1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



355 



cers, or dealing with a constitution or by-laws, but simply to 

 outline its general principles and predict its usefulness. 



The article by Prof. Cook, beariug upon the subject of the 

 California Bee-Keepers' Exchange, on page 81, speaks cor- 

 rectly of grievances manifested by the honey-producers of 

 California, and the article produced. He says: "They see 

 no reason why they should not have a voice in determining 

 prices on their own product. Could they but work in concert, 

 act as one man, something after the manner of the Standard 

 Oil Company, then they could adjust prices of their honey 

 according to the amount and cost of production." 



I would like Prof. Cook to tell me how the Standard Oil 

 Company could maintain their price on oil without the co- 

 operation of at least a majority of producers. And, also, how 

 could the California Bee-Keepers' Exchange maintain a fixed 

 price upon their product without the co-operation of bee- 

 keepers outside of their State ? 



It must be borne in mind that honey is not only produced 

 in California, but in every other State, and to co-operate on 

 the principle of the Standard Oil Company, it must extend 

 throughout the United States. The California Bee-Keepers' 

 Exchange cannot fix the price of honey in New York, Chicago 

 or Boston. It can only stimulate the price at home. 



It must be remembered also that citrus fruits are pro- 

 duced only in certain States, hence the advantage the Citrus 

 Fruit Exchange must have over the Bee-Keepers' Exchange 

 where the product of every State comes into competition. 



It is to be hoped that every State will now organize some- 

 thing on the principle of the California Bee-Keepers' Ex- 

 change, and when that has been accomplished, a National or- 

 ganization will be sure to follow, which will be indispensable 

 in order that the product of the bees be properly distributed, 

 and a uniform price be maintained throughout the United 

 States. In other words, it will be necessary for each State to 

 combine under one general management. As time passes on 

 in its various events, and people becoming more convinced of 

 the necessity of organization, it is apparent that a system 

 based upon such a method would be more easily consummated. 



There cannot be a shadow of doubt against the consis- 

 tency of a National combination, neither should there be any 

 serious controversy over the manner in which it could be 

 matured ; but in order to complete its usefulness, and bring 

 to bear the object sought, every State should be united. 



Now that the first link has been welded, it is the duty of 

 other States to act in like manner, and form one great and 

 powerful chain that cannot be broken. When that has been 

 accomplished, bee-keepers can justly feel their independence, 

 and show the world their ability to regulate and dispose of 

 their own product. 



While it is true there are honest men in the commission 

 business, it is safe to assert that bee-keepers can manipulate 

 their own business satisfactorily to themselves, and by proper 

 distribution, adjust their own product to the various points 

 as desired. It is not the object of bee-keepers to corner the 

 product of the bees, and compel the innocent consumer to pay 

 an exorbitant price for the sweetest of all sweets, but to main- 

 tain a uniform price much in advance of what they now re- 

 ceive, without extra cost to those who buy for their own con- 

 sumption. 



I would respectfully urge every State bee-association to 

 move in this matter, and when that has been accomplished, a 

 new era will dawn upon those who follow the pursuit of bee- 

 keeping. Poster, Calif. 



The McEvoy Foul Brood Xreatment is 



given in Dr. Howard's pamphlet on " Foul Brood ; Its Natural 

 History and Rational Treatment." It is the latest publication 

 on the subject, and should be in the hands of every bee-keeper. 

 Price, 25 cents ; or clubbed with the Bee Journal for one year 

 —both for $1.10. 



The Slotted Separator— Experiments. 



BY B. TAYLOR. 



In reply to a request, I give the following description of 

 my handy separators : 



They are made of two strips of wood M inch thick. For 

 4^ sections these strips are 2 inches wide; they are fastened 

 together by cleats 4}^ long and % by J^. The cleats are 

 nailed across the wide strips in four places, 4}f inches apart, 

 so the edges of the sections strike the cleats, leaving one-half 

 bee-space in the separators. This brings the honey in the 

 sections to within % inch of the edge of the section, and the 

 bees, for causes I will not try to explain here, will seal the 

 honey smooth and level, right up to the wood of the sections, 

 in a uniform, beautiful way that they never will do with plain- 

 surface separators where the bee-space Is all in the section. 



The two 2-inch strips that make the finished separator, 

 when cleated to 4^% wide, leaves an open slot Ji inch wide 

 lengthwise, in the center of each separator ; through these 

 slots the bees can pass freely from section to section, right in 

 the center of the super. 



These separators can be used in any style of super. In 

 the T super the edges are slotted where the T tins come, for 

 these separators go clear to the top and bottom of the sec- 

 tions, leaving no chance for the bees to bulge the combs above 

 and below the separators, as they often do with the old-style 

 separators. 



The question is often asked — Do not these thick separa- 

 tors occupy much space, and diminish the pounds of honey in 

 a super? No, they increase the honey in any given sized 

 super. They do lessen the number of sections in a super, but 

 each section is enough heavier to more than make the differ- 

 ence, so there is a saving of four sections with their founda- 

 tion in each super. 



"But they are too costly," I hear some one say. They 

 are in the final end cheaper than any thin wood separators, 

 for but three of them are required in a 24-section super, and 

 with care they will last a lifetime, and will help a novice to 

 produce perfect-finished sections for shipping or show. 



Dr. E. K. Jaques, of Crystal, Minn., exhibited two 24- 

 section supers of honey at the Minnesota State Fair in 1895, 

 which drew $28 in three 1st Premiums for perfection in 

 finish and shipping qualities. 



EXPERIMENTS IN BEE-KEEPING. 



In a recent number of the American Bee Journal I find 

 the following paragraph, taken from the Farm, Stock and 

 Home : 



I am wintering some 40 colonies in two-story hives of 

 2,000 inches of comb space, and at least 50 pounds of honey 

 per colony. 1 had intended to stop experimenting, but there 

 are yet many unsettled things in bee-keeping, and I shall go 

 on testing methods hereafter with more care than ever. I will 

 set three large double hives, with their rich stores, on the 

 summer stands, treat all as nearly alike as possible, and then 

 keep a strict record of which gives the earliest and largest 

 swarms, which class gives the most salable honey during the 

 season, and then figure the comparative profit of each. 



B. Taylor. 



The editor copied the paragraph correctly, but the Farm, 

 Stock and Home did not report me correctly. Where it reads, 

 " I will set t?ircc large double hives," it should read, " I will 

 set tUcse, large double hives," for I shall use all of them, and as 

 many more of my small Handy hives of 1,000 inches of comb 

 space, for the same purpose, viz.: which will under the same 

 treatment, and in the same yard, give the most profitable re- 

 sults — hives of large or small size, in either comb or extracted 

 honey ? I will feed part of these colonies in both sizes of 

 hives a few ounces of syrup each day without regard to their 

 having a plenty of stores in the hives, tO' prove whether stim- 

 ulative feeding pays. 



I will run a part of these colonies for comb and part for 



