THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



199 



as I do mine that is capped over be- 

 fore extracting, which will keep in 

 an}' climate at any season. Yes, 

 over $400 worth of snch unsealed 

 was lost last summer by shippers 

 here in travelling towards Cincin- 

 nati, Ohio ; it simply gained " free- 

 dom" as it advanced north until 

 the barrels ceased to hold it, owing 

 to jolting and chemical changes 

 with a warm temperature to hasten 

 matters. 



3. This abuse, if once known in 

 connection with the former, by a 

 consuming public or an honest 

 dealer, is enough to ruin the sale of 

 honey from any apiary where it is 

 practised, and I am sorry to say I 

 have met with several such in my 

 time and during my latest years. I 

 allude to the presence of uncapped 

 larvfB in all stages of growth with 

 their milky food attached to them 

 floating on the surface of honey in 

 the extractor and occupj'ing the 

 straining bag often to repletion. 

 Crawling over that dead, bloated, 

 squirming mass were the just 

 hatched young bees completing a 

 picture (not overdrawn at all), 

 enough to disgust any bnt the cop- 

 per lined ones. 



Now, brethren, this being true 

 and no fancy picture, as perhaps 

 many of you can verify, is there 

 not great need of reform in cleanli- 

 ness? For where such doings are 

 permitted and practised the imagi- 

 nation can picture the balance of 

 utensils, etc. I ask what is the 

 product of such apiaries ? Strained 

 honey (?). At what is it quoted? 

 Can tlie evil be cured? Is it any 

 wonder that, such being the case, 



that the best of extracted honey is 

 not wanted at all in some market 

 reports and is slow of sale in others ? 

 A few instances only of the above 

 are needed to fall under the eagle 

 gaze of some bright reporter to en- 

 able him to write such a sensational 

 article that would go the rounds of 

 the public press as would ruin for 

 a generation the sale of the best 

 honey on earth through its associa- 

 tions. The moral is a plain and a 

 double one : for one, let rigid clean- 

 liness be enforced and all brood 

 frames let severely alone ; then vis- 

 itors as they are dropping in una- 

 wares cannot leave, sa3'ing, we've 

 seen the " skeleton " in that apiary 

 and won't go there again. 

 " Live Oak Ajnary, " 



New Smyrna, Fla. 



A GUIDE TO 



THE BEST METHODS OF 



BEEKEEPING. 



By J. L. Christ. 



( Continued from p. 178, Vol. II.) 



THE DIFFERENT OCCUPATIONS OF THE 

 VrORKER BEES. 



The worker bees have their mu- 

 tual and varied occupations, with 

 which indeed they are all familiar^ 

 and their methods of work are so 

 arranged that their employments are 

 varied and interchangeable. Some 

 are interested in business about 

 the hive ; some are engaged in 

 cell-building ; others form chain- 

 like clusters, hanging by each oth- 

 er's feet, often remaining thus for 



