THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



165 



which it can be handled, why don't you visit 

 Mr. Heddon, the same as Father Lanystroth 

 did, and allow yourself the opportunity of 

 seeing what may be done with the Heddon 

 hive and frame, by one who knows how to 

 use them ? At some Michigan convention, 

 we think it was Saginaw, Prof. Cook spoke 

 of Mr. Heddon as being head and shoulders 

 above all living bee keepers, yet you have 

 never visited him. It seems to us that, as 

 editor of Gleanings you ought to allow your- 

 self to see Mr. Heddon's apiary, hives and 

 management and their capabilities when 

 under their master's hand. 



PAYING FOB OOKKESPONDENCE. 



Only a few months ago, we remarked, 

 editorially, that the bane of apicultural jour- 

 nalism was the cutting of subscription prices, 

 and its attendant competition of cheapness. 

 As an illustration of the truthfulness of this 

 remark we quote the following from the 

 American Ajiicnlturifit : 



" Friends, I want to say here that wo can- 

 not afford to pay for articles sent us except 

 in rare cases. We do not object to sending 

 a queen or a drone-trap to those who call for 

 them. I cannot pay ^o.OO and !|10.00 for 

 articles. Then, again, I notice that these 

 paid-for articles are -not so interesting as 

 those we get for nothing. When a fellow is 

 getting $.5.00 for an article he is working for 

 the .f5.00 and not for the interest of those 

 who will read his sometimes, yes, most always 

 long-winded sermons. Now if bee keepers 

 will give their experience in their own apiar- 

 ies, or that of some neighbor who can't or 

 will not write, we shall have all the interest- 

 ing matter we can use. Don't say you can't 

 write. Just your style of writing is what 

 wi'" interest all. Don't put on " airs" when 

 ^ vrite. Write your articles just as you 

 •I J relate it if you were talking to some 

 |, jon." 



liTO. Jones, of the Canadian Bee Journal, 

 copies the above, accompanying it by the 

 following : — 



" Henry Alley does say some sensil>le 

 things, and among others, he voices our sen- 

 timents in regard to the above. When we 

 say ' our sentiments ' we do not wish to be 

 understood as meaning that all those who 

 write, do so for the mere love of gain, but 

 there is often a certain tell-tale style about 

 them that is easily recognizable." 



We have paid for nearly every article that 

 has appeared in the Review. Not exorbitant 

 prices, but from $1.00 to $.5.00 per article, 

 according as they contained valuable infor- 

 mation. We don't approve of paying by 

 the column. We would pay as much, yes 

 more, for an idea expressed in a single 

 .paragraph, than for a strung-out column in 



which the same idea was buried. Bro. Alley 

 says that paid-for articles are less interest- 

 ing than those secured for nothing. We 

 presume he means that the voluntary cor- 

 respondence that comes in is often the most 

 interesting. True, but would paying for it 

 make it less so ? Rather than depend on the 

 bounty of bee keepers for our correspondence 

 we would raise our subscription price. We 

 doubt if there is a bee keeper who would not 

 willingly pay twenty-five cents extra a year 

 for a good journal, in order that its contribu- 

 tors might be paid. Why, the idea ! of ex- 

 pecting a busy man to leave his work and 

 write out the results of his experience with- 

 out so much as paying him for his time. 

 To us it looks too much like hegying. Can't 

 you give us an article on this or that ? 

 When it comes to this we are done with bee 

 journalism. The value of a bee journal de- 

 pends almost wholly upon the information 

 it gives its readers, and the editor of a jour- 

 nal depending upon the few stray scraps of 

 information that are sent in voluntarily, 

 knows full well, or ought to know, that his 

 journal stands a pretty poor show in the race 

 with the journal whose editor has at his com- 

 mand the pens of the most experienced 

 apiarists and the best of writers. 



OUT APIARIES. 



When a man starts an out-apiary it is be- 

 cause he thinks his home-yard overstocked ; 

 that he will get enough more honey by the 

 division to pay for the extra labor incurred. 

 Overstocking is one of the most puzzling of 

 any questions connected with bee culture. 

 We know that a locality can be overstocked : 

 but localities, seasons, and bee pasture are 

 so variable that it is impossible to lay down 

 any set rules in regard to the number of 

 colonies needed to overstock a locality. It 

 must not be forgotten that the yield per 

 colony, yes, and in the aggregate, may be 

 diminished to considerable extent by over- 

 stocking ere the establishment of an out 

 apiary would be a profitable move. We 

 have had no experience with out-apiaries, 

 but we believe that the majority of the inex- 

 perienced have erroneous ideas in regard to 

 the difficulties and expense attending the 

 establishing and management of an out 

 apiary. Land must be bought or hired : 

 suitable buildings secured or Ituilt ; and an 

 additional set of tools will be needed as well 

 as a conveyance of some kind for carrying 



