THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



251 



have thus continued the drawing and 

 making increase until the middle of 

 August and had the late swarms 

 store a surplus for winter. 



My method of extracting is not 

 materially different from the practice 

 of many others. I advocate extract- 

 ing as fast as the bees gather the 

 honey ; if it is partly capped it is 

 ripened enough. Locality may make 

 a difference in this respect. If the 

 honey is extracted as fast as gathered 

 there is but little trouble from robber 

 bees, and each quality of honey is 

 kept distinctly separate. 



My appliances are a Stanley Auto- 

 matic four-frame extractor. The 

 honey is brought to this on a cart 

 that will carry thirty surplus combs 

 or 150 pounds. My helper will un- 

 cap and extract as fast as I can sup- 

 ply the combs. From my honey 

 extractor there is a drop of three 

 feet, and the honey is run directly 

 into half-barrels ; for an improve- 

 ment I shall put in a tank holding 

 several hundred pounds ; this will 

 save much straining and give all im- 

 purities a chance to rise to the sur- 

 face. 



During the past season I have 

 simplitied the work in the apiary so 

 that much time is gained and I have 

 run three apiaries with but little aid. 

 I think the time is near at hand when 

 one man can run several large apia- 

 ries with but little help. 



Hartjord, N. V., Sept. 12, 1887. 



For the American Apiculturist, 



THE MARKETING PR OB- 

 LEAL 



W. M. Woodward. 



A PLAIN WAY OUT OF THE DIFFICULTY. 



The strain upon the honey market 

 is effectually relieved for the pres- 

 ent year. Perhaps the coming year 



may not see it so tight as it was the 

 last year ; but who can doubt that 

 the tide will turn toward low prices 

 just as soon as ever one good crop is 

 realized ? But why bring up the sub- 

 ject of marketing honey now when 

 we have no honey to sell ? I answer, 

 now is the time to save our honey 

 market. Higher prices will be es- 

 tablished and it is far easier to main- 

 tain prices than to make them. We 

 have found it impossible to make 

 prices. Fair prices will rule this year. 

 Can we maintain them for time to 

 come ? To this question let me call 

 the attention of the beekeepers. 



HONEY producers' UNION. 



It has been proposed to organize a 

 "Honey Producers' Union" and es- 

 tablish prices. It never can be done. 

 Beekeepers are scattered everywhere 

 over the whole land. Almost every 

 state now produces a surplus above 

 its consumption. Many beekeepers 

 have families depending upon the 

 proceeds of the apiary for their 

 bread, and such must sell. If they 

 cannot get what they want they must 

 take what they can get. But it has 

 been said the "Union" must prepare 

 to advance money to such on their 

 crops. This it will be found will be 

 dangerous business both to the lend- 

 er and to the borrower. Let me 

 recommend a thoughtful re-reading 

 of Mr. Norton's article in September 

 number, page 227 ot the Api, and to 

 the point that such an argument in 

 the end must fail. Do not under- 

 stand me that such an organization 

 would be altogether useless ; but that 

 the idea of bulling or bearing the 

 market in so general a commodity, 

 so widely distnbuted, must of neces- 

 sity be a total failure. If a union 

 can be made of any use to us it will 

 rather be in the way of finding an 

 outlet for our honey in places not 

 fully supplied by the local crop, or 

 perhaps in reaching foreign markets . 

 If beekeepers can be generally in- 

 duced to work up the home market 



