Ajiiil 11, 1907 



American Hee Journal 



a few dry shavings, an old gunny-sack, 

 and chips from the woodpile, it is 

 good. It does not matter what kind 

 of wood you use, but chips are as good 

 as I have ever used. 



Mr. Stone — I would like to ask Dr. 

 Bohrer, as he suggested sulphur, if he 

 would put it in his smoker. I want to 

 say that some parties were repairing 

 a church in our neighborhood ; they 

 found a swarm of bees in the roof, and 

 they came to mc to borrow my smoker 

 to smoke the bees out. When they 

 returned the smoker I could smell sul- 

 phur, and it did not last 3 months until 

 it was worthless, and I could not use 

 it; it was covered with little holes. 



E. J. Atchley — The best material I 

 use is dry moss, which is always at 

 hand ; it is in great abundance around 

 our apiaries, and I have found it to 

 work all right. 



Pres. Dadant — You will have to ship 

 it to us, because we don't have it up 

 North. 



Mr. Holekamp — It would not be nec- 

 essary to ship moss from Texas. Old 

 rags are plentiful, and the leaves in 

 the fall are as good as moss ; they are 

 everywhere, and you don't have to go 

 South for them. 



Mr. Hilton — The smoker-fuel depends 

 usually upon the locality. In some lo- 

 calities I can secure one thing, and in 

 another I cannot secure it. In Michi- 

 gan the best thing I find is rotten elm, 

 that we find in the inner part of the 

 elm tree, and I cut it up into chunks 

 about 4 inches long, and then put in 

 something that the bees don't object to, 

 and that will not injure them in any 

 way. Some of these things that have 

 been talked about would be very ob- 

 jectionable, and I would have something 

 to say to that, as well as the bees. 



W. H. Laws — I wish to enter a pro- 

 test against cigar-smoke ; those that live 

 with it under their noses think it is a 

 good thing. I think what we need is 

 something to frighten the bees — some- 

 thing that is not offensive, and will not 

 anger them. We should give them a lit- 

 tle that will not frighten but subdue 

 them; that is all right; but this obnox- 

 ious smoke is injurious. 



Mr. Jouno — I gather rotten wood, 

 post-oak, live-oak, hickory ; then I ham- 

 mer this up and put into the smoker. 

 I find this is a good smoke. I have tried 

 tobacco and I find it does not do at all. 

 I find that you will have to have some- 

 thing pleasant for the bees and pleasant 

 to the breeder. I have tried chips and 

 corn-cobs. As to sulphur, just give 

 them a good charge of sulphur. I don't 

 know about it rotting out the smoker, 

 but it would certainly ruin the bees. 



Mr. Hyde — I don't believe our bee- 

 keepers know what is best. These 

 Northern bee-keepers don't know any- 

 thing about mesquite ; they have none, 

 but the best thing in the world to sub- 

 due bees is the smoke from rotten mes- 

 quite. We can pick it up anywhere ; 

 and you can break it up with the hands. 

 Let it be rotten enough to break with 

 the hands, and I think it is the best fuel. 

 I have heard sawdust recommended; 

 we don't have much of that down here. 

 As one gentleman said, different locali- 

 ties have something to do with what 



we use, but here in our country we don't 

 find anything equal to rotten mesquite. 

 D. C. Milam — I have heard it said 

 that the thing that is most convenient 

 is the thing to use. I find the best 

 smoker-fuel is cedar-bark ; it is handy, 

 and you carry it around with you ; it 

 makes a mild smoke; but there is one 

 objection, it creates considerable creo- 

 sote; but cedar bark is best I think. 



FREIGHT-R.MESON HONEY. 



"Freight rates on comb-honey are too 

 high. Is there any help from the Na- 

 tional Bee-Keepers' Association?" 



Pres. Dadant — We ought to hear first 

 from the one who put the question. Let 

 us hear from him. 



Mr. Muth— I put that question. The 

 classification of comb honey is not even 

 considered by the freight officials on 

 the railroads north of the Ohio River, 

 which could be easily remedied if it 

 would be taken up by the National Bee- 

 Keepers' Association with the proper 

 officials. For instance, the Western 

 classification of freight on comb honey, 

 (this applies west of the Mississippi 

 River), reports a l}4 rate. West of 

 the Mississippi Valley it is a lyi rate. 

 A 11/2 rate means 90 cents or $1.00 

 through Wisconsin down to Central 

 Indiana, where it ought to be about 

 fourth-class rate. It is classified ij4, 

 first-class, ij4 rate. We don't take care 

 of the honey in shipping it; you can see 

 it coming in boxes. The railroads don't 

 even know what it is. Mr. France ought 

 to be the man to answer this question 

 better than I. 



Mr. Holekamp — Would not the classi- 

 fication on extracted honey be fourth- 

 class, when we get honey from East of 

 the Mississippi River? North of that 

 country is not in the Western classifi- 

 cation, but the classification there is sec- 

 ond-class. Now, I would think that it 

 is worth while for this Association to 

 take this up and have it uniform. While 

 I can ship extracted honey from parts 

 west of the Mississippi River at 26 

 cents, the same distance east of the 

 Mississippi costs 56 cents. I have been 

 taking this up with the freight agents at 

 St. Louis, but they tell me this is to be 

 taken up with the others. 



Mr. ' Bacon — The railroads of the 

 United States are divided into three 

 classifications. West of the Mississippi 

 River it is the Western Classification; 

 east and north of the Ohio it is the 

 Eastern Classification; and south and 

 east it is the Southern Classification. 

 Now, we are getting a cheap rate west 

 of the Mississippi River; we are getting 

 a cheap rate from the East, but we 

 found that it cost over $1.00 to ship into 

 Alabama and Mississippi, where the 

 rate to Havana, Cuba, was 59 cents 

 from Watertown, Wis. It does no good 

 to write letters to the railroad officials; 

 we should send a representative to the 

 different railroads which compose these 

 Classification Committees; it is easy to 

 turn a man down who writes letters, 

 but it is harder to turn a man down 

 who walks into your office in person. 

 If you will send your representative to 

 St. Louis, when the Southern Classifi- 

 cation Committee meets, and also ad- 

 vise them in :i'lvance, they will hear you. 

 Railroad men know very little about 



honey, and 1 believe if the matter can 

 be properly placed before the Classifi- 

 cation Committees, a remedy will be 

 granted. 



Pres. Dadant — Can any of you sug- 

 gest some other plan? 



Mr. Boyden — I would not be able to 

 tell you a better plan. I think the plan 

 of Mr. Bacon is the only plan to go by. 

 I know it does not do much good to 

 write letters. 



Pres. Dadant — Mr. Putnam is a great 

 shipper, let us hear from him? 



Mr. Putnam — I have had experience 

 with railroads on getting rates for sup- 

 plies. I had our samples of goods at 

 St. Louis, and I set the case before the 

 Western Classification Committee in 

 Chicago ; and I accomplished some 

 good at that time, but I have noticed 

 that there are other parts in the United 

 States that are not heard by the Com- 

 mittee, and the rates are very much out 

 of proportion. I think it would be well 

 for the National to take this matter 

 in hand. 



Mr. France — If I remember rightly 

 this Association passed resolutions to 

 appoint a committee to go before the 

 Classification Committee and lay this 

 matter before them ; but they only par- 

 tially accomplished what they sought 

 for. The freight-rate on extracted 

 honey at that time had very little dis- 

 tinction as to the package, making the 

 rate very high, no matter what the pack- 

 age was. We secured a rate which 

 would include 65 cents, but on comb 

 honey there had been so many damage 

 claims put in against the railroads for 

 breakage that they would not listen to a 

 change. I do hope that some steps will 

 be taken to take this matter up with 

 the different companies of the Freight 

 Classification. I went to Chicago and 

 asked them to change the rate from 

 2d to 4th class. They seemed to hesi- 

 tate, but when I presented the can, 

 "Why, sure thing," they said; "that is 

 entirely in wood." I did not want to 

 change it, because the old square-top 

 left it open so anyone could take out 

 the honey, and then a claim was put in 

 against us for the loss of honey. They 

 gave me a ^opy of what would be in- 

 structions to the agents of the Western 

 Classification Committee, so that honey 

 was changed to 4th-class entirely en- 

 cased in wood. I was afterwards in- 

 formed that there have been many dam- 

 age claims where honey was shipped in 

 cases of two 5-gallon cans, and they 

 changed the freight classification in 

 Kentucky and Tennessee, and I was 

 told also in Texas; that the boxes must 

 be metal-bound, to keep the wood from 

 pulling off. 



Mr. Laws — This information came to 

 us, and the cases are metal-bound. 



J. F. Teel — We get the metal-bound, 

 but they are not all metal-bound. 



Mr. France — But I believe at present 

 the freight is higher on comb honey 

 than it ought to be. I think it would be 

 well that this matter be in the form 

 of a committee, and if that committee 

 will go to work, and accomplish some- 

 thing, and let me know, as soon as any 

 change is made, you will know it. 



Mr. Rouse — I would like to know if 

 there is any difference in classifying 

 extracted honey, or should it be called 



