84 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



p^ "Let justice be done though the 

 Heavens fall," is a legend appropriate to 

 nail to the banner of The American Bee 

 JouKNAL. "Exact justice well meted 

 out" is just what it purposes to give to 

 all — without fear or favor! 



In the remarks of Captain J. E. Heth- 

 ERiNGTON, before the N. E. Bee-keepers' 

 ■Convention, as reported in this issue, on 

 page 98, at the bottom of the first column, 

 he says that in "a good season and large 

 yield, the journals are eager for a report, 

 but in a poor one, like the last, tw report 

 is asked for.'' How it could be possible 

 to make this mis-statement, we cannot 

 imagine. There is but one Bue Journal on 

 the American continent — and that. The 

 American. In the September number of 

 1875, page 193, we called for universal 

 reports. In the October and November 

 numbers are published hundreds of these 

 Teports, reporting good, bad, and indiffer- 

 ent experiences. Never were reports so 

 faithfully called for, and never was a call 

 more fully responded to, than last fall ! 

 Surely, the reporter must have garbled 

 the expressions of Captain Hethcrington — 

 lie could not have made such a statement. 

 On page 104 of this issue, Mr. T. F- 

 Bingham states that " honey-comb is one 

 thing, beeswax another, and very differ, 

 ent thing;" and that butter after being 

 melted "is butter no more — it is grease." 

 Although we are not an expert in bees- 

 wax, we have always understood that the 

 bees formed the honey-comb, using little 

 particles secreted by themselves known as 

 beeswax, and that the changing of its 

 shape again from honey-comb to the solid 

 cake known in commerce, would 7iot 

 change the original character of the arti- 

 cle. Again, a comparison between bees 

 wax and butter is hardly fair, for butter, 

 as it comes from the churn, will degener- 

 ate if kept too long, but beeswax will not, 

 under ordinary circumstances, for ages. 



In the next paragraph, Mr. B. attempts 

 to quote from an old advertisement of one 

 of our honey dealers— but he evidently 

 quotes from treacherous memory— and 

 credits to the wrong party. We thought 

 we remembered the expression and looked 

 up the old circular and find it was issued 

 by the Honey Co., Wm. M. Hoge or Mrs. 

 Spaids, and not C. O. Perrine, as stated. 



This number also contains an article 

 from Mr. Coe on the House Apiary ; and 

 in the present situation of the matter we 

 must ask him not to think uncharitably 

 of us, if we decline a continuation of the 

 controversy, unless it shall contain infor- 

 mation valuable to bee-keepers in general, 

 and not merely personal differences be- 

 tween himself and Novice. 



This gives us occasion to say a word in 

 general. We believe in the largest liberty 

 in all matters that shall further the inter- 

 ests of the bee-keeper. So long as views 

 differ in regard to points of interest in our 

 specialty, we invite the fullest and freest 

 discussion, and always hold our columns 

 open to publish opinions the most dia- 

 metrically opposed, only so that thereby 

 new light may be gained and the truth ar- 

 rived at. There are many points upon 

 which the apiarist is deeply interested to 

 have new light thrown. Notably, the 

 matter of wintering and springing, and 

 with regard to this there are almost as 

 many views as there are writers. Prob- 

 ably, however, those who have done the 

 most thinking and experimenting, if 

 asked to-day how to winter and spring 

 bees without loss, would shake their 

 heads and say the problem was yet un- 

 solved. In this state of the case, there 

 must surely good result from the freest 

 interchange of views,- but with this free- 

 dom of utterance comes the danger that 

 personalities may arise and a half a col- 

 umn be filled with matter of no benefit to 

 the reader and of doubtful gratification to 

 the writer. These things arise not merely 

 because of difference of views, but be- 

 cause of some little bitterness of expres- 

 sion in the first place, some single word, 

 perhaps, that adds nothing to the value 

 of tjie article, and might better be left 

 unspoken, but which calls out several 

 lines in reply, to be followed in turn by 

 a longer reply, until the readers of The 

 American Bee Journal heartily wish 

 the disputants might be allowed to carry 

 on their wrangle by private correspond- 

 ence. If A is firm in the belief that up- 

 ward ventilation, and plenty of it, is 

 essential, and so expresses himself. B, 

 who holds opposite views, will not 

 strengthen his position so well by saying 

 A or any other man is a fool to believe in 



