THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPEB. 



106 



that business methods have materially 

 changed since their grandfather's day. 

 Competition is Iceen and exacting; and 

 unless there is a grand awakening 

 among the producers of honey at an 

 early date, those now living may see 

 their vocation, sacrificed beneath 

 the ponderous wheels of a modern jug- 

 gernaunt, styled "commercialism." 



Success in the production of honey 

 presupposes a general knowledge of the 

 business, of course; but specific infor- 

 mation in regard to many minute -le- 

 tails is imperative, and the dissem- 

 ination of such information usually 

 devolves upon bee jonrnals. An api- 

 ary infected with foul brood is, doubt- 

 less, less profitable than if it were in a 

 healthy condition. In view of the pre- 

 valence of this malady, does it not be- 

 hoove the bee-keeper to inform him- 

 self as to the advancement of science 

 and practice in relation to its treat- 

 ment? Florida, to as great an extent 

 as any other State in the Union, has 

 reason to thank heaven that among 

 her bee-keepers are some who are not 

 afraid of acquiring a surplus of apia- 

 rian information. It is but a few years 

 past that the foul brood scourge broke 

 out and bee-keeping interests of the 

 east coast were seriously^ menaced; 

 but, by the prompt action of one pro- 

 gressive apiarist, its ravages were staid 

 and the last vistage of the infection 

 eliminated from the state. 



Knowledge, specific and general, is 

 the foundation. "Good yields and liv- 

 ing prices" will be a spontaneous out- 

 growth. 



May, 



come a new bee paper, and Bi'othov 

 Putnam has demonstrated ids alnlity 

 to get up a creditable claimant for 

 support. 



As Mr. Putnam invites n-iticisia, we 

 presume it is in order for us to indi- 

 cate the weak point of the Uural 

 Bee-Keeper, as it appears from our 

 point of view: The habit of sand- 

 wiching in items in reference to r.oods 

 offered" for sale by the iuiblis'iey of 

 any trade journal, savors too distinct- 

 ly of the "house organ" type of publi- 

 cations which is being turned down by 

 the postoffice department, and it leaves 

 a disagreeable taste in the mouth of 

 the reader who reads for ueneral in- 

 formation and not to learn of the mer- 

 its characteristic of any particular line 

 of goods. 



Catalogues and price lists of supplies 

 we believe to be somewhat out of pla«;a 

 in the editorial columns of a modern 

 trade journal. Commercial ".nforma- 

 tion and literary merit ought to be 

 dished up separately. That is, so be- 

 lieves the American Bee-K?eper. 



We wish the new comer abundant 

 success. 



THE RURAL BElMvEEPFJl. 



We are in receipt of the first number 

 of The Rural Bee-Keeper, River Falls, 

 Wis., a monthly journal published at 

 50 cents a year, by W. H. Putnam, 

 and containing 16 pages and cover. 

 Said "cover" is dated March. 1904. 

 while the other pages proclaim "April" 

 as the date of issue. It is difficidt, 

 therefore to tell just when the "Rural" 

 was born. However, it is gotten up in 

 very creditable style, and starts off 

 with a very handsome array of adver- 

 tising, which is essential to the life of 

 any periodical. 



We do not agree with some of tlie 

 older bee journals that the journalistic 

 field in our line is overstocked, and 

 we are therefore always pleascnl to ^^-el- 



We are in need of more good articles 

 and photographs of interest for publi- 

 cation, and we are willing to pay for 

 creditable material. It is not rehashes 

 of threadbare axioms that we need (we 

 have an ample supply); but rather new 

 ideas and points that will be of inter- 

 est to others who keep bees. We are 

 still looking for those scribes of bee- 

 dom who are to light the way in the 

 future. 



Someone said "one swallow does not 

 make a summer," and it is as true that 

 one colony of bees is insufficient to 

 prove or disprove the characteristics 

 of any race or strain, but as to the 

 Funics being vicious, as is frequently 

 stated, we cannot refrain from stating , 

 that our Punic colony is as docile as 

 were ever any strain of golden Ital- 

 ians; and up "to present writing they 

 have been better honey gatherers tnan 

 any stock in our yard. It is too early 

 to speak positively as to their other 

 virtues or vices, but, to be candid, we 

 cannot at present restrain a feehne 

 somewhat akin to enthusiasm in regar( 

 to these bees. 



