GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



421 



an organization for the special object of prose- 

 cuting adulterators, because he believes in pro- 

 ducing comb honey exclusively as the best way 

 to meet the adulteration evil. 



The Nebraska Bcc-kccpcr has been merged 

 into the Busii Dec, with Kmerson T. Abbott as 

 editor and proprietor. It is monthly as before, 

 and published at 50 cts. a year. The new series 

 starts out well, for its editor is a practical man 

 of experience. The journal will be devoted to 

 "farm bee-keeping and other minor interests 

 of progressive agriculture." Mr. Abbott is, I 

 believe, employed by the State every fall and 

 winter to deliver a series of lectures on rural 

 subjects at farmers' institutes. If he can throw 

 himself into his paper as he does into his talks 

 his venture will be a success. 



In order to give the membership of the United 

 States Hee-keepers' Union a boost we have de- 

 cided to give Gleaxings one year, and a mem- 

 bership in the Union for the same length of 

 time, for §1.75. But in every case the money 

 must be paid in advance; or if there are ar- 

 rearages, back subscriptions must be paid up 

 to the present, to entitle any one to take advan- 

 tage of this oflfer. Or if there are some who 

 feel that they can not afford to pay 5=1.75 we 

 offer Gleanings the rest of this year to new 

 subscribers, and membership in the Union, both 

 for SI. 35. On this basis you will get seven 

 months' subscription to Gleanings for 35 cts. 



PREDICTIONS OF FAILURE AND DISASTER. 



In referring to the attacks that have been 

 made on deep-cell foundation, the editor of the 

 Reviev: says he has '"no sympathy with the ex- 

 travagant predictions of failure and disaster " 

 — italics mine. He further adds that he has no 

 fears except that the new product may be 

 tough and leathery, like foundation; and while 

 he can see no reason why it should not be so, 

 yet "so long as Mr. Root says that the side 

 walls, after being finished, compare favorably 

 with natural comb, I prefer to wait till I can 

 try it myself." Gleanings has no fault to find 

 with this. As one other writer has said, " If 

 the new deep-cell foundation is a good thing it 

 will go; and if it is not, it will not be heard of 

 long." And I may add, malicious attacks to 

 push it down will and have had the opposite 

 effect, for very often the best way to help along 

 a thing is to fight it tooth and nail. 



OTHER machines FOR MAKING CONTINUOUS 

 WAX SHEETS. 



Since the advent of the new Weed continu- 

 ous-sheeting machinery, it would appear that 

 two or three others are trying to make ma- 

 chines for making continuous sheets. One par- 

 ty employs a large wooden wheel, the rim of 

 which revolves in a vat of melted wax. While 

 continuous sheets can be made in this way, 



and have been so made for years, they are 

 nothing but dipped sheets, or what we now 

 style " old process wax." We have seen sam- 

 ples of wax sheets made in one of these ma- 

 chines, and they are identically the same in 

 texture and quality as the old dipped sheets. 

 The Weed sheeting machine not only turns out 

 continuous sheets, but produces a wax of supe- 

 rior texture and quality — tough, pliable, and 

 translucent. 



MARKETING HONKY. 



After preparing the footnote to Mr. Aikin's 

 article, found in another column, the Bee-keep- 

 ers' Review for May comes to hand containing 

 an editorial something in the same line on the 

 Fruit-growers' Union. After mentioning the 

 fact that the California Bee-keepers' Exchange 

 expects to work in cooperation with it, the edit- 

 or goes on to explain the working of the Fruit- 

 growers' Union. This is what he has to say: 



To their eorrow, many gi-owers of perishable fruit, 

 like berries, tomatoes, peaches, and the like, know 

 that a glut in some market so reduces prices that 

 the fruit does not sell for enough to pay the freight 

 and commission. At the same time, within less than 

 200 miles, the same kinds of fruit may be selling at 

 good prices. The trouble is not that too many 

 strawberries are raised, but that the distribution is 

 unequal. They are often massed in a few points. 

 The grower writes to the commission man, and 

 receives a favorable reply. He ships his fruit; but 

 hundreds of growers have done the same thing. 

 The tendency is to ship to central points like Chi- 

 cago or Cincinnati, and neglect the smaller towns. 

 The great object o^^ the Fruit-growers' Union is to 

 prevent this massing of products. It has agents 

 scattered all over the Uiiiied States, and these 

 agents are constantly reporting to headquarters the 

 condition of their respective markets. In tr.e case 

 of perishable products, or whenever the ease de- 

 mands, the telegraph is free y used. Reports are 

 also constantly being received in season regarding 

 the condition of the crops. The General Manager 

 knows, for insta ce. all tli rough the strawberry sea- 

 son, where the berries are being grown, when they 

 are ripening, how they are are "turning out," etc. 

 He also knows where they are being sent, and is 

 promptly notified if there is any tendency towards 

 a glut in the market, or if ;iny market is needing 

 more berries than it is receiving When a grower is 

 ready to ship, he notifies headquarters by telegraph, 

 saying how many berries he has, and is at once no- 

 titled bv telegraph where to send his berrifs. The 

 Union has absolute control of the product of its 

 members; and so closely are the markets watched 

 that a shipment is often diverted after it has been 

 started. For instance. It started for Chicago; but 

 while on its way, notice is received that there is a 

 glut m Chicago, while Jackson, Mich., is "short." 

 By means of the telegraph the shipment that start- 

 ed for Cliicago lias its route changed to Jackson. 



Ten per cent of the proceeds is retained as com- 

 mission; but at the end of the year ll think it is), it 

 it has not cost ten per cent, then there is a rebate. 

 In other words, a member has to pay only what it 

 actually costs to sell his product, and he has the 

 satisfaction of knowing th;it his product has been 

 sold in what was, in all probability, the best possi- 

 ble market he could have reached. 



That one central organization such as the 

 Union is able to prevent a glut in any particu- 

 lar market, for the very reason that it has facil- 

 ities for surveying the whole field at once, even 

 calling to its aid the telegraph, is h, big fact. It 

 is high time that bee-keepera were keeping up 

 with the fruit-growers ; and Gleanings will 

 cheerfully give space to a thorough discussion 

 of the matter. 



