1897 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



57 



Is a perpetual"guard inl the shape! of a huge 

 stone in front^of the entrance. It isjso nicely 

 balanced that two persons, knowing the secret, 

 can open and close the entrance with ease." 



"Well, well! This is a mystery, sure. But, 

 doctor,'" continued Fred, with a quizzical ex- 

 pression around the eyes, " I heard something 

 that sounded like a swarm of bees when coming 

 through that passage." 



"Oh, yes!" said the doctor, musingly. "I 

 can readily see how a bee-man might mistake 

 the peculiar noise. You were then in the 

 rattlesnake chamber. No man can pass through 

 that chamber and live unless guided by our 

 Indian friends." 



"Rattlesnakes, do you mean to say? said 

 Fred, rising abruptly. " Why, there must have 

 been thousands of them." 



"There, there, Fred; there is no occasion to 

 be excited now. You are perfectly safe here. 

 But let us change the subject. You have 

 doubtless heard of several paradises for bee- 

 keepers. Let me now show you mine." 



honey, and have the distinct flavor of honey. 

 The receipt is one of the doctor's own getting 

 up. and will be given in the honey-leaflet 

 above referred to 



A SUBSCRIBER wishes to know whether planer 

 shavings are as good as chaff. We are using 

 the former right along now, and we do not see 

 but they winter the bees just as well as chaflf. 

 The shavings have the advantage that they 

 dry out quicker; and if enough are used they 

 are just as good for warmth. This same sub- 

 scriber also asks what kind of hive-stand we 

 use. All our hives, both summer and winter, 

 are set upon stands like that shown in the ac- 

 companying engravinsr Tt rai'^ps the hive just 



3 



Dr. Miller writes that he tried the honey- 

 jumble recipe (see page 23) without using any 

 molasses, but he says it did not work as well. 



At last we have a bee-keeper and honey-buy- 

 er who is prepared to make analyses of doubt- 

 ful samples of honey. I refer to W. A. Selser, 

 10 Vine St., Philadelphia. See his ad., p. 40. 



Home again. I am glad to tell you all that I 

 am now once more at my post, ready to serve 

 you as best I can, with renewed strength and 

 energy. I reached home just as the last form 

 was ready for the press. A. I. R. 



I NOW have in hand copy for the new honey- 

 leaflet, by Dr. C. C. Miller. I knew that the 

 doctor could do the work well, but he has con- 

 siderably exceeded my expectations. 



We shall have these leaflets ready shortly 

 after the next issue, and will put them at such 

 a price as will enable bee-keepers to give them 

 away to their customers. 



It would be a capital idea for bee-keepers to 

 furnish their grocers these leaflets to hand out 

 to ail their customers. If they do not make a 

 demand for honey, I do not know what will. 

 Price and further particulars will be announced 

 later. 



jLater.— Just as we go to press a package, of 

 honey-caramels from Dr. Miller has come to 

 hand. They are as fine as any I ever tasted; 

 and by the way some of the rest in the office are 

 "working their jaws" you would think they 

 were of the same opinion. They are made of 



high enough to make it convenient for working, 

 keeps the hives out of the wet, and the bottom- 

 boards from rotting. These stands are made of 

 the cheapest cull lumber, and at the present 

 rate they will last ten or fifteen years. 



"fishing for suckers." 



The following burlesque appears in an ad- 

 vertisement of one of the prominent commission 

 houses of Cleveland. As it illustrates so nicely 

 the growth of some of these mushroom " snide " 

 commission houses, I reproduce it right here: 



Mr. John Dumhower, Dear Sir:— In reply to your 

 letter, would advise you to go into the commission 

 business. There is no other business in which fish- 

 ing for suckers is so remunerative. There are a 

 great many of tliem, and, as has been said, "a suck- 

 er is born every day." 



One hundred dollars and plenty of confidence in 

 yourself will start you nicely. You could rent a 

 store and buy office fixtures on the installment 

 plan. Then the first thing- to do is to send out from 

 500 to 1000 circulars. On your card and circulars 

 say that you " handle all kinds of produce on com- 

 mission; special attention paid to the sale of butter, 

 eggs, and poultry. Liberal advances made on con- 

 signments." (This latter in large letters.) 



By sending out lots of circulars wiih big quota- 

 tions you wdl get shipments at once. Tou will have 

 plenty of customers as soon as you have goods to 

 sell. Many of the grocers, market men, and huck- 

 sters like new openings. They will at once patron- 

 ize you, pay outside prices, and ca'ih. They will 

 work you for credit later. When goods are all sold, 

 send shipper a postal card, saying: Goods sold at 

 ; market active; ship more." 



One commission house in Chicago started out 

 on almost exactly the policy outlined; but in- 

 stead of paying cash, and getting in a financial 

 muddle, their chief man "skipped the country" 

 with the hard-earned funds of bee-keepers. 

 There are numerous other commission houses 

 that are organized and operating upon almost 

 exactly these lines. Their final collapse is only 

 a question of a short time; but in the meantime 

 bee-keepers need to look sharp, to be sure they 

 are not one of the victims. 



