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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.. 



others. In the spring it was very weak, 

 but now it is nearly as strong as the 

 strongest, although I have divided it 

 once, and drawn several frames of brood 

 and honey, besides keeping it queenless 

 about two weeks. 



Sumac has been in bloom for several 

 weeks, and the bees keep busy on it 

 when the weather admits. There is a 

 great deal of sumac around here, and it 

 is spreading very fast. All that has to 

 be done to raise a patch of it, is to clear 

 off the ground — Nature does the rest. 

 The sumac will soon sprout up all over 

 the ground, and it will bloom when it is 

 two or three years old. Ed. Cdark. 



Nat, Ala., Aug. 17, 1892. 



When Should Honey lie Extracted ? 



Query 836.— When should combs ordinarily 

 be extracted— when just sealed over, partly 

 sealed, or when sealed for some time, in order 

 to get the largest financial returns ?— Illinois. 



When partly sealed. — E. France. 



When partly sealed. — Eugene Secor. 



When fairly well sealed. — A.B.Mason. 



When just sealed over. — L. Harrison. 



When sealed over, or partly sealed. — 

 J. P. H. Brown. 



Just after about all the cells are 

 sealed over. — C. H. Dibbern. 



It depends upon circumstances. Long 

 sealing is safe. — C. C. Miller. 



Combs are not sealed over until the 

 houey is ripe enough to extract. — J. E. 

 Pond. 



As soon as the honey is sufficiently 

 ripened ; honey does not always require 

 being sealed entire. — J. M. Hambaugh. 



It will depend upon, your method of 

 handling honey. I prefer to extract 

 when it is well capped over. — H. D. Cut- 

 ting. 



Extract when about one-third sealed, 

 and keep in open vessels in a warm 

 place for a short time. — Mrs. J. N. 

 Heater. 



The best honey comes from combs 

 long sealed over ; the best honey brings 

 the best prices, and gives stability to our 

 markets. — G. M. Doolittle. 



I prefer to extract when the combs are 

 just sealed over. I do not always wait 

 until all the cells are sealed, but I want 

 them ready to seal. — M. Mahin. 



The best way is to have plenty of 

 combs, so that you can leave the honey 

 in them until it is fully sealed and thor- 

 oughly ripened. — James A. Green. 



If the bees have plenty of comb room 

 in which to distribute their nectar for 

 evaporation, I prefer to remove the 

 combs when partly sealed. — R. L. Tay- 

 lor. 



Sealing has nothing to do with ripen- 

 ing. Extract when the honey has been 

 a week or more in the hive. It is then 

 probably ripe, whether sealed or not. — 

 Dadant & Son. 



Just as the bees commence to seal 

 them, I think. Circumstances might 

 make it more profitable to add extra 

 hives, and let them cap all ; and then 

 extract after the season was over. Each 

 person can best judge, as he knows how 

 his time is to be employed. — A. J. Cook. 



As the quality of extracted honey in 

 making sales must affect the " financial 

 returns," it is manifest that the honey 

 should be well ripened before extract- 

 ing. The best time is therefore soon 

 after the combs are sealed. — G. L. 

 Tinker. 



Much depends upon the season and 

 disposition of the bees, and much more 

 upon your system of management. For 

 20 years we have used shallow supers 

 and the tiering system, and when rightly 

 used " partly capped " is enough to war- 

 rant ripe, rich honey. — James Heddon. 



In order to get the most honey, better 

 extract when the bees begin to seal the 

 combs ; and I think in this locality the 

 largest financial returns are derived 

 from extracting almost as fast as the 

 bees fill the combs, for honey does not 

 always have to be capped here to be 

 ripe, as our bees often bring in thick, 

 ripe honey from the fields in dry sea- 

 sons. — Mrs. Jennie Atchley. 



If you have a good supply of combs to 

 give the bees full room to store honey 

 while they evaporate and seal that which 

 has been stored, you will save time and 

 labor by going over the yard not more 

 than twice to take the whole crop. And 

 then you will have an article that you 

 will be proud of. Honey that is taken 

 when thin and watery, no matter what 

 you do to it afterward, is little more 

 than syrup. It is an inferior stuff, that 

 ought not to be recognized as honey. — 

 G. W. Demaree. 



The main point to consider is, Should 

 the honey be extracted before it is ripe ? 

 The Bee Journal has always advised 

 bee-keepers never to extract honey until 

 it is ripe. When it has been gathered 

 8 or 10 days, it is safe to extract it, 

 whether it is capped or not, for it would 

 probably then be ripe. Ripe honey is 

 best, brings the best price, and will 

 therefore secure " the largest financial 

 returns. " — Editors. 



