646 



ably go down in history as one of the great- 

 est if not Ihe very greatest clover year ever 

 known. It Avill, therefore, be necessary for 

 all of us to get busy in getting honey intro- 

 duced, especially at this time, when com- 

 plaint is made that sugar is abnormally and 

 perhaps unnecessarily high. The producer 

 who will not take advantage of the situation 

 of the high price of sugar is losing the 

 opportunity of his life to introduce his 

 l^roduct to his neighbors. If it can once be 

 introduced into a family, its use will con- 

 tinue year after year. Don't miss the op- 

 portunitj' that may not come back again in 

 a decade. 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Those who are seeking to buy bees^ if 

 lured by low prices, should first ascertain 

 whether those prices cover a suitable guar- 

 antee of quality and delivery. To receive a 

 shipment of bees in eombless packages, a 

 third or a half of them dead, is making a 

 very poor delivery. Our experience shows 

 that when a third of them are dead a large 

 number more will die soon after putting 

 them in the hive. The prospective buyer 

 should find out exactly what the shipper 

 will do in the ease just cited. He will do a 

 whole lot more when he is seeking business, 

 and wants the cash, than after he has got 

 the cash in his pockets. Don't forget that. 



" Safe Arrival Guaranteed " 



This is a phrase that is used in advertis- 

 ing that too often does not mean what it 

 says. Worse yet, there are other times when 

 no guarantee of any sort is stated, and the 

 prices are made very low. 



A customer recently complained that an 

 advertiser sent him a nucleus containing 

 wormy combs, old-style and rotten frames, 

 and on top of it all the shipment arrived in 

 bad order. The customer complained, but 

 the shipper came back with the statement 

 that his prices were very low, and therefore 

 he could not afford to gaiarantee safe arri- 

 val nor replace the wormy combs. 



It is the usual custom, in the delivery of 

 bees and queens, to guarantee satisfaction 

 and safe arrival. This puts up to the ship- 

 per the responsibility of making a package 

 of bees that is up to a standard. If the 

 carrier is responsible for delay or breakage, 

 it should be up to the shipper to seek dam- 

 ages from the carrier. If the shipper does 

 not guarantee safe arrival it will make no 

 difference to him what kind of package he 

 us;:s; and, no matter in what condition the 

 bees arrive, he will come back with the 

 statement that " it was not my fault." This 

 is precisely what some are saying. 



Another year, if we know ourselves, ad- 

 vertisers for bees and- queens, in order to 

 get in our columns, must put up a guaran- 

 tee to meet certain specifications. Among 

 them shall be safe arrival, good stock, good 

 frames, good combs, from a yard free from 

 disease or hybrid stock, and everything as 

 represented. To ship hybrid bees' for Ital- 

 ians or to send bees out of a yard that has 

 foul brood, or to send bees two or three 

 weeks after the time promised, to send poor 

 or wormy combs — any and all of tliese 

 things aie a vexation, and lead to no end 

 of controversy in which the publisher is 

 involved sooner or later. 



Honey-crop Conditions and Prices 



Reports from the clover districts of the 

 United States continue to be favorable. 

 Clover honey at this writing, July 24, is 

 still coming in, in most places, and it ap- 

 pears as if the flow might hang on for some 

 days yet. While early in June we were 

 getting too much rain, and were hoping we 

 might have some dry weather, we are now 

 getting to the point where there is too much 

 of drouth, and we are now wishing for rain. 

 A survey of the government weather maps 

 shows there have been thunderstorms in 

 many localities that will give a new lease of 

 life to clover; but in most places a little 

 more rain would be very helpful. 



The reports show one, two, three, and 

 even four supers of clover honey already on 

 the hives, a:nd more coming in. Out of all 

 the letters received there is only one report 

 of failure. 



Clovei' seems to be yielding well, from 

 Maine to the Dakotas, and from the north- 

 ern states clear down to Tennessee. It be- 

 gan yielding in June, and in many localities 

 it will be furnishing some honey even up 

 to the first of August. This probably means 

 an enormous crop of clover honey. 



Late reports indicate that alfalfa areas 

 may not come up to their usual average; 

 but these reports are so meager that no 

 definite statement can as yet be made. 



The high price of sugar and the slight 

 shortage in the alfalfa regions may have a 

 tendency to hold up the prices on honey; 

 but the probabilities are they will be easier 

 than last year at this time. 



To help stem the tide of a possible and 

 probable drop in prices the A. I. Root 

 Company has entered on a vigorous cam- 

 paign of honey advertising. This will begin 

 at an early date and primarily is intended 

 ro stimulate a demand for honey and to 

 educate people to eat more honey. Now 



