1904 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



557 



else first, and leave liod's debt till the last, 

 even thoug-h it be true that he is not crowd- 

 ing' you? You have children who are grow- 

 ing- up around you. A love of flowers may 

 keep them away from saloons and gam- 

 bling-dens; and because of the flowers they 

 helped to start, may be induced to attend Sun- 

 day-school and the preaching sei vices. Sup- 

 pose you by staying at home and neglecting 

 the house of God and all these things should 

 lay up a *' lot of monej'," and die "well off. " 

 What would all this amount to when death 

 comes before you face to face, if with it must 

 be the reflection that your children have, one 

 or more of them, gone astray. " What shall 

 it profit a man if he gain the whole world 

 and lose his own soul?" 



While I write, a vivid picture comes into 

 my mind of the little church in Northern 

 Michigan. The young people of the Sun- 

 day-school drew on some gravel, and fixed 

 some nice walks around the church, also 

 looked after repairing the roof and steps; 

 and they often bring- flowers; but I do not 

 suppdse any one of the dear friends has ever 

 thought of a flower-bed in front of the 

 church; and this is to remind them when 

 their old friend gets back once more to the 

 little church among- the hills, there is going 

 to be a flower-bed in front of the church, 

 with some choice plants in it. As there is 

 a fine watering-trough, and a never-failing 

 spring just across the road, somebody will 

 see to watering the plants, I am sure, when 

 we have a dry time. Dear reader, can you 

 think of any similar place that might be 

 brightened by a bed of flowers? If so, may 

 God give you zeal, courage, and enthusiasm 

 to start the work. 



THE RECENT ADVANCE IN BEE-SUPPLIES; 



ALSO SOMETHING ABOUT PUTTING 



CHRISTIANITY INTO BUSINESS. 



A very well-gotten-up bee journal, entitled 

 the Ritral Bee keeper, has recently been 

 started at River Falls, Wis. The issue for 

 May (Vol. I. No. 2) contains the following: 



You and I can not agree on the raise in price of bee 

 supplies. I think it is a one-sided game. They are 

 just like the druggists. A few years ago quinine came 

 up one dollar a pound. The druggists all over the 

 country made a great ado and raised the price six 

 dollars a pound. In my opinion that's just what re- 

 tail lumber dealers and bee-hive manufacturers are 

 doing now. If it is not so, why did the editor of 

 Gleanings get off such a load in the last issue. He 

 talks as if he paid fifty or sixty dollars for lumber by 

 the carload. That is where he gives himself away. 

 It beats all what a pious old man A. I. Root is. Can't 

 even write a postal card on Sunday, but it doesn't hurt 

 his conscience to charge fourteen dollars for a Ger- 

 man wax-extractor. If it weren't for the patent, I 

 could make one for three dollars, I think. 



C. G. ASCHA. 



If we have anywhere in these columns or 

 elsewhere " talked as if " we " paid S50 to 

 $60 per 1000 feet for hive lumber," we 

 were surely not aware of it. Perhaps our 

 friend refers to page 1004, Dec. 1st, last 

 year, when I said, " Good clear first-class 

 lumber, such as manufacturers are now 

 putting in hives, with few or no knots in, 

 will cost at the plating-mill between S50 



and $60 per 1000 feet." Cost whom? Does 

 the language imply that the Root Co. was 

 going to pay that figure by the carloadf It 

 would be the height of nonsense for us to 

 attempt to convey the impression that we 

 were paying from S50 to $60 per 1000 feet 

 at the planing-mill, and then claim in the 

 same article we were making hives 

 out of it and giving them to bee-keepers a 

 little above cost (to them) of the lumber. 

 We do it, but not with lumber for which zve 

 pay $6o GO. The fact is, we buy a special 

 grade of shop stock at the lumber-camps, 

 and " shorts " of large wholesale dealers, 

 out of which, by cutting around the knots, 

 we get a clear stock that would cost the bee 

 keeper S50 or $60 at the planing- mill.* But 

 perhaps our critic has in mind page 174 of 

 this year. This refers to the first article, 

 on page 1004, and is to the same effect. If 

 he should possibly take one sentence apart 

 from all others, he might, by a good stretch 

 of the imagination, make such a construc- 

 tion as he has given above. 



Regarding the wax-extractor which our 

 friend says he can make for $3.00, our 

 books show that, ou the first season's out- 

 put, we lost money on them, for we were 

 not charging enough to pay expenses, not- 

 withstanding we had just put in the latest 

 machinery and skilled workmen. When 

 our foreman showed us the figures we were 

 compelled, as a matter of business, to ad- 

 vance the price in order to make a fair 

 profit. If Mr. A. will make the same press 

 as good as the one we make, at $3.00, we will 

 give him a large contract for them. Or if 

 he can make them at a cost of $3.00, why 

 not go into the business of making them — 

 charge a good round profit, and do a big 

 business? There is no patent on them, so he 

 can make and sell where he chooses. But 

 he will find that, when he comes to make a 

 machine to stand enormous strains, inex- 

 perienced and careless handling, he will 

 have a job on his hands. It always costs 

 enormously to introduce a new article; and 

 if there is any change in patterns or dies, 

 as there certainly was in the case of our 

 wax press, to stand extra-heavy strains,, 

 that is another heavy expense. 



As to the personal reference to A. I. Root, 

 who has nothing to do with fixing extor- 

 tionate (?) prices, he is quite able to ans- 

 wer for himself. — E. R. Root. 



A. I. root's answer. 



The residence of Mr. Ascha is not given, 

 and the editor makes no comment on the 

 communication, either by footnote or other- 

 wise. I am sorry to see this — not because 

 it reflects on me particularly, but because 

 it is a bad start for a new bee-jjurnal. 



My good friend, I thank you for the high 

 compliment you are paying me in saying I 

 can not even write a postal card on Sunday. 

 I am afraid I do not deserve that; but it is 

 true that I should very much dislike to 



* We are just having delivered one invoice of 45 cars 

 of hive lumber of this kind, and it didn't come from a 

 planing mill either. 



