I can get the Magazine or Gleanings for 

 a dollar and I would rather have it at 

 that, even if it does puff the wares of 

 the editors, than to pay four dollars for 

 a co-operative journal. If this is not so 

 what has caused the Bee- Keepers' 1 Maga- 

 zine and the American Bee Journal 

 to lower their prices ? The bee journal 

 that gives the largest amount of in- 

 formation for the least money is the one 

 that the majority will patronize, whether 

 the editor has wares to sell or not. This 

 is a fact that will meet us, turn which 

 ever way we will. 



It would seem by the action of the 

 Convention, that the members thereof 

 are not willing to extend to Mr. New- 

 man the same privilege they do to their 

 president, for, on page 51, I read : "I 

 am sorry that there is an impression 

 that a dealer in supplies allows his judg- 

 ment to be warped by his position." As 

 proof that they considered Mr. Roofs 

 judgment was not thus warped, they 

 re-elected him president. 



Again, they award a prize to Mr. Van 

 Deusen for the best essay on comb 

 foundation, when he is as much 

 interested in the making and monopoliz- 

 ing of comb foundation as any man in 

 America. Why not accord to the editor 

 of the American Bee Journal the 

 same privilege ? There is something 

 said somewhere about consistency being 

 a jewel. 



As to honey markets I find that the 

 bee journals vary somewhat, but I fail 

 to see where the American Bee Jour- 

 nal quotes honey lower in the Chicago 

 markets " to further its own interests." 

 In the March number, the American 

 Bee Journal quotes honey in Chicago, 

 from 16 to 18 cents, while the Magazine 

 says, it is worth in Chicago 14 to 16 

 cents. Mr. Miller says in February 

 Gleanings that honey is selling there at 

 22 cents, but I know some friends who 

 sold their honey there, and did not real- 

 ize the lowest quotation given above. 



"It is reported by some that Mr. New- 

 man submits to Doolittle the articles 

 for American Bee Journal and that 

 which he does not approve cannot be 

 inserted." I wish to say that Doolittle 

 has nothing whatever to do with the 

 American Bee Journal, any more 

 than he has with Gleanings or the 

 Magazine. I simply write for it, as I do 

 for them , and the editors clip my articles 

 or throw them into the waste basket, as 

 they see tit. It is a little tough, I know, 

 to have an article one has spent time to 

 prepare, consigned to the waste basket, 

 but such things have occurred with me, 

 and I claim the editor has a perfect 

 right to do so. 

 In conclusion I would say, with Mr. 



Clark, that there is no necessity for 

 starting a new journal, as we already 

 have six, each devoted to bee-keeping. 

 If we wish a co-operative journal, let 

 us see how much we wish such a jour- 

 nal, and if we wish such a one $6,000 

 worth, no doubt, the editors of either 

 journal will give us such a one, and 

 drop the manufacture and sale of sup- 

 plies. I want such a journal $6 worth, 

 and if 1,000 of us are in the "same 

 boat," we can have it, I assure you ; but 

 until we are willing to pay for such, 

 let us not rind fault with the journals 

 we have. 

 Borodino, N. Y., March, 1880. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Buying Untested Queens. 



E. B. SOUTHWICK. 



I notice friend Doolittle (whose 

 writings I generally swallow without 

 doubting) is very careful in getting his 

 choice queen and colony ready early to 

 swarm. Suppose she does come out and 

 two-thirds of the bees with her are 

 leaving for parts beyond reach, is 

 it not a risk ? I will tell my plan, which 

 I am self conceited enough to think is 

 much better : I get them ready to swarm 

 as he does, but before they swarm I take 

 two frames of brood with the bees that 

 are on them, and the queen also, and 

 place these in another hive and add 

 brood from other hives and empty combs 

 enough to make a good colony. Then 

 I do not lose my choice queen and my 

 queenless colony commences to rear 

 queen-cells and will rear more, and 

 better ones, than they would if they 

 had swarmed, for there would be more 

 bees.to work at it and keep up an even 

 temperature in the hive, which I think 

 very essential. 



I notice that nearly all who rear 

 queens to sell recommend the tested 

 queen to the purchaser and lament the 

 great damage the cheap queens are do- 

 ing to the business. I am not rearing 

 queens to sell. I rear some for my own 

 use, and if a friend or acquaintance 

 wants one of me, I show him the queen 

 that I will sell; show him her progeny 

 and tell him her age, if I know it, and 

 put my price which will vary from one 

 to five dollars, or more. But were I 

 buying queens for my own use, I would 

 invariably buy the untested queen, and 

 the sooner she commenced laying the 

 better. My reasons are that the queen 

 breeder, whether honest or dishonest, 

 will rear queens from his best colonies 

 and get the best he can, for it is to his 

 interest to establish a good reputation. 



