OCTOBER 1, 1912 



611 



a discussion as to the relative merits of 

 using one large extractor instead of two 

 or more smaller ones. There are advo- 

 cates of both plans. We should like to 

 have this discussed also in this special num- 

 ber. Do you find it better to have one 

 eight-frame extractor or two four frames? 

 In this connection, Mr. R. F. Holtermann, 

 of Brantford, Ontario, Canada, has gone 

 so far as to have one twelve-frame ex- 

 tractor built to order; and after testing it 

 this past season he expects to give us the 

 particulars. 



Some of these plans have been illus- 

 trated at various times, but we should like 

 to have them all brought together in one 

 special number. We will announce the 

 date of this a little later, but it will prob- 

 ably be one of the early numbers of next 

 year. 



Of course it is to be understood that 

 we pay for all material that we use, and 

 we wish to say that, for all articles or 

 photographs that we use in these special 

 numbers, we shall expect to pay a little 

 more than our usual rate. So let us have 

 your ideas, and be sure to give your rea- 

 son why you think your plan is the best. 

 We will make it worth while to you, and 

 we are sure that your ideas will be help- 

 ful to other beekeepers who may be i^lan- 

 ning to make a change. 



MR. HOPKINS AND HIS METHOD OP RIPENING 

 HONEY ARTIFICIALLY. 



In our issue for May 1, page 265, we 

 published a letter from Mr. A. Ireland, 

 President of the Canterbury Beekeepers' 

 Association, New Zealand, under the title 

 of "Extracting Uncapped Honey Not 

 Practiced Generally in New Zealand." In 

 this article Mr. Ireland, after stating that 

 Mr. Hopkins stood alone in the matter of 

 ripening honey artificially, so far as the 

 beekeepers of New Zealand were concerned, 

 made this statement : 



We had an exhibition here some years ago. Mr. 

 Hopkins, then acting for the government, was run- 

 ning an apiary in connection with the exhibition. 

 At that time he was practicing his plan of prema- 

 ture extracting ; but the sample of the honey in 

 Agricultural Hall soured, and started to ferment ; 

 yet in spite of such adverse experience he still ad- 

 vocates the plan. 



Mr. Hopkins has written us in r'eply 

 that the honey in question, so far from 

 souring, is still good, even after the lapse 

 of five and a half years; that he has sent 

 letters from eight different persons certify- 

 ing to the excellent quality of the honey on 

 exhibition at Christchurch. They are T. W. 

 Kirk, Director of Orchards, Gardens, and 

 Apiaries; A. McPherson, Government Field 

 Instructor; Miss Olive Feist, in Charge of 



the Government Apiary; Daisy R. Hart, 

 in Charge of Ruakura State Apiary; T. 

 W. Lonsdale, District Agent of the Depart- 

 ment of AgTiculture; E. P. Brogan, For- 

 eign Manager's Assistant of the Ruakura 

 Farm of Instruction; A. P. Young, in 

 Charge of the Apiary of the Department 

 of Agriculture ; and Dr. H. W. Wiley, then 

 Chief Chemist of the United States De- 

 partment of Agi'iculture. 



We have carefully examined the state- 

 ments made by these parties, and all of 

 them speak of it in the highest terms. 



We are glad to make this statement in 

 justice to Mr. Hopkins; and in the mean 

 time we have written him to send us an 

 article describing his method of ripening 

 honey artificially. While we have general- 

 ly advised against the practice, believing 

 that the artificially ripened product would 

 not be the equal of honey ripened in the 

 hive, we are open to conviction. 



Later. — After writing the foregoing we 

 received a communication from Mr. W. B. 

 Bray, of Deveauchelles Bay, New Zealand, 

 taking issue with Mr. Hopkins in regard 

 to the advisability of trying to ripen honey 

 artificially. As his article seems to be so 

 fairly and candidly written we publish it 

 on page 633 of this issue. While we have 

 no disposition to mingle in the contro- 

 versy between Mr. Hopkins and his friends 

 on the one side, and Mr. Ireland and Mr. 

 Bray on the other side, we may say that 

 the general experience in this country is 

 decidedly against trying to ripen honey 

 artificially. The people who have made 

 the largest protest are the large buyers 

 of honey — men who would know whether 

 artificially ripened honey is the equal of 

 that ripened b"y the bees. In saying all 

 this we are not inclined to doubt the 

 ability of ]\Ei'. Hopkins to ripen honey 

 artificially, just as he says he can, in his 

 locality and under his conditions. But as 

 our correspondent, Mr. Bray, points out, 

 atmospheric conditions have every thing 

 to do with success or failure of the arti- 

 ficial method of riioening honey. This ex- 

 jilains why some not so favorably situated 

 do not meet with success. 



We still solicit an article from Mr. 

 Hopkins, who is one of the best author- 

 ities on bee culture in New Zealand. Doubt- 

 less he will take up these various questions 

 connected with the proposition. In any 

 ease, no one can doubt his sincerity, and 

 we are convinced, in view of the testimony 

 that he has offered, that there must have 

 been some mistake about that particular 

 honey souring in Agricultural Hall to 

 which Mr. Ireland refers. 



