1899 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



265 



store, which he had bought previously. He 

 put fie two hits alongside of each other, and 

 found that all the customers grabbed for the 

 tall sections, as they looked so much larger 

 and neater. He finally put the tall sections 

 out of sight in the rear of his store, so he 

 could get rid of the square ones. This is sim- 

 ply one illustration of how the trade and the 

 consumer regard the new plain tall section. 



[Indirectly I learned that Hildreth Bros. & 

 Segelken had something to offer on the sub- 

 ject of tall sections, and I accordingly wrote 

 to the firm, asking them to give their views 

 on the tall section, not knowing at the time 

 that they favored the plain section. I also 

 asked them to have a photo taken at our ex- 

 pense, showing the different styles of section 

 honey which, in their opinion, was most mar- 

 ketable. They wrote us that, as the season 

 was a little late, they had difficulty in procur- 

 ing even fair average samples, and what they 

 had to show would perhaps be under the 

 average. The picture shown herewith illus- 

 trates the samples that they were able to pro- 

 cure, and, of course, are not presented because 

 they are ideal specimens, but because they 

 serve to illustrate the facts set forth in the 

 article. 



What Hildrtth Bros. & Seg lken have to 

 say regarding the plain sections simply goes 

 to confirm what Mr. Crane has said regarding 

 these goods in the New York markets ; and it 

 seems to me that any one who lets his con- 

 servatism get the better of him so far that he 

 will not furnish these goods for market, will 

 be the loser. No one can afford to let preju- 

 dice stand in the way of bttter profits ; and if 

 the plain section outfit costs a little more at 

 the start, it will moe than m;-ke up for extra 

 cost in the end. — Ed ] 



HAULING 5 TONS OF COMB HOXEY 300 MILES 

 THROUGH THE MOJAVE DESERT. 



A Novel Method for (Setting a Higher Price on 

 Honey. 



BY C. WINTER. 



Having produced the above amount of hon- 

 ey in 1898 from 150 hives, and the best and 

 only offer being 1 % cts. cash at depot here, I 

 concluded that, after spending 3 months rais- 

 ing it, I could afford to spend a month or two 

 selling it. An opportunity offering to take 

 the honey at a low rate of freight to Los An- 

 geles, I jumped the chances and went. 



The front wagon was loaded with four tons; 

 one foot of straw in the bottom, and straw 

 packed solid on the sides, making a tight fit 

 all around, with a good canvas on top to keep 

 the sand and dust out. On the sides of this 

 prairie schooner were two 50-gallon water-bar- 

 rels. The second wagon was loaded with one 

 ton of honey, 20 sscks of grain (feed for team ), 

 one ton of flour (freight for wagon station), 

 our blankets, etc , and two 50-gallon water- 

 barrels. The third wagon was loaded with 

 two tons of baled alfalfa hay and more grain ; 

 12 horses driven with a single line pulled the 



outfit. The live freight, which in bad places 

 in the road we unloaded, consisted of one 

 teamster, one swamper, one passenger, and 

 myself and a man who was "hoofing it" 

 through the desert, and whom we picked up 

 and gave a lift. As a side issue we had a two- 

 horse team with cooking-outfit — mostly fry- 

 ing-pan and coffee-pot, presided over by four 

 ladies, one man, and four children. We camp- 

 ed wherever night overtook us, carrying our 

 own feed and water, and made the trip in four 

 weeks. 



Well, the honey rede all right on that 

 " dead-ax wagon," over big boulders, through 

 deep sand, down the San Franciscite Canyon, 

 and up the Newhall grade, contrary to every 

 prediction made by wise and old-time fogies ; 

 but it was fancy white honey — not a faulty 

 section in the outfit. The driver understood 

 his business; and when we reached Los An- 

 geles, and saw fine white sage comb honey 

 (crop of 1897) in the show-windows at 10 cts. 

 retail, we turned right around and sold, two 

 days after arrival, one ton of our fancy water- 

 white at the finest retail grocery in the city at 

 11 cts. spot cash. The homeward trip was 

 made in a light rig in 6}4 days. 



Bishop, Cal., Jan. 30. 



RAMBLE i64. 



Bee-keeping on the Housetop. 



BY RAMBLER. 



Although it rained nearly all day Sunday I 

 donned my mackintosh and attended church. 

 I found that Roseburg has its full complement 

 of little struggling churches. I have manv 

 times sadly considered the cranky ideas that 

 hold the different sects apart, and see how 

 hard it is for many of them to keep up re- 

 spectable appearances. In a<weak condition 

 they are conducted with about half the zeal 

 and vigor they should be. Why ! it is just 

 like dividing a rousing swarm of bees into a 

 dt zen nuclei just when the fields are white for 

 the harvest, and expect them to secure a honey 

 crop. If the dozen churches in Roseburg 

 would unite in one rousing body I have no 

 doubt they would be in a condition to soon 

 cast a strong swarm and establish another 

 church. Now, according to my notion, if the 

 Universalists would be a little less cranky on 

 the subject of tophet, the Adventists com- 

 promise a little on the seventh day, the Bap- 

 tists revise their irrigation scheme, all the 

 other isms ditto, and all come into the Con- 

 gregational Church, what a happy condition 

 of things that would be!'- From the light 



* Rambler's philosophizing on the need of uniting 

 denominations struck a respondent cord in rav make- 

 up; but when he suggested that thev should all be 

 called " Congregationalists " I smiled but loud. When 

 1 was a boy we had a political meeting at the school- 

 house, and' there was strong talk of abandoning polit- 

 ital parties entirely, and voting for good men. ■ Some- 

 body made a motion that, at least fo^ the time being, 

 and in our own locality, we let party drop entirely, 

 and come together as friends and neighbors. This 

 move had a hearty endorsement, and everybody be- 

 gan to look hopeful and happy. Finally a cranky 

 fellow, who always got things wrong, and generally 

 had more to say than anybody else, got up and mov- 



