AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



355 



are the best, we shall have to admit that 

 good, sound reasoning teaches us that 

 the eight-frame hives are the best, for 

 obtaining comb and extracted-honey. 

 Plattsmouth, Nebr. 



Doing as Oilier Peojle Say. 



F. SCOTT. 



I have read nothing in bee-literature 

 that seemed to suggest the old maxim 

 that "God helps those that help them- 

 selves," more than did some of the arti- 

 cles written by prominent bee-keepers 

 and eminent writers that seemed to say, 

 "Do as I Do," or " Do as I Say." Al- 

 though somewhat imperative, they can 

 be taken to the mind of every bee-keeper, 

 and by careful consideration of the 

 truths implied in them, every one of the 

 bee-keeping fraternity may profit. 



I find that young bee-keepers are apt 

 to admit that they "don't know any- 

 thing" about bees, and are very anxious 

 to learn all they can by reading, but 

 when actual experiments are required, 

 they say, "Oh, I am afraid! You 

 do that and I will help you;" but their 

 help consists in standing by and looking 

 on, and after the work is done, they will 

 invariably say, "Why, that is easily 

 done, but I would have been stung if I 

 had tried it. I believe you have some 

 way of charming the bees — I,know you 

 have, or you could not do that." And so 

 " knowledge is power," but the best 

 power I ever found to manipulate bees, 

 is a determination strong enough to 

 drive away timidity. 



One of my neighbors put his bees in 

 the cellar last Fall, and when I asked 

 him his reason for so doing, he said the 

 Stockman said so. I then told him that 

 we must, in reading the when to do and 

 how to do, consider the latitude of the 

 writer, and see if we could apply the 

 same method profitably, and whether 

 our climate required it or not. So, 

 when I suggested that he take the bees 

 out of the cellar, and place them on the 

 summer stands again, he seemed to be 

 very much afraid that they would freeze 

 to death; and yet, here in Southeastern 

 Ohio, we have had but two or three cold 

 days this Winter, the mercury being 

 down to zero but once. It has not been 

 cold enough here to keep the buds in 

 winter quarters, as the bees were gath- 

 ering pollen on Feb. 21 from soft 

 maples and elms. So he took his bees 

 out of the cellar, and has since become a 

 reader of the Bee Joltrnal. 



Some readers do not seem to "catch 

 on " when a new idea is presented, and 

 they have the pleasure of thinking it out, 

 while others would rather "do as I do," 

 and save themselves from making ex- 

 periments, or doing any mental work 

 about it. 



At times, when I am at a loss to know 

 what to do, some writer sets forth his 

 views on a subject to which I have been 

 devoting some thought, and makes it so 

 plain and profitable that it suits me per- 

 fectly. But when I peruse the next 

 issue, up comes another contributor and 

 says, "The article in last week's issue 

 was misleading; the plans set forth will 

 not work, as I have tried them and 

 know better than any one can tell me, 

 and I think the writer has copied it from 

 some obsolete work on bees," and conse- 

 quently makes his speech best, as he was 

 heard last. 



What is to be done ? Shall I say that 

 both are right, or one is in error; or say 

 that both thought they were right ? To 

 say both were correct would be folly, and 

 to say one was wrong — oh, I would not 

 know which one to blame for doing 

 right, so I will just call it advice. What, 

 good advice ? No, advice will do. So I 

 will try both plans. I will, and I won't, 

 and I shall be benefited as much as any 

 other bee-keeper by the will and the 

 won't plan. I find, in such discussions, 

 that in most instances every one is left 

 to judge for himself, unless he does it, 

 and then don't do it. 



But the questions that cannot be set- 

 tled by experts; what do you think we 

 juveniles can do with them f 



Cloud, Ohio. 



l^onTention I^otices. 



Jt^" The Southwestern Wisconsin Bee-Keepers' 

 Association, will hold its next Convention in the 

 Court House, at Lancaster, Grant Co., Wis., March 

 25, 26, 1891. All who are interested in bee-culture 

 and convention-work are cordially invited toattend. 

 The topics for essays and discussions were enumera- 

 ted on pa^e 183. 



BENJAMIN E. Rice, Sec, Boscobel, Wis. 



iW The 13th annual session of the Texas State 

 Bee-Keepers' Association, will be held at Greenville, 

 Hunt Co., Texas, on April 1, 2, 1891. All interested 

 are invited, J. N. Hunter, Sec. 



t^" The 8th semi-annual meeting of the Susque- 

 hanna County Bee-Keepers' Association will be held 

 at Montrose, Pa., on Thursday. May 7. 1891. 



H. M. Seeley. Sec, Harford, Pa. 



We Club the American Bee Journal 

 and the Illustrated Home Journal, one 

 year for $1.35. Both of these and 

 Gleanings in Bee Culture, for one year, 

 for $2.15. 



