20 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 1 



frames. When the honey is well sealed it 

 is cut out and packed in boxes. 



I anticipate that the words "cutout" 

 and "packed" might impress some persons 

 as describing laborious, troublesome, and te- 

 dious processes. In reality, however, they 

 are extremely simple. Special tools are 

 made for this purpose, cutters made to suit 

 the size of the box. One downward stroke 

 causes them to cut the comb on four sides 

 simultaneously to the exact right size, and 

 a special appliance permits it to place it in 

 the^box neatly. It is somewhat similar to 

 the process of making cakes by means of a 

 " cooky-cutter," which is universally adopt- 

 ed by the ladies, and as fast in operation. 

 This method even permits of honey being 

 taken from log hives; and if the comb is 

 nice, and honey of good quality, it can be 

 packed in the boxes and sold the same as 

 that from movable-frame hives. 



In considering the practical side of the 

 subject, the following questions might arise : 

 What would be the cost of this packing, and 

 isj^it profitable? With regard to the ex- 



labor of bees in the building-up of the combs. 

 My observations in this respect have always 

 shown that if nine half-depth frames are in- 

 serted into the supers of a ten-frame bee- 

 hive, they are built up and filled much fast- 

 er than if there had been 32 sections. In 

 the first instance about 45 lbs. of fancy hon- 

 ey are obtained: in the second case not more 

 than 32 lbs. of the same quality, while a 

 part of the sections become No. 2, and thus 

 further decreasing the yield and profit. 

 Every one knows well that the bees in su- 

 pers begin first to work on the middle 

 frames over the center of the brood-nest, 

 and that often when the middle frames are 

 fully built up the outside ones are but half 

 built out. Thus there is a possibility of 

 taking the honey from the middle frames 

 rather early, before there is a quantity of 

 new honey offered in the market. Then it 

 may be sold at a higher price. Here I beg 

 to call your attention to another fact: As I 

 said before, the bees begin to work and to fill 

 the frames from the center of the nest. 

 The capping over proceeds in the same f ash- 



FIG. 2.— COMB H( KEY PUT UP IN DE LUXE TIN BOXES. BOXES CLOSED. 



pense I may say that the cost of these fan- 

 cy-colored boxes in Russia, bought direct 

 from the manufacturers, would be in Amer- 

 ican money about four cents per pound. 



Granting that the packing of honey in 

 such boxes would come as high as four cents 

 on the average, and that in comparison 

 with the cost of the sections this process is 

 much more expensive, still this is far from 

 SMying that it would not be profitable to 

 adopt this style of packing. Is it not found 

 profitable to put up honey in glass jars, 

 which means an expense of 3 or 4 cents per 

 pound, or about 20 or 25 per cent of the cost 

 of the product ? Then againin, discussing the 

 question from the standpoint of profit the 

 subject sho51d be looked into more thor- 

 oughly. Here one must take into account 

 the very process of producing comb honey. 

 I do not think any reader will assert that 

 the bees work as fast in sections as they do 

 in large frames. The principal reason of 

 this is to be found in the hundreds of parti- 

 tions with which Americans relentlessly fill 

 their supers, which considerably enhance the 



ion. Those sides of the frames which are 

 located toward the center are sealed some- 

 what earlier than those disposed laterally in 

 the supers. Occasionally the yield suddenly 

 ceases; the consequence being that one side 

 of the comb sometimes remains not entirely 

 sealed. In packing' such comb honey in tin 

 boxes this does not present any difficulty to 

 the bee-keeper, there being no necessity to 

 wait until the comb is perfectly capped. 

 These one-sided combs can be packed in the 

 box m such manner that the fully sealed 

 side of the same will face upward while 

 the sides with the incompletely sealed cells 

 are turned down. In suggesting this I have 

 not the least intention of practicing any de- 

 ception on the buying public, but to show 

 that this method of putting up comb honey 

 permits of all combs, providing the flavor is 

 good, being sold as first quality, and at the 

 best price. 



Being interested in the condition of the 

 honey business in this country I was per- 

 mitted to vxTork for some time in the honey 

 department of The A. I. Root Co. Thanks 



