808 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



December 22. 



GEORGE W. YORK. EDITOR. 



PUBraSHT WEEKLY BY 



118 Michigan Street, CHICAGO, ILL. 



[Entered at the Post-Offloe at Chicago as Second-Class Mail Matter.] 



UNITED STATES BEE-KEEPERS' UNION 



Organized to advance the pursuit of Apiculture ; to promote the interests of bee 

 keepers; to protect its members ; to prevent the adulteration of honey; and 

 to prosecute the dishonest honey-commission men. 



AZembersJiip Fee—Sl-OO per Anatixn, 



BXECCTIVE COMMiTTEE-Pres., George W. York; Vice-Pres.. W. Z. Hutchinson; 



Secretary, Dr. A. B. Mason, Station B. Toledo, Ohio. 

 BOARD OF DlBECTORS-B. 11. Root; E. Whitcomb; B. T. Abbott; C. P. Dadant: 



W.Z.Hutchinson: Dr. C. C. .Miller. 

 General manager and Treasurer— Kugene Becor, Forest City, Iowa. 



VOL. 38. 



DECEMBER 22, 1898. NO. 51. 



NOTE.— The American Bee jDurnniiulopts tne Orthography of the following 

 Rule, recommended by the joint action of the American Philological Asso- 

 ciation and the Philological Society of England:— Cbange *'d" or "ed" final 

 to "t** when so pronounced, except when the "e" affects a preceding sound. 



An Unusually Blerry Cliristinas to each reader 

 of the American Bee Journal is our sincerest wish. 



Kind ^Tords from our subscribers seem to be comlnR 

 in this year with renewals of subscriptions as never before, or 

 at least as never since we have been at the helm of the old 

 American Bee Journal. It Is indeed very gratifying aud en- 

 couraging to us to know that our efforts to publish a good 

 bee-paper are appreciated ; tho many times we can hardly feel 

 that we deserve the complimentary things that are said of our 

 work. But we shall continue striving to merit them, and 

 show our appreciation by getting out a still better bee-journal, 

 as we shall be able to do with the help of our loyal subscribers 

 and contributors. 



Our great desire just now Is, that all our present sub- 

 scribers will remain with us during 1899. We cannot make 

 any great promises for the future, only if existing plans can 

 be successfully carried out, the American Bee Journal for 

 1899 will be far ahead of any previous year. Better stay 

 with us and let the old American Bee Journal continue to " do 



you good." 



■*—»- 



Tin vs. Wood for Honey.— Taking for a text an 

 editorial in this journal for Nov. 10, 1S9S, the editor of 

 Gleanings discusses the matter of best package for extracted 

 honey in bulk. Like so many other things in bee-keeping, the 

 choice of tin or wood seems to be somewhat a matter of local- 

 ity. New York men prefer wood, and have no trouble with 

 shrinking, tainting of honey, etc. Pound for pound, they say 

 wood is cheaper. Two cans in a case are back-breakers to 

 lift, while a barrel can]be rolled. O. O. Poppleton says it costs 



nearly a, cent a, pound more for tin, and with barrels properly 

 parafiBned there Is no trouble. Editor Root says : 



"The truth seems to be about this: Barrels and kegs 

 rarely give any trouble by leaking, provided they are well 

 made, well seasoned, and the hoops driven up solidly before 

 the honey is put into them. But there are many Ignoramuses 

 who have an idea that the barrels should be scalded out, or. 

 If not scalded, water swisht around inside until the staves 

 swell tight. Well, when these chaps put their honey Into 

 these barrels, trouble Is almost sure to follow ; and this Is 

 why. In many markets, the cans are preferred. We always 

 prefer to buy in square cans ourselves. 



"Neither do the square cans give entire immunity from 

 leakage. There are other ignoramuses who, in nailing on 

 covers to the cases, drive a nail through the can. Of course, 

 there Is no leakage for the time being ; but as soon as the can 

 is turned upside down, or stood on end, then there is a ' muss.' 

 Again, some freight handlers give the cases suoh severe dump- 

 ing as to break the seams of the cans." 



Editor Leahy, in the Progressive Bee-Keeper, has this to 

 say on the subject : 



" We buy considerable extracted honey every year. We 

 used to buy In barrels and kegs, but with us the loss of honey 

 by use of barrels would more than pay for cans ; in fact, we 

 were often compelled to empty contents of barrels into cans, 

 after we received the shipment. We have no home con- 

 sumers who will take a barrel of honey, nor yet a half-barrel ; 

 but we have many who buy a 5 gallon can from us every year. 



" A can can be set In a warm place, and the honey be kept 

 liquid, while a barrel or a keg cannot ; 5 cents will furnish a ' 

 nice 2-Inch honey-gate, that you can give to a customer to 

 draw the honey from a can with, while It would take 25 or 50 

 cents for a faucet with which to draw the honey from a barrel 

 or keg. Our experience has been that panel cans will not 

 crack while being roughly handled, and as they cost no more 

 than cans with straight sides, we advise the use of cans, and 

 panel cans at that. 



"If you have any honey In barrels to sell, please don't let 

 us know anything about it; but we want some good alfalfa 

 honey, In cans." 



Our own opinion has undergone no change since it was 



given Nov. 10. We prefer tin cans every time, and all the 



time. (Mr. Leahy will find alfalfa honey offered in cans, on 



page 812). 



-»-—»■ 



'^Triting' for Publication is toucht on by Editor 

 Hill, of the American Bee-Keeper, in this very sensible para- 

 graph : 



"A point which some ambitious young writers would do 

 well to remember, is, that correct spelling and grammar are 

 not nearly so Important as a subject. If you have something 

 Interesting to write about, tell it as best you can ; it Is the 

 editor's business to see that it appears properly in print. The 

 object In writing for publication is to say something that will 

 be interesting or helpful to others ; not merely to occupy space 

 with an exhibition of faultless diction." 



Right you are, Mr. Hill. We are with you in being will- 

 ing to let some other bee-paper "merely occupy space with an 

 exhibition of faultless diction." But, come to think of it, It 

 isn't even " faultless diction," to say nothing of its coming far 

 short of being " interesting or helpful to others." 



Xtie Colorado Convention, held at Denver 

 Dec. 1, we understand was a very good one. Messrs. R. C. 

 Aikin and Frank Rauchfuss were unanimously re-elected Presi- 

 dent and Secretary, respectively. They are both tireless 

 workers for the best interests of their Association. We ex- 

 pect later on to publish the report of the late convention In 

 the Bee Journal. Heretofore it has always been a rare treat, 

 and we presume the forthcoming report will be no exception. 

 Those Colorado bee-keepers invariably have a most excellent 

 annual convention. 



Honey Shows witli Other Show^s.— In the 



British Bee Journal a honey-show Is noticed in connection 

 with a fanciers' show, and another in connection with a 

 chrysanthemum and fruit society's exhibition. Why not? 

 Surely, honey Is appropriate anywhere. 



