518 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



August 18, 



removed the covering, he read aloud the 14-iDch label on the 

 front of the case, "Gathered fiom Orange Blossoms;" and 

 then as he saw the 28 neat labels printed in red ink, pasted 

 on the sections, with the snow-white honey smiling up at him 

 from between, he slapt his hands together and exclaimed, 

 " By jolly I" I need not tell you he has been my steady cus- 

 tomer since, altho he thought my price was high, and I kuew 

 It was high enough. 



With the finest honey from clover, orange, willow-herb, 

 sage, etc., you need not be doubtful about placing it to advan- 

 tage in almost any market; and while I know that the ma- 

 jority of readers will not take the pains with their crops that 

 I do, nevertheless if you will take the honey you have, and 

 make a businesslike effort something like the one above, you 

 will find that you can dispose of it, even if that supplied by 

 more expert apiarists does surpass yours in quality. With a 

 first-class article you will find yourself taking too small a 

 load to market oftener than too large. 



I do not label all my honey, but I think I shall do more of 

 it in the future. I have observed that it gives the honey a 

 finish, and pleases the customer well enough so that I am 

 pretty safe in counting it to bring 25 cents per case extra. 



The labels cost less than three cents, and a boy will stick 

 them for one cent per case. The cost of this is offset by using 

 second-grade sections. I get my finest honey that I expect to 

 label in the cheapest sections. In fact, the only advantage 

 worth mentioning that I know of in using snow-white sec- 

 tions, is in the clean appearance when the cover is removed. 

 The labels do the same ; and while I have had scores of mer- 

 chants take out the sections and examine my labeled honey I 

 never heard one remark that the sections were not the whitest. 

 They look at the honey and not at the frame it is in. There 

 is too much straining after "snow-white," "extra polisht," 

 etc., according to my way of thinking. 



There are a good many ideas in the above that may be 

 helpful to those who sell their crops by peddling from house 

 to house; but in such cases the point J would emphasize is to 

 first quote the price per case, or so many sections for a dollar. 

 If there is to be any talk about your selling just a few sec- 

 tions, let the other party start it, or you can make the offer 

 after your first proposition has been refused. You will never 

 sell a case to one party by trying hard to sell 25 cents' worth. 

 Work for large sales, and expect to make them.— Gleanings. 



Do Italian Bees Produce Better Honey ? 



BY EDWIN BEVINS. 



Referring once more to a matter which does not seem 

 worthy of much space in the American Bee Journal, I wish to 

 say to Mr. Hart (see page 451) that I am sorry that he took 

 my little squib on page 322 so seriously. I did not mean to 

 be offensive. As what I said was not an answer, nor intended 

 to be an answer to Mr. Hart's question, it is probable that I 

 ought not to have said anything about it. But unfortunately, 

 perhaps, I did, and now 1 am willing to take the consequences. 



I would like, as well as Mr. Hart, to ktiow why Italian 

 bees store a better quality of honey than other bees when all 

 have access to the sources of supply. 



Looking at pages 133 and 13-i of the American Bee Jour- 

 nal for the "opinions and statements" that led Mr. Hart to 

 ask the question, I find that Mr. Baxter exprest the opinion, 

 or made the statement, that the quality of the honey stored by 

 the Italians is better than the quality of that stored by blacks 

 or hybrids. He gave no reason for this superiority, but did 

 give a reason for the better appearance of the honey stored 

 by blacks and hybrids. 



Dr. Besse thought the reason why Italians store honey of 

 better quality than blacks and hybrids is that the Italians 

 work more industriously on red clover. But that opinion 

 "cuts no figure," as Mr. Hart wanted to know why Italians 

 store a better quality where all have access to the same 

 sources of supply. Dr. Besse goes on to say that blacks and 

 hybrids do not work on red clover, so their source of supply 

 must necessarily be something else. 



Mr. Hart mistakes ; I did not say or intimate that his 

 question was entitled to no consideration. But for the two 

 hypotheses which he made use of to explain the difference in 

 question, I had a very poor opinion ; and, from his own admis- 

 sions, I am led to believe that he did not think them worth 

 much himself. The only reason (?) thus far elicited for the 

 difference under consideration is that given by Mr. Volkert. 

 He says that it is because the Italians are more active than 

 other bees. Is Mr. Hart satisfied with that? My belief still 

 Is that there is no difference under the conditions named, and 

 that Mr. Hart has started bee-keepers in the pursuit of an 

 ignus fatuus. But let us have peace. Decatur Co., Iowa. 



CONDUCTED BY 



r>K. o. o. anxtEH, at42tEKGO,.n:x,. 



[Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct. 1 

 What Caused the Inverted Brood ? 



Before the larvas gets large enough to cap over, it turns 

 in the cell with the head downward and dies thus. About }4 

 of the brood is that way — not all in one place but scattered 

 through the hive. Iowa. 



Answer. — Just as you put it, I don't know that I ever 

 heard of the like before. Up to the time of sealing, the brood, 

 I think you will find, is coiled in a circle. But after it is sealed 

 over it may finally get wrong-end-to, and that same thing has 

 been reported in a few cases, the young bee being found dead 

 in the cell with its head toward the bottom. It may result 

 from weakness on the part of the bees. 



molhy Foundation. 



We have a lot of brood-foundation which has been used 

 and is dark in color; something has gotten into it like moth, 

 and weaves a web over portions, and it looks like eggs under 

 the web in the cells. How would you advise me to get rid of 

 this? Can the bees work where this is ? Is it not rather ex- 

 travagant to cut It out and throw it away ? 



Netf Mexico. 



Answer. — Try giving it to the bees just as it is, and see if 

 they'll not clean it up ail right. 



Cessation of Honey-Flow §loi>$ Work. 



I raised the section up and put another case on when 

 the first was about half full. The bees immediately stopt 

 work in the sections. What was the cause? Some colonies 

 stopt work when I took a few full sections off the hive ; they 

 had only one super on. 



The bees would draw out the foundation in sections and 

 not complete them. Why ? California. 



Answer. — You have in all probability given the answer 

 yourself to both questions when you say, "This is a poor year 

 with me." Raising up a partly-filled super and putting an 

 empty one under had nothing to do with the bees stopping 

 work. About that time the honey-flow let up, and the bees 

 would have stopt work in the super if you hadn't toucht it. 

 The same is true as to your taking out the filled sections. It 

 the honey-flow had kept up they would have gone right on in 

 both cases. 



Examining for Filled Sections, Etc. 



1. Can bees be disturbed too often in examining through 

 the sections to hinder them from working in them ? 



2. How often ought they to be lookt after to see if the 

 sections need removing? 



3. One of my colonies came out three or four times'in June 

 and went back. The last time it staid out, and on examining 

 I found it had two queens. I put the finest one in, and it 

 seemed to do well for about six days, when it came out, flew 

 around, and went back into the hive. On examining It I 

 found it had no brood and no queen. What became of the 

 queen ? I gave it a frame of brood, and in 12 days lookt and 

 it had failed to rear a queen. Why did it not rear a queen ? 



4. Are not some bees better workers than others ? 



Ohio. 

 Answers. — 1. No doubt they could be disturbed too much, 

 but it isn't at all likely you need be anxious about it. It isn't 

 necessary to look once a day to see how the sections are pro- 

 gressing, but a daily visit would hardly do any harm. 



2. Perhaps every 5 to 10 days. If honey is coming In 

 rapidly, they need closer attention than when it is coming 

 in slowly. 



3. 'The first time it came out, the probability is that the 

 old queen was present, but she couldu't fly or was killed in 

 some way. A week or more after the first time they came out, 

 the young queens had emerged from their cells, and then when 



