1898. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



453 



difficulties than at present ; aud we are not surprised that 

 they have changed less than other animal life under domesti- 

 cation ; but now with the Improvements of the last 50 years, 

 and the liffbt these Improvements have given us, may we not 

 expect that future improvement will be rapid ? 



The separation of bees Into several well-known breeds, 

 and the tendency of these breeds to vary, aided by the sljlil of 

 some of our queen-breeders, leads me to believe that we may 

 some day have a distinctively American breed adapted to our 

 hot summers and cold winters, and great variety of fJowers. 

 Already I believe we have much lighter-colored bees than 

 may be found in Europe. As there has been a demand for 

 light-colored bees, the change in this direction has been more 

 markt than in any other, but we must not forget that the 

 amount of honey gathered by a colony of bees does not depend 

 upon their color, but rather upon other and more valuable 

 points of excellence. 



I do not object to color, for bright-colored bees give 

 pleasure to our love of the beautiful, and our climate and 

 flora seem well adapted to such a race of bees, but I believe 

 this matter of color has been carried far enough for the pres- 

 ent. Let us rather select for queen-breeding those varieties 

 the workers of which show the greatest ability to gather 

 honey — white honey it it is to be had, and if not, can gather 

 that which Is darker ; and those in which the swarming-im- 

 ■pulse is but feebly developt. 



Strength of constitution, gentleness, comb-building, pro- 

 lificness and other qualities should not be neglected In making 

 up the scale of points. A stream cannot rise above its foun- 

 tain. Let our ideal bees be far in advance of our present 

 breeds, aud let us do what we can to bring our bees up to our 

 Ideal standard. " Bring the flag back to the ranks," was the 

 command of the captain to his color-bearer, who had planted 

 his flag in advance of his company. "Bring your ranks up 

 to the flag," was his heroic reply. How shall we reach our 

 ideal? Says a popular writer: 



"The key is man's power of cumulative selection ; nature 

 gives successive variations; man adds them up in certain 

 directions useful to himself. In this sense he may be said to 

 have made for himself useful breeds." 



Doubtless honey-producers must depend to a considerable 

 extent upon the queen-breeder for these improvements. His 

 experience, the time at his command, and the skill he has 

 acquired, gives him greatly the advantage of those who are 

 working for honey alone. The efforts of the queen-breeder 

 may also be greatly aided by the honey-producer. Both must 

 work together for a common object. The honey-producer 

 from his larger number of colonies has a better chance to test 

 the value of queens than has the queen-breeder; while the 

 latter can do more to multiply and make valuable qualities 

 permanent. 



Sometimes a single colony will be very markt In almost 

 every good quality, in a yard of 100 colonies. Such a colony 

 came under my observation some years ago in one of my yards. 

 ■Quiet, gentle, businesslike in breeding and comb-building, 

 without any disposition to swarm, it workt on year after year 

 for three years, when I moved it home to obtain brood from It 

 to Improve my home yard. Here it remained two years more 

 with the same queen, always maintaining the same character. 

 If I could have every queen as good as the one in this colony, 

 the proflts of my bees would be largely Increast — I believe 

 twice what they now are. But a long series of years and 

 many generations with the most careful selection will be re- 

 quired to make such traits permanent, so they will " come 

 true." 



Already the outlook Is hopeful. Already there is reason 

 to believe that some of the queen-breeders are working along 

 these lines, and If these papers shall stimulate others In the 

 same work, I shall feel that they have not been written in 

 vain.— Review. Addison Co., Vt. 



Selling Granulated Extracted Honey. 



BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



Selling extracted honey in the granulated state, according 

 to my views, is the only real, practical way of selling such 

 honey. If you sell it in the liquid state, and It Is not con- 

 sumed soou, it will granulate, and in that case requires more 

 explanation to convince your customer that he has not been 

 defrauded through a spurious article, then It does to tell him 

 how he can liquify that In a granulated state. Then honey in 

 the granulated state can be handled quite roughly without 

 any leakage, while when in the liquid form there is nothing 

 <iuite so easy as having everything all daubed with the stuff. 



for customers seem bound not to keep It " right side up with 

 care." 



But there Is one way of marketing honey, which is the 

 "selling by sample." In all of my building up a trade for 

 honey, I have found this the easiest. Go on every street in 

 country, town or city and leave a sample of your product at 

 every house, with the slip telling how to liquify It, or, if comb 

 honey, cut off a "chunk" according to the number in the 

 family, and then go around with what you have for sale two 

 or three days later, and the houses where you do not make a 

 sale, especially if you are willing to exchange the honey for 

 the product of others, will be few and far between. This 

 sample causes the " mouth to water," and the " good wife " 

 and children prevail along the " honey line." 



Then there is another way of marketing, applying wholly 

 to extracted honey. When the honey has so granulated that 

 it will but just run, pour it into light basswood boxes, holding 

 5, 10, 25 or 50 pounds, the same having been prepared dur- 

 ing the leisure winter months, and having the inside corners 

 paraffined, when it is to be set away till candied hard. Now 

 put paraffine paper over the top, on this the slip about liquify- 

 ing, and nail on the covers. 



Next, from some of the same honey, cut out chunks 

 weighing about two ounces, putting the same in a block of 

 wood, having a suitable hole bore in it, or in a little box of 

 suitable size, and mail the same to different parties in differ- 

 ent towns, In regions where honey is not produced to any ex- 

 tent, putting in the slip about liquifying and telling of price, 

 etc., when you will find orders coming in from fields rarely 

 canvast for honey. 



It Is a good idea to mall such packages to postmasters, 

 offering them wholesale figures on the honey, or offering a five 

 or ten pound box at sample rates for introduction, and after 

 once introduced, you will find a permanent market at such 

 places. Such boxes of honey go at a low rate by freight, and 

 as the honey is solid within there is little or no danger from 

 breakage, even tho the boxes be made of one-fourth inch stuff. 

 Years ago I shipt considerable honey in boxes this way, and 

 never had a complaint from breakage. — Progressive Bee- 

 Keeper. Onondaga Co., N. Y. 



Too Much Honey in the Hive. 



BY HARRY LATHBOP. 



As a rule bee-keepers are not troubled with too much 

 honey; but there are times when the brood-chamber may 

 have too much for the best Interests of the colony. In the 

 earlier days of the extractor some writer advised to " keep the 

 extractor going," and added that it would even pay to extract 

 from the brood-chamber, and throw the honey away in order 

 to give the queen room. If bees are properly handled there 

 will be very little extracting from the brood-chamber. The 

 ideal condition for colonies in the spring in this climate is to 

 have them as my Browutown yard was this year; that Is, 

 come out of wiuter quarters quite heavy in stores, breed up 

 rapidly, consume the honey in the combs, and replace it with 

 brood, all stores to be consumed, and hive completely full of 

 brood at the time honey begins to yield in excess of the daily 

 consumption, at which time supers are added. 



There is another condition I do not like, but one which I 

 find in my Monroe apiary — a condition In which the colonies 

 come out heavy with honey but rather weik in bees. Colonies 

 build up slowly, and, instead of reducing the amount of honey 

 In the combs, add to it from early sources. In such cases 

 this honey must be promptly removed, or the colony will not 

 amount to much. 



My plan is to remove full combs and insert sheets of 

 foundation in the center of the brood-chamber. The full 

 combs removed, I sometimes use to contract brood-chambers 

 in which I hive colonies to be run for comb honey. A full 

 comb of honey is as good as a dummy for that purpose. 



I was quite interested a few years ago In Mr. Boardman's 

 plan of feedlng-up in the spring, and two years ago last win- 

 ter I spent a very pleasant day visiting at his home, and con- 

 ferring with him in regard to it. I expected to try his 

 method, aud got a lot of feeders ready, but I have to confess 

 that at this time I have had no chance to do any spring feed- 

 ing since then, for the reason that I got all the honey I 

 wanted, and sometimes a little more than necessary, from the 

 fields. For my part I am glad of a condition which enables 

 me to dispense with all feeding. — Oleanlngs. 



Green Co., Wis. 



IW See "Bee-Keeper's Guide" offer on page 415 



