GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



fact that the net-weight law allows us to use 

 either measure or weight, Dr. Phillips sug- 

 gested that every square can of honey be 

 marked " Not less than five gallons." While 

 most normal honeys when cold will show a 

 net weight of 00 lbs., in these cans, they 

 may run a few pounds less; and for that 

 reason the suggestion to mark the cans by 

 volume rather than by weight is a good 

 one. Some very good honeys run only 

 about 111/2 lbs. to 11% lbs. to the gallon. 

 If we were to use a label for such square 

 cans, " Not less than 60 lbs. net," it would 

 not be applicable on honey running 11% 

 lbs. 



Of course beekeepers know or ought to 

 know that a 60-lb. square can will not hold 

 60 lbs. of honey unless it is cold. A five- 

 gallon can will not hold more than 58 lbs. 

 of a normal twelve-pound honey when hot 

 enough to prevent granulation. 



There was one point brought out by Mr. 

 Mitchell that every shipper and receiver of 

 honey should bear in mind; and that is, 

 both shipper and consignee must see to it 

 that the honey is properly marked before 

 it is shipped from one state to another. 



Let us suppose a case, and already several 

 instances have come to us something like 

 this: 



Mr. A, in Iowa, cannot see any good in 

 the net-weight law. He does not believe it 

 is enforceable, and, what is more, he is not 

 going to pay any attention to it. If he 

 wants to ship his honey to another state he 

 is going to do it; but Mr. B, in another 

 state, does believe in the net-weight law, 

 and desires to buy honey of A. A sample is 

 submitted, and Mr. B makes a purchase. 

 Mr. A ships the honey to Mr. B, in New 

 York. A did not mark the honey in ac- 

 cordance with the net-weight law. In the 

 meantime the Government officials seize this 

 honey and condemn it because it is not 

 properly marked, and Mr. Mitchell told us 

 that the Government was going after some 

 of these fellows of the Mr. A class. " But," 

 said Mr. Mitchell, " in this case A will go 

 scot free because B bought the honey of A. 

 A's title to the honey ceases as soon as it 

 gets to his railroad station. A is not liable, 

 but B is. B not only may lose the honey, 

 but be subjected to a fine and possible im- 

 prisonment, notwithstanding that he is mor- 

 ally innocent but technically guilty. The 

 only way B can protect himself is to compel 

 A to deliver the honey f. 0. b. to B's freight 

 office. In this transaction the title to the 

 honey does not pass to B until it arrives at 

 his office. In other words, B is not in this case 

 the owner of the shipment. In most cases 

 doubtless, buyers will have all their honey 



sent to them f. 0. b. their office. In some 

 cases it will not be possible to determine 

 what the freight will be; but the buyer will 

 pay the freight and deduct the same in his 

 settlement for the honey. 



It is very important that shippers of 

 honey, either in car or small lots, comb or 

 extracted, mark the net weight or the meas- 

 ure on the container, on all interstate ship- 

 ments. We happen to know that there are 

 fellows like Mr. A who are going to get 

 into trouble. The Government is only wait- 

 ing till every one has a full and fair oppor- 

 tunity to learn the operations of the net- 

 weight law. There is no particular time 

 limit, but the probabilities are that some 

 seizures will be made in the near future. 



folk, Virginia 



On the 11th of January we started for the 

 Dismal Swamp, taking along with us our 

 expert queen-breeder, Mr. Mel Pritchard, 

 who wished to look over the situation to 

 see what could be done in queen-rearing in 

 March and April next. The early setting- 

 in of winter in and about Norfolk — much 

 earlier than usual — gave us some uneasy 

 apprehensions as to the condition in which 

 we might find the bees, and our fears on 

 examination were not wholly ungrounded. 

 Several local residents said the winter had 

 set in almost a month earlier than usual; 

 and Mr. Francis Danzenbaker, who has 

 lived for years in that locality, stated that 

 it was the coldest winter he had seen in 

 seven years. Taking it all in all, the Root 

 Co. with their bees bumped up against a 

 cold proposition. 



The first carload of bees was shipped 

 down to Virginia the last of October. If we 

 had shipped them a month earlier to get the 

 benefit of a month more of brooch-rearing, or 

 if we had had fair colonies instead of 

 nuclei, it would have been better. With 

 feverish haste Mr. Pritchard and ourself 

 went through the colonies. The great ma- 

 jority of them were in fair condition; but 

 some of the weaker ones gave us a little fear 

 as to what the outcome might be, as we 

 found some already dead. 



The second carload of bees, placed in 

 another yard a few miles further south, 

 were in very much better condition. All of 

 its colonies wei'e in good condition except a 

 very few, and some of these could be saved 

 by nursing. 



We had been told that bees could fly in 

 the Dismal Swamp almost every day, and 



