1891 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



547 



.-and two of 1 ton each. Capacity for storing, 39 

 tons. He has used 800 pounds of foundation 

 thus far this season. He manufactures his 

 brood foundation on a Given press, and thin 

 foundation on A. I. Root's six-inch mill. He 

 supplies the greater portion of Ventura Co. 

 with foundation. He thinks wiring frames un- 

 necessary labor; and as evidence of this he 

 ti^tated he had SOO combs on foundation drawn 

 ■out during last season's honey-ttow that were 

 not wired, and only two broke down, extracting 

 twice from the 800. In former years he was a 

 firm believer in wiring, using the bent wire 

 nail ten years ago. 



His home apiary contains .5.% colonies: tirst 

 ont-apiary, 300 colonies; second out-apiary, 200 

 ■colonies: son Edward's. 200. 



Within a radius of live miles of the home 

 apiary there are nearly .")000 colonies, so one can 

 surmise that the hills and mountains must sup- 

 ply some forage for such an army. The fact is, 

 the greater portion of that mountainous section 

 is adapted for nothing else: and when we con- 

 sider the amount of nectar distilled by dame 

 Nature in this Eden of the honey-bee, it is not 

 surprising to hear of the enormous yields of 

 honey in what is yet the infancy of the honey 

 industry of California. There is much to be 

 said of bee-keeping on this coast, but time and 

 space forbid. 



In 1803 California's apicultural display at the 

 World's Fair will rank second to none; and, 

 with this end in view, our prospective represent- 

 atives are now being considered. Mr. Mercer 

 has the indorsement of a large circle of bee- 

 keepers; and the indorsement of his own coun- 

 ty adds testimony to his worth; so I voice the 

 sentiment of not a few for Mr. L. E. Mercer as 

 California's representative of the honey indus- 

 try at the World's Fair in 1893. 



Geo. W. Bkodbeck. 



Los Angeles, Cal., June 17. 



[Friend B.. we are greatly obliged to you in- 

 deed for the bird's-eye view yoti give of friend 

 Mercer's work during the past six or eight 

 years. I shall ever have cause to remember 

 him and his good wife — in fact, all the family — 

 for the pains they took in giving me glimpses of 

 the thousand and one wonderful things connect- 

 ed with those mountain bee-i'anches and wild 

 canyons. The very mention of them makes my 

 heart thrill again. I second your suggestion, 

 that fri(!nd Mercer be invited to represent Cali- 

 fornia in 1893.J A. I. R. 



CHEAP HONEY. 



LOWER COST OF PRODTTCTIOX. 



One of your correspondents. Mr. A. V. Brown, 

 page 4.59. makes a point which is indeed a 

 "gem," in that it carries an immense amount 

 of weight with it. He says, "Give me a hive 

 having fi'ames at fixed distances, with a plain 

 zinc queen - excluder, these escapes (bee-es- 

 capes), and a good reversible exti'actor, and I 

 will show you how to produce honey at less 

 than half the cost nowadays." He probably 

 means at half the cost it could be produced 

 eight or ten years ago. and he is undoubtedly 

 correct. I have noticed in all the bee-papers, 

 from time to time, some one always had some 

 scheme elaborately written, which, if folloVed 

 up, would increase the price of honey (?). Of 

 course, if producers of any commodity can keep 

 the price up on an article", it is to their interest 

 to do it: but. on the other hand, how can it be 

 done if it is to be sold readily".' For instance, 

 put nice comb honey up to 25 cents a pound, 

 and I wai'rant you will find it a slow seller; but 

 put it down to 15 or 1(5 cents, and it will move 

 right speedily. Why? Because it is in I'each 



of everybody. How can a laboring man. earn- 

 ing, say, nine or ten dollars per week, affoi'd to 

 eat honey at 25 cents a pound, or even at 20? 

 With him it must ever remain the sternest of 

 luxuries. They tell us there is about 12 pounds 

 of honey in a gallon: and 12 times 20 cents is 

 ^2.40. How does that compare with the price 

 of maple syrup? 



Mr. Brown is correct in his idea that bee- 

 keepers should aim to produce their honey 

 cheaper. It can be done, or, rather, it should 

 be done. Lodk over the prices of hives in A. I. 

 Root's price list, or any other house that does a 

 large business, and note how much cheaper 

 every thing is in the hive line to what it was 

 six or seven years ago. Those who have price 

 lists that old. just look them over; then get the 

 latest edition, and compare prices. Yes, sir. 

 Mr. Bee-keeper, you have got to set your wits 

 to work, and produce youi' honey cheaper; and 

 why not? The bees charge you nothing for 

 gathering. All it costs is to produce, or, in oth- 

 er words, to (tsslst the bees in getting it into 

 marketable shape. Now, it must become bee- 

 keepers (if they wish to keep up in the race of 

 human progress) to keep their eyes open, to 

 grasj) every thing that practically suggests a 

 shoi't cut over former methods. Your grocer 

 will be much more willing to handle your hon- 

 ey at as low a price as it is possible to name 

 than he will to have you " tuck " it on; for high 

 prices on any thing greatly hinder its rapid 

 conversion into money, and that is one thing 

 which will make honey a much-used commod- 

 ity, because all dealers, from producer to com- 

 mission man. jobber, and retailer, delight in a 

 quick-selling article at a fair profit. 



Again, the grocers in your own town, if it is a 

 town of any size, can sell, without doubt, twice 

 the amount they do if it is properly exposed. 

 Pile up a nice imposing lot so it will look large 

 and nice; put up the price on a tag; never 

 mind about a glass case. Leave it entirely 

 open. Never mind the dust; take ordinary 

 care of it, and you will sell the whole pile out 

 before the dust has a chance to settle on it. 



Olean, N. Y.. June 17. (feo. Shiber. 



[While we should, by every means possible, 

 cheapen the cost of production, we ought not 

 to be in too great haste to reduce its selling 

 price. If comb honey is held at, for example, 

 25 cents per pound at retail, and it sells slowly 

 if at all. it is evident the price is too high. Of 

 course, honey will sell faster if lower in price; 

 but— how mtich faster? Competition, and the 

 flooding of certain markets, will bring down the 

 seUhig price of honey fast enough, and I think 

 we as bee-keepei's should be cautious about 

 lielping the price down.] E. R. 



COBS. 



Friend R.: — I am not so arrogant as to try to 

 pass the following as nubbins— only as cobs 

 of the nubbins; and if you should find a kernel 

 here or there, you are at liberty to pick them 

 out. 



The shallow half-story frame for extracting 

 has the advantage of being uncapped easier, 

 containing more ripe honey; admits of being 

 handled in supers to better advantage; bees 

 will enti-r the half-story quicker. My bees rip- 

 en honey better than I can possibly do it. I ex- 

 tract after sealing. 



The season of 1890 was exceedingly poor for 

 this location; the average number of pounds 

 stored was 18. 



One pure Italian colony stored 90 lbs. in sec- 

 tions — the first time in 1(5 years that an Italian 

 has outstripped my blacks. The above colony 

 had been formed in early spring, of three 



