The American Apiculturist 



% lournal titbaitb io Bcmxtt^t anb ^rattkal '§nht]^xnQ, 



ENTERED AT THE POST-OFFICE, SALEM, AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER. 



Published ^Monthly. S. M. Locke, Publisher & Prop'r 



VOL. I. 



SALEM, MASS., OCTOBER, 1883. 



No. 6. 



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PLAIN TALKS OJ^ BEE 

 CULTURE. 



By J. E. Pond, jr. 



VI. 



USE OF SEPARATORS. 



So long as we work for comb 

 honey in small sections, just so 

 long must we use some means, by 

 wliich our honey can be capped in 

 shape to crate. I am well aware 

 that the use of separators detracts 

 somewhat from the amount of hon- 

 e^' deposited, but this affects the 

 crop more when the yield is light 

 than it does when the bees are 

 gathering rapidly. As it is claimed, 

 and I am inclined to admit the 

 claim, the separators as now used 

 prevent large clusters forming in 

 the sections, and thus are the 

 means of preventing the requisite 

 amount of heat necessary for 

 speed}' comb building to be kept up. 

 16 



I am of the opinion that this can 

 be remedied to a certain extent by 

 warmly blanketing the crates at 

 night, or during a cold spell ; this 

 will serve to retain the heat, and 

 be of benefit for that reason. Per- 

 haps it will be well to use separa- 

 tors when honey is coming in 

 rapidly, and remove them when the 

 yield slackens. I think it will be 

 well to test this matter and that of 

 blanketing thoroughly. 



SHALL WE GLASS ODR HONEY? 



The question of glassing honey 

 will depend altogether upon the 

 requirements of the particular mar- 

 ket in which it is offered, or the 

 opinions of the dealers in case 

 they cater to more than the local 

 buyers. It has been considered a 

 necessity as a rule to glass boxes 

 containing over two pounds ; but 

 this has been a matter of taste to 

 a certain extent, and will always 

 remain so. Retail buyers or con- 

 sumers may and probably will ob- 

 ject to glass on small sections, 

 especially if they have to pay for 

 the glass by weight; and then 

 again there is but little necessity 

 for glassing sections containing 

 one pound or less, as such can 

 easily be crated in two or even four 

 dozen crates so safely as to bear 

 transportation almost any distance. 

 (121) 



