568 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov 



I AM inclined to think friend Heddon puts it a lit- 

 tle strongly when he says, on page 543, "And now the 

 favorite chaff packing and cushions are being con- 

 demned, even when they are to bo loft out." Re- 

 ports in regard to chaff packing have been so favor- 

 able that we are having more orders for chaff hives 

 than we have ever had any previou? fall, by far; 

 but I think friend Heddon is right in saying the 

 chaff cushions we have been using do not afford 

 ventilation enough for winters like the last. As to 

 just how this more ventilation shall be given, I con- 

 fess 1 can not exactly say, but I feel sure Ave need 

 the chaff packing at the sides of tae hive. Auger- 

 holes throuffh the honej-board, with a tight cap 

 placed over, have done so well throughout the coun- 

 try around here, even during the past hard winter, 

 that I know it answers very well, and I am now in- 

 clined to think, a ~Mnch hole through a close-filting 

 wood mat, into a shallow chamber under the chaff 

 cushion, would give about the same results. Friend 

 Muth's straw mat would, without question, amount 

 to the same thing virtually; and, by the way, why is 

 it we hear no more in regard to the straw mats 

 which were so much in demand at one time? Does 

 friend Muth still use them? and where is friend 

 Nevins, who used to make them? 



write each one is such a taslc we have had the fol- 

 lowing printed on a postal card, the blanks, of 

 course, being tilled out:— 



Friend we flnil in (joins over our boolis, a.s is our 



custom toward tlie end of the year, a balance in your favor of 

 $.. . Now. if you wisli this tM rem-\in standinj; until you need 

 soniethinff. we are i)erfectly wiliinj: it should remain so as lonpr 

 ivs you wish: but lest you iiave iortrotten it, we send you this 

 card. If you thinlc you sliall not be ncedin;? any goods, or pi'e- 

 fer the money, of course we will send it yon at once. AVe en- 

 close you our latest price li'.;t, and wouldinvite your attention 

 to our counter depiirtnients. where we make a specialty of 

 Household Conveniences. If we bear nntbinj; from you, we 

 shall t.ake it for prranted you wish the amoiint tn stand, and will 

 hold same subject to your order. Thanking you for your past 

 favors in the way of patronage, I remain, respeetfullv yours, 



Medina, O., Oct. 1, 1881. A."i; Root. 



Do you wish to know the m-ral I am getting at 

 in this little statement? It is, that habits of pro- 

 crastination and neglect are more common sins than 

 thfise of deliberate dishonesty. Men who are pro- 

 vokingly slow in paying small debts are abiut as 

 slow in stirring themselves about money that is 

 coming into their pockets, instead of going out. Al- 

 though the sin is a grievous one, and clogs business, 

 it is not as bad as a downright purpose of wrong, 

 and therefore we should again have charity for even 

 those who don't pay. 



W. A. BURCII Sc CO. 



SENDING GLEANINGS WITHOUT ITS BEING ORDERED. 



Several, have scolded because we let Gleanings 

 stop, while they had money in our possession, to 

 their credit. Here is one: — 



Yours of 7th inst. is received I expected that you would con- 

 tinue to send nie Gle.aninos. but perhaps you do not wish to do 

 so; or, may be it is dead. I have received none since the .June 

 number. If you have no objection, please send it nlon^f till 

 further orders. Tims (!ai,uraith. 



Tarentum. .Mlegheny Co.. Pa , Oct. 10. 1881. 



Now, friends, j'ou are a little thoughtless. In the 

 first place, how are we to know there is money to 

 your credit, unless you say so? Again, would it be 

 business-like to use that money for Gle.vnings, or 

 any other purpose, unless you so directed? We 

 have customers who do not take Gleanings, but 

 still have money placed to their credit, in case they 

 may need some little thing. Should we force Glean- 

 ings on them, without knowing whether they wanted 

 it or not? "With a great deal of labor we could ex- 

 amine every name as soon as the time expired, and 

 see whether they had a credit on the ledger; but 

 would we have a right, even then, to continue the 

 .iournal without orders? if you do not want the 

 bother of telling us to send it on, every year, just 

 order it sent for 5 or JO years, and we will give you 

 the ver.v best discount, and you will have no more 

 bother, I assure you. 



something on the CREDIT SIDE OF nUM.VNITY. 



Most of you know something of the troubles we 

 have had in collecting small amounts due us, in our 

 business transactions all over the world. Well, dur- 

 ing the month of October, when we have the leisure 

 time to attend to it, it is our practice to send state- 

 ments to all who have small credits, which ha^-e 

 been left until they ordered something. Of course, 

 you would think it a very easy thing to pay folks 

 money, compared with the task of getting them to 

 pay lyoii money. But it isn't, after all. There arc 

 some whom we have notified year after year, and 

 asked what were their wishes; but we can't get a 

 reply. AVriting to the postmaster to see if they are 

 still there and living, don't always get a reply either. 

 We have now balances standing to the credit of 

 something like a thousand different persons; and to 



HAVE watched with careful interest your pub- 

 lications of late, relating to H. A. Burch &; Co., 

 ^J of South Haven, Mich., and the manner in 

 which, as j-ou allege, their customers are being 

 treated. Having been a reader of Gle.vnings for 

 some little time, and never having sent a communi- 

 cation to your office, aside from my subscriptions, I 

 am somewhat credulous to the belief that you will 

 permit one who is simply in favor of having justice 

 done by all, without reference to iirctenaidiis, posi- 

 tion, creed, sex, or color. iir>li < r poor, high or low, 

 to occupy a small space in \"iir publication, to state 

 squarely what 1 knoii\ letiing the re-spuiisibility fall 

 where it may. My ordrr.s placed with Messrs. 

 Burch & Co., in 1S80, were proiiipily filled. Ta Ma.y 

 last [ took occasion to plico an order with thetii 

 again, and the time stipulated whe-n the goods were 

 to bo forwarded. The time arrived, and my order 

 was not filled; in answer to my Inquir.v, thev in- 

 formed me every thing was being done possible to 

 fill their orders, and thev felt positive my order 

 would be reached by a ci-rtain date, nacning it. Fail- 

 ing to get mv goods on the day appointed, and pre- 

 judiced by the reports contained in your pages, I 

 visited South Haven, ostensitily for the purpose of 

 commencing suit against Messrs. Burch & Co , for 

 full amount of xnv order, with ititere-;t and dam- 

 ages. My first business was tf> visit a few of the old- 

 est and best citizens in the place, to whom I sfatHd 

 the circumstances, who in turn informed me of the 

 true character of Mr. H. A. Burch, whom they had 

 known from boyhood, and said there must he some- 

 thing unnatural, and entirely different from the 

 course pursued by him heretofore; triving as reason 

 therefor, that H. A. Bvirch had ever enjoyed the en- 

 viable reputation of being an upright, honest, clear- 

 headed, prompt, and persevering \-oung man, and 

 it could not be possible he had so f.tllen. from such a 

 reputation, a-! to be unworthy of the estimation in 

 which he was held, and advised me to visit him and 

 consult all the circumstances attending the case be- 

 fore I proceeded against him. Upon visiting him, it 

 required but a short time to take in thf entire situ- 

 ation. First. I counted 24:i colonies ..f l)ees in his 

 apiary; Mr. Burch in the work, with a competent 

 man with hint (who. tiy the way, had jn^t arrived), 

 shipping off Ijpco, extracting hone-v. hiving swarms, 

 etc. I found Mr. B. was eniplo\ ed from sunrise un- 

 til about 11 P.M., and <ljing evcrv thing in his newer 

 to get his orders otf. My feelings were softened, 

 and suddenly changed, as" i he ciruumsrances became 

 apparent; and, seeing his dilemma, I took hold and 

 spent two days with him as pleasantly as I ever 

 passed the time in my life, aiding the man out of 

 trouble as far as I could, who, but a lew hours be- 

 fore, I was intending to cause trouble. In the assist- 

 ance rendered, I felt as though I was doing by oth- 

 ers as I would be done by. Having made other 

 plans, Mr. B. paid me at once the amount sent with 



