THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



155 



before. Now set the combs in all the 

 new hive aud close it up — except the 

 cutrauce. 



Hive the bees from the box into tlie 

 hive, as you would a new swarm : then 

 return to an old stand (which sliould be 

 occupied with an empty hive during the 

 process to retain the straggling bees.) If 

 no bees appear to be troublesome, con- 

 tract the entrance. \\'c have used melted 

 roson and beeswax to secure the comb to 

 the frame; thorns inserted on the sides 

 aud bottom of frames, through holes made 

 with an awl into the comb, make tiiem 

 very secure; slips of tin can be used to 

 fasten the combs to tit the frames tightly, 

 will save resorting to other means to 

 secure the combs in the frames. 



If transferring is done at a time when 

 the bees cannot obtain honey, 2 or 3 combs 

 should be given them, or fed honey from 

 the chamber of the hive, until such times 

 as they can gather it from the fields and 

 forest, as a certain amount of honey is 

 necessary to mix to repair and fasten the 

 combs aud food for themselves aud the 

 young bees. 



During the blossoming of fruit is a nice 

 time to transfer, aud if not then, it is best 

 to defer it until the appearance of white 

 clover. Seth Hoaglakd. 



For the Amorican Bee Journal. 



How to Prepare Comb Honey For 

 Market. 



'Make a strong case of rough boards in 

 shape to suit the boxes, the weight wheu 

 filled not to exceed 3U0 lbs. 



Prepare the boxes by making all as 

 tight as possible, so that should auy 

 breakage occur the honey will be iu the 

 package. —; 



Pack the boxes either in the original 

 position as filled by the bees or inverted ; 

 never on the side or end. 



Make all firm within the case ; when 

 needed, drive in a rough wedge. 



Wheu this is completed, fasten securely 

 near the top on each side of the case a 

 strip four inches by one, projecting 

 eight inches at each end, to serve the 

 purpose of handling in carrying, aud pre- 

 vent its being turned ou end or otherwise 

 roughly handled. 



Mark plainly on the cover, "Honey — 

 this side up svith care." 



We prefer to return all packages, for 

 the following reasons : 



The producer generally weighs his cap 

 boxes wheu new and drj', and deducts 

 the same as tare when selling. The buy- 

 er purchases net weight, and after cut- 

 tiug^out^the honey tiuds that each box 



weighs from eight to twelve ounces more 

 tlian tlie tare allowed him. This ditler- 

 ence is almost certain to cause dissastis- 

 faction on the part of either the buyer or 

 seller. 



We take the box apart carefully, and 

 fasten the several pieces together with & 

 nail or cord. 



When i)ackcd in a case and shipped 

 iu this manner the freight seldom exceeds 

 two cents per box. Those packages when 

 wanted for use have only to be tacked 

 together, aud they are equally as good as 

 new ones costing from teu to fifteen cents 

 each. 



We refer to the box most commonly 

 used, (and really the most profitable for 

 the bee-keeper), made of i inch stutF, 14 

 inches long by O inches square, contain.* 

 ing from 12 to 15 pounds of honey. 



Jessie D. Lippincott. 



Pittsburgh, Pa. 



For the American Agric ulturist* 



Bee Notes. 



Among the domestic animals we have 

 various grades of improvement. Among 

 horses and cattle, the. various breeders 

 find points iu each grade that they wish 

 to propagate for some purpose. They 

 select parents that have points that they 

 expect to find iu their ottspring. The 

 beautiful Durham is not expected from 

 the wild race of the tropics. Among bees 

 the beautiful and amiable Italian is not 

 expected from the black, vicious, and 

 often more indolent native. Both varie- 

 ties may have some traits that is desirable 

 to propagate, while both have some which 

 might be advantageously left out. One 

 stock may possess vigor and industrious 

 habits, and a disposition to resent any 

 measure that seems to them an approach 

 to robbing them of their stores. Another 

 may be indolent to collect much, and 

 lack energy to protect what they have. 

 Accumulation of stores is what is usually 

 wanted. If industrious habits and a mild 

 disposition are found combined, that is 

 the breed to propagate from. With most 

 of us these traits are only ascertained by 

 close aud attentive observation. Thirty 

 years ago an old lady, when asked to fix 

 a price for one of her colonies, replied 

 that she had smarter bees than any one 

 else, they swarmed early and often ; she 

 had probably discovered a fact, without 

 being able to trace it to any cause. What 

 is there to prevent changing all our stocks 

 into the best in one summer, if all the 

 queens are selected from such only ? It 

 is lime this point received attention. In 

 rearing cattle, it will uot do to check the 



