Apr. 15, 1912 



225 



E(i(gte(B(g[p§[lDg] DDD GDd© ©(DQO 



Louis Scholl, New Braunfels. Texas 



iG 



»A MOST USEFUL HAMMER. 

 Spilling a boxful of tacks or small nails in 

 ' the soft dirt covered with trash is enough to 

 make anybody lose his temper unless con- 

 trolled. But the writer dropped nearly a 

 quart of small tacks into just such a place, 

 and did not lose his temper. Instead, the 

 first thought was about that magnetic ham- 

 mer mentioned several years ago in this de- 

 partment, and which kind has been in use 

 in our work ever since. With this hammer 

 every one of the tacks was quickly picked 

 up clean from dirt and trash, and they were 

 all in the box again, looking as though they 

 had never been out of it. This is not the 

 first time that one of these tools has done 

 such service, either. The magnetic hammer 

 has an important place in the beekeeper's 

 outfit once its worth is known. It does not 

 pay to purchase the cheap kind that are so 

 often seen in use, and which do not give very 

 good satisfaction. A good strong magnetic 

 , hammer that can be depended upon at all 

 times can be used in many ways. 



THAT HORTICULTURAL NUMBER. 



Gleanings can pride itself with a piece 

 of work that is of more value to the country 

 at large than any other publication on the 

 subject of "bees and horticulture." The 

 pages of the March 15th number are so full 

 of this information that it is a veritable bul- 

 letin on the subject. Ah! if the dissemina- 

 tion of such exceedingly valuable matter 

 could be placed in the hands of every farm- 

 er and fruit-grower, and if it could reach the 

 multitude of persons who are not acquainted 

 with or do not understand the interdepen- 

 dent relations between the honey bee and 

 plant life, what would be the result in better 

 and larger crop productions affected by the 

 proper pollination of the flowers and blos- 

 soms? But Gleanings, with its wide cir- 

 culation, is doing a great work through this 

 "horticultural number." Every reader 

 should preserve this copy and make use of 

 it whenever possible. [We have already 

 sent out over a thousand copies of the March 

 loth issue to fruit-growers whose names 

 were furnished us by our readers in various 

 parts of the country. We sincerely hope 

 these may be the means of bringing about 

 a greater appreciation of the bees on the part 

 of these particular fruit men, at least. — Ed.] 



THE SUBJECT OF BULK COMB HONEY. 



1 do not want to give the impression that 

 H it is my intention to "harp continuously" 

 on this suV)ject; but there is a reason for tak- 

 ing up the matter at this time. I have 

 learned during the last two years that my 

 prediction (that bulk comb honey could be 

 profitably produced in the North) was not 

 wrong, as many claimed. Through many 

 letters I have learned that bulk comb honey 

 can be produced and sold in the North. It 



was found by beekeepers, who tried it on a 

 small scale at first, that they could sell all 

 they could produce right in their neighbor- 

 hood, and to people who never cared to buy 

 extracted honey or high-priced section hon- 

 ey. 



In this lies one of the greatest and most 

 valuable arguments in favor of bulk-comb- 

 honey production. The valuable point is in 

 that it is possible to sell honey to people in 

 many localities who do not buy the other 

 kinds. This creates a new demand, and in- 

 sures a larger consumption of honey by a 

 larger number of people over a greater area. 

 The result is a better distribution and less 

 slump in the generally overcrowded honey 

 markets. 



Of course, I do not predict that bulk comb 

 honey will replace other kinds to the extent 

 it has in Texas; but when produced ivith 

 the others, and disposed of in places where 

 it will be taken, we do not doubt for a mo- 

 ment that a greater consumption of honey 

 could be worked up, and that prices would 

 be stiffened as a consequence. 



4!- 

 COTTON HONEY. 



There seems to be a great difference of 

 opinion relative to the quality of cotton 

 honey so much produced in the Southern 

 States. According to the ABC and'X Y Z 

 of Bee Culture regarding ir,s flavor, you add, 

 " As a rule it must be used for manufactur- 

 ing purposes;" and in speaking of its quali- 

 ties we find this paragraph: "Cotton honey 

 has the peculiarity, when confined, of burst- 

 ing the receptacle in which it is held. 

 W^hether it ferments or generates gas has 

 not been definitely determined. It can, 

 how^ever, be put into casks, providing there 

 is plenty of air-space left to allow for expan- 

 sion." 



According to our experience we believe 

 that this needs a little correction. But the 

 difference in locality and in atmospheric 

 conditions has a surprising effect on the 

 nectar yield as well as upon the quality. 

 Hence the experience of others differently 

 situated may bring out information that 

 will warrant leaving the statements about 

 cotton honey unchanged in the ABC book. 

 We have arrived at a definite conclusion, 

 however, and would like to invite all the 

 readers in the Southern States to write us 

 concerning cotton as a honey plant, its char- 

 acter as a yielder of nectar, the color and 

 quality of the honey, and its keeping quali- 

 ties. We should like to know the extent of 

 the yield of cotton honey obtained both in 

 a single year and for a period of years — the 

 supply, demand, and the price obtained. 



I have under contemplation an extensive 

 illustrated article on cotton as a honey 

 plant; and before completing it I desire to 

 know more about this subject in localities 

 different from my own. It is hoped that 

 many responses will arrive at an early date. 



