Apr. 15. 1912 



side of the outside rows of sections. Thi.s 

 made a clustering-space for the bees, ap- 

 proximately one inch thick between the 

 outside of the hive and the combs them- 

 selves. The general effect of this thick 

 wall of bees was to make the comb-building 

 temperature the same as the interior of the 

 super. In connection with this, Mr. Pettit 

 used long narrow wedges between the bot- 

 tom of the sides of the hive and the bottom 

 board, so placed that the entrance would be 

 enlarged. This would make the front end 

 of the bottoms of the brood frames out of 

 reach of the bees. The purpose of this was 

 to cause the incoming fielders, laden with 

 honey, to go to the ■iid'ii and back end of 

 the hive and up to the outside rows of sec- 

 tions, and there deposit their nectar. 



Mr. Pettit was also the inventor of a spe- 

 cial honey-strainer used during extracting. 

 A description of this will be found in the 

 latest edition of the ABC and X Y Z of 

 Bee Culture. 



During the time when there was some 

 talk of feeding bees sugar syrup to produce 

 comb honey, Mr. Pettit came out in all the 

 bee journals, most strenuously opposing 

 the proposition. He felt that it would be 

 nothing more nor less than a fraud on the 

 public: and while he admitted that consci- 

 entious beekeepers would sell such a prod- 

 uct for only sugar honey, he felt that many 

 others, not stating its source, would at- 

 tempt to sell it for natural floral honey. 

 Others joined with Mr. P., and the matter 

 was soon dropped. 



During the five months preceding his 

 death Mr. Pettit was a great sufferer; but 

 in those days, we are told, he loved to speak 

 of his Lord and Sa\'ior. 



WHY BEEKEEPERS SHOrXD PRODUCE MORE 

 COMB HONEY THIS YEAR. 



We have already alluded to the fact that 

 the markets are practically bare of fancy 

 and Xo. 1 comb honey. There are some few 

 lots of uncandied cornb honey left, but that 

 is about all. There is no lack of extracted, 

 even though last year was the poorest on 

 record for the production of honey. This 

 goes to emphasize the importance of produc- 

 ing more comb and less extracted. But 

 right here a caution should be entered. 

 Xothing but the very finest of table honey 

 should be put into sections. There are sev- 

 eral grades of Southern honey of very fine 

 flavor: but because they are unknown to the 

 Xorthern markets that take comb honey 

 they can not be put out in that form. About 

 all the kinds of honey it is safe to put into 

 sections for a Xorthern market can be count- 

 ed on the fingers of one hand. I^t us name 

 them over. First and foremost we may put 

 clover. This may have a little mixttire of 

 sweet clover or basswood without hurting it 

 in the least. While the pure basswoc>d comb 

 honey will pass muster, it is such a scarce 

 article now that we find it only now and 

 'ben mixed in varying quantities with clo- 

 ver. 



2?1 



Xext in order we pui mounrain sage. It 

 is of fine flavor and does not granulate readi- 

 ly. We place it ahead of alfalfa because it 

 does not candy. Alfalfa makes a fine honey 

 for sections, excellent in flavor and body: but 

 it has just one bad defect — its tendency to 

 candy too rapidly. Some go so far as to 

 say that all alfalfa should be extracted. We 

 do not share this opinion, because alfalfa 

 comb honey, if sold before the holidays, will 

 bring enough better price than alfalfa ex- 

 tracted to warrant its production. 



These three sources — alfalfa, clover, and 

 sage — cover the main dependence for section 

 honey. We may now add to this list, for 

 certain localities.'buckwheat: but buckwheat 

 comb honey should be sold only in eastern 

 markets, particularly round AlSany. where 

 it seems to have a good demand. Thistle 

 honey and willowherb comb honey make 

 a fine section honey: but the localities where 

 they can be produced are so limited that 

 they are scarcely known in the market. 



There is some excellent Texas honey, such 

 as huajilla pronotinced wah-heel-ya . and 

 catclaw. These make excellent comb or 

 chunk honey. But these honeys rarely find 

 their way into Xorthern markets. Local 

 consumption seems to take care of them; 

 and therefore it follows that those who are 

 located in the clover, alfalfa, and sage dis- 

 tricts should produce as much comb honey 

 as possible this summer. If there should be 

 any thing like a good flow of honey this 

 seaison the market is liable to be flooded with 

 extracted. 



In this connection too much importance 

 can not be placed on the necessity of hav- 

 ing all the sections well filled with either 

 Xo. 1 or fancy. Xo. ^'s are slow sellers, and 

 very often it pays better to cut them out of 

 sections entirely, pour good extracted honey 

 over them, and" sell the product in pails in 

 the local markets. 



It is e':^ually important to use strong well- 

 made shipping cases. They must l:>e nei- 

 ther too large nor to small:" should be pro- 

 vided with corrugated paper at the top and 

 bottom, and it will pay in the end to use 

 c-artons. The main reason why comb honey 

 has caused so much trouble between buyer 

 and producer is on account of imperfect 

 packing. It would not cost half a cent a 

 pound to put up comb honey right, and the 

 half-cent investment will bring back five 

 cents or more per pound, and sometime- 

 even ten cents more: because the buyer doe- 

 not want broken-down comb honev at any 

 price. 



Careless and ignorant beekeepers have 

 only themselves to blame for the state of 

 the comb-honey business: and it is surpris- 

 ing how even our up-do-date producers^— 

 some of them who write for the papers — still 

 put up their comb honey. They remind us 

 of the economical husband in the current- 

 date cart<x>ns. There is a false economy 

 and a real economy. If we ^••' -^^ ■-■^^v^ 

 honey business back where it - 



we must, first of all. pack i: , , . :. 

 onlv in the car itself, but in ihe shipping 



