(Entered at the Poat-Offlce at Chicago as Second-ClaBs Mail-Matter) 

 Published Weekly at gl.OO a Year by Ueorge W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn St. 



GEORGE W. YORK, Editor 



CHICAGO, ILL, JANUARY 25, 1906 



VoLXLVI-No,4 



=\ 



Cbttorial Hotes 

 anb Comments 



j 



A 32-Page Number Again 



It will be noticed that this is another 32-page number 

 of the American Bee Journal. It was made so on account 

 of the index for 1905, and also by reason of the length of 

 the Ontario convention report. Iyike all its predecessors, 

 this copy will repay a thorough reading. And its cost to 

 the subscriber is less than 2 cents ! Can't you help to get 

 other bee-keepers to read it regularly ? 



Convention Program — Question-Box Best 



Regarding the Colorado State convention, Jan. 30 and 

 31, R. C. Aikin says in Irrigation : 



"As yet no set program has been arranged. In fact, it 



seems some of our best conventions are the more informal 



ones." 



Probably not many would dissent from that opinion. 



The only wonder is that in so many cases live discussions 

 arecrowed out by too many or too long papers. It is a rar e 

 case that will justify aDy paper at a convention, except one 

 to open, but not to complete, a discussion. And with the 



r ight presiding officer generally a topic is better to be 

 opened without the paper. 



Prices of Honey — Are They High Enough ? 



We have received the following from Mr. M. A. Gill, 

 one of Colorado's leading comb-honey producers : 



Should the Price of Honey Go Higher? 



Friend York : — I have asked this question, and will 

 answer it from my own view-point, and would like to read 

 other opinions on the subject. 



I am not one who thinks the prices for comb and ex- 

 tracted honey should be higher than the present market 

 quotations. Neither do I believe that honey and butter 

 should go hand in hand with regard to prices. Honey out- 

 ranks butter as a luxury, but is not ihe equal of butter as a 

 necessity ; neither does it cost as much to produce it, pound 

 for pound. 



What the honey market needs is an increased consump- 

 tion of the pure article upon the tables of the masses. And 

 how best to do this is the question before the honey-pro- 

 ducers of to-day. Unfortunately for the best interests of 

 the honey-business, the great mass of retailers who place 



the honey of the country in the hands of consumers, are 

 ignorant on the question of honey, and a large portion are 

 unscrupulous in making sales. For many an ignorant 

 clerk or salesman has represented that here is a pure article 

 (of either comb or extracted) made by the bees, and here is 

 an article that is manufactured ; when both are pure, but 

 one grade may be granulated or amber-colored. Sometimes 

 I think they do it to make a sale, and sometimes to appear 

 wise. And 1 believe as much harm is done in this way as 

 by the newspaper canards, for the actual consumer is given 

 to understand that manufactured honey is on the open mar- 

 ket, and the next time he buys he has to be shown again. 



We who produce honey, and sell in carload lots to the 

 jobbers, can do but little in the great work that needs to be 

 done, for when the car has gone forward we feel like taking 

 a little rest, and then begin operations for the next crop. 



But what the consumer and producer % oth need is more 

 men like Mr. Niver, who have eaten of the insane root 

 "Ambition," who will cover the whole country, who know 

 what pure honey is, and who will open a bureau of intelli- 

 gence in every neighborhood, telling the glad news that 

 honey is pure, and that it's cheap and healthful. And then 

 consumption will increase, and prices will take care of them- 

 selves. M. A. Giix, 



Well, there's a question for the debaters. Mr. Gill has 

 given his sfde of the case very plainly and forcibly. He 

 seems to think that honey prices are about high enough. 

 Well, they probably are in some '• localities." But we be- 

 lieve in some markets they are too low. Still, as Mr. Gill 

 says, increase the consumption or demand and "prices will 

 take care of themselves." 



What do you think about it ? 



Inspectors of Apiaries in Canada 



Heretofore the Province of Ontario has had an inspector 

 and a sub-inspector. At the last meeting of the Ontario 

 Association, it was decided to ask the Government to 

 change this so as to have the Province divided into 3 dis- 

 tricts, with an inspector for each. This will not only give 

 a 50 percent stronger force, but it will save much travel on 

 the part of the inspectors. 



Why is the Royal Cocoon Incomplete? 



Allen Latham is not satisfied with the old answer that 

 it is " for the easy stinging of the occupant by a rival," and 

 makes a guess which is possibly nearer the mark. He says 

 in the American Bee-Keeper : 



"The cocoon is imperfect simply as a matter of con- 

 venience and safety to the larva spinning it. The cell in 

 which she lives is over-large, and if she once gets turned 

 about in this cell she finds it extremely difficult to regai 

 the normal position. In consequence of this condition sh 

 spins a cocoon about that portion only of the cell which sh 



