FEBRUARY 1, 1913 



each oilier in any combination, permitting 

 of any degi'ee of expansion and contraction 

 to accommodate a large or small colony. 

 This feature of interchangeability is prized 

 almost as much as any one single invention, 

 barring only the three great inventions first 

 mentioned. 



It might be interesting and jDerhaps en- 

 lightening to some would-be inventors to 

 record here a list of the inventions that 

 have died a natural death for want of pa- 

 tronage. Some of these at the time were 

 widely heralded as revolutionary ; but they 

 never "revolutionized," but, on the contrary, 

 sickened and died, as thousands of others 

 had done. It is well that they did. 



Perhaps at some future time, when we 

 have more space, it may be interesting and 

 profitable to give a list of these inventions, 

 and explain when, where, and why they 

 died. 



BEE NOTES FROM CONTINENTAL EUROPE 



Sending Honey and Bees by Parcel Post; Carried 



on in a Large Way in Most Countries of the 



European Continent 



BY R. LINDE 



If in matters apicultural some beekeepers 

 over the sea are far ahead of those in the 

 Old World, we have on this side of the 

 ocean some institutions that seem to be far 

 better developed than the same institutions 

 in Uncle Sam's country. 1 have mainly in 

 view our parcel-post system, the very im- 

 portance of which, from a purely business 

 standpoint, has long received the very clos- 

 est consideration of the postal authorities 

 in most of the larger states of continental 

 Europe. 



In almost every town, whether large or 

 small, there are markets held once or twice 

 a week for fruit-growers, kitchen garden- 

 ers, and farmers. The beekeeper, if he 

 desires to sell his products directly to the 

 consumer, and does not like peddling his 

 honey, must resort to parcel post, and now 

 we could not do without it any more than 

 we could without the letter post. 



There is a close similiarity between the 

 postal regulations and postal tariffs of most 

 of the larger European states; so it Avill be 

 sufficient if I give some data of our German 

 postal institutions so far as jDarcel post is 

 concerned. 



It is really astonishing to note what a 

 very large amount of business is carried 

 on solely through parcel post in most coun- 

 tries on this continent. Almost every thing 

 is sent into one's home by it. The post 



cashes the bill when delivering the parcel. 

 In nearly every large daily paper you find 

 small advertisements offering to send honey 

 in any quantity direct from the apiary. In 

 most European countries, where protection 

 prevails, food adulteration is carried on ex- 

 tensively, mostly in a refined sense or in a 

 veiled way. Consumers have become very 

 susj^icious, and always' i? refer to buy from 

 the beekeeper direct if they can get in touch 

 with him. Now, that is really possible 

 through parcel post, as the low rates allow 

 even small quantities to be carried without 

 unduly swelling the bill. 



If one resides in a locality where little 

 honey is consumed, all he has to do is to 

 advertise in a i^ajier with a wide circulation, 

 in a large town, and he may be sure to get 

 sufficient orders to dispose of all the honey 

 he is likely to produce. 



PARCEL-POST CHARGES. 



There is a uniform rate for all parcels up 

 to about 11 pounds (5 kilograms). The 

 charge is about 12 cts. for all distances 

 unless the parcel is to be delivered within 

 a radius of about 50 miles, when onh- half 

 of this amount is charged — namely, 6 cts. 

 If the charge is not prepaid, an additional 

 charge of 2^/4 cts. is made. Quite apart 

 from this regular charge, a further charge 

 is made for delivering the parcel to your 

 home, which varies somewhat in the differ- 

 ent jDostal districts, and amounts to from 

 2V2 to 3I/2 cts. In fact, every parcel will 

 be delivered at your home unless you sign 

 a form at the postoffice declaring that you 

 want to take your parcels yourself. In that 

 case no delivery charge is made. This de- 

 livery charge, as separated from the general 

 charge, is mostly overlooked — at least not 

 taken into account b^' the general public 

 when ordering goods offered at a certain 

 price, carriage paid; therefore, while the 

 parcel-post charge is. in many cases, borne 

 by the seller, the delivery charge is always 

 borne by the buyer, tacitly. 



If the weight of the parcel exceeds eleven 

 pounds, then an additional charge is made 

 for the ovenveight in accordance to a zone 

 tariff. For every kilo (2.2 lbs.) the parcel 

 weighs above 11 lbs., an additional charge 

 of 2V2 (^ts. is made if the distance the parcel 

 is to go is below 100 miles; the distance 

 may be up to 250 or 500 miles, in which 

 case this additional charge amounts to 5 

 and 7% cts. respectively. The effect of this 

 zone tariff" for tb.e overweight above'll lbs. 

 is to reduce the number of heavy parcels, 

 for the handling of which the post is not 

 especially equipped. 



Parcels that exceed a certain measure — 

 for instance, about one yard in length, are 



