1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



777 



of colonies have been cured of the disease, while numerous 

 other colonies, too far diseased to be cured, have been de- 

 stroyed. By means of this effort the disease is speedily dis- 

 appearing from our Province. An Act of the legislature has 

 also been secured, preventing the spraying of fruit trees while 

 in full bloom, resulting in a great protection to bee-keepers, 

 without any loss to fruit-growers. 



The Association has always been active at exhibitions, 

 and delegates are always appointed to attend all the leading 

 shows to look after the interests of bee-keepers. The splen- 

 did display made by the Association at the Colonial Exhibition in 

 1SS6 did much for the industry in Canada, while at the 

 World's Columbian Exhibition, in 1893, the Association's ex- 

 hibit was so strong that it secured a larger number of awards 

 and prizes than were given to any other State or Province. 



The weakness of the Association's work, so far, has been 

 in the want of attention given to the apicultural education of 

 the general public. This has, to some extent, been a serious 

 loss to the industry, for where people are not informed they 

 will not take interest ; and where they are not interested they 

 will not spend money. But an improvement is now taking 

 place in this respect. Experienced bee-keepers are attending 

 our farmers' institute meetings, and are doing their best to 

 excite a bee-keeping interest among general farmers, and to 

 spread abroad the best information obtainable relating to the 

 bee-keeping industry. The result will, do doubt, be a great ex- 

 tension of the industry among the farmers of the province. 



The officers of the Association for 1896 are: E. P. Hol- 

 termann, of Brantford, President ; J. K. Darling, of Almonte, 

 and W. J. Brown, of Chard, Vice-Presidents ; William Couse, 

 of Streetsville, Secretary ; and Martin Emigh, of Holbrook, 

 Treasurer. Mr. F. A. Gemmill, of Stratford, is sub-inspector 

 of foul brood. Prominent members are Col. Petlit, of Bel- 

 mont ; J.B.Hall, of Woodstock; Rev. Wm. F. Clarke, of 

 Guelph ; R. McKnight, of Owen Sound ; and A. E. Sherring- 

 ton, of VValkerton. The late Allen Pringle, of Selby, was also 

 a prominent member of the Association. 



Xtie California Excliangfe — or its exemplary 

 Secretary, Mr. J. H. Martin — has been greatly humiliated 

 through a slight error which we printed lately. Our " copy " 

 was entirely correct, but the proof-reader must have been a 

 nttle " off." The following will explain : 



Los Angeles, Calif., Nov. 16, 1896. 

 Mk. Editok : — Will you listen hard to what I have to say ? 

 You have done me a gross injustice, and if that injustice 

 which appears on page 728 is not set right at once, I will be 

 discredited and dishonored by every bee-keeper in California 

 that can walk a bee-line. 



In your comments upon a clipping from the Rural Cali- 

 fornian you tell bee-keepers to send their address to me at No. 

 213 North Main Street. Now, Mr. Editor, it makes me 

 shiver to think that such a downright fabrication should be 

 blazoned forth on the pages of the old American Bee Journal. 

 Mr. Editor, the number is 218 instead of 213, and how could 

 you have the gall to make such a stupendous falsification? 



And, Mr. Editor, listen to the grave consequences which 

 follow. As soon as I saw those misleading figures staring me 

 in the face, I hastened to find No. 213, to avert, if possible, 

 the flood of letters and callers that would flow in upon an in- 

 nocent and unsuspecting individual. "Yes," said I, as I 

 ambled along, " here's No. 211, and here's a blank, then 215. 

 Yes, I must try the blank," I couldn't see in through the 

 elegant ground-glass doors, so I pushed boldly in, and found 

 several men in the room. Says I to the man that was in his 

 shirt sleeves, and looked like the proprietor, "Is this No. 

 213 ?" 



" You bet," said he ; and he set out two big bottles and 

 some tumblers on the bar, and says he, " What'll ye take?" 



" Jewhiskers," says I; "this is a saloon I" and I hast- 

 ened right out and'shook the dust off my shoes on the door- 

 step. 



Now, Mr. Editor, I am a confirmed Prohibitionist, had on 

 a relic of the late campaign — a Levering button. I looked 

 down to the good man's picture — how sad the expression ; he 

 knew he couldn't be elected. But my face had a more intense 

 sadness, when I realized that scores of honest, well-meaning 

 bee-men would tramp up that street and poke themselves into 

 that vile saloon, and inquire for Martin I 



c^: And worse than that, 1 could endure such things for a 

 season, but it wrings my two kidneys to think that some of 

 our California bee-men will not only inquire for me, but they'll 

 take the bottle ? The thought of it is almost beyond my en- 



durance. And, Mr. Editor, under the circumstances, I want 

 to kick, and I will kick. 



Now, sir, see if you cannot say in your next No. 218 ; or, 

 better still, P. 0. Box 152. Then I'll stop kicking. 



J. H. Martin. 



If we were given to enthusiastic or emotional writing, we 

 would say that it was accompanied with a mixture of smiles 

 and tears that we read Mr. Martin's kick. It was an unpar- 

 donable crime on our part, we know, and we don't know what 

 to do to atone for it. Perhaps by presenting Mr. Martin's sadi 

 long-drawn-out and tear-stained foot-print in the shape of a 

 " kick," it will result in a grand reponse from all California 

 bee-keepers — an elbowing mass endeavoring to be among the 

 first to jump into the exchange band-wagon. If such shall be 

 the final result of our error, we (hink Mr. Martin will feel 

 more inclined to forgive us. 



In concluding this harrowing tale, permit us to call your 

 attention to the fact that Sec. J. H. Martin's address is 218 

 N. Main St., or P. 0. Box 152, Los Angeles, Calif. His office 

 is exactly like ours — no saloon attachment; simply press the 

 Levering button — and all your wants will be promptly at- 

 tended to. 



PERSONAL MENTION. 



Dr. A. B. Mason — the energetic Secretary of the North 

 American Bee-Keepers' Association — celebrated the anniver- 

 sary of his 63rd birthday and 38th wedding day, Nov. 7. In 

 the evening some of his friends gave him a surprise, and he 

 writes that they "acted as though they owned the ' ranch.'" 

 We join with his hosts of friends in wishing the Doctor many 

 returns of the happy day on which occured two events of so 

 much importance to himself. 



Mr. Chas. Griesbach, of Clay county, Ind., began last 

 spring with two colonies of bees in 8-frame hives, which he 

 bought for $7.00. During the season he increased them to 

 six colonies, and took 375 pounds of comb honey. All of 

 which is a splendid report, especially so when it is known that 

 Mr. G. is a beginner. He set out 114 linden trees a year ago, 

 106 of them having grown all right ; the 8 were re-set. Some 

 of them were 25 feet high when set out. 



Mr. L. L. Skaggs, of Llano Co., Tex., says this in a let- 

 ter of recent date : 



" The American Bee Journal has been a great help to me. 

 You are so good about looking out for swindlers. When I see 

 a swindler's advertisement in a paper, and I know that the 

 publisher knows what he is, I stop taking that paper, for it 

 shows that the publisher doesn't care who gets beaten, just so 

 he gets a little money out of it. So long as you hold on like 

 you have been doing, I want the American Bee Journal." 



Mr. H. D. Cutting, of Tecumseh, Mich. — one of our val- 

 ued corps of "Question-Box" contributors — is threatened 

 with blindness, we regret very much to hear. In a letter 

 dated Nov. 21, he says he can write but little, and read less. 

 He can do neither by artificial light. It is a case of "glauco- 

 ma." He expects soon to have an operation performed on one 

 eye, in order to save it, but the other is thought to be too far 

 gone. We are sure Mr. Cutting's many friends will be pained 

 to learn of his misfortune, and hope with us that he may be 

 able to save at least one of his eyes. 



Mr. Wm. Russell, of Minnesota, wrote us as follows, on 

 Nov. 16 : 



" Keep up the war against swindlers, honey-adulterators, 

 and all kindred humbugs. I am sure you have the sympathy 

 and approbation of all honest men, whether bee-keepers or 

 not." 



We wish to thank Mr. Russell for his kind expression, as 

 well as for the .$1.00 for the renewal of his subscription, with 

 which ho "backed up" his appreciated words. We would 

 like ten thousand more subscribers just like Mr. R. If each 

 present subscriber to the Bee Journal would send only one 

 new subscriber, we would have a good many over the desired 

 ten thousand. 



