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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Aug. 20, 



GEORGE W. YORK, - Editor. 



PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY 



GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 

 118 aiioliie-an St., - CHICAGO. IKL. 



Sfl.OO a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. 

 [Entered at the Post-Offlce at CblcaKO as Second-Class Mall-Matter.J 



Vol. IXIVI, CHICAGO, ILL, AU&. 20, 1896, No, 34. 



Bee-sting: Specific.— It is stated in the scientific 

 papers that qiiiuine dissolved in ammonia is a much better 

 specific for the sting of a bee than is ammonia alone. 



Tlie Union and Canada.— Mr. H. Miller, of 

 Canada, wishes this question answered in the American Bee 

 Journal : 



Mr. York : — If I become a member of the National Bee- 

 Keepers' Union, do I enjoy the same benefits as a citizen of 

 the United States, i. c does its good offices cover Canada? 

 Please answer in the Bee Journal, as some of us have been 

 debating the question. H. Miller. 



Yes, according to the present Constitution of the Union, 

 Canadian members are entitled to the same benefits as those 

 residing in the United States. But it may not always be so. 

 We should think it would be a good thing for Canada to have 

 a "Canadian Bee-Keepers' Union "' all their own, as doubtless 

 the laws of both countries are quite different, and there might 

 be some difficulty in operating such an organization in a coun- 

 try foreign to where it was formed. We believe no case has 

 ever been defended by the present Union in Canada— neither 

 have more than two or three of its members been Canadians. 



Without desiring to meddle with the business of our good 

 friends " over the line," we would suggest that the Canadian 

 Bee Journal might find an opportunity in this matter to ren- 

 der great service to its constituency, should it inaugurate some 

 plan whereby the bee-keepers of that country could become 

 members of an organization having for its object a similar 

 one to our National Bee-Keepers' Union. We think a very 

 strong one could be maintained in a land so famous for its 

 excellent honey as well as for its progressive bee-keepers. 



Xlie California Honey Crop for this year has 

 often been reported as being almost an entire failure, but this 

 from Gleanings for Aug. 1, by Mr. W. A. H. Gilstrap, dated 

 July 10, rather seems to contradict the failure report ; 



"The honey season in California, we are told, is practi- 

 cally a failure all along the line. Eastern honey will have 

 little if any competition from the Pacific Coast." So reads an 

 editorial in Gleanings for July 1. This mistake is pardonable 

 in an Eastern editor when a California writer (Rambler) says 

 on page 487 of the American Bee Journal for 1895, that 

 California honey is produced before the Eastern markets are 

 established. 



To enlighten the above, let me say that we have a place 



In the Golden State that we call the San Wau-?i€e)i Valley 

 (spelled, or, rather misspelled, " San Joaquin "). This part of 

 the State is not considered in the above, and yet we produce 

 honey every year. The king of honey-producers iu this valley 

 is Mr. Daugherty, of Bakersfield, with only 1,400 colonies, I 

 am told. I know perhaps 20 men who produced over 8 tons 

 each last year. Bees are now fairly started on storing surplus, 

 which was not true one year ago. What I meau by "fairly 

 started," is for all colonies to be at work and surplus being 

 removed from the stronger ones. The season closes anywhere 

 from Aug. 30 to Oct. 5, depending on season and locality. 

 Perhaps you will see from 20 to 40 carloads of our honey beyond 

 the Rockies later in the season, which would keep California 

 in the ring until the southern part of the State gets another 

 crop. W. A. H. Gilstrap. 



Let's see, there are something like 24,000 pounds in a 

 carload of honey ; and 40 carloads would be about 960,000 

 pounds — quite enough to sweeten a good many pancakes. 

 Surely, California is still " in the ring '" so far as honey is con- 

 cerned. But we yet contend that if all the honey were evenly 

 distributed, there would never be enough to supply the de- 

 mand for the pure article. 



The Preparation of Honey for Market is 



a subject that cannot be harped upon too much. We have 

 not forgotten some of the unsightly sights that we saw last 

 year in some of the honey commission houses in this city, in 

 the line of honey supposed to have been put up for a respect- 

 able market. 



In these times of closest competition, it behooves every 

 one to put up honey in as neat and attractive a manner as 

 possible. When it comes to receptacles for extracted honey, 

 or shipping-cases for comb honey, only the very best must be 

 used. It will not pay to try to save a few cents in this, and 

 run the risk of losing dollars when your honey reaches the 

 market. 



The trade in various cities or localities often varies in its 

 requirements as to style and size of package. Hence, it will 

 be wise to first learn just what is demanded, and then comply 

 therewith as nearly as possible. If your dealer's customers 

 w&nt comb honey in 24-pound single-tier shipping-cases, see 

 to it that they are accommodated. Some people are whimsi- 

 cal, and yet if they are willing to pay for being so, no one need 

 object. 



Another thing — and it has been spoken of so often — what- 

 ever you do, be sure to clean every section of honey of every 

 particle of bee-glue, scraping them thoroughly, if necessary. 

 In order to attain the object. A little time spent in this will 

 not be lost 



Also, grade your comb honey when putting it into ship- 

 ping-cases ; and let the sections next to the glass front be fair 

 samples of those further back. 



Some dealers object to the producer's post office address 

 being on each case or section, but we think none will care if 

 only the nmne appears. We believe it would be a good idea 

 for every bee-keeper to put his name upon every section of 

 nice honey that leaves his apiary. This can be done easily 

 and rapidly with a rubber stamp. Then the consumer can 

 call for more of Mr. .So-and-So's honey, and a demand will 

 thus be created. 



Other ideas will no doubt suggest themselves to every 

 wide-awake producer of honey who reads this. As in most 

 other things, it will pay well to use brains in the preparation 

 of honey for the market. 



Improvements in Bee-Culture.— Referring to 

 this subject. Editor Root gives the following paragraph in 

 Gleanings : 



Some time ago it was asserted that no very great improve- 

 ments might be expected in the line of bee-culture; that we 

 bad about attained perfection. If I am any judge of apicul- 

 tural progress, there are still some great advances yet to be 



