198 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



November 



and, even if close, it is a very unsatis- 

 factory and expensive plan and cannot 

 prove practical with one producer in 

 lOO — for general results it is a mere 

 makeshift. 



I do not denv that there is a demand 

 for fancy goods put up in fancy style, 

 such has a place; but, that such is prac- 

 tical for the average producer, and for 

 the wholesale producer in the average 

 locality I do most emphatically deny. 

 Give me 100,000 pounds of No. i ex- 

 tracted honey to pack in lard pails be- 

 fore it has had time to candy the first 

 time, and I will guarantee to sell it 

 within a year and get better prices than 

 can be had for the same honey in five- 

 gallon cans, and better prices than 

 can be had for the same in glass out- 

 side of the limited fancy city trade. 

 When I say -better prices remember 

 that I do not mean that the gross price 

 will be more, but I do mean that the 

 producer will net more out of his crop, 

 also mean that the goods will reach 

 a field that is neglected, and where it 

 "^ will do the most good to suffering hu- 



manity- 



But some honeys will not candy free- 

 ly and quickly, which is the misfortune 

 of those who have such, it will not be 

 long until many will be hunting meth- 

 ods by which to cause rapid and com- 

 plete candying, which probably will not 

 be a serious problem. We want the 

 honey to candy quickly and solid, be 

 packed right into the retail package 

 from the settling-tank, and the package 

 to be the very cheapest that will suc- 

 cessfully carry the goods to the con- 

 sumer at a minimum of cost. At the 

 present time lard pails and paper bags 

 are the most feasible thing available 

 until something better is invented. This 

 may seem strange to many, but the 

 proof is in the eating of the pudding, 

 and I have partaken thereof. To get 

 into the fore front of the battle is to be 

 a target for the bullets of the enemy, 

 but it is good for the cause. Every 

 good thing has to run the gauntlet of 

 criticism and meet with opposition, and 

 the lard pail, paper bag candied honey 

 scheme is and will be no exception to 

 the good old rule- 

 In short, extract your honey into the 

 big — yes BIG honey settling-tank, from 

 the tank draw it into nothing more ex- 

 pensive than tin, that which will candy 

 into pails and that which will not can- 



dy into sealinp- packages, and then put 

 it into the hands of the retailer, and it 

 is bound to sell. Every package must 

 have printed instructions for liquefy- 

 ing, and the producers or packers guar- 

 antee. Put out nothing of which you 

 are ashamed or unwilling to back up. 



Now brethren, pile on a few more 

 sticks to the burning, let us have a big 

 fire and warm up to the subject, hew to 

 the line and make the chips fly. 



Loveland, Colo. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



An Interesting Batch of Items Gleaned from 

 the Foreign Press. 



(Adrian Getaz). 



LAYING WORKERS. 



QUITE a discussion concerning 

 "laying workers" has been run- 

 ning in some of the Belgian pa- 

 pers. Some of the best writers deny 

 the existence of them and claim that 

 the presence of drone brood is due to 

 small queens raised by the bees from 

 larvae too old to give a fully developed 

 queen- The articles are too long to be 

 quoted, but it seems clear that in some 

 cases, at least, the brood is due to such 

 queens rather than laying workers. 



In one case a colony of laying work* 

 ers was united with one having a good 

 queen. The most remarkable feature 

 is that the worker-laying continued 

 during several days after the uniting. 



WORKING THE RIETSCUE PRESS. 



A novice in apiculture, somewhat self- 

 conceited, thought he would make his 

 own foundations. He went to a neigh- 

 bor and borrowed a press- The neigh- 

 bor offered to give some information 

 as to its use. but Mr. Novice declined, 

 he didn't think he needed any— not he. 



Well, home he went. He knew how 

 wafifles are made and thought that 

 would be the way to make foundation. 

 A piece of hot bacon was procured, the 

 press well greased, the melted wax 

 poured in. and the press closed. 



Next thing the press would not open. 

 A chisel or something like a crowbar 

 was used to force it open- An hour or 

 two later a brother bee-keeper found 



