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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



May 14, 



Production and Marketing of Comb Honey. 



lii'ad at the Wlscoimn Bee-Keepers^ Convention 

 BY F. L. MURRAY. 



The greatest essentials, according to my idea, are these : 



IsT, The Apiarist. — Without a good, practical man or 

 woman to see to the proper manipulation of the bee-yard in 

 general, and to see to all the minor details, and have the tub 

 right side up before the honey-flow begins, I think there is a 

 small chance of getting a paying crop at present prices. 



2nd, The Location. — If we do not have a good location, 

 and thoroughly understand its flora, our bees and knowledge 

 would not count for much as a money-making industry, and I 

 do not think there are many of us that keep bees for pleasure 

 alone, although I can get more pleasure out of my bee-yard 

 than any other occupation I ever tried, but I want a little 

 profit also. 



3rd, Bees and Appliances. — With the two former pro- 

 vided, we can ne.xt get our bees. It does not make much dif- 

 ference what kind they are (although I prefer Italians), so 

 long as they are of a good working strain, and with the mod- 

 ern improved appliances. There are so many different kinds 

 of good hives and surplus arrangements, I will not try to 

 enumerate them, but I think anybody ought to use his own 

 judgment according to his own tastes and surroundings. 



We are now ready to get a crop of honey if there is any to 

 get. 



I use the 8-frame dovetailed hive, and winter my bees in 

 a cellar made purposely for them. It is made in the side of a 

 hill, so I don't have to go down any steps in carrying bees in 

 and out of the cellar. It is 8 feet high, 10 feet wide, and 16 

 feet long, and was made to accommodate 100 colonies. 



I take the bees out of the cellar about April 1 to 10, and 

 examine them the first warm day to ascertain the strength of 

 colony and amount of stores. Weak colonies I contract to 

 about four frames, and those in need of stores I provide with 

 sugar syrup food, or combs of honey if I have them. I then 

 put on a quilt of burlap over the frames, then a super, and fill 

 the super with chaff, and leave them. This is all the spring 

 packing I ever use. It acts as an absorbing cushion over the 

 cluster, and if they can be kept dry they will not be much 

 hurt after being put out. 



They are thus left until about May 10 ; the chaff-filled 

 super is then removed, and colonies looked over again to see 

 in what condition they are. All last year's queens are clip- 

 ped at this time, and an extra hive-body filled with drawn 

 combs is put over each strong colony; that will give ample 

 room for the queen when she gets crowded for room below. 

 The weak colonies that were put on four frames are now given 

 the other four empty frames. They are then left until just 

 before the honey harvest, which begins here about June 10, 

 from white clover. 



All the extra hive-bodies that were put on all strong colo- 

 nies are now removed, and the hive proper is filled up with 

 brood from the top story, and if there is more brood than will 

 fill the lower story, I use it to strengthen weak colonies, or 

 make increase. In this way I get all my bees in condition for 

 the harvest. 



I then put on the surplus arrangement, which is a pattern 

 bottom super that will hold 2i -fi'slJixlJ^-inch sections. I 

 practice the tiering-up plan, putting supers either under or 

 over, according to my judgment, in regard to length of flow. 



I hive the bees on full sheets of foundation, on the old 

 stand, removing the old hive with brood to a new stand, after 

 shaking out all young bees at the entrance of the new hive ; 

 there will always be enough young bees left to take care of 

 the brood. The seventh day I cut out all queen-cells but one ; 

 10 days from this time, if the honey-flow still continues, I put 

 a super filled with full sheets of foundation on the old hive. 



and have had the bees fill a super in three days after the 

 young queen begins to lay. 



I remove all comb honey as soon as it is fully capped over, 

 to the honey house. It is then all scraped, graded and put 

 into new basswood crates, with glass front, each crate holding 

 24 pounds. I make only two grades, 1st and 2nd — the 1st 

 grade is nice, straight sections, fully capped over on both sides. 

 The 2ud grade consists of all sections that have one side fully 

 sealed over, the other side being full of honey, but not all 

 sealed over. Prom all that do not come under these require- 

 ments the honey is extracted, the sections are put back on the 

 hive for bees to clean up, and they are then stored away with 

 a paper put between each super, to keep all dust out, to be 

 used the following season. 



When shipping honey I nail two 24-pound crates to- 

 gether, one on top of the other, 'with pieces of lath, leaving 

 the glass exposed so that the trainmen can see what it is, and 

 handle it more carefully. I load it myself in the car, and ship 

 to some good, reliable commission house in Chicago, or any 

 other place where there is a good market, and I have always 

 been able to get the top market price for it, as I always put it 

 on the market in a clean, attractive condition, and have never 

 had any broken in transit. 



I prefer this method to putting it on the home market, as 

 I get my returns all together instead of 25-cent pieces, as is 

 generally the way in the home market, and it is less trouble. 

 Of course, I always supply my home market as long as it lasts, 

 but I do not try to sell it all in the home market. 



This is a synopsis of my methods. There are quite a num- 

 ber of things I would like to explain more fully, but I have cut 

 it as short as possible, so as not too take up too much time. 



Calamine, Wis. 



Organization and Co-Operation Urged. 



BY W. D. FRENCH. 



We have now arrived at a period where men engaged in 

 all branches of industry have united their respective forces, 

 or supervisions, under one head. They have combined their 

 various elements, and formed gigantic monopolies, in order to 

 enhance the value of their product, and to establish a price 

 thereon that may be scheduled throughout the United States. 



Then, why should not the bee-keeping fraternity join 

 hands, and form one grand circle, stretching forth their en- 

 closure from ocean to ocean ? 



Can it be possible, at this stage of events, that the api- 

 arists of our country will continue to peacefully submit to a 

 gang of unscrupulous beings, who have by their skill in lying, 

 succeeded in fleecing to a finish those who have furnished the 

 capital and stock, and then declare the incompetency of the 

 bee-keeping fraternity to organize in their own behalf, and 

 for their own protection ? 



The honey-industry of this country, consolidated and 

 placed under the supervision of a General Manager, who 

 should be located at Chicago, holding the reins over all the 

 principal cities of the United States, which should also have 

 their head-quarters for distribution, equalizing the product so 

 as not to overstock one place, while others were destitute, 

 would certainly place our industry in its proper position, and 

 it would then be recognized as one of the leading pursuits of 

 our country. 



If the California Bee-Keepers' Exchange would become 

 an auxiliary to such an organization, its usefulness would be 

 increased beyond measure. All other States would then fol- 

 low the same line, and a complete organization would be con- 

 summated. 



Local organizations, acting independently and upon their 

 own resources, are in a measure beneficial; but their inability 



