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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



eggs, even under the most favorable 

 conditions for swarming. 



Only a few years ago we quite fre- 

 quently heard of a non-swarming strain 

 of bees : they would pop up first here, 

 then there, but soon after we didn't 

 hear of them, and have not heard of 

 them since. Just now we have a "non- 

 swarming strain." Why, in the past two 

 years we have not had swarms enough 

 to make it worth while getting out the 

 dish-pan and cow-bells, and the number 

 of our colonies has been gradually grow- 

 ing beautifully less ! With backward 

 springs, cold, wet weather, and no 

 honey-flow at swarming time, it Is no 

 trouble to have a non-swarming strain 

 of bees; but let the conditions be re- 

 versed, and the non-swarmers will be 

 the first to swarm. 



Eluffton, Mo. 



FROM THE STINGER. 



Why is it that so many writers in the 

 bee-papers of late are lapsing Into 

 poetry ? I am pleased to note that the 

 editors of Oleanings have not fallen into 

 the habit. As that journal has not tried 

 to correct the evil, I think The Stinger 

 had better start a reform in that direc- 

 tion ; therefore, he will try to keep from 

 using poetry any more in this column. 



Mind you, I do not say that I shall not 

 refrain from using some lines that may 

 rhyme, so long as they suit my purpose ; 

 they will not be poetry, of course. 



Talking about imitators awhile ago, 

 reminds me that if any one living in 

 glass houses should not throw stones, it 

 should be the people who furnish the 

 material to fill up our enjoyable friend, 

 the Progressive Bee-Keeper. Let me see, 

 I will take the November number and 

 see what it contains. There is first a 

 poem on "November." Well, that is 

 timely, even if it is not real poetry ; 

 then comes " Notes from the Star Api- 

 ary." There is very little relating to 

 the apiary noticeable in the "notes." 

 The writer would have done better, I 

 think, to have had his notes labeled, 

 " From the Star Apiary Library." I 

 like the general trend of his notes, 

 nevertheless, and wish to see the notes 

 continued every month, even with all 

 the stars between them. (I suppose 



these stars are a sort of a trade-mark of 

 the Bluflfton paragrapher.) Then comes 

 Somnambulist. His style of "Wayside 

 Fragments " are pretty well known by 

 this time, and I need not say anything 

 more about them, other than to remark 

 that he is, taking him altogether, a 

 pretty wide-awake writer. Then the 

 next article is a lot of "notes ;" and the 

 next is a lot more of "notes." But I 

 shall not say anything more about them. 

 These things happen sometimes without 

 one doing it with any intention of imi- 

 tating. 



I stated some time ago that a lady in 

 Texas was contemplating the publishing 

 of a paper devoted to the bee and honey 

 interests of that State. I did not give 

 her name, as I had learned of it in a 

 rather confidential way. In a quite re- 

 cent issue of the Bee Journal I see 

 that Mrs. Atchley, who was the person 

 I hinted at, has abandoned her inten- 

 tion of running any such publication. 

 She shows good sense in keeping out of 

 the publishing business. 



It is next in order to hear from Cali- 

 fornia. Will those people at Los An- 

 geles please arise and say that they, too, 

 have abandoned the idea of inflicting a 

 'poorly-supported paper upon a long- 

 suffering apicultural world? I assume 

 that such a paper will be illy supported, 

 and if there is any brother who wants to 

 bet me a nail out of an old shoe against a 

 year's subscription to the "Old Relia- 

 ble," just let him hold up his right hand 

 until I see It, and I am his man. 



"Hutchy," of the Bevicio, went shoot- 

 ing during the close season in one of the 

 agricultural buildings at the World's 

 Fair. Like a poucher, he did it clandes- 

 tinely, and with better luck than such 

 shooters usually have, for he brought 

 down a nuqjber of pictures of honey ex- 

 hibits in that building. 



Some of these pictures he gave in his 

 nice, dainty Review. Oh, Hutchy, dear, 

 how could you do such a naughty thing ? 

 Didn't you ever go to Sunday-school and- 

 learn that it was not right to steal ? 

 Perhaps it may not be called stealing, 

 yet some people will call it such. 



Please Send TTs the Names of your 

 neighbors who keep bees, and we will 

 send them sample copies of the Bee 

 Journal. Then please call upon them 

 and get them to subscribe with you, and 

 secure some of the premiums we offer. 



