102 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



Feb. 15, 1900. 



us to try to undo the custom in the East. Some cases 

 weigh net 20 pounds, and we can not sell it when it weighs 

 this net, by the pound, but must sell it bj' the package. 



We much prefer the good-will of your Association, and 

 therefore do not want to make any further comments to- 

 daj-, but we are ready at any and all times to answer anj' 

 inquiries, or answer any discussions. 



Your system of grading is not correct, and should be 

 remedied. 



We could register further complaints, but it may not be 

 judicious on our part at this time. 



Respectfully, S. T. Fish & Co. 



Pres. Aikin — Fish & Co. offered to write a paper for this 

 convention on " Packing and Packages," and this is what 

 they sent. 



Mr. Root — Fish & Co. started us with the no-drip case. 

 They had seen Hetherington's case, and urged us to adopt 

 it. I have heard wishes exprest that the Colorado people 

 would not use the double-tier case. 



Pres. Aikin — I prefer the single-tier ; not because there 

 is less to face. I prefer the no-drip case, because sometimes 

 a little honey drips from unsealed cells. 



Mr. Porter — The double-tier case is used because our 

 local market universally' requires it. It always will be sold 

 before the single-tier. I know of one dealer who sold out 

 every double-tier case before he sold a single one of the 

 others. I have changed sections from the single-tier to 

 the double-tier in order to sell the honey. 



Mr. Pease — We shipt out 22 carloads — if the Eastern 

 market prefers the single-tier, why should we not adopt it ? 



F. Rauchfuss — As to Fish & Co.'s objection that the 

 double-tier exposes to view too much honey, if anybody ob- 

 jects it should be the producer, not the dealer. In regard 

 to selling by the case, we go by our grading rules, which 

 guarantee a certain weight. As to the honey leaking, our 

 Colorado honey does not leak so much. It is true the sin- 

 gle-tier is more convenient for shipping. It is easier to tier 

 it up to some height, especially now that we are compelled 

 to put in 30,000 pounds to make a car. If they don't object 

 to putting a producer's name on, why should they object to 

 the address ? I received a letter from a bee-keeper in Chi- 

 cago who is also a honey-dealer, who also wanted a single- 

 tier case used, and the stamp left off, for the very reason 

 he didn't want it recognized as Colorado honey. Then, as 

 to what they say of inferior honey, this season, on account 

 of the scarcity, dealers bought a whole lot of inferior honey 

 produced by farmers ; but the hone)' that came thru our 

 Association will bear comparison with any. If we guaran- 

 tee a net weight of 22 pounds per case, that gives them a 

 basis to figure on. Honey is quoted by the case in the Den- 

 ver market. The sections here are almost uniform, all of 

 the same width. As for the wax-moth, that is preposterous. 

 We have no wax-moth in Colorado. As for granulating, 

 here is a section of honey 15 months old, that has been ex- 

 posed to the cold continuously, that does not show a sign of 

 it. This year's product has not granulated. There might 

 be a season in which it would granulate soon, but as a rule 

 it compares favorably with honey produced in other locali- 

 ties. 



Mr. Pease — If a single-tier case is preferred by com- 

 mission men, why should we not have it? 



H. Rauchfuss— One objection is that the cover and the 

 bottom are wide and will shrink. Even double-tier cases 

 sometimes have covers too narrow. 



F. Rauchfuss — The single-tier covers and bottoms are 

 usually in two pieces. 



Mr. Root — One reason for preferring the single-tier is 

 that these cases can be piled up high without toppling over. 

 I remember seeing a pile of cases in a commission house 

 that had tipt over with disastrous results. That is the main 

 reason. It holds true in the car also. 



In shipping carloads, paper on the top to keep out the 

 dust is a good thing. Cap.t. Hetherington covers the whole 

 carload. 



F. Rauchfuss — We have done that three years, and for 

 two years used a canvas over the whole, and the honey ar- 

 rived in good shape. 



Mr. Root — Personall)', I prefer the Colorado honey. I 

 keep a square can of it for use in my own home. I advise 

 j'ou to put labels all over your honey, and have it known as 

 Colorado honey. 



Mr. Brock — I prefer to have it labeled as Colorado 

 hone)', on account of the preference for it in the East. 



Pres. Aikin — A house that handles a large amount of 

 honey explicitly wanted me not to label mine. I consider 

 that rascality. 



H. Rauchfuss — They don't want the consumer or dealer 

 to find out where the honey comes from. That is the main 

 objection. 



Mr. Lyon — There is more truth in that. Some of my 

 honey found its way to Boston, and consequently a Boston 

 man wrote to me direct. 



Mr. Jones — I came from the far East, from Canada, and 

 have been much interested in this convention. In Canada 

 we use only the single-tier case, but produce nearly all ex- 

 tracted honey, as it is so cold. The honey here far excels 

 ours for certain purposes. It takes very little white clover 

 honey to satisfy one, but he can eat two or three times as 

 much alfalfa honey. 



Ch. Adams — One reason why objection is made to 

 stamping the cases is that the buyers are afraid their custo- 

 mers will get used to Colorado honey, and won't get East- 

 ern honey another year. 



[Continued next week.] 



CONDUCTED BY 



DR. O. O. MIT^LER. Afareng-o, Ilh 



[The Questions may be mailed to tlie Bee Journal office, or to Dr. Miller 



direct, when he will answer them here. Please do not ask the 



Doctor to send answers by mail.— Editor. 1 



Giving Indoor Bees a Plight. 



Would it be well to give bees a flight on a warm day in the 

 winter, by taking tbem out of the root-house, if handy ? Would 

 it do tbem any barm if tbey appeared to smell all right, but a 

 little uneasy ? Wisconsin. 



Answer— If "they appear to smell all right but a little un- 

 easy," better let tbem alone till time to take tbem out for good. 

 When bees are wintered outdoors, a warm day and a flight is a 

 fine thing for tbem, but it doesn't seem to work just the same if 

 they are in a cave or a cellar. Somehow tbey don't settle down 

 quietly when returned. 



Building up a Nucleus. 



I have the queen received last fall in a small hive, that I made, 

 about 10 inches to the edge inside. I could accomtnodate her in 

 no other way, as it was too late and cold to introduce her, but I 

 got a few bees and put in with her, and she commenced to lay. 

 She laid about 100 eggs, only half of which hatcbt, and then stopt. 

 There are only about 100 bees left now, as they have died off. I 

 want to know some way to start her laying, as I think if she does 

 not commence pretty soon tbey will all die out. I keep them in 

 the kitchen, closing the entrance with a piece of wire-netting. She 

 is a pure Italian, so I don't want to lose her. I carry them out 

 every warm day. New York. 



Answer.— Don't think of building up a colony from eggs laid 

 by a queen with only a hundred workers. Remove the queen from 

 one ot your colonies and introduce the Italian queen, or else grad- 

 ually add bees and brood to your little nucleus. You can take from 

 one of your colonies a frame or two ot bees (with brood if tbey 

 have it), being sure not to take the queen, imprison these tor a day 

 or two, and then they can be given to your little nucleus. 



Bee-Candy, Feeding, Etc. 



1. I am located in central Ohio with my bees on the west bank 

 of a pond of spring water, about 30 feet square, with a little hill 

 and orchard on the west, the hives facing the southeast. We have 

 white clover, goldenrod and linden blossoms in abundance, 

 besides black and red raspberry, sweet clover, and a great many 

 other wild flowers. Why is this not a good location, with the 

 proper treatment and care ? 



3. I have the Falcon chafl' hive. Is it as good as any other hive 

 on the market, for out-door wintering ? Should the chaff cham- 

 bers be filled with chaff, or left as a dead-air space ? I have two 

 colonies in these hives, which were the increase of last year. 



3. I bought a tested queen and introduced her in one of the 

 hives, and I think their stores are rather short, and I would like to 

 feed them. I have Hill's device and chaff cushion over the frames. 

 Can I make bee-candy and feed them on the summer stand, or 

 will I have to put them in the cellar ? 



