190 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



have simply handled it for them, and I 

 believe in either case it has been to 

 their entire satisfaction. I find it not 

 only safer (against breakage") to ship 

 in large lots, but, by having our crop 

 handled by as few commission men as 

 lK).ssil)le, tends, I believe, to keep the 

 price up. I have always shipped my 

 honey to commission men and I have 

 no fault to find with any of them, as I 

 believe they all try to do the very best 

 they can— if let alone by the produc- 

 ers. 



3. As to the best month in the year 

 to ship I will say that my experience 

 teaches me that the last of September 

 to the middle of October is about the 

 best time to ship comb-honey, because 

 at this season the markets are nearly 

 clear of small fruits, and honey seems 

 to take their place better than anything 

 else, and besides, the weather at this 

 time of the year seems to be more 

 suitable for the shipping of comb- 

 honey than waimer or colder weather. 



The time has arrived when, in order 

 to find a ready sale and realize a good 

 price for our honey, we must have it 

 put up in attractive shape. 



My method is to use none but pound 

 section-boxes, and, before shipping, 

 the sections are nicely cleaned of all 

 propolis, after which either wood or 

 glass sides are put on to protect tlie 

 honey. The honey is all assorted and 

 I usually have three grades, first, sec- 

 ond and third, each grade packed by 

 itself and sold under difi*erent trade 

 marks. This I find advantageous, be- 

 cause if there is one section of the 

 third grade put into a crate where the 

 others are all first grade and marked 

 as first grade, this one section will 

 lower the price of all the first grade* 

 in that particular crate down to the 

 price of the third grade; therefore we 

 should all grade our honey very closely. 

 To illustrate : last year I allowed some 

 of my help to assist me in grading my 

 honey, and as they were not as partic- 

 ular as they ought to have been I lost 

 money by it, besides receiving during 

 the winter some letters that were not 

 altogether pleasing to me. 



I find that to suit the market best 

 our honey should be crated in nice, 

 clean, well-made crates, holding twenty 

 1-lb. sections and should not weigh 

 over twenty pounds net and even a 

 little less than twenty pounds seems 

 to suit better. On one end of each 

 crate should be marked with a stencil 

 plate ilie number of boxes it contains, 

 also the net weight and the initials of 

 the shipper. 



Therefore, to sum up my answer to 

 the above questions is : to sell at home, 

 if possible, even at one or two cents 

 per pound less than it would sell for 

 in large markets, as it costs from one 

 to two cents per pound to ship and 

 pay commission. 



2. Get your honey in as attractive 

 shape as possible, and if to be sent to 

 market ship it during September or 

 October. 



DOUBLE-WALLKD HIVKS. 



1. What advantages has the double- 

 wall hive over the single wall, taking 

 into consideration the entire j^ear? 



'I. Do you not find in the end, the 

 former much the cheaper and better if 

 bees are to be wintered upon the sum- 

 mer stands. 



Beekkepek. 



ANSWERS BY D. D. MAKSII. 



1. A single- wall hive is very good 

 during the summer months, but it must 

 be shaded from the hot sun, and it 

 must be packed for winter. A double- 

 wall hive is complete at the outset, 

 having protection from exti'eme heat 

 and cold in itself. If bees are wintered 

 out of doors, it requires no extra 

 packing in the fall ; and not being so 

 easily warmed by the sun, the bees are 

 not tempted out on unsuitable winter 

 days. 1 prefer a brood chamber set 

 loosely within an outer case; then it 

 may be filled in between with chaff", or 

 in this climate left without any pack- 

 ing between the outer and inner case. 

 The outer case may be set aside in the 

 summer if one wants a single-wall hive, 

 though I prefer a double-wall hive all 

 the year. I am convinced it helps 

 honey capping and comb-making dur- 

 ing cool nights in summer. 



My hives are all double- wall, and I 

 like them better and better. Mr. Alley 

 has invented a double-wall hive which 

 is reversible and which exactly fills the 

 bill. 



While Heddon puts a set of closed- 

 end frames inside of a brood-chamber 

 without any bee-space between, Alle}^ 

 lets the ends of the frames serve as the 

 ends of the brood-chamber, and closes 

 the sides with boards clamped on with 

 thumb-screws. Thus Alley's is simpler 

 and attains the same objects. 



2. A double-wall hive may be a little 

 more costly at first, but if one expects 

 to winter his bees out-doors, it is the 

 cheapest in the end. 



