THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



157 



but yet, while there are, say, from 

 200,000 to 250,000 beekeepers in 

 the United States and Canadas, 

 tliere is but one professor in any 

 agricultural college in the United 

 States who is an acknowledged 

 teacher of scientific and practical 

 apiculture, and it is claimed that 

 even our associations and bee 

 literature are devoted with but 

 few exceptions almost solely to 

 self-interest and self-aggrandize- 

 ment, while the more important 

 interests are neglected. It is our 

 opinion, however, that apiculture 

 like all other branches of that great 

 industry- agriculture, must de- 

 velop slowly, and that each strug- 

 gle among its most thoughtful, 

 studious and devoted advocates, 

 to establish some new truth or 

 crush out some prominent error, 

 tends to lift it one step higher, and 

 that in spite of all the seeming ap- 

 athy of the great giant to whom 

 friend Tefft refers ; still, when the 

 time comes he ivill move, to the 

 sorrow of the mere pygmies who 

 cluster about him satisfied that 

 the}' have him pinioned. 



One thing that the beekeepers of 

 America most need is an experi- 

 mental apiary devoted wholly and 

 solely to the scientific and practi- 

 cal investigation of apiculture, 

 having connected with it a 

 thoroughly arranged laboratory 

 where scientific tests and experi- 

 ments can be conducted, and if 

 each beekeeper who "cares a fig" 

 for his interests and the welfare of 

 apiculture would contribute his 

 mite, or if every such one would 

 contribute one dollar per year as 



a subscription to the journal which 

 shall work for the institution and 

 establishment of such an apiary, 

 the work would be done. And is 

 it not strange that so many fail 

 to see that it would pay the bee- 

 keepers many dollars each year if 

 there was even one person whose 

 time, talent and energy were de- 

 voted wholly to their interests? 



We are fully aware that when 

 one takes upon himself the task of 

 instituting reforms, his every 

 motive is questioned and misrep- 

 resented ; and should he be unfor- 

 tunate enough to become a self- 

 appointed champion of justice 

 and right, and attempt to bring to 

 light, and expose fraud and decep- 

 tion, substituting therefor right 

 and purity, he becomes a marked 

 individual, and unless he is man 

 enough to stand firm as a rock 

 against the darts of policy, hatred 

 and injustice, not only must death 

 ensue but also the cause is injured. 

 Nevertheless, never has a man 

 come out nobly on the side of re- 

 form and maintained a dignified 

 but bold and resolute front, but 

 that even though his endeavors 

 were apparently unfruitful, yet 

 the cause which he loved and 

 for which he labored is lifted 

 nearer perfection, even though he 

 go down to his resting place un- 

 honored and crushed by his 

 enemies. Events which are trans- 

 piring lead us to feel certain that 

 in organizing the Apiculturist we 

 have made no mistake, and we 

 hope and trust, through its me- 

 diumship and with the assistance 

 of our readers, to carry out many 



