10 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



not wait to be so very nice in spacing 

 the combs in the Lop boxes. We get 

 seven of them in the upper story the 

 best we can without wasting time, and 



when we come around again in six or 

 seven days they are full. That is the 

 kind of spacing we do and that is the 

 kind that pays the bee-keeper here 

 the best. If I had but one colony of 

 bees I think I would be very particu- 

 lar with them in spacing their combs, 

 I would bring them to such a stale of 

 perfection in breeding that each 

 worker should have at least seven 

 stripes, then I would talk about them 

 and fill the bee journals full of my 

 experience as a bee-keeper, never for- 

 getting to tell the reader that I started 

 in the spring with one colony, took 

 nine pounds of homey and increased 

 to — nothing ; and I never will forget 

 to tell the dear reader how I managed 

 those bees in order to get that amount 

 of honey from them. Twaddle ! non- 

 sense ! yet how much of this we see 

 in the bee papers. 



If a man wants to keep bees he has 

 a right to do so, but I say let him 

 make a specialty of it and give his 

 time to it. It is a business worthy to 

 be classed with other professions or 

 trades. Let him place himself and 

 his business upon a footing that shall 

 command the respect of every intelli- 

 gent man or woman of this progress- 

 ive age. How senseless it would be 

 for every man to undertake to manu- 

 facture everything he might need 

 from a bee hive to a steam engine. 

 What a state of affairs it would be ; 

 nothing right or perfect to the extent 

 of being servicable. Is it not the 

 same in bee keeping? The man who 

 puts his money into the business and 



gives his whole time and attention to 

 it often has to suffer the humiliaton 

 of being scoffed at because so many 

 undertake the business, knowing very 

 little, if anything, about it, and do 

 not or will not learn. They rush into 

 print through the bee journals with 

 their tales of success or failure, the 

 reading of which is enough to drive 

 the idea of bee keeping from almost 

 anyone. So I >ay, let us be specialists 

 in bee keeping, as well as in other 

 branches of industry or let us not 

 meddle with it at all. Let us take off 

 our hats to the man that makes his 

 business a worthy example to be 

 followed by the rising generation, and 

 lend an attentive ear to Avhat he has 

 to say about the details of his calling, 

 rather than offer suggestions that are 

 not backed up by experience or prov- 

 en by results to be worth consideration. 

 In conclusion, for yourselves, I have 

 nothing but good wishes for the suc- 

 cess of the journal that you are about 

 to place before the public. 



Yours respectfully, 



A. W. OsBORN. 



Punta Brava, Cuba, W. L, Dec. 4. 



We are pleased to hear that friend 

 Osborn is doing so well. It seems that 

 with a few such seasons as the present 

 bids fair to be, he will be able to re- 

 tire from the business with a snug for- 

 tune. He forgot to tell us, however, 

 what price his honey brings in the 

 market. 



Gentlemen : I send you herewith 

 50 cents, for which please place me on 

 your subscription list for the Ameri- 

 can Bee- Keeper. If your journal is 

 to be anything like the quality of 

 your goods 1 am a life subscriber, for 

 I give you the credit of manufactur- 

 ing the neatest goods of any one. 

 Surely your road will he "success." 

 Yours truly, 



A. F. Brown, 



Huntington, Fla. 



