Gleamiinigs imi Be 



e Q^MJilliLare 



Published by The A. T. Root Co., Medina, Ohio 



A. I. KOOT, Editor Home Dopnrtmcnt .1. T. Calvert, Business Manager 



H. n. UOOT, Managing Editor E. K. Root, Editor A. L. Boyden, Advertising Manager 



Entered at the Postoftice, Medina, Ohio, as second-class matter. 



VOL. XLin. 



OCTOBER 1, 1915 



iTOEIAL 



NO. 19 



Honey-crop Reports and Prices 



EviDEXCE is acemnulating showing that 

 the crop of clover and other northern white 

 honeys is much larger this year than last. 

 This is not saying that clover was not an 

 entire failure in some parts of the North. 

 The fall flow has been reported as being 

 remarkably heavy in a large portion of the 

 Xorth. In other respects the western crop 

 is about the same as reported in former 

 issues. 



Prices are running anywhere from 15 to 

 20 per cent lower than last year on all 

 grades of extracted. There is probably 

 more comb honey than was expected earlier 

 in the season. It is now being unloaded, 

 and there is eveiy indication that it will 

 bring good prices. 



Excessive and Late Swarming this Fall; 

 Clover Prospects for Next Season 



AVe have had a large number of reports 

 this year of late swarming — of how the bees 

 rushed out of their hives without even 

 building queen cells. One of our subscrib- 

 ers, whose letter we may publish, tells of 

 getting 175 swarms from 70 colonies, spring 

 count. There have been other reports of 

 of a similar nature. Many of the swarms 

 came out without knowdng where to go — 

 that is, they left hurriedly without sending 

 out scouts. Some swarms leave no queen- 

 cells. One beekeeper packed his bees for 

 winter, and then had a swarm come from 

 the winter case. See what 0. J. Jones and 

 Dr. Miller have to say, p. 817. 



It is evident that the cool rainy weather 

 over a large part of eastern and northern 

 United States during the spring and late 

 summer has stimulated everything to a 

 vigoious growth. Bees are working well on 

 alsike, second-growth red clover, heartsease, 

 Spanish needle, asters, buckwheat, and 

 goldenrod, as they have never done before 

 at this time of the year. 



In all of our more than thirty years' 

 experience in connection with this .journal 

 we do not remember a time when tlieie were 

 so many reports of such heavy flows in the 

 fall. Everything seems to be raining down 



honey excej)!, possibly, white clover, which 

 is still in bloom. 



Beekeepers in the clover districts partic- 

 ularly seem to be jubilant over the pros- 

 pects for next season, for never was there 

 such a mass of young wliite clover as seems 

 to show up everywhere. If we do not get 

 a drouth this fall or next spring, and we 

 must not forget there are two ifs in the 

 way, we shall have a record-breaking clover 

 season next year. 



WUIUIIIIIIIllMllllllli: 



How to Sell Comb Honey under the 

 Federal Net-weight Law and Get Pay 

 for Every Ounce 



Ax old correspondent, who is also a large 

 producer of honey, has written us for in- 

 formation. He says if he is compelled, 

 under the federal law, to mark the mini- 

 mum net weight on each individual section, 

 and sell on that basis, there will necessarily 

 be a surplusage of anywhere from Vg to %. 

 ounce of honey that he will lose on every 

 section of his entire crop. He estimates 

 that, if he sells his comb honey on the basis 

 of actual minimum net weight per section, 

 and not their actual aggregate net weight 

 per case, he will lose $100 on one shipment 

 alone. 



Our correspondent is laboring under a 

 wrong impression. He, like all other pro- 

 ducers, if he uses separators or fences, will 

 probably have three grades, one class calling 

 for a minimum weight per section of 12 

 ounces, another of 11, and another of ten. 

 We could sell a case of 24 sections of the 

 12-ounce class and get no more than 12 

 times 24 ounces, or 18 lbs. ; but that is not 

 necessary. For his information, and for 

 the information of every one else, we may 

 say that the federal net-weight law, while 

 it does require the marking of the individ- 

 ual packages or sections, it does not compel 

 fuelling on that basis. It is permissible to 

 mark the minimum weight on the carton 

 inclosing a section. The purpose of the 

 law is to give tlie consumer a chance to 

 know approximately how much actual 

 weight he is paying for in the package. 



We find in praciical experience that the 



