524 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



display of bees, honey, wax, apiarian 

 implements, etc., that has ever been the 

 delight of the most favored to behold. 



Regarding what was published on 

 page 426 of the Bee Journal for Sept. 

 29th, Mr. W. I. Buchanan, Chief of the 

 Agricultural Department of the great 



Fair, wrote us as follows on Sept. 30 : 



\ 



Mr. Geo. W. York, 



Editor American Bee Journal. 



Dear Sir : — I have just read with in- 

 terest the editorial on page 426 of the 

 issue of the Bee Journal for Sept. 

 29th, regarding the World's Fair ex- 

 hibit, and I wish to congratulate you 

 and the honey-producers on having 

 struck the right road, in my estimation, 

 to make an exhibit that will attract 

 peoples' attention, and be in keeping 

 with the importance of the Exposition. 

 The ordinary acceptation of an exhibit 

 of honey seems to be that it should excel 

 in mass, or in quantity. I have never 

 believed in this, and do not believe in it 

 yet, and I sincerely hope that the Expo- 

 sition next year will be the means of 

 bringing out in a handsome manner, as 

 I know it can be, the beautiful designs 

 that can be made of honey, and the in- 

 teresting exhibit that can be prepared 

 by those who are progressive bee-keepers. 



This Department will be very glad to 

 furnish any facilities it can, to meet any 

 conditions confronting exhibitors who 

 are trying to produce something that 

 will be an attraction in the building. 

 Very respectfully yours, 



W. I. Buchanan, 

 Chief, Department of Agriculture. 



We are glad to note the interest which 

 Chief Buchanan manifests in the pro- 

 posed apiarian exhibit, and honey-pro- 

 ducers will appreciate the approval and 

 generous support and encouragement of 

 the Department of which Mr. Buchanan 

 is the head. 



We recently received a letter of in- 

 quiry from Mr. F. Hahman, the Secre- 

 tary of the Philadelphia Bee-Keepers' 

 Association, which we referred to Mr. 

 Buchanan for reply, knowing that he 

 could answer Mr. Hahman far better 

 than we could. Here is what he says : 



Mr. Geo. W. York, 



Editor American Bee Journal. 

 My Dear Sir : — I note the enclosure 

 from Mr. Hahman, of Philadelphia, and 



have read it over, and, in reply, I beg to 

 say that it is the purpose of this Depart- 

 ment to have an exhibit of bees showing 

 all varieties, that they will be shown in 

 observation hives, and that I am now 

 endeavoring to arrange with the manu- 

 facturers of hives who desire to show 

 observation hives to see if I cannot get 

 them to arrange their exhibit so that it 

 will take care of this feature of the 

 honey exhibit, and when I hear from 

 them, I will be able to give a definite 

 answer as to whether or not we can 

 accept an exhibit of bees in observation 

 hives. The observation hives will be 

 placed against the walls of the building 

 on the second floor, and the bees will . 

 have ingress and egress from and to the 

 hives from the outside. 



The cases mentioned in the circular 

 letter published in June, are simply for 

 comb honey and extracted honey where 

 it is desired. They are intended to keep 

 the comb honey from the dust, and from 

 being soiled by people handling it. 



I connot tell at this time whether we 

 shall build one, two or three large ob- 

 servation hives with apartments, or 

 whether the other arrangement will be 

 carried out, of making the exhibit of a 

 number of smaller observation hives. I 

 will be able to give a definite answer to 

 this as soon as I hear from the manufac- 

 turers. Very respectfully yours, 



W. I. Buchanan, 

 Chief, Department of Agriculture. 



The foregoing letter we mailed to Mr. 

 Hahman, and have received the follow- 

 ing interesting comment thereon, with 

 numerous suggestions : 



Messrs. Geo. W. York & Co. 



Gentlemen : — I was much pleased with 

 the perusal of the enclosed letter from 

 Mr. W. I. Buchanan, Chief of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture of the World's 

 Fair. 



If in place, I would desire to offer sev- 

 eral suggestions, as follows : 



I believe that the compartment-hive 

 plan is impracticable, when bees are to 

 be domiciled for so long a time ; the 

 close proximity of the colonies woald in- 

 convenience the apiarist in the neces- 

 sary attention which the bees require. 



The observation hive is the best plan, 

 the observatory hive to be furnished by 

 the exhibitor. The manufacturers of 

 hives will hardly furnish observatory 

 hives, because such hives are never used 

 in practical apiculture, and are in reality 

 only exhibition hives. 



One attendant apiarist will be abso- 



