March, ic 



Amc»rican IS^e Journal 



in the footprints of some one else who 

 has passed on before. 



Having everything in readiness, as 

 soon as spring opens, begin learning 

 anything about your locality with which 

 vou are not perfectly familiar. In near- 

 ly all localities where bees can be kept, 

 there are certain plants and trees which 

 give a yield of surplus pollen or honey, 

 or both, and this yield comes at certain 

 times during the year, while aside from 

 this there is little more honey obtained 

 bv the bees than is needed to supply 

 their daily wants. Some localities give 

 a slow surplus during the larger part 

 of the summer, but these are excep- 

 tional. The majority of localities give 

 a surplus at one, two or three stated 

 periods. 



In any locality where there is a sur- 

 plus only at one stated period, it will 

 be apparent to all that if such a surplus 

 yield passes by without any surplus, 

 none can be obtained during the sea- 

 son. Where there are two periods of 

 surplus, there is still a chance for some 

 surplus from the second, should we fail 

 in the first ; and with three surplus pe- 

 riods, our chances are still better than 

 with only two. But if the apiarist knows 

 nothing when the time of surplus comes, 

 he will be working "blindfold" in these 

 matters, only so far as the bees will 

 naturally prepare for them themselves. 

 But in order to be a successful apiarist, 

 a person must not only have a full 

 knowledge of his locality as to its hon- 

 ey-producing flora, but must also so 

 help his bees that the maximum num- 

 ber of individuals will be on the stage 

 of action at the time of the greatest 

 yield of nectar from his fields. Fail- 

 ing to do this, very much of the profit 

 which might be secured is lost, and our 

 would-be apiarist becomes discouraged, 

 and often gives up; while, had he stud- 

 ied and knozmi, so as to have brought 

 his greatest number of laborers on the 

 stage of action just when his location 

 gave its greatest yield of nectar, his 

 profit and success would have made him 

 an enthusiast, almost without equal. 



For years I started out with the bees 

 when the first pollen came in, follow- 

 ing them till I knew where they ob- 

 tained it, and so on, till that which came 

 in last in the fall; till I knew every 

 • source from which they obtained that 

 part which is needed to fill the hives 

 with brood. Then with the first honey 

 I started out in the same way, and so 

 on down to the last from the fall flow- 

 ers. In this way I found that the only 

 flowers on which I could rely for a sur- 

 plus of honey were — first, white clover ; 

 second, basswood ; third, buckwheat. If 

 from any reason' the white clover was 

 winter-killed. I did not put forth an ex- 

 tra effort for an early strength of colo- 

 nies, but concentrated all effort so that 

 they might be at their best for the bass- 

 wood, and if a late frost killed the bass- 

 wood buds when they were very small, 

 the latter part of May, then I looked 

 forward so as to be prepared for the 

 buckwheat. 



But, bear in mind, that it is your lo- 

 cality that you are to know, in order 

 that you may make a success; and by 

 having everything in readiness along the 

 supply line during the winter months, 

 when spring opens you are not hindered 



from knowing these matters, as would 

 be the case where you waited till spring 

 (to know how the bees came out) be- 

 fore you did any of the preparation for 

 the season's crop. 

 Borodino, N. Y. 



Removing Sections from Wide 



Frames— Filling Sections 



With Comb Foundation 



BY J. I!. HAND. 



I notice on page "54, an inquiry about 

 how to get sections of honey out of 

 frames having a top-bar. I believe the 

 question was not answered. 



The advantages of the frame over the 

 section-holder is in a better protection 

 of the sections. It also admits of re- 

 versing to get the combs attached to 

 the wood at the bottom of the sections, 

 and takes the place of a bottom strip 

 of foundation. It also admits of ex- 

 tracting partly-filled sections 4 at a 

 time. 



To remove honey when finished, run 

 a thin-bladed knife along the crack be- 

 tween the sections and frame, and push 

 the frame down over a form, leaving 

 the 4 sections of honey upon the form. 



To fill the frames with sections, and 

 the sections with foundation, at one 

 operation, split the sections with a saw 

 J4 their length exactly in the center be- 

 fore folding. Place the frame over a 

 form %-inch thick. Put the folded sec- 

 tions in the frame and upon the form 

 with the unsplit side at the bottom of 

 the frame. This leaves the sections 

 half way out of frame and exposes the 

 opening. Pass a thin, narrow strip of 

 wood 20 inches long down through the 

 center of the 4 sections until it strikes 

 the bottom, which opens up the 4 sec- 

 tions to receive a continuous sheet 

 of comb foundation 4%xi7% inches, 

 and which is dropped into the opening, 

 and rests upon the narrow strip of 

 wood which is removed endwise; and 

 by giving the frame a tap on the bench, 

 the foundation drops into place, and 

 the sections are pushed into position in 

 the frame. You may throw the frames 

 upon the floor, or handle them as rough- 

 ly as you please, but the foundation is 

 there to stay. 



One can have but little idea of the 

 rapidity of the operation, or the re- 

 sults gained, by having sections filled 

 solid full of foundation without a crack 

 anywhere, until he gives this system a 

 trial. 



Birmingham, Ohio. 



Honey and tlie Pure Food 

 Law 



BY DR. G. BOHRER. 



For years the ready sale of honey, at 

 remunerative prices, has been a ques- 

 tion, among actual producers of actual 

 honey, of more than ordinary import- 

 ance. The blenders of glucose and hon- 

 ey have placed such an immense amount 

 of their adulterated goods upon the 

 market in attractive packages, and un- 

 der the label of pure honey, of which 



the public became aware, so that many 

 people who would gladly have been pur- 

 chasers and consumers of pure honey 

 would not buy anything called honey, 

 through fear of purchasing adulterated 

 goods. Especially was this the case re- 

 garding extracted honey. Yet comb hon- 

 ey was held in the background to an 

 extent, the belief being entertained by a 

 considerable number of people that 

 honey-comb was manufactured by ma- 

 chinery, filled with counterfeit honey, 

 and sealed artificially ; all of which, it 

 was s;iid, was such a perfect imitation 

 of the work of honey-bees that the dif- 

 ference couldn't be detected. In fact, this 

 adulteration was carried on to such an 

 extent that almost all, if not all, manu- 

 facturers of all the different syrups and 

 candies became extensive users of glu- 

 cose in their factories, the result being 

 that scarcely a syrup free from this 

 vile stuff could be found in the mar- 

 ket. I have called glucose "vile," for 

 the reason that both my experience and 

 observation have led to me to believe 

 that the less of it there is used as a 

 human food, the better off mankind will 

 be in health. 



To offset all this, bee-keepers sought 

 relief through advertising pure extract- 

 ed honey by reliable parties, the labels 

 on the packages bearing the name of 

 the producer. And the production of 

 artificial honey-comb was also denied, 

 the reply to which usually was, "You're 

 another." Pure honey could be sold by 

 producers to those who knew them to 

 be reliable, quite readily. But beyond 

 the limit of their acquaintance slow sale 

 was the rule. 



An organization was effected, and 

 quite a sum of money was raised by 

 the members, with the object in view of 

 increasing the sale of honey. But it did 

 not prove satisfactory, and the funds in 

 the treasury, if my information is cor- 

 rect, were turned over to the National 

 Bee-Keepers' Association, and is a part 

 of the funds of their treasury. 



About this time our National Congress 

 enacted a pure food law, and most of 

 our States, I think, have done likewise, 

 and, as far as the writer knows, honey 

 has been protected by the pure food 

 laws, either State or National, or by 

 both. And while it is claimed by some 

 that goods not actual honey are sold as 

 honey, under adroitly drawn and eva- 

 sive labels, I feel fully convinced that 

 it is a mistake. If not, then it is being 

 done by a grossly uninformed person, 

 and parties interested have not turned 

 a sample package of it over to an 

 analytical chemist to be tested. Let this 

 be done, and if the package is found 

 to be spurious, the authorities will, if 

 it is brought to their notice, handle the 

 offenders without gloves. And if any 

 one, whether a bee-keeper, a honey-deal- 

 er, or any one, fail to report anything of 

 the kind and at the same time fail to 

 notify the proper authorities of such 

 misdemeanor, he is not doing his duty 

 to himself nor his fellow-men. Let the 

 strict enforcement of the pure food law 

 be the watchword of all interested in 

 the production, sale and consumption of 

 pure honey, and, my word for it, honey 

 in either the comb or extracted form 

 will not go begging for buvers at rea- 

 sonable prices. 



Lyons, Kans. 



