THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



179 



And here we wish it jilainly under- 

 stood, that for just reasons we de- 

 nounce, as we always have done, the 

 cheap queen business, and if neces- 

 sary we can prove by figures (and 

 figures dont lie), that one cannot de- 

 vote his time and attention to the 

 proper care and management of the 

 queen-rearing apiary and make it pay 

 to rear first-class queens at the re- 

 markably low prices at which some 

 quote them. 



For instance, we use a full colony 

 of bees so populous that we are often 

 obliged to keep them confined in 

 two swarming boxes, one not being 

 large enough, with which to start 

 twelve to fifteen queen cells. Now we 

 could start fifty cells with the same 

 number of bees and have known it 

 to be done. 



Knowing full well that the bees 

 should not be permitted to complete 

 over fifteen, we are aware that where 

 so many cells are completed the ma- 

 jority must contain poor queens. 



We prefer to sell but a few queens 

 at a fair price rather than to resort to 

 lamp nurseries, deception, and lower 

 our prices. 



We wish to say, however, that 

 some of those who sell cheap queens 

 are conscientious and will give a 

 good article even though it is at their 

 own loss, but we are aware that in 

 this, as in all other vocations and in- 

 dustries, low prices, as a rule, lead to 

 deception and degradation of labor 

 which it is our purpose always and 

 everywhere to denounce. 



EDITORIAL. 



It is our puri)ose to be more brief 

 this month than last, but as the "con- 

 tinual dropping of the water wears 

 away the granite," and persistent ag- 

 itating of any prominent subject 

 brings it more fully before the people 

 for consideration, we wish to speak 

 once again on our favorite theme, 

 "association work." Already from 

 north and south, east and west, 

 comes the inquiry, How shall we 

 best dispose of our honey. 



This has been the theme of bee 

 talk each fall, and the burden of con- 

 vention discussion ever since Lang- 

 stroth, Quinby and Wagner first took 

 prominent action in these matters. 



Does it not seem strange that in 

 the past twenty or thirty years some 

 one individual or some party of in- 

 dividuals could not have solved this 

 matter ? In spite of the rapid strides 

 that have been made in England and 

 Canada in this regard, the beekeep- 

 ers of the United States stand almost 

 with folded arms, waiting for some 

 one to move and then waiting to see 

 whether he succeeds ere they lift a 

 hand to assist him. 



Some one has said considerable 

 about jealousy, and here is one of the 

 reefs on which beekeeping enter- 

 prises are wrecked. Let an in- 

 genious apiarist dare to place before 

 the beekeeping fraternity an inven- 

 tiouj either patented or unpatented, 

 and monopoly and individual selfish- 

 ness at once pounce down upon him, 

 point the finger back into the dim 

 vista of the past, to some forgotten, 

 dust-covered and often worthless 

 model, resembling his really valuable 



