THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



147 



duces his sales, but the worst of it is, 

 that alter these small packages have 

 been introduced, the people seem to 

 think they want them, and if they 

 cannot get them, quite likely they 

 will take none, and the merchant be- 

 gins to think the honey trade is 

 scarcely worth bothering with. In 

 fact, I know of a number who have 

 given the honey trade the "goby" 

 altogether, during the present season. 

 Again (yon may laugh at the idea, 

 nevertheless it is a fact), that there 

 are thousands of otherwise intelligent 

 people, who firmly believe that all 

 these small nice cakes of honey are 

 manufactured by man, and will not 

 believe that bees can be trained to do 

 such work. I claim it is for the in- 

 terests of the bee-keeper, the merchant 

 and myself, that nothing smaller than 

 two-pound sections are used, and will 

 try and show how a few bee-keepers 

 can force the many to work at a loss 

 to all concerned. For instance, a bee- 

 keeper in a certain locality uses a few 

 one- pound sections, perhaps gets % as 

 much honey as he would by using two- 

 pound sections, but gets 1 or 2 cents 

 more, per pound, for his lioney. He 

 introduces the small packages ; they 

 are liked arid called for, thus forcing 

 the dealer to buy what his customers 

 ask for. Next season he cuts to the 

 half-pound size, and perhaps gets % 

 or % as much as in pounds, but gets 

 a trifle more per pound after the 

 small size is eitablished, all must 

 come to it, and the bee-keeper gets 

 no more per pound for his honey than 

 if all were in two-pound sections. 

 Then again, how soon will we get to Lj 

 pound and " penny packages." When 

 that time arrives, will be a good time 

 for cash honey buyers to buy a pea- 

 nut stand. Time was, when the 4- 

 pound box sold for more per pound, 

 glass and all, than the half-pound 

 novelty will ever bring. Since Sep- 

 tember I have had a standing order 

 for 1 or 2 tons of honey in 4 and 6- 

 pound packages, but in my travels of 

 several thousands miles, I have not 

 been able to find lOU pounds of such 

 size boxes. How has this change been 

 brought about ? Simply by the bee- 

 keepers themselves. A few enthusi- 

 asts, who want to go a little beyond 

 others, cut the size of box or sections, 

 and in the end all are obliged to 

 adopt that size, and sell their >^ or % 

 crop of honey at the same price, per 

 pound, that it would have brought in 

 large sections, if none had started the 

 use of smaller size boxes. 



I believe bee-keepers earn every 

 dollar they get, and think those who 

 adopt the half-pound sections, will be 

 obliged to earn two for every one re- 

 ceived, beside doing a damage to all 

 other bee-keepers. At the rate we 

 are progressing now, we will soon 

 have " the penny package," and then 

 will have to throw in a chrorao for 

 each sold. My advice to the bee- 

 keepers is never to use anything 

 smaller than the one-pound sections, 

 and think, if that had never been used, 

 it would not now be called for. I am 

 supprised that so level a headed man 

 as Mr. Heddon, could see anything so 

 small as a half-pound cake of honey. 



WethersHeld, Conn. 



For tbe American B^e Journal. 



Separators of Wood. 



W. D. WIIIGIIT. 



On page 58 of the Bee Journal, 

 P. H. Finch, under the above caption, 

 says : " Now I claim to be the first 

 person in this country that adopted 

 the wood separator, which I did five 

 years ago." If Mr. Finch wishes to 

 sustain his claim of priority in the 

 use of wood separators, he will have 

 to go back several years further. They 

 were used by at least one man in this 

 section in 1S67 (some one may have 

 used them even prior to that date, I 

 cannot say); he used them between 

 small frames for surplus, and I used 

 them in the same connection in 1869. 

 In 1876, I used them between two- 

 comb or 4-lb. boxes, in both top and 

 side storing, placing 4 boxes in a row, 

 and glassing the sides after they were 

 filled. 



In 1877, 1 used them with 2-lb. sec- 

 tions, and, in 1879 and since, 1 have 

 used both wood and tin separators ex- 

 tensively, and have been successful 

 with both, but, for several reasons, I 

 prefer the wood. I have not experi- 

 enced any of the difficulties mentioned 

 by Mr. Gould and others. I believe 

 that I can obtain just as much surplus 

 honey with the use of separators, as 

 without them. 



In 1881, 1 obtained an average of 

 100 lbs. comb honey per colony, spring 

 count. I have not had one comb in 500 

 attached to the separators, unless the 

 foundation had fallen down. I could 

 not entertain the idea of securing a 

 crop of comb honey in marketable 

 shape, without the use of separators 

 of some sort. 



In reducing the size of our section 

 boxes, there is certainly a limit beyond 

 which we cannot go, and still mak^ 

 them as profitable to the producer as 

 larger packages, and 1 believe the ad- 

 vocates of the half-pound section have 

 gone beyond that limit. 



Mr. Heddon thinks extra cost and 

 manipulation the main objection to 

 their use. Allowing these to be the 

 only objections (which I think is not 

 the case), 1 believe there are good and 

 sufficietit reasons for their general 

 non-adoption, as both of these items 

 would be increased about fourfold 

 over the 2-lb. section. The item of 

 manipulation may not amount to so 

 much with Mr. Heddon, for he gets 

 his help cheap, but to a person who 

 pays for extra labor it Is no small 

 item. 



Mr. F. C. Benedict, who has had 

 several years' practical experience 

 with these small sections, tells us in 

 his able article, that he can produce 

 one-tliird more honey in pound than 

 half-pound sections, and double the 

 quantity in two-pound sections, while 

 Mr. Heddon, whom we are led to be- 

 lieve has had no practical experience 

 with the half-pound sections, is ready 

 to convince Mr. Benedict that more 

 comb honey can be procured in pound 

 or half-pound sections than in any 

 larger receptacle. Shall we base our 

 calculations on theory or practice in 

 so important a matter i* 



The present market quotations on 

 honey in half-pound section is high, 

 but, doubtless, cannot be maintained 

 when a large quantity is placed upon 

 the market. 



Some say that we must cater to the 

 wants of consumers, but I doubt that 

 they ever made so unreasonable a de- 

 mand as a half-pound section of comb 

 honey. The demand has been created 

 by the producers themselves. 



The two-pound section suits' both 

 me and my market, and I shall con- 

 tinue its use,let others do as they may. 



Knowersville, N. Y. 



Convention Notices. 



1^ The Union Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation will meet in Grange Hall, Em- 

 inence, Ky., on Thursday, April 26, 

 1883. All bee-keepers, and the public 

 generally, are invited to be present. 

 G, W. Demaree, Sec. 



Christiansburg, Ky. 



1^ The Texas State Bee-Keepers' 

 Association will hold its Fifth Annual 

 Convention at McKinney, Collin Co., 

 on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 

 17th and 18th, 1883; at the residence of 

 Hon. W. H. Andrews. 



Wm. R. Howard, Sec. 



Kingston, Texas. 



1^ The next meeting of the Haldi- 

 mand, Ont., Bee-Keepers' Association 

 will be held at Nelle's Corners on Sat- 

 urday, March 31, 1883, at 11 a. m. 



H. Campbell. 



1^ The Western Bee-Keepers' As- 

 sociation meets at Independence, Mo., 

 April 28, 1883. 



S. W. Salisbury, Sec. 



1^ The Eastern Michigan Bee- 

 Keepers' Society, will hold its annual 

 meeting in Detroit, April 3, in Ab- 

 stract Hall, commencing at 10 a. m. 

 An interesting meeting is expected, 

 and bee-keepers are requested to send 

 items or questions of interest to the 

 secretary in time, that they may be 

 announced previous to the meeting. 

 A. B. Weed, Sec. 



75 Bagg St., Detroit, Mich. 



J^ The Central Michigan Bee- 

 Keepers' Association holds its spring 

 convention at L;insing, in the State 

 Capitol building, on Tuesday, April 

 17, 1883, 9 a. m. Programme : Presi- 

 dent's address ; Essays : Prof. A. J. 

 Cook, on Wintering Bees ; S. C. Perry, 

 on Chaff Hives; C. Case, on Comb 

 Honey ; O S. Smith, on the Best Bee ; 

 A. D. Benham, on Extracted Honey ; 

 Mr. Harper, on Queen-Rearing ; Mr. 

 Waldo, on Best Method of Wintering 

 Out of Doors, in Single- Walled Hives ; 

 E. N. Wood, on Sections ; and E. 

 Greenaway,on Comb Foundation. All 

 bee-keepers are invited to attend or 

 send essays, papers, implements or 

 anything of interest to the fraternity 

 A full attendance is requested. 



E. N. Wood, Sec 



North Lansing, Mich. 



