Vol. XXXIV. 



MARCH 15, J 906. 



No 6 



^ik^M it0H^ 



'4&mD: 



^:i^--^-^MUi^ 



"Natural comb built below the starter 

 will be built over the wires," p. 301. Yes, 

 but the wire will not be in the septum. 



The National Dairy and Food Show, 

 Chicago, Feb. 14—24, among many speakers 

 of national fame on its program had the 

 name of G. W. York, with the topic, "Hon- 

 ey, its Dietetic and Hygienic Values. " For 

 once Editor York had a chance to practice 

 what he preaches, ' ' a propaganda of public- 

 ity." 



R. F. HoLTERMANN, page 290, says that, 

 with comb foundation and accurate spacing, 

 "there is no need of a follower or the space 

 for a follower, ' ' and this, as I understand it, 

 with self-spacing frames. I wonder, I won- 

 der, what there is about his locality or man- 

 agement that makes that so. I would not 

 do without followers for money. 



I WAS READING aloud, p. 304, about A. I. 

 Root's tribulations with those cross bees, 

 when an inquisitive female interrupted me: 

 ' ' What in the world does he want of a fur 

 cap when it is warm enough to work with 

 bees?" "I don't know," I replied, " unless 

 it's because he's A. I. Root." [Well, yes; 

 that is as good an answer as you could give. 

 -Ed.] 



Bicycle pants-guards "can be bought 

 anywhere for 15 cents a pair," page 298. 

 Aren't you pretty well up in your prices, 

 Mr. Editor? I paid 5 cents for mine, and in 

 Montgomery Ward & Co.s' catalog they are 

 2 cents a pair. [It has been so long since I 

 bought any bicycle pants-guards that I con- 

 fess I have not been keeping track of their 



price. In the days when I used to be riding 

 a bicycle (I use a little auto, you know, now) 

 I accumulated a large reserve so that I have 

 had no occasion to buy any of late. — Ed.] 



Here's another item, page 304: A. I. Root 

 refers to the peculiar hissing that bees make 

 when they attack any furry animal, which 

 hissing seems a "signal for every bee in the 

 hive to sally forth to war." Do the bees 

 fail to hear that hissing, and on the moment 

 spring a fresh brand of smell that calls to 

 war? [See answer to another Straw on this 

 subject. —Ed.] 



That stretcher, or carrier, p. 279, is the 

 same as used here for carrying bees, only 

 here the two poles are fastened together by 

 cross pieces. I wonder which is the better. 

 An advantage of the cross-pieces is that the 

 poles are always properly adjusted. [I am 

 not sure but the cross- sticks would be an 

 improvement. I will ask our boys to test 

 them. —Ed.] 



It is recommended, p. 301, to clip queens 

 differently each year. Do you really do that 

 at Medina? I can't see the advantage. The 

 record shows whether a queen is clipped or 

 not; and if a different queen is found there 

 she will be undipped; so where is the advan- 

 tage of any different clipping? [No, we do 

 not clip at the queen-rearing yards, as some 

 of our customers would object to thus spoil- 

 ing her looks. Not every one keeps records 

 as you do. As a matter of fact, I know that 

 some keep track of the age of queens by the 

 manner of clipping their wings in different 

 years. —Ed.] 



In these days it seems all too common a 

 thing for men high in the esteem of their 

 fellow-men suddenly to betray their trust, 

 and ignominiously fall from their high estate. 

 G. M. Doolittle is a man whom thousands 

 have followed as a trusted leader. Alas that 

 at this late day he should be guilty of such 

 false teachings as those on page 283. He 

 there teaches that on Candlemas dav the 

 bear c^mes out to look for his shadow. How 

 could he corrupt the youth who read Glean- 



