116 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Feb. 19, 1903. 



first thing the combine would undertake to do 

 would be to make a demand that the South- 

 western producers quit putting up bulk comb, 

 and go back to section and extracted honey;'' 

 although he does not say upon what he bases 

 this fancy. He certainly gives a good argu- 

 ment against any such attempt, in the state- 

 ment that Texas alone produces 200 to MOO 

 cars each year, with a demand beyond the 

 supply. 



It would hardly come within the province 

 of a National organization to "quash the 

 demand for bulk comb," and oblige the pro- 

 duction of extracted or section honey in place 

 of bulk comb, any more than it would come 

 within its province to say that section or ex- 

 tracted honey alone should be produced. 

 Perhaps, however, it may not be necessary to 

 object seriously to anything of the kind until 

 there is some intimation from the promoters 

 of the scheme that any such improper dis- 

 crimination is intended. 



- VVeekly Budget. I 



The Heduon Patent Expiked.— James 

 Heddon announces in the American Bee- 

 Keeper that the patent on his hive " expired 

 last September, and so all are free to make 

 and use it." 



The Wisconsin Convention was held the 

 first week of this month at Madison. The 

 officers elected for the ensuing year are these : 



President, N. E. France; Vice-President, J. 

 Hoffman; Secretary, GusDittmer; Treasurer, 

 H. Lathrop. Recommended as next State in- 

 spector of apiaries, N. E. France ; as State 

 Fair judge of apiarian exhibit, F. Wilcox; 

 committee on legislation, N. E. France; com- 

 mittee on St. Louis Fair, the executive officers 

 of the Association including F. Wilcox. 



The legislative committee has a bill in the 

 State Legislature to amend the law of 1898, 

 allowing S700 instead of .*500 for the suppres- 

 sion of foul brood. The bill has had a hear- 

 ing before committees, and so far favorable. 

 We trust it may pass, as it is only just and 

 fair to the bee-keepers of that State. 



The Apiart of N. Staininger, of Cedar 

 Co., Iowa, appears on the first page. The fol- 

 lowing refers both to the apiary and to itg 

 owner: 



Mr. N. Staininger, although not yet an old 

 man, has had many years of experience as a 

 bee-keeper, having worlted with bees ever 

 since he was 10 years old. In those pioneer 

 days, if the bees all died during the winter he 

 would go out into the woods and find a col- 

 ony of wild bees, which he would capture in 

 order to get a start for the next year. 



Even by the use of the crude materials then 

 at hand to aid one in caring tor bees, Mr. S. 

 was very successful in this line of work. He 

 is energetic and progressive, and a visit to 

 his apiary will convince one that he was not 

 willing to rest on his first laurels of success, 

 but has kept up with the times, and has been 

 quick to see the value, and to adopt many of 

 the new methods and contrivances for bee- 

 culture. 



Mr. Staininger does not run to large num- 

 bers of colonies, keeping them down to 235 to 

 2,50. 



He is also engaged in another line of busi- 

 ness; and it is surprising that with all he has 



to do, he is able to keep everything in such 

 perfect order, and not allow the number of 

 colonies to increase nor decrease more than he 

 wishes. His bees show the finest marks of 

 the Italians. He has introduced queens to a 

 numberof apiaries in his neighborhood, and 

 they have always proven a great success. 



Mr. Staininger's honey market is almost 

 entirely in his own town, for he is known as 

 a man who always has the best, and who does 

 a square business. He is still in the prime of 

 manhood, and we hope that many more years 

 of successful bee-culture may lie ahead of 

 him. E. W. CoE. 



Sing a Song. 



If you'll sing a song as you go along. 

 In the face of the real or the fancied wrong; 

 In spite of the doubt, if you'll fight it out. 

 And show a heart that is brave and stout ; 

 If you'll laugh at the jeers and refuse the 



tears 

 You'll force the ever-reluctant cheers 

 That the world denies when a coward cries. 

 To give to the man who bravely tries ; 

 And you'll win success with a little song — 

 If you'll sing the song as you go along ! 



If you'll sing a song as you plod along, 



You'll find that the busy, rushing throng 



Will catch the strain of the glad refrain ; 



That the sun will follow the blinding rain ; 



That the clouds will lly from the blackened 

 sky; 



That the stars will come out by and by ; 



And you'll make new friends, till hope de- 

 scends 



From where the placid rainbow bends ; 



And all because of a little song — 



If you'll sing the song as you plod along I 



— Selected. 



Amount of Honey Annually Produced 

 in the United States and Cuba. 



At the Philadelphia convention of the 

 National Bee-Keepers' Association a tew years 

 ago, I gave a set of figures going to show the 

 approximate amount of honey annually pro- 

 duced in the L'nited States. This estimate 

 was based on the number of section-boxes 

 made and sold by all the manufacturers in 

 the United States, for during that year we 

 learned the entire output. The amount of 

 goods sold in various parts of the country 

 would also give something of an idea of the 

 amount of extracted honey produced. Well, 

 this estimate, without going into details as 

 to how the results were arrived at, show that 

 there was 50,000,000 pounds of comb honey 

 and 100,000,000 pounds of extracted, or a 

 total of 150,000,000 pounds, all told. The 

 actual valuation of this, conservatively fig- 

 ured, would be about $10,000,000. 



In answer to a correepondent, I repeated 

 these figures, and the editor of the Pacific 

 Bee .lournal compared them with the United 

 States census report of the annual honey 

 crop. He has prepared a new set of figures 

 by putting them in such a shape that they 

 will be more easily understood. According 

 to his way of figuring, my estimate of 150,- 

 000,000 pounds ot honey would make 7000 

 carloads. The United States census report 

 on the same basis would make OOOr carloads, 

 or only 33.3 less than my estimate. These 

 figures are significant when we come to con- 

 sider the fact that they were arrived at 

 through totally ditTerent and independent 

 sources — significant because they are so close 

 together. But my estimate, as made three 

 years ago, was figured on a very conservative 

 basis; and the United States census report ot 

 181)9 probably did not take account of (ill the 

 honey produced. In fact, as our readers 

 know, I have questioned the accuracy of the 

 report. But either way we figure it, both 



estimates are under the actual output of 

 honey in the United States at the present 

 time. 



I think we should be safe in concluding 

 that we may estimate that the actual product 

 of this country is not far from 10,000 car- 

 loads. This seems like an enormous amount 

 of honey; but if one will go through some of 

 the large supply-manufactories ot this coun- 

 try, and look over their order-books, he will 

 have no occasion to doubt these figures. — 

 Editorial in Gleanings in Bee-Culture. 



Brood Clear to the Top-Bars. 



E. F. Atwater holds the view that if there 

 is a slight stretching of the foundation in the 

 upper part of the frame, there is less likeli- 

 hood that it will be occupied with brood. He 

 says in the American Bee-Keeper : 



Editor Root and Dr. Miller have been hav- 

 ing a lively " set-to " about brood coming to 

 the top-bars of the Langstroth frame. Dr. 

 Miller's frames are tilled with combs built 

 from full sheets of foundation staid with 

 splints; no sagging there ; so brood is much 

 more likely to extend to the top-bars. Root's 

 combs are built from foundation staid with 

 horizontal wires, consequently sagging all 

 along the top-bars, and bees dislike to rear 

 brood, in cells ever so slightly elongated, con- 

 sequently an inch or so ot honey along the 

 top-bars. 



Mr. Yoder, of Idaho, an apiarist of many 

 years experience, suggested this to me, and I 

 am satisfied of its truth, though there are ex- 

 ceptions to this rule. 



Stingless Bees. 



A. I. Root has found them in Cuba, and 

 has obtained a colony from Ciriaco Guiterrez. 

 He found the bees under the eaves in boxes 8 

 inches square and "20 long. He says in Glean- 

 ings in Bee-Culture: 



The honey and pollen are stored in cells, or, 

 rather, bottles of wax, set upright with the 

 top open. These cells are large enough, some 

 of them, to hold, say, one or two tablespoon- 

 f uls of beautiful honey. They are about the 

 shape and size of a pullet's egg, small end up. 

 When filled they are sealed over. The brood- 

 comb is a separate affair; and as the bees are 

 smaller than common ones, the cells are 

 smaller, and the comb is Iiorizontal. Mr. G. 

 was kind enough to make us a present of a 

 hive; and while I write (out-of-doors) they 

 are carrying in the honey and pollen at a big 

 rate, close by my head. We have just opened 

 their hive and sampled their honey ; but they 

 made no objection of any sort. They keep 

 the entrance to the box contracted by propolis 

 so only one bee can get in or out at a time; 

 and woe betide the insect ot any sort that pre- 

 sumes to come near the sentinel that always 

 guards this doorway day and night. Should 

 a robber Italian presume to come near, a 

 dozen dart for her with lightning rapidity 

 and fury. Although they can not sting, 

 they have very powerful jaws to bite Now, 

 then, you would like to keep bees and pro- 

 duce your own honey, but fear the stings, 

 here is your chance. Of course, you will 

 have to come to Cuba, for I do not think they 

 will stand even Florida's cold weather. How 

 much honey can they gather ; Mrs. G. said 

 they would give, perhaps, two quarts of 

 honey per colony per season. 



Grass for Confining Moved Bees. 



In grouping my hives ready for the tem- 

 porary sheds ( the way we winter our bees in 

 western Idaho) , all known plans were tried 

 to make the bees adhere to their new loca- 

 tion, but results were unsatisfactory until we 

 hit on the plan ot stuffing the entrance full 

 of grass. Next morning when the bees find 

 themselves shut in, there is great excitement 

 until they work their way out, and few bees 

 return to the old stand. We believe that this 

 principle is of great value where bees are to 

 be moved a short distance. — E. F. Atwater, 

 in the American Bee-Keeper. 



