THE AMERICA!^ BEE JOURNAL. 



575 



eal knowledge with a lot of high- 

 sounding — bosh. Editors, as I take it, 

 aim to publish bee papers that shall be 

 acceptable to the beginner, as well 

 as to the average reader. Who con- 

 stitutes the average reader 'i Is he a 

 scientist ¥ Is he a professional man ¥ 

 No ; the average readers are plain 

 common sense farmers, artisans and 

 laborers. In saying this I say nothing 

 disparagingly of them, for though own- 

 ing a professional title, I am proud to 

 class myself among the average 

 readers. What do we want, therefore, 

 as we look eagerly over the pages of 

 the different publications V Do we 

 " hanker " after a " set-to " between 

 Mr. Find-fault and Mr. Cross-grain 

 about the infinitesimal portion of an 

 inch which the yellow bands should be 

 apart on the golden Italians i* Are we 

 "almost dying "to know whether a 

 specific microphyte is an existing fea- 

 ture of modern hives V I trow not. 

 If, therefore, the average reader is 

 not;what shall we say of the beginner i* 



I have seen able practical bee-keep- 

 ers turn with disgust from the tire- 

 some argumentative articles that too 

 frequently grace ( V) the pages of cer- 

 tain bee papers. Not tliat they failed 

 to imderstand them, but that they 

 desired more practical matter. When 

 first entering the ranks, some 12 years 

 since, I well remember how eagerly 

 and thankfully I perused such plain 

 and common sense articles as occa- 

 sionally greet our eye in the columns 

 of the bee papers. Stripped of useless 

 technicalities and scientiffc terms, 

 they seemed as oases in the desert of 

 matter served up as bee literature. 

 We need more just such practical talk, 

 that will actually teach the beginners 

 and still prove acc_eptable to those 

 farther advanced. This Is not to be 

 understood as a plea for simple 

 "childish twaddle" in bee papers; 

 but what we do want is tlie cultiva- 

 tion in writers of that happy faculty 

 of writing wisely, yet in plain every- 

 day .language, so that a man, though 

 a beginner, may not err therein. I 

 believe in this that I only emphasize 

 the voice of many readers, and that if 

 the above suggestions were acted 

 upon, several well conducted bee 

 papers would become doubly inter- 

 esting. "A word to the wise is suf- 

 ficient. 



Galena, Md., Oct. 10, 1883. 



Kor the American Bee JoumaL 



Discussion, a Valuable Means of 

 Arriving at Truth. 



J. E. POND, JR. 



Discussions on matters of interest 

 and importance are considered valua- 

 ble in most questions where differ- 

 ences of opinion arise, and. as a rule, 

 are conducted amicably and in accord- 

 ance with logical and parlimentary 

 rules. In matters connected with 

 apiculture, more than in any others, 

 it would seem that such discussions 

 might be carried on, but I am sorry to 

 see that such is not tlie case. There 

 always have been and always will be, 

 I presume, differences of opinion ex- 

 isting on theoretical matters, and the 



only way I know whereby truth can 

 be evolved and correct notions estab- 

 lished, is by full, fair, free, amicable 

 and impartial discussion. Opinions 

 are of more or less value, depending 

 upon the amount of practical experi- 

 ence behind them and the mental 

 calibre of the experimenter. 



Bee-keeping as a science can be only 

 learned by study and experiment, and 

 as a valuable aid to the study, come 

 the various reports we find in the Bee 

 Journal from different localities 

 throughout the country. Reports 

 alone of what is done simply,— the 

 amount of honey gathered and the 

 number of colonies kept — amount to 

 but little as an aid ; what is desired is 

 to know the process by which this or 

 that result is brought about, the style 

 of hive, form of frame, &c, Kight 

 here, however, is where we " run 

 against a snag." If one gives a report 

 claiming the results are owing to a 

 certain frame, or if an argument is 

 made showing up the valuable qual- 

 iti(": of the frame, the next issue of 

 the B.,1-; .Journal is full of articles 

 whicli iiistead of being argumenta- 

 tive, seem written for the sole purpose 

 of venting spite ; and why V Simply 

 because the frame praised does not 

 meet the approbation of the writers. 

 The idea some seem to carry is that 

 certain frames ought not to be used, 

 no matter how good results are ob- 

 tained from them. One writer informs 

 us that a certain frame will not win- 

 ter bees safely ; and when he is in- 

 formed that bees are wintered safely 

 in them, he says I don't care if they 

 are, they ought not to, be ; and I once 

 tried to open a hive containing those 

 frames and got stung, while I did not 

 get stung at all in opening a hive 

 containing frames of different style. 

 So goes the battle. I don't know why 

 it is that bee-keepers cannot discuss 

 a question of apiculture fairly ; I sim- 

 ply know they do not. 



I am sorry that such is the case, as 

 beginners sliould know what is the 

 best, and the only way to determine 

 that, is to take the statistics and as- 

 certain from them. The discussion 

 does not end with frames, either; else 

 the matter would not be as bad as it 

 is. No matter what question comes 

 up, there are found plenty to oppose ; 

 and that too with a vehemence worthy 

 of a better cause. Suppose a beginner 

 wishes to know the best plan of win- 

 tering y He naturally looks over a 

 file of the Bee .Journal to ascertain 

 the advice given therein, supposing 

 very naturally that he will learn some- 

 thing of value to him ; but does he ? 

 The poor fellow finds one giving 

 advice in a certain direction ; another 

 opposing it at a terrible rate. One 

 advising upward ventilation, another 

 claiming that directly at variance with 

 natural laws, etc., till at last he sits 

 down in despair, saying : " I don't see 

 as it makes any difference ; all are 

 wrong and all are right. But what 

 shall 1 do to save my bees V " 



There are matters connected with 

 V)ee culture on which there is no dis- 

 pute ; there are other matters which 

 are disputed, and which should be dis- 

 cussed in order that the truth may be 

 discovered. These are matters of real 



importance, and should be discussed 

 freely and fully. There are still other 

 matters in dispute (and these seem to 

 be the ones on which the most venom 

 is displayed,) which are simply mat- 

 ters of opinion, and are of little value, 

 as one way is fully as valuable as 

 another, the question being more one 

 of convenience than of practical 

 utility. These latter questions need 

 no particular discussion or explana- 

 tion. One man can best operate with 

 one style of extractor because he is 

 most used to it ; another prefers a cer- 

 tain style or form of section-case, or 

 wide frame, because he can manipu- 

 late it more easily than another ; and 

 really it will make but little difference 

 to the beginner which style he does 

 use, but when it comes to the question 

 of what frame shall I use, or what 

 plan shall I adopt for wintering, it 

 strikes me that there is still room for 

 argument. There is a best style of 

 frame, and there is a best plan for 

 wintering. Now let us discuss the 

 mal^ter with all fairness and in an 

 amicable manner, and try to get at the 

 truth, if possible; drop prejudice and 

 opinion, as opinion simply. If you 

 have any arguments, present them, 

 and give others the same privilege, 

 and at last we shall ascertain more 

 nearly the truth than by any other 

 means I know of. 

 Foxboro, Mass., Oct. 31, 1883. 



For the American Bee JoumaL 



Essentials of the Coming Hive. 



A. WEBSTER. 



I have felt a lively interest in the 

 improvement of bee-hives ever since 

 I have kept bees, which is over 25 

 years. There are many natural laws 

 that have an important bearing on 

 bee-hive construction, but inventors 

 are apt to give undue prominence to 

 one or more points, which are made 

 much of, to the neglect of others 

 which are, perhaps, or equal or even 

 greater importance. Nearly all who 

 have written on " the coming hive," 

 "astandavd hive," "standard frames," 

 etc., seem to take it for granted that 

 some one of the hives or frames now 

 in common use should be adopted as 

 such. 



I think that advanced bee-keepers 

 in the latter part of the 19th century 

 sliould do better than that ; and look 

 for a liive constructed on a new and 

 scientific plan, and a new system of 

 manipulation and management, that 

 by its adaptation to the natural in- 

 stincts of bees and the requirements 

 of bee-keepers, shall commend itself 

 to enlightened ininds, and not need the 

 formal endorsement of conventions 

 and societies. Those who do not ap- 

 preciate applied science will, of 

 course, be free to keep bees on 

 Adam's, Samson's, or any other plan 

 they may choose. Of the improve- 

 ments of the past, movable comb 

 frames must be retained, l)ut of an 

 entirely different construction from 

 those liow in common use ; and shoiUd 

 be fixed, and reversible as well as 

 movable. Extracted honey has become 

 a staple article, and its production 

 must be provided for. 



