THE AMERICAN A PIC UL TURIS T. 



159 



endowed by an all-wise Creator 

 with reason to govern our actions, 

 profit by the example set forth by 

 the busy workers? 



In the production of comb and 

 extracted honey, and in the various 

 manipulations of the hive, it is con- 

 venient, and often necessary, to 

 profit by the experience of otliers. 



We at present know of no bet- 

 ter method than the interchange of 

 thought through the medium of bee- 

 publications. As a rule, it is only 

 those who desire to advance in 

 their chosen pursuit who deem it 

 necessary to patronize the bee-pub- 

 lications, and in proportion to the 

 interest taken in any occupation, so 

 is the amount invested in reading 

 matter pertaining thereto 



Fellow beekeepers ! let us unite 

 our etibrts and sustain tlie journal, 

 wherein the most humble advocate 

 of the beekeeping interests can 

 have a hearing or make a complaint 

 if unfairly dealt with ; a journal 

 which is the organ of the beekeep- 

 ers and not of rings in conventions 

 or individuals and we shall have a 

 medium for the exchange of thought 

 and experiences ; an organ which 

 will be extracted from, and looked 

 to for statistics in relation to api- 

 culture from all other papers and 

 periodicals in the country, with a 

 competent corps of assistant edi- 

 tors throughout the land, and spe- 

 cial correspondents in every large 

 city and town whose duty would 

 be to report monthly the exact 

 buying and selling prices of both 

 extracted and comb honey in 

 their respective localities. We 

 should then know exactly the state 

 of the honey market at all times 

 and places, and in the same man- 

 ner we could be able to ascertain 

 the correct amount of honey pro- 

 duced, or bees kept in all parts of the 

 countr3^ The advantages arising 

 from the possession of a coopera- 

 tive bee-journal are innumerable 

 compared to some we have at pres- 



ent. The intelligent beekeeper 

 should patronize the paper which 

 is of most value to the fraternity at 

 large, apiculture will advance under 

 those conditions and the continu- 

 ance of bee-papers will be simply a 

 case of the "• survival of the fittest." 



Beekeepers ! Is not our pursuit 

 of enough importance to justify us 

 in supporting such a journal as I 

 have described? Many of us are 

 farmers, mechanics and profes- 

 sional men and are all able to con- 

 tribute something to the common 

 fund of information, and should be 

 more free to express our ideas. 

 Let us each contribute according 

 to his means in this matter 



The Beekeeper's Magazine. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 

 Ed of Am. Apicultuuist : 



Dear Sir, 



Please excuse me if I trespass 

 on a portion of 3'our time by ask- 

 ing your opinion in regard to put- 

 ting bees away in winter quarters, 

 on their summer stands. And 

 first, is it as natural for bees to 

 look for their stores, b}' going 

 from comb to comb and from side 

 to side in the brood chamber, as it 

 is for them to form a cluster, and 

 keep going up to look for food? 

 and is it not naturally warmer above 

 the cluster? If it is, a recep- 

 tacle of some kind that would hold 

 the same §ized frame placed over 

 them would make the bees happ}'. 

 The reason for m^^ wishing more 

 light on the subject, is this : last 

 fall I packed seven swarms on 

 their summer stands, four chaff 

 Eclectic, and three JSimplicit}- hives. 

 I took pains to pack them so they 

 would be warm inside, with dry 

 saw dust a year old on side, and 



