July, 191 1. 



American Vae Journal 



evidence when the fruit-blooming pe- 

 riod comes along. By giving lots of 

 super-room, I have had no trouble with 

 swarming even in years of heavy yields. 



In 1909 I averaged, for the 3 apiaries. 

 a. little over l.jO pounds per colony, and 

 if I remember correctly, I did not have 

 over a dozen swarms, all told. Some 

 of these were caused by supersedure, 

 and if all colonies had young queens, I 

 am convinced the swarming would 

 have been about nil. Of course, the 

 bees in the yards in question were not 

 all Carniolans, yet this blood predomi- 

 nated, and the pure Carniolans swarmed 

 no more than any others. 



Of course, this fact must be consid- 

 ered when thinking of keeping Carnio- 

 lans. A hive as small as the 8-frame 

 Langstroth will be treated as a joke by 

 these bees unless a second story is 

 given real early in the season. Then, 

 again, a single story of this size would 

 not give satisfaction when the queen 



would be forced down at the com- 

 mencement of the honey-flow. 



The friend who asked me to speak 

 of these bees says that in California 

 the early-breeding instinct would be 

 of great value, and from what I know 

 of these bees I have not the slightest 

 doubt about the matter. 



He also asks as to how Carniolans 

 would act if treated on the "shook 

 swarm" plan if run for comb honey; 

 but on this point I can give no opin- 

 ion as I have had no experience on 

 that line. 



Right here let me say that I hold no 

 brief for any breeder of Carniolan 

 bees, but, frankly, I have often won- 

 dered at the exaggerated ideas ad- 

 vanced about the bad traits of these 

 bees, from the pens of men well known 

 in the calling. 



In conclusion, I would advise my 

 friend to try Carniolans on a small 

 scale, and then decide on their merits, 

 after a fair trial. 



Southern 



Beedom^ 



Conducted by Louis H. Scholl. New Braunfels. Tex. 



A Southern Honey Price-list 



One of our readers has asked us the 

 following: 



" Please give us an outline for a price-list 

 of honey as you are using it. It may seem 

 easy enough for the ones who are well versed 

 in business to make out a price-list, but for 

 us who know little about it this is quite a 

 puz/le." 



In reply to this query we think we 

 can answer to the best advantage by 

 simply giving a copy of our price-lists 

 that we have used for a number of 

 years, and which have served our pur- 

 pose very well. Of course, such lists 

 can be arranged to suit different re- 

 quirements. For instance, it will be 

 noticed that section honey is not quoted 

 on our list, since we do not produce it 

 in Texas, and hence it is found on 

 hardly any of the many price-lists that 

 are sent out by our bee-keepers. In- 

 stead of the bulk comb honey prices 

 this space can be used for section- 

 honey prices. However, I am sure that 

 the time will come when many price- 

 lists will have all three kinds of honey 

 appear on them ; that is to say, that ex- 

 tracted, section and bulk comb honey 

 will be offered by some producers, and 

 therefore the price of each will appear 

 on the list. Since we produce only the 

 two kinds of honey — extracted and 

 bulk comb — we give our own list here : 



K.XTRAfTErj HONKV. 



60-lb. cans with iH-in. screw caps, 2 



in case, per lb <;c 



izlb. friction-top pails. 10 in case. 



per lb viic 



ff-\h. friction-top pails. 10 in case. 



per I h IOC 



3-lb. friction-top pails. 20 in case, 

 per I b lo'Ac 



Comb honey. 



^Ib. cans with 8-in. screw caps, 2 in 

 case, per lb iic 



12 lb, friction-top pails. 10 incase, per 

 lb ii}4c 



6-lb. friction-top pails. 10 in case. 



per lb 12c 



3-lb. friction-top pails. 20 in case. 



per lb i2!4c 



Low Honey Prices -Who is to Blame? 



Time and again the question of the 

 present prices of honey as compared 

 with other like products is up for dis- 

 cussion. In comparison with the many 

 other things that come in the same 

 class as honey does, it does seem as if 

 the prices of honey are too low. The 

 question then follows, " Who is to 

 blame ?" 



If we compare the prices of honey 

 prevailing in the Northern markets 

 throughout the year, we find that, un- 

 like the way it used to be in times past, 

 the prices are about the same as our 

 prices here in the South. Of course, 

 we have only the extracted honey to 

 compare, as section honey is very 

 rarely produced in the South, while 

 bulk comb honey — strictly a Southern 

 product — is not found as a general pro- 

 duct on the markets of the North. 



We wish to go on record as having 

 striven for many years to bring up the 

 price of honey, and we must claim at 

 least some success for our efforts. A 

 great difficulty that we have experi- 

 enced, however, is that of having other 

 producers quote their honey at a much 

 lower price than the general market 

 would pay. This is aggravating, to say 

 the least. It seems nonsensical, when 

 • we know that we can get from a half 

 cent to one cent per pound more for 

 all of the honey that we can possibly 

 produce, just as easily as to get the 

 lower price. This is especially so when 

 the seasons are not so favorable and 

 the crops not so large. 



Since we have studied this matter for 

 many years, we know whereof we 

 speak. Every year we have quoted 



our prices, which are generally higher 

 than most of the other producers, and 

 it was no trouble at all to be flooded 

 with more orders than we could fill. 

 This must show, conclusively, if any- 

 thing at all, that the higher price was 

 satisfactory as far as the market was 

 concerned. But there has not been a 

 single year in which we did not hear 

 from some of our customers that other 

 bee-keepers were offering their honey 

 at from one-half to a cent per pound 

 lower than our prices, and that they 

 did not understand why it was, except 

 that there must be an overproduction 

 of honey. In many cases we have 

 been asked to meet this lower price, 

 but when we have such a large demand 

 as we have had for the last few years, we 

 do not deem it advisable to lower our 

 prices, and the result has been that our 

 customers buyout honey just the same, 

 stating that in doing so they know just 

 what they are going to get. 



However, it is to be regretted that 

 the blame for the low prices of honey 

 rests with the bee-keepers themselves, 

 and it is hoped that the time is not far 

 off when each and every one of them 

 will make a stronger effort in the direc- 

 tion of aiding in raising the price of 

 honey just so much, and we are confi- 

 dent, beyond the least doubt, that the 

 result would soon show. 



There is no question but that the 

 prices of other commodities that be- 

 long in the same class as honey are 

 higher in price, but why should this 

 be ? We know that the united effort of 

 the concerns that put other things out 

 to the trade " hang together more than 

 the bee-keepers do, and agree on a 

 certain price for their goods." It is 

 very seldom that one of these concerns 

 rushes in with prices below the market 

 when there is no reason for it. But 

 this must be said of a lot of bee-keep- 

 ers who, we know, have done this very 

 thing year after year. 



Conditions here in the South are 

 such that we are able to sell all our 

 honey at a good price without fearing 

 that we will not be able to sell it at all. 

 Of course, we do not mean that we 

 should put the price up too high — 

 higher than the market can stand to 

 pay for it and handle it at a reasonably 

 good profit; but we do not believe in 

 offering our honey at a less price than 

 the market is willing to pay, either. A 

 half a cent to one cent a pound makes 

 a great deal of difference to a producer 

 who has from 50,000 to 100,000 pounds 

 of honey to sell in a single year, and it 

 is worth going after if that is possible 

 without being unreasonable. 



" Bee-Keepers' Guide " 



This book on bees is also known as 

 the "Manual of the Apiary." It is in- 

 structive, interesting, and both practi- 

 cal and scientific. On the anatomy and 

 physiology of the bee it is more com- 

 plete than any other standard Ameri- 

 can bee-book. Also the part on honey- 

 producing plants is exceptionally fine. 

 Every bee-keeper should have it in his 

 library. It has .'j44 pages, and 295 illus- 

 trations. Bound in cloth. Price, post- 

 paid, $1.20; or with a year's subscrip- 

 tion to the American Bee Journal — both 

 for $1.90. Send all orders to *'- oSce 

 of the American Bee Journal, 



