THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



189 



For the American Bee Journal. 

 Kepi} to C. r. Uadant. 



Since Mr. Dadaiu has said that lie en- 

 tertains no hard feelings towards me, and 

 as I am sure I hold none toward him, I 

 hope our controversy may not be simply 

 one of quarrel, but that we may bring 

 forth a little light upon these important 

 questions. In order to prove that ex- 

 tracted honey " does pay " Mr. Dadant 

 cites us to the time when I got 28c to 30c 

 for jarred honey, when I was at an ex- 

 pense of 10c to 15c per pound for bottling 

 and selling it. I have not the time to 

 spare to run back over the old journals 

 and quote from the enthusiastic writings 

 and reports of former days when we got 

 good prices for our honey, and lived in 

 high hopes of " money in the apiary." 

 But I can remember enough to know that 

 Mr. D. only tells a part of the story. I 

 never said that I never sold my honey less 

 than 28c to 30c, though I may have got 

 that price for some of it, in those days of 

 good demand and fair supply. One year 

 1 bought the crop of several honey pro- 

 ducers, and handled in all about the 

 amount Mr. D. quotes, but ere another 

 season the bottom felt out of the demand 

 for honey. Truly, friend D., my present 

 opinion in regard to comb vs. extracted 

 honey is entirely changed. Progression 

 demands a certain amount of changing. 

 I did not say that bee-keepers could raise 

 extracted honey cheaper than the dealer 

 could adulterate it. Why not be fair, and 

 quote what I said ? Perhaps I did " run 

 out" with my cu&tomers, for two reasons: 

 First, because my honey being pure would 

 granulate, and granulated honey is not a 

 merehantable article. Second, I found many 

 of my customers cut oft' by other apiar- 

 ists who had sprung up like mushrooms, 

 and the dealers rightfully bought of the 

 nearest producer. The way I came to get 

 $800 worth of honey from the small num- 

 ber of colonies, was by the wonderful in- 

 crease that plenty of empty combs, and 

 the best season ever known here gave me. 

 Again, 1 put all my time to these few bees, 

 (and worked fourteen hours per day, too,) 

 spent lots of money in advertising and 

 selling, besides being very fortunate in 

 striking a tip-top market. Why, bless 

 your soul, I once knew a half acre of red 

 raspberrus to pay $1,600! I say "I knew 

 it;" I knew the man that knew it. I was 

 greatly ai fault that I did not tell the 

 whole truth, but young bee-keepers are 

 proud and high-spirited you know, friend 

 D. 



But suppose I do now complain that 

 bee culture ''toill not pay." What have 

 "has beens " to do with "will he's?" 

 I say that " extracted " is inferior to cane 

 syrup for all practical purposes except 

 sauce. Why not quote what I say, or not 

 quote at all V Head what I quote on page 

 161, A. B. J., tor June, 1876. I say that 



honey that has been all capped over for 

 two weeks (in the liive) is superior to that 

 which has only pift been all capped over. 

 I furthermore say that I believe that 

 99-100 of all extracted honey is more or 

 less sour. That is, has changed more or 

 less since extracting. Finally, Mr. Ed- 

 itor, if bee culture pays now, what a for- 

 tune we must have laid up when we got 

 not only large yields, but high prices. 

 Why, " my stars," when Hiram Roop 

 wrote me that he had contracted (only 

 last season) twenty barrels of honey to 

 Mr. Muth for 10c per pound I thought, 

 " Oh ! thou lunatic !" But now here is an- 

 other one; who wants to buy? 



Probably a discussion of which kind of 

 surplus to produce, will not benefit us at 

 all. Every bee-keeper can decide that for 

 himself and no one else can. 



This is a very busy time of year with us 

 all, and I subscribe, yours in a hurr}^ 



James Heddon. 



Dowagiac, Mich., June 2, 1876. 



^ ■ ^ 



For the American Bee Journal. 

 Comb Foundation, 



Having had some little experience in the 

 use of comb foundation, 1 have a word to 

 say, as per request, for the readers of the 

 JotJRNAL. For about ten years past, it 

 has been in use by several parties in this 

 Slate, and in Wisconsin, under my observ- 

 ation, with good success — as a starting 

 comb — in small boxes for comb honey. 

 Have bought and sold honey frequently, 

 with this artificial comb foundation used 

 in the boxes, and have never heard a word 

 of complaint from any dealer in, or con- 

 sume)' of said honey, as to their being any- 

 thing offensive to the ''palate " of an 

 "epicure,^^ even. 



So far as my notice extends, there is 

 comparatively but a small piece of comb 

 foundation used in each honey box, or, 

 rather, for eacli card in a box — about two 

 or three square inches. 



If you have natural comb, which is 

 clean and white, I would advise using it 

 so far as it goes for starting comb — but the 

 artificial comb foundation is far preferable 

 to natural comb which has become soiled 

 or dark colored. 



It seems rather dear to pay $1.50 per 

 lb. for the comb foundation to put in honey 

 boxes, but it will be cheaper to pay twice 

 that amount for it than to put the boxes 

 on your hives without any starting comb, 

 from the fact that without it bees will not 

 begin work in the boxes near as soon, thus 

 your product is diminished, and put up 

 with less order. P. Miller. 



Chautauqua Co., N. Y., May 29, 1876. 



— < ■ m 



Cincinnati, O.— June 23, 1876.—" The 

 honey season is good here, and the quality 

 of the honey never was better." 



C. F. Muth. 



