February, 1914. 



American "Bee Journal 



boards with the grain of the wood run- 

 ning lengthwise, and over all a cover- 

 ing of zinc. I have some covered with 

 tin, but zinc is better because it doesn't 

 need to be painted. That -s-inch air- 

 space makes the cover warmer when it 

 is cold, and cooler in hot weather. But 

 that isn't altogether the reason for 

 making the cover in that way. No 

 single-board cover of J^-inch stuff will 

 remain a close fit, paint ot no paint. 

 The boards will warp. Put a cast-iron 

 cleat at each end, so that the ends are 

 held rigidly straight, and the whole 

 thing will twist in a great number of 

 cases, so that one corner will let a bee 

 pass. The covers that you see, with 

 boards so thin, and with the grain run- 

 ning in opposite directions, remain a 

 close fit a/zcays. A cover of that kind 

 costs, but it's worth all it costs." 



Please dismiss from your mind the 

 notion that I advocate unpainted wood- 

 en covers. Now about unpainted hives 

 " gaping open at all the corners." I 

 never kept bees in Colorado, but I'm 

 just wondering whether you kno-u' from 

 actual trial that unpainted dovetailed 

 •corners, properly nailed, will gape, or 

 whether you're just guessing. Years 

 ago I had gaping corners, and they 

 were painted at that. But they were 

 not dovetailed. My dovetailed corners 

 don't gape. If your climate will make 

 them gape, it would seem that at least 

 some of mine should do a little yawn- 

 ing. But they don't. If yours do, 

 that's no concern of mine. 



Error iu Aclvertiseiiient 



We acknowledge error in setting up 

 prices in Mr. H. H. Thale's advertise- 

 ment in January issue. The prices will 

 appear correctly on the advertising 

 pages of this number. 



<>0 Pounds Net on Cans Shipped 

 iu Interstate Commerce 



There has been no little complaint 

 from honey dealers that beekeepers 

 were too careless in filling their cases 

 of honey. For instance, one firm re- 

 ports a variation in the net weight of 

 cases in one carload of from 113 pounds 

 to 129 pounds, where the net weight 

 should be 12i) pounds. Naturally such 

 practices will reflect directly, in the 

 end, upon the producers. In connection 

 we quote from a letter on this subject 

 from Mr. Frank Rauchfuss, of Colo- 

 rado, considered as one of the' best 

 authorities on honey packing and ship- 

 ping : 



" Place yourself in the dealer's posi- 

 tion in order to realize what a hardship 

 this difference in weight is causing. 

 Honey in Interstate Commerce »nisl 

 have a specified net weight marked on 



the cases, and in so far as 00 pounds 

 net is the standard for a 5-gallon can 

 of honey, (iO pounds of honey must 

 go into each can, even if the doing of 

 the same causes additional work. It is 

 considerable more to the other party 

 that is handing your honey to the con- 

 sumer than it is to you. If the honey 

 is extracted warm, and it is somewhat 

 difficult to get 00 pounds net weight 



into the can, you can allow it to cool 

 and then put enough more in to make 

 the required net weight, or, if the 

 honey is packed at the out-yard where 

 there is no proper facility for weigh- 

 ing, you should make sure that not 

 more than (iO pounds is put into the 

 can, and when the honey is brought 

 home, sufficient more is put in to make 

 each can 60 pounds net." 



Miscellaneous m^ News Items 



Red-Clover Bees. — '.'When we are 

 asked whether we will guarantee that 

 one strain will work on red clover, we 

 always reply in the negative. .-Ml we 

 can honestly say is that they will work 

 on red clover if any strain will; and 

 even then only when conditions are 

 favorable." That is fair and honest. 

 The "red clover tongue" is a myth. — 

 British Bee Journal. 



Bee-Culture in Oregon We are just 



in receipt of a 140-page book put out 

 under the supervision of the Oregon 

 Agricultural College, entitled " The 

 Oregon Farmer." The book deals with 

 farming conditions, etc., in that State. 

 One chapter, entitled " Bee-Culture in 

 Oregon," was written by Mr. H. F. 

 Wilson, Assistant in Entomology. Mr. 

 Wilson has gone very thoroughly into 

 his subject with the figures available. 

 He gives a map showing the distribu- 

 tion of bees in the State, and ? table 

 giving the results of personal letters 

 sent out to over 400 beekeepers. 



Apiaries ranging from one to 700 

 colonies are found in the State. Al- 

 though most of the farms reporting 

 bees are to be found in the Willamette 

 Valley, yet the largest commercial api- 

 aries are located in central and south- 

 ern Oregon, where alfalfa is the main 

 source of nectar. 



Professor Wilson advises thorough 

 investigation before locating. He as- 

 serts that beekeeping is yet in its in- 

 fancy, and that there are many favor- 

 able localities where bees could be 

 kept on a large scale for profit. 



.\ny one interested in procuring a 

 copy of this booklet should address 

 Oregon Agricultural College, Corvallis, 

 Oreg., asking for a copy of the 1913 

 Oregon Farmer, issued by the college. 



Northern Nichigan Meeting. — The 



Northern Michigan Association, affil- 

 iated with the National Beekeepers' As- 

 sociation, will hold its meeting at Pe- 

 toskey, Mich., March 10 and 11, 1914. 

 The court room of the City Hall has 



been promised us by Mayor Reycraft 

 and a very low rate of $2 00 per day has 

 been given us at the Cushman House. 

 Many prominent beekeepers are ex- 

 pected, and a very interesting program 

 is promised. For further information 

 address the secretary, Ira D. Bartlett, 

 of East Jordan, Mich. 



National Field Day Proposed for Can- 

 ada The Toronto Beekeepers' Asso- 

 ciation, which has been holding an an- 

 nual field day each year, has become so 

 enthusiastic over such meetings that it 

 proposes, if possible, to make the meet 

 a national affair. The following is a 

 letter written to sister associations in 

 Canada, asking for their co-operation : 



The Toronto Beekeepers' Associa- 

 tion, at a recent meeting, having de- 

 cided to hold their third annual Field 

 Day meet on May 24, at the apiary of 

 Mr. H. G. Sibbald, of Forks of the 

 Credit, extend to you a cordial invita- 

 tion to unite with them to make this 

 event not a local effort only, but a na- 

 tional annual gathering of the most 

 progressive of our ranks. 



Last year the Toronto Beekeepers' 

 Association was very fortunate in 

 securing the co-operation of the Peel 

 and Halton Association, and through 

 their united efforts succeeded in hold- 

 ing the greatest Field Day meet ever 

 held in Canada. But the promoters of 

 these meetings have not been satisfied 

 to let the matter rest at this point. 

 They aim to build up the annual Field 

 Day meet, which will be to the frater- 

 nity what the Canadian National Exhi- 

 bition is to the exhibition enterprises 

 of the world. 



You will readily agree with us that 

 no local organization, no matter how 

 strong, can carry out such an undertak- 

 ing alone. It must have the co-opera- 

 tion and active support of all the bee- 

 keepers' associations in Canada. 



In view of this fact, we will cheer- 

 fully retire our claims to priority for 

 the welfare of the larger movement. 

 Assuming that you accept the princi- 

 ple, we would suggest that this move- 

 ment be called the Canadian National 

 Annual Field Day Meet. 



Until the movement has been thor- 

 oughly organized and put upon a sound 

 basis, we, the Toronto Beekeepers' As- 

 sociation are prepared to take care of 



