'JC. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



February 



had a j^reat deal of brood and bees, and 

 all having eight frames, in such condition 

 that I hope for successful wintering. 

 Next year I shall change my mode a little 

 by hatching and using virgin (jueens, 

 and inserting tlieni in each nuclei. 



I herewith show a ])hotograph I made 

 of my apiary on tlie summer stands, and 

 one in winter (juarters, showing all but 

 two of my hives under one shelter. 



Cojlingdale, Pa.. Dec. 5, 1899. 



The Philadelphia Honey Market. 



liV M. 1-. RKEVK. 



llHCKNTLY an un.successful effort 

 was made to obtain statistics from 

 the whole.sale grocers along Water 

 and Front streets, where the principal 

 jobbers are located, and from several of 

 the largest retail store-keepers along 

 Market street on which to base an esti- 

 mate as to the total amount of the honey 

 crop which is handled annually in Phil- 

 adelphia. 



Three of the largest wholesale firms, 

 who in former years were noted for their 

 large transactions in comb and extracte 1 

 honey .stated, however, that thev were 

 doing nothing in that line any longer. 

 Wlien asked the reason for this, a member 

 and buyer for one firm replied that the 

 large retail stores now l)Ought direct from 

 the ])rf)ducer, and handled in that wav 

 the greater portion of the honey coming 

 to Philadelj)liia. The same storv was 

 told by wholesale dealers in bakers" su]i- 

 plies. 



Prices of comb honey varv greath . 

 In three different stores located within a 

 sliort distance of each other along Market 

 .street, comb honey was displayed in the 

 vhow windows, marked 16, iS and 25c. 

 "We coidil sell all the comb honev we 

 could handle if we could put out Wliite 

 Clover al l wo-for-a-<|narter, ' " said a 

 salesman at the first .store. "During the 

 sca.son we run olT about S,ooo iK>unds of 

 comb and extracted, and at the end of 

 last winter we were all cleaned up. We 

 sold considerable buckwheat at 10 cents a 



comb: but our trade prefers white clover. 

 Our stock comes from New York state,. 

 New Jerse\' and Pennsylvania." 



At another store a salesman said, ' We 

 handle New York state wiiite clover 

 in full setftions at 25c.. and last year we 

 disposed of 100 cases of 22 combs each. 



"We have a steady trade which demand.> 

 the best, and we pay a good ])rice for it. 

 This consignment comes from Union 

 Springs, N. Y." 



In a third store, a lal)el in the windowr 



announced: 



"It's dark in Color 



Hut Sweet as Koney Can Re 

 16 cts." 

 Last year a considerable quantity of 

 California extracted honey was disposed 

 of in the Philadelphia market; but nont- 

 is visible thi.^ winter in the large retail 

 stores, and its place appears to be taken 

 I)}- Pennsylvania and New Jersey ])roduc- 

 tions, although nobody keeping an apiary 

 a])pears to be throwing up his hat and 

 cluering about an overplus. 

 Rutledge, Pa., Jan. 14. iqtx). 



♦ • ♦ 



Color. 



The Part it Plays in the Rearing of Queens. 



1)V W. H. TKIIXiKN. 



^LTH(3UGH much is being .said 

 against t)reeding for color it i* 

 ^'^■■i evident that lho.se who condemn it 

 are guilty of the same to the extent of 

 keeping up their chosen .standard. As 

 long as bees are kept, color will be one of 

 the main points in making a selection for 

 breeding purpcses. Of course, the 

 mother of the occasional "rousing colonv 

 of liustlers' is highly prized for the work 

 done by her individual force, even if 

 cro.ss-niating causes the additional energv, 

 which is often the case, although tlu- 

 type may be so well fixed that it cannot 

 be detected in the worker progeny, but 

 her useful ne.ss ends with her days, as thc 

 bad qualities more than counter-balance 

 the good ones, usually. 



WHAT CON.STITUTKS A <;001) OUKliN. 

 She must be tht)roughbred, jjrolific. 



