332 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



May 2-3, 



Georiio W. y'<irk, - - Editor. 



I'UUI.ISHED WEEKLY BY 



GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 

 56 Finn Ax^enue, - CHICAGO, Il.h. 



$1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. 

 [Entered at the Post-Office at ChicaRO as Second-Class Mail-Matter.] 



VoLinV, CHICA&O, ILL, MAY 23, 1895. No. 21. 



Editorial Budget* 



The Cool 'Weather just now (May 13) may be a 



good thing for the bees, if it doesn't get so cold as to chill the 



brood. The hot weather of a few days ago was bringing on 



the clover in this latitude so rapidly that the harvest would 



have been here without enough bees to take care of it. This 



weather will hold back the harvest, and it may give the bees 



more time to build up. Let us hope that all will be for the 



best. 



■4—»- 



The Xortli American Convention this year 

 has received a special grant of ."jilOO from the Ontario Legis- 

 lature, to defray the expenses at Toronto. I learn this from 

 the Farmer's Advocate for May 1, an excellent Canadian farm 

 paper. Look out for some " big doin's " at the next conven- 

 tion of the North American. It's just like those Canucks to 

 try to out-do their United States cousins. But I suppose we'll 

 have to stand it, and take what they give us this year. 



Ne'w Bee-'Writers are constantly coming to the 

 front. Dr. Miller noticed it in a " straw " in Gleanings, 

 where he says : " How many bright bee-keepers are coming 

 to the surface as writers." Editor Root then followed with 

 this remark : " Yes, I've noticed that there were more lately. 

 I am glad of it, because it infuses new blood into our litera- 

 ture." 



I think the past year or two there have been more new 

 writers found in our bee-literature than in the previous five 

 years. And, what's more, nearly all of them are superior 

 writers, too. They possess the "know-how," both of practi- 

 cal e.xperience and in the manner of telling it. May their 

 tribe increase I 



Secor Bros. & Co. is the way the firm name will 

 read hereafter instead of Secor Bros. The new partner is Mr. 

 Willard Secor, the son of Hon. Eugene Secor, so well known 

 to the readers of the American Bee Journal. " Willard " has 

 been cashier of the Faribault County Bank at Winnebago 

 City, Minn., for the past five years, and brings to his new 

 position the reputation of an active, prosperous business man 

 of the highest integrity. This new arrangement should give 

 Mr. Eugene Secor more time to devote to care of the bees, and 

 also to write about them. He has kept his apiarian electric- 

 light hid too much under a bushel the past few years. Let 

 us hope from now on he will let his light shine out oftener. 

 «-.-♦ 



Ten \veck§ for ten cents. See page 331. 



Report of tlJe Blortta American.— Ex-Presi- 

 dent Abbott, after waiting over six months for the completion 

 of the Report of the last meeting of the North American Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, writes me as follows concerning the de- 

 lay caused by ex-Secretary Benton : 



Mv Deah Mk. York: — I have patiently watched md 

 waited for the completion of the printed Report of the doings 

 of the St. Joseph meeting until I have about made up my 

 mind that it will never be finished. 



I have written to Mr. Benton and urged him to give to the 

 public this report which belongs, legally and morally, to the 

 Association, and not to him as a private individual. As he 

 not only fails to furnish the completed report, but treats my 

 letters with silent coutempt, I think the time has come when 

 the readers of the American Bee Journal should know why 

 this delay. 



Mr. Benton, as all understand, accepted the position of 

 Secretary, knowmg fully the nature of his duties; and more, 

 he accepted the S25 which the Association voted him in pay- 

 ment for his services. Having done this, it seems to me he 

 was morally and legally bound to complete the work in a rea- 

 sonable length of time, or else give a plausible excuse for not 

 doing so. 



Mr. Benton occupies a public position, and is supposed to 

 represent the apiarists of the United States in that position. 

 If I do not very much mistake the temper of the intelligent 

 bee-keepers of this country, they will not continue very long 

 to recognize any one as their representative who so wilfully 

 insults their intellegence by such actions. I know this is put- 

 ting it strongly, but I am ready to stand behind all I say. 



This is not a personal matter with me, but I confess I 

 have been forced to make some rather humiliating explana- 

 tions in regard to it. I promised copies of the printed Report 

 to the Commercial Club of our city, and to some of our leading 

 citizens, and the only reason I can possibly offer for not keep- 

 ing my promise is that the Secretary has failed to furnish the 

 copy to the printer. 



Now, if Mr. Benton cau offer any excuse for his course, I 

 presume the columns of the American Bee Journal will be 

 open to him, but as the case now appears to me, there is no 

 excuse ; as he has shown the utmost disregard for the feelings 

 and interests of every one but himself. 



Emerson T. Abbott, 



St. Joseph, Mo. Ex-Prcs. N. A. B.-K. Association. 



Mr. Benton still has in his possession about half of the 

 Report. I have been ready all the time to proceed with it in 

 these columns whenever I had all of the remainder of the copy 

 in mv hands. 



A Big' OITer. — Send two hew subscribers to the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal for one year, at $1.00 each, and get as your 

 premium a free copy of Root's " A B C of Bee-Culture " bound 

 in cloth. This offer will hold good only so long as the present 

 stock of books holds out ; so you'd better send your order 

 within a couple of weeks. It's a big offer, and you ought not 



to miss it. 



■»"-*■ 



Terrible Bees of India.— Mr. J. S. Scott, of 

 Spriugville, Utah, sends the following, which is taken from 

 the Youth's Companion : 



Terrible Bees. — Not far from Jabalpur, in the highlands 

 of Central India, the Nerbudda river boils along, deep and 

 sullen, for two miles, between sheer walls of pure white mar- 

 ble a hundred feet in height. Here and there the white lime- 

 stone is seamed by veins of dark green volcanic rock, a con- 

 trast which enhances the purity of the surrounding marble. 

 As the visitor to these marble rocks is poled up the gorge in a 

 flat-bottomed punt, he gives himself to the admiration of the 

 marvellous scene of beauty. 



But there is "a fly in the amber." Numerous colonies of 

 bees, whose combs are attached to jutting ledges of the rocks, 

 are easily disturbed, and then come down in angry swarms on 

 the offender. An English engineer, Mr. Bobbington, was in a 

 boat with a companion sounding the river for a projected 

 crossing of a railroad. Several of the party were on the pla- 

 teau above, shooting at the blue-rock pigeons that build in the 

 cliffs. 



The shooting irritated the bees, and they attacked the 

 two men in the boat below, and forced them to seek protection 

 by taking to the water. The companion eluded the stinging 



