VM)2 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEFER 



213 



All the habits peculiar to a strain of 

 bees cannot be determined in one sea- 

 son, and it is unfair to the breeder and 

 also to one's self to condemn a strain on 

 the showing of a queen tested but one 

 season. There are many things which 

 combine to make a colony profitable or 

 a failure, and so subtle are many of the 

 factors of such combination, that it is 

 at present practically impossible to de- 

 termine the proportion each bears to 

 the whole. The work of a colony com- 

 posed of two strains of bees, as in the 

 above supposed case, cannot be fore- 

 casted. The elder strain may be ex- 

 ceptional field workers and the young- 

 er strain exceptional housekeepers, and 

 if the proportions are right at the 

 time of the honey flow, the results will 

 be very gratifying: but should the 

 traits of the strains be the reverse, the 

 colony would probably be classed as a 

 failure, and either way the queen 

 would be held accountable under the 

 prevailing custom of judging. 



Again, the elder strain may be excep- 

 tionally good nurses and so give to the 

 ofTspring of the new queen a start and 

 vigor they would not possess if cared 

 for by their own sisters. Such a factor 

 should be considered when weighing 

 the value of a new strain. 



Nurse influence, within certain lim- 

 its, is indisputably a factor to be con- 

 sidered. Of course in a general way 

 good bees are good all around, and 

 poor bees are poor, but the goodness 

 or poorness may lie in functions 

 which we quite overlook. 



After all, Mr. Mclntyre's way of 

 testing strains is, thus far, ahead of any 

 other: It is to put into ten or more 

 colonies queens of a given strain and 

 compare the work of the whole group 

 with that of the rest of the apiary. 

 Such a comparison of averages is worth 

 something. 



Providence. R. I.. Xov. 7, 1902. 



HONEY. 



Tlie Importance of Maiutaining a Hi^h Grade. 

 Suggestions OD the Market Problem. 



(F. Greiner.) 



IF we will take the pains and canvass 

 our great big country, we will find 

 that about every railroad station 

 has its produce buyers. Nearly all 

 things the farmer produces, grows or 



gathers is bought up for cash by them— 

 except honey. 



President W. F. Marks has labored 

 hard for years to convince the bee-keep- 

 ers that honey should not be shipped to 

 commisson men. but sold outright in- 

 stead. He thinks this would give a 

 steadier tone to the honey market. 

 Probably it would, but I am afraid this 

 thing cannot be brought about in the 

 twinkling of an eye. It will take time 

 for the honey buyer to develop. He is- 

 surely coming. Evolution will bring 

 him forth. In the meantime we will 

 have to do the best we can according 

 to the conditions that surround us and 

 exchange our product for the desired 

 cash, following our best judgment. 



The average honey producer can usu- 

 ally produce better than sell. If this 

 was not so, we would not find so much 

 honey in the hands of commission men. 

 It is my opinion, the commission man 

 is all right; he has served a good pur- 

 pose and is still continuing to do good. 

 On general principles I believe in spec- 

 ializing: the producer to produce only, 

 the salesman to sell only; but in case 

 of the honey-producer, it seems, an ex- 

 ception may be made. The bee-keeping 

 specialist's time is not fully occupied. 

 There is a time when the work with his 

 bees is not pressing; this time he may 

 well devote to the sale of his crop. 



I am aware that many bee-keepers 

 have some other business beside caring 

 for bees, and many of these will un- 

 doubtedly continue shipping their hon- 

 ey to commission men. But if we all 

 follow this practice, the city market 

 will be over-supplied, as it has in the 

 past, and the consequence is: prices 

 will drop. In fact, we know they have 

 dropped. TJie store-keepers in the 

 small towns know this. They are jiKt 

 as well posted on the prices of prod- 

 ucts as other people and so we have 

 low prices everywhere. 



The remedy seems very simple: Keep 

 the honey out of the city market as 

 much as possible. Then the price can- 

 not help getting back where it once 

 was. This, however, means making 

 more sales in the home market. I 

 know from my own experience that 

 every bee-keeper by a little effort on 

 his part could greatly increase the con- 

 sumption of honey in his own vicinity, 

 if he will go and see the people in their 

 own homes, talk honey and bees, show 

 photos of his apiary, his honey extract- 



