THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



59 



For the American Bee Journal. 

 Comb vs. Extracted Honey. 



Mr. Editor: — I believe that the suc- 

 cessful business man of any calling must 

 watch " the signs of the times," and 

 change his base of operations as the 

 " times " indicate. 



So far, I have produced mostly extracted 

 honey, but as that article has become a 

 drug at ten cents per pound, and comb- 

 honey in small glass boxes commands a 

 price still, that is better, considering cost 

 of production, I have determined to re- 

 move the greater portion if not all of my 

 apiary northward and turn all my working 

 force (130 colonies) to the production of 

 comb-honey in small boxes. 



We have been told by some of the in- 

 structors in apiculture, that extracted 

 honey at ten cents per pound could be 

 produced as profitably as could comb 

 honey at twenty-five or thirty cents. 

 When I see such assertions as this, I know 

 that the one who honestly makes them is 

 ignorant of the principles of the manipu- 

 lation of small boxes. So are the persons 

 who tell us that we can secure more sur- 

 plus in large than in small boxes. / can 

 secure more surplus comh-Jioney in small 

 boxes than any live man can do in large 

 ones, in such a locality as mine at least. 

 Perhaps belter honey locations and differ- 

 ent climates might prove differently, but, 

 on the whole, I believe the extractor has 

 kept us in ignorance of the true princi- 

 ples of comb surplus production. A word 

 in regard to 



THE DISPOSAL OP HONEY. 



As regard to comb-honey in small glass 

 boxes, it sells itself, in large or small 

 quantities, no rcatter what the quality 

 may be. 



I dispose of my extracted honey by re- 

 tailing it out (at barrel prices) to my 

 neighbors. In this way I produce demand 

 at the same rate I do honey. If all apia- 

 rists would do this, the price of honey 

 might be advanced slightly after a few 

 years. I find that a great demand for any 

 kind of well-ripened liouej- may be worked 

 up in almost any locality. My greatest 

 drawback has been, that the first two 

 years I used the extractor I did not leave 

 the honey in the combs until it was capped 

 over, and, as a consequence, it would take 

 several years yet to convince ail the people 

 that they would get good, sweet, rich 

 honey, instead of nectar. This brings me 

 to the matter of 



ADULTERATED HONEY. 



A short time ago I received a sharp 

 little letter from C. O. Perrine. Notwith- 

 standing it did not flatter quite a number 

 of us very much, it glittered with sound 

 logic and good sense. Being always open 

 to conviction, and feeling conscious of 

 having a great deal yet to learn, this let- 



ter set me to reasoning upon the subject 

 in this way: 



Of course the adulteration of honey in- 

 creases the supply, but not so much as 

 the proseliting of "everybody " to the bee 

 business; besides if the honey dealers do 

 adulterate, they work up a demand for 

 their jtroduction and ours too, and, fur- 

 thermore, their honey 'is far superior to 

 the nectar that the raw recruit will invar- 

 iably sling out; besides the latter creates 

 no demand in proportion to the honey he 

 raises. Honey is now being bought by 

 the barrel quite below the cost of sugar 

 syrup ; and if the city dealers do adulter- 

 ate, they do it no doubt to improve the 

 miserable sour nectar that they receive 

 from bee-keepers. 



So consummate is their process that it 

 is very difficult for any of vis to tell their 

 honey from the"simon pure." I am 

 pretty well persuaded that their honey it 

 pure now-a-days, at least, and, whether it 

 is or no, the less we have to say about it 

 the better it is for us. 



If Perrine's honey ts in every way equal 

 to ours, and we call it adulterated, we ad- 

 mit that honey is no better than sugar 

 syrup. If, on the other hand, our honey 

 is superior to his, the people will find it 

 out for themselves. Let us not insult the 

 consumer by shouting: "City honey is 

 adulterated," " We tell you, so you may 

 know it," " You never would know the 

 d'ifference if we did not tell you." How 

 many of us have talked as above only to 

 be accused of our melting up su5:ar for 

 our trouble. Take " Warranted Puke 

 Honey " oft' your labels, and simply put 

 on " Honey " " from A. B.'s apiary, Por- 

 dunk. Pa." 



When anybody talks of " artificial 

 honey," laugh at them, and tell them to 

 try it; that you think them capable of 

 judging for themselves. This hits their 

 weak spot. Put on the back of a ten dol- 

 lar greenback, " warranted genuine," and 

 no inexperienced person would take it 

 without due examination. Without the 

 above they would fold it up and soon want 

 more. This is the way it seems to me. 

 My bees now seem to be quite free of the 

 Winter epidemic, though I have Tieard of 

 some losses quite severe. 



James Heddon 



Dowagiac, Mich., Feb. 7th, 1876. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Six Months amon^ the Bees in Cal- 

 ifornia. 



Ed. Am. Bee Journal : — You have had 

 in your Journal from time to time, dur- 

 ing the past year, many rose-colored re- 

 ports from this county, which are in- 

 clined to mislead your army of readers 

 at the East, who have felt an interest in 

 this land of honey. A few items of other 

 facts may also be of interest to your read- 



