THE BEE-KEEPERS" REVIEW 



334 



ences in the east in years gone by and 

 see where I might have turned faikires 

 into profit with the aid of an extractor. 

 I recall the early honey flows, the in- 

 termittent spurts from time to time, 

 and the slow fall-flows that could have 

 been saved with extracting combs, but 

 was all lost to me, a comb honey pro- 

 ducer. 



1905 A SPLENDID YEAR. 



In the year 1905 we had one of the 

 best and longest honey flows California 

 ever had and, considering the poor con- 

 dition of the bees early in the season, 

 the yield was phenomenal. We had 

 ninety colonies in one apiary in poor 

 spring condition when the honey flow 

 opened in earnest, and time was lost 

 making the start, but the season was 

 "great" for a time for both comb and 

 extracted, either of which could have 

 been stored with profit for a few weeks, 

 but slacked up too much for comb 

 honey, while the extracting season last- 

 ed for months with a slow, steady flow 

 that gradually filled the combs. Our 

 last extracting was done on September 

 12, at which time we took off thirty 

 cases, and still they continued until 

 every comb was filled to the limit. 



We finished the season with 180 cases 

 from this apiary of 90 colonies spring 

 count. 



ONE COMB-HONEY APIARY NOT PROFITABLE. 



I know of but one apiary near here 

 that is run for comb honey, and it only 

 goes to prove everything I have said 

 above, for while we who have followed 



extracting have secured more or less 

 honey, this apiary in relative profits is 

 far behind, though well managed. 



The only plan by which I can see a 

 profit in comb honey is to first extract 

 and then feed back, forcing the rapid 

 completion of every section, and even 

 then, from my own experience, I have 

 doubts as to greater profits, unless there 

 is a greater advance in the price of 

 comb honey over extracted. 



I am so thoroughly convinced of my 

 position on this matter, gained by ex- 

 pel ience, that I w'ould never consider 

 the production of comb honey only in 

 connection with extracted, allowing two 

 or three wide frames with sections in 

 the extracting super during the heighth 

 of the honey flow or the process of 

 feeding back, as before stated. 



Redlands, Calif. 



[For years The Bee-Keepers' Review 

 has championed the production of ex- 

 tracted honey. Comb-honey producers- 

 have criticised this stand, claiming it 

 would do away with comb-honey pro- 

 duction and cheapen the price of ex- 

 tracted by the increased amount placed 

 on the market. And yet we see prom- 

 inent comb-honey producers turning 

 more and more to extracted, with the 

 price of the extracted honey steadily 

 advancing. 



For the commercial bee-keeper there 

 is no question in my mind as to which 

 is the more profitable, for in almost 

 every instance where a big success has 

 been made in the bee business it has 

 been in the extracted line, and yet I 

 realize there are exceptions, and that 

 under certain conditions the production 

 of comb-honey should be encouraged.] 



Some Simple Home -Made Appliances of Value 

 to the Bee -Keeper. 



LEON C. WHEELER. 



-^jT ABOR-SAVIXG devices, sim- 

 rW' P^^ "^ construction and cheap in 

 cost, are what the bee-keeper 

 is always on the lookout for, and I am 

 pleased to add the following, which I 

 have found of much benefit to me : 



A FOOT LATCH FOR THE HONEY HOUSE 

 DOOR. 



I have taken much comfort this sum- 

 mer out of a simple little contrivance 

 for opening the honey-house door with 

 the foot instead of the hand. 



