skptembe:; i."), i9ig 



839 



articles are euergy-produeeis, and in many 

 cases honey is cheaper than sugai*. We 

 have ascertained that the United States dur- 

 ing the last fiscal year imported twice as 

 much honey as it has done during any pre- 

 vious year. 



When the war broke out in 1914 the 

 prices on medium grades of honey began to 

 sag until there was no demand. In the 

 meantime sugar began to climb. The war 

 lords of Europe, wlien it came to the mattei' 

 of rations, soon discovered that honey, an 

 energy-producer, was much cheaper than 

 sugar ("also an energy-producer), and con- 

 sequently honey has been going into the 

 trenches, and is going there still. Appar- 

 ently only the medium grades are being us- 

 ed, because they furnish as much energy 

 per pound as the finer and better-flavored 

 table honeys that cost as much or more than 

 sugar. 



Swarming Dependent on the Strength 

 of the Honey-flow 



Mr- J. A. Hebkrle^ in this issue, page 

 869, says: "It is generally knoAvn that 

 good honey years are poor swarm years," 

 and vice versa. "The same colony which 

 showed no swarming impulse in 1911 may 

 in 1912 swarm excessively." The relation 

 of swarming to the honey-flow may not be 

 as generally recognized in this country as 

 it is in Germany; but we believe that our 

 correspondent is right when he says that 

 good honey years are poor swarm years ; or, 

 rather, we would modify it this way: 

 When the honey-flow is light and continu- 

 ous, swarming is apt to be furious. When 

 the flow is heavy — so heavy, indeed, that the 

 queen is " honey-bound," swarming almost 

 entirely ceases. This matter has been prov- 

 en again and again, principally in the south- 

 ern states. In Texas, as a general thing, 

 swarming begins during the early part of 

 the season when the flow is light and inter- 

 mittent. As soon as the flow becomes 

 heavy, swarming almost entirely ceases. 



Years ago, in talking with the late W. Z. 

 Hutchinson on this point we compared 

 notes; and we finally concluded that the 

 same characteristics that show up so strong- 

 ly in Texas also show up in the northern 

 states when condit'ons are the same. Swarm- 

 ing, therefore, is not a matter of locality 

 but of conditions- 



Making Honey Sales for Cash Directly 

 at the Beeyard 



Mr. Pow'RRS, in this issue, page 849. lias 

 si ruck u|)on a novel scheme of pu(ti:ig a 



honev-sigii directly over an automobile high- 

 way where hundreds of cars are passing 

 dail}'. The scheme is as unique as it is ef- 

 fective. Automobile drivers have frequent- 

 ly noticed melons, peaches, and apples in 

 baskets on sale along the side of the road. 

 We know of a number of cases where fruit- 

 growers have sold their entire crops to pass- 

 ing cars. All that is necessary is to display 

 the fruit. 



Our basswood yard is located on an auto- 

 mobile higlnvay from Columbus to Cleve- 

 land. One of our young men, Mr. Arlie 

 Pritchard, whose apiary is in sight of the 

 road, has a honej^-sign on display and hon- 

 ey ready to hand out. He has sold hun- 

 dreds of pounds of honey to automobilists, 

 who are willing to pay a good fair price, 

 because they say this is real honey, and be- 

 cause they can see the bees and the hives. 



In this year of a large honey crop beekeep- 

 ers should utilize this means of selling hon- 

 ey right at home; and do not forget the 

 value of the advertising effect. One driver 

 will tell anotlier; and the result will be that 

 a regular trade will be established- The 

 good housewife and the children can do all 

 the work, and, besides, will have ready cash 

 in the house, and plenty of it. 



C. H. Bocock, the Isle of Wight Expert 

 and His Tentative Conclusions 



Tn" our issue for July 15, page 583, and 

 again in Aug. 15, page 711, we referred to 

 Mr. C. H. Bocock, of Newmarket, England, 

 a representative from the Board of Agri- 

 culture of Great Britain, who was here to 

 study bee paralysis and other diseasFs of 

 adult bees in the United States. In this is- 

 sue, page 851, we are glad to introduce him 

 more formally to our readers. He is evi- 

 dently a thorogoing beekeeper as well as 

 one who is familiar with the Isle of Wight 

 disease as found in Great Britain. If we 

 understand it, he came to this country at 

 his own expense in order that he might 

 determine whether there is a direct relation 

 between the adult bee diseases in Great Brit- 

 ain and the same disease or diseases that 

 have been showing themselves in various 

 parts of the United States for the last thi'ee 

 or four years. In the engraving Mr. Bo- 

 cock is seen leaning over one of the hives; 

 and if one could see him and shake bands 

 with him, he would find him to be a quiet 

 unassuming gentleman, a good beekeeper, 

 a scientist, and op.e familiar with the dis- 

 eases of bees. He left a ))leasant impres- 

 sion on (Uir American beekeepers, and goes 

 bark III bis own couiilry witli oiir brst 

 wishes. 



