1909 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



455 



BEE-KEEPING AMONG 



THE ROCKIES. 



By Wesley Foster, Boulder, Col. 



NEW COMB HONEY. 



At this writing (July 15) new honey has 

 commenced to be put on the market. The 

 amounts are[|small, and considerable of the 

 comb was built from baits, so is not very 

 white. It sells rather slowly, as many gro- 

 cers have old honey which they wish to clean 

 up first. Fancy brings $3.7d to ^4.00 per 

 case; No. 1, $3.50; No. 2, $3.00 to S3.25. 



TIERING SUPERS. 



As a general rule it is best to place the new 

 super over the one next the hive till the sec- 

 ond crop of alfalfa blooms. About the mid- 

 dle of July a slackening of the flow occurs; 

 and if a new super is placed under one the 

 bees have about half full they will probably 

 quit work in the one and not start in the 

 other until the flow quickens again. 



When the flow slackens, the bees build 

 the comb thinner and make a rough uneven 

 finish. • If the super space is contracted at 

 this time, some of this can be avoided. As 

 soon as the second b oom comes, the supers 

 can go on in a more liberal way. 



4f- 

 C.\REFUL GRADING. 



The hardest part of introducing the new 

 grading-rules is persuading the bee-keeper 

 that a strict adherence to the rules means 

 more for his crop. The bee-keeper thinks 

 he is going to lose money if he grades by the 

 rules. A case of No. 2 comb that weighs not 

 less than 12 oz. per section, and all the combs 

 of even and like finish, will sell for more 

 than a case that has combs weighing from 11 

 to 20 ounces with yellow and white combs all 

 mixed in together. Put dark No. 2 together, 

 and white No. 2 together, and heavy No. 2 

 in one case, and Tight No. 2 in another. 

 When packed this way the buyer can judge 

 better what he is getting than if ail honey 

 of a given grade is piled promiscuously in a 

 cas3. 



No, Mr. Editor, Dr. Miller and I are not 

 splitting hairs They are straws, and "stray" 

 ones at that. I have seen bottom starters an 

 inch wide that did not curl over, and I have 

 seen them that have, too. I use extra-thin 

 foundation; and when less than a half-inch 

 ii used, it is difficult to get it fastened clear 

 across. A -'s-inch starter would not be much 

 more likely to fall over than a ^-inch; but I 

 find the latter width is enough, and so that 

 is all I use. 



Shipping-cases that have an eighth-inch 

 space between the cover and top of the sec- 

 tions are a better protection for the honey 

 than if the sections come up even with the 

 top If the case is stepped on, the cover will 

 bend, but not enough to touch any of the 

 sections. 



HINTS ON LOADING CARS OF COMB HONEY. 



Most Western honey-producers use the 

 double-tier case; and as that is the only case 

 I have had experience with in loading full 

 cars of honey, my hints will refer to it ex- 

 clusively. 



A clean dry refrigerator car with a smooth 

 floor is the best. A good many refrigerator 

 cars have cleated floors; and, if possible, 

 such cars should be avoided, as it takes so 

 much straw to cover up those cleats and 

 make a smooth level cushion for the cases to 

 rest on. The ends of the car should be tight 

 to prevent any one from getting a case out 

 through the refrigerator. Fruit is stolen 

 that way quite often, so a freight agent told 

 me. 



Fifteen to twenty bales of straw will be 

 needed — five or six in each end for the cases 

 to bump against, making a cushion. The 

 bales stand on each end with the smooth side 

 to the cases. It is best to find out how 

 many cases will run the length of the car, and 

 how many across the width. Twenty-four to 

 twenty-six is the usual number for the length 

 and eleven or twelve in width. That makes 

 from 264 to 312 in a tier. From that, one can 

 figure how many tiers it will take, whether 

 extra rows will have to be placed on top, 

 and how many bales of straw will be needed 

 in the ends. 



Grain-doors should be secured for the 

 doors, and one nailed in place at the door 

 not used for loading. The most particular 

 work is keeping the cases running even, no 

 rows creeping ahead of others, and every 

 case must go right to its place, with no straw 

 between it and the next case, or there will 

 be trouble. It is always best to have several 

 inches to go on in each row, for cases vary 

 slightly in size, even in the same make of 

 case. When there is not space for the last 

 case in a row (there are usually several rows 

 when a condition of this kind arises) , bridg- 

 ing has to be done; and it is a tedious job, 

 which can usually be avoided if care is taken 

 right from the start. 



The narrowest part of the car is at the 

 doors, for the grain-doors cut off about two 

 inches at each side, and this has to be figured 

 if the full number of rows runs clear through 

 the car. 



The different grades should be piled to- 

 gether and marked on the cover so that the 

 buyer, in unloading, can do it without sort- 

 ing the cases of different grades while the 

 wagons are waiting to be loaded. 



When the car is loaded, sweep off the tops 

 of the cases and throw out all surplus straw. 



If a car has the same number of cases in 

 each tier, the agent, when he counts the 

 number in the can, will have no trouble. 

 Usually there are some cases that have to be 

 placed on top of the full tiers, and these 

 should run along the side of the car from 

 end to end, and an inch strip tacked along 

 the edge on top of the lower tier so these 

 few extra rows will not get out of place. 



It is well to have several boards in the car 

 to use when walking over the cases, and no 

 muddy feet allowed at all. 



