376 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



in the nig^ht, when the indications are 

 that the following day will be fair. If 

 the bees have zuinteird perfectly kwA are 

 quiet, all of these annoyances and 

 losses may be avoided by carrying- out 

 the bees upon a day so root that the 

 bees will not thuik of flying. This idea 

 that bees must fly the moment that they 

 are taken from the cellar is one of those 



old notions that is a notion, and that is 

 all. If bees have to wait even a week 

 or two after being- placed upon their 

 summer stands, before having- a flight, 

 no harm will come as a result, provid- 

 ing they have not wintered poorl^s and 

 are so anxious for a flig-ht as to leave 

 their hives when the weather is so cool 

 that they will never return. 



THE BEE JOURNALS. 



Some Good Reasons Why a Bee-Keeper 

 Should Read Many of Them. 



Gleanings has an editorial on the 

 above subject, and says almost exactly 

 what I have had in mind to sa3' for 

 some little time. The first paragraph 

 so nearl3' covers the field that I quote 

 it: 



I hold in my hand a very compli- 

 mentar3' letter from one of our sub- 

 scribers regarding- the improvements 

 that have been made in Gleaning-s from 

 time to time. He thinks it covers the 

 whole ground so thoroughl}' and so 

 well that there is no use of his taking 

 more than one bee journal. While we 

 appreciate most thoroughly this volun- 

 tary expression of our correspondent, 

 I desire to say that I believe he is mis- 

 taken. If any one keeps bees for the 

 mone3' he can make out of them, he 

 ought by all means to take not only one 

 journal but two or three of them. 

 Gleanings does not pretend to cover the 

 whole field of apiculture. The per- 

 sonal bias of an editor, even though 

 that bias be unconscious, may cause 

 him to emphasize certain developments 

 of bee lore to the total neg-lect of all 

 others. As I look over our exchanges I 

 can see fields that thej' are covering 

 that Gleanings is not; and, conversely, 

 I can see fields that we are covering 

 that thev do not. 



As a child grows older, it develops 

 certain traits or peculiarities. It is 

 the same with the bee journals — I can 

 see it more clearly as the years go by. 



The Review has become most emphati- 

 cally, the specialist's journal. The 

 man who is in the business extensively, 

 finds that no journal caters to his needs 

 more perfectly. Gleanings has more 

 of a diversified nature. It touches 

 upon other things than bee culture — 

 g-ardening, home-matters, religion, etc. 

 The American Bee Journal is par excel- 

 lence when it comes to reporting con- 

 ventions. It has a department for 

 ladies, as well as other distinctive 

 features that might be mentioned. And 

 so I might go on and enumerate the 

 characteristics of the different jour- 

 nals. There is really' no "best" bee 

 journal, any more than there is a 

 "best'' breed of fowls. 



Then, here is another point: Once 

 or twice I have sent out 1,000 circulars 

 to men who have asked for samples of 

 the Review, and then not subscribed. 

 I have asked them in these circulars to 

 say ivhy they had not subscribed. 

 Various were the reasons given, and 

 one of them was that the Review was 

 too high in price compared with 

 Gleaning-s or the American Bee Jour- 

 nal. I have several times explained, 

 that having no supply trade, and ap- 

 pealing more particularly to the needs 

 of the specialist, to a limited class, the 

 Review must, from necessity, be high 

 in price. Now, here is the point: 

 After a man has subscribed for the 

 cheapest bee journal, the one where he 

 gets the most reading for the least 



