fiO 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



March 



judgment displayed in general, that 

 he is not a practical bee-keeper is 

 self-evident. The "well-developed 

 jaws " of the bee are not so well 

 adapted to puncturing fruit as 

 might be imagined. A sand-blast 

 will cut the hardest steel though it 

 has no effect upon the finest fabric. 

 The mandibles of the bee will readily 

 cut fibrous substances, such as cloth, 

 wood etc., but appear to be incap- 

 able of effecting such a smooth and 

 yielding surface as the skin of the 

 grape. 



We have suspended clusters of 

 ripe, thin-skinned grapes in the 

 brood-nest of a populous colony at 

 a season when there was absolutely 

 nothing in the way of sweets to be 

 secured in the field. These grapes 

 were left for more than a week in 

 this position. In their efforts to 

 remove the objectionable quantity 

 the bees had gnawed away some of 

 the stems, allowing the fruit to fall 

 to the bottom board. Some were 

 propolized to the combs and patches 

 of wax and propolis had been ap- 

 plied to the surface of the fruit. 

 The experiment was conducted in 

 a two-story hive built entirely of 

 glass and containing sixteen Quinby 

 frames. The bees were constantly 

 working to remove the off ending- 

 mass; Out not a single grape was 

 cut. This is but one of hundreds 

 of equally severe tests to which bees 

 have been put. In the face of such 

 facts, does Mr. John B. Smith or 

 any other man, who will recom- 

 mend planting clover to keep bees 

 from puncturing grapes, expect 

 bee-keepers who, by thorough and 

 I'epeated tests have decided the 

 case foi" themselves, to expel from 

 their minds the firm impression 

 made by these personal experi- 

 ments, and accept Prof. Jablonow- 

 sky's"no doubt that the bees were 

 guilty as charged?" 



It is the opinion of The Ameri- 



can Bee-keeper that there is no 

 better living authority on bees than 

 Prof. A. J. Cook, who, in his "Man- 

 ual of the Apiary" says: " I have 

 laid crushed grapes in the apiary, 

 when the bees were not gathering, 

 and were ravenous for stores, which, 

 when covered with sipping bees, 

 were replaced with sound grape- 

 clusters, which in no instance were 

 mutilated. I have even shut bees 

 in empty hives on warm days and 

 closed the entrances with grape- 

 clusters, which even then were not 

 cut." Would this, in part at least, 

 offset the Hungarian Professor's 

 "no doubt"? 



Honey and Beeswax Market. 



Below we give the latest and most authentic re- 

 port of the Honey and Beeswax market in different 

 trade centers: 



WASHINGTON GRADING RULES. 



Fancy. — All sections to be well filled, combs 

 straight, of even thickness and firmly attached to 

 all four sides; both wood and comb unsoiled by 

 travel-stain or otherwise; all the cells sealed ex- 

 cept the row of cells next the wood. 



No. 1. — All sections well filled, but combs uneven 

 or crooked, detached at the bottom, or with but few 

 cells unsealed; both wood and comb unsoiled by 

 travel-stain or otherwise. 



In addition to this the honey is to be classified 

 according to color, using the terms white, amber 

 and dark. That is, there will be "Fancy white," 

 "No. I, dark," etc. 



BrFFALO, N. Y. Feb. 18.— Tlie demand for the 

 best grades of honey is much improved but dark is 

 still slow. Receipts lighter. Fancy comb. I5(altic. 

 Extracted lOSc Fancy pure beeswax 27@28c.,with 

 light supply. Trade is much better on good honey 

 and some more can be used. BAi'TEK.soN' & Co. 



Boston. Feb. 18. — No change in our market. We 

 quote as before: Fancy No 1 wliite honey in car- 

 tons at 17c.; A No. 1. Itic; No. 1. loCUic. with 

 fairly good demand. Absolutely no call for dark 

 honey this year. Extracted, white, 8@8i^c. ; light 

 amber, Ti^f'Sc. Beeswax '2Tc. 



Bi,AKE, Scott & Lee. 



Chicago, Feb. 10. — Fancy white comb, ItJc: No. 

 I white 14feli)C.; fancy amber, 12<<' 13c. ; No. 1 am- 

 ber. lOCffllc; fancy dark 10c ; No. 1 dark, 8@9c.; 

 white, extracted, T!4(o;8c.; amber, H^@7)4c.; dark, 

 fi@«'4c. Beeswax, 28e. 



R. A. Burnett & Co. 



New York, Feb. is.— The market for both ex. 

 traded and comb honey is rather dull at present- 

 We quote: Fancy white comb, l.'ic. per pound; 

 No. 1 comb, 14e. ; No. 2 comb, 12c.; buckwheat, 

 comb, 10c. : buckwheat, extracted, 5Jae. Bees- 

 wax. 28c, per pound. 



Francis H. Leggett & Co. 



