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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Mar. 1 



very severe and hard test, going rapidly 

 from one extreme to the other, it gives us 

 an opportunity to get results in a very short 

 time. 



Well, we observe that ordinary good dry 

 lumber, eight inches wide, will come and go 

 from one extreme to the other from X to >^ 

 of an inch. For example, if a hive-cover 

 that is just right in Florida during the rainy 

 season were suddenly transferred to Colora- 

 do, under the dry hot sun, we might observe 

 that amount of come and go. 



The lesson of all this is the great impor- 

 tance of having our covers and bottoms so 

 constructed that the individual sections or 

 parts of them may shrink or swell without 

 tearing the combination apart. 



SHIPPING- CASES WITH CROSS - PARTITIONS 



OF CORRTJGATKD PAPER; A TIME 



TO WAKE UP. 



At both the Indianapolis and the Cincin- 

 nati conventions we emphasized the impor- 

 tance of larger and stronger comb-honey 

 shipping-cases — larger, to accommodate the 

 cross-partitions forming compartments for 

 each individual section; and stronger, to 

 stand the rough usage that shipments of 

 comb honey very often receive. It would 

 make an increased cost of, possibly, four or 

 five cents per case; but what is four or five 

 cents as compared with the contents, that 

 are worth anywhere from $3.00 to $5.00 per 

 case? Why should bee-keepers continue 

 the old policy of shipping fragile combs on 

 no-drip cleats in cases that are admittedly 

 too weak to stand the kind of treatment 

 that freight-handlers are now giving them? 

 Put the question squarely up to any bee- 

 keeper, and ask him whether he would not 

 be willing to insure the safe arrival of his 

 comb honey by the payment of 5 cts. per 

 case, and he will tell you every time that, if 

 he can get these cases, he would much ratli- 

 er prefer to pay the insurance rather than 

 to sustain a loss of, jwssibly, fifty times as 

 much, as a result of broken-down comb hon- 

 ey shipped in the regulation way. 



But the question maybe asked, "Why 

 do not the supply-dealer and manufacturer 

 ofTer these cases to the public?" Simply 

 because both the bee-keeper and the dealer 

 have been too slow to see the importance of 

 better cases for shipping honey. Now they 

 are beginning to wake up, and it is high 

 time too. 



At the Cincinnati convention we asked 

 Mr. Weber what had been his experience in 

 shipments of comb honey in the corrugated 

 paper cases with cross-partitions. "Very 

 satisfactory." Then what objection was 

 there to these paper cases? "Nothing," 

 saidihe, "except that they do not stand 

 rain or wet." He explained that it was al- 

 most impossible to keep shipments of comb 

 honey out of the rain en route from the 

 warehouse to the cars and from the cars to 

 warehouse again. Every now and then a 

 shipment of honey will get wet. If the 

 cases are made of wood, no great damage 



will be sustained; but if made of paper they 

 are liable to go to pieces. 



It was pointed out at both conventions 

 that a paper case would stand the punching 

 of a sharp instrument or of a sharp corner 

 better than a wooden case. The paper will 

 dent in, rather than cause a jar to the whole 

 case of sections. In this one respect the 

 corrugated-paper cases have the advantage 

 over the wooden ones that are not so yield- 

 ing. The paper cases have another advan- 

 tage in that the flaps bow outward, making 

 a sort of cushion or spring, and this further 

 protects the honey against jars or rough 

 handling. 



The supply-dealer and manufacturer will 

 be only too glad to furnish better and strong- 

 er cases when their customers ask for them. 

 It is passing strange that we have been con- 

 tent for years to ship our honey in these 

 frail cases, and have been pocketing our 

 losses year in and year out when we could 

 just as well have saved them. 



There, now, Mr. Beekeeper, if you want 

 better shipping-cases, and are willing to 

 pay more for them, go after your dealer. 

 He is bound to supply you what you want. 

 Comb honey is more easily broken and 

 spoiled than most articles in the fragile list; 

 and yet, in spite of its value, instead of be- 

 ing carefully packed, it is too often sent in 

 a plain solid box without being cushioned 

 in any way. 



"SWEETENING RAILROAD MEN;" A GOOD 

 SUGGESTION. 



A FEW days ago one of our old subscribers, 

 Mr. M. D. .Johnson, of Websier, la., gave 

 us a call. During the course of our conver- 

 sation regarding better methods of shipping 

 comb honey he remarked that he found it 

 paid, and paid well, to sweeten the railroad 

 men all along the line over which his comb 

 honey is shipped. For instance, occasion- 

 ally when the express train comes in he will 

 take over some nice samples of new comb 

 and extracted honey, and hand them out to 

 the expressmen with his compliments. He 

 does the same thing with the freight crew 

 when the freight-trams come in. " It takes 

 but very little honey," said he, "to sweeten 

 up many miles of road, and the effect is 

 magical. Why, I never have any break- 

 ages of comb honey, either by express or 

 freight, because I have a good stand-in with 

 the railroad men, and who, because they 

 like me, take particular pains with my hon- 

 ey." This is not a bribe, but it is a very 

 good way to get in close touch with men 

 who hold a considerable part of your prop- 

 erty in trust; and "instead of being offi- 

 cious, or too busy to see to anybody, they 

 always have a glad smile," said our sub- 

 scriber, and say, " What can 1 do for you?" 



This is a good tip to pass along to our 

 readers. It is worth trying. If it is good 

 policy to "sweeten" neighbor women on 

 wash days in the spring, why should it not 

 be equally so, if not more, to sweeten the 

 men who sometimes hold in their posses- 

 sion anywhere from a hundred to a thou- 



