178 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Conflicting Tlieories of Bee-Keepers. 



Mr. Jacob Spence, of Toronto, 

 Canada, wishes a formulation of tlie 

 various theories, now so contiicting, 

 into creeds, so that the less advanced 

 bee-keepor may have certain land- 

 marks which he can keep in view 

 while acquiring a knowledge of the 

 more intricate details of the business. 

 Below will be found his views upon 

 the subject, and a call for our commit- 

 tal, which we cheerfully respond to : 



To some of us it is distressingly be- 

 wildering to tind so many directly 

 conflicting theories held by those who 

 ought to be entitled to be looked up 

 to as safe instructors. I think, too, 

 that one very good way of bringing 

 out truth is by clear statement of con- 

 sistent theory— fairly founded on well 

 ascertained facts and experiences. 

 There are many interesting minor 

 methods of detail, on which no doubt 

 many various ways of working may be 

 almost equally successful in bee in- 

 crease and honey production— but, 

 then, to keep the bees alive must tie 

 taken as the vital one thing needful. 



Safe wintering and spring dwind- 

 ling seem closely connected (or dis- 

 connected), and now to find out cer- 

 tain how to secure the one and pre- 

 vent the other beyond ordinary per- 

 adventure, is where the real difficulty 

 comes in. To know the cause (beyond 

 doubt, of course), would be the proper 

 key to the " how to prevent the dread- 

 ful spring dwindling ;" and to really 

 know the needful conditions of safe 

 wintering, would go far toward this 

 fultillraent. Here, then, would it not 

 be especially important to make out 

 very distinctly, ])articularly on these 

 two points, how far all reputed ortho- 

 dox authorities agree, and set down 

 what can so be taken as fully settled 

 creed, requiring little if any further 

 discussion, but decidedly correct, and 

 as such to be propounded to disciples 

 as being thus far no longer doubtful? 

 My idea is in this way to transfer as 

 much as possible (especially in essen- 

 tials) from the domain of tiie dubious 

 into that of knowledge, and then pro- 

 ceed on this line. 



I can only claim to class as a 

 " novice '' engaged in making experi- 

 ments, results of which I may some- 

 time deem worthy to communicate, 

 but would much i)refer to have less ex- 

 perimenting needful. This, it seems 

 to me, should be accomplished less 

 problematically, as well as less ex- 

 pensively, by utilizing contirmed con- 

 clusions and experiences, such as 

 might be looked for from the fathers 

 in the fascinating art. 



I do earnestly wish, Mr. Editor, 

 that yourself, and more of your very 

 able corresp(uulents, would turn more 

 to these two vital parts of the pro- 

 gramme. Do let us have fixed (not 

 conflicting) creed on the ways and 

 means of preserving the precious life 

 of the " coming bee." 



Bee-keeping, as an art or profession, 

 is yet in its infancy, and the creeds to 



be determined are proportioned to the 

 magnitude of the business. Were 

 wintering the only problem to be 

 solved, it would have been satisfacto- 

 rily settled long ago ; but scores of 

 questions have been constantly aris- 

 ing, some of greater and others of 

 lesser importance, and each claiming 

 more or less the attention of all. 

 Again, these experiments and results 

 are all conducted from different stand- 

 points, and reached through various 

 channels, and hence diverse convic- 

 tions are reached, and each as logical 

 as the others. 



Could nature and the variations of 

 winter be controlled by artihcial means 

 as easily as can be the certainty of 

 honey flow in summer, then the suc- 

 cess of one winter's experiments can 

 he duplicated the next ; but until then, 

 for any man to formulate his theories 

 into a creed, or the majority of his 

 successes into an invariable doctrine, 

 would be to stamp him as an egotist, 

 and bring disaster on his followers. 



We are reaching results quite 

 rapidly, and many important questions 

 are settling in convictions ; but to ar- 

 rive at harmonious conclusions, on all 

 the main topics, will be impossible, 

 owing to the vast extent of country 

 and difference of climate involved, as 

 well as different phases of human 

 nature to be drifted into one channel. 

 More unanimity of thought on very 

 many questions is desirable, but time 

 will be required, and a convincing 

 need of such unanimity, before it will 

 be reached. 



We are glad Mr. Spence is moved 

 by the spirit of experiment, and is 

 himself assisting to overcome some of 

 the obstacles to uniform success, but 

 in many things he will find that a 

 creed which may be life-saving in 

 his extreme latitude, would be as cer- 

 tain to work destruction further south 

 or west. Still, it is none the less his 

 imperative duty to investigate, as his 

 own success depends in a great meas- 

 ure upon the modification he may 

 make in the creeds of others. 



i^Mr. W. C. Barry, of Mount 

 Hope nurseries, Rochester, N. Y., 

 has our thanks for a neatly printed 

 pamphlet containing his two essays on 

 "Ornamental Planting "and" Native 

 Fruits," both of which we have read 

 with much pleasure and profit. 



^^ No. 2 of the California Apicul- 

 turist has come to hand with an ad- 

 ditional 4 pages, making 12 in all. 



"Miner" Points.— In the Home and 

 Science Gossip, of Rockford, Ills., Mr. 

 F. M. Miner writes as foUovps : 



In the Bee Journal, July 6, there 

 is an ebullition of spleen, ignorance 

 and self-conceit from one Robinson. 

 Among other silly things he says he 

 knows how to winter bees — snow ex- 

 cludes air ; and Mr. Newman has sent 

 his trash over the wide vv'orld to the 

 disgrace of American prestige, and 

 excluded any reply. Some of us ought 

 to be in the insane asylum, claiming 

 to be authorities while we differ radi- 

 cally on essentials. 



We are astonislied at the language 

 used by Mr. Miner. The facts are 

 that he sent us a communication last 

 fall, and we put it into our "corres- 

 pondence drawer," without reading, 

 awaiting its selection to go into the 

 Bee Journal. Some time after he 

 wrote us that the editor of the Guide 

 wanted him to write for it, and unless 

 we could print it soon, he would be 

 glad to have it to send to the Guide. 

 As we were crowded with matter, and 

 our compositors could not "set up" 

 Mr. M.'s articles until they were 

 copied, and as we were to busy to do 

 so, at the " rush " at the end of the 

 year, we at once sent the article to the 

 Guide, as requested, without ever hav- 

 ing read it. Mr. M.'s strong language 

 is, therefore, wholly uncalled for. 



During all the winter months we 

 have a large drawer full of " commu- 

 nications," and another full of " let- 

 ters " in waiting, all the time, and 

 from this " store," we select such as 

 we deem best to give our readers a 

 savory meal each week. We are 

 sorry if any should feel aggrieved, but 

 cannot expect to please all. We shall, 

 however, continue to do our best to 

 serve up a good meal to those who sit 

 at our table— the Bee Journal. 



1^- The editor of the Terrell, Texas, 

 Kniyht, after mentioning the Bee 

 Journal's recent change to 16 pages, 

 adds : " The change has added to its 

 prosperity and popularity. Its field 

 of influence has been extended, and 

 the industry it ably represents has 

 been greatly advanced by the weekly 

 publication." The Knight has our 

 thanks for its very kind notice. To 

 advance the industry of bee-keeping 

 is our aim, on every occasion, and by 

 every means at our command. 



I^The NeiD England Bee- Journal 

 has again made its appearance, hav- 

 ing been suspended from November 

 to March. It is now expected to ap- 

 pear monthly, if sufficient support 

 shall warrant it. 



