120 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Feh. 2A 



GBORQB 'W. YORK, - Bdllter. 



PnBLISHT WEEKLY BT 



GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 

 lis AfioZiig-an St., - CKIOAGO, ILL. 



$1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. 

 (Hntered at the Poat-OSce at Cblcaso aa Second-Clasa Mall-Matter] 



United States Bee-Keepers' Unian. 



Organized to advance the pursuit of Apiculture; to promote the interests 



of bee-beepers t to protect its members ; to prevent the adulteration 



of honey; and to prosecute the dishonest honey-commission men. 



Membership Fee— $1.00 Per Annum. 



Exeouti\^e Commiftee, 



President— George W. York. Vice-Pres.— W. Z. Hutchinson. 

 Secretary— Dr. A. B. Mason, Station B, Toledo, Ohio. 



Board of Directors. 



E. R. Root. E. Whitcomb. E. T. Abbott. 



W. Z. Hutchinson. Dr. C. C. Miller. C. P. Dadant. 



General Afanag-er antl Treasurer. 



Eugene Secor, Forest City, Iowa. 



Vol. imill. CHICAGO, ILL, FEB, 24, 1898. No, 8. 



California Bee-Keepers' Exctaange.— The 



Los Angeles Fruit World for Jan. 15, reported that C. H. 

 Clayton, secretary and business manager of the Exchange, on 

 Jan. 14 sold three carloads of amber extracted honey at 4 

 cents per pound, for shipment to Chicago and Boston. An 

 offer of the same price was declined for 36,000 pounds of 

 amber honey later in the day. It was said in the same paper 

 that the market was firm, demand plentiful, and supply some- 

 what scant. 



It is no doubt that the Exchange, when properly working, 

 and supported as it should be by the bee-keepers of California, 

 will prove of great advantage to all concerned. 



A German Sees American Bee-Keeping-. 



— In Luxemburgischen Bienenzeltung an account is given of 

 observations in America, iu which especially the differences 

 between Germany and America are noticed. In America no 

 bee-houses as in Germany, but each hive out in the open air. 

 All movable combs instead of box or straw hives. Frames 

 lifted out above Instead of at the back, so any frame can be 

 lifted out separately instead of taking out all the frames to 

 get at the last. One cannot help wondering, however, in 

 what part of America he has been traveling to make the 

 statement that bee-keeping is to be found in America at every 

 farm-house, that the farmer living 20 to 30 miles from the 

 nearest town must depend on the bees for his sweetening ; 

 that In America almost all fruit that is boiled down is boiled 



down In honey ; and that farmers come and offer honey at 4 

 to 5 cents a pound, and often not being taken at that, they 

 finally offer it at 2 or o cents to get rid of it ! 

 *-.-* 



PJe^w Thing's are being constantly brought out in all 

 lines of the world's work. Bee-keeping is no exception. In 

 this number we illustrate and describe two of the new api- 

 arian things — the plain section and slat separator^ or fence. 

 Now it would be very foolish for bee-keepers to at once throw 

 away all the fixtures they have on hand, and get a big supply 

 of the new. There would be neither sense nor reason in so 

 doing. The proper thing to do is to get some of the new goods 

 for trial, and then if you find them superior to what you have 

 been using, adopt them ; if found no better, then you can go 

 on with the former things. 



We believe in showing to our readers every new and use- 

 ful invention that may be brought out in the line of bee-cul- 

 ture, but we hope that no one will conclude that because we 

 do this, we at the same time advise them to throw away or 

 burn up all the old things now in use. No, no ; test the new, 

 and then " hold fast to that which is good." 

 ^-^-^ 



A Few Kicks and Gro-wls.— Mr. J. M. Jenkins, 

 of Elmore Co., Ala., "kicks and growls" in the following 

 (perhaps latest) fashion : 



I've got a little kick or two on my mind for the American 

 Bee Journal, and here goes. Of coarse, the people that don't 

 run papers and railroads know all about how they ought to be 

 run. 



1. I don't like that new-fangled way you have of spelling. 

 Can't get used to it. Get to reading an interesting advertise- 

 ment, editorial or communication, and all at once meet one of 

 those things face to face, and it surprises me — actually, some 

 of 'em " shox" me. (That's a good 'un — shox.) Then I rather 

 lose the subject and catch myself looking ahead to see what 

 next. May be silly, but it's so. I wish you'd quit it, but you 

 needn't stop my subscription, even if you don't. 



2. Speaking of advertisements, I wonder how many folks, 

 on receiving a bee-paper or magazine, begin at the back, look 

 over the advertisements from back to front first thing. I 

 always do. I may, for want of time, leave some things un- 

 read, but not the pages of business propositions. 



3. Another thing, I like to see the full name and post- 

 office of contributors. Why not? Of course, everybody 

 knows I am in the city where the State Penitentiary is, and 

 where I am liable to spend the rest of my natural life, but 

 how many of your readers, do you suppose, know where such 

 little side-lights as Dr. C. C. Miller or G. M. Doolittle live and 

 vote, and have their bees ? I am sure the next number of the 

 American Bee Journal will conform to these preferences 

 o'mine — but don't stop my paper. 



4. I also growl about the way in which you and Gleanings, 

 and perhaps other bee-papers and correspondents, sometimes 

 hint at or tell on dishonest commissfon-men. If a commission- 

 man does a crooked piece of business, and it is publisht with- 

 out giving his name, what good is done the unsophisticated 

 country sucker that buys your paper, and also swallows the 

 plausible buncombe and flattering testimonials of Wheadon, 

 Horrie, et of., except to make him suspicious of oJt commis- 

 sion-men ? What's the use of putting us onto 'em after the 

 police have chased 'em out of town and closed up their 

 business ? 



5. Expose swindlers by all means ; but please tell us who 

 they are. You wrong no one by publishing the facts about a 

 transaction, with names and addresses of parties concerned. 

 You can still further help bee-keepers, and, incidentally, the 

 commission-men, by the favorable mention of a commission 

 house that you know is honest and reliable, and deserving of 

 patronage. 



That's all. I wish you a happy, prosperous New Year. 

 Elmore Co., Ala., Jan. 14. J. M. Jenkins. 



We will try to reply to some of Mr. Jenkins' questions and 

 objections, tho our answers may not be satisfactory to him 

 and a few others like him (who are outside of the penitentiary, 

 and yet so near to it !) : 



1. Many people don't like "new-fangled" things and 

 ways, but all of the old Ideas and things that have contributed 

 to progress In any line were once thought by some to be " new 



