S6 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



apprehension that a case so unseemly as 

 this could occur in our literature. Since 

 it has occared, however, it may perhaps 

 V)e profitably employed to aid in making 

 a distinction and in pointing a moral. 



It is not profitable in any sense to sit 

 in judgment on a fellow man to point out 

 moral defects in his character, or flaws 

 in the morality of his conduct. Assum- 

 ing to thus judge is distinctly unchri-stian, 

 serves no good purpose in solving any 

 apicultural problem, and is usually most 

 offensive to the reader. But when a man 

 ])ublishes his opinions, his theories, his 

 methods, or his plans, he makes them, 

 for the purpose of examination, criticism 

 and discussion, public property. By so 

 doing he invites investigation; and he 

 stultifies himself by showing .sensitiveness 

 on account of any .sort of honest discus- 

 .sion, no matter how severe. The distinc- 

 tion I make is between the discussion, in 

 apicultural literature, of that which is 

 sac-edly private and that which is ex- 

 plicitly public. 



One of our writers descants upon the 

 beauties of the combination of Light and 

 Sweetness. Of course, he uses the words 

 in a metaphorical sense— the light of 

 knowledge and sweetness of temper. 

 The combination would indeed be de- 

 lightful in our journals; and though a 

 difficult one to make, it is, perhaps, not 

 unattainable. As the sharp blows of the 

 steel strike the sparks from the flint, and 

 the sharper the blows the more sparks, 

 so the sharp argument and the thorough 

 di.scussion induce and increa.se the light 

 of knowledge; and the .stronger and more 

 incisive the language the greater the in- 

 crease. But here comes the difficulty: 

 Critical inve.stigation has a tendency to 

 sour certain tempers. Perhaps a large 

 dose of a strong infusion of the love of 

 knowledge, and brotherly love, in equal 

 cjuantities, would prove an antidote; 

 though, in difficult cases, doubtle.ss noth- 

 ing short of divine help will prove efTi- 

 cient. But let us strive for it. Better 

 death, than sweetness without light. 

 Hurrah, I say, for Light and Sweetness. 



BEKS OUTSIDE THE HIVE VVIIJ. NOT Sll'- 

 FER FROM THE HEAT. 

 Cogitator ( American Bee Journal, 117) i 

 says "On page 52, I respectfully object to | 

 Dr. Miller's answer of no difference be- 

 tween east fronting and southeast. We 

 have to pay /or, in shortened life and la- I 

 bor of our bees, all distressing experiences ' 

 which they are subject to — at least, .so 'Ta- 

 tor thinks. A southeast fronting, when 

 bees are hanging out, roasts the bees from 

 12 to 2 on torrid days, when in hives with 

 an east facing there would be comfort at 

 those hours. ' ' To me that is a most sur- 

 prising statement. 'Tator is greatly con- 

 cerned, not for the well being of the bees, 

 combs and brood inside the hive, but for 

 the cluster outside. My reading, as well 

 as my experience, has taught me that when 

 there is any danger of injury to bees from a 

 high temperature it is to what is in the 

 hive, not to those outside. There is no 

 danger of these suffering in the sun if the 

 hive has one shady side. .\s .soon as they 

 begin to be uncomfortable from the sun, 

 they begin to work around the hive into 

 the shade. But the idea is so novel I fear 

 I have not caught the writer's meaning. 



W.A.S IT .\ I..\CK OF AIR, OR WA.S THE TEM- 

 PER.■^.TURE TOO LOW ? 

 "Illinois" winters some bees in one end 

 of a hen-house partitioned off. He says, 

 I .\merican Bee Journal, 119) "I left about 

 one inch entrance and when I scraped the 

 dead bees out from the bottom board I 

 noticed an unpleasant odor as of decaying 

 matter in some of them. The hive bot- 

 toms are quite damp inside, also, and the 

 bees inside <lo not carry the dead ones 

 out. Can I do anything for them ? 

 Should they have fresh air?" Dr. Miller's 

 answers are well calculated to uselessly 

 distress a novice. He says "as nearly as I 

 can make out, the bees have no chance to 

 flv out, even if a warm day should come. 

 That's a bad job. From yoiu- de.scription , 

 the bees are suffering for air. " etc. 

 Later he says "if it's up to 50 degrees, 

 and not too windy, the sooner all are out 

 the better. After they have a flight you 



