1903 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



117 



much of the discoloration which comes 

 of soaking old combs in water is due 

 to the residue of pollen and refuse not 

 present when honey is stored, this sim- 

 ple test should not be taken conclusive- 

 ly. The action of w-aler upon old hon- 

 ey comb is such as to cause disintegra- 

 tion of its parts. It penetrates, loos- 

 ens and breaks down the structure of 

 the walls of the cells and eventually 

 rots them away from the base that is 

 composed of pure wax or the founda- 

 tion of commerce. But not so with 

 honey- It may be held stored in the 

 comb in solution for years without 

 weakening the strucure of the combs. 

 We see the same difference when hon- 

 ey is put into a barrel; instead of en- 

 tering the fibers of the wood as water 

 would do causing the staves to expand, 

 it draws out what little moisture that 

 remains, causing the wood to shrink 

 and the barrel to leak. 



Old combs may be handled so rapid- 

 ly without fear of their being broken 

 that this point alone is worth much 

 in the production of honey on a large 

 scale- When spaced a little wider apart 

 than it is natural for store combs to be, 

 the bees extend the cells till there re- 

 mains but the usual distance of about 

 one-fourth inch between the capped sur- 

 faces- This gives to the operator the 

 advantage contained in newly made 

 comb, as he wields the uncapping 

 knife; the keen blade shoots through 

 the tender strip just above the tough- 

 ened combs beneath, with ease and sat- 

 isfaction. 



It is my desire to point out to the 

 beginners in apiculture the best meth- 

 ods to pursue in the production of hon- 

 ey and also that of the highest quality. 

 Fully realizing the fact that we cannot 

 be too careful of the quality of the 

 goods we sell. I would not discard, 

 however, the use of old combs wholly 

 till it has been more fully established 

 that merely color alone is a source of 

 contamination to honey store<i.in them. 



Where climatic conditions are such 

 that warmth of comb is not a factor to 

 be considered, newly made combs in 

 frames substantially wired may be pref- 

 erable. They are lighter to handle 

 and much more catchy in appearance 

 to the eye of a fastidious purchaser of 

 honev. But in many places in early 

 spring the bees show such a decided 

 preference for the warm, black ones 

 that their places can hardly be filled 

 with those pretty w-hite. delicate combs. 



Wheelersburg, Ohio, April 9, 1903. 



A MELLIFLUENT SUBJECT. 



(Kate V. Austin.) 



WHAT an ideal rural life Aristaeus 

 must have led! Reared by the 

 nymphs, who fed him on nectar 

 and ambrosia, thus rendering him im- 

 mortal; taught by them the culture of 

 the olive, and the art of bee-keeping; 

 paid divine honors by the ancients for 

 having first invented the art of draw- 

 ing oil from the olive, and the intro- 

 duction of apiculture, what wonder that 

 the name of Aristaeus should suggest 

 sylvan shades and hum of bees. 



But "the fair humanities of old re- 

 ligion" have passed away, and with 

 them has gone the son of Apollo and 

 Cyrene, while as for the bees of Aris- 

 taeus, they are without doubt, to this 

 very day, gathering honey in the Ely- 

 sian fields. 



Among the various names ascribed 

 to Aristaeus, certainly the one of Mel- 

 issoeus falls the most mellifluently up- 

 on the ear. Every letter of that name 

 is honey-combed together in the most 

 delightful manner! Alas, for the de- 

 parture of the introducer of bee-cul- 

 ture! Now, mankind must seek its 

 Melissoeus in manuals and magazines, 

 albeit their authors and editors have 

 tasted no other nectar and ambrosia 

 than that delicious substitute furnished 

 by bees- 

 It would seem that in order to have 

 a sympathetic knowledge of the bee, 

 that one should have a certain kin- 

 ship Or affinity with this dainty visitant 

 of flowers. Notwitstanding the fact 

 that he is to be read with indulgence, 

 old Charles Butler must have belonged 

 to this happy class. Regarding But- 

 ler's intimate friendship with bees, one 

 remembers what Thomas Fuller so 

 quaintly records of him, that "either 

 he had told the bees things or the bees 

 had told him." 



Those who love the occupation of 

 -Aristaeus are many indeed- But even 

 the best bee masters tell us that there 

 are yet unexplained mysteries. Aris- 

 taeus no doubt, possessed the key to 

 all this occultness. but he did not leave 

 it behind him, dangling in the lock. 

 Perhaps it is right that many of these 

 mysteries should remain hidden, and in 

 the words of that strangely impres- 

 sive tale of "Vathek," it is reserved 

 for man in this instance "to be ignor- 

 ant and humble." 



Centerville, Ind., Jan. 16, 1903. 



