THE MMERICSrf mMW J©llR]HaiLr. 



88 



EDITOR. 



Vol, nv, FeD. 9, 1889. No, 6, 



Music when soft voices die 

 Vibrates in the memory ! 

 Odors when sweet violets sicken 

 Live within the sense they quicken. 



K,ile is I\ot so Sliort but that there is 

 always time for courtesy. 



Xlie Mild Wcatlicr of December 

 and January liad its effects on the maples 

 of New England. lu Maiue and Vermont, 

 and other sections, trees yielded a good 

 flow of sap, and sugar was made in mid- 

 winter, a very unusual occurrence. So says 

 an exchange. 



Liizzic Cotton's advertisement has 

 been refused by the Orange Judd Farmer. 

 She sent it to the Editor with a small book 

 describing her controllable beehive and 

 methods with bees, which she claims will 

 make those who use them rich. She is 

 modest, if selling a book worth at most ten 

 cents, and a hive not worth two dollars, for 

 812.00 can be called modesty ! 



United Eflorts.— Mr. William Stolley, 

 of Grand Island, Nebr., on Jan. 26, 1889, 

 when sending his dues to the National Bee- 

 Keepers' Union, remarks thus : 



The bee keepers, as a class, are very 

 much like the farmers ; they seem not to 

 comprehend the great advantages of com- 

 bining for their own good and protection, 

 else the members of the Bee Keepers' 

 Union would have been counted by the 

 thousand"! long atto. Beini! absent from 

 home when the officers wen elected. I did 

 and could not vote, but I am well pleased 

 with the officers elected. 



It is too true. Brother ,'jtolley, but they 

 seem to be asleep — apathy reigns supreme. 



9lcucv«d)lvci,scv!!Sicncnfrcnn2> 



is the title of a new monthly Swi-is bee- 

 paper, by U. Studer, Niederried, Switzer- 

 land, tlie second number of which is on our 

 desk. This makes the third periodical on 

 bee keeping now being published in our 

 small sister Republic, where one is "an 

 abundance." 



It seems a strange infatuation, that leads 

 to such a nuiltiplieation of bee-periodicals. 

 Where one good bee-paper could live and 

 be a real benefit to the pursuit, two or three 

 will spring up and none of them be able to 

 make their influence felt, because of their 

 weakness, by reason of the splitting up of 

 the subscription patronage. What would 

 support oue would starve three. 



This is a calamity which is threatened in 

 every bee-keeping country. The power for 

 good and iuflueuee for right, which one 

 strong and vigorous publication would 

 maintain, is frittered away by reason of an 

 unhealthy increase of bee-papers. It be- 

 hooves all to look this matter squarely in 

 the face, and refrain from lending their in- 

 tiuence to an increase in this line, which is 

 detrimental to the entire craft. 



Until a few years ago England had no 

 beepaper— now she has three ; two too 

 many ! A quarter of a century ago in 

 America there was but one (the Amekican 

 Bee Journal), now their names are 

 legion, and as a result some of them are sick 

 atid dying ; others are only half supported, 

 and the influence of all, by reason of the 

 multiplication, is much impaired I 



All this is the result of the suicidal 

 mania for publishing a bee-paper ; and if it 

 is not soon stopped, the time will come 

 when many of them will die, and their 

 owners will be poorer but wiser men. 



It is quite time to call for a halt on such 

 reckless increase— which is just as detri- 

 mental in the Held of literature as it is in 

 the apiary. In both cases, too much increase 

 will destroy the business, and ruin those 

 who should be benefited by the investment. 



Cleantn;*: Propolis from Sec- 

 tions is quite essential, so as to make 

 them attractive when put upon the market. 

 This is usually done by scraping the edges, 

 but a correspondent suggests that a thin 

 siiaving be cut off instead of scraping them. 

 He adds : 



This is more quickly and easily done 

 with a sharp knife than by scraping, looks 

 better when finished, and there is not so 

 much danger of damaging the capping as is 

 the case in scrapins.'. Bees should never be 

 pnrmiitHd 10 ger to the outside of sections, 

 but it is impossible to prevent their daubing 

 propoli'4 on the edues, hence the necessity 

 of cleanini?. Honey, to bring top prices, 

 mu-~t he pleasing to the eye as well as 

 palatable. 



Mrs. jr. \V. Xeflt, of Collamer, N. 

 T., died of pneumonia on Jan. 21, 1b89, at 

 Buffalo, N. T., while visiting friends there. 

 She is mourned by a large circle of friends, 

 as well as her bereaved family. 



^'•*- William ICaitt. of Blairgowrie, 

 Scotland, and one of the editors of the Bec- 

 Kecpcrs' Record, published at Liverpool, 

 England, is dead. He died suddenly on 

 Tuesday, Jan. S, 1889. He was 49 years of 

 age, a wiilower, and leaves a family of seven 

 children, mostly grown up. From tlie 

 British Bee Journal of Jan. 17, 1889, we 

 gather the following particulars : 



On the previous evening he attended what 

 was considi-red a very .-uccessful evangel- 

 istic meeting in the Mission Hall, Blair- 

 gowrie. On goina home from it, lie seemed 

 to lie in his usual health, and specially 

 happy. About six o'clock next mornin"', 

 one of his boys, who slept with liim, heard 

 him breathing heavily, and called some of 

 the other members of the househuld, who, 

 on going into the room with a liyht, saw he 

 was apparently dyinir. and he exnired in a 

 few minutes. Tne Doctor had been sent 

 lor, and slioitly arrived. He expres-ed the 

 opinion tliat tlie cause of death had been 

 stoppage of the aeiion of the heart. Abnut 

 three years ago Mr. Kaitt ha<l been fouud 

 almost dead iu bed from a similar cause. 



Mr. Raitt was a progressive and practical 

 apiarist, and dealer in apiarian supplies. 

 He was the first in England to obtain an 

 American foundation machine, and that was 

 in 1877. He will be sadly missed both in 

 apicultural and social circles. 



Personal Discourtesy is entirely 

 unnecessary as well as undesirable when 

 endeavoring to correct an error. We often 

 think some of our best friends err in judg- 

 ment or in argument, but to correct them 

 will sometimes give offense and break up 

 friendship. A correspondent lately made 

 the following remarks in a private letter : 



I have ceased to fight with men as a rule, 

 and now give battle to wrong ideas, as tliey 

 come out. in print. This gives both sides of 

 the question without raising the au'^er of 

 any one. That this is the better way, I 

 think you will auree. I think it advisable, 

 when battling wrong ideas, to do it so that 

 I can enlighten the public, and not give 

 offense. 



We certainly do agree with our corres- 

 pondent in the above extract, and would 

 gladly have all correspondents copy that 

 noble example. 



fsitatistics are being gatliered of the 

 Colorado honey Industry. J. M. Clark, of 

 Denver, has reports from about 150 bee- 

 keepers in thatS'ate. They report a crop 

 of honey for 18S8 of 75.0C0 pounds. He esti- 

 mates the crop (including those who have 

 not yet reported) at 100,000 pounds. Con- 

 cerning this matter, the Colorado Farmer 

 remarks as follows : 



This is the first attempt ever made to 

 gather statistics of this industry, which will 

 sonn be of ureat importance, as our vast 

 stores of alfalfa give us the advantage over 

 many other States. Our few cloudy days 

 enable them to gather sweets when in 

 more cloudy States they would be hugging 

 the hive. 



Airaira.— A farmer atSanta Ana,Calif., 

 raised eight crops of alfalfa last year. He 

 was making hay on New Year's Day. 



