1903 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1003 



what does that watch say to you. I beg-an 

 to laugh, and said, " It simply says tick, 

 tick, tick. What else should it say?" Then 

 came the unexpected and wonderful reply 

 that I believe was charactf ristic of father 

 Langstroth. He said, " Perhaps it says 

 to you only tick, tick, tick, but to me it has 

 been saying 'Quinbj', Ouinby, Ouinby,' all 

 night long; and I am afraid the watch will 

 keep on saying 'Ouinby, Ouinby, Ouinby,' 

 until I start down there and shake hands 

 with father Ouinb}', and we two become 

 friends." He started off for York State at 

 once. In a few days he came back and 

 said, " Mr. Root, I have had one of the best 

 and pleasantest visits I ever had in my 

 life. We talked things over, and he did 

 not find any fault with me, and I didn't 

 find an}' fault with him, and we are going 

 to be friends as long as God lets us live." 

 And so they were; and the bee-keeping' 

 world can all rejoice that, notwithstanding 

 the misunderstandings between those two 

 great pioneers, both of their lives closed 

 with the kindest feelings and relations one 

 toward the other. There is encouragement 

 here for those who have become discourag- 

 ed, perhaps, in their attempts to act as 

 peacemakers. I said in my talk in Los 

 Angeles, " There maj' be some people here 

 to-night whose watches, if they do not say 

 'Ouinb}', Quinb}', Quinby,' may be saying- 

 something else, and will continue to say it 

 until they get up and do the right thing- as 

 Mr. Langstroth did." 



Let me sa}' once more, if there is a read- 

 er of this journal anywhere on the face of 

 the earth who has not had the three copies 

 mentioned, of the A)n. Bee Journal, send at 

 once to Bro. York for them. If you do not 

 wish to subscribe for a year, you can have 

 it for three months for 25 cents; and I am 

 sure Mr. York will will send the three cop- 

 ies I have mentioned, for a dime. If he 

 will not, _vou tell him to write to me and I 

 will pay the balance. — A. I. R. 



PROFITS IN bee-keeping; opinions of 



THE EDITORS OF THE AMERICAN BP:E 

 journal and THE BEE-KEEP- 

 ERS' REVIEW. 



Two editorials have lately appeared in 

 two of the leading bee-journals of the Unit- 

 ed States, which should attract more than 

 passing attention. P"'irst we will give the 

 editorial by Mr. York, which is as follows: 



The f illowihg is a sample of some of the correspond- 

 ence that has come to this office lately and within the 

 past few years: 



Mn. York: — I believe the common bee-keeper is the milk- 

 cow of the biK supiily-factories, and the commission houses 

 of the ha cities. I can sfc no profit in bee-keeping. And it. 

 looks to me funny when factories advertise in l)ce-p:ipf'rs 

 that the bee-keeper shou! i borrow money and send it to tlie 

 factory to Ret gooils early. Those people like to get all the 

 money out of the bee-keepers, and let the latter have only 

 the beestings in the summer time. 



1 h( lieve there is a great big humbug in comb foundation. 

 It will stand the heat of an ice-box but not the heat of a hive 

 full of bees. It must be more than half profit. Of course, 

 there is more profit in th.it kind of foundation. I wouldn't 

 use any foundation without wiring the frames. 



B.\PTisT Beck. 



Being entirely out of the bee-supply business now, 

 we feel that we can ofTer a few comments on Mr. 

 Beck's letter without being accused of having "an ax 

 to grind." 



In the first place, we learned enough about the bee- 

 ?upp1y business, while we were in it, to know that 

 there is no fortune in it for any one, be he manufac- 

 turer or dealer. Why, if the profits in making and 

 handling bee-supplies were equal to those in many 

 other lines, bee-keepers would be compelled to pay 

 about double the pre.sent retail prices for the supplies 

 they use in their apiaries. We feel that we know 

 sotnething about this matter, for we are in a city 

 where there is a great variety of business done, and 

 we know that the profits in a number of other lines of 

 trade are far in excess of those connected with han- 

 dling bee-supplies .ind honey. 



As to the intimation of Mr. Beck, that comb founda- 

 tion is adulterated, we can only say that the bulk of 

 the cotr.b foimdation sold to-day is made by the Weed 

 process, and the fact is that the sheeting method of 

 that process will not work adulterated wax. So that 

 idea of Mr. Beck is entirely wrong. Almost anv bee- 

 keeper knows that on a very hot summer day, with a 

 heavy swarm of bees in ^ hive not ventilated, any kind 

 of comb foundation will likely melt down if not wired 

 in the fratnes. 



As to there b-ing no profit in thebeebu.siness at the 

 present price of honev, we suppose that can also be 

 .^aid of any other farm products at different times dur- 

 ing a series of years. But we venture to say that 

 there are a good many bee-keepeis who would never 

 complain at all, only guarantee them a fair crop of 

 honey every year. They will take care of the price. 



The fact is, there has never been a general oversupply 

 of honey in this country. There may often be more 

 produced in anyone locality than can be used there 

 during the year; but there are always many other 

 places where not nearly enough has been produced to 

 supply the demand. Wht should be done is to even 

 up the surplus crop— distribute it more evenl5' through- 

 out the country. Then a bettfr price could be secured. 



Honey will not usually sell itself, any more than it 

 will take unto itself legs and walk off. The honey- 

 producer must make fome effort to dispose of his crop. 

 But he must see to it that it is out up in the best possi- 

 ble s^ape for the market — properly graded, and neat 

 and clean. He then needs to watch the markets — 

 It arn the supplv and demand, as far as possible. 



In our exoerience as a bee-supply dt-aler we have 

 not found the bright pushing, up-to-date bee-keepers 

 objecting to the ruling prices on b e supplies. We 

 have come in contact with a great variety of bee keep- 

 ers, too. in what was our bee-supply department. No 

 one hears of a Coggshall. a Dr. Miller, a France, a 

 Brodbeck. or any other large bee-keepers c implaining 

 of high prices of bee stipplies. They have done busi- 

 ness enough to know that, when the expenses con- 

 nected with iiianufacturing and handling bee-supplies 

 are considered the present prices are none too high. 

 B'lt. actually, there are a few bee keepers who think 

 51 00 is a high price for .52 copies of the ^4 nierican Bee 

 Journal! But we doubt if any one can afford to keep 

 bees at all if he can not afford to pay a do lar for a 

 bee-paper 



As to the suggestion that bee-keepers borrow money 

 and buy supplies in the fall, that is all right It wouli 

 in somecases be a sivine to the beekeeper to do that. 

 .\nd tor so doing, an early-order discount is offered by 

 some marrufacturers. But. of course, no one need 

 borrow money or Ouy supplies in the fall just beciuse 

 some bee-supply manufacturer suggests that he do so. 



In conclusion, we want to say that we don't know of 

 any bee supply dealer or honey-dealer w^^o is getting 

 rich in either business. Neither do we know of any 

 honey- producer who is getting rich. Bee-keeping is 

 not a eet-rich-at-it business ; neither i« the bee supply 

 business nor the bee journal business. But all are 

 businesses in which a fair honest living can be made 

 by hard work, and by "keeping everlastingly at it." 



Here is the editorial from the pen of Mr. 

 Hutchinson: 



There has been a very sharp advance in the price of 

 bee supplies — notablv in hives. As a result if there 

 ever was a time when it might be profitable for some 

 bee-keepers to make their own hives it is now. Near- 

 ly all bee-keepers are located within reach of a plan- 

 ing-mill, and at such a mill the bottom-boards, covers, 

 and bodies of hives can certainly be cut out more 

 cheaply than they can be bought of some supply 

 nianuf''cturer — to say nothing of the freight. A bee- 

 hive does n"t need a lot of fancy fixings. A plain 

 board for both bottom and cover, with cleats at the 

 ends to prevent warping, is all right for a large ma- 

 jority of localities. It is exactly what I should choose 

 for this locality. Some Yi strips sawed from % lumber 

 can be tacked around three sides of the bottom-board 



