172 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



September 



writes : "I have one swarm of bees 

 that makes more rumbling, bum- 

 bling noise than I have ever heard 

 bees make before — nearly equals a 

 sash and door factory. The noise 

 can be heard thirty or forty yards 

 distant. I have seen seventy-five 

 Januaries, and this beats all the 

 bee-music I ever heard. Please ex- 

 plain the cause in The American 

 Bee-keeper." 



Such a roaring hum would be emit- 

 ted only by a very populous colony. 

 Conditions tending to inci^ease the 

 hum are: A brisk flow of honey, 

 intense heat of a noon-day sun, or 

 the sultry, humid air of eventide. 

 This is the first instance to our 

 knowledge wherein a colony of bees 

 has been guilty of disturbing the 

 peace of a community in such a 

 way; but if the noise is objection- 

 able we would suggest as a remedy, 

 additional room within the hive, 

 with some upward ventilation, and 

 shade. The sound, we believe, be- 

 tokens nothing worse than the pos- 

 sible discomfort of the bees through 

 a lack of shade and ventilation. 



A PRIVATE MATTER CONCERNING 

 OTHERS (?). 



The present editor of The Amer- 

 ican Bee-keeper has been 

 deeply interested in its success 

 ever since January, 1891, at which 

 time the first number was issued. 

 To have a "bee-joui^nal so near 

 home," when all apicultural litera- 

 ture had formerly emanated 

 from distant parts of the country, 

 was a source of satisfaction which 

 we took pleasure in working to 

 sustain. Its policy of adhering 

 strictly to bees in the selection of 

 its subject matter, tended to in- 

 tensify our desire to see it succeed. 

 Several years of business dealings 

 with the publisher.s likewise had a 

 tendency to increase our interest 

 in the success of their undertakings. 



Becoming accidentally acquainted 

 with some of the sly tactics of its 

 opponents to "down" The Bee- 

 keeper and render its publication 

 more difficult and discouraging, 

 acted rather as an incentive to re- 

 doubled efforts in its behalf, than 

 otherwise. A like influence was 

 imparted as we have found later, 

 to many other of its friends, who 

 yet stand with us for ultimate suc- 

 cess; which, by the way, has 

 already been achieved to a gratify- 

 ing extent. Thanks to those friends 

 whose progressive minds seek 

 rather to establish tliQ common 

 brotherhood of mankind, with equal 

 rights and privileges to all, than 

 trample into the dust those who 

 are weak, that added strength may 

 be given to the strong. Friends 

 who could not be brought to recog- 

 nize the benignity (?) of discour- 

 aging humble efforts for the com- 

 mon weal to promote individual 

 gain. 



The Bee-keeper will soon enter 

 upon its eleventh year of publica- 

 tion. Its steadily increasing list 

 of subscribers and the hundreds of 

 commendatory letters received are 

 encouraging — very encouraging. 

 A contemporary "bee-editor" re- 

 cently wrote in a private letter: "I 

 now find The Bee-keeper equal to 

 the best." Surely, that is kind as 

 well as encouraging; but if it is 

 now equal to the best, it is neces- 

 sary only that those who have 

 allowed their subscription accounts 

 to run behind, pay up, and a 

 year in advance, and The Bee- 

 keeper will become the best. 



In. looking over the subscription 

 list we find many names which it 

 was our pleasure in former years to 

 secure and forward with the neces- 

 sary amount to place them there. 

 A number of these are now delin- 

 quent. The publication of any 

 periodical is attended with no in- 



