1899 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



857 



want. Some 2000 copies out of 5000 have al- 

 ready been sold. I understand that Prof. 

 Cook is about to get out a new edition of his 

 work. The progress of our industry is so rap- 

 id that there is an eager demand for all that is 

 new and useful. If there is any class of peo- 

 ple in this world who like to keep up with the 

 times it is the bee-keepers. Box hives and 

 straw skeps please them not. They must have 

 the very latest. 



PACKING FOR OUTDOOR WINTERING. 

 A GOOD many questions are asked by our 

 subscribers as to what kind of packing is best 

 for outdoor wintering. We formerly thought 

 there was nothing equal to good dry wheat 

 chaff. While this is perhaps the best, it is not 

 always available. We have used with equally 

 good results common shavings such as one can 

 get at the planing-mill. Dry forest leaves, if 

 enough of them are used, are also good. Saw- 

 dust and clover chaff make a packing mate- 

 rial a little heavy, and is liable to become pret- 

 ty damp in the spring, and too moist for the 

 cluster. The best packing material is that 

 which is loose enough so the air can pass 

 through it, carrying with it the moisture. 



A LIGHT YEAR FOR THE SUPPLY-DEALERS. 

 The heavy losses last winier, and the almost 

 entire failure of the honey crop in the majori- 

 ty of localities in the United States, will make 

 a very light harvest for the supply manufac- 

 turers of the country next season. The win- 

 ter losses on the one hand, and the inroads of 

 foul brood, pickled brood, and other kinds of 

 diseased brood in some localities, have dis- 

 couraged many bee-keepers; and, as a conse- 

 quence, they have either gone out of the busi- 

 ness or expect to go out. Where the honey 

 failed, of course the supplies of the previous 

 season are still on hand. We are of the opin- 

 ion here at the Home of the Honey-bees that 

 the dealer will have to take things a little easy 

 next season. 



"THE PROPER PLACE FOR OUEEN-CELLS." 

 In the Department of Criticism, in the Bee- 

 keepers' Review, I find the following: 



Dr. Miller suspects that having the cells (Doolittle 

 cells) between two combs with young larv;e is an im- 

 portant point. The editor (Gleanings, 529) answers 

 that it is quite important. I wish to ask why — that is, 

 why, if the colony is strong enough to rear good 

 queens? 



If Mr. Taylor will turn back to page 510 of 

 Gleanings he will see that I did not say the 

 colonies in question were strong, but that one 

 of them was a weak seven framer, and the 

 cells were reared in Aprd. Regarding the 

 other, I did not state definitely whether the 

 colony was strong or not; but in the fore part 

 of the article I spoke of the fact that many of 

 our colonies were weak from winter losses. 

 For that reason cell-building needed a little 

 coaxing by putting frames of unsealed larvae 

 on each side. The object of the larvae is to 

 draw on a large force of bees, and thus give 

 the cells all the advantages of animal heat in 

 abundance, and a plenty of nurses right on 

 the spot to do the work. That good queens 



may be reared without combs or larvae on each 

 side is true; but we have learned by experience 

 (and our experience is quite extended) that 

 we get better results from such coaxing, even 

 with " a colony strong enough to rear good 

 queens." 



THE WIRE-CAGE PLAN OF INTRODUCING. 



The editor of the Review, referring to the 

 method of introducing queens by caging 

 against the side of the comb, and of Mr. Laps- 

 ley's failure to make the plan work, as report- 

 ed in Gleanings, emphasizes particularly the 

 point that " the comb selected should be old 

 tough brood- comb, and filled with just-hatch- 

 ing brood instead of sealed honey. If a few 

 of the cells contain unsealed honey, no harm 

 is done — in fact, it seems to be better. ' ' There 

 is a right and a wrong way in carrying out any 

 good method; and I have not a doubt, in my 

 own mind, but this, when properly carried 

 out, is one of the most reliable known; al- 

 though I think we use with equally good re- 

 sults the Benton cage with pasteboard tacked 

 over the candy end, compelling the bees to 

 eat away the pasteboard. This method is much 

 more convenient of application, and is more 

 likely to give better results in the hands of 

 begi nners. 



HONEY COMMISSION MEN — HILDRETH & SE- 

 GELKEN. 

 AT the Philadelphia convention a good deal 

 was said in regard to the policy of selling hon- 

 ey on commission. Some firms were "hauled 

 over the coals," but I believe none of our late 

 advertisers. One firm in particular was spo- 

 ken of in the highest terms, and that was 

 Hildreth & Segelken. Mr. Segelken, now the 

 senior member and manager of the concern, 

 has been connected with the honey business 

 for the last eighteen years; and during all this 

 time, so far as I know, he has left a good 

 record — one of which he ma) 7 well be proud. 

 He commenced with the house of H. K. & F. 

 B. Thurber & Co., then the largest grocery 

 house in the country, taking the humble posi- 

 tion of porter in their honey department. When 

 the manager of the department left the house, 

 the firm tendered the position to Mr. Segelken, 

 which position he held for five or six years. 

 He was then with F. G. Strohrneyer & Co. for 

 a year or so; and finally, thinking it was time 

 for him to " hang out his own shingle," as he 

 says, he became a partner in the firm of Hil- 

 dreth Brothers & Segelken. Although the 

 business was small at first, it continued to 

 grow until the present firm of Hildreth & Se- 

 gelken are among the largest handlers of hon- 

 ey in the world. Indeed, if I am correct they 

 are the only commission house who make hon- 

 ey their principal business, and on their sta- 

 tionery may be seen the word "Honey" 

 standing out in bold white letters. Mr. Se- 

 gelken says he noticed in the Review and 

 Gleanings that he is quoted as saying that the 

 New York market finds no trouble in dispos- 

 ing of 60,000,000 lbs. of honey annually. 

 While he admits that New York is the great 

 honey market of the country, yet he says no 

 such amount could be handled in any one 



