568 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Sept. 3, 





-IHAJjCRICA 



GEORGE -w. YORK, - Editer. 



PUBLISHED WEEKLV BY 



GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 

 lis Miablgaa St., - CHICAGO. ILL. 



$1.00 a Year — Sample Copy Sent Free. 

 [Bntered at the FOBt-Offlce at ChicaKO as Second-Class Mail-Matter.] 



VoLinyi, CHICAGO, ILL, SEPT. 3, 1896, No, 36. 



EDITORIAL C0IV1)VIENT5. 



Xtae Pfom-de-PIuine Business, we believe, is 

 being a little overworked these days. We know we were re- 

 cently somewhat indulgent " along that line," but we think 

 we have now nearly reformed. Of course, few value what is 

 written thus as much as when over the real name, particularly 

 when it comes to a technical matter like bee-keeping. A 

 nom- de-plume will do very well for story or novel writing, 

 where a knowledge of the author's special abilities are not 

 necessarily required to give proper value to his pen produc- 

 tion, but in class literature the author's name often adds much 

 weight to what he writes. For instance, Doolittle's articles 

 on bee-keeping would probably be given but little attention if 

 signed " Doonothing." But Doolittle's name, experience, and 

 reputation, give added value to what he writes on the subject 



of apiculture. 



•*-•-* 



Index Improvements.— Bditor E. R. Root gives 

 our annual index quite a high compliment in last Gleanings. 

 After saying that "a correspondent suggests that there is 

 room for improvement in the indexing of the American Bee 

 Journal," Mr. Root adds: 



" I have consulted the files of that periodical not a little, 

 and rarely have trouble in finding what I want. If I could 

 feel that our index was always as good, I should feel satisfied." 



If those who think it is an easy job to get up an infallible 

 index to over 800 pages of matter, could only have the chance 

 to try their hand at it, they'd discover that it is no easy mat- 

 ter. This particular writer has indexed the American Bee 

 Journal for years, and has always tried to do it carefully, but 

 never expects to see it entirely free from errors. Of course 

 the " trying " for perfection will be continued, but it is well 

 nigh a hopeless task. 



Xlie Vote on Amalgamation.— We have re- 

 ceived the following from the General Manager of the Na- 

 tional Bee-Keepers' Union, concerning the proposed vote on 

 amalgamation : 



San Diego, Calif., Aug. 20, 1896. 

 Mr. Editor : — I have submitted for decision by the 

 Advisory Board of the National Bee-Keepers" Union, as to 

 whether a vote on amalgamation shall now be called for, as 

 advised in the bee-periodicals. The result is that but one of 

 the Board is in favor of holding a special election for submit- 

 ting the question. It will, therefore, have to lay over until 

 the annual election in January next. 



Thomas G. Newman, 



Oeneral Manager. 



Perhaps it is just as well to wait now until after the Lin- 

 coln convention of the North American, before voting on 

 amalgamation, for at that meeting there may be some action 



taken that will tend to harmonize those in favor of amalgama- 

 tion and the anti-amalgamationists. We are not so very par- 

 ticular about the plan finally adopted to unite the two organi- 

 zations, only that bee-keepers may get together into one strong 

 body, so that their efforts shall be made more effective. "In 

 union there is strength,'" but in division and separation there 

 can only be weakness. 



S'weet Clover. — In a recent number of this paper, 

 Mr. J. L. Gandy, of Nebraska, made this remark about sweet 

 clover : 



" Since it has been demonstrated that sweet clover makes 

 good hay and pasture, many of our farmers, instead of trying 

 to exterminate it, as has hitherto been the custom, are encour- 

 aging its growth." 



Editor Root offers the following emphatic comment upon 

 the above, in Gleanings : 



" This is a good point. Let us keep them circulating. I 

 expect to say, and keep on saying, until I do not have to say 

 it any more, that sweet clover is not a noxious weed, but is 

 one of the best honey-plants in the world ; that it yields nec- 

 tar everywhere, and that its flow is prolonged, not days, but 

 weeks and weeks ; that if it grows anywhere it grows in waste 

 places ; is easily exterminated ; that cattle learn to eat it in 

 preference to many other kinds of green forage, and it makes 

 a fairly good hay. I have said these same things before ; but 

 it seems it must be repeated in different ways in order to make 

 people believe it." 



This is a subject upon which we are in entire agreement 

 with Mr. Root, for we reside right in the midst of a sweet 

 clover region. Does it yield honey ? — well, we should think so. 

 It yields for a long time, and, to our taste, its honey is the 

 finest of all. 



Selling: tlie Honey Crop. — During the next four 

 months nearly the whole of the honey of 1896 will be sold. 

 Already some thousands of pounds have been placed upon the 

 Chicago market, and the new comb honey is fine. But thus 

 early some large producers have made a mistake, which we 

 fear will tend to lower the prices here, and keep them down 

 for the rest of the selling season. 



Last week we had occasion to go over on South Water 

 street — where nearly all the large commission dealers do busi- 

 ness — and we found that one firm, who are almost new in the 

 honey-business, had received a numberof thousands of pounds 

 of nice, white comb honey which they were offering at 11 

 cents per pound. Just a few doors away, and at the same 

 time, honey dealers who have been long in the business, and 

 understand it, and who try to keep up the market prices, 

 were holding the same grade of honey at 13 cents per pound. 

 Now, why the two cents difference in price ? Simply for this 

 reason : The new firm were only anxious to get their commis- 

 sion on the sales, not caring a straw how much, or how little, 

 the honey would net the producer. 



What surprises us is, that large producers are so careless 

 as to ship to such firms, for really they lose on their own 

 crops, and also cause others to lose. Such actions certainly 

 do not show good business sense, nor is it just to other honey- 

 producers. 



We should think that after the " Horri-ble " experiences 

 of last year, our older readers would be smart enough to keep 

 out of the claws of the vulture-like commission men, and ship 

 only to those who are satisfied to deal honestly. 



We want to repeat what we said last year — it is this : 

 Bee-keepers are discouraging honest honey commission men 

 by shipping their honey to new and untried firms who will sell 

 the same honey to neighboring honest dealers at a less price 

 than bee-keepers would think of selling the same honey to 

 the aforesaid honest dealers. Do you see the point ? Let us 

 explain : 



Suppose we were old and tried honey dealers here, and 



