it's extra good new land." In the last Marengo paper I see that the Pease farm has been leased for three years at an annual rental of $5 an acre. It is five miles from town, and contains eighty acres. Good farm, but I don't know that it's better than the average.

EDITOR HUTCHINSON cellared his bees Nov. 4 to 10. Sorry at least unless his weather has been different from mine. My bees have had a number of flying days since then. His were brought from an out-apiary, and then cellared without a flight. He thinks they don't need a flight after hauling. They may stand it, but I've always preferred hauling them home early enough to allow a flight. This year they were brought home Oct 19. Next day they flew as in a first spring flight while the bees in the home apiary remained quiet. What but the hauling made them need that extra flight?

E. W. ALEXANDER, p. 1238, says, "No man ought to bother trying to produce honey in a poor location," and I suppose any thing less than a fairly good location is counted poor. His "fairly good location" is one where, with the best management each colony, spring count, yields an average net income annually of $21.25. If his view should prevail, the business would be revolutionized, for so few would be left in the business that prices would go skyward, and none but the rich would know the taste of honey. But would it be a good thing for the country at large if no one should bother trying to produce honey who has not what Mr. Alexander calls a fairly good location?

A. I. ROOT, p. 1231, says the statement that only 7 of the 83 bee journals of the world are published in this country "gives us an idea of how little we are." Not an entirely correct idea, Bro. Root, for of the 75 published across the water the larger part contain scarcely any thing except matter copied from the smaller number of better ones; and even in the better class you will find page after page the same, from the fact that the same reports of conventions are contained in nearly all.

[The journals in this country, without a single exception, publish almost entirely original matter, and each has a field of its own. If the European readers would take only the best journals, the "copyists" would soon be ruled out of existence. This would enable the survivors to do better work because of a larger clientage and better profits. -ED.]

GLEANINGS, if I understand correctly an item, p. 1123, wants bee-keepers to secure correction of comb-honey canards in cookbooks, etc., saying, "It does not do much good for a manufacturer of bee-supplies to write to these people, because they conclude he has 'an ax to grind.'" But, dear GLEANINGS, hasn't the bee-keeper still more "an ax to grind"?

[Yes, in a way; but the concern that has several hundred thousand dollars invested in a certain line has a good deal bigger "ax to grind" than a lone farmer who may have only a hundred dollars so invested. Then, too, the protest from several hundred or a thousand small investors in the business would have a good deal more weight than the protest of one large one, but the point I had in mind was that the stationery of a large manufacturer of bee-supplies having the protest is apt to be suggestive of a "big greedy corporation" that is seeking to feather its own nest independently of the desires and rights of the small user of those supplies and hence the protest is ignored.-Ed.]

MY GOOD FRIEND from across the water makes a good showing for an increased amount of honey collected on account of protection, p. 1238. Friend Simmins, I don't know but you are entirely right from your standpoint, “in regions that have cool nights.” At any rate, I can easily believe that a temperature low enough would hinder the building of comb. Just how low it would have to be, and how much the hinderance, are things I should like to know. I have had comb built in a surrounding temperature of 45 degrees, but I don't believe that's the best temperature. But in this country we don't generally have nights cool enough to trouble much in the harvest season. It is probably a rare thing for my bees to have a night while gathering when protection would make any difference as to combbuilding. The question is an important one, and our experiment stations ought to give us a definite answer. That would be better than discussion, although discussion may help.

[If your climate is such that you have hot nights during the honey-flow, then you are a good deal better off than we are, where the general temperature through the winter is higher, for we are troubled much by cool nights. This question of outside protecting-cases for comb honey is one that will hinge on locality. I can readily see how such protection would mean an increase in the honey crop in a climate like that of England, while in your locality, for example, it might not make the difference of one ounce. But is it true, doctor, that you generally have hot nights during the honey-flow? -ED.]

THE reader will see by the last page of this issue, which numbers 1370, that during the year we made a big increase in the size of our volume all for the price, $1.00. A few years ago our issue was 32 pages and a cover, making in all 864 pages for the year. This gives us an increase of 506 pages. Next year will not run behind. But we do not wish to make any promises in advance as to how much better we can do.

BEE KEEPING IN THE SOUTHWEST.

BY LOUIS H.SCHOLL COLLEGE STATION TEXAS

What are the bees doing in the North at this time? They can't do what ours are doing here in Southwest Texas! Broomweed is in full bloom, covering the entire prairies, and the bees are storing honey for winter supplies. The summer has been a severe one on bees, and the colonies left are not very strong. Since the fall flow (a slow, steady one for over two months) brood-rearing has been kept up, and the colonies go into winter in the best possible condition-an ideal one-with a lot of young queens and an abundance of stores. What a harvest there will be next year if the season is favorable!

SOUTHWEST TEXAS.

Are you interested in that country of Southwest Texas? If you are you will want to get better acquainted with it-its location, rivers, railroads, counties, towns and information about each of these. You want something that will help to give an idea of just what the country is. Hundreds of letters that I have received the past few months are proof of this.

In answer to these a map was gotten up, and here it is. Keep it always ready, in a place where you can find it. Remember it was in the Christmas number of GLEANINGS. This will help you to find the map. Frequent reference will be made to this map in articles during the coming year. A trip of several weeks this fall has given me an opportunity to learn of some things that are done only in Southwest Texas. A thorough study of the map will enable you to understand subsequent articles much more fully.

LOCATION OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS.

This section, divided from the rest of the State, as given in the map, is my own, and is to be applied simply as a division according to apicultural resources that are very much alike in the whole section. North and east of the boundary lines the conditions are very much different for bee-keeping. A different flora also begins there. The division on the map, however, is by no means a distinct one, as the natural dividing line between the two divisions may extend both further east or north for some distance into adjoining counties at some places, while the same may not extend to the outer boundary-line of the counties included in the map. For convenience, the outside boundaries of the counties have been used as a dividing line, and, as well as I could ascertain, the division is close enough to suit our purpose.

Southwest Texas lies between the 97th and IOIST meridian of longitude, extending slight

ly east of the 97th. North and south it extends from a little below the 26th to nearly the 30th parallel of latitude. The distance from the northernmost boundary of Bexar County (pronounced "Bair") to the extreme southern line at Brownsville is 290 miles. The width of this section of country is about the same distance from east to west. There are twenty-six counties-Bexar, Medina, Uvalde, Kinney, Maverick, Tavalla, Frio, Atascosa, Wilson, Karnes, Goliad, Bee, Live Oak, McMullen, La Salle, Dimmit, Webb, Encinal, Duval, Nueces. San Patricio, Refugio, Cameron, Hidalgy, Starr, and Zapata-and nearly every one of these is adapted more or less to bee-keeping, some of them containing many acres of fine bee-pasture without bees.

THE RIVERS AND RAILROADS.

The section is traversed by several large streams with their tributaries. The Rio Grande forms the western boundary. In the eastern portion the San Antonio and the Nueces in the central part, make their way through the entire length. and end in the Gulf of Mexico. It is along these rivers and along the railroads that most of the beekeepers are located. Of the railroads there are three main trunk lines, spreading out from San Antonio as a center. The San Antonio and Aransas Pass runs south to the Gulf; the International and Great Northern to Laredo, and makes through connections to Mexico; the Southern Pacific. through the northern part, goes to El Paso, and is the main outlet to the Pacific-Coast country. All these extend east of San Antonio and make through connections at their terminals as well as at other connecting points to all parts north and east.

Besides the above, the Mexican National and the St. Louis and Mexico ply the southern parts and connect with the San Antonio and Aransas Pass. Other railroads will be built as soon as the country becomes settled more, thus opening up much new bee-keeping and other valuable territory, and providing a better outlet.

IN

ANSWER TO NUMEROUS LETTERS. Many of the inquiries sent to me ask for information about Southwest Texas. It is impossible for me to give them a personal reply, consequently this means is resorted to in answering all of them at one time. Other information will be given in GLEANINGS from time to time throughout the year, and to this I should like to call the attention of the interested bee-keepers.

In reply to the letters in regard to Southwest Texas I believe I can do no better than to refer you to a copy of the "Texas Almanac," published by the Galveston and Dallas News, of our State. The almanac gives a description of each of the counties of Texas, their soils, water supply, climate, topography, resources, industries, and products; also information concerning population, schools, churches, transportation facilities, etc. These

county descriptions constitute the leading features of the almanac; but there is much other valuable information concerning the crops, resources, and industries. It may be obtained directly from the publishers, A. H. Belo & Co., Dallas, Texas, for 31 cents, postpaid.

To those who are seeking to locate in Texas it would be best to write to the Land Commissioner for a list of school lands now being sold by the State. Six million acres of public school lands were placed on the market by the State of Texas, Sept. 1, 1905. Other lands will come on to the market from time to time as the leases under which they are held expire. Prices generally range from $1 to $3 per acre, and in some cases more. The terms are one-fortieth cash, the remainder in forty years with interest at 3 per cent. The lands may be held forty years by making the original payment of one-fortieth down and paying the interest annually.

Lists of the tracts of land going on the market, and directions for applying for the same, may be obtained by writing to Hon. J. J. Jewell, Commissioner of the General

Land Office, Austin, Texas. He will, from time to time, publish additional lists of lands to come on to the market, and will supply these free of cost to the applicants. Persons who are desirous of securing information concerning the counties in which the said lands are located can get this by referring to the Texas Almanac above referred to.

To all who are thinking of making a change I should like to give a word of caution. It is not every man who should come to Texas. If any man has a good home, and is making a comfortable living, and has reasonable hopes of a prosperous future for his children, he ought not to pull up stakes there and go to unknown lands. If land at reasonable prices can not be bought around him to provide homes for his children in the future, as they grow up, or if climatic or agricultural conditions are unfavorable, and a change will be to his advantage, then go to the new country. Before doing this, look the ground over carefully.

Texas wants progressive people. She needs them to develop her industries, bee-keepers not excepted. In my travels I have seen many localities that afford abundant room

for many bee-keepers. Of these more will be said later, always trying to give the bad side as well as the good.

GLEANINGS FROM THE PACIFIC COAST

BY PROF. A.J.COOK POMONA COLLEGE. CAL

While on the ocean, en route for Europe, I had the pleasure to read a book that I wish to recommend to the readers of Gleanings. It is called

THE FAT OF THE LAND.

The author is John Williams Streeter, and the style of the book is the same as "Blessed Bees," which, it will be remembered, was a fascinating recital of the experience of one John Allen, which was so realistic that many supposed it was actual fact, though it was a too roseate picture of what might possibly occur, but what would be exceedingly improbable. In this later book John Williams is the chief character and he, because of over work as a successful physician, breaks in health, and so, with abundant means, he purchases a farm, makes a thorough study of the principles of agriculture, and achieves a brilliant financial success. He also regains fully his lost health. I do not know whether or not this is the recital of actual experience; but I am sure that the methods described will bring success. I see no reason why the financial success as pictured in the book might not be realized to the full. Mr. Williams kept strictly in line with the principles of land culture that have been determined by our Department of Agriculture at Washington and the several Experiment Stations. He worked to improve steadily the fertility of his soil, and aimed to sell only such products as would not impair such fertility.

I am the more ready to call attention to this volume, as it is not only full of valuable suggestions that will help to bring success in any line, but I have known several cases in Southern California that have been as striking in the way of phenomenal success as the experience of John Williams. I believe the success of Mr. G C. Chapman in orange culture would even distance the figures given in "The Fat of the Land." Mr. Chapman, to my certain knowledge, has won his proud success by keeping in touch with just such principles and methods as those which pushed Mr. Williams to the very front. All this is most pleasurable to think upon, for, as we know, agriculture is the very basis of all national prosperity, and that, with its advance. progress will be pushed in all lines. When farmers are thoroughly taught as to principles and methods, and will practice as best they

know, then they will leap forward with prodigious bounds, and all other activities will feel the impetus from this progress. American agriculture to-day leads the world because it uses brains more than elsewhere. We shall go on to better performance with such narration of success as is given in this interesting book. More than this, the pulse-beat of this higher, better life will reach to other lands, and so the world will be blessed.

THE HIRED MAN.

One reason why Mr. Williams reached such eminence was the fact that he had reliable, competent help from his men. They made his interest their interest. The farmer who is thus fortunate in his hired help has a most potent factor toward exceptional success. Mr. Williams, instead of acting on the principles of "Charge all the traffic will bear," used the golden rule in all his relations with his men. Of course, his employees responded to such treatment, and probably no money expended on the farm brought such large returns as that which gave to the help good-the best-food, pleasant rooms, books and papers, and made their lives on the farm pleasurable. Mr. James Mills, of Riverside, California, and Mrs. Minnie E. Sherman. of Fresno, in the same State, have both carried out the same plan on the large farms which they control, and the tremendous success which they have both achieved owes not a little to their wise and generous treatment of the hired help. I believe that the heaviest tax our farmers pay is that which comes from poor, uninterested, inefficient help. The one thing that will tend most powerfully to remove this ungracious handicap is to bring more of the golden rule into play in all the relations with our employees.

ORDERS OF INSECTS.

A subscriber asks if I will not describe the several orders of insects so that one who has not studied entomology may place them. I am glad to do this, as it is quite easy. The names of the orders come from the wing-characters, and it is the wings that are of chief use in placing the insects in the ordinal groups. But many insects in all orders are "apterous," that is they have no wings, therefore we must look further than wings to find characters that will make us able to classify correctly all insects into orders.

The kind of mouth organs is the second guide, and is easily used by the neophyte. As there are but two kinds of mouth-structure in general structure, though the details are most varied, and as there are several orders, we have to use still a third set of characters in this classificatory work. These have to do with the transformations of the insects, whether they are very pronounced, or complete, as we call them, or not so marked, when we style the transformations incomplete. The locusts and lice are always much alike, though here we find four stages