130 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



takinjf care to spread the straw evenly. 

 With the help of aa assistant, draw the 

 lladder and the straw against the hive, 

 bringing the ends of the string ladder 

 against the sides of the liive, taking care 

 to raise, at the same time, the laths on 

 their ends; then tie ihe strings firmly in 

 front of the hive, and it is done. 



As the tarred strings cannot be tied 

 easily, on account of their stiffness, I 

 lengthen them ^^ ith small bits of common 

 linen string, which slide more easily 

 while placing the straw against the hive. 

 I take care not to put straw in front of 

 the hive, — to let the sun warm it. I have 

 more tlian 60 hives thus protected against 

 cold winds; and I think they are as well 

 protected as if they were surrounded 

 by stacks of straw. 



The expense does not exceed a few 

 cents for each hive. The implements 

 will last a lifetime, if put in the barn af- 

 ter winter. The hives have not been dis- 

 turbed, for they have remained in the 

 same place, and the straw will be easily 

 removed in spring. I recommend this 

 protection to all the bee-keepers who in- 

 habit the prairie. 



Hamilton, 111. Ch. Dadant. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Reply to C. P. Dadant. 



It has been truly said: "If we expect 

 to arrive at the truth, we must have no 

 desire as to what the truth may be." 

 Probably Mr. C. P. Dadant has not 

 worked as hard, produced better extracted 

 honey, nor sold at as low prices as I have, 

 to build up that " home demand " he 

 refers to. At least, I have made a spec- 

 ialty of the above. 



One peculiar fact in the matter is, that 

 all these parties who can sell all their 

 honey right out, about home, for 20 to 25 

 cents per lb., cannot sell one pound more. 

 Not a man of them will pay me 12 cents 

 a pound for just a little more. 



Honey can never become a " staple" at 

 15 cents per pound, retail. Besides, it 

 costs 10 per cent, to retail it, whether we 

 do it, or hire our grocer to do it for us. 



"Granulated honey" is not a merchant- 

 able article, outside the apiary, and verj^ 

 few will buy it there, though all think it 

 " so nice." 



How can honey become a " staple arti- 

 cle" at $1.80 cents per gallon, while the 

 best cane syrup sells for 90 cents per gal- 

 lon, and is superior to honey, for every 

 purpose except sauce ? 



It seems strange that consumers should 

 become disgusted with " adulterated 

 honey," when we producers cannot tell it 

 from the genuine. 



Adulterated honey wont trouble us any 

 longer, as lioney must rank secondary 

 to sugar syrup when sold in bulk, for 

 cash. It does that now. 



Friend Dadant: I " tested " the " comb- 

 surplus production" business several 

 years ago. Even if 25 pounds of honey 

 is required to produce one pound of 

 comb, that does not favor your position, 

 as I can see. Even though I could see no 

 other cause for my bees dying, except 

 thin, watery stores, they did not die from 

 that cause, as I afterwards proved, and I 

 did not say they did. When honey 

 becomes a " necessity of life," it will be 

 when it is cheaper than other necessities; 

 say, four or five cents per pound. The 

 same outlay in bread, however, would 

 sustain life longer. 



Perhaps some kinds of bee-keeping is 

 profitable, in some places, with some men : 

 still, I think with friends L. C. Root, Capt. 

 Hetherington, and many other special 

 producers, that whoever gets money or 

 "profit" out of bee-keeping, will be sure 

 to earn all he gets. The reason that 

 Heddon still sticks to bee-keeping is, 

 because he cannot get out. When I can 

 sell out at 25 per cent, discount, if I don't 

 sell, then Mr. D. will have the palm. 



Why couldn't Mr. D. as well have said : 

 " Don't extract Imney till all capped over — 

 if honey is wanted, and not nectar." Par- 

 ticularly is this rule imperative during 

 the bass-wood harvest. 



I will agree that there is "room for all" 

 who can succeed in making apiculture 

 profitable. Just at present there seems 

 to be as much room for the " dl&honest 

 ones," as any other class. Some who have 

 done most at " proselyting" are n«iv well 

 proven to be among ihe " crooked." Let 

 each person decide for himself how he 

 will take his surplus, being governed by 

 the demand around him. 



Nearly every mail brings in one or 

 more letters congratulating us on the 

 course taken at our State Convention at 

 Kalamazoo, in regard to the overproduc- 

 tion matter. Probably, at this time, 

 thousands are thinking as we do, but still 

 carry little white flags of truce. 



Mr. Editor, will you please publish the 

 claims (if not specifications and all) of 

 Mr. Coe's house-apiary ; also of Mr. Wag- 

 ner's;(now Mr. C (3. Perrine's) comb-found- 

 atioii ; that the bee-keepers may know 

 what they really own, and how long 

 the ownership will last. 



Let the bee-keepers of this country 

 know what these men do, and do not, own, 

 if they expect us to respect their claims. 

 'Models embrace too much, usually, and 

 far more than the patentee has been al- 

 lowed to claim. 



Spring very backward, and many bees 

 dying, in this locality. Jas. Heddon. 



Dowagiac, Mich., April 7th, 1876. 



[As these are matters of general inter- 

 est, we shall be glad to publish the 

 patented features owned by Messrs. Coe 

 and Perrine, if furnished. — Ed.J 



