THE beekeepers' DIRECTORY. 1 33 



Qleanings in Bee Culture. 



I hardly need introduce the editor of this last publication 

 to the reader. Mr. A. I. Root and his paper are as well 

 known to all beekeepers as to me. Brother Root was invited 

 to give a brief history of '^Gleanings" for this work. As it 

 is so well and' nicely told by Mr. Ernest Root, son of A. I. 

 Root, we.give it in full. 



"The history of Gleanings is briefly told, because its career 

 is very similar to other periodicals which have had a fair 

 measure of success in their line. It was established in 1873 

 as a quarterly, and edited by A. I. Root. No sooner was the 

 first issue out when it became evident from the manner in 

 which it took that it should be made into a monthly. In the 

 following February the second number was issued. It con- 

 tinued as a monthly until the year 1882, at which time the 

 Juvenile Gleanings was issued the fifteenth of every month. 

 This child continued to grow until it rivalled its parent in 

 size, when in January, 1884, it was merged into the semi- 

 monthly Gleanings in Bee Culture, the juvenile gleanings be- 

 ing only a department in the issue of the middle of every 

 month. In 1875, it had a subscription list of 1200 ; in 1879, 

 4368 ; in 1882, 5445. This last has steadily grown until at 

 the present time there are very nearly 9,000 subscribers. In 

 1885, in consequence of the rush of editorial work as well as 

 the usual rush of business, younger blood in the person of E. 

 R. Root, who left school for the purpose, was called to assist. 

 Just at this time Mr. Root, Jr., selects the matter as well as 

 answers considerable of the' correspondence, the senior edi- 

 tor answering most of the correspondence and keeping a hand 

 en the throttle valve. 



Some of the distinctive peculiarities of Gleanings are, first, 

 it seeks to avoid all discussion which will in any way give pain 

 to one or the other of the parties engaged in the discussion. 

 It has numerous departments and is well illustrated, the cuts 

 for a single issue costing from ten to twenty dollars on an av- 

 erage." 



The American Bee Journal. 

 The American Bee Journal was the first one to appear in 

 the interest of beekeepers. Not being well informed regard- 



