THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



once in three years, they will never be 

 very bad, whereas if never cleaned off 

 they will become worse every year. Be- 

 tween top-bars and honey-board they 

 became so bad I had to clean them off; 

 and if never cleaned off I think they 

 would become so bad that in time the 

 bees would build between the honey- 

 board and sections. 



My assistant says: "Does Mr. Hutch- 

 inson know what he is talking about? 

 Why, I wouldn't go back to honey-boards 

 with 'the killing of bees, the solid mass of 

 honey, and the dripping, nasty, sticky, 

 mussy mess— oh !" But I can't give the 

 disgusted expression on her face. 



" Does Mr. Hutchinson know what he is 

 talking about?" Well, I will explain how 

 I use the honey boards, and then let Miss 

 Wilson judge for herself. 



No one knows better than I know, that 

 the bees will build a perfect network of 

 burr combs between the top bars and the 

 honey board, but in all of my experience, 

 I never knew them to build a brace comb 

 above a honey board— the supers can be 

 removed and shifted about with never a 

 daub nor a drip. If this honey board had 

 to be removed once a week, or as often 

 as supers are usually changed about on 

 hives, then this breaking of the burr 

 combs, with the attendant daub and drip, 

 would become almost intolerable; but this 

 honey board is put on only once, early in 

 the season, when there is no breaking of 

 combs of honey, and it stays there all 

 summer, unless something befalls the 

 colony making an examination necessary. 

 I say the honey boards stay on all sum- 

 mer, I often left mine on the year round. 

 I think many of them remained in place 

 as long as three years. When putting on 

 the honey board at the opening of the 

 season, it is an easy matter to smoke the 

 bees down so that none are crushed, and 

 after it is once in place I see no reason 

 for pulling it off again until the season is 

 over, unless something unusual happens 

 to the colony. 



As Dr. Miller admits, when no honey 

 board is used, some burr combs will be 

 built, even between thick top bars and the 

 sections, and this is a nuisance to which 

 ■I would never submit when it can be 



remedied so easily as by the use of honey 

 boards. 



5E.COND HAND CANS. 



As a Rule their use is Decidedly 

 Unsatisfactory. 



It would seem as though a tin can that 

 has once been used to ship honey might 

 be used again to advantage, and so it 

 might if certain conditions were observed, 

 but, as a rule, they are are not; hence 

 the dissatisfaction. Nearly every pro- 

 ducer of extracted honey has to give 

 them a trial before he is satisfied; some- 

 times there are several trials, but, sooner 

 or later, the experience turns out just as 

 so graphically described by F. B. Cava- 

 nagh in a late issue of Gleanings. Mr. 

 Cavanagh says: 



The only possible object in using second 

 hand cans is the saving in cost over new 

 ones; therefore if second-hand cans cost 

 us 50 cts. less per case we can obviously 

 sell our honey at ^4 ct. per lb. less when 

 we market. Furthermore, if the cans 

 contained nice, light honey, and have 

 been carelessly drained, there will be 

 close to a pound of honey in each can, 

 which, included in the selling weights, 

 may net us 10 to 15 cts. more per case. 

 All very well so far. and a good-appear- 

 ing proposition; but now for the facts 

 and figures governing both sides of the 

 case. 



In the first place, it is exceedingly hard 

 to get cans which are good enough. The 

 dealer empties his once-used cans after 

 melting the contents by placing the can 

 in hot water. The can looks very good, 

 but in reality it is injured at the time of 

 emptying when he shoves it back into the 

 box to await an order from some bee 

 keeper. Mr. Beekeeper writes a letter 

 something like this: 



Honey Bend, May 22, 1910. 

 Honey Bottler Co., Big City., U. S. A. 



Gentlemen: 



Have you any good second-hand 

 cans, conforming strictly to the following 

 specifications? New cans used but once 

 for white clover, alfalfa, or sage honey; 

 bright and free from rust both inside and 

 out; free from leaks; not battered, and 

 with caps which fit; cases to be in good 

 condition for shipping. You might also 

 quote me on the same cans shipped 

 without cases. 



