1298 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15 



general thing, you will be better satisfied 

 with the result. 



Another impoi'tant pait is, don't try to 

 sell your honey for more than it is worth in 

 the common markets. Here many make 

 mistakes. Some years ago we made this 

 mistake, and lost a customer who had for 

 several years bought quite a large amount. 

 This time he paid us one-fourth cent per 

 pound more for nearly five tons than he 

 could get for it, losing about $25.00 therebj% 

 where he expected to make that amount. 

 and we lost a customer who at that time 

 was worth nearly as much annvially to us. 

 If you can sell your crop in a small retail 

 way I can see no reason why you should not 

 have the same price as any other retailer. 

 But when you sell in large quantities to par- 

 ties who sell to those who have to retail it 

 out in small packages, then remember that 

 they must have a margin of profit to induce 

 them to invest their money in it. This mat- 

 ter of holding a customer is well worth our 

 (consideration. 



No man in business can afford to lose one 

 if he can help it. Since we have given this 

 part of our business especial attention we 

 have had no trouble in selling our honey at a 

 fair price early in the season. We think 

 this a better way, and have the money soon 

 on interest, than to hang on trying to squeeze 

 out the last cent from a dealer who will nev- 

 er buy from you again if he can help it. I 

 always like to have a pleased customer, for 

 such are sure to buy another year. We have 

 Ijeen censured many times l^y some honey- 

 producers for selling our honey at the price 

 we do; but I like to see the summer work 

 all finished up before l^ad weather comes, 

 and know that every thing is prepared for 

 winter; then we can turn our attention to 

 other matters for a few months. 



During this winter season is a fine time to 

 visit distant friends and make our plans for 

 the coming summer. I think it does man 

 good to have a rest from hard labor and 

 mental anxiety. In natural law nearly every 

 thing has a rest during part of the year ex- 

 cept poor man, and he toils on until the 

 worn-out body is lowered into the grave. 

 But I will stop my sermonizing, and call 

 your attention to another part of our busi- 

 ness. 



It is the caring for the cappings when ex- 

 tracting. I see many recommend rinsing 

 them so as to save, the honey that will not 

 drain out, and then make this sweet water 

 into vinegar. I used to try this plan, but I 

 (tould never make a vinegar, but that had an 

 unpleasant odor and taste, and was nowhere 

 when compared to cider vinegar. Then 

 later we used to let the bees clean them up; 

 l)ut this had its bad features, and we were 

 glad to adopt the following way of handling 

 them: We now use an old honey-extractor 

 with the Imskets and reel taken out for an 

 uncapping-can. We put in the bottom a 

 sci'een of coarse open wire cloth for the 

 honey to drain through, which keeps the 

 cappings back while the honey goes out at 

 the open faucet into the same pipe that con- 



veys our honey from the extractor to the 

 tanks. When this can is full we empty the 

 cappings into a tight barrel and set them 

 away until spring; then when we wish to 

 feed our bees we turn boiling water on to 

 these cappings until they are melted, and the 

 wax rises to the top, which we remove, and 

 then use the sweetened water to feed. Some- 

 times we add a little granulated sugar if we 

 have used water rather freely, and it makes 

 the finest feed to stimulate early breeding 

 that we ever tried. In this way you save 

 every bit of the honey from the cappings. 

 with but very little trouble. I think if you 

 will try this another season you will never 

 again set out your cappings for your bees 

 and your neighljors' bees to clean up, nor go 

 to the trouble of making (to my mind) a very 

 po(n- substitute for vinegar. I will admit 

 that honey vinegar is sour enough, but I for 

 one can not go that unpleasant taste. 



Still another subject I wish to speak of is 

 this: During those cold stormy days of win- 

 ter, when time hangs heavy on your hands, 

 and especially winter evenings, get out a lot 

 of those old back numbers of bee-journals 

 and look them over. You will be surprised 

 to see how many good ideas you can pick up 

 from them, especially the summer numbers 

 that came when you were so hurried about 

 your work that you hardly took the neces- 

 sary time to read them, and still less time to 

 remember and put those good points into 

 practice. To sum it all up in a few words, 

 don't waste any time in worrying about good 

 or bad luc^k, but put yourself at the head of 

 your liusiness and realize that it is according 

 to your skill and intellect that you either 

 succeed or fail. 



Delanson, N. Y. 



[The method of disposing of the dripping 

 cappings is excellent. I do not remember 

 that it has been given before. 



The advice to sell the honey as soon as 

 the market is ready for it is also good. Too 

 bad that there are so many who either don't 

 believe it, or else are so dilatory that they 

 put off getting their honey to market until it 

 is too late to get a good price. — Ed.] 



BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 



Doiible-Avalled Hives ; Storm-iloors : Grad- 

 ing Sections. 



BY E. E. WAITE. 



I have written you once or twicie before, 

 regarding l)ee-keeping in this section of the 

 country on a small scale. Thei'e are a good 

 many people here who keep only a few bees, 

 and many things that apply to the profes- 

 sional don't hit the small fellow. So any 

 thing that I may say is in reference to the 

 small bee-keeper who " raises " comb honey. 



In regard to wintering in this section, 

 while most folks use the single-walled hive 

 improtected. with very good success, I think 

 the double-walled hive more than pays the 

 difference in cost. 



