Fkbruarv, 1921. 



G T, E A \ I N G S I X 1:5 F. K C U L T V K E 



we may be a thousand miles away and don 't 

 know a proven fact in the case. 



All in all, we get many hundreds of let- 

 ters each beekeeping season complaining 

 mostly of a comparatively few queen and 

 bee rearers. Some of these complaints are 

 justifiable, and we are anxious to receive 

 all such in order that we can call erring 

 advertisers to account. But many of these 

 complaints are not justified — and these we 

 don 't want to get. We say many of these 

 complaints are not justified because nine- 

 tonths of our advertisers of bees and 

 queens are entirely dependable and business- 

 like in every way; and because many inex- 

 perienced beekeepers who order pound pack- 

 ages of bees do not know what to expect and 

 a few dead bees in a package will excite 

 them to a roar of complaint. 



The sum total of the effect of the let- 

 ters of complaint to us is, that the cor- 

 respondence in which we are involved be- 

 cause of the advertisements of queen and 

 bee rearers in Gleanings makes this adver- 

 tising totally unprofitable to us financially 

 and a disagreeable feature of our business 

 at all times. We purpose to change this situ- 

 ation by adding the following conditions to 

 our advertising guarantee: 



Gleanings in Bee Culture will not be re- 

 sponsible in any way for any deal for bees 

 or queens in which the purchaser advances 

 the cash to the queen or bee rearer without 

 an arrangement, either thru a bank or ex- 

 press company, whereby he (the purchaser) 

 can make examination of the bees or queens 

 upon arrival and before the money is re- 

 leased to the shipper. Such arrangement 

 should provide that as many bees as arrive 

 in good condition be accepted and paid for, 

 and a bad-order receipt sent at once for 

 dead bees or for bees not accepted for some 

 other possible cause. 



We repeat that the very great majority of 

 our advertisers of bees and queens are finan- 

 cially responsible, prompt in business meth- 

 ods, and will make good in every way for 

 money sent in advance of delivery. We never 

 have a complaint against many of these. But 

 some new advertisers, we find, despite bank 

 references and references of local ofiicials and 

 local business men in their communities, and 

 even despite their own good intentions, do 

 not keep their promises to us always nor to 

 our subscribers who patronize them. This is 

 generally because of inexperience in the 

 business; or because of promising an exact 

 date of shipment without a reservation as 

 to weather and season conditions permit- 

 ting; or because of a lack of sufficient capi- 

 tal to warrant their engaging at all in the 

 queen and bee rearing business; or because 

 of lack of any provision for prompt corre- 

 spondence at all times — whether during a 

 busy or slack season in the beeyards. 



So it is that we shall not hold ourselves re- 

 sponsible for money paid in advance to queen 

 or bee rearers, in deals which we do not 

 make, and which we find are often made 

 without taking the commonest business pre- 



caution. We want our subscribers to take the 

 same business care we ourselves would take 

 in making a deal for queens or bees — trust 

 our ' ' cash in advance ' ' only to those who 

 we know by experience have an established 

 record of honest business dealing. Not know- 

 ing the dealer or his business reputation, we 

 should demand the right of examination be- 

 fore making payment. This is not a hardship 

 even to the new dealer in bees and queens 

 if he is the right kind, for if he hasn 't capi- 

 tal enough to await payment for his ship- 

 ments, he hasn 't capital enough to warrant 

 his being in the business at all. 



But we find no fault with the honest, 

 business-like, prompt queen or bee rearer 

 who demands pay in advance, either the 

 whole or at least a part. He is worthy of 

 such confidence, has proved himself, and can 

 secure orders on these terms. Moreover, he 

 knows there are tricky and dishonest bee- 

 keepers who may order queens and bees of 

 him, and if they have not paid in advance 

 will make all sorts of dishonest representa- 

 tions in dickering for a "settlement," and 

 such tricksters have all the advantage if 

 payment in advance has not been made. In 

 case the queen or bee rearer does not require 

 payment in advance, it is for him to inquire 

 and know very certainly that the persons 

 to whom he may send bees or queens, either 

 C. O. D. or on credit, are strictly honest 

 and dependable. It is for him, with the aid 

 of all other queen and bee rearers and of 

 Gleanings in Bee Culture, to make a black- 

 list of dishonest purchasers of queens and 

 bees and mercilessly expose them to every- 

 body. 



Another condition: After a long experi- 

 ence with unjustifiable and even questionable 

 complaints against queen and bee rearers, 

 we shall ask that a sworn affidavit of the 

 facts set forth in a complaint against any 

 queen or bee rearer be furnished us when 

 the complaint is made, such affidavit not to 

 be made until after complaint has been 

 made to the bee or queen rearer in the case 

 and he has been given fair opportunity to 

 make good. An affidavit is not difficult to 

 make or have sworn. Anybody with a just 

 complaint against one of our advertisers 

 should be glad to furnish us an affidavit, 

 and we will at once proceed (-on the strength 

 of an affidavit) to investigate the advertiser 

 against whom complaint is made. If we find 

 the sworn facts warrant it, we shall then 

 not only throw the advertiser out of our 

 columns, but at our own expense will pro- 

 ceed (by law if necessary) to compel him to 

 make restitution or to secure his proper pun- 

 ishment. 



We seek both to be relieved of the bur- 

 den thrown upon us by the unwise deals 

 of our readers and their unjust complaints, 

 and also to drive the unreliable queen and 

 bee rearer out of business or even to pun- 

 ish him by law if he so deserves. 



We hope for the hearty support of our 

 many reliable queen and bee rearers and also 

 every reasonable subscriber, in this policy. 



