mo 



- GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 



^iiessed rfffht in the majcA-ity of ca^es, I] 

 deemed it Ivetter than to choose the worse 

 evil of delav, always trying to get tlie greatest ^ 

 good, for the greatest number. In the mat- 

 ter of extractors, the trouble is, if possible, 

 a worse one. Hundreds of orders come 

 something like this : 



''My frame is 10 by 15 inches. I want it 

 to hanz the same a.s it does in the hive. 

 Please do not delay, as my hives are full to 

 the last drop, and basswood is just coming." 



Very often, the man lives in Minnesota or 

 Texas, and the express charges on a return 

 of the machine would b3 fearful. Although 

 l)ast experiences in such cases have, some of 

 them, been sore ones, I guess the 1.5 inches 

 must be the top bar. and that the projections 

 are likely about i of an inch, and send the 

 machine along, directing the clerks to ex- 

 plain the matter fully, and jiass on to the 

 next Order. Generally, I hit right, and our 

 customer apologizes for his carelessness, and 

 goes on rejoicing. If I do not guess happily, 

 much depends on the individual. Some 

 will turn the frame on end, if it will not go 

 as they wished it, and pleasantly say it does 

 not matter much ; others will scoild some 

 and let the matter drop ; but, occjisionally, 

 one will take me to task most roundly, and 

 declare directions were plain enough, or 

 that I should not have sent the goods luitil 

 sure of what was wanted ; and sometimes 

 they will all come back by express, with the 

 charges all thrown on my shoulders. At 

 such times, I feel a great disposition to de- 

 clare I will accept the rule given by friend 

 Pierce, at the head of this paper ; but when 

 others thank me for having done the very 

 best I could, I feel soiTy for the careless 

 ones, and decide to do as I have done, and 

 bear harsh words, when they come, as phil- 

 osophically as I can. A great many, in or- 

 dering the Simplicity hives, call them Lang- 

 .stroth liives, and nothing more, meaning 

 that they want the Simplicity form for the 

 L. frame. Without asking further ques- 

 tions, we have been tilling ordei-s with our 

 usual hives, and I know of but one case 

 where our customer was disappointed, until 

 the friend sent us an order whose letter ai>- 

 pears below : 



If it was not for the expense, I would ship imrac- 

 (liately back to you. Do you suppose that I would 

 send a man an Alderley bull when he wanted an Al- 

 derley eow? As for frames I do not care a conti- 

 nental, fit or not fit. When I send for anything-, I 

 expect to pay for it; then I want what I send for. 

 If it does not suit me, it is my fault. If I send any- 

 thing to my customers which is not what I repre- 

 sent, I would not blame them one bit, if they sent it 

 back and charged me with all expenses. I do not 

 expect to g-o into the bee business, but am taking it 

 up merely us a fancy, and am desirous to have 1 or 

 :2 hives of each kind that is made; I have already 

 ordered the American, Quiaby, Doolittle, and oth- 

 ers, more for a show than profit. W. H. H. 



N. J., July 27th, 1878. 



Now, if I could tell just what sort of a 

 person a man is when I receive an order 

 from him, it would make it easier. Some- 

 times, the writers tell us to amend or change 

 an order, where they are new in the busi- 

 ness, and I take the liberty of doing so very 

 often, where I judge I shall get thanks for 

 so doing. In cases like the above, of course, 

 all I have to do is to desire them to send in 

 bill for damages or disappointment. I do 



not blame anybody, foi' it is only a condi- 

 tion of things, that is, so far as I see„ 

 unavoidable. 



It is no easy task for me to luive charity 

 at all times. I assure you ; for not only am I 

 naturally disiiosed to find a great deal of 

 fault with those about me, but it is tpiite 

 .soothing to my feeJings, to have a pitched 

 battle occasionally. A i-ather cool sort of a 

 friend (I think he must be a friend, even if I 

 can't agree with him), takes me to task, and 

 I guess cuts pretty near the truth, as fol- 

 lows. The case was this; just before gov- 

 ernment threw queens out of the mails, he 

 ordered a couple ; they were thrown out in 

 Chicago, and he was notified that if lie 

 wantexl them, he would have to have them 

 sent by express. Instead of doing this, he 

 allowed them to die there, saying it was my 

 business to forward them, as I guaranteecl 

 safe deliveiy. I could not get them back, 

 as they were addressed to him. As I saw 

 it. he refused to pay 25c, to save me $2.00. 

 When I guaranteed safe delivery, it Avas 

 with no thought, that queens might sudden- 

 ly be thrown out in this way, and therefore 

 I did not consider myself responsible for 

 their loss, under the circumstances. I wrote 

 him as much, but a few days aftei-ward, as 

 my conscience troubled me. I wrote again. 

 The purport of the two postal cards, you 

 may gather from his letter. 



Yours of the 26th was duly received. I should 

 think, from the tone of it, that you must have dic- 

 tated it just before you tiad your dinner. You 

 know that it is said, "A hungi-y man is alw;)ys cross." 

 I suppose that we men are some like the honey 

 bees; for instance, you take a bee and give him a 

 good square meal of honey, and you can handle it 

 with impunity; you can even stroke its back with 

 your finger; but how different it is with a lank 

 and hungry fellow ! if you try to stroke its back 

 the very instant that your finger comes in contact 

 with the business end of it, chain lightning passes 

 off in a white heat. 



You say I should have sent at once to Chicago tir 

 the queens and had them forwarded by express if I 

 wanted them. Well, in the first place, I didn't buy 

 queens in Chic&gi, I bought them in Medina; in the 

 next place, I wanted them or I should not have sent 

 for them. Again, you say th;it you are losing very 

 heavily by the action of the P. O. department 

 (there, that is a key to the tone of your postal*, and! 

 that you are not in any way responsible for it. or 

 the queens. Friend Root, did you ever hear it said, 

 that there is a very tender and sensitive ner%"e run- 

 ning from a man's head to his pocket, and when a 

 little money is taken from it without any equiva- 

 lent, that it gives the nerve a twinge, which affects 

 the head in proportion to the amount taken? Now, 

 I think thnt the P. O. department has caused quite 

 a lump to be taken from your pocket, and it has 

 given that nerve a very severe twinge. "Well, I can 

 truly say that I am sorry for you; I never feel like 

 ; rejoicing over another's misfortunes. Your postal 

 ! of the 2i>tb is written in a very much better tone, 

 I and I think that the nerve spoken of at>6ve is get- 

 ting a little more quiet. 

 I Now, as to those queens, I wish that yon wouUl 

 I read the enclosed advertisement and tell me what 

 j guaranteeing safe delivery means. If it mean.s 

 I safe delivery to the purchaser, then I can not see 

 1 that I am to tilamc. If it means safe delivery to the 

 mails or express, then I am to blame, and will pay 

 all damages cheerfully, if you will tell me what 

 they are. Now, I am going to leave the matter with 

 ! you for a decision. I want two more queens, and if 

 ! you will send them to me by express, and say that 

 you want pay for them, I will send y.ni the money 

 iiy return mail. Of course, I expect to pay express 

 charges. C. T. 



Brighton, Mich., July 31st, 1878. 



Do you not see how the better spirit con- 

 quered? I sent him the queens, and told 



