Book Review. 



Bee-Culture ; or Successfut. Manage- 

 ment OF THE Apiary, by Thomas G. 

 Newman, editor of the American Bee 

 Journal. 



In this little hand-book of 80 pages. Mr. 

 Newman has given us a short, clear state- 

 ment of the science of bee-lceeping by 

 modern methods. The first 24 pages are 

 devoted to " The Natural History of the 

 Honey Bee," and give, in language as free 

 as possible from technical, scientific terms, 

 a popular statement of what is known about 

 the bee. As successful bee-keeping depends 

 so largely upon a knowledge of the nature 

 and habits of the bee, this chapter will be 

 found one of the most valuable in the book. 

 I have seen an objection urged against Prof. 

 Cook's "Manual," because it devotes so 

 large a space to a presentation of the natu- 

 ral history of the bee. Surely such 

 objection was not well considered. A man 

 who is ignorant of the natural history of 

 the bee may, for a time, succeed in bee- 

 keeping by slavishly following the directions 

 of another, or by a run of what is called 

 "good luck," but emergencies will arise to 

 which his rules do not apply, and in which 

 his boasted " luck" will fail. He loses his 

 bees, and retires from bee-keeping in dis- 

 gust. The man who has a fair knowledge 

 of the nature of the bee can meet such 

 emergencies by methods of work rationally 

 based upon such knowledge, and he will in 

 the long run succeed. All wise friends of 

 bee-keeping will strive to diffuse correct 

 knowledge of the bee. 



Next, in a chapter of 10 pages, Mr. New- 

 man considers the "Establishment of an 

 Apiary," treating briefiy all the topics from 

 " Situation and Stocking " through to 

 " Honey Bloom." His statements here are 

 based upon the experience of our most suc- 

 cessful bee-keepers. The beginner will find 

 every paragraph full of sound advice. 



A chapter on " Hives and Surplus Honey 

 Receptacles " follows. Mr. Newman is an 

 ardent disciple of the Langstroth hive, and 

 of the "prize" honey section and the "prize" 

 shipping crate. Certainly the prize section 

 and prize crate are most excellent. As to 

 comb honey they leave little to be desired, 

 especially if Mr. Moore's paste-board caps 

 sliall prove practical and economical. There 

 is no doubt, either, tiiat the "Langstroth" 

 frame is a good one, but some of us who 

 acheive with the "Gallup" frame just as 

 good results, to say the least, and who claim 



some strong points in its favor when it comes 

 to practical work, are not able to see the 

 probability that the Langstroth frame "will 

 ere long supplant all others " quite so clearly 

 as Mr. Newman sees it. Hence we make a 

 gentle protest against the positiveness of 

 his statement. Probably those who use the 

 " Quinby " and " American " frames would 

 have, also, a word to say. After all, it is 

 true, however, that the larger number of 

 beginners in bee-keeping need positive 

 directions. They are bewildered and dis- 

 heartened by distracting statements as to the 

 merits and demerits of different frames. 

 It is best, perhaps, to tell them to adopt a 

 particular frame, for, as Mr. Newman says 

 in this chapter, " proper management of the 

 bees has much more to do with good results 

 than any form of hive or size of frame." 

 What is said in this chapter about the im- 

 portance of securing surplus comb honey 

 in attractive shape, assorting it, grading it, 

 and putting it in market in beautiful con- 

 dition, cannot be too strongly commended. 

 A large part of the comb honey comes to 

 market now, especially in the villages and 

 smaller cities, in very slovenly condition. 

 Sucli honey is a positive damage to every 

 producer in the vicinity. 



The next chapter is given to the " Honey 

 Extractor and its Use." The author does 

 not advocate the exclusive production either 

 of comb or extracted honey. In this he is 

 undoubtedly wise. Honey is good in both 

 forms, and will be iu demand in both forms. 

 The beauty and excellence of comb honey 

 make it so desirable that it can never be 

 supplanted. On the other hand the cheap- 

 ness and excellence of extracted honey will 

 constantly increase the demand for it. 

 Thoughtful producers will labor to increase 

 the demand for both, and will produce 

 whichever in their locations is most profita- 

 ble. 



In the chapter on " Comb Foundation and 

 its Use," there is a good statement about 

 this new help in bee-keeping which has so 

 rapidly come into wide popularity. Then, 

 there is a chapter on "Italianizing," " Di- 

 viding "and "Swarming," and finally one 

 on "Managing and Quieting Bees," both of 

 which are full of practical directions. The 

 little book is amply illustrated. Its table of 

 contents and index enables one to find 

 readily any topic desired. The paper is 

 good, and the print is clear-. 



Unfortunately, the proof-reader did not 

 always have his eyes about him. That he 

 should have allowed "ceiled" cell to stand 



