1895 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



669 



after they come into blMum, and when from 4 

 to 6 feet high. Some fanners make it a prac- 

 tice to cut it before it comos into bloom, and haul 

 it to their hogs. The plant is then so succulent 

 that hogs will eat it readily. Those who have 

 used it in this way regard it as of great value 

 for hogs alone. There are some farmers here 

 who contend that it will pay to grow sweet clo- 

 ver as a regular farm crop, especially for hogs 

 and cows. If we have many more dry sum- 

 mers they will be driven to it, for sweet clover 

 Is one of the crops that will make a satisfac- 

 tory growth without regard to dry weather. 

 This year, where the pastures are literally 

 burned up, the sweet clover close by is as fresh 

 and rank in growth as could be desired. I have 

 measured individual plants this year that were 

 over eight feet high, and I have seen acres of 

 it from four to six feet high in beds of gravel 

 where nothing else seems to grow. 



M. M. Baldridge. 

 St. Charles, 111., Aug. .5. 



FISH & CO.'S HONEY QUOTATIONS; THE GREAT 

 IMPORTANCE OF SHIPPINd-CASES WELL MADE. 



Mr. Root : — In your issue for Aug. 1.5, p. 618, 

 Dr. Miller says that strictly fancy comb honey 

 Is quoted by one firm at 13 to 13, while another 

 firm, which is S. T. Fish X- Co., say, " We antic- 

 ipate a price of 14 to 1.5 cts.;" and he adds, "I 

 anticipate they'll anticipate a higher price than 

 that before they are flooded with consignments 

 this year." 



We believe that Dr. Miller meant no harm to 

 us when he made the above statement; but 

 some people may infer that we are not entitled 

 to having consignments. We advertise in your 

 paper, and we doubt whether you would permit 

 us to advertise if you did not think we were a 

 responsible firm; and we want to say right here, 

 that, any time any man wants to sell us honey, 

 we will pay him the cash for it; but there are 

 times when it is impossible to buy honey, owing 

 to quality and many other arguments that we 

 could advance. 



Since you give us this space we want to say 

 that one thing seems to us must be improved in 

 order to further the success of the bee-keeper 

 financially; and that is, they must use a proper 

 package for comb honey. They should not use 

 any thing larger than a i'4-lb. .seetion-case, and 

 this case ought to be made by the A. I. Root Co. 

 or some firm as capable. We saw some honey 

 from California the other day, that was sold as 

 fancy, that is in a case that makes the honey 

 second grade, as the case is too large for the 

 section; the wood is not of proper material, and 

 is not properly put together. Advertise your 

 cases to everybody, and see that everybody uses 

 them. 



One man sent us in some cases painted drab 

 in color. He was under the impression that 

 this would hide the unplaned boards, and might 

 shield the thick wood and heavy nails that he 



used. If this honey were in a proper package 

 we could get 15 or 16 cts., while to-day any one 

 can have it at 13 to 14 cts., as it is not in proper 

 shape, and will not sell alongside of fancy. 



We received our first consignment of new 

 honey today from George S. Scott. Wadena, 

 la., put up in 12-lh. cases, ihree sections being 

 shown through the glass. The shipment weigh- 

 ed 791 lbs., and we sold it at 16 cts. This is as 

 pretty a package of honey as we have ever han- 

 dled, and we could sell carloads of such goods 

 on arrival, at the outside market price. 



Later on, if you care for our opinion we can 

 tell you what we think of the future outlook of 

 the honey situation. Now, we can not tell; 

 but we certainly e.Kpect to sell our receipts as 

 per our quotations in your Honey Column, and 

 we must anticipate the price if we had no re- 

 ceipts, and could not report actual sales at the 

 time we sent you the quotations. 



Chicago. Aug. 34. S. T. Fish & Co. 



[We should be glad to hear from S. T. Fish vt 

 Co. further. We believe they are not only reli- 

 able, but alive and active to the interests of the 

 pursuit. It would be well for those bee-keepers 

 who think " home-made" stuff is " justasgood, 

 and cheaper." toponder over carefully the third 

 paragraph above. "Penny wise and pound 

 foolish " fits the case exactly.— Ed.J 



REDUCING STOCKS, AND UNITING. 



I have about 50 hives of bees, and do not 

 wish any more increase. About half of the 

 queens are mismated. 1. Would it be a good 

 method to reduce to one-half by killing the mis- 

 mated queens and uniting the hybrid bees with 

 the Italians, and using the empty hives and 

 frames next swarming season? 3. Would it be 

 better to unite in the fall, or early next spring ? 

 The colonies are strong ; winter loss is nominal 

 here. R. F. Ritchie. 



Rumford, Va., Aug. S. 



[1. You can do this way providing you wish 

 to reduce stocks; but your hybrids may kill 

 some of your good queens after uniting. 3. 

 Unite in the fall.— Ed.] 



ANOTHER "color VICTIM." 



Another "color victim " wishes to correct 

 one of the errors of last season. I paid a good 

 price for a large noble-looking queen that 

 would be a hummer in a one-frame hive. Her 

 bees are very pretty, resembling some variegat- 

 ed tropical bugs ; but I have pinched their 

 mother, and her domain shall be given to one 

 of your queens. I have had my "beautiful" ex- 

 perience: and if you send me a good serviceable 

 queen, raised from an import, I care not what 

 color she or her ofl'spring displays. 



New Matamoras, O., July 9. W. M. Gray. 



AN INTERNATIONAL BEE-KEEPERS' CONGRESS. 



It is proposed to hold an international bee- 

 keepers' congress on the 4th and 5th of Decem- 

 ber, in Atlanta, during the Cotton States' 

 Exposition. The call has been signed by most 



