1889 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



378 



evaporated in the big tank was very fine, with the 

 exception that there was an after pungent taste in 

 the throat not exactly pleasant to us. The flavor of 

 the other sample of sage honey, that evaporated by 

 the bees, was the finest of the three— the pungent 

 taste mentioned in the artificially evaporated sam- 

 ple having been entirely eliminated. To see what 

 others would think of it, we handed the three sam- 

 ples to three of our printers, not telling them which 

 we thought best. We marked them so we could 

 tell which were which. Two of the printers imme- 

 diately decided just as we had, and another one did 

 on further deliberation. There has been a good 

 deal of discussion as to whether honey evaporated 

 artificially is equal to that evaporated by the bees. 

 If the test above made means any thing, it would 

 seem to indicate that bees have got the art down a 

 little finer than we have. To make the test a true 

 one, the two samples should be put side by side. 



THE COMBINED CRATE, IMPROVED. 



We have just changed the combined crate, which 

 we have sold for a good many years, so that it may 

 be manipulated in every respect the same as the T 

 super; i. e., it can be tiered up inside of a Simplicity 

 body; can be used with or without tin separators, 

 and can be emptied of its sections en masse. Unlike 

 the T super, it is so constructed that the bee-space 

 may be used either above or below the sections. 

 Although we do not recommend it, the honey-board 

 may be dispensed with, in which case the bee-space 

 should be put below the sections. It will also take 

 in open-side sections, which the T super will not 

 satisfactorily. While retaining all the old features 

 of merit, it is now made much more valuable than 

 before. We make this statement so that all those 

 who order the old combined crate may be advised 

 of the change. The price of the combined crate 

 will be the same as formerly. 



a "fish story" and a bait for novices. 



For several days back, correspondents have been 

 forwarding - on to us circulars from F. Andrews, 328 

 West Madison St., Chicago. The circular bears the 

 stamp of a " fish 6tory." It advertises a new hive 

 that will prevent swarming, that will set every idle 

 bee to work, and that will store twiei' as much honey 

 as any other hive made. Mr. A. further claims that 

 it will cost nothing to keep bees, as they feed them- 

 selves; that a single colony will net from $25.00 to 

 $60.00 per season. It closes up by offering to sell a 

 book, entitled, " Secrets of Bee-keeping," for 15 

 cents. Bro. Newman, of the American Bee Journal, 

 of course, was prompt to find out whether there 

 was any such individual. In his last issue he says 

 they have made four trips to the address of Mr. 

 Andrews, but that he was "out" each time. A 

 woman in an adjoining room said he was there only 

 a few minutes each day, and that he expected to 

 make a trip to California in May. Mr. Newman 

 cracks his editorial whip over Mr. Andrews' shoul- 

 ders in his following characteristic way. He says: 



It is useless for us to caution any one. for our 

 readers do not send " a nickel and a dime" for any 

 " secrets " of bee-keeping. They know better. It 

 is the " novices" he is after. The circulars seem 

 to have been sent to postmasters, and bv them dis- 

 tributed into the "boxes," to catch the unwary, 

 and many $3.00 and "nickels and dimes "for Mr. 

 Andrews to go on a " trip around the world." 



P. S.— Since the above was in type, we have the 

 following from friend Newman: 



Friend Root :— After some six special tri|>s to Mr. Andrews' 

 advertised place I have got a copy of his pamphlet, and mail it 

 to you to-day. His hive is a Mitchell, and the extractor a Mc- 



Dougall. In fact, the whole pamphlet is mainly a copy of 

 McDougall's, published in Indianapolis twelve years ago. He 



told the person I sent that he had no hives on hand had sold 

 none this year, and said it would take 10 days to get one made 

 He is doing nothing. T. G. Newman. 



The book kindly forwarded us, as above, is a pret- 

 ty fair bee-book for only 15 cents, only it does not 

 fill the bill at all, according to the circular. The 

 principal illustration is one used years ago by N. C. 

 Mitchell. Mr. Andrews, however, has dug out the 

 " N. C. Mitchell," giving the hive a botched appear- 

 ance. From the back cover we learn that Mr. A. 

 sells patent medicines, etc. The engraving of the 

 extractor is one made for us years ago by Stillman 

 & Co., of Cincinnati, O. The word " Novice " is got 

 rid of by some means. 



We have, at this date, 8626 subscribers. 



gPECITm ]\_0¥ICEg. 



GOOD SHEARS AT A LOW PRICE. 



If any of our readers are in want of a good pair 

 of shears at a low price they will do well to exam- 

 ine our advertisement in another column. We have 

 sold in the past 6 years about 150 dozen, and have 

 just put in stock as many more. The last lot are 

 much nicer than the former stock. 



ADVANCE IN PRICE OF SUGAR. 



Of course, at the present state of the sugar mar- 

 ket we can not sell at the prices in our catalogue. 

 At present writing the price is 2c higher, and liable 

 to go still higher. Jt will doubtless be another cent 

 higher before it goes any lower. This, of course, 

 does not apply to maple sugar, but we hav'n't very 

 much stock of this. 



EXTRACTED HONEY FOR SALE. 



Now that sugars are so high is a good time to 

 close out old honey at good prices. We have just 

 received a lot of 20 kegs of very choice basswood 

 honey, which we offer at $4.50 per keg of 50 lbs. 

 This is about as nice basswood honey as we ever 

 had, much of it containing some clover, and the 

 price is lc lower than we have offered for over a 

 year. We have also some basswood honey in 60-lb. 

 square cans, two in a case, that we offer for 9!4c 

 per lb. . 



CUTHBERT RASPBERRY PLANTS AT LOW FIGURES. 



Perhaps we have no better honey-plant than the 

 Cuthbert raspberry— at least there is no other plant 

 on which the bees seem to be so busy; and when 

 we consider that Cuthbert raspberries are never 

 without a purchaser-at least they never have been 

 in our locality — it seems to me it is a dood deal more 

 rational to put out raspberries than to waste time 

 and money on plants for honey and nothing else. 

 Last year we sold every quart of our Cuthberts, at 

 a price not less than 14 cents; and a great many of 

 them, when they first ripened, brought 10 cents a 

 pint. Now, for immediate orders, before the young 

 plants are torn up by the cultivator, we will fill or- 

 ders at the following rates: 10 plants. 15c; 100, $1.0(1; 

 1000, $7 50. If wanted by mail, add 5c for 10, or 25c 

 for 100, for postage. It will be noticed that the 

 above prices are less than half those given in our 

 seed latalogue. 



CHANGE IN SCREW-TOP GLASS PAILS. 



We call the attention of our customers to the 

 fact that we are compelled to chancre the pattern of 

 our screw-top glass honey-pails. Those shown on 

 page 22 of our catalogue are no longer made. The 

 manufacturers have discontinued making- them, 

 and have destroyed the molds. We have been for- 

 tunate enough, however, to find another to take its 

 place. See cut and prices in our advertisement on 

 another page. There are now 4 sizes, and pricefi 

 are somewhat changed. While on this subject I 

 might also state that there is every prospect for an- 

 other general strike among glass-blowers, which is 

 bound to run prices up again, the- same as a few 

 years ago. At present the prices on this class of 

 goods are as low as we have ever known them, and 

 are sure to go no lower- The probabilities pojnt 



