Published by The A. I. Root Co., Medina, Ohio 



H H Root Managing Editor E. R. Root, Editor A. L. Boyden, Advertising Manager 



A.' I. Root, Editor Home Department J. T. Calvert, Business Manager 



Entered at the Postoffice, Medina, Ohio, as second-class matter 



VOL. XLII. 



AUGUST 15, 1914 



NO. 16 



A Nd 



We call attention to a short article by A. 

 J. Plummer, in the Heads of Grain depart- 

 ment, in this issue, and our reply to the 

 same. See p. 648. We believe that Mr. 

 Plummer has struck on a good scheme, and 

 shall be glad to have our beekeeping friends 

 try it and report. 



Our Cover Picture 

 Our cover for this issue shows a corner 

 of the apiary of E. G. Ward, Christehurch, 

 N. Z. On page 637 is shown the group of 

 beekeepers at the Canterbury field meeting. 

 These conventions in the field, by the way, 

 are becoming more and more popular. We 

 have received so many photographs of meet- 

 ings of this kind that we propose using a 

 large number of them in our Oct. 1st issue, 

 making that issue almost a special field-day 

 number. As usual the New Zealand bee- 

 keepers are not one step behind. 



'ar mn 



A month: ago no one would have sup- 

 posed it possible for all Europe to be in- 

 volved in war; but such is the case at the 

 present writing. The modern war-ships, 

 rapid-fire gams, modern rifles with smokeless 

 powder, to say nothing of aerial war-ships, 

 will probably decide the issue, whatever that 

 is, in a comparatively short time. But in 

 the mean time the money market has been 

 tightening up, not only in Europe but m 

 this country. Banks have been putting out 

 their 60 days' notices, and this makes ready 

 money scarce. The effect of all this has 

 been to decrease prices on luxuries, and ad- 

 vance the cost of necessities. So far honey 

 can hardly be classed as a " necessity.'' It 

 belongs to the condiment class ; and while it 

 is a food of the very best kind, and while it 

 is cheaper than butter, and sometimes 



clieaper tlian sugar, it is, to a great extent, 

 a delicacy or luxury. During these troub- 

 lous times the public will buy necessities, 

 and cut out to some extent things it can get 

 along without. 



It is far from our purpose to howl calam- 

 ity, because we believe that, possibly before 

 next issue, our money scarcity will be over, 

 and that conditions will have resumed their 

 normal trend. The general effect, however, 

 will be to put a check on the upward trend 

 in prices on honey — possibly enough to off- 

 set the advance that would naturally come 

 from an advance in clover honey by reason 

 of its scarcity. 



Every One S 



The operation of the net-weight law is 

 going to be confusing to many small pro- 

 ducers. Then, again, there is a large class 

 who do not wish to bother with the intri- 

 cacies of the • net-weight law. All we can 

 say to these people is that they should seU 

 their honey locally, and make sure that it 

 is consumed locally. Do not delude your- 

 self by the notion that, after your honey is 

 sold out of the State, no one will know who 

 produced it. Your dealer will know; and if 

 he gets into trouble he will come back on 

 you. Better get into the band-wagon, and 

 mark your honey as it should be marked, 

 and thus be on the safe side. 



There is not much new to add. Our last 

 issue gave extended reports from the fields 

 from every part of the United States. In 

 fact, over a large part of the United States 

 clover was a failure. But there will be con- 

 siderable clover honey just the same. As 

 stated elsewhere, the shortage of the clover 

 crop will have a tendency to boost prices; 

 but the tightness of the money market as a 

 result of the war in Europe, which we re- 

 gard as only temporary, will probably offset 



