142 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



History, edited by Mr. Winfrid 

 Stearns, of Amherst, Mass. 



We are much pleased with it, 

 and Jiope tliat it may not only 

 prove all that its author desires, 

 but also be well supported. 



should be removed at once to the store 

 room, ill order that the moths may uot 

 deposit theh' egj^s iu it? 



4. Wiien you have a large number of 

 colonies boxed for surplus honey, howr 

 do you ascertain their condition re- 

 garding the swarming fever, so as to 

 avoid trouble and confusion? 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 



Since we have opened this depart- 

 ment, we have been cheered by the 

 kind words that have been spoken re- 

 garding it, and we hope to make it the 

 most interesting department in our 

 journal, and in order to do this, we 

 would urge upon our readers the ne- 

 cessity of their taking a part in the 

 work. Please feel at liberty either to 

 ask questions, or send us your answers 

 to any of the questions that may ap- 

 pear. "We cannot conduct the journal 

 as we would wish, unless you take an 

 intei'est iu it, and we hope that you 

 will join us, and make the question and 

 answer department so interesting and 

 instructive that you cannot aflbrd to 

 do without the journal; let us hear 

 from you. 



QUESTIONS BY THE EDITOR. 



1. As our State and National bee- 

 keepers' associations are, or should be, 

 tlie most important factors in protect- 

 ing the interests of beekeepers and ad- 

 vancing the cause of apiculture, it 

 becomes a subject of vital importance 

 to know how we shall conduct such 

 associations for the best good of ail 

 concerned. Now will you kindly give 

 our readers your opinion regarding 

 this matter? 



2. Do you find in your experience 

 that the bees .store honey more readily 

 in the early portion of the honey flow, 

 at the sides of tiie brood nest or on tlie 

 top of the same. How about tliis later 

 in the season, and do you find any dif- 

 ference in this regard, between stor- 

 ing honey in the sections or brood 

 combs ? 



3. Do you not find that section 

 honey wlien taken from tlie hives 



AXSWERS BY P. H. KLWOOD. 



1. Beekeepers' associations are be- 

 coming better yearly. When it shall 

 become a recognized fact that, taking 

 everything into consideration, bee- 

 keeping is among tlie least profitable 

 occupations instead of the most profit- 

 able, conventions will lose their "fish 

 story" character and become entirely 

 devoted to the interest of the honey 

 producer rather than to the interests of 

 the supply dealer. Associations could 

 arrange for gathering statistics of the 

 honey crop in time for use in selling 

 our honey. Such information would 

 have been worth many dollars to bee- 

 keepers last season iu marketing their 

 honey, especially the fall crop. They 

 could devote more attention to packing 

 and grading honey, etc. The question 

 of adulteration is important, but why 

 not throw a bright light toward those 

 beekeepers who adulterate by using 

 fish-bone foundation in sections? and, 

 instead of only singling out some firm 

 who pack comb honey in mixed honey 

 and glucose and label as the law re- 

 quires, why not hold up to light those 

 who pack in the same manner with 

 even more glucose and no statement of 

 the same on the label? It is a well 

 established fact that bees do not always 

 thin the base of foundation, and our 

 conventions should impress upon the 

 minds of every beekeeper the im- 

 portance of using such only xas is as 

 thin as the base of natural comb. 

 When consumers of comb honey who 

 have never heard of such a thing as 

 foundation, speak of the large amount 

 of wax in the honey and say the honey 

 has the flavor of soapsuds, it is time 

 that producer.s awake to the evil that 

 threatens to seriously curtail the de- 

 mand and consumption of comb honey. 

 In comparison L regard the packing of 

 comb honey and glucose in glass jars 

 when properly lai)elled, a sul)ject of 

 little importance. If the consumer 

 does not like the flavor of the liquid 

 surrounding the comb as well as the 

 comb honey, lie can buy only the 



