GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



In these ways we have been able to work 

 up a sale for our honey that does not leave 

 us one section of marketable honey at the 

 end of the season. 



Some will, perhaps, argue that it is im- 

 possible to prepare their product properly 

 because of lack of time. It does take time, 

 but it pays big dividends. We have about 

 150 colonies this year. 



As an illustration of what good goods 

 well put up for market and salesmanship 

 will do we will saj^ that three hours' work 

 with a sample package of honey gave as a 

 result : Net sales, 164 lbs. No sale less than 

 four pounds or $1.00, from that up to $8.00 

 for 32 lbs. 



"We believe that the producer is as much 

 at fault as the salesman. You can not get 

 the top price for your honey if you give it 

 the bottom preparation for market; but if 

 you have goods prepared in modern style, 

 coui^led with modern salesmanship, there is 

 absolutely no reason Avhy the average hon- 

 ey-producer can not get from two to ten 

 cents per pound increase for both his comb 

 and extracted honey. 



Bellevue, Neb. 



PRODUCING WHAT THE PUBLIC DEMANDS 



BY WALTER M. ADEMA 



As some writers have said, it is hard to 

 tell of one's failures, and easy to tell of 

 success. I will try to tell of both. My bee- 

 keeping experience started in 1906 when 1 

 got my first two colonies of my brother, 

 who sold his bees — 17 colonies in all — to 

 go into other business for himself. 



My first lesson, which was dearly paid 

 for, was in not giving a stray swarm venti- 

 lation. I liived the bees on a hot close day 

 the latter part of May. I left them in the 

 shade of a tree in the forenoon so that they 

 would mark their new location after the 

 hive was opened. But to my sorrow the 

 bees and combs were all one mass on the 

 bottom-board when I opened the entrance. 

 The heat of the bees had melted down combs 

 and all. 



At first I used the double-walled eight- 

 frame chaff hive, of wliich I had about a 

 dozen, which I had bought at a bargain. 



In the spring of 1909 I started out with 

 a new equipment, consisting of the Lang- 

 stroth hive, tln-ee stories liigh, as I wished 

 to run for extracted honey. One of the rea- 

 sons for going into extracted honey was 

 that I was unable to sell any comb honey 

 locally. That is one thing upon which I 

 wish "to put emphasis — if one is producing 

 for a local trade he must first find out what 

 the locality demands. I find that a 10-lb. 



friction-top pail is best suited to my needs, 

 as ten pounds is as much as most families 

 will buy at one time. At fii-st I charged 

 $1.00 a pail. I soon felt that I ought to 

 realize more for my honey, but I was afraid 

 to change as I thought I would lose some 

 of my customers. Last year, however, I 

 charged $1.25 a pail, and, strange to say, 

 my sales increased, and I had to buy a 

 large quantity with which to fill my ordei-s. 



I always make it a practice to insert an 

 advertisement in our local newspaper each 

 year after extracting, and find that it pays 

 well. Just now I have a customer living a 

 hundred miles away whom I got through 

 our local paper. He had ordered over thir- 

 ty pails so far this season. He is a factory 

 man, and it seems no trouble at all for him 

 to go among his fellow-workmen and get a 

 club order for 60 pails. That is just the 

 trade we want to encourage. It takes time 

 and money to get customers like this, but 

 once in your possession they are the best 

 you have. 



As to the financial part of beekeeping, I 

 find that it paj-s better than any other faim 

 crop. 



I was fighting foul brood last season, and 

 again this season. It's discouraging, it is 

 true; but what calling in life has not its 

 problems'? 



I winter my bees in a box large enough 

 to take in ten colonies back to back. I 

 pack them with straw, and cover the Avhole 

 with tar paper. I find that they come out 

 stronger in the spring than in double-walled 

 hives. 



I have added poultry along with the bees, 

 and hope some time to devote all my time 

 to bees and chickens. 



Berlin, Mich., Dee. 11. 



A STEAM-BOILER FOR ARTIFICIAL RIPENING 

 OF HONEY 



BY T. BOLTON' 



Gleanings for Dec. 15, 1912, p. 801, 

 contains an interesting and instructive com- 

 munication from Mr. Hopkins, of New Zea- 

 land, on the artificial ripening of honey — 

 atmospheric ripening we can call it. For 

 about twenty years I have been practicing 

 artificial ripening. I have not depended 

 upon atmospheric conditions, but upon a 

 small steam-boiler and appliances de^^sed 

 by myself. By means of these I accomplish 

 not only the ripening when such may be 

 needed, and by that I mean the evaporation 

 of any excess of water, and increasing the 

 honey's specific gravity; but my main ob- 

 ject is to clarifj' or refine the honey to make 

 it amenable to rapid tanking, and to do 



