I am struck forcibly with the truths 

 set forth in the President's essay on the 

 " Best methods of marketing honey." 

 The more so, because I have practiced 

 just what is set forth there, hence I may 

 say I know the truth of the statements 

 made, until we come to the latter end of 

 the paper, where he says that " the de- 

 mand is increasing fully as much as the 

 production." About this I do not know. 

 For 2 years we have not had the average 

 product thrown upon our markets. 

 Bees, fixtures, determinations and sound 

 ideas of production, have increased 

 much faster than surplus honey, owing 

 to the off-years for the latter product. 

 How I wish the belief of the writer was 

 a known fact, even to myself — how I 

 would rejoice. But I am destined to 

 •' wait a little longer," and keep my hat 

 on my head and out of the air, for the 

 present. Near the close, the essayist 

 informs us that some of the more fright- 

 ened ones are beginning to hear the 

 voice of success whispered in their ears, 

 etc. Is not the tone of this sentence 

 fitted to scare the timidly moral ? I 

 mean, to cause a man, when honestly 

 convicted of an error, to still stick to 

 his error, knowing now that it is an error, 

 but frightened lest he be called ' w incon- 

 sistent ?" I do not mean that the sen- 

 tence was intended thus, but only ask if 

 such would not be its in fl uence ? I ha ve 

 an adage like this : " He does best who 

 predicts aright ; he does next best who 

 manfully owns right up to his mistake." 

 How many of you who have written 

 considerably for the Journal, have 

 gone back through a half dozen years 

 and read over your own assertions con- 

 secutively V Were you not astonished 

 at the honest errors, weaknesses, etc., 

 that showed themselves in the greater 

 light of progress V To be just right to- 

 day about all things, is to idly sit and 

 rot during the future. Where is the 

 man who has written a •' bee book," that 

 cannot now look at it and wish he had 

 a chance to say this and that over again V 

 I think I know that Doolittle is wrong 

 in regard to the merits of comb foun- 

 dation. I feel sure he will have to come 

 over among our crowd ere long, the same 

 as many of us have done. When he 

 comes, I hope to see him come head 

 foremost, in the front gate ; notcoming 

 feet first through a small hole in the 

 back fence, where some one has by mis- 

 take left a board off. 



I deem it a crime to try to mislead our 

 fellows, especially in the art of produc- 

 tion, and through the public print; and 

 a foolish wrong to doggedly stick to a 

 convicted error, and no one should ever 

 knowingly lend any influence in that di- 

 rection ; " honor bright," should they ? 



"If I am right, thy aid impart 

 Still in the right to stay ; 

 If I am wrong, teach me the art 

 To find that better way." 



It should not be forgotten that the 

 " children of fear" have not yet met 

 those who overflow with enthusiasm, 

 nor should it be forgotten that each 

 squad is slowly but surely traveling to- 

 ward the other. Had not the " scared 

 ones" blown their horns, the" gushers" 

 would have said : " Come where we are ; 

 you must /" and I tell you, it is not near 

 as good ground to stand upon, as where 

 we are both fast approaching. 



Do you forget the kind of music we 

 were invited to dance after ? I quote 

 the following, which I clip from the 

 Dominion Pet Stock Bazaar, and copied 

 by that paper from the Indiana Farmer : 



" Bee Profits.— A hive of bees can, 

 with ordinary management, be doubled 

 every year for several years. Let us 

 figure a little and see what the result 

 will be, say for 7 years. In the fall of 

 the seventh year we have 64 colonies ; 

 20 lbs. of honey to the hive every year 

 will be a low average for that length of 

 time ; 15c. per lb. is not high for honey; 

 we have 2,540 lbs. for 7 years ; that at 

 15c. makes $381, if I have made no mis- 

 take. The 64 colonies, at the low rate 

 of $7 per colony, makes $548 ; this added 

 to the value of the honey gives the snug 

 sum of $820. This is no big thing, but 

 is enough to pay all the trouble it costs. 

 Some will say it looks well enough on 

 paper, but not one man in 50 can do that 

 well. I believe it can be done every 

 time with proper care. I would like to 

 hear some of our bee-keepers on the 

 subject. If they think I am extrava- 

 gant in the figures given above, let them 

 say so." 



I conceive that the writer's knowledge 

 or his honesty are as badly at fault as 

 his figures. May-be he is too modest to 

 name the real amount of wealth that 

 these 7 years of patient waiting will 

 wriggle out of one " skep." I make it 

 128 colonies^ and $1,658. Am I not cor- 

 rect? What is the use of our taking 

 $820, when the figures allow us $1,658 ? 

 Suppose that the writer knew by experi- 

 ence that such increase and sales were 

 possible, it would undoubtedly have 

 corrected his sad mistakes in mathe- 

 matics. I hope the above will show 

 some of the more enthusiastic that they 

 have undergone a growth. 



I cannot help being mistaken some- 

 times, but I can and will help being dis- 

 honest enough to try to cover it up. 



But I am as much pleased as any man 

 among us, that times for the honey- 

 producer are better, and have a better 

 outlook. 



