844 



Oct. 4, 1906 



American Ttee Journal 



he advised us to that effect, he wrote us saying that since we 

 surmised that he had very little faith in mankind, he in turn 

 took it for granted that ive must have a great deal of faith, 

 and he therefore makes bold to ask us to remit for the ship- 

 ment, upon receipt of the B. L. Naturally, we are adverse to 

 doing business that way, and his statement necessitated an- 

 other delay. 



Again we wrote him that we are honest and trustworthy, 

 and referred him to a number of prominent persons. I don't 

 know if he inquired about us, but we finally received a letter 

 from him in which he simply stated that he shipped us 17 

 carriers of comb honey, gave us the weights, and requested 

 us to remit him when the goods arrived. His honey ar- 

 rived in due time and in good condition, for well did he un- 

 derstand the art of packing, and the honey was very fine. 

 We could not have criticised, nor even offered a single sug- 

 gestion. The same day his honey arrived, we sent him a 

 check that amounted to more than he expected, for the 

 honey weighed more than he had stipulated. I know he held 

 his breath when he received his money, for in one of his first 

 letters he blankly stated that he expected to be fleeced. If 

 that gentleman is in the audience, I want him to rise and tell 

 you what he named me after he learned our method of 

 square dealing. 



This concludes my speech, if I may so term it, and I 

 trust you have benefited thereby, in learning how the pro- 

 ducer and dealer may advance their mutual interests. I thank 

 you. Fred. W. Muth. 



Mr. Eidmann — I wish to say this in regard to Mr. Muth's 

 paper, that I was present at the time that comb honey ship- 

 ment came from Illinois, and it was just as he stated I 

 may say Mr. Muth took as good care of the honey as the 

 shipper could have done ; he had the shipper's interests at 

 heart. He was not there, but his men were. 



MOVED BEES DO BETTER THAN UNMOVED. 



"Why do bees removed a considerable distance in spring 

 invariably do 'better than bees in the same locality not hav- 

 ing been so moved?" 



Mr. Baxter — I have observed that for 20 years, and those 

 move to out-apiaries have done better than those that had 

 been there all winter. I have been trying to find out how it 

 was, but I can't. 



Mr. McEvoy — What time did you move them? 

 Mr. Baxter — April and May. 

 Mr. McEvoy — Before fruit-bloom or after? 

 Mr. Baxter — Before and during fruit-bloom. I moved 

 them from 3 to 5 miles. I have noticed that every year, 

 invariably. 



Mr. Stone — I would like to ask Mr. Baxter if he was not 

 a little choice in selecting the bees he moved. May be he 

 took just the ones he knew were very strong and moved them, 

 and then compared them with some that were weak and 

 strong together. 



Mr. Baxter — No, sir, I have not. I have taken them on 

 the average, some weak and some strong, but both did better 

 than bees that were not moved. 



Pres. Dadant — I have remarked the same thing. I as- 

 cribe that to the fact that the bees having been moved are 

 disturbed and more likely to breed, and produce more heat. 

 I do not know whether that is the answer. 



Mr. Niver — We found out in New York State that our 

 home-apiary in the village wintered better, and seemed to 

 get pollen in the spring much quicker, than they did in the 

 out-apiaries. We noticed the same effect when we moved 

 them from the home-apiaries- to the out-apiaries ; they were 

 the strongest and did the best. It was a better place to 

 winter. 



Mr. Aspinwall — As the discussion went on it occurred 

 to me that the cause was the same as the President sug- 

 gested, that they fed themselves with honey which was 

 largely used to secrete the larval food, or food to supply the 

 queen, and egg-laying ensued. 



Mr. McEvoy — I was going to remark the same as this 

 gentleman — the jarring and jolting caused them to uncap 

 and prepare a little more ; at the same time they are led to 

 stimulate more. 



Mr. Wheeler — I have noticed the same thing, but I attrib- 

 uted it to the fact that where we wintered our bees we didn't 

 pay any attention particularly to the flow of honey. It was 

 the most convenient place. When we start an out-apiary we 



are always thinking about the location, and we are more apt 

 to take them to a place where there are more honey 

 flowers. 



Pres. Dadant — In the case of Mr. Baxter, the bees 

 were moved to places where there were other bees, and 

 they did better than the bees that were on the spot. 



Mr. Baxter — In some instances .1 practice the feeding 

 in the spring to stimulate and move the combs as occasion 

 may require, to get as much brood as possible. I have done 

 that in these apiaries from which I have taken these bees, 

 and if it was .the result of stimulative feeding, why didn't 

 those bees profit from that stimulative feeding, as well as 

 these that gorged themselves with honey on the trip? 



NUMBER OF COLONIES REPRESENTED. 



"How many colonies of bees are represented in this 

 convention?" 



Mr. France — In regard to the National Association, I 

 have a good many objects in view in the Annual Report to 

 make it of value to its members. One is the crop report, 

 and it is not half completed because the members did not give 

 me their reports. It is not satisfactory. I would lik,. to 

 make these volumes something that you would retain in fu- 

 ture years, and care for them sufficiently to bind them. 



Mr. Hershiser — Couldn't it be bound better when it 

 reaches the bee-keepers? 



Mr. France — Yes, it could. That crop report is of a 

 value that many of you do not know. In Michigan they 

 get up a leaflet bulletin, and that has pretty nearly marketed 

 the honey for Michigan. You get it largely, though, in the 

 rough, and in the full report later on. 



Pres. Dadant — I hope the members will bear that in mind, 

 and when they receive the blank from our Manager that they 

 will pay more attention to it. I trust most of you are not 

 among the guilty ones. 



SHIPPING COMB HONEY. 



"What is the best method of shipping comb honey in less 

 than car lots?" 



Mr. Muth — If they are 24-section cases the best method 

 is carriers containing 8 cases each, with' straw underneath and 

 handles on the outside, and marked with great big letters, 

 "Handle with care. Comb honey. This side up." You can 

 ship it in that way from one end of this country to the other, 

 if it is done right. Mr. Taylor understands it better than I. 



Mr. Taylor — Everybody knows my method. The ship- 

 ment I made, to which reference is made, I shipped in car- 

 riers that would hold nine 24-pound cases; it would hold 3 

 in the bottom and 2 upon each one of the 3 — 9 cases. In the 

 bottom I put 3 or 4 inches of straw. I think peastraw is 

 first-rate, if one has it ; it is sort of springy and does not pack 

 together so much as some other kinds. Have the carrier 

 so made that it will retain the straw, and then put in the 

 cases upon the straw. I generally have one case at each 

 end that shows the glass a little. I don't know whether 

 that is an advantage or not. I sometimes think it is not. 

 I sometimes think a person handling it, if he sees the glass, 

 may be a little more careful. 



Mr. Muth — Right here is a point. The truck man or rail- 

 road man just likes to put a foot through it for fun, and 

 then stick their fingers in to taste the honey. Turn it 

 around the other way, and they won't do it. 



Mr. Taylor — Then I give directions upon the top of the 

 carrier, "Keep this crate cross-wise of the car with care." 

 That is all there is to it. Putting it cross-wise of the car 

 makes the sections stand lengthwise of the car, so that they 

 will stand a great deal more jolting than the other way. 



Mr. Hintz — How do you pack the 9 cases in a carrier? 



Mr. Taylor — Put 3 in the bottom side by side, and then 

 upon each one of them, 2; that makes 9. 



Mr. Wheeler — Do you put two handles on the side? 



Mr. Taylor — The carriers are so made that there is a 

 place to take hold of them. The handles don't stick out on 

 those carriers. If I were making crates or making carriers 

 to ship honey, I would make them so that they would hold 

 (1 cases instead of 9, and be handled more easily, and per- 

 haps more safely. So that there would be 2 piles of 3 each 

 instead of 3 of 3 each. 



Mr. Hintz — You have nearly 400 pounds? 



Mr. Taylor — No ; they would run about 25 pounds to a 



