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ExpaiHiing or Contracting to 

 diet the most Honey. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



Query 728.— What is the best method to 

 get the greatest amount of surplus honey — 

 to expand or contract the brood-chamber 1 

 — New York. 



If in the comb, contract. I£ extracted, 

 expand.— M. Mauin. 



Expand before the honey harvest, and 

 contract when it arrives. — G. M. Doolit- 



TLE. 



Contraction is the popular thing, but I 

 have some doubts. — C. C. Miller. 



■For comb honey, contraction usually is 

 the better method, and 1 prefer it in ex- 

 tracted honey also. — J. M. Shuck. 



1 cannot say "what is (/ic best method." 

 I just let the brood-chamber alone, if in 

 good condition. — H. D. Cutting. 



To expand to secure the production of 

 the bees to gather the honey, and to con- 

 tract during the honey-flow. — R. L. Taylor. 



All depends upon the season, time, con- 

 diiiou of the bees, and the bee-keeper. 

 Contraction, wisely practiced is, without 

 doubt, very helpful. — A. J. Cook. 



For securing "the greatest amount" of 

 extracted honey, have a large brood-nest 

 so as to have lots of bees to gather the 

 honey when the flow comes.— A. B. Mason. 



To contract, of course ; but you have to 

 feed the bees, which, having decreased in 

 numbers, are not fit for a good wintering. — 

 Dauant & Son. 



Contract, of course. Expanding would 

 spoil " the whole business," as it would 

 give the bees a fine chance to fill the spaces 

 with comb at once. — J. E. Pond. 



When I work for comb l^oney, I do not 

 want the brood-chamber too large — 8 or 9 

 frames are sufficient ; but when for ex- 

 tracted honey, I want it extended on the 

 Adair plan. — J P. H. Brown. 



I expand to the capacity of the queen's 

 fertility, in the brood chamber, and give 

 surplus room sufficient to accommodate 

 the surplus bees. — J. M. Hambauoh. 



Probably by contracting the brood-cham- 

 ber at the right time, a larger amount of 

 comb honey can be secured ; but I doubt, 

 taking one season with another, whether it 

 pays for the trouble. — Mrs. L. Harrison. 



This is a question I have tried to solve for 

 some time. It should have been stated if 

 extracted or comb honey is desired, as the 

 management is entirely different. — C. H. 



DlliBERN. 



This matter is fully discussed in my new 

 book, and is one of the topics of the times. 

 In producing comb honey the proper use 

 of the wood zinc queen-excluder is as yet 

 known to few bee-keepers, comparatively. 

 — G. L. Tinker. 



You do not say whether comb or ex- 

 tracted honey. I suppose that somewhat 

 different methods might be employed, ac- 

 cording to the kind you are after. I sup- 

 pose, also, that different methods might be 

 profitably employed at different seasons of 

 the year, in working for either. — Eugene 

 Secor. 



I do neither. I want a standard-sized 

 brood-chamber full of brood and honey. If 

 I had to do either, I should " expand," as 



that plan will lessi-n the desire to swarm. 

 I have tried contraction in several cases 

 this season, and in every case but one the 

 bees have swarmed in a week or ten days — 

 I mean my swarms treated in this way 

 have swarmed again. — G. W. Demaree. 



Both. The brood-chamber should be at 

 its maximum size at that time of the year 

 when rearing bees that are to be workers 

 right in the lioney harvest ; after that time, 

 when the honey iiiirvest is on, contraction 

 is very valuable —James Heddon. 



The question is indefinite. When bees 

 are being reared to gather the " surplus " 

 as it comes, to "exjjand " the brood-cham- 

 ber is the proper "method." When the 

 honey-flow comes, and it is to be secured in 

 sections, "contract" the brood-chamber, 

 so as to compel the bees to store the sur- 

 plus above it. A judicious method would 

 therefore require both expansion and con- 

 traction. — The Editor. 



The Weight of Sections Avhen 

 Selling Honey. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



Query 7S3. — Should any allowance be 

 made for the weight of sections, when 

 weighing and selling comb honey? — B. E. E. 



No.— Eugene Secor. . 



No. — C. H. DlBBERN. 



No.— H. D. Cutting. 



No. — Mrs. L. Harrison. 



No. — Dadant & Son. 



No, never. — James Heddon. 



Not unless they are extra heavy. — M. 

 Mahin. 



No ; they should be considered a part of 

 the package.— J. M. Shuck. 



It is not the general custom. — C. C. 

 Miller. 



No, the sections go as honey. — R. L. 

 Taylor. 



That depends upon how well they are 

 filled.— J. M. Hambaugh. 



In our local markets here, the filled sec- 

 tions are sold by the piece, and not by 

 weight.— J. P. H. Brown. 



NO ; no more than for the packages you 

 buy groceries in.— A. B. Mason. 



No, not if made of the light material 

 mostly in use. — G. L. Tinker. 



It is not the rule here, and I do not think 

 that our light basswood and poplar sections 

 should be classed as tare when selling 

 honey. — G. M. Doolittle. 



The weight of sections is a mere trifle, 

 and in my judgment should not be allowed 

 for, as they make a pretty and convenient 

 case in which to carry the honey, and as 

 such are worth more than their weight. — 

 J. E. Pond. 



I think not. The section weighs very 

 little — it is an indefinite quantity, and the 

 price of honey is so low that I am sure we 

 need lose no sleep if we sell with the sec- 

 tions thrown in. I think that no purchaser 

 will ever speak of it. — A. J. Cook. 



This is a matter for the "trade " to gov- 

 ern. If a person sells by the "pound," the 

 gross should be deducted, and the honey 

 should be sold by the pound, exclusive of 

 the wood. In other words, if a customer 

 orders 100 pounds of honey in " one pound 

 sections," he is entitled to 100 pounds of 

 honey exclusive of the boxes. But if he 

 buys the sections at so much a piece, the 

 deal is fair. You can easily see that if all 



the sections are to be called a " pound," 

 what an inducement there is for light 

 weights. — G. W. Demaree. 



No ; surely not. The very little weight 

 of wood is less than % of an ounce, and is 

 as necessary to the protection of the honey 

 while being' transported by the consumer, 

 as the paper around a package of groceries. 

 Any one wlio wcmld pick at the weight of 

 the ordinary section on a pound of honey, 

 must be a very small specimen of humanity. 

 — The Editor. 



Cl.lJUUIilICi I.ISX. 



■^Ve <JIiiI> the Ariierlcan Bee Journal 

 for a year, with any of the following papers 

 or books, at the prices quoted in the li AST" 

 column. The regular price of both is given 

 in the first column. One year's subscription 

 for the American Bee Journal must be sent 

 with each order tor another paper or book : 



Price of both. Club. 

 The American Bee Journal $1 00 



and Gleanings in Bee-Culture 2 00 175 



Bee-Keepers' Guide 150. .. 140 



Bee-Keepers' Review 150 140 



TheApicultui-lst 175.... 165 



Bee-Keepers' Advance 150 — 140 



Canadian Bee Journal 2 00 ... 180 



The 7 above-named papers 5 25 — 5 00 



and Langstroth KevisediDadant) 3 00 — 2 75 

 Cook's Manual (1887 edition) 225..,. 2 00 

 Quinby's New Bee-Keeping. 2 50 — 2 25 

 Doolittle on Queen-Rearing. 2 00 — 175 



Bees and Houev (Newman).. 2 00 175 



Binder for Am. Bee Journal. 160 150 



Dzierzon's Bee-Book (cloth). 300.... 2 00 

 Root's A B C of Bee-Culture 2 25.... 2 10 



Farmer's Account Book 4 00 3 30 



Western World Guide 1 50 1 30 



Heddon's book, "Success,".. 150 — 140 



A Year Among the Bees 1 50 1 35 



Convention Hand-Book 150. .. 130 



Weekly Inter-Ocean 2 00.... 175 



Toronto Globe (weekly) 2 00.... 170 



History of National Society. 150 125 



American Poultrv Journal.. 2 25 — 150 

 The Lever (Temperance) 2 00 — 1 75 



Do not send to us for sample copies 

 of any other papers. Send for such to the 

 publishers of the papers you want. 



Olobe Bee -Veils. — Here are two 



letters received— just as the forms are 

 closing, and are about like scores of others, 

 showing bow the Globe Veils suit those 

 who have them. Not one objection has 

 ever yet been received : 



Send me two more Globe Bee-Veils for 

 my neighbors. I like mine very much. — 

 J. B. DuNLAP, Rochester, Ind., July 17, 

 1890. 



The two Globe Bee-Veils came by return 

 mail. Thanks for promptness. I find them 

 just as neat and clean as new (the soiling 

 is so slight). They are indeed sure protec- 

 tion against bee-stings, mosquitoes, etc. — 

 John Hagek, Jr., Arabi, La., July 16,1 890. 



I»osters for the American Bee Journal, 

 printed in two colors, will be sent free to 

 all who can use them. They are handsome, 

 and will " set off " an exhibit at Fairs. It 

 will tell bee-keepers how to subscribe, for 

 "Subscriptions Received Here" is quite 

 prominent at the bottom. 



We will also send sample copies of the 

 Bee Journal, for use at Fairs, if notified a 

 week or ten days in advance where to send 

 them. 



