132 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



May 



is very simple. The arrangement is 

 such that you can easily see how far 

 down the honey is emptied in a dish 

 covered with gratings through which 

 the bees reach their tongues. 



I have nothing to say against yellow 

 bees — there may be good ones among 

 them, and there may be bad ones — 

 but I believe that if as much attention 

 had been given to some of the points 

 I have mentioned, leaving color to 

 take care of itseif, we might have 

 more valuable bees today. And I be- 

 lieve that any bee-keeper can do 

 something to establish improvement. 



Marengo, Ills. 



(From Auiericau Bee Journal). 



THE PAST AND PRESENT OP BEE- 

 KEEPI'^TG. 



BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



Having occasion, lately, to look over 

 an old diary to find something that 

 was called in question, Iran across an 

 item which was written by a friend to 

 prove that bee-keeping was always to 

 be a lucrative business, which item 

 read as follows : 



" Notwithstanding the great demand 

 for bees, and the immense quantities 

 of honey that are produced from year 

 to year, the amount largely increasing 

 each year. I do not see any reason to 

 think that overstocking or overpro- 

 duction is a factor that need trouble 

 us in this generation. At any r^e I 

 don't see that the price of nice honey 

 is any lower than years ago." 



This was written in 1884, or about 

 12 yeai'S ago, and in reading there 

 was a strange sound to it; strange, not 

 only from the standpoint of 1896, but 

 from the standpoint of 1869, as well, 

 at which time I commenced to keep 

 bees. I fell to wondering if "this 

 .generation " that existed 12 years ago 



had passed away, for surely, if I read 

 our present bee literature aright, both 

 "overstocking" and "overproduction" 

 are causing a wail to come from near- 

 ly every hand. Hear Mr. Hutchin- 

 son tell in the Review how the forests 

 have been cut off, the swamps been 

 dried and the fence-corners cleaned 

 out, till the flora which we had a few 

 years ago — which invited the little 

 busy bee to a sumptuous feast — was 

 becoming nearly as scarce as the trails 

 of the Indian. Then hear Dr. Miller, 

 and others, asking if the good old 

 times will ever come again ? All of 

 which point to the fact, that whether 

 overstocked or not, from some reason 

 the average bee keeper does not secure 

 the average good crops of honey that 

 they did years ago. 



Then look at the talk of low prices, 

 the planning to form a honey associa- 

 tion, and the censure of our commis- 

 sion men, who realize only 10c a pound 

 for nice white comb hcney to their 

 consignors, where they sell at 14c., and 

 ask yourself if overproduction is not 

 figuring in this matter of low prices. 

 If it is not overproduction that makes 

 the low prices for honey, what is it ? 

 Commission men were not formerly 

 criticized for charging 10 per cent., 

 for that was the usual charge during 

 the early seventies. All must admit 

 that the market price of honey is 

 much lower than it formerly was, and 

 when 10 per cent. *is taken from a low 

 price it hurts the honey producer 

 much worse than it does to have the 

 same per cent, taken from a high 

 price. Some honey producers can sell 

 their honey to advantage about home, 

 in neighboring villages, but the large 

 producer must always seek a market 

 for his produce in the large cities, and 



