104 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



to be used in starting obdurate and pug- 

 nacious insects on the right trade. 



Now, Mr. Editor, just here let me put 

 in my public plea — and you please give 

 us all a lift — if for no loftier reason than 

 to serve your own interest. Honey comb 

 is one thing, beeswax is another, and very 

 different thing. Butter (I mean fine but- 

 ter) is, as all know, a very palatable com- 

 modity. But if we melt said fine butter — 

 it is bulter no more — it is grease. The 

 same thing holds true of nice honey comb. 

 No wax foundations can be made which 

 will not contain enougJi wax to build a 

 comb two inches thick. 



C. O. Perrine used to advertise the evil 

 eflFects of honey comb-on the delicate 

 membranes of stomachs highly evolution, 

 ized, and his card purported to be from 

 that '■'Distinguished Physician'^ we hear so 

 much about. 



If honey comb is not compatible with 

 highly evolutionized stomachs, what will 

 be the eft'ect of wax foundations on such 

 delicate and highly evolutionized people 

 as fancy 20 cents honey is put up for ? 



Echo answers, Please Mr. Beeswax — no 

 more foundations on my plate — I prefer 

 the superstructure on the " untoothsome 

 extract." 



Really, I think you will be quite out of 

 patience, Mr. Editor, at the idea of furn- 

 ishing so much evolution to ray orthog- 

 raphy, but my early evolution was not 

 favorable for sjpelling matches. 



My brag gift is in not saying what I 

 mean, but here allow me to switch off and 

 say a few words about The new Elephant 

 — probably the offspring of the one above 

 referred to. I mean honey and the enor- 

 mous dividend it brings. Whisky ring 

 and sutler posts are mere nebulae com- 

 pared with it. 



Much advice has been given gratuitously 

 on this at present all-absorbing topic. 

 Conventions have appointed committees 

 to sell it for them, and in such way made 

 effort to assist those who have been so un- 

 fortunate as to get a snufl' at the ambro- 

 sial bag. Some have pointed to this and 

 some to that as the cause of the present 

 low prices. Some have — in consideration 

 of the fact tliat it costs nothing to advise 

 others what to do — spoke their piece and 

 feel as if the load had been lifted from off 

 their shoulders. All are now waiting, I 

 presume, for me. And, Mr. Editor, were 

 it not for my exceeding modesty, 1 be- 

 lieve I would just let the cat out of the 

 bag right now. As it is, I will, with re- 

 markable candor, say that probably there 

 is no royal road to success, and that very 

 likely people who have arrived at that 

 point when the low price of honey will 

 not justify furtlier pursuit of the encliant- 

 ing pastime — will know what to do — and 

 it may be that some future historian may 

 record the fact tliat " industry has been 

 diverted from its natural course and 



heaped on the poor unsuspecting bee. 

 This may cause evolution philanthropists 

 to rejoice — perhaps a few of those — 

 who request "stamp for cincular," have 

 already smelt the simoon in the air. 



Would it not be well for people who 

 have machinery adapted to their locality 

 and have done well, to continue on quietly 

 and economically and get rich'? This 

 last is a question merely. My interest 

 would say, "Send stamp for circular." 

 T. F. Bingham. 



P. S. — Italian queens made to order. 

 Orders filled in rotation. 



For the American Bee Journal 



Sundry Items. 



Mk. Editor: — In your last issue there 

 is an account of the proceedings of the 

 Mississippi Valley Bee-keepers' Associa- 

 tion, and one of the interesting questions 

 discussed was : " Do bees make or gather 

 honey?" Prof. Riley said, " He was sat- 

 isfied bees made honey." ISTow, as this is 

 an age of progress, we want all the light 

 we can get upon this unsettled question; 

 and as Prof. Riley is a naturalist and a 

 close observer, will he be kind enough, at 

 the next meeting, in April, to give his 

 views, fully, upon this subject? As the 

 Mississippi valley covers a good deal of 

 territory, would not the " Missouri Bee- 

 keepers' Society" be more appropriate 

 than the name they have chosen ? 



In speaking about societies, I may here 

 say, — and so say all with whom I have 

 conversed upon the subject, — that it 

 would be far better for the National Soci- 

 ety to adjourn sine die, and let every State 

 have its own Convention. 



Allow me here to say, Mr. Editor, that I 

 am more than highly pleased with the 

 back volumes of the Journal you got 

 bound for me, and three makes one beau- 

 tiful volume. I would urge upon all to 

 get their back volumes bound, for the 

 price is so low, I do not see how they can 

 be done for the money. My bees have 

 come out as clean and dry as I ever saw 

 them, but rather weak, owing to the num- 

 bers lost in the house during tlie warm 

 spells. Argus. 



For The American Bee Joarnal 



Feedinff Bees. 



Mr. Newman: — Dr. Wra. Mitchell,, 

 of this city, informs me that some twenty- 

 five years ago lie purchased a swarm of 

 bees in a box hive at a sale. He carried 

 them home on horse back. Tliey were 

 destitute of honey; his wife baked some 

 corn bread ; he cut off the top crust and 

 poured molasses over the bread and placed 

 it under the combs. The bees ate both 

 the molasses and corn bread, went through 

 the winter, and gave liim a large swarm 

 the summer following. T. G. McGaw. 



Monmouth, 111. 



