THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW, 



IBS 



Friends, how do you read the bee journals ? 

 We read them in this manner. We glance 

 at the heading of an article, then at its 

 author's name, and sometimes this is all we 

 do. By the way, we wish all journals would 

 place the author's name at the head of the 

 article. It saves the bother of looking up 

 the end of the article (over the leaf perhaps) 

 to see who wrote it. Perhaps some think 

 that the knowledge of the authorship is im- 

 material ; if the article is good it is good, 

 irrespective of who wrote it. True, but 

 show us the man who doesn't wish to know 

 who 'tis doing the talking. To return, if 

 the heading and authorship are favorable, 

 the first paragraph is glanced over. (Do 

 you know that the gist of a paragraph can 

 be taken in at a glance 'i) Then the next 

 paragraph is given a glance, then the next 

 and so on through the article. Frequently 

 this is all the reading the article receives. 

 There are some copies of some of the bee 

 papers that we have rerfd through in this 

 manner in about five minutes. About once 

 a month there comes to this office a paper 

 claiming to be a bee journal that we doyi''t 

 read at all — it simply isn't worth it. When 

 we learn, by glancing through an article, 

 that it contains something of value, we then 

 read it through carefully. Careful and effi- 

 cient editing would save all this sifting on 

 the part of readers. The question that each 

 editor ought to ask himself, when deciding 

 upon what shall appear upon the pages of 

 his journal, is, will the matter admitted be 

 of real benefit to the readers ? If it will 

 not, why publish it ? It may not be possible 

 nor advisable to adhere strictly to this rule, 

 but it ought to be always kept in view. 



We wish to oppose one idea that some of 

 our editorial brethren have, with much labor, 

 tried to pound into the heads of their corres- 

 pondents, and that is that they must write 

 short articles in order that all may he heard 

 from. Why should "all" be heard from, 

 unless they have something of value to com- 

 mnnicate ? Of course, we prefer to have 

 ideas expressed in the fewest words possible, 

 but a long article is just as welcome as a 

 short one, provided it contains valuable in- 

 formation in proportion to its length. The 

 idea is just here. A journal ought to be 

 filled with the most valuable information 

 that can possibly be packed into it, irrespec- 

 tive of whether said information is furnish- 

 ed by two or three correspondents or by a 

 dozen. 



Shall the editor of a bee journal deal in 

 apiarian supplies V Certainly, if he wishes. 

 But, are there no objections to such a course ? 

 As we look at the matter, there is just this 

 much that can be urged against it : Natu- 

 rally a man may be prejudiced in favor of 

 the goods he has for sale, and, if he has any 

 vim al)Out him, this prejudice is more than 

 likely to creep into the journal. As a dealer it 

 might be all right for him to publish " puffs " 

 recommending his wares, but, as editor of a 

 journal he ought to be free even from an 

 " unconscious bias." An editor of a bee 

 journal ought to he in a position to say 

 which implement or race of bees he thinks 

 best, without giving some one an opportun- 

 ity for saying : " Oh, well, he has them for 

 sale." We must admit, however, that some 

 of our apicultural editors have succeeded to 

 a wonderful degree in laying aside all preju- 

 dice, and in publishing impartial journals 

 even in connection with the supply business ; 

 while others, we are pained to say, can see 

 but little good in an article unless they have 

 a " finger in the pie." There is this much to 

 be said in favor of publishing a journal in con- 

 nection with the supply trade. The journal 

 can be furnished at about half what it would 

 otherwise be necessary to ask for it. Don't 

 you see that, in one sense, the journal is a 

 great, big, booming, everlasting advertise- 

 ment of the supply business ? Another 

 thing. The editor gains the confidence of 

 his readers and they give him their trade in 

 preference to giving it to his advertisers. 

 Here is a pointer for advertisers. Remem- 

 ber that when you advertise an article in a 

 journal the editor of which deals in the same 

 article, your advertisement is overshadowed 

 1 >y his in more ways than one. Personally, 

 we prefer to keep out of the supply trade, 

 and devote our whole energy and time to 

 our journal, but, until we began its publica- 

 tion, we did not dream of the great pressure 

 that almost forces an apicultural editor into 

 the supply trade. His subscribers are con- 

 tinually writing and asking where they can 

 get this and that, what will it cost, can he get 

 it for them ? etc. There is a sort of an 

 earnest desire to deal with the editor. Per- 

 haps this is the result of custom ; be that as 

 it may, the fact remains. On the other 

 hand, advertisers are continually asking if 

 he can't take some of their goods in pay- 

 ment for advertising. There seems to be a 

 combination of circumstances that almost 

 forces him into being a sort of "go-be- 



