214 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



in the apiarian departments. The Michi- 

 gan State Fair '>vill be held in Detroit Aug. 

 29th to Sept. 6th. The bee-keeping pre- 

 miums amount to $207. The Superin- 

 tendent is Mr. F. B. Ransford, of Care. 

 Those interested can secure a premium 

 list by writing to him. 



The West Michigan State Fair will be 

 held at Grand Rapids, Sept. 9th to 1 3th, 

 and our old friend A. G. Woodman is 

 Superintendent of the apiarian department, 

 and will gladly send you what he consid- 

 ers a model list: one that amounts to 

 S226. 



These fairs are excellent places at 

 which to sell honey, and to advertise it 

 and bring it to the attention of the public. 

 For many years 1 passed several weeks 

 each fall in making apiarian exhibits at 

 fairs, and those days will always linger 

 in my memory as some of the happiest of 

 my life. 1 would enjoy them now as well 

 as ever, but there are too many irons al- 

 ready in the fire. 



»^«^«^*«^«»^ii' 



The American Bee Journal Changed to a 



25-cent Monthly—the Price of 



Journals. 



The American Bee Journal is to be 

 changed to a 32-page, 25-cent monthly, 

 Bro. York hopes thereby to greatly in- 

 crease the circulation and usefulness of 

 his journal — that every bee-keeper, even 

 with a single colony, will become a sub- 

 scriber. 



in this connection 1 wish to say a few 

 words about the prices of some of the 

 bee journals. Of course, it is a delicate 

 subject for the publisher of a bee journal 

 to discuss, but with my attitude towards 

 the other journals I feel that 1 can do it 

 without giving offense. By this I mean 

 that I have no jealousy regarding the 

 other journals. 1 have only a feeling of 

 friendship for them, and wish to see them 

 prosper. 1 believe that their success does 

 not detract from mine. 



Some of the magazines and other pe- 

 riodicals pf a general nature have reduced 



their price to a very low figure, so low 

 that it does not begin to pay for the white 

 paper upon which they are printed. The 

 low price has resulted in enormous circu- 

 lations which have attracted a large 

 amount of advertising at a high price, and 

 it is from this great volume of advertising 

 that comes the profit. Bee journals can 

 not hope for any such circulations as 

 these, the class to which they appeal is 

 too limited. Gleanings has the largest 

 circulation ever secured by a bee journal, 

 but it also appeals to other interests, such 

 as gardening, poultry, home interests, etc. 

 Its circulation is such that it can buy 

 paper by the car load. Then it has its 

 own printing office, and, under the cir- 

 cumstances, it is quite likely that it is not 

 published at a loss — possibly at a profit. 

 Still further, it could be given away and 

 still be a profitable venture, on account 

 of its advertising influence in securing 

 trade. 



But Bro. York and myself have no sup- 

 ply trade, and don't want any, at least, I 

 do not, and we must look to our journals 

 alone for a profit. As a publisher, I could 

 see only loss in a 32-page monthly at 

 twenty-five cents. My only hope for suc- 

 cess would be in a large circulation with 

 a corresponding increase of advertising at 

 an advanced price; and 1 expect that that 

 is what Bro. York has in view. 



Gradually, and almost unconsciously, 

 the Review has grown to be the special- 

 ist's journal. Perhaps it is because its 

 editor has become intensely interested in 

 that line of bee-keeping. It will be seen 

 that the Review appeals to only a limited 

 class, and can never hope for a large cir- 

 culation; consequently, the price must be 

 such that there is a profit in the Review 

 itself. To me, it is as plain as the nose 

 on a man's face, that the only hope for 

 the Review is to make it so good, make it 

 appeal so strongly to the man who is 

 keeping bees for the money there is in the 

 business, that he will have the Review 

 even if the price is much greater than 

 that of other journals published under 

 other conditions which enable them to be 



