I'HE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



485 



with salt, because they have applied 

 it in the dry state. I use it either as 

 a strong brine or made as wet as it 

 can be handled. When ants estab- 

 lish themselves in the stuffed walls of 

 chaff hives, they are a real nuisance, 

 because one cannot get at them with 

 any remedy. For this reason I do not 

 like chaff hives, if for no other rea- 

 son. I have never known ants to do 

 more than annoy bees, and make 

 them cross and disagreeable to 

 handle.— U. W. Demaree. 



A strong solution of borax, brine or 

 kerosene will usually drive them 

 away.— The Editor. 



Seed Time and Harvest. 



TronWe Everywliere. 



JOSEPHINE POLLARD. 



There's trouble in the dwelling', 



Trouble on the street ; 

 There's trouble In the bosom 



Of every one we meet : 

 Morning-, noon and midnight 



There's trouble In the air ; 

 And oh I there's no denying 



There's trouble everywhere. 



There's trouble in the garden ; 



Beside the sweetest rose. 

 Beside the fairest lily, 



The thorn of trouble grows ; 

 There's trouble on the ocean ; 



There's trouble on the land ; 

 And when the sunshine's brightest 



There's trouble close at hand. 



From troubles that pursue us 



We never can escape ; 

 They're sure to overtake us 



In some peculiar shape ; 

 To circle slowly round us, 



Or seize us, unaware ; 

 Trouble's sure to find us, for 



There's trouble everywhere. 



But after storms ot trouble. 



How blessed Is the calm I 

 And after wounds of warfare. 



How soothing is the balm 1 

 And when from tribulations 



Our spirits have release. 

 If but lor one brief moment, 



We know the joy of peace. 



So trouble has Its mission. 



As through the world It goes, 

 A message unto mortals 



In every breeze that blows ; 

 It moves the stagnant waters ; 



It stirs the pulse of health ; 

 Gives courage to the hero ; 



To every laborer wealth. 



'Tis trouble that incites us 



To brave and daring deeds. 

 'Tis trouble that prepares us 



To feel another's needs ; 

 Each heart must bear its burden 



Of suffering and care ; 

 For man Is born to trouble. 



And he finds it— everywhere. 



^r~ Sample Copies of the Bee Jocrnai. 



win be sent free upon application. Any one 

 Intending to get up a club can have saiuple 

 copies sent to the persons they desire to in- 

 terview, by sending the names to this office, 

 or we will send them all to the agent. 



IVIien Reneivlng your subscription 

 please try to get your neighbor who keeps 

 bees to lOin with you in taking the Bee 

 Journal. It is now to cheap that no one 

 <jan afford to do without It. We will present 

 a, Binder for the Bee Jodhnal to any one 

 sending us three subscriptions— with $3.00— 

 direct to tills office. It will pay any one to 

 devote a few hours, to get subscribers. 



^oxuspontitnu. 



This mark © Indicates that the apiarist Is 

 located near tDe center or the state named} 

 5 north of the center; 9 south; O* east; 

 •O west; and this r^ northeast; "o northwest: 

 >>» southeast; and P southwest of the center 

 of the State mentioned. 



For tbe American Bee JoumaJ. 



Proposed Leiislation for Bee-Keepers. 



WM. F, CLARKE. 



1 am badly in arrears both as to 

 private correspondence and writing 

 for the bee periodicals. Family be- 

 reavement is chiefly responsible for 

 this. My brother, Sheriff Clarke's 

 death, which occurred April 17, was 

 followed within a month by the 

 demise of a widowed sister. Being 

 the only brother within 1,000 miles, it 

 naturally devolved on me to settle up 

 her affairs, and as her home was 150 

 miles distant from mine, absence was 

 necessitated, with consequent delay 

 in getting letters, replying to them,' 

 reading the bee-papers, and home 

 work generally. I despair of " catch- 

 ing on " or catching up ; an " uncount- 

 ed remainder " of things must be rele- 

 gated to limbo, but there seems to be 

 some cogent reasons, why I cannot 

 consign Mr. Foster's article, on page 

 406, to that irrecoverable realm. So I 

 crave space for a brief reply. 



Mr, Foster says at the outset : " It 

 seems to me that he presses his point 

 rather strongly with regard to Dr. 

 Miller's position regarding priority !" 

 There is no impropriety, but the re- 

 verse, in pressing a point strongly, 

 provided it be not done unfairly, and 

 Mr. Foster does not accuse me of 

 that. He admits that there was diffi- 

 culty in understanding the Doctor's 

 position, and expresses the opinion 

 that it has " never been clearly de- 

 fined." I think this has been the 

 chief source of the trouble. The 

 Doctor felt that some protection was 

 needed by bee-keepers who were 

 specialists, to prevent their being 

 elbowed out by new comers. He 

 thought legislation of some kind 

 might be brought to bear upon the 

 grievance, but he did not propose any 

 definite form that it should or could 

 take, and perhaps had, in his own 

 mind, only a vague, general idea of a 

 desideratum of some sort or other, to 

 meet the case. He was generally un- 

 derstood to advocate " priority of 

 location," ;ind, to put it mildly, per- 

 mitted himself to be so understood, 

 until near the close of the discussion, 

 when he disclaimed it vehemently, 

 but failed to tell us what he had really 

 intended to argue for. I thought I 

 would let him "' down and out " in the 

 easiest possible manner by suggest- 

 ing that it was quite possible for a 

 man to fail in the endeavor to under- 

 stand himself, but I could not think 

 of admitting that I and many other 

 bee-keepers did not know the mean- 

 ing of plain and simple terms, by 



conceding that the Doctor had never 

 advocated " priority." 



Well, now along comes Mr. Foster 

 with his little scheme, which he kills 

 dead at the start, and at the finish, by 

 doubts as to its " legal practicability." 

 Of what earthly use is any impracti- 

 cable legislation V It is of the first 

 importance in enacting a law that it 

 be within the boundsof practicability. 

 Unless a proposed measure be legally 

 practicable, why lumber up the 

 statute-book by putting it there? I 

 think a little reflection will suffice to 

 convince any thoughtful person that 

 Mr. Foster's doubts as to the " legal 

 practicability " of his plan are well- 

 rounded. He proposes that certain 

 bee-territory shall be sold at auction 

 to the highest bidders. The sale is to 

 be " under certain regulations and 

 restrictious." One of them is, " that 

 all present owners of bees may have 

 the privilege of keeping their present 

 number of colonies by paying a speci- 

 fied tax per colony." This would 

 virtually drive " all present owners of 

 bees out of the business." For who 

 would think of continuing in it, if 

 limited to " the present number of 

 colonies ':"' Increase would obviously 

 be a trespass on the vested rights of 

 the highest bidder or bidders, and 

 must be interdicted in some way. A 

 not very desirable state of things 

 would be originated. Searching prem- 

 ises to see if the number 'of colonies 

 was in excess, and suits at law for 

 inhibition and damages are among 

 the natural results that loom up in 

 connection with this scheme for ob- 

 taining possession of " bee-territory." 

 Instead of the bee-business continu- 

 ing as now a fair competition, it 

 would become a monopoly, and I 

 think a little closer examination will 

 easily enable Mr. Foster to see injus- 

 tice in such legislation as he proposes. 



Before Mr. Foster quits the realm 

 of imagination, wherein he is draw- 

 ing fancy sketches of impracticable 

 statutory enactments, will he " try to 

 imagine" the effect on honey produc- 

 tion and its profits of the additional 

 c^st which must be charged to the 

 debtor side of the ledger by the pur- 

 chase of bee-territory ? The expense 

 of producing a pound of honey is 

 already such as to leave a very narrow 

 margin of remuneration to the bee- 

 keeper. It will be still narrower if 

 the privilege ot keeping one's present 

 number of colonies must be paid for 

 at so much pro ra(a for each colony, 

 and if the specialist must give such 

 price for the ownership of territory as 

 the enthusiasm of bidders at an auc- 

 tion sale may exact. At such a sale 

 there would probably be parties con- 

 templating the bee-business who " see 

 millions in it," and would bid accord- 

 ingly. There is an element of justice 

 and of right in a prior occupant hav- 

 ing a pre-emptive claim conceded to 

 him, but injustice appears to be in- 

 volved in liability to be over-bidden 

 by speculative rivals who have ex- 

 aggerated ideas of the possibilities of 

 bee-keeping. 



Over-crowding is doubtless an evil, 

 but I see no practicable legal check 

 to it. There are two potent checks 

 always in operation— respect for the 



