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INTRODUCTION. 
One morning, five or six of us, who liad 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, say- 
ing 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 de- 
tails of common operations, and occasionally I find something 
so manifestly better that my own way, that I am compelled 
to throw aside my prejudice and adopt their better way. I 
suppose there are a good many like myself, so I think there 
may be those who will be interested in these bee-talks, where- 
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