AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



549 



When the queens are clipped, the 

 grounds surrounding the hives should be 

 kept very clean and smooth, so she can 

 readily be seen. If it is in grass, she 

 might be stepped on. 



No queen's wings should be clipped 

 until fertile, for if they are, they cannot 

 go out to meet the drones ; all the eggs 

 they lay will produce only drones, and 

 the colony in time will die out, and the 

 moths get the credit of destroying it. 

 The queens can be clipped in the Spring 

 when there are but few bees, so they 

 can readily be seen. Some clip them 

 when they are upon the comb, with a 

 tiny sharp pair of scissors ; others hold 

 them by the shoulders, between the 

 thumb and forefinger of the left hand. — 

 Oranqe Judd Famner. 



The (Jradini of Comli-Honey. 



GEO. K. WELLEB. 



The grading or classification of comb- 

 honey, to be a success, must suit all 

 localities, and work injustice to none. It 

 must please dealers as well as producers, 

 enable the latter to receive the best price 

 possible, for whatever kind they have to 

 sell, and the former to dispose of the 

 different sorts with the least trouble, and 

 yet give the best satisfaction to con- 

 sumers. 



The classification should give no in- 

 formation to the uninitiated. Many who 

 would otherwise buy satisfactorily will 

 not do so, if there is any mark to indi- 

 cate that it was not the best. Let every 

 crate be sold on its merits as honey, 

 aided only by the attractiveness with 

 which it is put up and displayed. The 

 classification is solely to expedite busi- 

 ness between producer and seller. 



Three classes, of three grades each, 

 seem to cover the ground, designated 

 thus : 



1. Class W, or white honey. 2. Class 

 A, or straw-colored honey. 3. Class D, 

 or dark honey. 



Each class then should be divided into 

 three grades, designated as follows : 



Grade P, or perfect honey. Grade S, 

 or satisfactory honey. Grade I, or im- 

 perfect honey. 



There will not be a great deal of grade 

 P — most of it will belong to grade S ; the 

 remainder to grade I. 



Any one "posted" will know at a 

 glance what is in a crate. Class D, grade 

 S, very good, dark honey. Class A, 

 grade P, the best straw-colored honey. 

 Class W, grade I, low grade of white 



honey; and so on. A glance indicates 

 the most important characteristic of 

 honey— color — and tells also its condi- 

 tion. There are no adjectives, signifi- 

 cant figures, XX's, etc., to embarrass 

 the consumer. 



To suit individual producers, or locali- 

 ties, the source can be stenciled on, as 

 Buckwheat, White Clove'r, Golden-Rod, 

 Basswood, etc., or adjectives used, as 

 fancy, superfine, extra select, XXX, etc., 

 in all cases being the individual or pri- 

 vate mark of the producer or dealer, 

 like his name, and bringing like it, what 

 they are worth — no more. 



The specifications of each grade should 

 be plain, concise and simple. Grade P 

 should contain nothing but sections 

 about perfect. Certain consumers would 

 willingly pay extra for it, for use on 

 special occasions. 



Grade S should contain' all sections 

 not faulty in some essential respect ; 

 while grade I would go to those to whom 

 appearance was secondary to price. 



All classification and grading done by 

 marks indicative of quality will fail, be- 

 cause the temptation to use a higher 

 mark to indicate a lower grade in order 

 to obtain a better price, is irresistible. 

 This is true of everything offered for 

 sale. 



This classification is for business ; 

 clastic enough to fit anybody, and broad 

 enough for everybody to stand on. On 

 top of it every man can "blow his own 

 horn " on his crate, or otherwise, as he 

 thinks will pay best. 



When honey is specified as being of a 

 certain class and grade, its appearance 

 and condition are known; its quality must 

 be made known by sample, or the pro- 

 ducer's reputation 



Practical use will soon indicate if 

 additional grades or sub-grades are 

 needed. These are plenty to begin 

 with. 



Berlin, Mo. 



BlacS Bees 7S. tlie Italians. 



p. D. JONES. 



I bought my first colony of bees in the 

 Spring of 1848, paying $8 for them, 

 and have had bees every year since then. 

 I have had a great many hours of pleas- 

 ure in looking after them, and taking 

 off the tons of honey that I have sent to 

 market. I have made bee-keeping a 

 study all my life, and I am learning yet. 



I have 200 chaff-packed hives, and a 

 few others that I use in case of neces- 



