210 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



great deal of study, and we can only repeat 

 what we said at the beginning of this para- 

 graph ; so long as conducted upon the top- 

 ical plan, the Review cannot well be pub- 

 lished oftener than monthly. But it can be 

 made larger. 



When the Review was started it was an 

 experiment in at least one respect, and that 

 was in regard to size. Being without expe- 

 rience, we thought it better to begin with a 

 moderate number of pages. It would be 

 more pleasant to enlarge the number if nec- 

 essary, than to fail from attempting too 

 much. We started with sixteen pages, and 

 expected to divide them up about as follows: 

 four pages of advertisements, four of cor- 

 respondence, four of extracts from other 

 journals, and the same of editorials. It 

 soon became evident that no justice could 

 be done to the discussion of special topics 

 unless more space was given to correspon- 

 dence ; and the result was that the " Extract- 

 ed " department was crowded so hard that 

 many times it fell out entirely. Even this 

 management did not always furnish suffi- 

 cient space ; nine times, within the last two 

 years, there has been so much matter that it 

 seemed must go in, that it became necessary 

 to add four extra pages ; and twice has it 

 been necessary to add eight extra pages. 

 Even the addition of this numljer of pages 

 has not always prevented the discussion of 

 some special topic from being extended into 

 the succeeding issue, which crowded lliat 

 number. Besides this, it often happens 

 that one or two pretty good articles are 

 " thrown in" after being put in type. And 

 then those little editorials of from two to 

 ten lines, little items that had been worked 

 over and " sandpapered down " until we were 

 actually in love witli them, to have so many 

 of these crowded out — well, we could only 

 sigh and reflect that we now knew how to 

 sympathize with the writers whose articles 

 were "thrown in." Why hasn't the Review 

 been enlarged sooner ? It was a new journal 

 and had an editor new at the business. We 

 felt that it would be better to allow both to 

 become quite firmly established before tak- 

 ing so serious a step. It seemed better to 

 allow the paper to make the growth of itaelf, 

 rather than io force a growth that might not 

 be needed. With the experience of the past 

 before us, we are satisfied that the Review 

 may now be enlarged to twenty-eight pages 

 and the price raised to $1.00, without endan- 

 gering its success — in fact, we believe the 



change will make its success the more 

 assured, 



Isn't this making the Review higher 

 priced, in proportion to size, than the other 

 journals ? Certainly. We have never at- 

 tempted to compete with them in price, and 

 couldn't successfully unless we took up the 

 supi^ly trade — something we wish to avoid. 

 Our ambition is to make a first class journal 

 that shall be free, out-spoken and independ- 

 ent, and untrammeled with any so-called 

 selfish interests. To do this the price must 

 be such that there will be a profit in its pub- 

 lication. An extensive dealer in supplies 

 can well afford to send out a journal at cost, 

 and we have no quarrel with the man who 

 does it, but our preference is journalism 

 pure and simple. Of course, we can suc- 

 ceed only by making so good a journal that 

 bee-keepers will buy it even if it does cost 

 more, in proportion to its size, those pub- 

 lished in connection with the supply trade. 



It is true that we have doubled the price 

 and not quite doubled the size, but we have 

 more than doubled the pages of reading 

 matter; as any increase in size adds just so 

 much to the reading matter but nothing to 

 the advertisements. It must be remember- 

 ed, too, that a cover is an expensive feature 

 of a magazine ; especially as regards press- 

 work and folding. Then there are the cor- 

 respondents that have stood by the Review 

 and helped to make it what it is, even if 

 their pay was sometimes meager — we feel 

 that they ought to be better paid. Besides 

 this, we don't expect to stop making im- 

 provements in the Review, and we wish to 

 feel that the price will justify us in so doing. 

 If new type should be needed, or engravings, 

 or better ink or paper, or travels to secure 

 information, or, in fact, anything to make 

 the Review a handsome journal filled with a 

 a fresh crispness — a journal in which bee- 

 keepers may take pride — we wish to feel 

 that the price does not stand in the way. 



Now that the Review is larger, we can 

 " lead " the correspondence as well as the 

 editorials, thus making handsomer pages 

 that can be more easily read. More corres- 

 pondents can be heard from, and, best of 

 all, there will now be room to make of the 

 "Extracted Department" an interesting and 

 valuable feature. Several correspondents 

 have complained because of the dearth of 

 matter in this department, and, at Keokuk, 

 Dr. Mason said the Review was a good pa- 

 per, but it was not living up to its name. It 



