980 



GLEANIKGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec; 



tween the starters, and such comb is often started; 

 but a colony storing' slowly prefers to lengthen out 

 the cells already started; whether on account of 

 economy of wax or other reason, I can not say. So 

 if they ai-e working- in the center sections of a super, 

 when these are filled, or whenever they need moi-e 

 room, instead of commencing vigorously on both 

 sides of the next starter, as would a strong colony 

 storing rapidly, they commence on the side of the 

 starter next to the cluster, or, at least, worli most 

 rapidly on that side. Now, the weight of the filled 

 and constantly lengthening cells on the one side 

 throws the soft, yielding foundation to the other 

 side, giving room to lengthen the cells still more, 

 and still more push the foundation to one side till 

 the bees attach it to the separator. The onl}- reme- 

 dy I see is to reverse the position of the sections 

 after well started; but this is too much trouble, 

 leaving us at the mercy of the bees, unless we keep 

 all colonies strong. C. C. Miller. 



Marengo, 111. 



You are probably correct as to what you 

 say regarding the merits of the wood and 

 tin separators. A few years ago we made 

 and sold wood separators, but at that time 

 there was not very much of a call for them. 

 Since the T super has obtained so much fa- 

 vor, wooden separators will evidently come 

 into more general demand. In anticipation 

 of this we have set up our machine for 

 shaving them out. We first made them 

 as thin as 34 to the inch ; but upon the 

 advice of friend Miller and one of our local 

 bee-keepers, we made them a little thicker, 

 26 to the inch. Now, it may be possible that 

 we have them too thin yet ; but if we cut 

 them thicker we find it breaks the grain of 

 the separator ; aside from this, we believe 

 there are some advantages in the use of 

 thinner ones which will offset some of the 

 advantages of the thicker ones. We 

 have put the price at $2.00 per 1000, $1.25 

 for 500, 30 cents per 100— low enough so we 

 think the bee-keeper can aiford to throw 

 them away and purchase new ones, as sug- 

 gested by friend Miller. 



SELLING EXTRACTED HONEY. 



HOW DOOLITTLE DOES IT. 



T AM asked by a subscriber of Gleanings to give 

 (^ my plans for selling extracted honey. First, 

 ^t we have our home trade, which is of a twofold 

 ■*■ nature— that which comes to the door, bring- 

 ing palls, etc., and taking away the number of 

 pounds called for. If this were only large enough 

 to take all that could be raised, the bee-keeper 

 might be perfectly happy when thinking along the 

 line of disposing of his product; but as this is not 

 often the case, we next take a sample and go 

 around among our neighbors, leaving a sauce-dish 

 full at every house, and informing them that we 

 shall be around in a couple of days with the same 

 honey for sale, giving the price that will be then ask- 

 ed for it. Where the crop is not large, the whole can 

 be disposed of in these two ways, especially if we 

 feel disposed to trade our honey for butter, eggs, 

 meat, wheat, oats, corn, etc., which can be used in 

 our families, or readily converted into cash. I find 

 people much more ready to exchange their products 



for honey than they are to pay cash for It. Even 

 the man who works for me is much more ready to 

 exchange his day's work for honey than he is to 

 pay me the price of a day's work in money for my 

 honey. There seems to be a certain desire to keep 

 money after it is once obtained, with most peo- 

 ple, which is so strong that they will often go with- 

 out that which costs money, while an exchange can 

 be readily accomplished with no money in view. 



Second, we have our store trade, by which I 

 mean the leaving of honey in glass fruit-cans, hon- 

 ey-tumblers, and the different pails suitable for re- 

 tail purposes, at the stores in our vicinity, to be 

 sold on commission, or to pay for the goods we pur- 

 chase. Here we And the exchange mania coming 

 in again; for a store-keeper will often give a good 

 bargain by way of trading something we want, for 

 our honey, while we could get him to take but very 

 little, if any, if we demanded cash for It. I can 

 not see the least impropriety in trading honey for 

 boots, shoes, calico, hats, caps, or any thing we 

 must buy; for in this way we find an outlet for our 

 product, and purchase what we must have. By 

 carefully looking after this store trade, and being 

 affable and pleasant, much honey can be disposed 

 of. 



Third, we have the shipping of honey to distant 

 points, to be sold on commission or for cash. As 

 nearly all are familiar with the way this is usually 

 done, I shall not dwell on these old plans, put pro- 

 ceed to tell you of one studied out by myself, which 

 may be new to most of the readers of Gleanings, 

 and which has worked well so far as I have tried it. 

 Not producing much extracted honey of late, of 

 course I have not tested it as thoroughly as I might 

 have done; but, as 1 said before. It has been a suc- 

 cess so far as T have used it. During my leisure 

 days in winter I get out boxes of white basswood, 

 poplar, or whitewood (tulip) lumber, to hold a given 

 number of pounds, the sizes usually being .5, 10, 25. 

 and .50 pounds, basing the size of the box on the 

 fact that 20 cubic inches will hold one pound of 

 honey, and give a little margin to spare, so that a 

 box containing 200 cubic inches will hold 10 lbs. of 

 well-ripened honey, and leave about hi inch at the 

 top unfilled. The material for the boxes, after be- 

 ing gotten out, is piled up in the loft of the shop, 

 and left till the next September before making up, 

 when it is thoroughly kiln-dried through the exces- 

 sive heat which pervades this place during the sum- 

 mer months. As soon as the honey begins to candy 

 in the storage-cans, this lumber is gotten down, and 

 the desired number of boxes made. When made, 

 the inside of the joints is coated with paraftineor 

 beeswax, and the desired number of pounds of the 

 partially granulated honey run in. Over the top a 

 sheet of manilla paper is now laid, and the cover 

 laid on top of this, when the whole is set away till 

 wanted for shipping. Along from November to 

 February, according to prices and my wants, I take 

 a block of wood of suitable size and bore a hole In 

 it, into which I put a chunk of about two ounces of 

 this now solid honey, and a slip of paper containing 

 printed directions how to liquefy the honey, when a 

 little piece of section is nailed over the open end. 

 The block of honey is nicely wrapped up, and a 

 tag tied on. T now take down my gazetteer, which 

 gives the population of every town and city in the 

 U. S., and pick out the place or places where I think 

 such honey as I have will sell the best, according to 

 population, location, and manufacturing interests, 



