232 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 



MRS. COTTON'S REPLY. 



ARE BEE-KEEPERS AS A CLASS, HARD TO PLEASE? 



'U. HOOT:— In your issue of Gleanings of 

 March 1, you state on page IfiO, "If Mrs. Cot- 

 ^ ton proposes to make good all dissatisfac- 

 tion, we will give space for her to say so." Now, 

 what I do propose to do, and what I have heretofore 

 done in all cases, is this: I guarantee every thing 

 purchased of me shall be as represented, and shall 

 reach purchaser in good condition. If damaged in 

 transit, I make them good to the purchaser. I guar- 

 antee that all money sent me shall reach me, if sent 

 by draft, money order, or registered letter. I will 

 not be responsible for money sent in ordinary letter 

 form, neither can persons expect to have their orders 

 filled if they fail to give their address in the letter 

 containing their oi-der. I hold several letters, re- 

 ceived containing money, and no address given, and 

 postmai-k on envelope so indistinct that it can not be 

 read, so there is not the slightest chance to reach 

 the persons who sent the money. No doubt the per- 

 sons who sent the money in this form are loud in 

 their denunciation of Mrs. Cotton, and accuse me of 

 receiving money, and making no return for it, when 

 the fault is the result of their own carelessness. I 

 have in several cases received money from persons 

 who have failed to give their address; but the post- 

 mark on envelope being plain, I have set the matter 

 right by writing to the postmaster of that office. 



The statement of James H. Dunlevy, that I cheat- 

 ed bim out of $20.00, as well as all other statements 

 c f like import, I brand as falsehoods, without the 

 slightest foundation. 1 do not plead guilty of fraud 

 in any form. 



Now a word as to what you state about the draw- 

 ings. First, you state that they are all on one single 

 sheet of paper, or a leaf of paper. The fact is, they 

 are on seven pages, and consist of sixteen separate 

 and distinct figures. You seem to think it a fraud 

 for me to sell a small-sized book for one dollar, or 

 the drawings and directions for building hives for 

 $3.C0, on such a small quantity of paper! Is it a 

 fraud to pass a five-dollar gold-piece for five dollars? 

 You know a five-dollar gold-piece is not as large as 

 one silver dollar. 



As regards information to make bee-keeping a 

 success, quality, not quantity, is what is wanted. 



Mrs. Lizzie E. Cotton. 



West Gorham, Me., March 10, 1884. 

 We are very glad indeed to give place to 

 the above, and now we hope that every one 

 who has any complaint to make will reply to 

 Mrs. Cotton direct, and have it adjusted. In 

 regard to those diagrams being on 7 pages, I 

 humbly beg pardon. They were sent to me 

 two or three years ago, for me to pass my 

 opinion upon them, and my impression from 

 recollection was, that it was all on a single 

 sheet of paper. If they have been enlarged, 

 and more full explanations given, I am very 

 glad. But, $o.0U for 7 pages would be over 

 40 cts., which we still think is a little high 

 for bee-books. Now, Mrs. Cotton, and other 

 friends, I hope you will not think me for- 

 ward or presuming when I suggest that the 

 little book be sold for one dollar, including 

 these drawings and specilications ; for it 

 does seem to me when one pays a dollar for 

 a book on bees, this book should tell all 

 about how to make the hives the author rec- 

 ommends, Mrs. C. would then rank fairly 



with other writers on bee culture. I feel 

 quite satisded myself that her trade would 

 be sufficiently augmented to enable her to 

 furnish the books, drawings and all, at a 

 very good profit at that price. Mrs. C, did 

 you really mean to call your book gold, and 

 Langstroth, Quinby, Cook, and the ABC 

 book, by your humble servant, all of them, 

 silver? Now, my friend, just one little plea 

 here for more charity. I know that in large 

 business houses some letters accumulate on 

 account of improper addresses ; but it seems 

 to me the number can not be very large; 

 neither can I think bee-men as a class are 

 very hard to get along with. See what our 

 good friend Ilayhurst says: 



Friend Root:— F lease accept thanks for your kind 

 notice of my postal circular. It does not take so 

 very much "grace" to keep bee-keepers satisfied. 

 I find them to be a very reasonable kind of folks. 

 Perhaps I am so fortunate as to have none but the 

 best-natured ones to deal with. 



E. M. Hayhurst. 



Kansas City, Mo., March 10, 1884. 



Mrs. C, do you not see that friend II. has 

 succeeded in pleasing customers, and he 

 does a very large business, to my certain 

 knowledge? How beautiful is his faith in 

 his fellow-men ! He Ut-es out the sentiment 

 of the little text, '' We be brethren." Do 

 you not see V Now, dear friend, for such I 

 wish to call you, you can not think how 

 much pleasure it gave me to see you here 

 among us, and really writing an article 

 for one of the bee-journals. But have you 

 not been a little at fault in getting the ill 

 will of so many of the brethrenV I can take 

 a part of this home to myself, for I have en- 

 emies and dissatisfied customers; but can 

 we not all do a little more for the sake of 

 peace, and for Christ's sake, if you will ex- 

 cuse me for using the term hereV 



REVERSIBIiE COMBS. 



IS IT NOT A BETTER WAY TO REVERSE THE HIVES? 



fHB articles upon the above subject on page 155 

 are very interesting. I have headed this ar- 

 ticle as above, because I wish to treat upon 

 the principles of reversing both brood and surplus 

 combs. 



Our old practitioners know how many times be- 

 ginners are lead astray by the honest efforts of oth- 

 ers in putting forward something new. Let us take 

 reversible combs as an example. Of course, some 

 one has met some disadvantages, which have sug- 

 gested reversible combs as the cure thereof. Mr. 

 Howes and others wish to make their combs strong- 

 er; prevent sagging of the top-bars; to get their hon- 

 ey in the sections instead of in the brood-chambers, 

 giving the queen more room, and save necessity of 

 extracting from the brood-combs; to have them 

 more solidly attached for shipping purposes; to have 

 no space between the bottom-bar and comb for the 

 bees to lurk under, when ridding them of bees, etc. 

 I have met all these difficulties face to face. Many 

 of you no doubt will wonder when I tell you that the 

 last difficulty mentioned is to-day to me ofmore mo- 

 ment than all of the rest. All of the others I have 

 obviated satisfactorily; and now taking all in all, it 

 seems to me that the drawbacks to the reversible- 

 frame method tire greater than all of the advantag- 



