THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



191 



running upon that line will find sooner or 

 later as to its profitableness. There is a 

 difference, however, in devoting a paper to 

 two specialties, and in having departments 

 under different headings : the latter can be 

 dropped out at any time or inserted only 

 occasionally. 



In our rambles among bee keepers we find 

 them a great deal like other mortals; made 

 up of various emotions, and whenever we 

 meet a number of them they are an agree- 

 able and jolly crowd. Shall we so conduct 

 our journal as to touch the various emotions, 

 or touch only one, and that the bee keeping 

 taste 'i In other words, shall we make our 

 bee journal especially for the bee keeper of 

 the family, or shall we make it distinctively 

 a liee journal but edit it in such a way as to 

 interest the whole family ? When a bee 

 keeper loses all of his bees and takes up 

 some other occupation l>ut still subscribes 

 for the bee paper, you may be sure that it 

 interests the whole family. In the apiary 

 are many humorous happenings. Shall we 

 say anything about them in the bee paper, 

 or shall we tell them to an unanpreciative 

 audience in Puck or Juchje .' The Rambler 

 knows that the Review believes in no smiles 

 on its pages, but other editors, for good and 

 sufficient reasons, have a radical difference 

 of opinion and admit cartoons and humor- 

 ous sketches. They may be journal killing 

 attempts at wit, l)Ut the journal that admits 

 them seems to have a remarkable lively 

 circulation. Cartoons, however, are like de- 

 partments, can be dropped at any time the 

 editor and the subscril)er demand it. The 

 Rambler believes in the adage, " Don't be a 

 clam." 



A point lately broached in one of our liee 

 journals is of interest to the apicultural 

 editors. Shall I pay for contributions or 

 depend upon voluntary articles 't The Ram- 

 bler believes that the paid for articles would 

 command more time in its preparation, and 

 if the editor pays according to. quality, as 

 they generally do, the writer has a constant 

 incentive before him to make it more valu- 

 able, and in making his articles more valu- 

 able, his own improvement is constantly 

 making a more valuable journal. 



A voluntary article is usually of the kind 

 needing much doctoring by the editor, or is 

 one of those family letters described by the 

 " leader." 



The writer's time is also valuable, and 

 there should l)e some compensation for 

 using the pen as well as for wielding the 

 spade or hoe, and we believe the journals 

 conducted upon this plan have a more per- 

 manent place among subscribers. 



" Hope deferred maketh the heartsick," — 

 but our bee journals have a remarkable 

 unanimity for keeping up our hopes. The 

 burden of our song is, "This has been a 

 hard season but hold on, next year you will 

 reap if you faint not. l>on''i stop your bee 

 paper. ^^ We know of many heart sick bee 

 keepers this autumn, perhaps it is well to 

 brace up their hopes. 



Regarding the supply business we leave 

 that to the taste and surroundings of the 

 editor. If he supplies tlie desired informa- 

 iion for conducting an apiary successfully. 



we are willing he should supply the materials 

 to do it with. 



We find that all first class journals discon- 

 tinue their papers at the end of the subscrip- 

 tion year, after due notification. It seems 

 to us the law is largely upon the side of the 

 newspapers, and many take advantage of it 

 and really impose upon the subscribers. We 

 are happy to say, however, that bee journals, 

 as far as we know, have always used sub- 

 scribers fairly. 



The point is well taken in regard to artis- 

 tic journalism, and while the make-up of a 

 paper may be typographically perfect, we 

 think an occasional illustration adds won- 

 derfully to the attractiveness of the paper 

 and is an evidence above all others of the 

 financial prosperity of the enterprise. 



Rambleb. 



Tastes Diflfer; Journals as They are; Editor- 

 Dealers ; The Review Needs a Cover: 

 Pay Contributors. 



GEO. V. ROBBINS. 



f HEARD a temperance orator say, the 

 other night, that an audience of news- 

 l)oys and bootblacks is one of the most 

 critical in the world. I presume the 

 rank and file of beekeepers are about as crit- 

 ical and about as apt as a newsboy, or as the 

 editor of the Review, to shout " rats," at the 

 insipid character of an occasional bee journal. 

 But it must Ije remembered that what may 

 be good sense to the novice may not be so to 

 the expert, and vice versa. Much that is 

 dull and washy to me now, or is not noticed 

 at all, was pretty good matter six years ago. 

 Much that you condemn in your leader is 

 exactly what a beginner needs. This is not 

 all. I believe it is a fact not generally 

 thouglit of that taste has about as much to 

 do wiih both the making up and the sizing 

 up of a bee journal as it has with the indit- 

 ing or reading of any book or paper. I feel 

 tempted to illustrate my meaning by giving 

 my estimation of certain journals, by name, 

 but I forbear, for fear such criticism, even 

 from insignificant me, might disconcert some 

 editors as mucli as a bootblack's shout of 

 "rals" would a well meaning speaker. But 

 it is certain that each journal shapes itself 

 into an individuality, each filling a niche of 

 its own. Not but what all are susceptible of 

 improvement. You have started a very im- 

 portant inquiry in calling up this subject 

 for discussion : but it will be no real im- 

 provement to " improve " this individuality 

 clear out of them. You know I wrote you, 

 more than a year ago, that the most sucess- 

 tul journal is the one upon which its editor 

 stamps his individuality. One of the poor- 

 est in some respects is in others the best. 



In ihis connection it must be l)orne in 

 mind that no bee keeper worthy the name of 

 specialist can be satisfied with only one 

 journal. Were it otherwise, to make bee 

 jou'uals what they should be would be diffi- 

 cult indeed. In my opinion, journals ought 

 to be conducted with the idea in view that 



