146 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



June 



porportion as bees do all over the land. 

 There would be a stir and a big one 

 at that until the cause was found and 

 a remedy developed and applied. 

 Ought bee-keepers with the fraternal 

 spirit so often manifested, to sit with 

 folded arras and see their friends suf- 

 fer these losses ? Can it be that they 

 can enjoy themselves and have such 

 fine frolics, when away back in the 

 gloom of disapoiutment their brethern 

 are suffering from losses which might 

 have been averted had they but stoop- 

 ed and whispered in the tired ear? 

 " This is the way brother, walk ye in 

 it ". I say can these things be ? Or 

 is it that other way, that the blind are 

 leading the blind, and they both know 

 it all, and a little more. Can it be 

 that people of sense can crow and 

 chuck each other under the chin and 

 praise a business to the skies ; while 

 it dies before their eyes ? Would a 

 banker do that way ? Would a farm- 

 er, a lawyer, a mechanis, or a merchant 

 do that way ? They would not, no ! 

 they would not. Is the fraternity 

 then made up of, some who are selfish, 

 some who are soft, some who are big- 

 ots, and some who are off ? That to 

 think so is unjust and I must not, but 

 when a concern is so shaky, and unsafe, 

 one is apt to think a screw must be loose 

 somewhere. I have often thought of 

 it in that light, and this evening I 

 thought I would give expression to 

 the matter and see what others think 

 about it. The journals are full of 

 articles which will just about manage 

 to hold ones attention until read, but 

 when we try to scrape up a little food 

 for thought therein, we are inclined 

 to think that we are either incapable 

 of seeing the point, or somebody is 

 trying to starve what little intellect 



we have. It certainly cannot be that 

 somebody is puffing so many puffs for 

 two dollars, not caring whose eyes 

 are blinded by the smoke ; no ! no ! 

 they aren't. It is much easier to find 

 fault with those that are trying to 

 make our journals readable, then it is 

 to write a good article ones self, but 

 that brings up that other thought, 

 what is a good article ? Is it trying 

 to find something to write about, or 

 writing about something you have 

 found out ? Some of the articles are 

 all right, but the tune to them aught 

 to be changed once in a while sure. 

 I supposed I had stopped all my bee- 

 journals this fall, but the A. B. K, it 

 seems won't let go my collar, I had 

 sworn off writing too. I wanted to 

 rest up but I was saying, I have al- 

 ways tried to make it a point, to have 

 to all, each and every branch of my 

 business, and a leading point at that. 

 My cows must be the best, and well 

 fed, horses, hogs, hens, yes, the land 

 and orchards and all that is under my 

 care are governed by that same prin- 

 ciple, first get the best, then care for 

 it well, you then need not worry about 

 the result. Feed every thing from a 

 dairy to a bee-journal, don't starve 

 anything. But I was saying bees are 

 but one branch of my business, yet 25 

 years ago I started in to put a point 

 on them. That point was to winter 

 them and have them come out in the 

 spring in as good shape as my cows. 

 I saw that if they could be wintered 

 successfully, the rest would all follow 

 sure. No matter what kind of hives 

 they had, it was the point to winter 

 them. I have succeeded surely. But 

 when I say that with all the hives 

 tried, the scores of experiments, and 

 much money paid out, I have as my 



