GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



are and will be sublect to drouth in greater or 

 less degree, as the seasons are generally more 

 or less dry, but always drouthy. 



It is evident, then, that the growing of alfalfa 

 (or any thing) can not succeed in Colorado, and 

 only to a very limited extent in West Kansas 

 and Nebraska, except where watered. The 

 streams are bitterly inadequate to supply the 

 water necessary to cover this whole area, even 

 if all that flows throughout the year be used; 

 and when we remember that the greatest 

 water-supply often comes before it is needed or 

 can be used, you will at once see that only a 

 very small portion of the country can be set to 

 alfalfa. 



Let me here repeat what I have heretofore 

 written of the alfalfa districts in Colorado (or 

 elsewhere in the mountain districts), that the 

 places where bees will do well on alfalfa pas- 

 turage are as garden -spots or dooryards in 

 comparison Mviih ihe vastness of the country 

 in which they are found. The irrigated dis- 

 tricts are confined almost exclusively to the 

 valleys. True, water is carried in ditches for 

 5, 10, 20, and even 50 to 75 miles or more. Many 

 ditches are made 10 to 20 feet wide on the bot- 

 tom, and carry a depth of 3 to 6 feet. 

 Continued. 



RAILROADS AND COMB HONEY. 



COMMISSION MEN AND THE HONEY-PRODUCER; 

 BOTH SIDES FAIRLY SET FORTH. 



By C. F. Muth. 



This would be a nice world of ours if every- 

 body knew what he was about and would gov- 

 ern himself accordingly. As it is, we have got 

 to have a certain amount of patience with our 

 neighbors and friends, who, no doubt, have to 

 reciprocate, occasionally, for our shortcomings. 

 By my correspondence with some of our freight 

 agents I am reminded that the discussion of the 

 subject of comb honey might be of some use to 

 a number of our friends. Most shipping-cases 

 received by us this season were almost perfec- 

 tion; i. e., they were neat, showed the honey to 

 advantage, and the inside space was such that 

 there was about }b to J4' inch space between the 

 sections and the walls of the case. Put up in 

 such manner the comb honey is apt to arrive 

 safely if the railroad employees, while loading 

 and unloading, would handle the cases as they 

 would eggs. It is a notorious fact that comb 

 honey is damaged while being loaded on the 

 cars or while it is unloaded on its arrival. If 

 those baggage-smashers would .set down those 

 cases instead of throwing or dropping them, 

 much loss and annoying corrrespondence would 

 be saved to shippers and dealers, and relations 

 between consignees and railroad companies 

 would be more pleasant. Unless there is a col- 

 lision, or cases are upset or flung about, combs 

 hardly ever break while in transit; and they 



do not break if hauled in a wagon over a rough 

 pavement. Cincinnati has no rough pavement. 

 I have this morning the assurance of Gen. A. H. 

 McLeod, the General Freight Agent of the C. H. 

 & D. R. R., that all of their employees will be in- 

 structed to handle comb honey the same as they 

 would eggs. We are now corresponding with 

 the agent of the Big Pour, and will do the same 

 with others as soon as occasion offers. It should 

 be your point, and it should be one of the du- 

 ties of the officers of our bee-keepers' meetings, 

 to see that every railroad employee receive sim- 

 ilar instructions from headquarters. 



We received a shipment of comb honey this 

 season, for the damages to which the railroad 

 companies could not be censured. All the cases 

 were smeary on arrival. Not showing much 

 breakage, however, they were washed off and 

 placed in the store. Each case had honey ooz- 

 ing out at the bottom-board, and on each ad- 

 ditional day the pool of honey on the floor, un- 

 der each row, was getting larger. The cases 

 held twelve 4J^ sections, two sections in front 

 row, behind the glass. They were too short 

 and too narrow. The combs were pressed to- 

 gether so that the faces of most of them were 

 bruised. They were not quite 83^ inches wide, 

 so that the faces of the combs were bruised by 

 pressing in the two sections. I am sorry for the 

 poorly posted bee-keeper putting up his nice 

 white-clover honey in such poor shape. 



We are selling most of these nice combs with- 

 out the sections, put up in butter-crocks and 

 tin buckets. These cases were overhauled 

 twice; but, who will buy a leaky case of comb 

 honey? and leak they would. We have now 

 placed all the good combs in new cases, and 

 feel confident that they will sell in their pres- 

 ent shape. 



I feel sometimes disgusted on hearing so 

 much of the dishonest honey-dealer and the 

 city adulterators, although those parties are 

 not at home in Ciuciunati. I believe that the 

 business is overdone in both directions. I don't 

 remember the time when I have seen adulter- 

 ated honey, and the public believes that most 

 of the extracted honey is adulterated, because 

 they see it so stated in the papers. It's not all 

 "good sense" the friends of the bee-keeper 

 bring to bear upon the public. 



It is impossible for me to believe that the 

 honey-dealer is on a lower level than the bee- 

 keeper. I can believe it no more than that the 

 business man in the city should be more dis- 

 honest than the farmer in the country. But 

 there are scalawags in all classes of society and 

 callings. Let us keep away from them, and 

 post our friends how to put up their honey in 

 safe and merchantable shape, and let us lose no 

 time in impressing upon railroad companies the 

 idea that our comb honey needs the same care 

 as eggs. They will accommodate us if in their 

 power. These are the first steps necessary for 



