522 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Sept. 1 



whether they should be used with an up or 

 down stroke. 



Mr. J. L. Byer, on page 530 of this issue, 

 writing on the question of hot or cold knives, 

 sums up the matter pretty well when he says 

 that no set rule can be laid down, as it is a 

 matter that depends on the honey. He is 

 quite right. 



In all the discussion that has been going 

 on, it begins to be apparent to us that possi- 

 bly a knife with a straight handle, that has 

 no offset, will, after all, be more convenient 

 and easier on the wrist than one of the kind 

 now generally sold. As there will be some 

 uncapping this coming fall, we suggest that 

 some of our honey-producers try a knife hav- 

 ing a blade on the same plane as its handle. 

 Get a blacksmith to straighten out the offset 

 in one of your knives, and then try it along- 

 side of one of the standard type. 



SOILED, DIRTY, OR GREASY COMB HONEY 



AVOIDABLE AND HOW; COMMON 



CENTS AND COMMON SENSE. 



Mr. Wesley Foster, on page 526 of this 

 issue, draws attention to something that 

 ought to receive more care and thought on 

 the part of bee-keepers than has heretofore 

 been given it. He asks the question why 

 two bee-keepers in the same locality will 

 have such different lots of honey — one white 

 and the sections almost unspotted, while the 

 other will have combs that are yellow, and 

 varnished over with propolis. Then he goes 

 on to suggest a remedy — keep propolis, as 

 far as possible, out of the hive by frequent 

 scraping, and the scrapings away from the 

 reach of flying bees. 



According to Mr. W. M. Whitney, in a re- 

 cent article, watery or greasy sections are 

 due to a lack of proper ventilation, at least 

 in some cases. 



This is a good subject for investigation 

 and discussion, and we shall be pleased to 

 hear from our readers who have any thing 

 to offer on the problem, for it is one that in- 

 volves the matter of cents and sense. A clean 

 white comb honey will bring anywhere from 

 two to four cents more per pound than 

 another lot of comb honey of the same flavor 

 and filling, with dirty, soiled, or greasy cap- 

 pings. What we want to learn is the com- 

 mon sense that will get the other cents. 



NOT guilty as charged. 



Our acknowledgments are due to the 

 American Bee Journalior defending us against 

 the implied charge in the Canadian Bee Jour- 

 nal that, because we are interested in the 

 sale of supplies, we were therefore "glad" 

 to condemn hives infected with foul brood, 

 or burning them altogether. We have never 

 advised the complete destruction of hives, 

 bees, combs, and all, except when there was 

 only one colony in the yard involved. If the 

 disease reappeared we have always recom- 

 mended treating it by what is called the Mc- 

 Evoy plan — shaking off on to foundation, 

 with tnis difference — we advised applying 



momentarily a flame to the inside of the hive 

 as an additional precaution. But this scorch- 

 ing-out should not in any way affect the util- 

 ity of the hive, for the inside is merely brown- 

 ed slightly. Such procedure could not in- 

 crease the sale of hives one iota. Bro. Hur- 

 ley knows that. 



For that reason we can scarcely believe 

 that he meant to imply that we would be 

 ' ' glad ' ' to have hives burned up or condemn- 

 ed in order that we might sell new hives to 

 the poor fellows who have already suffered 

 from the ravages of the disease. 



We did not refer to the matter in our last 

 issue, because we could not think that he 

 meant what his words implied; nor would 

 we have made any reference to it at this 

 time except that the American Bee Journal 

 seems to have gotten the same impression 

 that the rest of us did. 



Perhaps we ought to say that the editorial 

 in the American Bee Journal, so stoutly de- 

 fending us against the charge of selling our 

 opinion, was unsolicited, and came as a com- 

 plete surprise. 



REVISED honey-crop CONDITIONS FOR 1909. 



The situation since our last issue, pages 

 488 and 508, is practically the same as already 

 reported. There is increasing evidence to 

 show that, with some exceptions, there has 

 been a fair crop in the alfalfa regions, taking 

 in most of the irrigated districts where alfaP 

 fa is grown. In California the condition re- 

 mains about the same. There has been from 

 one-third to half a crop of sage and alfalfa. 



There is additional evidence to show that 

 in the region of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and 

 Southern Michigan there has been a large 

 amount of honey-dew gathered; but Illinois 

 seems to have suffered the worst of any State 

 in the Union from a failure of honey of all 

 sorts. What little the bees did gather was 

 honey-dew. 



More reports continue to show from a third 

 to half a crop of clear white honey in New 

 York and Pennsylvania; a light crop in Mary- 

 land and New Jersey, with considerable hon- 

 ey-dew, and a hght crop in Kentucky. There 

 was a good yield in Maine and in several 

 other of the New England States, although 

 there are portions in the extreme Northeast 

 where there is a failure. 



All reports seem to show a pretty fair yield 

 of honey of first quality and no honey-dew 

 in Canada. In Minnesota and Wisconsin re- 

 ports are very conflicting, varying from a 

 total failure to a bumper crop. 



Taking every thing into consideration, it 

 would appear that the extreme northern part 

 of the country, including Canada, suffered 

 less by reason of honey-dew than that por- 

 tion east of the Mississippi and immediately 

 north of the Ohio River. 



In the extreme Northwest, and eastern 

 part of Oregon, the season, according to the 

 Portland Seed Co., is above the average. In 

 the State of Washington reports are some- 

 what conflicting. 



There is evidence to show that some white- 



