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^1861 ^^ 



^ERICA]^ 



Entered at the Poet-OflBce at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter. 

 PubUsIied ^Veekly at $1.00 a ¥ear by Cieorge YT. Tork & Co., 334 Dearborn St. 



QBORQB W. YORK, Editor. 



CHICAGO, ILL, FEB, 16, 1905, 



VoL XLV.— No. 7. 



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€bttortaI Hotcs 

 ani) (Eommcnts 



J 



A Reminder— Order Bee-Supplies Early. 



When we were in the bee-supply business we had two kinds of 

 summer sympathy. One was for the bee-keeper who suffered for the 

 lack of bee-supplies wlien they were so sadly needed in order to take 

 care of the swarms and the harvest ot honey. The other kind of 

 sympathy was for the overworked bee-supply dealer who was almost 

 killing himself in trying to fill orders promptly, and yet at times could 

 not get the goods from the manufacturers fast enough in car-load lots 

 to fill his accumulating orders. 



But much of this suffering could be avoided it many more bee- 

 keepers would send in their orders for supplies about two months be- 

 fore they are really needed in the apiary. This should give both dealer 

 and manufacturer ample time to fill such orders, no matter how many 

 of them there might be. 



"But", the bee-keeper says, " I don't know just what will be 

 needed two months later." Ot course, you don't know exactly, but 

 you can estimate near enough so as to have on hand practically all 

 that will be necessary when the honey season comes. Fortunately, 

 bee-supplies are not perishable like apples and pumpkins, so if an ex- 

 tra supply is on hand they will keep until another season. It some- 

 times costs the bee-keeper more to be without supplies when they are 

 needed than it does to have a little extra money invested in a surplus 

 stock of supplies. 



Closer Touch of National Officers and JVIembers. 



Just when and where a certain subject can be most profitably dis- 

 cussed, and just what subjects can most profitably occupy the time of 

 a convention or the space in a bee-paper— these are questions not 

 easily settled in all cases by hasty thought. Evidently something of 

 this was in the mind of one of the officers of the National Bee-Keepers' 

 Association when writing as follows : 



" Mr. Editor ;— It has occurred to me that there ought to be 

 closer touch between the members of the National and its officers than 

 at present exists. It is not pleasant to' have an occasional hint thrown 

 out that there is some kind ot a big four trying to run the Association 

 without regard to the best interests of the members. Such a thing 

 can not be too severely condemned, and it it exists those who know 

 thereof should not stop at hints, but speak out very plainly, giviu"- 

 names and specifications. The officers ot the National are not— at 

 least should not be— autocrats ; they are servants ot the Association, 

 chosen to be its representatives and do its work. So tar as I have had 

 an opportunity to judge from being one of them, I believe that at 

 least most of them have no other desire than to have done just what is 

 best for the general interests of the membership, and if there has 

 been any clique that has had a controlling power in influencing action, 

 I have not known of it. 



" But however united the Board ot Directors may be in desiriu^ to 

 do just what is best for all, they are in one respect badly handicapped 

 They have never an opportunity for a full meeting in person, and liv- 

 ing long distances apart the discussion of any matter by mail must 

 necessarily be tedious, and to ome extent unsatisfactory. The poin;, 

 however, that I have more particularly in mind just now, is that ni 



their deliberations they ought to have the fullest opportunity tor full 

 and free consultation with the membership at large. 



" T wo way s occur in which this may be done: At the annual 

 convention, and in the columns of the bee-papers. If the latter will 

 permit it, there are distinct advantages in that way. Conference in 

 the convention can occur only once a year ; in the columns of the bee- 

 papers from 12 to 52 times. A matter needing immediate early atten- 

 tion may have to wait nearly a year tor the convention, and only a 

 week or a month for the paper. Then, the paper reaches a larger 

 numljer of members than is to be found present at the annual meeting. 

 It costs much less^provided space in the papers is not paid for — no 

 small item. The question is, Will space be accorded? 



" Without particularizing others, one subject upon which light is 

 needed — although it may not be referred to the Board, it is one ot 

 general interest— is that of incorporation. Will it be good or bad to 

 have the National incorporated?" 



There is little doubt that any ot the bee-papers will cheerfully 

 give space for the discussion ot matters that may come within the 

 province of the National. Indeed, that's what the papers are for, to 

 discuss matters of general interest to bee-keepers. Every bee-keeper 

 should feel at liberty to take the initiative, and to suggest anything 

 that he thinks ought to be acted on by the management of the Na- 

 tional. At the same time it should not >>e forgotten that space is not 

 unlimited, and it must always be left to each bee-paper to decide for 

 itself what is and what is not worthy ot publication. 



Sawdust for Smoker-Fuel. 



This is the way it is used by S. E. Miller, editorial writer in the 

 Progressive Bee-Keeper : 



" Grab a handful of green grass and stuff it down on the grate to 

 keep the sawdust from sitting through, fill the fire-cup to within an 

 inch of the top with sawdust, then drop about a teaspoonf ul ot kero- 

 sene on top of the sawdust and light it with a match. Let it burn 

 this way and do not close the top for several minutes, or until it has a 

 good start. Then place another handful of grass on top ot the saw- 

 dust to act as a spark arrester, and close the smoker and it is ready for 

 business. The grass in the bottom keeps the sawdust from sifting 

 down through the grate, and that ou top keeps the sparks from fiying 

 out. The grass on top will not burn for quite awhile, and when it 

 does, and the smoker begins to throw sparks, put on a fresh supply of 

 grass. As it burns from the top downward instead of the reverse, it 

 will burn along time before being exhausted." 



Incorporation and the National Association. 



Entire unanimity of sentiment regarding the advisability of in- 

 corporation for the National does not seem to prevail. One member 

 expresses himself on this wise: 



" I understand that it will cost only $10 to Incorporate. When an 

 incorporated concern was misrepresented in the Ladies' Home Journal 

 there was a prompt, distinct, and unqualified retraction and apology. 

 When bee-keepers were misrepresented in the same Journal, no sur- 

 prising degree ot agility was displayed in making a retraction, and 

 when it did come it could by do means be said that it was so unquali- 

 fied as to leave nothing more to be desired. It I understand the thing 

 correctly, the difference was due alone to incorporation in the one 

 case and the lack ot it in the other. If the National had been incor- 

 porated, would we not have gotten back the full worth of our JIO in 

 the different treatment we would have received?" 



On the other side of the question, "To incorporate or not to in- 

 corporate", another member writes thus: 



" The only reason for incorporating the National Association is 

 that we might be able to make troul)!e. Other bodies incorporate to 

 avoid the individual responsibility of tli'; members, but the only reason 

 that I have heard, up to the present time, tor our incorporating is that 



