AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



317 



the cells. The bees had found themselves 

 short of food, hard times was staring them 

 in the face, and, moved by the sense of 

 self-preservation, they had sacrificed their 

 young. They had pulled their larva3 out 

 of the cells, and out of the hives, in order 

 to make their stores hold out as long as 

 possible. 



His bees should have been fed four or 

 five weeks previous to this time, and now 

 they must be fed without delay, and they 

 must have a plenty, so as to make them 

 breed up again. But as it requires a time 

 of three weeks before the first yonng bees 

 will hatch out after the eggs are laid, and 

 two weeks more before they become for- 

 agers, and as our honey harvests hardly 

 ever last longer than four or five weeks, 

 often less than three weeks, the colonies 

 will be in good condition again just in time 

 to be too late for that season. The bee- 

 keeper has lost the earnings of his year's 

 labor, while, by a timely feeding, he would 

 have secured a good crop of honey. It is 

 just there where most bee-keepers make 

 their mistake, and not beginners only com- 

 mit that error. 



The consumption of their Winter stores 

 begins with brood-rearing, and in the same 

 ratio that the brood increases, the stores 

 decrease. The question whether more 

 honey is consumed by out-door or in-door 

 wintering is, therefore, immaterial. The 

 difference is small. The old bees only are 

 the foragers, while their young stay at 

 home, taking care of the brood, preparing 

 the cells for the reception of eggs and 

 honey, ripen the honey, and close the cells 

 when filled. 



It is, therefore, of the greatest impor- 

 tance to have our colonies strong in old 

 and young bees, and ready for the harvest 

 at the time the season begins, which is, in 

 southern Ohio, the latter part of May, the 

 time when white clover comes into bloom. 



makketinCt of the honey crop. 



The marketing of honey proves often as 

 difficult a matter as its production. Bee- 

 keepers can form no "trusts," and their 

 abilities and individual tendencies are 

 differently developed. They seek a mar- 

 ket where they can best find it. But the 

 object of all should be to offer their honey 

 in neat, clean packages. 



Comb-honey should always be put up in 

 neat glass cases, or in neat cartons, as the 

 case may be. It should be properly graded 

 as to quality. The sections should be clean, 

 and no combs of dark color should be 

 mixed with the white. The front row ex- 

 posed to view, should always be a fair 

 sample of the contents of the case. 



One pound sections (41^x41^) are the 

 most salable, while smaller ones are in no 

 demand. Two-pound sections al^o, nicely 

 filled with white combs, find a ready sale 

 in our market. We make but little differ- 

 ence, if any, in the price of the two. Con- 

 sumers make a decided distinction between 

 clover and basswood extracted-honey, 

 while such is not the case with comb. 

 Comb-honey is a fancy article, and must 



be white. Its attractive appearance, prin- 

 cipally, insures a ready sale. 



nONET AND SUGAK COMPETITION. 



Extracted-honey seems to have become a 

 staple article in spite of all the obstacles 

 put in its way. The bounty on sugar, with 

 the exclusion of honey, discriminates 

 against the production of beekeepers, and 

 is an injustice which Mr. McKinley and his 

 committee would not have been guilty of, 

 had they been posted on the subject. It is 

 of vital interest to a large class of indus- 

 trious and loyal citizens to have honey 

 come in under the same laws protecting 

 the production of other sweets. Bee- 

 keepers must spare no efforts to have 

 justice done them in this respect. 



We are in favor of a protective tariff. 

 The West India Islands have a honey har- 

 vest of about eight months in a year, while 

 the season on this continent does not ex- 

 ceed four weeks, on an average. If the 

 duty were taken off the import of foreign 

 honey, Cuba alone would swamp our coun- 

 try, and deal a blow at the most vital 

 parts of apiculture. 



Bee-keeping, being a branch of agricul- 

 ture, which receives the fostering care of 

 our Government, should by no means be 

 neglected. Bee-keepers must spare no 

 efforts to guard against such calamity. 



FREIGHT RATES ON HONEY. 



Freight rates on extracted-honey in bar- 

 rels, which is of the same consistency, 

 weight, and of about the same value as 

 syrup or molasses, are exhorbitant and 

 unjust. The former is rated under first- 

 class freight, and the latter under fifth- 

 class. In other words, railroad companies 

 charge us about $1.50 for a barrel of 

 molasses from New Orleans to Cincinnati, 

 and about $5.50 for honey, which is detri- 

 mental to the trade, and should be remedied. 



The Inter-State Commerce Commission 

 has been petitioned by us, and numerous 

 letters have been addressed to freight 

 agents, but— great bodies move slow, we 

 must try again, and never rest until honey 

 and syrup are rated under the same class. 



PACKAGES FOR EXTRACTED HONEY. 



The most popular packages for retailing 

 extracted-honey are, perhaps, square glass 

 jars holding from 5 ounces to 2 pounds ; 

 and tin buckets holding 5, 10, 25 and 50 

 or 60 pounds.. 



The objections to granulation of honey 

 become less with every year, as the public 

 becomes more acquainted with its nature, 

 and convinced that its granulation works 

 rather an improvement to the flavor, and 

 is no deterioration, as it erroneously had 

 been looked upon. 



THE TRADE IN EXTRACTED HONEY. 



There is a larger trade done now, in ex- 

 tracted-honey, for family use, than we had 

 any reason to expect only ten years ago. 

 Honey is cheaper than butter, more whole- 



