MARCH 15, 1916 



235 



friend Latham that comb honey can be sent 

 successfully by mail. Whethex' it can be 

 done in a commercially successful way is 

 another question. 



First of all, the section — one of the four- 

 beeway variety used by friend Latham — 

 was carefully wrapped in a good grade of 

 paraffined paper. This was then placed in 

 a comb-honey carton, the same having a lot 

 of attractive advertising printed on it. Then 

 on each side of the carton there was placed 

 blocks of a scant half-inch in thickness and 

 of the exact size of the carton. This was 

 carefully wi-apped with three thicknesses of 

 rather light-gi'ade brown paper, and then 

 around this was placed excelsior averaging 

 probablj' two inches thick when not com- 

 pressed. Outside of this again was the last 

 wrajoping, consisting of two or three thick- 

 nesses of heavy wrapping paper, all secure- 

 ly tied with heavy cord. This rather lengthy 

 description of the package may make it 

 appear to be a difficult job thus to prepare 

 a section, but I can believe Mr. Latham, 

 that, after wrapjDing a few, the job would 

 be an easy one. As to cost of sending honey 

 this way, of course that is the great prob- 

 lem standing between the producer and the 

 buyer of honey by mail. I regret that I 

 forgot to weigh the package, but Mr. La- 

 tham tells me that 7 cts. postage will carry it 

 inside first two zones, so any one interested 

 can readily tell what the weight would be 

 approximately by referring to the schedule 

 of rates. In sending it to my address, thir- 

 ty-six cents in stamps were affixed. Pack- 

 age did not go to custom-office, so possibly 

 that was partly duty charges. At any rate, 

 that was the most expensive section of 

 honey that our family ever ate, altho it real- 

 ly cost us nothing, and I am still wondering 

 bow to get even with friend Latham. As 

 before mentioned, the section was perfect in 

 every way, and if he can produce honey like 

 that without using separators, then I do not 

 blame him in the least for not using them 

 at all. The four-beewav section at first 



glance does not appeal to me, but then I 

 am not a comb-honey producer; so com- 

 ments in that line from me are of no value. 

 Even if Allan Latham can produce sectioxi 

 hone}' without sej^arators like the sample 

 sent me, do not forget that all comb-honey 

 men are not " Allan Lathams. That factor 

 will, in my mind, pretty well dissipate all 

 ideas of having the bulk of our comb-honey 

 men produce unseparatored honey. The 

 same argument holds good in the matter 

 of sending comb honey by mail. Friend Ij. 

 says he never expects to send out honey that 

 way to any great extent, but often parties 

 wish liim to send some friend a section, and 

 for that purpose it is rather nice to be able 

 to send honey by mail successfully. But 

 many might try to send honey by mail and 

 not take the elaborate care to prevent acci- 

 dent that he does, and then there would be 

 trouble. 



Markham, Ont. 



[In the course of a year we receive a 

 good many glass photographic negatives 

 by mail. Probably three out of four are 

 broken when they reach us. A pane of 

 glass eight by ten inches, or even one only 

 five by seven inches, is easily broken. About 

 the only safe way to send such a negative 

 is to wrap it in several thicknesses of soft 

 paper, and then in heavier paper, finally 

 placing the package inside a strong flat box. 



What is true of pieces of glass is true 

 also of comb honey. An egg is hardly as 

 fragile as a piece of comb honey, and yet 

 quite a number of beekeepers, desiring to 

 experiment, have merely wrapped the hon- 

 ey, and then enclosed it in a pasteboard 

 box. Such a package is not fit for the mails. 



Mr. Latham's plan is safe, but the ex- 

 pense will probably be in the way of ship- 

 ping comb honey by parcel post in a com- 

 mercial way. If the cost of the packing 

 material and labor amounts to three cents it 

 would cost ten cents, therefore, to mail a 

 section to the second zone. — Ed.] 



BEES DRIFTING; CAUSE AND PREVENTION 



BY G. C. GREINER 



Since the subject of bees drifting has 

 been occasionally m.entioned by some of 

 our most prominent beekeepers I have at 

 different times tried to make such observa- 

 tion as would explain its prevailing condi- 

 tions. Many times have I watched the flight 

 and general behavior of the bees, sometimes 

 standing in front of the yard oi' at other 



times lying on the lawn in front of certain 

 hives. 



It seems that there are two main causes 

 that produce this undesirable feature : First, 

 abnormal excitement ; second, location of 

 home insufficiently marked. But as the 

 first is really the cause of the second, ther'^ 

 is only one cause, the second, the actual 



