THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



409 



®OTVC6poudcnci\ 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Chips Prom Sweet Home. 



I dislike humbugs in any form, and moie 

 especially to swindle bee-keepers; not only 

 out of tlieir .'$5, but the bother and vexation 

 of hn fding from an impure queen. Hardin 

 Haines exliiblted a one-comb nucleus which 

 he said contained a Cyprian queen and 

 Italian workers, except about one out of 20 

 to 40 which were Cyprian workers — these 

 he could point out, biit to all observers they 

 were just like the balance of Italians, and 

 as there were several hybrids there were no 

 drones. 



He told me finally that he could not sliow 

 nie any difference in uiarkings, but that the 

 Cyprians gathered more honey. He offered 

 to send me a queen, agreeing that if she 

 was not better than any queen I had, she 

 should cost me nothing. 1 also told him if 

 she was better I would give him double his 

 price. U I receive her I will report in the 

 JOURNAL exactly what she proves to be. 

 Why do not some of his visitors report 

 favorable of his Cyprians? 1 saw several 

 bee-keepers who are acquainted wnth him, 

 and they pronounce him and his Cyprians, 

 a humbug. 



You seem to think the glowing account 

 on page ol3 ''great exagerations of the 

 facts." Bee-keepers, who ought to know, 

 say that there are no facts even, in tlie 

 statement. He may be posted in bee-cul- 

 ture, but the convention derived no new 

 ideas from him. D. D. Palmek. 



Pres. W. B. K. Convention. 

 . Eliza, Mercer Co., 111., Oct. 6, 1877. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



The Express Companies. 



On April 18th, we sent by the United 

 States Express Company, to Messrs. Tinkle- 

 paugh & Co., of Preston, Minn., to Cresco, 

 Iowa, a colony of bees. Preston is about 

 20 miles distant from Cresco. On May 4th, 

 Mr. Facey, of the tirm of Tinklepaugh & 

 Co., went to Cresco, and was answered by 

 the Express agent, that no bees had arrived 

 for them. Mr. Facey then wrote us from 

 Cresco, urging us to send the bees without 

 further delay. We sent word to the Express 

 Company and on May 18th, Mr. Facey re- 

 ceived a card from the Express agent of 

 Cresco, that there were bees at his office 

 waitinu for him. 



Mr. Facey went to Cresco the next morn- 

 ing and found the bees dead; they had 

 starved. Of course we replaced the colony. 

 Then we wrote to the Express Company, 

 asking if they were ready to pav for the 

 dead colony, at the sight of an affidavit of 

 Mr. Facey, purporting that he had been an- 

 swered on May 4th, that there were no bees 

 for him at the Express oftice of Cresco. The 

 superiidendeut of the Express Company an- 

 swered that the letter of Mr. Facey, dated 

 and stamped at Cresco on May 4tli, together 

 with, his affidavit were not a sufficient evi- 

 dence that lie had presented himself to the 

 Express office and that he was ready to fol- 

 low suit from court to court, if we resolved 

 to sue the Company. 



On the 5th of August Messrs. Levy & Ba- 

 ker of the ytate of Louisiana received from 

 us a box, in which we had sent them tliree 

 queens. Every compartment of the box 

 were opened carefully under a mosquito 

 bar, but they contained only a few workers 

 and no queens. Several persons were pres- 

 ent at the opening of the boxes. 



A week later Mr. Etienne Major, of the 

 same State, received also a box of bees from 

 us. This box contained only 11 workers, 3 

 dead and 8 alive, and no queens. The fact 

 was corroborated by several persons. Of 

 course these four queens had been stolen on 

 the way. We happened to replace these 

 queens, fastening the boxes with sealed 

 strings, to make them robber proof; and we 

 asked the American Express Company if 

 they were ready to pay for these losses. 



The Company di:l not answer our letter; 

 but their agent replied verbally, that there 

 can be no doubt that our queens were stolen; 

 but that the Company does not guarantee 

 against the death or escape of living animals. 



Our queens have escaped from the boxes 

 into the hives of one of the Express em- 

 ployes: but if we want to get the value of 

 our losses, we have to incur the risks and 

 annoyances of a law suit. W^e are resolved 

 to try it. Yet both the Conijianies, which 

 are so hard and so unjust towards us, have 

 for years, gained several hundred dollars 

 with our goods. 



At several times before we have experi- 

 enced similar losses; we have been, more 

 than at one time, satisfied that our queens 

 had been changed on their way to our aston- 

 ishment; some times we have had queens 

 missing; but never before had we encoun- 

 tered such a daring thief as theone who has 

 stolen these four queens. 



I will not speak of the queens and colo- 

 nies killed by the Express agent. It would 

 be a long and tedious list to read. 



What is the use of these Express compa- 

 nies? They are a nuisance, like a fifth 

 wheel to a wagon and a heavy one at that; 

 with their Presidents, Vice-presidents, Su- 

 perintendents, etc., who fill their purses 

 without tendering a service equivalent for 

 their high salaries. 



In Europe there are no express companies. 

 The railroad employes do the business. 

 Suppose that you desire to bring with you 

 some goods, when journeying by railroad; 

 your goods, here, will be refused; because 

 the railroad companies have made a com- 

 promise with the Express Company not to 

 let the travelers bring with them any goods 

 —their trunks excepted. 



In Europe you arrive at the station with 

 every thing it pleases you to bring; you take 

 your ticket, then your goods are weighed. 

 You are entitled to 60 lbs free, you pay for 

 the surplus, and your goods are delivered to 

 you on your arrival. 



Don't you think that the European system 

 is better? 



But here we cannot dispense with such 

 encumbrances as the Express Company; 

 the Fast Freight, the Red Line, the Star 

 Line and several others; all taking good 

 wages for small work. We cannot dispense 

 with such nuisances as long as the railroads 

 will be in the hands of more than five hun- 

 dred compnnieii; which, like the Express, 

 have an Etat-Mnjor of costly officers, who 

 have little to do but to pocket our money. 

 This brings me to the idea of the raih'oad 

 reform, which consists in putting all the 



