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THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



AUXIIilABY OOIjONIES. 



Geo. A. Stockwell urges, in the American 

 Bee-Keeper, that we have auxiliary colonies; 

 colones to aid others by building comb for 

 them. I don't believe this would be profit- 

 able. This everlasting fussing and puttering 

 is one thing that makes some of us say " bee- 

 keeping doesn't pay." 



STBENGTHENING WEAK COLONIES IN THE FALL. 



A. 0. Tyrrel says, in the ^pi., that he 

 strengthens weak colonies in the fall by giv- 

 ing them the young bees that it is some- 

 times so difficult to drive from the sections. 

 The bees of the colony, as well as those in 

 the sections, are thoroughly smoked before 

 uniting. After bees have thus been intro- 

 duced to a colony, he says more young bees 

 may afterwards be given from any colony 

 without the use of smoke, as the colony has 

 become accustomed to the influx of stran- 

 gers. 



EEVEKSIBLE BOTTOM BOABDS. 



Dr. Miller, in the American Bee-Keeper, 

 describes a reversible bottom board. It is 

 simply a shallow box (minus one end) IX 

 inches deep, as wide as the hive and a little 

 longer. The open side is used uppermost 

 in winter to furnish an empty space under 

 the bees. In summer it is turned over. I 

 furnish this space below the combs in win- 

 ter by simply raising the hive and putting 

 sticks under it. This is the management in 

 the cellar ; out of doors, a little rim of lath is 

 placed under each hive. 



A TRADE MABK FOB HONEY PEODUOEE8- 



At the Detroit meeting of Michigan bee- 

 keepers it was proposed that the Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Union get up a "trade mark " for the 

 use of its members in labeling their honey. 

 The idea is that the public will thus be en- 

 abled to distinguish between honey put up 

 by members of the Union, and that put up 

 by outsiders. If dishonest men could be 

 kept out of the Union, there might be some- 

 thing in this scheme ; but there is nothing to 

 prevent a rogue from joining the Union and 

 then pointing the finger of assurance at the 

 "trade mark" adorning his adulterated 

 goods. If he is "exposed," then the Union 

 and its boasted "trade mark" is brought 

 into disrepute. 



AMONIA FOB EEMOVING GBEASE FEOM TIN 



CANS. 



Gleanings protests against the shipping of 

 honey in tin cans that have been used in 

 shipping kerosene, a practice largely in 

 vogue in California. Hot water alone will 

 not clean such cans. If they must be used, 

 says Mr. Root, add two tablespoonfuls of 

 amonia to half a cup of water, put the mix- 

 ture in the oily can, screw down the top and 

 give the can a good shaking. This will re- 

 move the black, greasy, inky looking sub- 

 stance and leave the tin as bright as a dollar. 



THE AMEBIOAN BEE-KEEPEB BUYS THE 

 " ADVANCE." 



Simply buying up the subscription lists of 

 other journals will not enable a man to es- 

 tablish a successful paper. If I remember 

 aright the Bee-Keepers^ Advance absorbed 

 five other journals, yet it was not a success, 

 and has just been sold to that enterprising 

 firm, The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. Some 

 men might have the most successful journal 

 in the country put into their hands, and it 

 would be dead in a year. Such, however, 

 will not be the case with the American Bee- 

 Keeper. That had " success " stamped upon 

 the first issue. 



THE A. B. J. PUBLISHED AT COST. 



In one of his " straws " in Gleanings, my 

 old friend. Dr. Miller, was inclined to take 

 me to task just a little, because he thought I 

 had hinted that all bee papers, except the 

 Review, were published at cost. When I 

 said, in the Dec. issue, that "an extensive 

 dealer in supplies can well afford to send out 

 a journal at cost," I had no intention of 

 hinting that all or even any of them were 

 thus sent out ; as I didn't know but some of 

 them might be published at a small profit. 

 It would seem, however, that such a hint 

 would not have been far from the truth, at 

 least so far as the A. B. J. is concerned, as 

 Bro. Newman says, in a recent issue, "That 

 there is not one cent of profit in publishing 

 the Bee Journal. The only profit there is 

 comes from the sale of books and supplies. 

 New periodicals, if they intend to compete, 

 really have great difiiculties to encounter." 



As an encouragement, let the editors of 

 new periodicals remember that price is not 

 the only element in competion. 



