140 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



the I'obius were singing, and the frogs 

 croaking; even the agile musquito made 

 music for our ears (and work for our 

 hands), while the soft balmy air and 

 radiant sunshine betokened an early ad- 

 vent of the season of flowers. But alas! 

 for our hopes; to-day has a wintrier 

 aspect tlian had any of February's. The 

 time cannot be far distant, however, when 

 spring will come to stay, and usher in 

 active operations in the apiary. May it 

 come speedily! 



We were much interested in the great 

 commotion which those active fellows 

 over in Michigan created at their conven- 

 tion, held in Kalamazoo, in December 

 last. The cold stream of truth which 

 they poured upon the red-hot prejudices 

 of self-interest and' self-aggrandizement 

 made some steam and a little smoke. It 

 really was amusing to see with what 

 alacrity the editor of the Bee-Keeper's 

 Magazine donned the garb they had pre- 

 pared tor him; and no less so to witness 

 his frantic gestures and wry grimaces in 

 endeavoring to wear the garment. But 

 it seems to have been too tight a fit, as he 

 speedily boiled over with abusive epithets 

 and harsh invectives, showing the spirit 

 of gall and bitterness he was in. 



We heartily sympathize with the efforts 

 of the Michigan Association to bring out 

 matters in their true light, and are pleased 

 to note the fact that the kee-keepers of 

 the country are waking up to their true 

 interests. It was only necessary to set 

 the great mass of the bee keeping com- 

 munity to thinking, in order to insure a 

 satisfactory solution of the problem, in 

 our opinion, as we have full confidence in 

 their discretion and good sense. 



But we cannot concur in the ground the 

 Michigan Association took in reference 

 to c )iub honey, albeit we confess to hav- 

 ing believed that the extractor was respon- 

 sible for the unsatisfactory condition of 

 our American honey markets. But a 

 somewhat carelul investigation of this 

 subject has resulted in the following ct)n- 

 clusions: It is not for the interest of the 

 apiarist who obtains his surplus with the 

 extractor, to raise comb houey, for many 

 reasons. In the first place, he would have 

 to entirely change his method of manage- 

 ment; discard his present appliances for 

 new ones; adopt a system of manipula- 

 tion witli which he was not familiar, and 

 which would require years to master: 

 and finally, perhaps, sell his box honey 

 for a small advance over what theexiraci- 

 •ed article would command. It is becom- 

 ing more and more apparent that the 

 ■difference in price of box and exlracied 

 honey will gradually lessen until both 

 shall command <ihout the same figures. 

 While we do not question the statements 

 of some of the Michigan bee-keepers that 

 they "can obtain as much comb liouey in 

 small boxes as with the extractor," we 



know tliai tiic great mass of bee-keepers can- 

 not doit. There is a science in obtaining 

 box honey, which requires years of study 

 and experience to master. 



Then it seems there was anotiier fraud 

 among the honey dealers. We had some 

 personal acquaintance with Wm. M. 

 Hoge, alias "John Long," when he was 

 a member of the firm known as the "Chi- 

 cago Honey Co." Of course New York 

 presented a much larger field for his 

 operations. But what were King & Slo- 

 cum about during all this time, that they 

 did not discover his tricks? Writing up 

 advertisements, we presume, of that " E 

 pluribus unum" bee hive, instead of look- 

 ing after the interest of beekeepers. 



It was with unfeigned pleasure, Mr. 

 Editor, that we perused your announce- 

 ment in March number that the good 



old RELIABLE AMERICAN BeE JOURNAL 



would continue to be devoted to the in- 

 terests of the honey producers of the 

 world. VVe need one journal, surely, to 

 represent our interests, and the American 

 will do. With that on our side, and open 

 to us all, we can atford to let the Magazine 

 abuse us, and laud its "fixin's lor sale;" 

 can afford to let Gleanings learn how to 

 wipe dishes, chew gum, and tell about 

 "our universal implements;" yea, and we 

 can affcrd to let tlie World, through its 

 ancient typography and mutilated En- 

 glish, discourse upon the wondeis and 

 attractions of "Orange Culture," "the 

 lands for which we have for sale." Ah, 

 Mr. Editor, " there's tricks in all trades 

 but mine," most assuredly. 



In conclusion, lest we might otherwise 

 become the target for the anathemas of 

 the puissant pens of liliputian minds, we. 

 will simply say that all the above is from, 

 your old friend, Eccentric. 



For ttie American Bee Journal. 



Bee-Keepers' Society Org^anizatiou. 



The first meeting of the Lancaster 

 County (Pa.) Bee Keepers' Society was 

 held on March 13th. A permanent organ- 

 ization vvas eti'ected by electing Puter S. 

 Reist, of Mauheim, President; J. F. 

 Hershey, of Mount Joy, Vice-President; 

 and A. B. Herr, of West Ht-mpfield, Sec- 

 retary. The following members were 

 present: H. B. Nissley, East Donegal; 

 Elias Hersliey, Paradise; J. Kepperling, 

 and A. H. Shock, Conestoga; J. F. 

 Hershey, Mt. Joy ; P. S. Keisl, Mauheim; 

 S. G. Garber, llapho; A. B. Herr, West 

 Hempfield; Joel J^'islier, East Laiipeter; 

 and Leonard Fleckeiisteiu, Manor. The 

 above named gentleman own 30') hives, 

 and represent 1,000 hives as belonging to 

 neighbors who are expected to join the 

 Society at its next meeting. The first 

 subji'ct brought before the society was, 

 " Will bee-keeping pay?'' 



J. F. Hershey said that bee-keeping 



