.126 



THE AMERICAN APICULTUIUST. 



THE MANAGERS GOBNER. 



Must the Extractor go? Some 

 one lias suiiiresled, and we think it was 

 Mr. lleddon, that the use of tb.e ex- 

 tructor should be discontinued. This 

 seems to us to be one of the wisest and 

 most imporiaut suggestions yet ad- 

 vanced by any one. Looking back 

 some eiglit or ten years we think the 

 price oflioney l)egau to decline as the 

 extractor came into general use. 



Messrs. Heddon, "iJoolittle, Miller 

 and several others have given in the 

 "API," cases which occurred some 

 eight or ten years ago, when dealers 

 would call at the apiary and pay almost 

 any price for honey and in some in- 

 stances were ready to bargain for it 

 before the crop was secured, and ofl'er 

 a very high price for it. 



Now that most every beekeeper uses 

 an extractor the price of honey is less 

 than one-half what it was ten years 

 ago. Is this not largely, yea, wholly 

 owing to the general use of the ex- 

 tractor? 



If this state of things continues not 

 only the extractor must go but the 

 large honey producer also, as he will 

 be compelled to abandon a business at 

 which it is impossible to make both 

 ends meet. We say the large dealer 

 must go, as the large dealer cannot 

 drive the small beekeeper from the 

 business, from the fact that the latter 

 docs not give his whole time to the 

 business. Small dealers are farmers, 

 mechanics, professional men and wom- 

 en, therefore they are not wholly de- 

 pendent upon a crop of honey for an 

 existence. In our opinion the people 

 last mentioned are the only ones who 

 can make beekeeping profitable and 

 successful. 



We believe better prices would be 

 realized in less than one year, could 

 the general use of the extractor be dis- 

 continued. Is not this the most prac- 

 tical and only remedy ? 



Another point presents itself here. 

 Cannot honey in the comb be produced 

 at half the cost of time and labor that 

 it can be by the use of the extractor? 

 Is not the experiment worth trying? 



We really believe that if the price of 

 honey was not less than twenty-five 

 cents per pound, that much more would 

 be used by families generally. People 

 do not desire and will not purchase 

 cheap luxnries. When they pay a good 

 round price for an article it seems to 

 jilease them, aiul they really l)elieve 



that it is much better than if the price 

 had ])oen less than half they were 

 charged for it. It is so the world 

 over. 



We have dealt in fruit some, and when 

 fruit seemed to be scarce and high, 

 everybody wanted it, but when it was 

 cheap and so plentiful as it has been the 

 hist two years, nobody wanted it. and 

 1 could not even give away some fine 

 pears I had. 



Perforated Zinc— Dr. G. W. 



Tinker of New Philadelphia, Ohio, has 

 sent to this ofllce a sample of perfo- 

 rated metal made by a machine which 

 he constructed himself. 



The sample is very nice, and we 

 siiould say the metal is as good as that 

 niaiuifactured by any one. In one re- 

 spect it is better for the drone-traps 

 than that we have been using; in that 

 the perforations or slots, for the bees 

 !') j)ass through, are an eighth of an 

 incli longer than in any metal we have 

 used. 



Doctor Tinker says he can make 

 it only seven slots wide at one time, and 

 his machine is only designed to make 

 perforated metal for use in honey- 

 boards 



Questions and Answers.— The 

 only importance and value any Question 

 and Answer department has is the 

 fact that the questions are answered 

 by well-known and practical men. 

 One of our exchanges has an idea 

 that theyjiave stolen a march on all 

 other bee papers by giving out ques- 

 tions a month ahead and permitting 

 any one who chooses to send in an- 

 swers. 



If they pursue such a course, there 

 will be more confusion and disagree- 

 ment in the answers tliau there now is. 

 We guess our young brothers will soon 

 learn by expeiience what is ^really 

 needed. 



Surplus Swarms.— The best way 

 to manage when one has all the colo- 

 nies needed is to double up, put two 

 and even more new swarms in one hive, 

 and place the sections on the hive at 

 once. 



Last season we had two very large 

 swarms issue at the same time; hotii 

 were placed in oiie hive. These two 

 swarms not only filled tlie brood-nest, 

 but ninety-six one-pound sections, and 

 !is some of the cases used had no sep- 

 arators between the sections, more 



