814 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 



te3 tightly in the case, the upper tier had altogeth- 

 er too much freedom of motion. 



I do not believe that the 10-lb. case will ship as 

 safely, on an average, as one a little heavier. I al- 

 ways help the railroad men load my honey, and I 

 notice that they always take two and often three 

 and four of these small cases at a load, where they 

 have to carry them. Of course, they are more lia- 

 ble to drop one of them than if they had only one 

 or two larger ones. Judging from what I have seen 

 of other goods, I believe freight-handlers often 

 " form a line " and toss these small packages from 

 one to another. This is the most expeditious way 

 of handling light articles, when circumstances ad- 

 mit of it, and they become very expert at it, seldom 

 dropping any thing; but it is not necessary for a 

 case of honey to fall to the ground to break the 

 combs. These small cases are much more liable to 

 be loaded in a tall pile, which will topple over from 

 the repeated bumping of a freight train. Of course, 

 when they are properly loaded and unloaded by 

 men accustomed to handling honey, these objec- 

 tions disappear. 



I have found it an advantage in shipping these 

 small cases to fasten two or three of them together 

 by nailing strips acroES the sides. This makes a 

 package that is not likely to be loaded any way but 

 right side up. It is not too heavy for one to handle 

 safely, but it is too heavy for two to be handled 

 easily. 



But the .style of packing that gives the best re- 

 suits, suits my customers best, and calls down the 

 praises of the railroad men, is a crate made to hold 

 eight of the 101b. cases. This is made with skeleton 

 sides and ends, with projecting handles to carry it 

 by, and is deep enough to allow an inch and a half 

 of hay, leaves, excelsior, or other elastic packing 

 material, under the cases. I have shipped a great 

 deal of honey crated in this way the past winter, 

 and I have not heard of a single broken comb. In- 

 stead, the consignees have nearly always mention- 

 ed the perfect order in which the honey was re- 

 ceived. 



Not the least of the advantages of this method is, 

 that the cases are not soiled in shipment. In these 

 days, when appearance counts for so much, this is a 

 big item. Most of my comb honey the past season 

 was sold to bee-keepers who had none of their own, 

 or not enough to supply their trade. Of course they 

 didn't want to sell honey that had evidently taken a 

 railroad journey ( !), so they appreciated the advan- 

 tages of this style of packing. 



These crates add something to the cost of the 

 honey; but where it is to be shipped in small lots, 

 or loaded or unloaded by men not accustomed to 

 handling honey, I believe they pay well. 



In shipping comb honey it is very important that 

 the combs run parallel with the rails, as on a rail- 

 road the jar is all endwise; while in hauling on a 

 wagon they should run crosswise of the wagon, as 

 in that case it is the rocking, sidewise motion that 

 is to be guarded against. 



1 now use, on all shipments of comb honey, cau- 

 tion labels, a sample of which I inclose. Very many, 

 1 know, will not pay much attention to such things; 

 but if the warning is printed in large bold type, 

 brief and pointed, so as to be easily read and com- 

 prehended, most persons will read and follow it. 



Dayton, 111., Apr. 10. J. A. Green. 



Thanks for your suggestion, friend Green, 

 in regard to the cord method of fastening 



hives ; but it seems to me your objections 

 are not so very serious after all. 1. We 

 have no trouble about fastening the wire 

 screens down, and I hardly see why you 

 should. 2. In regard to the loops stretching 

 under the influence of the weather, what 

 you say may be true with ordinary cords. 

 But if you use tarred twine, the stretching 

 you speak of can not very well take place. I 

 spoke of the jute twine because we had used 

 it and liked it very well. We have also 

 used the tarred twine, and in practical use I 

 saw but little difference in favor of either, 

 except that the jute is larger, and I thought 

 it stronger, and hence better to recommend 

 to readers in general, liut from what you 

 say, I should now say, use the tarred twine. 

 I should still prefer the loop method, even 

 if the cords would stretch. There is less 

 toggery, no nails to catch clothing, and a 

 ball of twine is the whole expense. If I 

 could not readily obtain the tarred article, 

 and found by experience that ordinary 

 twine would be affected by rain or dew in 

 the night, I would not put them on until the 

 morning. Half an hour w^ould securely fas- 

 ten 50 colonies if the twines were cut the 

 proper lengths previously ; and if I desired 

 to make an early start, as soon as I got up I 

 would give the horse his oats ; and while he 

 is eating I would fasten on the twines ; my 

 breakfast I would eat on the road. Yes, 

 sir, I think your method of fastening is 

 good ; and perhaps better than wiiat we 

 used ; but then I thought the loop method I 

 described was more available to most bee- 

 keepers. E. R. 



We are exceedingly obliged to you for 

 your hints in regard to shipping honey. It 

 seems to us that this is one of the vital mat- 

 ters connected with our business. I have 

 been slowly coming to the conclusion that 

 we want our honey in small packages, and, 

 furthermore, that these small packages 

 should be crated in one large package. This 

 prevents the tumbling - over trouble, and 

 keeps them clean, and facilitates handling, 

 without soiling or damage, at least to a 

 great extent. I wish you would give a pho- 

 tograph or sketch one ot: these eight 10-lb. 

 cases. We give to our readers below a re- 

 duced copy of friend Green's caution label. 



FRAGILE. 

 HANDLE WITH CARE. 



LclAl) WITH HAND POINTI.VG TOWARD END OF CAR 

 OR SIDE OF WAGclN. 



From J. A. Green, 

 Dayton, 111. 



^ I m 



HOW TO PUT IN STARTERS. 



A SEASONABLE ARTICLE FROM DR. C. C. MILLER. 



If you have only a few sections to fill with start- 

 ers, it matters not a groat deal how it i^ done. 

 When you come to have so many that it makes sev- 

 eral days' work, then it does matter, for some ways 

 will take twice as long as others. I am not compe- 

 tent to say what is the best way, but I know the 

 Clark fastener, if rightly used, is good, and I know 

 it can be used so as to be a very poor affair. I feel 

 very confident that many who are using other 

 plans, if they should try the Clark in the right way, 

 would find themselves greatly the gainers to change 

 to the Clark. 



