November, 191 1. 



331 



American Hee Journal 



»^^^i^ 1 



cakes are cold take finely flavored can- 

 died honey, and after creaming it 

 spread it between the layers. Cover 

 with white frosting and decorate with 

 orange and almonds. Make frosting 

 by beating the whites of 2 eggs, juice 

 of one lemon, and enough confection- 

 ers' sugar to thicken. 

 I Honey-Cakes. — Put 2 heaping table- 

 spoonfuls of butter into a saucepan 

 over the fire, and when melted stir in 

 % pound of honey. Remove from the 



fire, and when cool mi.x with it the 

 grated rind of half a lemon, 2 heaping 

 tablespoonfuls of chopped almonds, }i 

 a teaspoonful of grated nutmeg, 2 cup- 

 fuls of flour, and one level tablespoon- 

 ful of soda dissolved in a small quan- 

 tity of warm water. Leave the mi.xture 

 in a cool place for 12 hours; then roll 

 it out }2 an inch thick, cut it into round 

 cakes, and decorate with shredded al- 

 monds. Bake in a moderate oven for 

 2l) minutes. — Ladies' Home Journal. 



Em Western W^ Bee-Keeping 



Conducted by Wesley Foster. Boulder. Colo. 



Prices of Colorado Honey 



Comb honey is selling for $2.7.5 to 

 $3.25 per case for No. 1 white, and $2.40 

 to $2.9(1 for No. 2 honey. No. 1 light 

 amber brings about 15 cents a case less 

 than the No. 1 white. I do not know 

 of any No. 1 white honey packed in 

 single-tier cases bringing over $.'i.()lJ a 

 case, while several cars of honey packed 

 in double-tier cases have sold for $y.25 

 for the' No. 1 white, and $3.10 for the 

 No. 1 light amber. At the present 

 prices I think there is more money in 

 comb honey than in extracted at (i 

 cents to 'Yz cents per pound. 



Foul Brood Treatment in the Fall 



It has been repeatedly recommended 

 to carry over colonies with but a few 

 cells of foul brood until the following 

 spring for treatment. That may be a 

 safe procedure for some localities, but 

 here in the arid country the bees breed 

 quite heavily during October and all 

 through the winter. I have seen colo- 

 nies with but a half-dozen cells of dis- 

 ease in late August, and in October 2 

 to 4 combs rotten with the disease. It 

 can not be recommended to try and 

 carry over diseased colonies — better 

 treat them and give clean combs of 

 honey for them to winter upon. 



Bees Killed by Smoke 



Mr. R. VV. Ensley, of Delta Co., Colo., 

 tells me that he killed a colony of bees 

 with the smoke from a black cloth 

 (part of an old dress). He thinks it 

 was the dye in the cloth that killed the 

 bees. 



The Average Small Bee-Keeper 



The average small bee-keeper keeps 

 bees as a sort of gambling proposition. 

 All the bee-work is summed up in put- 

 ting on and pulling off the top boxes, 

 and trying to catch the swarms when 

 they appear. He thinks that if he can 

 get a little honey it is so much " easy 

 money." This may "go" in some 

 places, but where foul brood is rampant 

 it is a losing proposition for the aver- 

 age bee-keeper, and a very costly one 

 for the large bee-keeper who has bees 

 near by. 



It can not be too strongly empha 

 sized either to keep bees, or sell out to 

 some one who can. This should not 

 discourage the careful amateur, as I 

 know many a small bee-keeper who is 

 as up-to-date and well-informed as 

 many a specialist. 



In my work of inspection it is com- 

 mon to find some elderly man with 30 

 or 40 colonies, and foul brood in many 

 of them — his bees are all right ; there 

 never has been anything wrong with 

 them — but he has had " bad luck " the 

 last few years — theyellow-jackets killed 

 many of his colonies, and the ants got 

 many of the others. If you suggest 

 disease — oh, no! never any disease got 

 into his yard ! He has no use for these 

 new scientific ideas, anyway. Then, 

 perhaps, he will launch into a tirade 

 against the whole theory of germs as 

 the cause of certain diseases. But a 

 younger member of the family reads 

 the bulletins and papers, and takes 

 charge, transfers into modern hives, 

 and soon we have a progressive bee- 

 keeper. 



When I meet one of these old fel- 

 lows, that knows more about bees than 

 all the rest, I do not lose hope until I 

 find he has no children or grand- 

 children. 



Sugar and Honey Prices 



At the present price of sugar, which 

 is right around 9 cents a pound, it 

 seems the bee-keepers would have a 

 good chance to increase the consump- 

 tion of honey through advertising. 

 Honey at the same price as sugar 

 should go like the proverbial hot-cakes, 

 for which honey was intended, any- 

 way. It is, however, a fact that sugar 

 is selling at $9.00 a hundred-pound sack, 

 and honey at 6 cents a pound for ex- 

 tracted in a good many towns in Col- 

 orado. This is a strange condition, 

 and it will not obtain for a very long 

 time. 



Honey-Prices and Home Comforts 



I know a good many bee-men — and 

 they are pretty much like other folks — 

 most of whom do not have very many 

 luxuries; their houses are small and 

 families large. In the kitchen is a cup- 

 board, stove, table, and a few wood 

 chairs. In the dining-room are a few 



pictures, cheap lace curtains (perhaps 

 with holes in them) ; an organ in a 

 corner. There may be a spare room 

 with a marble-top washstand, and a red 

 or blue rag carpet on the floor. On 

 the wall hangs the marriage certificate, 

 a " God Bless Our Home," and a " spot- 

 knocked" enlargement from a tin-type 

 of Uncle Ebenezer or Aunt Samantha. 

 They have hot biscuits, fried eggs, and 

 coffee, for breakfast. 



Now, the bee-man may have a crop 

 of 5000 pounds of extracted honey; he 

 sells it for 6 cents a pound, and it 

 brings him $300; but he has to pay $.50 

 for cans, and as much more for other 

 supplies. Can a man with a family live 

 on this? Perhaps not; but I know 

 some who do, with what they get from 

 the garden, chickens, cow, etc. 



Fifteen cents a pound would bring 

 this man $750.00 for his crop, and it is 

 worth it, every bit. This would mean 

 music lessons for the girls ; a slide 

 trombone for the boy ; a chance for the 

 girl at the Normal, or a term in the 

 manual training school for the aspiring 

 boy. You need not tell me that a fairer 

 remuneration for labor would not 

 mean greater life to the masses of the 

 people. I think it would be well to re- 

 member the moral aspects of this en- 

 deavor for better prices in honey. The 

 price tends upwards now — let us do our 

 best to aid the betterment all along the 

 line. 



There is another side to this, and 

 that is, that the average bee-keeper, 

 farmer, fruit-grower, etc., does not 

 have a plan on a large enough scale. 

 He thinks in terms of hives instead of 

 apiaries. He is mastered by fear of 

 failure. Let us strive to usher in better 

 bee-keeping, and better prices for our 

 honey. It will mean happier homes, 

 and more smiles and kindness all 

 around. 



" Lang-stroth on the Honey-Bee " 



This is one of the standard books on 

 bees. It tells in a simple, concise man- 

 ner just how to keep bees. It was 

 originally written by Rev. L. L. Lang- 

 stroth, who invented the movable- 

 frame hive in 1851. The book has been 

 brought right down to date by Dadant 

 & Sons, than who there are no better 

 or more practical bee-keepers in this 

 or any other country. It contains 

 nearly (500 pages, is fully illustrated, 

 and is bound in cloth. Every topic is 

 clearly and thoroughly explained, so 

 that by following its instructions no 

 one should fail to be successful with 

 bees. Price, postpaid, $1.20; or with 

 the American Bee Journal one year — 

 both for $2.00. Send all orders to the 

 American Bee Journal. 



" Scientific Queen-Kearing " 



No other book compares with this 

 one written by Mr. G. M. Doolittle. He 

 is an expert in the business. It tells 

 just how the very best queens can be 

 reared. Bound in cloth. By mail, $1.00; 

 or with the American Bee Journal, one 

 year— both for $1.60. In leatherette 

 binding, 7.5 cents, postpaid ; or with the 

 American Bee Journal one year — both 

 for $1.2.5. Send. to -the American Bee 

 Journ.Tl. 



