1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



117 



ing 300 to 400 colonies, and doing the manipulating alone, 

 for fear the bees will get away from me before I get all 

 around, I clip all queens' wings. Sometimes after I get them 

 fixed for comb honey they try to abscond for a day or two, 

 hence the necessity of clipping. For comb honey, I put on 

 supers of empty sections at the beginning of the flow of honey. 

 When the desire to swarm appears, I take all combs contain- 

 ing brood from each colony, replacing such combs with empty 

 frames with starters. The queen is left in the old colony with 

 the supers and the empty frames. The combs of wood are put 

 into an empty hive by the side of the old one, enough bees 

 being left on this brood to care for it. These bees soon have 

 a young queen, and can then be treated as any other colony, 

 or, if preferred, they may be returned to the old colony from 

 which they were taken earlier, after the brood has hatched. 

 For extracted honey, I simply place above the brood-chamber 

 empty combs faster than the bees can fill them, not disturbing 

 queen or brood. 



Mr. Finch — I should like to ask Mr. Draper whether he 

 has made the out-apiary business a financial success ? 



Mr. Draper — The year before the North American Asso- 

 ciation met in Keokuk I made some money, but I have not 

 made any since. If I had a mind to follow up the good locali- 

 ties, as Mr. Walker does, I might still be making money at it ; 

 but I have too many irons in the fire. 



OLD SECTIONS FILLED WITH COMB. 



Question. — " What shall we do with old sections filled with 

 comb '?" 



Mr. Stewart — Burn them. 



Mr. Finch — Cut out the comb and burn the sections. 

 There is no use of burning up wax at any time. Too much 

 good money is represented in it. 



Mr. Baldridge — Trim down the comb with a hot knife, or 

 with the comb-leveler, as Mr. B. Taylor does. Bees do not 

 take kindly to the soiled and thickened edges of the combs of 

 unfinished sections as they are left the previous season. I 

 have found it to be a great advantage to level down these 

 combs and take off the soiled edges. I practiced this before 

 Mr. Taylor ever spoke of it in the bee-papers. 



Dr. Miller — Yes, and it is an advantage to take off this 

 dirty edge, because it would spoil the appearance of the comb 

 honey when finished by the bees. 



Mr. Schrier — I have been cutting down combs of unfin- 

 ished sections in this way, and find it an advantage. Bees do 

 not like the old, dirty edges to start on anew. 



A CHICAGO HONEY EXCHANGE. 



Question. — '-Is it desirable to organize a honey-producers' 

 exchange in Chicago, something as they are doing in Califor- 

 nia at the present time ?" 



Mr. Newman — As. General Manager of the Bee-Keepers" 

 Union I have been asked to establish something of the sort for 

 Chicago. I would have one for the whole United States. A 

 honey-depot in some large city, and plenty of money back of 

 it, would be an advantage. It may be a good idea for this and 

 other conventions to study on this matter some. 



Mr. Thompson — The right party back of it ought to be a 

 bee-keeper. 



Mr. York — I get a good many letters asking if the Ameri- 

 can Bee .Journal cannot help in the disposition of honey. 

 Something in the way of a honey-producers' exchange would 

 be a good thing for Chicago. I am sorry to say there is but 

 one Chicago firm, so far as I know, to whom I can conscien- 

 tiously recommend bee-keepers to ship their honey. I find 

 there has been handled, in this city, since the latter part of 

 August, or early part of September, 60 carloads of honey, 

 with an average of about 10 tons to a car. One firm has 

 handled about 20 carloads, or 200 tons, and^ has handled 

 three carloads in one day. One trouble with 'the market is 

 the rushing in of too much at a time. A carload of honey 

 goes a good ways unless a dealer has a good trade worked up 

 In advance ; and when several carloads come in at one time, 

 there is great danger of running down the prices. While Chi- 

 cago is a good honey market, there is often danger of over- 

 doing even a good thing. There should be a honey-depot in 

 every large city, to which carloads of honey could be shipped 

 as fast as required, then by careful distribution there would 

 be no danger of overloading the market. 



Mr. Baldridge — Is it not true that the California Honey- 

 Producers' Exchange would be glad to join with any other 

 body or organization of bee-keepers ? 



Mr. Newman— I believe Mr. Baldridge is correct. The 

 suggestion I made for a honey-depot I think is the best solu- 

 tion. If we had such a one in Chicago, or any other point, 

 that could make liberal advances on honey, it would be a 

 great help to bee-keepers. The trouble in shipping to so many 



different firms is the competition that is brought about. One 

 large, central depot that could handle all the honey could re- 

 alize better prices. 



Mr. York — There is no doubtthat a honey exchange would 

 be a great aid to securing and sustaining uniform and better 

 prices for honey. For instance, a new firm begins to handle 

 honey ; they quote prices away up in G, get overloaded and 

 somewhat scared, then get rid of the honey in their hands at 

 just about what is offered them by competing dealers. This 

 is no supposed case, but one that I know occurred. Think of 

 fine comb honey selling here in Chicago at 8 cents per pound, 

 and white extracted at 4 cents ! It is outrageous. No wonder 

 some reliable dealers prefer to buy of certain other crooked 

 dealers, when they can see the honey, and get it at less price 

 than they would have to pay the producers if they bought it 

 direct. Another thing : The bee-papers can do much to 

 help weed out swindling commission-men, by publishing their 

 crooked transactions. But we editors have to bo very careful 

 in such matters, and if accidentally we should be threatened 

 with a libel suit, we would expect to be backed up by our 

 readers and bee-keepers everywhere when thus fighting their 

 battles for them. I should expect the Bee-Keepers' Union to 

 help, too — it could not do better service than to help put 

 honey-buying scoundrels and swindlers behiud the bars, where 

 they belong. I believe it would be a good thing if the whole 

 honey-commission business could be drooped, and the honey 

 exchange or depot take its place. I should like to see the 

 latter idea tried, at any rate. 



Mr. Newman — Bee-keepers should not keep still. The 

 bee-journals should be notified, and then the bee-keepers 

 should stand by the bee-papers. The Bee-Keepers' Union can 

 doubtless assist ; but it was created for one specific object— to 

 defend the rights of be6-keepers. It can and will assist in 

 exposing villainy, and will help to win the case. 



Mr. Root — That is just it. Bee-keepers should let the 

 bee-papers know in regard to these unsatisfactory deals. A 

 little suggestion coming from a publisher of a bee-paper will 

 oftentimes have great weight with a commission-house, as I 

 know from some experience I have had. 



[Continued ne.xt week.] 



CONDUCTED BY 



UR. C C. laiLLER, MAHEKGO, ILL, 



LQuestlons may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. iUiller direot.l 



Bee-Killing Insects — Managing Swarming — De- 

 tecting Adulterated Honey. 



Dr. Miller: — Permit me to thank you for your kindness 

 in answering my questions in the Bee Journal, and to ask 

 some more. While your answers were not quite so encourag- 

 ing as I had hoped they would be, still I am persuaded they 

 are as near the truth as any one could make them. I do not 

 think I could afterwards accuse you of underrating the disad- 

 vantages of the business. I am still determined, however, to 

 try my hand this year at a few colonies. I think time can be 

 found to take care of them, and all I learn about the business 

 will be so much clear gain. 



1. Is there any serious trouble in this part of the country 

 from bee-killing insects or birds ? 



2. What method would you advise for handling swarms 

 by a man who is only home Sundays during the daytime ? Is 

 clipping of the queen's wing practiced much ? 



3. Are there any kind of bees less likely to swarm than 

 others ? 



4. Is there a sinple method by which a greenhorn can 

 tell adulterated extracted honey ? I recently bought some 

 warranted pure, which is either manufactured, or which was 

 stored by bees that had lost the senseof taste. It is not fit to 

 eat. " Inquirer. 



Answers. — 1. No, you must go South for anything of 

 that kind. 



2. I think I'll hardly attempt a direct answer to that 

 question, for so much depends upon circumstances that you 



