GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 15. 



do it better than any one else, and at less ex- 

 pense. We can keep our weather eye open. 



There are many other references on bees In 

 modern books of travel; in fact, some just pub 

 lished mention them, like Lawrence's Kashmir, 

 where the bee-men know enough to feed millet 

 meal for pollen, and keep the hives inside; but 

 enough has been noted to show how matters 

 stand. 



Devonshire, Bermuda. 



DEFUNCT BEE-JOURNALS. 



THE FIELD OF BEE JOURNALISM IN GENERAL; 

 18 IT A BAD POLICY WITH THE OLD RELI- 

 ABLES TO BOOST ALONG NEW RIVALS? 



By Dr. C. C. Miller. 



Some time ago a friend of C. J. H. Graven- 

 horst, the able editor of the German Illustrated 

 bee-journal, applied to the latter for a list — for 

 what purpose I don't know — of bee-journals 

 that had started and had ceased to be publish- 

 ed. After making up a rather long list of such 

 journals that had lived and died across the wa- 

 ter, Mr. Gravenhorst referred to me to give a 

 list of such American journals. I in turn asked 

 help of the inhabitants of Medina, and it has 

 occurred to me that it might not be a bad thing 

 to make some sort of permanent record of this 

 list before some of the names are entirely for- 

 gotten, and possibly the few not here given may 

 have their names supplied by some one else. 

 Here is the list, so far as I can give it: 



Bee-keepers'' Magazine, - 

 Moon's Bee World, - 

 Bee-keepers' Oxiide, 

 Bee keepers' Exchange, - 

 Western Honey bee, 

 American Apiculturist, - 

 New England Apiarian, 

 Kansas Bee Journal, 

 Bee-keepers' Advance, - 

 Tlie Bee-hive, 



National Bee Journal, - ■ 



Canadian Honey Producer, 



Tlie Queen, - - 



California Apiculturist. - 



The above list of the dead considerably out- 

 numbers the list of the living. Old age was not 

 the cause of death, the oldest being the first on 

 the list, and that died when only " sweet six- 

 teen," while Gleanings shows no signs of de- 

 crepitude as it enters its 25th year ; and the 

 only older one, first-born of all, the American 

 Bee Journal, which first saw the light in 1861, 

 36 years ago, was never in so full vigor as now. 



Bee-keepers are likely to be enthusiasts, and 

 once in so often enthusiasm leads to mania. 

 Sometimes it's a mania for invention. Indeed, 

 like the chickenpox and measles, every bee- 

 keeper must go through a more or less severe 

 siege of this mania for invention. Possibly 

 there's a defect somewhere in the make-up of a 

 bee-keeper who never thought he could invent 



a hive. Then there's the mania for entering 

 the list of supply-manufacturers and queen- 

 breeders. For a considerable time I have been 

 conducting a department in the American Bee 

 Journal in which I attempt to answer all sorts 

 of questions about bee-keeping, and you would 

 be surprised to know how often it happens that 

 questions of the most elementary character, 

 showing that the man has neither knowledge 

 nor experience, come from one whose card on 

 his envelope proclaims him "' Breeder of Choice 

 Italian Queens." Not long ago I had a letter 

 reading somewhat after this fashion: " I began 

 this year for the first time with 6 colonies, and 

 increased to 16. Next year I intend to increase 

 to 75, and to go into the business of queen-rear- 

 ing." He may not get his 75; but the probabil- 

 ity is that the list of queen-breeders will be in- 

 creased by one more. But what kind of queens? 



The mania for publishing a bee-journal comes 

 later in the life of a bee-keeper, is not so widely 

 spread as other kinds of mania, but more disas- 

 trous in results. The victim is cured of his in- 

 fatuation only at the expense of a goodly num- 

 ber of dollars, belonging either to himself or to 

 some one else. It seems a little strange that 

 men of bright parts and apparently good judg- 

 ment should be deceived Into making a losing 

 venture in plain view of the wrecks of the ma- 

 jority that have preceded him. Probably the 

 allurements are not the same in all cases. In 

 many cases a new journal is started because of 

 apparent local needs. The bee-journals already 

 in existence fail to fit the needs of the county in 

 which I live, in some particulars. What's the 

 use of occupying space with talk about sage and 

 alfalfa honey , when there's nothing of the kind 

 within hundreds of miles? So it will be the 

 wise thing to have a McHenry Co. Bee Journal, 

 in which the wants and needs of McHenry Co., 

 and of McHenry Co. alone, shall be considered. 

 But when I come to start the paper, which at 

 the utmost could have only 500 to support it, 

 and get only 100 of the number as actual sub- 

 scribers, the thing begins to look different. 

 True, I had all sorts of encouragements from 

 every one whom I consulted. "Just the thing, 

 and you're the man to take hold of it." Why 

 couldn't some have the courage, the true kind- 

 ness, to say to me, " The field's already over- 

 worked. Others have lost time and money by 

 it, and the chances are greatly against your suc- 

 cess"? It might be a good thing for the bee- 

 keepers of Ohio if they could have an able 

 journal devoted entirely to the interests of their 

 own State; but the field is so limited that Ohio 

 bee-keepers will do better to join hands with 

 Alabama, California, and other States, in sup- 

 porting one or more journals of more general 

 character. 



In some cases a bee-journal comes to the 

 birth, not because of a crying need for it, but 

 because the would-be editor recognizes in him- 



