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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 1. 



using a little smoke to prevent the bees from 

 flying out too strongly at first. Colonies that 

 are on our fixed Hoffman frames can be set on a 

 wheelbarrow, and wheeled quite a distance: 

 but as the barrow jars the bees, the entrances 

 should be closed, as above directed. If the col- 

 onies are light, three can be put on the barrow 

 at once; but if heavy, only two, putting the 

 heavy one next to the wheel, crosswise on the 

 barrow. Now, in wheeling colonies it will be 

 found mch easier to drtiw the wneelbarrow 

 than to pusJi it, because it is easier to draw a 

 vehicle very gently over an obstruction than to 

 push it. We have just been trying, and know 

 from experience.] 



GRADING, AGAIN. 



DR. MII.LEK CONSIDEKS THE SUH.JP:CT FUKTHEK. 



I had hoped that moi'e rapid progress would 

 have been made in the matter of grading, for I 

 believe, as many others do. that it is a matter of 

 great consequence. At the outset it was ad- 

 mitted that there were difficulties 'n the way. 

 and this was very plainly seen in the difficulty 

 of coming to any kind of agreement at Albany 

 and at Chicago. Instead of thinking that suffi- 

 cient has been said about it in print, and thai 

 the matter should rest until' the meeting at 

 Washington, it seems to me that it would hard- 

 ly oe lost time or space to keep up the discus- 

 sion until that time. 



One reason I have for thinking so, is, that 

 different localities will have different views 

 about grading, and in the public print there is a 

 fuller representation, or, at least, a more equal 

 representation, of all parts of the country, than 

 we are likely to have at any one convention; 

 for at every convention there is always a strong- 

 er representation from near than from distant 

 points. True, this may be less so than usual at 

 Washington; still, I expect it to hold true to a 

 great extent. 



I think that neither at Chicago nor at Albany 

 did any one advance the view that i' was either 

 useless or bad to adopt a system of grading; the 

 only difficulty was, to come to any agreement 

 as to what it should be. Since, then, however, 

 some one has suggested that it would not, on 

 the whole, be a desirable thing, and that it 

 might be subject to abuse, an inspector being 

 necessary to carry it out, and the inspector 

 might not act in the interests of the producer. 



Personally, I think I can get along independ- 

 ently of any established system of grading, and 

 I have no doubt that others can. If I have a 

 class of customers with whom I have been deal- 

 ing for years, and if they have entire confidence 

 in the manner in which I have graded my hon- 

 ey, it is not very unnatural that I should be 

 somewhat averse to making any change, and on 

 that account I may think it best not to agitate 

 the subject of grading. But if it should be for 

 the general good, I should be willing to yield, 

 especially as there is nothing to prevent my go- 

 ing on just as I have done iu the past with any 

 established set of customers. 



But a more conclusive answer to any who 

 may not think it be^t to have any system of 

 grading is the fact that we have it already. 

 Every time you look at the market report-; in 

 the bee-journals, you are making use of a sys- 

 tem of grading. "Fancy," "fair," "'dark," 

 "No. l,""No. 2," etc., are simply terms indi- 

 cating grades, and they will continue to be used 

 in an arbitrary way. not satisfactory to any one, 

 until something better can be agreed upon. So 

 it is not a question as to whether we shall have 

 any system of grading, but whether we shall 

 have a better one. I do not see the necessity 



for an inspector after we agree upon a better 

 classification, any more than there is a necessity 

 for one now. If I sell Smith, at Jenkins' Cor- 

 ners, two cases of honey, it w ill hardly be neces- 

 sary to have an inspector appointed at Jenkins' 

 Corners, but it may be very convenient for Mr. 

 Smith and me if we have something definite to 

 go by iu our dealings with one another. 



But when we get down to the business of de- 

 ciding what the best system of grading is, then 

 the trouble begins. What suits one doesn't suit 

 another. B wants nothing but white honey in 

 the first grade, and C says his Spanish needle is 

 better than white clover. The suggestion has 

 been offered, that a different system of grading 

 must be adopted for different regions. Will not 

 coufusion arise from that? Is it necessary ? 



Not having settled upon any system of my 

 own, I have been anxiously watching to see 

 what might come up to help us out of the diffi- 

 culty. The plan of J. A. Green would suit me — 

 suit me well. But it will not suit all. Either 

 that or the Albmy or Chicago might be an im- 

 provement on the plan now in use, perhaps with 

 an appendix to suit some particular cases. But 

 on the whole I am inclined to think that some- 

 thing based iu some degree on the plan present- 

 ed by W. C. Frazier may be most feasible. 



The objection is urged, that it is too compli- 

 cated — makes too many grades. Ten grades 

 may be easier to manage than five, if there is a 

 simple system about the ten that does not pre- 

 vail with the five. If I am to select a coat, it 

 may confuse me somewhat when you describe 

 nine different kinds without letting me know 

 that any one of them bears a relation to any 

 other. But if you tell me that there are three 

 kinds of cloth used in making the nine coats, 

 and that I can have either kind of cloth in a 

 Prince Albert, a sack, or a cutaway, the thing 

 looks simple enough. Isn't it somewhat the 

 same way in grading honey? Let there be first 

 a grading according to the appearance of sec- 

 tions and combs, independent of the honey con- 

 tained, and, having this done, it will be easy to 

 say what material the coat shall be made of. 



Certainly there would be one great advantage 

 in some system of this kind ; and that is, that all 

 would be more likely to agree upon it than upon 

 any system which sliould pretend to make gra- 

 dations by having honey from one source stand 

 above that from some other source; for a per- 

 fect section of white clover would be exactly 

 the same as a perfect section of buckwheat, bar- 

 ring the difference in the contents of the cells. 



Can't we then agree first upon something for 

 fancy, first class, second class, and possibly 

 third class of, say, clover honey? Perhaps 

 there's no need of any third class. Now. if we 

 have agreed upon what is first and second class 

 of clover, will not that be exactly right for 

 Spanish needle or buckwheat or what not ? 



Then it remains to classify, if possible, the 

 material in the cells. I doubt whether there 

 will be much trouble in bunching white clover, 

 linden, alfalfa, and other light honeys in one 

 lot under the nann- of white honey. Possibly 

 amber and dark will include the rest, but I be- 

 lieve it was decided at Albany that buckwheat 

 must stand by itself. Why should it stand by 

 itself? Perhaps because it is better known than 

 some other varieties, and because tastes differ 

 widely concerning it, some considering it the 

 best kind of honey, while others think it is the 

 poorest. Well, even at the risk of weakening 

 some other things I have been saying, let me 

 tell you that, as the public becomes better edu- 

 cated as to different kinds of honey, it is quite 

 possible that buckwheat is not the only kind 

 that will stand by itself. Just now the dear 

 public doesn't know a section of white clover 

 from one of linden, white sage, alfalfa, fireweed, 



