176 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



ture is high enough to affect the secretion 

 of nectar, the weight increases a Httle, 

 owing to the excess of returning over de- 

 parting bees. When the heat of the da}- 

 is over, it again diminishes for awhile, 

 then increases steadily until evening, 

 showing, finally, a slight increase over 

 the weight of the morning. Weighings 

 of one colony on the 12th of May, the 

 l8th of July, and 21st of August all show- 

 ed the characteristic fluctuations of a weak 

 flow, and the increase in weight on each 

 of three days was very nearly the same, 

 but the hourly variations were very dif- 

 ferent in intensity. Judging by these 

 differences, M. Dufour estimates that the 

 number of field bees on the nth of May 

 was 8,000, on the 18th of July 13,000, and 

 on the 2ith of August only 3,000. All 

 have noticed how the bees sometimes fly 

 freely, apparently having all they can do 

 to carry the nectar, yet the super 

 shows little perceptible increase. Hour- 

 ly weighings show that sometimes when 

 the flow is scanty, the bees return to un- 

 load themselves long before they have all 

 they can carry, thus making a great bus- 

 tle with little to show for it. During a 

 fall flow, the first fluctuation of the day 

 occurs at a much later hour, and the last 

 one sooner than in an early flow. This 

 indicates that a fall flow may be much 

 stronger than an early one, yet yield no 

 more, not only on account of decrease in 

 population but also because the days are 

 shorter. During an abundant flow, the 

 only fluctuation consists of bees, after 

 which there is a steady increase during 

 any fixed space of time while the flow 

 is abundant, a quarter of an hour, for ex- 

 ample, is practically the same at any time 

 of the day. 



Sugar in France is* only 10 to 13 per 

 cent dearer at retail than at wholesale, 

 and is sold in large quantities, while hon- 

 ey is 170 to 190 dearer, and is sold in 

 small quantities, because, says G. I^evant, 

 of the competition in sugar based on ad- 

 vertising, its extensive consumption on 

 accoiuit of its low price, and because all 

 grocers keep it, while only wholesale 



dealers control the honey market, too few 

 retailers keep it, it is sold too dear to con- 

 sumers, and is subject to no advertising 

 or competition. He thinks the only rem- 

 edy is extensive advertising and organi- 

 zation. In this country, however, there 

 are many retailers, of comb honey at 

 least, but the profits of the producer are 

 steadily diminishing, while there is far 

 from being as much sold as might be. His 

 other reasons are suggestive, nevertheless, 

 and his remedy is really the only thing 

 left. It is certainly worth while to recol- 

 lect the fact that the consumer of gro- 

 ceries and other wares here guides him- 

 self mainly, in large cities at least, by 

 announcements in the newspapers. Late- 

 ly in Denver a number of the largest 

 clothing houses and groceries got together 

 and struck for lower advertising rates. 

 But the newspapers stood firm, and the 

 strikers had to give it up. They found 

 they could not get along without adver- 

 tising. Bargain stores, and owners of 

 proprietary articles such as Pearline and 

 Ivory Soap, also owe much of their suc- 

 cess to persistent advertising just where 

 people are accustomed to look for infor- 

 mation. Honey leaflets are a praise- 

 worthy attempt at advertising, but my 

 own experience shows they have been 

 over-estimated; leaflets of all sorts being 

 as thick already in large cities as autunni 

 leaves, and as little regarded. I ver}- sel- 

 dom heard remarks, on subsequent visits, 

 indicating that leaflets distributed had 

 been read, nor was it likely they would 

 be, when lurid tracts heralding the vir- 

 tues of Dr. Williams' Pink Pills for Pale 

 People, Paine's Celery Compound, or 

 Hood's Sarsaparilla, littered the steps, 

 and hung suspended on the door-knobs; 

 and even the giNnng away of samples 

 proved to be a stale trick, when samples 

 of some brand of tapioca or coffee cereal 

 could sometimes be picked up in every 

 yard. Probably nearl}' all know what 

 Scott's Emulsion claims to be by having 

 read newspaper advertisements, but sel- 

 dom do more than glance at the printed 

 matter that accompanies a bottle. In 



