YT8 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



diate reach were consumed, and it was 

 too cold for the bees of a weak colony to 

 break cluster to get a new supply. In 

 that case the remaining 50 pounds 

 could not prevent starvation. Possibly 

 queenlessness may have been the trouble, 

 the bees dying off from old age. 



Barrels for Extracted Honey. 



Please give me some advice in regard 

 to the use of barrels for storage of ex- 

 tracted honey. I cannot obtain new 

 barrels, but have the usual choice of 

 empty ones from grocery or liquor stores. 

 I greatly injured the flavor of a quantity 

 of nice clover honey last season, by 

 storing in wine-casks, though the same 

 had been carefully waxed in accordance 

 with instructions in the " A B C of Bee- 

 Culture." I am inclined to favor high 

 wine or syrup casks, thoroughly sealed 

 and waxed, but would like advice from 

 some one having experience. 



Hull, Quebec. Subscribeb. 



Chas. Dadaut & Son, of Hamilton, Ills., 

 whose wide experience gives weight to 

 whatever they say in bee-keeping, an- 

 swer the above as follows : 



We have always used second-hand 

 barrels for extracted honey. Those that 

 we prefer are barrels that have con- 

 tained pure alcohol. Such barrels are 

 not charred inside, but are gummed in- 

 stead with a preparation of glue which 

 honey does not dissolve, and they do not 

 leak, unless they have been exposed to 

 the weather, or filled with water. 



We have also used, without unpleasant 

 effects, whisky barrels, but these are 

 often charred on the inside, and this 

 must be ascertained before they are 

 used, as it is of great importance. The 

 little pieces of charcoal which become 

 loosened from the walls of the barrel 

 mix with the honey, and are very diffi- 

 cult to remove, as they float about in the 

 honey, after having become soaked with 

 it. Charred barrels should be discarded. 



We would not advise the use of any 

 other barrels, unless they are new. We 

 will say, however, that a barrel that 

 has contained wine, molasses or syrup, 

 may be used if it has been thoroughly 

 cleansed. 



To cleanse a barrel thoroughly, it is 

 best to remove one head, and some care 

 must be exercnsed in order to replace it 

 in the same position, or the barrel might 

 leak. Follow these precautions: 



First mark the head and the chime, or 

 end of staves, with a chisel or some 



sharp instrument, so that you may find 

 the exact position occupied by the head, 

 when putting it back. Mark two places 

 so as to make sure. Then take a large 

 gimlet and screw it into the middle of 

 the head for a handle, taking care not 

 to pierce the head through. Then re- 

 move all the hoops except the top one. 

 They may also be marked, if necessary, 

 so as to be returned to the same position. 

 When all are removed but one, have 

 some one hold the head by help of the 

 gimlet until the last hoop is off. When 

 the barrel has been cleaned, put the head 

 back in the same position.' 



, We would not advise any one to use 

 barrels with any sour or smutty smell, 

 but such barrels, in a case of necessity, 

 may be cleaned by washing them after 

 removing the head, with a pint of oil of 

 vitriol mixed with about two gallons of 

 water, or with a little caustic lime di- 

 luted in water. But after cleaning a 

 barrel in this way, it should be again 

 washed with water, and scalded if need 

 be. A few days of exposure to the air 

 will help. 



Old barrels, the wood of which has be- 

 come soaked with water, are very ob- 

 jectionable, the more so as they will dry 

 when filled with honey, and in drying 

 will shrink to such an extent as to be 

 unable to hold their contents. The 

 right kind of barrels to use should not 

 leak when very dry, and that is why we 

 prefer the alcohol barrels to any others, 

 as the very dryest timber is used in their 

 manafacture. 



We used to wax barrels years ago, but 

 abandoned the practice, as we found it 

 rather expensive and inefficient. 



After emptying honey-barrels, we 

 place them in a dry shed. We do not 

 wash them until ready to fill them again, 

 and then only use a small quantity of 

 hot water. We use iron-bound barrels 

 exclusively, as the hoops may be tight- 

 ened much more efficiently than wooden 

 hoops. We have never experienced any 

 difficulty in procuring all the barrels we 

 needed at from ^1.00 to $1.50 each, 

 even in the season of 1889 when we 

 harvested some 85 barrels of nice clover 

 honey. Chas. Dadant & Son. 



Capons and Caponi;Kins:, by 



Edward Warren Sawyer, M. D., Fanny 

 Field, and others. It shows in clear 

 language and illustrations all about 

 caponiziiig fowls; and thus how to 

 make the; most money in poultry-raising. 

 Every poultry-keeper should have it. 

 Price, postpaid, 30 cents ; or clubbed 

 with Bee Jouknal one year, for $1.10. 



