THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



225 



April; linden, and maple, cbiukopin und 

 other trees bloom later. We have usually 

 in April honey dew, from which our bees 

 make honey. I have .'^een it so abundant 

 us to drip from the trees. Generally found 

 on the hickory, but at times on other trees. 

 In some localities we have the muskete 

 tree, producing considerable honey. The 

 clover and buck-wheat do not >!;row liere. 

 The bees make honey from something all 

 seasons, unless it is very dry or very Avet. 

 4th. AVhat is the jirice of black bees? 

 Ans. From two to three dollars in box 

 hives, sometimes lower. There are plenty 

 in the country, and any amount can be 

 bought. 



There is but little attention ]nud to the 

 culture of the honey-bee. Some few Italian 

 (jueens have been imported this season 

 from A. J. Murray, of Memphis. A few 

 ere using the movable frames. 1 have the 

 only honey extractor I know of, which I 

 :im using this season Avith great success. 

 I am convinced this is one of the best lo- 

 calities for honey and rearing Italian queens 

 to be foimd iu the laud. I am sorry your 

 American Bee Convention meets so late in 

 the season, as the weather is too cold for 

 us from the extreme south at that season. 

 W. K. Marshall. 

 Sereveport, La. 



For the American Bee .Tournal. 



Sale of Honey. 



It is very evident that the production 

 {lud sale of honey as an industry in this 

 country is still in its infancy. Nearly ev- 

 ery staple article of food has its regular 

 place and price iuthe market reports, while 

 liouey, if put down at all, will be found in 

 the miscellaneous list, with hoop-poles, 

 feathers, etc. 



Though craved by a great majority of 

 people, honey fails to become a staple arti- 

 cle as a daily consumption, because it is upon 

 tlie market but a comparatively short time, 

 as a luxury, and at a high price. Further- 

 more the great majority of people are unac- 

 <[uainted with the nature of honey, and can 

 easily be imposed upon by an adulterated 

 mixture. This brings extracted honey into 

 disrepute, and the consumer has to be edu- 

 cated in relation to its qualities and its pro- 

 duction. At present the apiarian is striving 

 to learn the consumers all of these facts, 

 but instead of striving to learu those in his 

 immediate vicinity, he too often desires to 

 sell his barrels of honey in bulk as he would 

 his firkins of butter, and ships it in the 

 same manner to his commission merchant 

 iu a distant city, and in consequence gener- 

 ally receives an unsatisfactory price. 



Now we claim that this education for 

 the consumption of honey should commence 

 near home, where the apiarian and the 



method of production is known. Thou- 

 sands of pounds could be sold in every 

 farming community, and if a good article 

 was sold every year his sales would in- 

 crease. If the apiarian should start out 

 among this class with a barrel of honey 

 and exact cash, his sales Avould probably 

 be slow; but let him adopt the exchange 

 sj^stem, and take butter, eggs, etc., for pay, 

 and his barrel would soon be empty, while 

 the exchanged articles could be readily 

 converted into cash. Difterent routes can 

 be taken each day, and if his honey holds " 

 out, and his trips are regular, a gieut many 

 will look for his appearance. Regul ar cus 

 tomers will buy their tweuty-five to fifty 

 pounds for winter use. A regular pri('e 

 should be extracted, a single pound should 

 be sold for its price, and a discount be 

 made in favor of those who purchase a 

 quantity. If several apiaries are located 

 near the same vicinity, one man could be 

 kept upon the road a long time. 



The general introduction of honey in 

 this manner would suggest new uses for it 

 in cooking and preserving of fruits. Some 

 may object to this peddling system, but 

 will not the diflerence between 15 or 16 

 cents, wholesale, and 20 or 35, retail, pay 

 to put a good retail salesman on the road 

 for several weeks ? 



A general introduction of honey in this 

 manner through the rural districts would 

 keep the market better iu cities. 



We are led to this course in this vicinity 

 because in all eastern towns and cities su- 

 gared honey has been sold extensively, and 

 anything in the form of honey in a can is 

 looked upon as sugar syrup, sure. We trust 

 Mrs. Spaids, with western energy, will edu- 

 cate New York City iu relation to this very 

 important product, and give us a reliable 

 market all the year round. 



Scientific. 



Hartford, New York. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Test of Italian Purity. 



Is there any fixed and certain test of 

 Italian purity ? If so what is it ? 



A bee-keeper of some prominence wrote 

 me a year or two since, that he had " pure 

 Italians" with only two yellow bands. He 

 enclosed in his letter two or three such 

 specimens of his bees. They compared 

 favorably in color with my worst hybreds. 

 Are such bees pure Italians V 



Mr. Dadant says in the July No. of the 

 American Bee .Journal, that "even in 

 Italy there are a few black bees among the 

 thousands of well-marked," and he adds 

 that this " this is not a mark of impurity." 

 Mr. D. ought to be good authority on this 

 point, as he has imported largely, and has 

 iiad the opportunity of observing the Ital- 



