^so 



'THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVtHWi 



would pay the same price for old black 

 comb. Aud on just the same grouud I think 

 we get more honey by having partly made 

 comb or fouudaiion. 



After all, you may be right that in some 

 way wax is wasted, and that your nuclei 

 gave you a clear gain of just so much wax. 

 Admitting, even, the truth of all you say, I 

 still want my sections full of foundation, 

 and my brood frames filled to touch the 

 frame on all sides. I'll try to tell you why. 



First, as to the sections. I want all worker 

 comb. A section looks better and in some 

 cases is sooner finished. I have seen sec- 

 tions having some drone comb in them, 

 which the workers kept back, apparently 

 waiting for the queen to lay in tlie drone 

 cells. Part of the sections (the worker) w ere 

 sealed while the drone cells were empty. I 

 think a section having a full starter is fin- 

 ished a little more evenly. It is fastened at 

 bottom and on all sides better, thus making 

 it look better, and, wliat is of no little con- 

 sequence, making it ship better. Fur these 

 reasons I want sections tilled with worker 

 foundation, even if a little wax should be 

 wasted. 



If there were no other reason, I think I 

 should want brood frames filled with foun- 

 dation just to make sure of having all worker 

 combs. Besides, I want the septum of 

 every comb right in the center, not an eighth 

 or a quarter of an inch to one side, and, left 

 without foundation, the bees are not sure of 

 building within half an inch of the center. 

 Please remenber that a brood comb lasts 

 many years, and on that account, even if the 

 bees waste a pound of wax in working a 

 pound of foundation, I can still afford the 

 extra expense to have them right. 



Mahengo, 111., Nov. 18, 1890. 



And now comes that little private note of 

 the Doctor's. It is not so little this time, 

 either : 

 My Deae Old Fbiend, 



You don't know how much good your kind 

 words on page I'JG have done me. Won't it 

 be nice in heaven when there will be none 

 but kind words V 



Enough has been said in print about the 

 editorial " we," but I'm not done yet with 

 your private ear. To me it isn't " unimpor- 

 tant," and it may not be to others. Some 

 would say you make too much fuss about 

 the mechanical part — the typographical ap- 

 pearance. To them it doesn't matter. 

 They don't notice any special difference be- 



tween the Review and the poorest gotten up 

 bee i^aper. But to you and to me it makes a 

 great difierence how a paper looks and how 

 it feels. So you get up the paper for those 

 who do care and it suits the others just as 

 well. Now the majority of your readers 

 probably don't care whether you say " I " or 

 "we," and they'll be satisfied either way. 

 Some do care and don't like their taste con- 

 stantly oftendfcd, aud they should be con- 

 sidered so long as it can be done without 

 ofi:'ense to others. I am an admirer of Tal- 

 madge. Lately I read an item of liis about 

 his first cigar in which " ive smoked our 

 first cigar." I was as much disgusted with 

 his " we " as he was with his cigar. 



Your only defense is custom. Better 

 break a " bad " custom. I thhtk you are 

 mistaken about " not one editor in a hun- 

 dred." Just keep your eyes open. If you're 

 not careful you may yet find yourself " the 

 last to lay aside tlie old." Edward VV. Bok, 

 one of the highest paid editors, who writes 

 for perhaps more magazine readers than 

 any other editor in the world, comes right 

 down on a level with his readers and always 

 uses " I," — always. 



Now let me rub in that " my friend * * * 

 we." Which horn will you take? You 

 must either say " our friend " or " I." 



I think I hear you saying " Such a fuss 

 about a little thing." Go back to the typo- 

 graphical illustration. To some the typo- 

 graphical appearance is a little thing. To 

 us it isn't. To some the "we" is a little 

 thing. To me it isn't. 



You say you don't care a fig. Very well, 

 I'll give the fig — yes, a whole pound of figs, 

 if you'll put your common sense against a 

 custom commencing to fade. 



Your wagging friend, 



C. 0. MiLLEB. 



P. S. — Do you know that I'm paj ing you 

 a complimeni ? I've so much writing to do 

 this winter that I don't see how I'll get it all 

 done, and here I'm fooling away time on a 

 long note. Well, you're worth some effort. 



C. C. M. 



If there is one thing that we try harder 

 than another to do, it is to lay aside preju- 

 dices and be open to conviction. The Doc- 

 tor has given better reasons for our laying 

 aside the editoral "we" than we can give 

 for its continuance. We have ordered an 

 additional supply of the letter "I," and, 

 with the beginning of the new year, (in the 

 Jan. No.), we will say "good-bye we." If you 



