April, 1909. 



American Vae Journal 



started as a queen-cell and the egg put 

 into it afterward. 



Now the important point to note is 

 that when a laying queen is present in 

 a hive, any queen-cell started will be a 

 pre-constructed one, whather intended 

 for swarming or supersedure. That is, 

 the cell-cup will be tirst built, and the 

 egg put into it afterward. So when 

 Mr. Burke gave a colony brood from 

 his best queen from which to have cells 

 started, leaving the queen in the hive 

 in which such brood was placed, he 

 itez'cr got a single cell tenanted itfith an 

 egg or larva of his best stock, but al- 

 ways from the queen present in the hive. 

 Whether queens so reared were good or 

 not, depended not upon the character 

 of his best queen, but upon the charac- 

 ter of the queen present in the colony 

 which started the cells. 



It is true that when a freshly built 

 comb is put in the center of a queenless 



colony, the bees are left at liberty to 

 start cells on any of the other combs. 

 But the bee-keeper is equally at liberty 

 to reject all but the cells reared on the 

 one comb of the best stock. The com- 

 forting fact remains, however, that very 

 few, if any, cells will be reared on any 

 but the one comb that is given. There 

 are two reasons, probably, for this : 

 The bees prefer the soft, freshly built 

 comb; and they also prefer to build 

 cells on the edge of a comb where 

 there is so much room. 



So if the beginner would succeed in 

 getting queen-cells of the best stock, 

 let him look out for two things ; let him 

 have his best queen in a nucleus — even 

 if only temporarily — and let him remove 

 the queen from the hive in which he 

 desires to have the cells started. Of 

 course, the latter queen may be returned 

 in ID days, or sooner if the frame of 

 cells is put in an upper story over an 

 excluder to be completed. 



Hqods -Ifertis 



The Editor's Silver (25th) Anniversary 



Yes, it was just 25 years on March 

 31st, that we arrived in the office of the 

 American Bee Journal. That is a long 

 time, and many changes have taken 

 place during the passing years since 

 1884. 



We had met Mr. Thos. G. Newman, 

 the then editor, when he visited his 

 nephew, Mr. Benj. Harding, who was 

 our good friend at Kent, Ohio. An 

 agreement was entered into at that 

 time between Mr. New'man and us. We 

 were to devote our time to the business 

 of both Mr. Newman and his son, Al- 

 fred H., the former running the .Xmeri- 

 can Bee Journal and the latter the bee- 

 supply business. In fact, we had "two 

 bosses" for 6 or 7 years. But the ex- 

 perience we gained in both lines of work 

 was invaluable in view of our sub- 

 sequent business life. 



In May, 1892, we bought the .Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal, going into debt for 

 about two-thirds of the purchase price. 

 We thought we had put in pretty hard 

 ticks, but during the 6 years following, we 

 certainly did do some hustling, in order 

 to clear up the indebtedness Mien 

 following those 6 years, in addition to 

 editing and publishing the .American Bee 

 Journal, we also managed a large bee- 

 supply and honey business, until 5 years 

 ago last October. For several years we 

 were perhaps the largest bottler of hon- 

 ey in this country. But the load we 

 ■were carrying was too heavy for us 

 physically, and so preferring to live a 

 few years longer, we disposed of the 

 bee-supply business in September, i9.33, 

 and since then have devoted most of 

 our time to the American I>e Journal. 



Next year — 1910 — will be the Ameri- 



i':ni rin- jniiiii:ii's "Jubilee \e.Tr — 511 

 years since it was founded by Samuel 

 Wagner, in Washington, D. C. After 

 conducting it a few years he died, when 

 it passed into the hands of Rev. W. F. 

 Clarke and others, the former editing 

 it for a year or two. Thos. G. Newman 

 then purchased it (in 1873), and until 

 May, 1892, was its busy editor and pub- 

 lisher. 



So we have been connected with the 

 American Bee Journal a trifle over half 

 of its life, and have edited and published 



it for just about one-tliird of its ex- 

 istence. 



In 1881 the Bee Journal was changed 

 from a monthly at $2.00 a year to a 

 weekly at the same price. In July, 1885. 

 the price was put at $1.00 a year, and 

 so continued till July, 190". when it was 

 changed back to a monthly publication. 

 Today the price is only 75 cents a }'ear, 

 while it contains about twice the amount 

 of reading matter in its regular 32-page 

 issue that it had when it was a monthly 

 at $J.oo a year. And there are many 

 who think that today the American Bee 

 Journal is a better bee-paper than ever. 

 It has a larger number of subscribers 

 than it has had at any time during its 

 history. But we think it ought to have 

 several times its present number of sub- 

 scribers. 



The years are rapidly passing. So 

 many of the old friends of the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal have gone to their re- 

 ward, and so many others are fast ap- 

 proaching the time when the last fare- 

 wells must be said. We have met and 

 become acquainted with a large number 

 of bee-keepers during the 25 years of 

 our connection with the American Bee 

 Journal, most of whom we feel that we 

 can count as real friends. To possess 

 their friendship and regard is to be rich 

 in what is of most value in life. It were 

 discouraging and almost hopeless if it 

 were not for the inspiring friendships 

 of earth — if it were not for the loyal 

 and true spirits that one meets and 

 holds close to his heart as the years 

 come and go. After all, unless one is 

 faithful, and tries to do his best, even 

 if not financially well rewarded, there 

 isn't much else to strive for on earth. 

 The greatest satisfaction comes from 

 having made a sincere effort to be help- 

 ■ ful to others, to be loyal to the highest 

 and the best, and to be faithful and 

 true to those who have shared in life's 

 struggles and conquests. The end comes 

 all too soon to most of earth's toilers. 

 so that it would seem that the few short 

 years may well be spent in doing one's 



188) 



George W. 



Editor American 



York, 

 Bee Journal. 



19011 



