INTRODUCTION. 



One morning, five or six of us, who had occupied the same 

 bed-room the previous night during the North American Con- 

 vention at Cincinnati, in 1882, were dressing preparatory to 

 another day's work. Among the rest were Bingham, of smoker 

 fame, and Vandervort, the foundation-mill man. I think it was 

 Prof. Cook who was chaffing these inventors, saying something 

 to the effect that they were always at work studying how to get 

 up something different from anybody else, and, if they needed an 

 implement, would spend a dollar and a day's time to get up one "of 

 their own make," rather than pay 25 cents for a better one ready- 

 made. Vandervort, who sat contemplatively rubbing his shins, 

 dryly replied : "But they take a world of comfort in it." I think 

 all bee-keepers are possessed of more or less of the same spirit. 

 Their own inventions and plans seem best to them, and in many 

 cases they are right, to the extent that two of them, having almost 

 opposite plans, would both be losers to exchange plans. 



In visiting and talking with other bee-keepers I am gener- 

 ally prejudiced enough to think my plans are, on the whole, better 

 than theirs and yet I am always very much interested to know 

 just how they manage, especially as to the little details of common 

 operations, and occasionally I find something so manifestly better 

 than my own way, that I am compelled to throw aside my preju- 

 dice and adopt their better way. I suppose there are a good 

 many like myself, so I think there may be those who will be inter- 

 ested in these bee-talks, wherein, besides talking something of 

 the past, I shall try to tell honestly just how I do, talking in a 

 familiar manner, without feeling obliged to say "we" when I 

 mean "I." Indeed I shall claim the privilege of putting in the 

 pronoun of the first person as often as I please, and if the printer 

 runs out of big I's toward the last of the book, he can put in 

 little i's. 



Moreover, I don't mean to undertake to lay down a method- 



