50 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 1; 



as much which is valuable in our bee pa- 

 pers is published out of season, or not at just 

 the time when it should be put in practice, 

 it is almost impossible for me to remember it 

 till the time of practice. Canj-ou tell me of 

 any way or means which will help me re- 

 member these things at the rig-ht time?" 



"While studj'ingf along these lines some 

 years ago I purchased a small leather- 

 bound book containing 72 blank leaves: but 

 if you do not intend to use it for more than 

 one year, 24 leaves will do very well. 

 This bo3k I arranged similar to an assess- 

 or's, which has the letters of the alphabet. 

 from A to Z, on the outside margin of the 

 leaves. I now cut the leaves just as I 

 would to letter them: but instead of letter- 

 ing them I wrote on the little square of the 

 first. Jan. 1. then allowing- three leaves for 

 this I wrote on the second. Jan. 15; again, 

 allowing three leaves, on the third. Feb. 1, 

 and so on. giving three leaves or six oages 

 for each half-month: but. as I said, if you 

 wish to use a new book every year, one leaf 

 or two pages will be sufficient." 



"I think I understand that part, for I 

 have used lettered books in various wa^-s. 

 Now tell me ho-s- to use it af:er I have it all 

 arranged for the 24 half-months of the 

 year." 



•' When Gleaxixgs first comes it is care- 

 fully read and laid away in a place set 

 apart for it; and the other bee papers which 

 I take are treated in the same way, so that, 

 at the end of the year. the3' are in perfect 

 order to be bound. Unless you do this some 

 of the numbers are likely to get lost. whi:h 

 spoils much of the usefulness of our plan. 

 Every paper is to be as carefull3' preserved 

 as we would preserve money, if we are to 

 profit bj' it. And allow me to saj- that 

 these bee papers have been more profitable 

 to me than money, for the knowledge gain- 

 ed bj' and through them has enabled me to 

 accumulate the money from the bees bv' 

 successful!}' manipulating them, which 

 thing I could no; have done save for the bee 

 papers." 



"None of j'our moralizing. I understand 

 about preserving the bee papers. But as 

 you have touched on the matter of binding 

 the 3-ear's numbers of Gleanings, suppose 

 you tell me how to do that, or, rather, how 

 you do it." 



•' After paying out nearly as much monej* 

 for the binding of Gleanings as it cost me, 

 I concluded that I would do it mjself, 

 which I generally do b}- driving slim wire 

 nails through and clinching them. This 

 makes each volume hand\- when I wish to 

 refer to it, and preserves all the market 

 quotations for honey, as well as the adver- 

 tisements, which are generally thrown out 

 where bound at a book binder\-. Advertise- 

 ments of 3ears ago, and especial]}' the mar- 

 ket reports, are of much interest to me by 

 way of comparison with the present." 



•'Thank you for this hint. oS'ow about 

 how to use the book we are supposed to 

 have axed." 



"In reading, the most important part is 



to preserve the 'wheat.' as you term it, 

 which we find in our literature, and make 

 go 3d use of it after we have it all preserved 

 in good order. The most of us can not find 

 time to read any volume a second time to 

 get the many points in it which ma^- be of 

 value. If I were obliged to read all a sec- 

 ond time to find the things I considered of 

 value to me. I fear I should not get them at 

 all. I carefully read 07ice all there is in a 

 paper, and then I want it so I can get at 

 what is of use to me. in a moment, just 

 when wanted at another time. To do this, 

 whenever I sit down to read a fresh paper 

 I have a pencil with me; and when 1 find a 

 new idea, or an old one I wish to experi- 

 ment with further, I mark it." 



"Please tell me how \ou mark what v'ou 

 want to read again." 



"If I wish to read anv- whole article I 

 put pencil-marks over the top of it and un- 

 der the bottom. If only a few sentences, 

 then I draw a mark around the matter so 

 as to enclose tha: which I consider of value. 

 In this way I can easiU' find anv' thing I 

 wish just as quick as I see these marks; 

 and in future 5'ears, or at any time I wish 

 to find that which is really valuable in my 

 volume, all I have to do is to read these 

 marked passages and thus get the cream of 

 the whole j'ear in a little time." 



"Well, 5'ou don't need any book for 

 that.'" 



"No; so far I could get along without 

 anv' book or any thing of the kind; but it 

 often happens that some of the best ideas 

 are suited only to certain seasons of the 

 year, and that season more than six to nine 

 months from the time that I read it. As 

 m_v memory is not sufficient for set times and 

 dates I must have some means to remind 

 me of these valuable points, just when they 

 will be of use to me; and that was what led 

 me to get and fix a book, as we have been 

 talking about. This book is within %as3' 

 reach of the chair which I generall}' occup.v 

 when reading; and as soon as something 

 valuable ;s marked I jot down the page and 

 subject in the book, under the date to which 

 it is applicable. Thus I have all the mat- 

 ter which I consider valuable to me, con- 

 tained in the numerous papers which I read, 

 arranged with reference to the time it is to 

 be used, all before me at a moment's notice 

 in this book." 



"Will 3'ou please explain a little more 

 full}'? I do not know that I full3' compre- 

 hend all of it." 



" I think 3'OU understood how the valuable 

 things were marked and how written down. 

 Now as we are beginning the year I wish 

 to know all that is valuable in my year's 

 Gleanings and other bee papers for 1902, 

 during the first half of January, or between 

 Jan. 1 and Jan. 15, so I open the book at 

 Jan. 1, as written on the little square, and 

 look over all there is on this page; and if, 

 for instance, I find "How to put foundation 

 into sections"! that being a different way 

 of doing this from an3' which I had pre- 

 viousl}' used); and' as this is the time I am 



