bee-keepers have promised to entertain 

 free all members of the Association who live outside of 

 Nebraska, and any one interested in bee-culture can become a 

 member by the payment of one dollar to the Secretary. It 

 seems to me that Nebraska bee-keepers have taken a good- 

 sized contract, and I hope we shall have the largest conven- 

 tion the Association has ever held, but the Nebraska bee- 

 keepers are said to be " hustlers," and there need be no fears 

 about their filling their part of the bill, even if hundreds of 

 bee-keepers " try their mettle." 



That all may know something of what to expect, the fol- 

 lowing program has been provided: 



Honey Commission-Men and Adulteration — George W. 

 York, of Chicago, 111. 



Improvements in Bee-Culture — Ernest R. Root, of Medina, 

 Ohio. 



Bee-Keepers' Exchange— Prof. A. J. Cook, of Claremont, 

 Calif. 



The Past and Future of Bee-Keeping— Mrs. J. N. Heater, 

 of Columbus, Nebr. 



The Union and Amalgamation — Thomas G. Newman, of 

 San Diego. Calif. 



How to Secure Comb Honey— W. Z. Hutchinson, of Flint, 

 Mich. 



Importance of Water in the Apiary — Hon. E. Whitcomb, 

 of Friend, Nebr. 



Economic Value of Bees and their Products — C. P. Dadant, 

 of Hamilton, 111. 



Some of the Conditions of Nebraska — L. D. Stilson, of 

 York, Nebr. 



The Honey-Producer and Supply-Dealer— Rev. Emerson 

 T. Abbott, of St. Joseph, Mo. 



The Wild Bees of Nebraska — Prof. Lawrence Bruner, of 

 Lincoln, Nebr. 



Artificial Heat and Pure Air, Properly Applied in Winter- 

 ing — R. K. Holtermann, of Brantford, Ont. 



An original poem by Hon. Eugene Secor, of Forest City, 

 Iowa. 



Sweet Clover as a Honey-Producing Plant — VVm. Stolley, 

 of Grand Island, Nebr. 



How to Winter Bees Successfully— Hon. Geo. E. Hilton, 

 of Fremont, Mich. 



The Production of Extracted Honey— Two brief papers, 

 one by N. E. France, of Platteville, Wis.; and one by J. C. 

 Balch, of Bronson, Kans. 



Mrs. J. M. Null, of 



Miami, Mo. 



President A. I. Boot will give an address on some subject 

 that will be of interest to all. 



It is the present intention to devote the first evening's 



