May. 1913. 



American T^ee Journal 



163 



enough to reach about the center of 

 the feeder, and at the other end a short 

 hook to hook into the hand-hold in 

 the end of the hive. Any one can 

 make them from old stiff wire with a 

 pair of pliers. They should be tight 

 enough to go on with a little spring 

 pressure, and, if of the right shape, 

 they hold the feeders without any dam- 

 age to feeder or hive. I prefer old rusty 

 wire such as was used for fences. It is 

 a little stiffer, and not so inclined to 



Manner of Fastening an Alexander 

 Feeder With a Wire. 



slip as new galvanized wire. I do not 

 remember the size of wire in numbers, 

 but use about as large wire as can be 

 bent with an ordinary pair of 8-inch 

 pliers. 



Another small annoyance was the 

 entrance blocks commonly used, blow- 

 ing or working loose so that one could 



not depend upon them being on tight 

 enough to do any good. We hit upon 

 the idea of putting a cement coated 

 nail through them, using a nail long 

 enough to reach through t'le blocks 

 's to three-sixteenths of an inch. The 

 cement coat keeps the nail tight in the 

 blocks.and 's to three-sixteenths shoved 

 into the bottom-board holds it to its 

 place securely, yet it is readily removed 

 at any time. We use two nails to a 

 block, one driven from each side so 

 the blocks can be used either side up 

 to vary the size of the entrance. 

 Dunlap, Iowa. 



The New National Grading 

 Rules 



BY FR-\NK RAUCHFUSS. 



AFTER a careful study of the new 

 rules adopted at the Cincinnati 

 convention in February, I can- 

 not help thinking that these rules 

 were not fully discussed before 

 being adopted. Grading rules, designed 

 for the use of all the bee-keepers of the 

 United States, are of considerable im- 

 portance. Plenty of time should be 

 given to carefully go over the field to 

 find out not only the needs of the bee- 

 keepers in the main producing sections, 

 but also the requirements of the prin- 

 cipal markets. 



We grade honey for the purpose of 

 bringing our product before the ulti- 

 mate distributor in such shape that it 

 may be sold, without any further ma- 

 nipulation, at the best possible price. 

 To accomplish this, we must see that 

 the contents of each case are as nearly 

 uniform in finish, color and weight as 



can be. The nearer we come to this, 

 the better price the distributor can 

 pay us. The variation in the selling 

 value of the best and the poorest case 

 permissible in any one grade should 

 be as little as possible. Otherwise we 

 only get a fair price for tlie poorer and 

 a poor price for the better cases of that 

 grade. Much on the same basis, the 

 shipper of a car of mixed apples will 

 only get at best a fair value of the poor 

 stock in the car. 



Grading rules should be explicit and 

 as much as possible couched in lan- 

 guage that will not permit of any mis- 

 interpretation on either side, buyer or 

 seller. Now let us see how near the 

 new National rules come to these ideals. 

 The opening sentence is very good. 



Extra Fancy. — This grade, as well 

 as the grades termed Fancy and No. 1, 

 do not permitanything but sections /;•<■(■ 

 from propolis, or other pronounced 

 stain. How large, or rather how small, 

 a proportion of the comb honey crop 

 of the country is absolutely /'/-cc from 

 propolis stain .■' If this rule is strictly 

 adhered to, there will be in some parts 

 of the country but very little comb 

 honey permitted to go into the first 

 three grades. While most of this 

 honey is a very good marketable article 

 otherwise, the propolis stains on the 

 wood cannot be removed entirely. 



The two pictures that I submit here- 

 with show both sides of 17 sections, 

 numbered so the reader may follow my 

 descriptions. In the extra fancy grade, 

 not more than six unsealed cells on 

 either side of a section are permitted. 

 This eliminates much very fancy honey, 

 because there may be part of a row of 

 open cells, next to the wood. 



Standard very good very good light amber 13>^ oz. 



this grade, as it is well enough attached 

 at top and bottom to stand shipment, 

 practically same as No. 16, except differ- 

 ent color of cappings. 



