1882 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



289 



to sell extracted honey lu, while In a liquid state; it 

 looks so clear it will often tempt a person to buy 

 when almost any other package would fail to attract 

 attention; but when honey candies, then tin pails 

 are the best. To resume, I told him to sell it at pri- 

 vate houses for 60c per jar, and allow 10c for all jars 

 they wished to return or exchange. I also told him 

 to warrant it pure; and if any one still doubted, to 

 tell them he would give $1C0 if the jar contained 

 any thing put pure honey. As the people knew 

 nothing of extracted honey, most of them doubted 

 its being pure; some said tJiey had a recipe for mak- 

 ing honey; others, that they had been humbugged 

 enough, and many like expressions. Well, he man- 

 aged to sell all he took with him, scattering it 

 through the village. I waited about two weeks, to 

 let the honey advertise itself, when, having a day I 

 could spare, I went down with my father, taking 

 about fifty jars. We found a much more ready sale 

 than before —those who had purchased, speaking in 

 the highest praise of the honey, and advising their 

 neighbors to buy. Shortly after, we took down an- 

 other load, and told people this was our last trip; 

 and after this they could get my honey at the gro- 

 cery stores. As many expressed a wish to get some 

 in the fall for winter, I told them I would supply 

 them in $5.00 lots for Vi'ic per lb., they to furnish 

 something to put it in. Before I commenced to sell 

 any, I got some nice labels of A. I. Root, and put 

 one on each jar, so people would know my honey. 

 I then took my honey to the stores, telling them to 

 sell it at 60c, and I would allow them 10c per jar for 

 selling. I sold at home for 50c per jar, or filled their 

 own jars for 40c. 



There is a country store near me where I do most 

 of my trading. I made a bargain with the merchant 

 to sell my honey and allow me the same as he got 

 for it, I taking it out in trade at his store. He sold 

 It for the same as I did at home. He sold about 

 $135.00 worth, which I consider just as good as cash. 

 I had about 5300 lbs. extracted, and 450 lbs. comb 

 honey. It was all sold at home, except two barrels, 

 which were shipped in November, and that could 

 readily have been sold at home if I had kept it. 



I wish to impress upon bee-keepers the fact, that 

 it is a great mistake to wait till fall before putting 

 honey on the market. July and August were my 

 best months. Many working people will buy in the 

 summer who will not buy at all as soon as cold frosty 

 winds remind them that warm clothing must be 

 bought, the coal-bin needs filling, and . many ex- 

 penses they do not have in warm weather. It is also 

 a mistake to ask fancy prices. My honey netted me 

 a little over 121 2 c, which was better than selling a 

 a barrel or two for 16c or 20c per lb., and hav- 

 ing to ship the rest to some wholesale dealer. Now 

 let us all make an effort to keep our neighbors and 

 near villages supplied with honey. If we do not, 

 the increased consumption will not keep pace with 

 the increased production, and honey will go begging 

 a market in the larger cities. James Nipe. 



Spring Prairie, Wis., May, 1882. 



I believe friend N. is about right in the 

 matter, and very likely the Mason jar is the 

 package for selling in that kind of way ; for 

 the package being something that every 

 family wants, it costs virtually nothing. For 

 shipping honey long distances, however, the 

 Mason jar would be too heavy and too liable 

 to break, and we shall therefore, I think, 

 have to depend on tin, and putting it up as 



ordinary canned goods. If the honey is can- 

 died hard, it would seem that it ought to 

 ship in the .Jones tin boxes ; but this, so far 

 as I know, seems to await testing. We now 

 have candied honey in tin boxes that is so 

 hard it can be turned upside down without a 

 particle of danger of stickiness ; but wheth- 

 er it will remain the same during the ex- 

 treme heat of summer or not, I have not yet 

 proven. If it will, these little boxes must 

 soon be a favorite for honey for a lunch, un- 

 less I am very much mistaken. 



SHEPAKD'S SW.\R]niNG-BOX IN THE 

 HANOS OF THE ABC CLASS. 



ALSO SOMETHING ABOUT PUTTING UP SECTIONS. 



M S you have asked for the experience of those 

 Jj\ who use the Shepard hiving-box, and I have 

 ' seen no replies, I will give you my experi- 

 ence. My box is made according to the engraving 

 on page 181, June number, 1878. It is 6x10, by 10 

 deep, inside measure, made of rough boards, with 

 half a dozen holes in each side. The handle is se- 

 cured to the bottom, and is about 7 feet long, and so 

 made as to take another in at a joint beveled on the 

 lower end. When I make another I will nail the 

 handle on the side. 



My use of it has been different from Mr. Shepard's. 

 I have the bees alight on it, instead of getting them 

 on it after they have alighted. As soon as the bees 

 have begun to cluster, I jar them into the box until 

 they begin to alight on it, then set in a good posi- 

 tion for the bees to cluster and to be taken away; 

 then set my hive, or look out for other swarms. 

 This has been enough saving to pay for Gleanings 

 ten years yet. You cut no limbs and climb no lad- 

 ders. When the queen can not fly, I cage her with a 

 few bees, and place her on the box, when the bees 

 will follow, if placed among them. 



PUTTING UP 4MX414 SECTIONS. 



I think I have a better way of putting up sections 

 than given in your directions. I lay a bunch of sec 

 tions on the bench with the narrow strip at the left. 



cn 



Call this No. 1, and the others 2, 3, and 4, successive- 

 ly , for convenience in description. Take hold of No. 

 2 with both hands, thumbs above, fingers beloW; 

 raise it carefully to an angle of 60 degrees, bringing 

 it outside of No. 1; then, still retaining thes hold, tip 

 it in the other way; slide the left hand on to No. 1, 

 and take No. 4 in the right hand, and bring it up and 

 No. 1 forward until they join, when they may be 

 driven together with a tive-cent mallet. 



I put up over 500 in 3 hours and 45 minutes, and 

 could do better than that with practice. I do not 

 know whether this would compare with your ex- 

 perts or not. The principle to be remembered is, 

 bring the wide pieces outside of the narrow ones. 



Edinburg, O., May 13, 1882. Chas. R. Bingham. 



I am very glad to hear of so good a report 

 of the swarining-box, friend B., for we are 

 selling a great many of them. — I hardly 

 think we should like your way of putting up 

 sections as well as ours, for our boys will put 

 up a box of .500 in an hour and a half, or a 

 little less ; still, we give the plan, for some 

 will prefer one way and some another. 



