THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



651 



quilly ill (lead air, with scaicely any 

 coiisuniiitioii of honey. 



Jly metliod of constructing clamps 

 is quite simple in arrangement. First, 

 1 dig a pit some 20 inches deep in any 

 form desired to pack tlie hives. I 

 nearly lill the pit with dry straw 

 thrown in loosely, place strips across 

 the pit on wliicli the hives are to rest, 

 and place the liives in order thereon. 

 I then start walls with boards at a 

 little distance from the hives, so as to 

 allow a dead-air space all around be- 

 tween the hives and walls. The va- 

 cant space should be equal to half or 

 one-fourth oi that occupied by the 

 hives. Tlie walls need not be nicely 

 made ; a sl^eleton franle-^\•ork that 

 will keep a coat of straw at the proper 

 distance from the hives, and sustain 

 a covering of earth over all, is all that 

 is required. All earth within the 

 clamp should be covered with dry 

 straw or hay, to prevent moisture 

 from accumulating within the hives. 

 A covering of earth is put over all, in 

 tlie way potatoes are covered in pits. 

 When the liives are placed over the 

 pit, I arrange for ventilating them by 

 placing over the frames a burlap, or 

 something tliat allows rarified moist 

 air to permeate upward. I leave no 

 opening that would allow mice to get 

 into the hives. When I cover the 

 clamps, I place a tube in the top for a 

 ventilator, and allow it to remain 

 open until tlie bees become tranquil 

 and quiet, and cold weather sets .in. 

 I then close the ventilator until 

 spring-like weather, when it may be 

 opened. Burying bees in clamps 

 should be delayed as late as possible 

 liefore the freezing of the ground pre- 

 vents the undertaking. 



Tioga County,? N. Y. 



For the American Bee JoumaL 



The Bee-Suits— Points Involved. 



2— W. .J. ROBERTS, (2—5). 



I have just read the item on page 

 611, by Mr. Gustav Bolni, of San Fran- 

 cisco. Calif., and the Editor's response 

 thereto. The legal questions involved 

 in suits against bee-keepers for alleged 

 injuries caused by their bees, are gen- 

 erally well settled. The principles 

 are the same, whether it be bees or 

 cattle, or otlier animals. If injury is 

 inflicted throngli the negligence of 

 their owner, he is liable tor the dam- 

 ages sustained. 



The only unsettled question is, 

 whether, in case one's bees go on the 

 land of another, though they inflict no 

 injury, their owner would be liable 

 for nominal damages for a trespass. 

 1 have been unable to find a casein 

 which this question (whicli really is, 

 have bees the right to fly V) has ever 

 been raised. There are many elements 

 which should be considered sliould this 

 point ever arise for determination. 



In the Wisconsin and California 

 suits, the vital questions will proba- 

 bly be ones of fact— first, was there 

 damage inflicted V and second, were 

 they the defendant's bees which 

 caused the damage V 



The first question should be met by 

 the testimony of bee-keepers, who 



alone have knowledge of the habits 

 and characteristics of bees, to the 

 genera! effect tliat vegetation is bene- 

 fited by the visits of bees, and that 

 bees niake no attacks on live stock 

 away from the immediate vicinity of 

 tlieir hives. 



Tlie second question the defendant 

 can leave to tlie plaintiff', who must 

 prove that tliey were the defendant's 

 bees which caused tlie alleged dam- 

 ages. Bee-keepers can appreciate 

 that he will have no very "sv^'eet" 

 time at it. 



Keokuk, o, Iowa. 



For tlie Amencan Bee Journal. 



Marketing Honey. 



J. n. ANDRE. 



The honey liarvest is over, and now 

 the sale of the crop will be the next 

 thing in order. Heretofore it has 

 been a sort of go-as-you-please style — 

 each one for himself ; but of late I 

 have been pleased to see much dis- 

 cussion on this subject. The trouble 

 is just this : The matter has been 

 left entirely to outsiders (small 

 grocerymen and wholesale dealers), 

 and they have paid what they please, 

 and charged the same, both the pro- 

 ducer and consumer being at their 

 mercy. They pay on an average 

 about 10 cents per pound and charge 

 about 18 cents per pound for comb 

 honey. (I am speaking of small mar- 

 kets where no quotations are given, 

 for there one usually Hnds the retail 

 price from 2 to 3 cents per pound 

 higher than in large cities.) As long 

 as bee-keepers allow this to go on, 

 just so long will it be one of the many 

 drawbacks to bee-keeping. 



I was recently informed that the 

 market price was 10 cents for small 

 sections of honey, when I had just 

 disposed of some honey In glass boxes, 

 such as described on page ](i7, for 12 

 cents, and get the boxes back again. 

 This is equivalent to 14 cents or more, 

 and the boxes may be used for years. 

 Another bee-keeper sells honey in 

 large boxes for 12J^ cents per pound 

 by the quantity. 



Now, if all small bee-keepers would 

 practice this, their surplus could be 

 disposed of at a higher price than 

 would be paid in the village market, 

 and it would be putting the crop be- 

 fore a class of people at a price that 

 would enable those to buy who had 

 heretofore considered honey a luxury; 

 and in three years there would be a 

 demand for five times the amount 

 that there is now. This would give 

 those having a large amount a chance 

 to send theirs to tlie cities at a fair 

 price, and bee-keepers would soon 

 have something to say, or rather do, 

 in their own interest. 



One cannot expect to meet with 

 great success at first, but rather work 

 up a line of customers who would 

 look for his coming, say once in two 

 weeks. With most bee-keepers the 

 day may not be spent for this purpose 

 entirely, but may be taken for a gen- 

 eral market-day near railroads or 

 factories. The next day after pay- 

 day is a good time. 



In short, I find that we must do 

 what the Bek .Iournal has advised— 

 " create (i dc7uanii.;" and in order to 

 do this we must deal directly with tlie 

 peojile rather than with a few indi- 

 viduals who have it all their own way. 



Lockwood,? N. Y. 



For the American Bee JoarnaL 



Second-Swarms— Selling Honey. 



CHARLES JirrCHELL. 



^Ir. Ileddon said last season that I 

 must be at fault in regard to colonies 

 swarming the second time. Perhaps 

 so ; but this year I tried every pos- 

 sible means — even letting the hives of 

 some colonies remain till the 7th and 

 8th day — and still they swarmed after 

 being moved, and when young bees 

 were actually taking their flight in 

 the middle of the day. They cer- 

 tainly were second-swarms, and not 

 old queens swarming the second time. 



I would say to Mr. Greiner that the 

 Heddon system of the prevention of 

 after-swaims has no reference to 

 first swarms. I have practiced it for 

 two seasons on .50 colonies, and I am 

 not of necessity mistaken. I will still 

 try it, as I know of nothing better, 

 and I will give up bee-keeping if I 

 have to return to hunting up queen- 

 cells ; for I tried that for years, and 

 often left the worst cell in the hive, 

 buried up somewhere, to lead off a 

 second-swarra. We certainly owe 

 much to our fellow-bee-keepers in the 

 United States, but any one will see, 

 by our late Toronto convention, that 

 we have some first-class apiarists in 

 Canada, and such a meeting is a credit 

 to any locality. 



Selling com'b honey for two seasons, 

 in the following way at our fall bee 

 and honey show, disposed of my crop 

 in one day : I get some of the whitest 

 wrapping-paper and cut it in pieces 

 about 4 by 6 inches, and with a knife 

 cut the sections of honey from one 

 corner to the other, both ways, tak- 

 ing hold of one corner and separating 

 it into four equal pieces. I laid the 

 pieces of honey upon the paper and 

 sold them at .5 cents each. 1 think 

 this is one of Mr. J. B. Halfs methods. 

 Of course I try to keep up a very at- 

 tractive and tempting exhibit, and 

 always put comb honey on shelves 

 with a blue paper back-ground. 



I had tried one of our grocers for 

 years, to sell my honey, and he al- 

 ways refused ; but this year he saw 

 the attraction my honey caused, and 

 knowing that he lost .5 cents on each 

 section, he came to me for comti 

 honey, but I had none left for him, 

 and likely never will have. 



Molesworth, Ont. 



tS~ All who Intend to be systematic in 

 their worli iu the apiary, should get a copy of 

 the Apiary Register and commence to use it. 

 The prices are as follows : 



For ."jO colonies (1-0 pagesl $1 00 



" 100 colonies (2i0 pages) 125 



" 200 colonies (4'20 pages) 150 



The larger ones can be used for a few col- 

 onies, give room for an increase of numbers, 

 and still keep the record all together in one 

 book, and are therefore the most desirable. 



