THE BEE KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



worker progeny from these eggs varied four 

 days, lacking two hours, in their emergency 

 — another eye-opener. The first worker to 

 emerge was only a day and a half behind 

 the last queen. The quickest worker time 

 was 19 days 2 hours. The slowest worker 

 time 22 days 3 hours. 



Canadian Bee journal, 



Except in name the Canadian seems to be 

 a new paper. New editor, new dress, new 

 style, new air — and we've got to go to work 

 and get acquainted all over again. That 

 superabundant glee in slinging in the adjec- 

 tives and things which we used to note will 

 not be found in the new editor ; but perhaps 

 his solid, quiet style will serve the purpose 

 as well. He can make a very forcible sen- 

 tence when he tries. In editing he besprink- 

 les his journal with short items in lighter 

 vein — not a bad plan perhaps — but most of 

 them have no connection with apiculture ; 

 and in this he is behind the times, as com- 

 pared with the best journals. His short edi- 

 torials come the first thing ; and in setting 

 the sub-heads he gets in a pleasant bit of 

 unusual style. One of the proprietors does 

 some of the talking under the head of 

 Strictly Business. We shall have to wait a 

 spell to see whether the intention is to make 

 the journal largely editorial, like the Apicul- 

 turist, or whether the preponderance of edi- 

 torials in the first numbers was owing to the 

 empty pigeon-holes with which a new sheet 

 naturally begins life. The beginners de- 

 partment, First Steps in Bee Keeping, is 

 editorial, and seems likely to be one of the 

 strong points of the paper — as per sample — 



■' Witli the novice in the past it has too often 

 been the practice to work the ' Stand and Deliv- 

 er ' plan at any time during the honey season, 

 and then the ' Root Hog or Die ' system fol- 

 lows." Page 8. 



And when you want to try to winter a weak 

 colony short of stores don't feed that one. 

 Put a few extra combs into a strong colony 

 that is being fed, feed enough for both, and 

 transfer the combs when they are ready. 

 See page 3:^. Tip top. Old chaps not Cana- 

 dians will probably be most interested in 

 Allen Pringle's letters from the World's 

 Fair. In the other journals there seems to 

 be a scarcity of fair letters at present. There 

 is a lengthy continued article of good qual- 

 ity, and illustrated, concerning the bee's 

 work in fertilizing flowers. No name is at- 

 tached, but it rather seems to be editorial. 



Editorial answers to communications are 

 especially good, and show vigor of thought. 

 The contributors to the September number 

 (other than Pringle) are H. Couse, R. W'. 

 McDonnell, and G. M. Doolittle. The form- 

 er well fills a page with the orthodox rules 

 about Marketing Honey — 



" Some days 1 sell 200 pounds or more and 

 often less." 



That encourages me. You see if he had 

 said that he sold a ton each day for eight 

 days each week, it would have had a sort of 

 wilting efifect upon me. McDonnell seems 

 to be a little " afeerd " of those beginners — 

 almost on the point of petitioning the pow- 

 ers above to " bless us four and no more." 

 And then he has some sensible words on 

 educating people to use honey. 



" Honey is too rich for the ordinary appetite 

 to have it served up by the spoonful and apart 

 from some milder food." 



Very true of many people. But then 

 some of us have ea:6-a-ordinary appetites, 

 and like to sail right into a lot of it with 

 spoon, knife, paddle or anything that comes 

 handy. Alas, how many have done so just 

 once ? and there was a South American re- 

 bellion down below ; and after that, " Quoth 

 the raven. Nevermore." 



Doolittle fights over the battle of few bees 

 much manipulated versus many bees little 

 manipulated — 



" Few seem to consider * * that each of 

 the extra colonies ♦ * costs at least sixty 

 poands of honey to support." 



That's so. A hundred more colonies anight 

 eat up a surplus of 6,000 pounds slick and 

 clean. Yet a man can have too few bees, 

 and spend too much time on them. Un- 

 doubtedly he can have too many, and spend 

 good money and valuable time putting su- 

 pers on a horde that can only provide their 

 own provender. There is a wise medium 

 somewhere. Probably it runs in a different 

 place at different apiaries ; and one of the 

 bee man's extra important duties is to locate 

 it. Friend Doolittle fails to get one impor- 

 tant element of the decision. Suppose there 

 are flowers enough in the field to keep 150 

 colonies busy to visit each one properly. 

 The visits are not made, and no honey is 

 gathered, because there is no secretion. 

 Once in a while there comes a time when the 

 flowers do secrete. Then if only 40 colonies 

 are in the field much of the honey must be 

 lost — and no colony get a great harvest 



