40 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



HAVE THE BEST TOOLS REGARDLESS OF 

 COST. 



Much has been said about "more 

 bees," and, while I do not object to 

 this, it is quite as desirable to say, 

 produce more honey from the bees you 

 now have, and do it for less money. 

 How many neglected stocks of bees 

 there are, out of which twice as much 

 honey might have been secured. How 

 many implements there are in use that 

 require twice the time and patience of 

 others that may cost more. If a 

 smoker can be bought that can be 

 lighted more quickly, kept burning 

 with less trouble, one that will re- 

 spond to our efforts more readily at 

 critical moments, that will stay loaded 

 for a greater length of time, then away 

 with our old one to some one more 

 easily satisfied then ourselves — or else 

 throw it away. If there is a brush 

 that will do the work enough better 

 than our old one, let's have it. If our 

 honey extractor is not the best for 

 handling combs without breakage, for 

 extracting the combs clean and doing 

 the work rapidly, then, especially in a 

 large business, every hour we use it 

 we are losing money, we are handi- 

 capped, just as out of date methods and 

 machinery handicap the manufacturer. 

 It is only because the production of 

 honey has the margin of profit that it 

 has, that greater attention has not been 

 paid to this subject; but there is no 

 sound reason why we should not 

 pocket all of the profits of production 

 that we can. 



DO ONE THING AT A TIME. 



In planning my work I have found, 

 as others have found, that system and 

 specializing are necessary for economy. 

 Where, day by day, work is to be car- 

 ried on, each man has his pilace. He 

 learns his work and becomes an adept 

 at it. Of course, with mj' students, I 

 have to make an exception, and allow 

 them to learn each department. Chang- 

 ing f "otn one '.:in?^ of "' rk to another 



is always done at a loss of time. If 

 the entrances of 100 hives need adjust- 

 ing,the hives leveling up, and the grass 

 cut around them, don't do all of these 

 things to one hive, and then to another 

 — perform one service to all of the 

 hives before taking up another branch. 

 Never move a foot unnecessarily, or 

 perform an operation unnecessarily', 

 which will require another move to 

 bring the conditions back to the place 

 of advantage that you were in. As far 

 as you can, so locate your hives as to 

 have all of them near as possible to 

 the bee house door. If your extracting 

 combs are to be raised to a point six 

 feet above the l^oor, when once raised 

 to this level, arrange the stands, etc., 

 so that there will be no necessity of 

 lowering them again, only to raise 

 them once more, or you will have 

 doubly lost work. 



THE KOLLY AND SIN OK EXTKACTING 

 GREEN HONEY. 



In the past, I have extracted hone^' 

 when it was far from ripe, put it upon 

 the market, and sold it for just as 

 much as though it had been well 

 ripened, and there was no complaint, 

 and there are times now, when, owing 

 to the season, or because dark honey is 

 beginning to come in, I might extract 

 honey that would be improved by leav- 

 ing it with the bees for a longer time. 

 I believe there are times when the 

 combs are not more than half capi^ed, 

 and we might extract and get a fair 

 grade of honey, but I feel th^it the per- 

 son who will deliberately, without 

 strongly' extenuating circumstances, 

 extract hone}' when it is green, to save 

 the labor of uncapping, or to secure a 

 trifle more honey, is doing a great 

 wrong, and trading upon the good 

 reputation which has been made by 

 others. He is not only robbing the 

 man who has given extracted 

 honey a good reputation, but he is 

 robbing the man to whom he 

 sells. Fretpient extracting-s demoral- 



