July 20, 1899. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



457 



this State classing it, we believe. We would sug-gest that 

 the bee-keepers in and around Antioch get after their 

 "commissioner" with a big- bunch of thistles and compel 

 him to let sweet clover alone until he learns something- 

 about its many values. 



Thursday, July 6, we took a bicycle ride some 30 miles 

 northwest of Chicago, and the sweettlover was coming into 

 bloom in immense quantities, and the bees were just roar- 

 ing on it. But, actuall}', some ignoramuses who control 

 the roads and the railroads in that region were mowing it 

 down just as fast as they could. What a pity it was, to see 

 all that fine stock feed and nectar for bees destroyed ! If it 

 must be mowed, why not wait until September, or later ? Of 

 course, by that time the seed will have matured and fallen 

 ■on the ground to grow again, but what of that ? If sweet 

 clover were not growing there, doubtless some miserable 

 weed would be, and is it not much better to have the rich, 

 fragrant, nectar-laden sweet clover along the roadsides 

 than ragweeds and other kinds of noxious weeds? 



We do hope that our readers everywhere will inform 

 themselves as to the varied values of sweet clover, and talk 

 it up until its enemies cease to cut it down, and thus destroy 

 one of the best plants our countrj' affords — for stock pas- 

 turage, for bees, and, lastly, for the making of good roads, 

 as Mr. Dibbern has shown. 



Apis Dorsata in the United States. — An editorial in 

 Gleanings in Bee-Culture is headed, "Apis Dorsata Here at 

 Medina at Last ; Giant Bees for Sale." The editor goes on 

 to describe at length what beauties the5' are, each worker 

 looking like a great, big yellow Italian queen, and after 

 arousing to the highest notch the expectation of the would- 

 be purchaser, he informs him that the bees will be sold, 

 onlj' one worker to each purchaser, at 10 cents each, eac/i 

 zvorkcr being in a little bottle of alcohol. Oh, Editor Root, 

 how could you so trifle with one's feelings ? 



Stenog, in Gleanings in Bee-Culture for Jul)- 1, starts 

 out his department with this rhythimcal "pick:" 



*' Bring out your eruus, all you that has 'em. 

 And blaze away with enthusiasm I 

 The basswoods now their nectar ooze," 

 Says Drone, "and we have not an hour to lose." 



Just why the bees 'should bring out their " guns " in- 

 stead of " honey-sacs," in which to collect the oozing nec- 

 tar, we can't quite understand. But perhaps in Stenog's 

 locality the bees use guns for that purpose. 



* ♦ ♦ ♦ * 



Mr. R. F. HolTERMANn, editor of the Canadian Bee 

 Journal, lost his little 6-year-old son Richard by very sud- 

 den death on June 12. We did not learn it until July 11 — 

 nearl)' one month later — or we would have announced it be- 

 fore in these columns. We are sure that our readers will 

 join with us in extending to Mr. and Mrs. Holtermann sin- 

 cerest sympathy in their great sorrow. Mr. Holtermann 

 gives the following particulars in the July number of his 

 paper : 



"On Monday, June 12, after dinner, contrary to my 

 usual practice, I remained at the house for some time. I 

 felt like resting, and did what I do not remember of ever 

 doing before at that hour of the day — I lay down in the 

 hammock at the side of the house. Those who were at our 

 house during the winter convention may remember the fair 

 little boy, strong, and the picture of health. He came to 

 me and I askt him if he wanted to go to a gospel meeting 

 for children, and he said yes. We arranged that his older 

 brother should take him on the wheel. Then he askt for 



the hoe, he wanted to plant some radish ; not ten minutes 

 after I heard him crj'ing on the other side of the house. I 

 did not go for almost a minute. When I did go, his mother 

 was with him, and he said he had pains in his legs. In 

 about a minute he had convulsions. I said he was poisoned. 

 In response to a question he said he only had what we gave 

 him for dinner. I jumpt on my wheel and in ten minutes 

 or so had one doctor, and in a few minutes another, but all 

 was over in about half an hour. There is no doubt it was 

 sun-stroke, as he had no hat on his head." 



Mr. G. M. DooliTTle, of Onondaga Co., N. Y., writes 

 us that. Providence permitting, he will be at the Philadel- 

 phia convention. A good many bee-keepers would be very 

 glad to meet Mr. Doolittle, having read so much of his 

 writings on bee-keeping. 



♦ * ♦ * » 



Mr. J. H. Martin, writing us from Los Angeles Co., 

 Calif.. July 3. had this to say about the discouraging condi- 

 tions in Southern California : 



"This is a season of uttnost discouragement to bee- 

 keepers here ; there will be but little honey produced, and 

 there vein be a great loss of bees. Fifty percent died last 

 v 

 th 



,'ear, and 50 percent, if not more, of the remainder will die 

 his year. It will be some years before Southern California 

 will recover from this disastrous condition of things." 



* * # * ♦ 



Mr. Wm. a. SeIvSER, of Philadelphia, dropt in to see 

 us, very unexpectedly, on Wednesday, July 12. Several 

 years ago he called on us when passing thru Chicago, but, 

 unfortunately, we were then out of the city, and mist see- 

 ing him. Mr. Selser is perhaps the largest bottler of pure 

 honey in this country, having, we believe, disposed of some 

 30,000 pounds in that way thru grocers, in a single year. He 

 is also an extensive bee-keeper, producing much of the 

 honey which he sells. 



Mr. Selser is expecting a large convention in Philadel- 

 phia, next September, when the bee-keepers " settle " there 

 for a few days. He is an enthusiastic worker in the bee- 

 industry, as well as a loyal and active Baptist in church 

 matters. No doubt Dr. Mason (%vho is also a prominent 

 member of the same denomination) will lay strong claim to 

 Mr. Selser at the convention, but we'll try to do our part in 

 seeing that the jovial Doctor donit monopolize him entirely. 



♦ # » # ♦ 



Mr. Thos. G. Newman was given a call by " The Ram- 

 bler," when the latter was in San Francisco, reference to 

 which is thus made in Gleanings in Bee-Culture for July 1 : 



" I felt as tho it would not do to pass thru the city with- 

 out shaking the hand of that stanch friend of the bee-keep- 

 ing fraternity, Mr. Thos. G. Newman. 



"Mr. Newman gave us a cordial greeting, but we were 

 pained to find him iii delicate health. When he first came 

 to California he found an abiding-place in the extreme 

 south, at San Diego. We were in hopes for a time that Los 

 Angeles would become his permanent home, and there is 

 not the least doubt in my mind but this city would have 

 been the more healthful for him ; but business matters 

 necessitated the change to his present quarters. 



Mr. Newman is an eminent spiritualist, publishes the 

 Philosophical Journal, and but a few moments' conversa- 

 tion with him will demonstrate that he is a man who de- 

 sires to benefit and elevate his fellowmen. He has been a 

 faithful worker in the interests of bee-keepers, and there is 

 no use to refer to the firmness of his backbone in reference 

 to the affairs of the Bee-Keepers' Union." 



It is now a little over seven years since Mr. Newman 

 severed his connection with the American Bee Journal. For 

 about 18 years previous to that time he had been its editor, 

 and had carried it thru many trying years. While he never 

 run the journal just for fun, it is true that he was, as The 

 Rambler says, " a faithful worker in the interests of bee- 

 keepers," unselfishly devoting his best efforts to the up- 

 building and extension of the bee-industry. 



When Mr. Newman purchast the American Bee Jour- 

 nal it was issued monthly, at $2.00 a year, and had about 

 800 subscribers, while to-day it is publisht weekly, at SI. 00 

 a year, and has nearly ten times as many readers. 



It will be noticed that before the reduction in price and 

 change to a weekly, the Bee Journal cost its subscribers 

 nearly 17 cents a copy ; to-day it costs less than 2 cents. 

 And yet some object to the present price ; but such are not 

 worthy of the name "bee-keeper." 



