242 



July, 1909. 



American l^ee Journal 



of the fraternity so universally popular 

 as just at .present. 



Unfortunately, certain apiarian pitbli- 

 cations claiming undiscriminating devo- 

 tion to the general subject of bee-cul- 

 ture, have, unconsciously no doubt, be- 

 come so deeply engrossed in this one 

 question that matter pertaining to other 

 no le.ss important interests have of late 

 been woefully lacking. To the comb- 

 honey contingent who are, if at all, but 

 casuallv interested in the lengthy dis- 

 cussion's relative to the production and 

 handling of extracted, such a journal 

 is both disappointing and tantalizing. 



From the perusal of such journals the 

 uninitiated are naturally led into the 

 fallacious belief that the production of 

 comb honey is always a matter of 

 unremunerative secondary importance, 

 which is chiefly responsible for so many 

 rushing precipitously into this already 

 fully occupied field. 



Plainly, this prevailing sentiment 

 against the production of section honey 

 is going shortly to affect materially 

 the supply, and, consequently, enhance 

 the market value of that commodity. 

 Comb honey is, unquestionably, destined 

 to become,' as never before, a delicacy 

 commanding a corresponding fancy 

 price. Bee-keepers equipped for the 

 business, if situated m a locality at all 

 suitable to the production of section 

 honey, will make no monumental mis- 

 take in sticking to it. 



Generally speaking, the production of 

 extracted necessitates the maintenance 

 of a series of expensive out-apiaries; 

 while with section honey the majority 

 of localities can be made to support in 

 one home yard a sufficient number of 

 colonies to suffice. 



In former years, when the honey 

 extractor was a comparatively new and 

 untried apiarian appliance, enormous 

 yields of green and inferior honey were 

 soinetimes secured by its agency, but 

 by present methods in which only thor- 

 oughly ripened and sealed honey is con- 

 sidered fit for extracting, very little 

 more is obtainable than when running 

 for comb. Twenty-five percent more 

 extracted than coinb should be a gen- 

 erous allowance for estimating the rela- 

 tive proportional amounts possible to 

 be produced of the two classes of honey, 

 and never more than 50 percent. 



In any market the disposal of section 

 honey is less difficult. Its market value 

 is considerably above that of extract- 

 ed, often double, and, occasionally, liq- 

 uid honey, as in our own case, can 

 scarcely be disposed of at any figure. 



Though no doubt it is possible to man- 

 age more easily a large number of colo- 

 nies when run for extracted, an addi- 

 tional number are required and out- 

 yards can be successfully managed for 

 section honey. 



The apiarist who is an expert in its 

 production might find the matter wor- 

 thy of the most careful consideration 

 before abandoning it for extracted. On 

 the other hand, there are, perhaps, lo- 

 calities in which one kind has, from a 

 financial point of view, slight advan- 

 tage over the other. In such a case the 

 question really becomes one of taste or 

 preference only. 



The kind one aims to produce, wheth- 

 er section or extracted, should be set- 



tled upon in the beginning. The hive 

 best adapted to producing one is gen- 

 erally more or less bunglesome for pro- 

 ducing the other. For extracted a 

 brood-chamber of no less than 10 or 12 

 Langstroth frame capacity is necessary 

 if one is to avoid too close robbing of 

 stores ; while one of 8-frame capacity 

 is admirably adapted to the production 

 of section honey. Occasionally it may 

 be found advisable to produce both in 

 the same yard, but not ordinarily. 



Recently considerable has appeared 

 in these columns to the effect that comb 

 honey, if not actually injurious must, 

 on account of the indigestible beeswax 

 it contains, be, as an article of diet, 

 less desirable than that in the liquid 

 form. Contrary to such a view, the 

 very fact that such wax is indigestible 

 is precisely the reason for the superior- 

 ity of comb honey. 



The frail and delicate comb into which 

 commercial honey is stored is, when 

 properly masticated and mixed with 

 other food, reduced to small and in- 

 numerable particles. Though, of course, 

 the wax is absolutely unassimilable, each 

 of these tiny particles surrounds itself 

 in passing through the digestive appara- 

 tus with a bit of the filth deposited by 

 the decay of other foods which are di- 

 gestible, thus removing poison froth the 

 body. 



Comb honev might also, in cases of 

 chronic constipation, sometimes be con- 

 sidered in one sense laxative. This is 

 not at all because it is in any manner 

 an irritant ; but rather because it cleans 

 and tones up the digestive machinery, 

 thus putting it in a condition properly 

 to perform its natural functions. 



There is probably nothing which will 

 give one so clean and delightful a sense 

 of healthfulness as will a diet composed 

 plentifully of comb honey. The nearest 

 approach to it would be torn-bread in 

 which the meal has not been closely 

 bolted. In both instances beneficial re- 

 sults are derived from the identical 

 source — unassimilable matter. 



Ft. Smith, Ark. 



Selling Honey Direct to the 

 Consumer 



BY G. C. GREINER. 



After the honey-producer has suc- 

 ceeded by intelligent management and 

 persistent hard labor in getting a crop, 

 the next question. How to dispose of 

 it in a profitable manner, has to be 

 decided. If he fails in this, all his 

 efforts to make bee-keeping pay, will 

 prove a delusion. 



The question. Does it pay to sell 

 direct to the consumer? all depends 

 upon circumstances ; if he favors that 

 part of the business, it certainly does, 

 but, if not, it may be advisable to let 

 others take it upon their shoulders to 

 see to the retailing of our products. 



Years ago, when I was living on a 

 farm some 120 miles east of my pres- 

 ent location, I had to send all my honey 

 (section honey, which I produced then 

 exclusively) to the city markets, de- 

 pending entirely upon the discretion and 

 generosity of the commission firms. 

 Conditions were against me to manage 



my own retail trade. Being engaged 

 every minute when I could leave the 

 bees, I had not the time to peddle 

 honey, and, if I had had, it would have 

 been a rather lengthy job. My sur- 

 roundings were comparatively sparsely 

 settled, and being a rural district many 

 of the farmers kept bees of their own, 

 not only to supply their own wants, 

 but in some cases to give and sell to 

 their neighbors. 



On this account no regular market 

 price for honey could be maintained. 

 Farmers in general were not informed 

 on the country's honey-trade ; they 

 would offer what little they had to sell, 

 below the price the dealer would ask, 

 and, in fact, take anything they could 

 get. Under such conditions, a peddler 

 could not obtain living prices. 



The nearest villages, and small ones 

 at that, were from 6 to 8 miles dis- 

 tant, and even there only an occasional 

 sale of a case of 24 sections, seldom 

 more, could be made. 



To sell a load of honey I would have 

 been compelled to drive many miles, 

 taking me so far frotn home that I 

 could not have reached my own prem- 

 ises for my night's feed and lodging, 

 adding another expense for board to 

 the already unprofitable venture. Be- 

 ing thus situated I was compelled to 

 pack my honey, send it to the city, and 

 take whatever I could get for it. 



Things are very different now. Makr 

 ing the production and sale of honey 

 my main business. I have the time to 

 be my own retailer. My present loca- 

 tion is in or near the thickly settled 

 portion of Niagara Falls industrial dis- 

 trict. The city tuarket is about 5 miles 

 from my place of business, on a good, 

 level road, easy to travel summer or 

 winter. By starting out early in the 

 morning, I can make this trip both 

 ways, sell and deliver my honey, and 

 take my dinner at hoiue a little after 

 noon. 



For years I have made it a point to 

 be on the market once a week. ThrougTi 

 strictly honest dealing, offering for sale 

 a genuine, pure article only, I have built 

 up. I am proud to say, an unquestion- 

 able reputation, so that my rig alone, 

 when it appears on the market, is taken 

 as a guarantee for pure honey. I will 

 say right here that I produce now ex- 

 tracted honey almost exclusively, for 

 the very reason that a large portion 

 of my customers prefer it. I make 

 about four sales of this to one of comb 

 honey, and as my honey is all put up in 

 regular pint and quart Mason cans, 

 which can be used for canning after 

 the honey is taken out, my goods are 

 desired and called for. It is an easy 

 matter to make sales if you have to sell 

 what others wish to buy. 



Outside of my weekly market trips 

 I have several routes in other direc- 

 tions, which I supply, to use a phrase, 

 "between meals." Being obliged to go 

 from house to house and farther to 

 travel, it takes me a little longer to 

 make the circuit, but I always get home 

 for my night's lodging in good season. 

 In summing up the financial part of 

 the question. I find these facts : When 

 I shipped to the city markets, my fancy 

 and No. i white clover and bassvvood 

 honey sold generally for about 15 cents 

 per pound, leaving me, after deduct- 



