904 



a big profit ; but that day has passed. When 

 Uncle Sam put out tlie ruling that comb 

 honey would hereafter have to be soldat its 

 actual or minimum net weight, exclusive of 

 its container, sections, carton, or glass, it 

 eliminated the glass and put cartons to the 



A correspondent from Buffalo writes us 

 that he has about 3000 lbs. of the last year s 

 crop of comb honey, glassed on both sides. 

 He has been trying to find a buyer for it, 

 and he appears to be willing to take any 

 kind of offer. He says it is all New York 

 state comb honey, but apparently nobody 

 wants it. He has been to gi'eat expense in 

 putting it up in glass, and now he must sell 

 it, if he sells it at all, at the mere price of 

 the comb exclusive of the weight of the 

 section and glass. 



We cautioned our readers against putting 

 up comb honey in glass, at the time the new 

 ruling went into effect ; but apparently some 

 of the beekeepers of the state did not see it ; 

 or if they did they did not see the point- 

 namely, that glass cannot be sold any more 

 at the price of comb honey. 



In this connection it is interesting to 

 observe that cartoned honey is becoming 

 more and more popular. Cartons are in- 

 expensive. They protect the section as well 

 as the comb honey, and practically eliminate 

 broken comb honey during shipment, be- 

 cause they cushion the delicate combs m 

 such a way that they absorb the shocks and 

 jars incident to transportation. Moreover, 

 they are more sanitary. Some cities have 

 already passed ordinances requiring all 

 packages of food to be sealed, away from 

 flies and dust. ' Tis well. 



Extension Work in the South; In- 

 creased Appropriation for Bee Cul- 

 ture in Washington 



The members of the National Beekeepers' 

 Association will remember that a committee 

 of two, consisting of Mr. Frank C. Pellett, 

 of Iowa, and E, R.. Root, of Ohio, were 

 appointed to see what they could do toward 

 securing an additional appropriation for 

 apiculture in the Bureau of Entomology, 

 Washington, D. C. Both Mr. Pellett and 

 Mr. Root appeared before the Agricultural 

 Committee. Altho they did not secure as 

 large an appropriation as they hoped, they 

 did succeed in getting an increase of $5000. 

 While there was some opposition on the 

 floor of the House, CongTessman Leaver, 

 chairman of the committee, and Congress- 

 man Anderson, an influential member of the 

 committee, put it thru, 



(5-LEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



This increase of $5000 makes a total 

 appropriation for apiculture of $25,000. 

 As to how the $5000 increase is to be used 

 will be explained in a letter from Dr. Phil- 

 lips from the Bureau, which follows : 



Mr. E. E. Eoot: — You may be interested 

 in learning that the present agricultural ap- 

 propriation bill carries an increase of $5000 

 for the work in beekeeping in this Bureau. 

 It is proposed using this fund to inaugurate 

 extension and demonstration work in bee- 

 keeping in the southern states, similar to the 

 work done by Mr. E. G. Carr for this Bureau 

 last year in North Carolina. Arrangements 

 have already been completed for the continu- 

 ance of the work in North Carolina, in co- 

 operation with the North Carolina Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, and Mr. George H. 

 Eea, former inspector of apiaries of Pennsyl- 

 vania, has gone to Ealeigh to begin work. 

 Negotiations are under way for similar work 

 in another southern state, concerning which 

 announcement will be made later. A third 

 man is to be employed to do work of a more 

 general character thruout the South, in 

 co-operation with the Office of Extension 

 Work in the South of this Department. In 

 all cases the men employed are to work in 

 close co-operation with the County Agricul- 

 tural Agents. 



The southern states offer great opportunity 

 for beekeeping, and much interest has been 

 shown in this work. There are no sections 

 of the country where there are more bees, 

 altho many of them receive inadequate care. 

 An interesting fact is that the South now 

 consumes almost all of its own honey, and 

 buys some from other sections of the country. 

 For these and many other reasons, it has 

 seemed best to confine this work for the 

 present to the southern states. 



E. F. Phillips, Apiculturist. 



Beekeeping in the South, in many por- 

 tions, is in the box-hive or log-gum stage. 

 While it is true that there are many good 

 beekeepers there — some of the very best in 

 the country — there are thousands and thou- 

 sands who are keeping bees in the old-fash- 

 ioned way. The bee-moth kills off a large 

 number of the colonies, and bee disease is 

 just making a start. Extension workers 

 are already in the South, and it is now pro- 

 posed to send experts to enlighten these 

 extension workers so that they in turn can 

 show these log-gum beekeepers how to keep 

 bees, and at the same time vastly increase 

 the yield per colony. 



While the present appropriation for the 

 work is only a drop in the bucket, it will 

 mean a good start. The Southland has 

 wonderful possibilities in the way of honey 

 production; and as soon as its beekeepers 

 are taught modern methods of honey pro- 

 duction, the resources of these states will 

 be vastly increased. 



