806 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULIURE. 



July 1 



accomplished in the unbroken 3 hours. So let a 

 recess of 15 or 20 minutes occur in each session. 

 Have it distinctly on the program, so that by no 

 possibility may it be omitted. 



Tht-re is another matter of exceed'ng impor- 

 tance that helps to prevent the weariness of a long 

 session — ventilation. In too many corventions 

 there is no one whose special business it is to see 

 to ventilation, and after the same air has been 

 breathed over and over again for two to four 

 hours it is no wonder that heads are not clear for 

 close attention. Why not have a committee on 

 ventilation.? If there are not good means for con- 

 stant ventilation, let all doors and windows be 

 opened at recess, and let all arise from their seats 

 and move about the room to avoid the chance of 

 talcing cold. 



Marengo, 111. 



HOW FAR DO BEES FLY? 



Some Evidence to Show that this Distance 

 is Greater than that Common- 

 ly Reported. 



I once lived in Arkansas, in a " point " — a small 

 piece of woods extending out from woodland in- 

 to a prairie. The forest was heavily timbered, 

 and many of the oaks were hollow; and I have 

 never seen in my famblings as many wild bees 

 as were in this section. Bee-hunting and game- 

 hunting were the sports of the day. 



During the swarming season it was nearly an 

 every-day occurrence to see or hear swarms pass- 

 ing over, going in various directions. I have 

 seen some swarms go out across the prairie in 

 such a direction that, if they did not change their 

 course greatly, they could not have reached a 

 destination under 25 or 30 miles, there being no 

 trees in the direction they went There was 

 nothing but prairie grass, and occasionally a 

 small island of sassafras-bushes which were often 

 burned off by fire. Sometimes points of wood 

 could be seen in the far distance, but these could 

 not be reached without a great change in their 

 course, and most of these points contained only 

 small growth. 



It was believed by some that the swarms going 

 out on the prairie took up their abode in the 

 prairie grass; but this was not proven, as no swarms 

 of honey-bees could ever be found in it. 



Peddling was a part of our business, with Lit- 

 tle Rock as our market, and to reach it this prai- 

 rie had to be crossed, and about midway there 

 was an island of trees with a pool of water in it. 

 We made this our stopping-place at noon or 

 camping-place at night. Here we sometimes saw 

 honey-bees on the bloom of hazel-nut bushes, 

 and at first we thought there was a bee-tree there 

 until we made diligent search for it, and found 

 there was not. Then we concluded that the bees 

 came from trees in the distant points, which were 

 about ten or twelve miles away, even if it was in 

 the point and not in woodland below it. 



I have seen enough facts to lead me to believe 

 that the black (wild) bees are far better travelers 

 than the Italians, and that they never could have 

 made the progress across the continent the black 



bees have, and can never receive the same abuse 

 at the hands of the inexperienced. 

 Cordele, Ga. 



THE HONEY-GRADING RULES. 



Too Many Grades Makes it Difficult 

 Distingui^h One from the Other; a 

 Plea for Simplicity. 



BY L. C. CLARK. 



to 



The Eastern grading-rules for comb honey 

 which head your market column are too compli- 

 cated. There are too many grades for practical 

 use. Here are three grades of honey, including 

 No. 1; and it would puzzle an expert to designate 

 the dividing line between these three grades. 

 Why have any third-grade honey as described in 

 your grading-rules.? It would weigh from 7 to 9 

 lbs. per individual crate, and, taking your No. 2 

 as a basis. No. 3 might have only half of the sur- 

 face capped over. It would not be any credit to 

 a bee-keeper, nor would it pay him to ship or 

 sell such honey in a retail way. It should be cut 

 out and sold for chunk honey, or by weight in 

 larger quantities, to the local trade. To make 

 the matter more confusing to the novice you say 

 in the last paragraph, " In addition to these grades 

 it is to be classified (does this mean graded!') ac- 

 cording to color — white, amber, and dark. " Now, 

 does this mean that each of the five grades named 

 is to be divided into three more according to the 

 three colors named.? If this is intended it would 

 make 15 grades, and no one could follow the 

 rules with that number of grades. I realize that 

 in some localities the honey might all be amber 

 late in the fall, when it could be graded fancy 

 amber, No. 1 amber, and No. 2 amber; but ap- 

 plying this rule to an entire crop of dark honey 

 would give us fancy dark. No. 1 dark, and No. 

 2 dark. Who can imagine fancy dark honey or 

 even No. 1 dark.? 



To simplify the rules I would suggest that A 

 No. 1 grade be dropped entirely; for, according 

 to the wording, there is very little difference be- 

 tween it and No. 1; and, for reasons before given. 

 No. 3 should be dropped; also honey with any 

 considerable part of the surface uncapped should 

 be excluded from No. 2 or any other grade. This 

 sanction of one-fourth uncapped in No. 2 and 

 No. 3 is a temptation to some to send all kinds 

 of unfinished leaky honey to market, to the detri- 

 ment of the trade. Where is the trade that would 

 take half-weight sections as specified in No. 3.? 



The rules of the Colorado Honey-producers" 

 Association, page 490, are much simpler and 

 more easily understood than the Eastern rules; 

 and were it not for a class of amber honey there 

 would be but two grades in these rules, which is 

 enough except for the fancy trade of large cities. 

 Bee-keepers may grade honey as they please, and 

 it facilitates a fair understanding between the pro- 

 ducer and commission men and dealers. But the 

 retail buyer who is to consume the honey grades 

 it with his eye before purchasing; and the color 

 (white) is the most important consideration. 

 Therefore it would seem that we should give 

 color more prominence in our rules. 



Bakersfield, Cal. 



