ble degree of caution, to have perfect accu- 

 racy and niiiforinity — tliose most desirable 

 characteristics— of ail the apparatus of the 

 apiary. I have also had, during the season 

 for honey gathering, 



A HIVE SUSPENDED 



by spring scales. This was a new colony, 

 of not more than average strengtii. During 

 the white clover season this showed on 

 some days an increase of 7 lbs., and once 

 of 8 lbs. During basswood gathering, 2 or 

 3 lbs. was the maximum; while frequently, 

 after very wet days, of wliicli tliere were 

 many, there was an actual loss of one or 

 two itounds. During the interim of honey- 

 secretion, between basswood and fall 

 bloom, there was a steady loss of 1 or 2 lbs. 

 per day. The showing during the fall 

 bloom was similar to that during the bass- 

 wood. The scales showed graphically, 

 what observation had denionstrated long 

 previously, that continued wet weather is 

 not conducive to honey secretion. The 

 scales also sliowed tliat when active, as in 

 summer, even though no brood is being 

 reared, the consumption of honey is much 

 greater than during the quiet of winter. 



We practiced during tiie season the Da- 

 dant, the Alley, and all other methods we 

 have heard of, 



OF INTRODUCING QUEENS, 



and have nothing to change in what we 

 said in the manual of the apiary, and in the 

 report of the State Board of Agriculture for 

 187.5 on this subject. Early in the season 

 we prepared several more stands for bees, 

 with evergreens for shade, and brick and 

 saw-dust for a foundation. 



BEE-SMOKERS. 



We have used three smokers during the 

 season; the Quinby, the Bingham, and the 

 A. I. Root. It was the unanimous decision 

 ot my class, my able assistant and myself, 

 that the Bingham smoker was superior. It 

 seems strongest, has a superior draft, and 

 troubles very little by going out and requir- 

 ing re-lighting. It also stands uji better, 

 havinga broader base tiian does the Quinby, 

 and is much more convenient in form than 

 the A. I. Root. 



MARKETING HONEY. 



We have experimented quite largely in 

 reference to marketing honey, putting 

 honey, both comb and extracted, in the 

 market in various forms. Nor weie we 

 satislied with a trial of one dealer, but we 

 tried various dealers, and even went to 

 other towns. Extracted honey was put u]) 

 in fruit jars, jelly cups, Mutli's honey jars, 

 and delivered in large tin cans. As to 

 labels, we tried putting them on the vessels 

 and also making large, neat labels and 

 framing them. These labels gave the kind 

 of honey, grade and apiary. We were very 

 particular to grade our honey closely; tirst- 

 class meant just that. We also secured 

 comb honey in boxes, six inches each way, 

 with glass sides, in large wooden boxes 

 with glass ends, in section frames one and 

 two deep above the brood chamber, with 

 tin separators, with thin wood separators. 



and in case of one tier deep, the commodi- 

 ous wooden seimrator of Mr. Severson, of 

 Randallsville, N. Y. We thus had oppor- 

 tunity to test the values of the ditferent 

 separators. 



THE CONCLUSIONS 



on these various points are as follows: We 

 can create a demand for extracted honey, 

 greatly to our own and the purchaser's ad- 

 vantage. Extracted lioney sells best in 

 jelly cups. A large label in frame is best. 

 In delivering honey, no pains should be 

 spared to have everything neat. Tliorough 

 grading, too, in quality and price, is very 

 important. To invite customers, the honey 

 should not be granulated, and to secure the 

 best results, each grocer should be made 

 acquainted with the means of re-liquifying, 

 and told specially not to apply too great 

 heat, as this injures both the flavor and 

 appearance of tiie honey. To best secure 

 the desired end, the granulated honey 

 should be placed in a vessel, and this placed 

 in a second vessel containing water, which 

 should be heated to about 175° fahr., or 

 even 200° fahr. will do no harm. If the 

 honey vessel is placed in the other, and all 

 heated on the stove, some bits of wood, ^r a 

 saucer must be i)laced luiderneath the 

 honey vessel to prevent its getting too hot. 



Comb honey, unquestionably, sells best 

 in small section-frames, aiul, beyond ques- 

 tion, more can be got in this form than in 

 boxes. To hold tliese small frames, we 

 should have large frames just the size of 

 our common frames, except that they 

 should be two inches deep. The small 

 frames should be of such a size that 4 or (5 

 would just fill a large frame. Dr. South- 

 ard, of Kalamazoo, makes a very convenient 

 rack to hold the sections. The small frames 

 will sell best when they hold about one 

 pound. If it is not desired to have more 

 than one tier of these small frames above 

 the brood-chamber, then Dr. Southard's 

 rack, or the patented arrangement ot Mr. 

 Severson is very convenient and admirable. 

 In this case, the top bar is 2 inches wide 

 and serves as a top to the 2, 3, or 4 small 

 frames that hang below. Between these 

 hangs a fa inch strip of clean, white pine, 

 which reaches not quite to the bottom, just 

 leaving space sufticient for the bees to enter 

 the frames. On the top of this thin strip is 

 tacked a lialf-rouud strip, }4 inch across the 

 bottom. This, by resting on the top bars of 

 two adjacent sections, keeps the thin strips, 

 or separators from falling, aiul the bees 

 from passing above. These wooden separa- 

 tors served as well as the tin separators of 

 Betsinger sections, so far as we could see.— 

 In both cases it was rare to find the comb 

 glued to the separators, and if we are satis- 

 fied to have these small frames but one 

 deep, I think they are cheaper and more 

 convenient. 



I tried the method of Mr. Baldridge, of St. 

 Charles, — uncapping the honey,— to induce 

 the bees to carry it from the brood chamber 

 to the boxes, with very admirable success. 



COMB FOUNDATION. 



This was used with considerable success 

 during the entire season. For guides, using 

 it 2 or 3 inches wide, both in the brood- 



