GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Mr. Vanderwerken in the midst of one of his strong colonies. 



The cost is a harder matter to overcome, 

 as thousands of producers will have to be- 

 come convinced that it is only a reasonable 

 advance, necessitated by a change from an 

 unsanitary to a sanitary package. The 

 labor of putting up the honey seems to be 

 about the same; but the material will nat- 

 urally and unavoidably cost more. I have 

 mailed sections of honey to various cor- 

 respondents; and, although it invariably 

 arrives in good condition, the question in 

 nearly every case seems to be whether it 

 will pay to make the change on account of 

 the additional cost. 



1 find that the tin package complete 

 costs 4 cts. more than the wooden section, 

 which extra cost is offset in a measure by 

 the difference in expense of the shipping- 

 cases, it being possible to use much cheaper 

 corrugated paper cases that will hold 50 

 lbs. each. Moreover, there will be the bene- 



fit of a reduced freight 

 rate on less than car- 

 load rates; that is, the 

 honey in the tin sec- 

 tions goes as fourth- 

 class instead of first- 

 class freight. Some 

 have expressed the 

 doubt whether the rail- 

 road companies will 

 maintain this rate; 

 but I think they will, 

 as there will be less 

 cause for claims of 

 breakage than in case 

 of wooden sections. 

 Somerset, Col. 

 [It may be said to 

 the credit of our cor- 

 respondent that he has 

 gone ahead at his own 

 expense in experiment 

 ing with the tin sec- 

 tions, making changes 

 wherever neees s a r y, 

 and cutting and trying 

 to find the best com- 

 bination, all things 

 considered. While per- 

 fection has undoubt- 

 edly not yet been 

 reached, the matter has 

 gone far enough to 

 deserve careful atten- 

 tion on the part of 

 comb-honey producers. 

 There is another 

 point not touched up- 

 on in the above. Much 

 comb honey is spoiled 

 by being put in a cold, 

 damp place. In this tin jiaekage, owing to 

 the fact that the honey is practically her- 

 metically sealed, there should be little 

 change brought about by unfavorable con- 

 ditions of atmosphere. 



As we look at it, the whole matter hinges 

 on the expense. In other words, will the 

 lower freight rate, the smaller amount of 

 breakage, and the protection from dust and 

 germs, offset the relatively g'reat expense of 

 the package? — Ed.] 



MY MOST EFFICIENT AND ENTHUSIASTIC 

 PUPIL 



BY EDWARD F. BIGELOW, 



In a former number of Gleanings I paid 

 my respects to Mr. L. C. Root, the veteran 

 beekeeper of Stamford, Ct., who was my 

 teacher and my inspiration when I first 

 began to study bees. It now affords me 



