40th YEAR 



CHICAGO, ILL, NOVEMBER 8, 1900, 



No, 45, 



I ^ Editorial. » f 



Confidential to Our Subscribers. — 



Now that the flurry and ivorry of another 

 (|uadreauial political compaign are over, we 

 ean all get down to business again. We would 

 lilve to suggest that the first business at this 

 office is to continue to furnish just as good a 

 bee-paper every week as we possibly can, con- 

 sidering the support or patronage extended 

 by bee-keepers generally. And sometimes we 

 are led to believe that our efforts to supply a 

 good bee-paper are almost successful — yes, 

 quite so, if we may accept at their full face 

 value the appreciative words so often exprest 

 by some of the best bee-keepers in our land. 



Well, there's nothing so very "confiden- 

 tial "in all we have said so far, is there? 

 Right you are; lint here's what we want to 

 say very eilectively, if po.ssible : 



We want you to help during this month and 

 nest — November and December — to increase 

 by at least 50 percent the regular subscription 

 list of the old American Bee Journal. Will 

 you do it ! 



How can it be done i 



Firstly, the time for renewing for another 

 year yoiu* own subscription is near at hand. 

 Don't fail to renew, for liy so doing the present 

 large list of readers will remain, and an ad- 

 vance will thus the more easily be possible. 



Secondly, get at leant one new subscriber to 

 send with your own renewal. Now, some will 

 be able to secure more than one, and thus make 

 up for those who can not possilily get a sin- 

 gle neighbor bee-keeper to sul^scribe. There 

 are many who think they are just as well off 

 without a bee-jmiJer, but every one who has 

 read any of the papers for even a short time 

 knows better than to believe such a statement, 

 for they can now judge from their own ex- 

 perience. 



Now, we are not asking any one to spend 

 his time for nothing when trying to get new 

 subscribers, for we are continually offering 

 valuable premiums tor such work. Of course, 

 we can not afford to offer as large, or perhaps 

 as valuable, preniiiuns as can some of the 



other liee-paper piiljlishers, for we believe we 

 furnish, every year, for the one dollar sub- 

 scription, as much, if not more, bee-literature 

 than any other two bee-periodicals publisht in 

 this country. We are sending 52 copies for 

 Sl.OO — less than two cents each.' Where is 

 there to-day anything like such value for so 

 little money? 



But we need not tell our readers what they 

 already know, tho we think perhaps there is 

 no harm in reminding them of some facts that 

 are likely to be overlookt or forgotten. 



Now. the question is. Will you try your best 

 to help increase the number of regular sub- 

 scribers of the American Bee Journal, and 

 thus enlarge its sphere of influence, and make 

 possible still greater improvement in its con - 

 tents? We believe .vou will. You have done 

 It before, and so we know you can do it 

 again. There is no good reason why the 

 American Bee Journal shouldn't have the 

 largest list of regular subscribers of any bee- 

 paper in America. It has over half as many 

 now, so that it ought not to require such a 

 great effort to put it in the lead. 



We shall be pleased to mail all the sample 

 copies of the American Bee Journal that you 

 can use among those whom you would like to 

 get as subscribers, if you will let us know 

 how many you can use; or if j'ou will send 

 us the names and addresses, we will mail 

 them direct. But, please say, when sending 

 the names, whether or not you expect to try 

 to get them as subscribers. 



Let us all push for a great subscription 

 campaign during the last.two mont'as of this 

 closing 19th Centusy^^^e 20th Century is 

 dawning. Shall not {he old American Bee 

 Journal welcome it with the largest number 

 of the best bee-keepers ever enrolled in one 

 list of regular readeis of current bee-litera- 

 ture? What is j/ti/<c answer; We are ready 

 to do our jjart. 



Cans or Ban-els for Honey. — Editor 

 Root is a s(|uare man in general, and a square- 

 can man in particular. He says: 



" Every now and then we are receiving bar- 

 rels of honey almost empty. Our readers 

 already know of our experience, of the honey 

 running out, and on to thebottom of the cars, 

 and hiiw the roliber-liees made tilings lively 

 for all the railroad men. Our honey-buyer 

 says square cans should always be used for 



white hcjuey. If we get it in Ijarrels we have 

 to go lo the ex]iense of putting it into cans, 

 because our trade calls for it in that way. Low 

 grades of honey are generally put up in bar- 

 rels because the bulk of it is used for manu- 

 facturing purposes. But the best grades 

 should lie put into cans, if for no other reason 

 than that the honey can be sold in large or 

 small lots. Many customers will take one or 

 two cans when they would not take a whole 

 barrel." 



The square five-gallon pound can is the pack- 

 age for holding extracted honey. But you 

 want to be sure that you have a well-made 

 can, for cans sometimes come apart at the 

 seams or joints, and then they will leak worse 

 than a barrel. Tin cans have a big advantage 

 in not soaking up any of the honey as do bar- 

 rels. There is a big loss due to soakage, and 

 both the producer and the consumer of the 

 honey seem to expect the dealer or middle- 

 man should stand that loss. To this we ob- 

 ject. If the bee-keeper persists in using the 

 barrels he is the one that should bear the loss 

 from soakage. 



A Pocket to Save Wax. — Here is a 

 bright hint from G. H. Harrison, in the Aus- 

 tralian Bee-Keeper : 



One thing we all want to watch, that is 

 when we hace the wax, to see that we keep it. 

 I was always a miser in that regard, and car- 

 ried a w.ax-pocket, into which every little 

 scrap, bur-comb, or ball of wax, after eating a 

 titbit of comb, was hoarded. Without this, 

 these bits get left on the tops of hives, get 

 melted down, l^lown away or wasted in some 

 way. In many apiaries the leakage in this 

 way is very great, and in these days we can't 

 afford it. 



• 



Agricultural Managers W^anted. — 



We note the following paragraph on this sub- 

 ject in the October bulletin of the Missouri 

 State University, at Columbia: 



Managers Wanted. — Each year the Col- 

 lege has numerous requests for young men 

 who are properly trained to take charge of 

 stock farms, dairies, creameries, and orchard 

 plantings. Thus far the supply of men with 

 the proper training has not been equal to the 

 demand. 



The same shortage might be noted in regard 

 to managers of apiaries. There is always a good 

 demand for the right kind of young men — 

 those who are properly trained and equipt for 

 the work of managing things agricultural. 

 There never has been such a need as now for 

 educated and pushing young farmers — the 

 kind that know how to do things, and are 

 not afraid of soiling their hands or clothes in 

 doing them. 



The greatest weakness in all the trades or 

 professions is the incompetency of the indi- 

 vidual. And the-worst of it is, many of these 

 same individuals don't care. This is what 

 causes so much vacant " room at the top," 

 and such a crowded condition at the bottom. 



