THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



23 



new displaj' type or borders be used 

 to advantage in the advertisements, 

 should I use more eng'ravings, how is 

 the cover to my journal, is there any 

 way in which it can be made more 

 handsome or approjiriate, am I pub- 

 lishing' enough correspondence, or 

 would my readers be better pleased 

 with more editorials, in what way can 

 money be spent to the best advantage 

 in improving the paper, etc? Several 

 years ago I spent $50 in sending out 

 circulars to those who had allowed 

 their Review to be discontinued, ask- 

 ing them wh}^ they had stopped taking 

 the Review. Quite recently I spent a 

 similar sum in asking those who had 

 received samples and not subscribed, 

 why they did not subscribe. A self- 

 addressed stamped envelope was sent 

 out with each circular. In each of 

 these instances the knowledge gained 

 has warranted the expense. Actual 



knowledge of what is wanted by sub- 

 scribers, of what will please them best, 

 is of inestimable value to a publisher. 



And after a man has succeeded in 

 making a good journal, then comes the 

 selling of it. As the raising of a good 

 crop of honey is only half the battle, 

 so the publishing of a good journal is 

 onl}' laying the foundation for success. 

 The advertising in its various forms, 

 the securing of subscribers, and, the 

 holding of them, in short, the selling 

 of the journal at a good price, and 

 getting the pay for it, calls for tully as 

 much time, energy, thought and ex- 

 pense as does the making of it — but 

 that is another story. 



Just a word more in closing: If a 

 man has no taste nor ability for this 

 kind of work, if he can't do it content- 

 edly, cheerfully, yes, even enthusi- 

 asticallj', he better go out and dig 

 ditches. 



EXTRACTED DEPARTMENT. 



SUGAR-FEEDING IN THE APIARY. 



Does the Practice Add to the Belief in 

 Adulteration ? 



Several times of late, has there been 

 mentioned in the Review, the practice 

 of feeding sugar to bees, either as a 

 stimulative food, or as winter stores. 

 There seems to be some opposition to 

 this practice, and, as I wish to 

 be entirely fair, and give all sides a 

 hearing, I copy from the American Bee 

 Keeper an article by Arthur C. Miller, 

 It reads as follows: — 



At last Uncle John Hardscrabble (or 

 his ghost) has touched a subject where 

 we can meet on common ground. 



The feeding habit is, I believe, a 

 real evil to the bee-keeping industry. 

 It is not conducive to popularity to as- 

 sail the practice; in fact, the person 

 who even hints that bee-keepers 

 should abandon it, is pretty sure to be 

 censured, and, as the Deacon has said, 

 to be charged with writing for effect. 



Yes, I am writing for effect — to 

 effect a change — though the possibility 

 of any improvement seems remote 

 enoug-h. Aught that touches the bee- 

 keeper's pocket, touches a tender spot, 

 and to ask him to abandon a lucrative 

 practice without offering him an as 

 good or better alternative, is hopeless, 

 unless he can be shown an ultimate 

 loss or certain disaster from pursuing 

 present ways. Some time ago I wrote 

 a criticism of an article on feeding, 

 and the editor to whom I sent it very 

 courteously wrote me, saying it seemed 

 unwise to open a discussion along 

 such lines, tliat it would only arouse 

 suspicion on the part of the public and 

 would do no g'ood. 



rhe suspicions of the public are 

 already aroused. A large part of the 

 consumers know quite well that bee- 

 keepers feed their bees sugar in some 

 form, and they believe that much of 

 the hone}' is so produced. They are 

 decidedly sceptical as to the bees' 

 ability' to gather more than a ver}' few 

 pounds from the flowers, and natur- 

 ally attribute the balance to the sugar 

 barrel. 



