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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Mr. Jolin H. Larrabee, the 



Government experimenter in apiculture 

 at the Michigan State Agricultural Col- 

 lege, has been discontinued. This we 

 learn from a letter written to Bro. Root 

 by Prof. Cook, and published in Glean- 

 ings for Aug. 1, which reads thus : 



Deak Mb. Editor : — I regret to write 

 that our friend Larrabee has been dis- 

 continued in his position as experimenter 

 in apiculture for the United States 

 Government. The cause is, the large 

 reduction ($10,000) of the appropria- 

 tion by Congress to the Entomological 

 Division of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture. I think this a grave misfortune, 

 as it seems to me that at least one per- 

 son might be selected and kept for the 

 purpose of aiding this pursuit. There 

 are yet several thousand dollars to be 

 expended in experimental work and re- 

 search in entomology. I believe if bee- 

 keepers would cry loud enough they 

 would yet get the mere pittance of 

 $1,000 annually. A. J. Cook. 



Agricultural College, Mich., July 16. 



Bro. Root follows the above letter 

 with these paragraphs of very excellent 

 editorial suggestions and fitting endorse- 

 ment of the splendid work which Mr. 

 Larrabee has done for apiculture during 

 his short year of service as Government 

 experimenter in apiculture. Read care- 

 fully what Bro. Root says, viz. : 



We are thoroughly in accord with 

 Prof. Cook's belief, that, if bee-keepers 

 will cry loud enough, they will get the 

 mere pittance of $1,000 annually. Mr. 

 Larrabee is and has been a successful 

 bee-keeper; and since he commenced 

 experimental work at the college, for 

 tho Government, he has rendered most 

 excellent service. It is indeed a grave 

 misfortune. The bee-keepers of our 

 land, unlike those of any other nation, 

 have received little governmental aid, 

 and to have this little cut off just when 

 grand work was being and about to be 

 done, is a little hard on our industry. 



We hope every one of our subscribers 

 will write at once to Prof. C. V. Riley 

 and Jeremiah M. Rusk, Secretary of 

 Agriculture, Washington, D. C, asking 

 for the continuance of Mr. John H. Lar- 

 rabee as apicultural experimenter, and 

 that the appropriation of at least $L, 000 

 be again granted for the support and 

 maintenance of an apicultural station. 



The Agricultural College of Michigan 

 is eminently the place for such a station; 

 and we hope that the authorities at 

 Washington will reconsider the matter. 



It would seem that it should not be 

 necessary to more than even hint that 

 bee-keepers desire the continuation of 

 Mr. Larrabee in the position which he 

 has filled with such entire satisfaction 

 and great profit to the industry of bee- 

 keeping, in order to have him re-instated 

 in that position. It has come to a pretty 

 pass, when such a Government as ours 

 cannot afford the "mere pittance of 

 $1,000" for the advancement of so 

 promising a pursuit as bee-culture. We 

 are loth to believe that the " powers 

 that be" in Washington are so near- 

 sighted or blinded as to be unable to see 

 the great necessity for just the kind of 

 work that Mr. Larrabee was performing 

 for the "300,000 bee-keepers" of our 

 country. 



We most heartily "second the mo- 

 tion " made by Bro. Root, and would 

 urge all the readers of the American 

 Bee Journal to at once rush such a 

 resounding "cry" into the ears of Prof. 

 Riley and Secretary Rusk as shall cause 

 them to heed the request, or from the 

 very " roaring " of the bee-keepers make 

 them cry — 



" Enough ! We yield to thee— 

 Take back thy Larrabee." 



We certainly believe in petitioning for 

 whatever is wanted, and when those in 

 authority understand our needs, we feel 

 sure they will respect our prayers and 

 grant our desires. If ten or fifteen thou- 

 sand letters urging the continuance of 

 Mr. Larrabee at the Michigan Agricul- 

 tural College, were to be sent to Wash- 

 ington within say two weeks, we have 

 not the least doubt that our helpful 

 " Larra-bee " would be "winging" his 

 way back to the "hive" on the "old 

 stand ;" and the $1,000, or more, would 

 follow him as fast as it is needed. 



Let every one who reads these words, 

 write immediately to Prof. C. V. Riley 

 or Jeremiah M. Rusk, expressing their 

 requests in such a humming, honied 



