Past— Present— Future. 



The American Bee Journal is now in 

 its fifteenth year. For a little less than one- 

 half of that time it was under the manage- 

 ment of our distinguished predecessor—the 

 late Mr. Samuel Wagner. During his life 

 though he was nearly three-score-and-ten 

 years of age when the Journal sprung 

 into life, it achieved an enviable reputation. 

 To his ripe scholarship, sagacity, wisdom, 

 and varied imformation pertaining to the 

 theory and practice of scientific bee culture, 

 must be attributed the influence, and position 

 which the Bee Journal attained ! This 

 character was maintained for nearly three 

 years by his son, Mr. George S. Wagner, 

 and the Rev. W. F. Clarke. 



For over five years we have endeavored 

 to retain its former influence, improve its 

 typographical appearance and enlarge its 

 capacity, until now the number of its pages 

 are nearly doubled, while its matter is more 

 than double in quantity, and yet the price 

 has been reduced 25 per cent. 



If we may give any credence to the opin- 

 ions of its patrons, many of whom have 

 taken every number since it was started, it, 

 to-day, stands without a rival, not only in 

 the quality of its matter, for all the promi- 

 nent apiarists contribute their best thoughts 

 and practical hints to its pages— but also as 

 to the number of its readers and patrons. 



Flattering as this may be to its friends, it 

 is alike discouraging to its competitors. 

 One of these, in its iast issue, without 

 provocation, and wholly prompted by its 

 jealousy, publishes several unkind remarks 

 and spiteful insinuations about the Jour- 

 nal and its managers. 



We shall always cheerfully answer argu- 

 ments, and reply to gentlemanly queries, 

 but we will not lower the standard of The 

 American Bee Journal enough to reply 

 to calumny and malignity. We shall not 

 give the benefit of our large circulation to 

 such persons, by repeating their unmanly 

 attacks in order to refute them. Such being 

 born in jealousy and reared in malignity, 

 may die in obscurity, for aught we care. 

 Having given no cause for such attacks, we 

 shall not turn from our legitimate work long 

 enough to notice them ! 



Instead of marring our pages with per- 

 sonal strife and petty controversy, we shall 

 pursue a steady and undeviating course- 

 laboring to make The American Bee 



Journal the best exponent of the science 

 and art of bee culture. 



This being the course we intend to pursue 

 in the future, our correspondents are also 

 requested to omit all personal controversy. 

 Use strong arguments, give battle to false 

 theories, pour red-hot " shot and shell " into 

 the strongholds of error and corruption, but 

 shun personal bickerings and unmanly 

 assaults. Thus shall The American Bee 

 Journal "goon from conquering to con- 

 quer " — driving false theories and antiquated 

 notions from the theory and practice of bee 

 culture, substituting in their place, scientific 

 methods and modern practice. 



Condense your Articles. —All 

 want to have their articles and letters 

 appear in the Bee Journal, and we 

 are glad to have them feel so, but 

 really we cannot find room if they per- 

 sist in writing such long ones. So 

 many subjects of vital importance are 

 now up for discussion and both sides must 

 be heard, that if the writers do not con- 

 dense, we are obliged to do it for them. 

 We have had to use the" priming knife" 

 pretty freely in this issue, and have been 

 compelled to omit the " Convention " 

 department entirely, to give place to 

 correspondents who have been waiting 

 to be heard for several months. We are 

 glad that so much interest is manifested, 

 and hope all will be patient with us, for 

 we are doing the very best we can to 

 accommodate them. Had we a hundred 

 pages this month, we could have filled 

 them full of interesting matter. There- 

 fore, friends, be admonished ; " boil 

 down " your thoughts, and condense 

 your articles till they appear like "apples 

 of gold in pictures of silver." 



iirWe have received a sample of 

 what all will say is thin comb-founda- 

 tion, when we state that it is 18 square 

 feet to the pound. It is too thin for 

 anything but to show just what can be 

 done by the new flat-bottomed-cell 

 machines. Mr. Van Deusen says he 

 has three of the machines all fixed to 

 run by water or steam power success- 

 fully. It is beautifully made and is 

 really " as pretty as a picture." 



