814 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15. 



KING-BIRDS. 



HOXEY-DEW FOR WINTERING, ETC. 



In your footnote to my article about king- 

 birds, in Sept. 1.5th Gleanings, you query 

 whether the matter of regurgitation as explain- 

 ed by the writer (T. L. VValte) In the ABC 

 book is not all a hoax. On referring to the A 

 B C I notice that Mr. Walte's observations in 

 regard to this action of the bii-d are referred to 

 as " very positive evidence." I added some tes- 

 timony, which I think goes to further establish 

 it; and to your mind, because one observer has 

 expressed a contrary opinion, the matter as- 

 sumes the form of a possible hoax. I am not 

 going to be too hard on you, but "' in the mouth 

 of two or three witnesses shall every word be 

 established." The station master to whom I 

 referred as having seen part of what I related 

 is Mr. John A. Gallaher. Grand Trunk Ry., 

 Branchton, Ont., who will no doubt answer for 

 himself if called upon. I trust, however, we 

 shall have some other of the readei's of Glean- 

 ings who may have further testimony to offer 

 on the subject, so that the evidence as regards 

 the facts of the case will be so very "very pos- 

 itive" as to be finally conclusive. 



I notice in different papei-s. Gleanings in- 

 cluded, reference made to the question of honey- 

 dew as winter feed, and I would incline to 

 think that the test given by Prof. Cook some 

 year or so ago would be a safe one, if one's taste 

 could be depended upon to be uninfluenced by a 

 mental bias favorable or unfavorable to the ar- 

 ticle; viz., that, if the honey-dew were agree- 

 able to the palate, it would be safe: but if not. 

 it would be unsafe. 



In this northern latitude, with its severe win- 

 ter, it is necessary to lean to the safe side of 

 any question affecting the wintering of bees, 

 and I am glad to be able to say that my experi- 

 ence with honey-dew extends only to "one sea- 

 son, that of 188(i, 1 think, when, by taking the 

 precaution to extract it early in October, I have 

 reason to believe I saved my bees. A voung 

 and aspiring bee-keeper, some four or five miles 

 away, who did not take the same precaution, 

 lost nearly all of his, and has never seemed to 

 rally from the blow, and the losses elsewhere 

 throughout the country were very severe from 

 the same cause. This honey-dew was such vile 

 stuff' that, by merely putting the point of my 

 finger into the combs to make sure that the 

 dark patches were not simply some dark-color- 

 ed honey, the taste was so disagreeable that it 

 would give me a headache. Some of the 

 patches in white combs showed almost jet 

 black. In the extractor the smell was verv 

 rank, and the product ran out like thin black 

 molasses. 



I always find the reading of Doollttle's arti- 

 cles profitable; but I think that in Sept. 15th 

 journal was particularly timely and valuable. 

 I have had some of this changing to do, and 

 know, on a small scale, what it means in time 

 and money, and I believe the principle he laid 

 down at his start In bee-keeping is a safe one 

 to anchor to in almost any line of business. I 

 have seen and been personally Interested where 

 thousands of dollars weie squandered in adopt- 

 ing every thing new. and business failure fol- 

 owed on the vacill atlng course accompanying 

 this weakness. I do not believe in that "con- 

 servatism which amounts to old fogyism. so 

 that progress and improvement are made utter- 

 ly Impossible, but I believe in making th(^ most 

 of what one has. and that it is well to go 

 "canny" in making changes, for the reason 

 that " a rolling stone gathers no moss." 



R. W. McDonnell. 



Gait. Ont.. Can.. Oct. (). 



[Our answer was not intended to imply that 

 regurgitation of king-birds was a hoax, but to 

 call out further facts. Your testimony togeth- 

 er with that on page 311 settles the matter tliat 

 the A B C is right.] 



PAILS FOR MARKETING HONEY. 



FRIEND FOSTER SCORES ANOTHER VICTORY. 



1 read with interest in Gleanings for Aug. 

 1st and 15th, a year ago. the answers to ques- 

 tions propounded to honey-dealers as to the 

 best packages for honey for the various mar- 

 kets. I was surprised that only one firm makes 

 any mention of palls for extracted honey. Per- 

 haps one reason is, that much of the honey 

 shipped to commission men goes into the cake- 

 factory, or some othei' factory, before it finds 

 its way to the family table. I have found that, 

 where I once make a sale of honey in the cheap 

 and neat "raised-cover pails." holding from l.H 

 to 12 lbs. each, it is hard to sell extracted hon- 

 ey in any other form. Although I often sell 60- 

 Ib. cans to large dealers, there are comparative- 

 ly few families that use so much honey before 

 it granulates: they want it only occasionally, 

 with hot biscuit, for tea. or with pancakes for 

 breakfast. But when they find it is hard, rath- 

 er than have the task of warming up the large 

 can they content themselves with syrup. 



The pails, when empty, are just what is 

 wanted, while the cans are in the way. Just 

 before shipping these palls I lift the cover and 

 slip under each, upon the hard white surface, a 

 slip of red paper printed as follows: 



All pure extracted honey granulates 

 liard at the approacli of cold weatlier. 



HONE Y. 



To liqnefj' it, set tlie pail or can in 



warm water— ?iof too hot, or the flavor 



may lie injured. If you can bear your 



liand in the water tliere is no danger. 



Or.ivER Foster, Pioducer, 



Mt. Vernon, Iowa. 



Perhaps one reason why honey in pails has 

 not found a more extensive market is. that, 

 since the article has found a place in the freight 

 classifications, it has been classed as"c7oi<ft?f 

 first-class" freight, while comb honey Is classed 

 as first class: cans boxed, as second class, and 

 barrels as third class. Being iinpressed with 

 the injustice of these rates on honey in pails. I 

 sent to the Superintendent of the Western Clas- 

 sification Committee a sample pail of honey, 

 with the following letter: 



Mr. J. T. Riplry:—A\h>\\' me to make you a present 

 of a pail of honey as a sample packag'e for sliiimient 

 whieli is becoming- very popular. My object is. in 

 belialf of tlie lioney-sliippers of tlie countrj', to call 

 your attention, in tliis friendly way, to an ovei- 

 siglit or misapprehension on tlie part of yonr com- 

 mittee in flxinjj- the classilication of "lioiiey in 

 pails." Your committee may liave liad in mind the 

 old-fashioned "sti-ained" lioney, or perhaps comb 

 honey in a broken state; wliereas, you will find. I 

 think, uv>on investigation, that 99 per cent of tlie 

 honey now shipped in pails is extracted lioney in the 

 granulated form, which, as you see, is a very differ- 

 eiit article. The agritation it receives In being' 

 thrown \nolently fi-om the comb, breaks up tlie 

 te.\'ture, causing' it, in a sliort time in cool weatlier. 

 to granulate very hard, in whicli state it will re- 

 main through tlie warmest weatlier. Tliese pails are 

 usually shipped in convenient bo.xes with handles, 

 holding about 125 lbs. each. 



I think you will agree that tliis form of |)ackage is 

 safe for sliiimient, and most c<i)n'enient for shipper, 

 carrier, retailer, and consumer; but the present 

 classification (double first-class) is prohiliitoi-y. 



1 would suggest that a just classification would 



