454 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



hand that our enterprise would have 

 been so lightly favored by the mana- 

 gers of the Exposition, and so highly 

 appreciated by the public, we would 

 have gone prepared to surprise the 

 '• natives." As it was, our honey and 

 bee show was a credit to Kentucky 

 apiarists. 



The table erected for our accommo- 

 dation stood in a conspicuous place ; 

 was about 5 feet wide, and covered 

 with snow white cloth, and was ex- 

 tended in length as needed. Much of 

 the honey was displayed in fancy 

 shape, but the greater part of it was 

 plain, neat, and attractive, and beyond 

 question was admired most of all. 

 People are used to gaudily labeled tin 

 cans, and beautifully colored confec- 

 tions, and have learned to know that 

 the fancy outside gives no guaranty 

 ^ of the purity of the article within. It 

 * seemed to me that the tin cans of all 

 sizes were a failure,especially the very 

 small sizes. These were covered with 

 exaggerations in the form of labels. 



It was amusing to hear the remarks 

 made by persons in the mighty 

 crowds that gathered about the tables 

 to see the Honey and Bee Show. 

 " Them little tin cans look too much 

 like salve boxes." " O ! ain't that 

 charming honey in those square glass 

 jars." "Those tall glass goblets are 

 beautiful." "Look at that comb 

 honey ; wonder if the bees made it in 

 them cases." " La, if they havu't got 

 bees making honey right in the Ex- 

 position." " Wonder what them bees 

 are making lioney out of." "That's 

 the queen is it? Well, now, where is 

 the king V" " Won't they improve on 

 honey before they are done experi- 

 menting?" This last remark was 

 directed to mc, and I answered : No, 

 God makes pure honey, and the bees 

 gather it from his ocean of flowers. 

 Man makes glucose and calls it honey, 

 and poisons his fellows for a few 

 paltry dollars. These are the facts in 

 a nut-shell. 



Kentucky apiarists will not soon 

 forget " Bee-Keepers' Week " at the 

 great Southern Exposition. I would 

 like to mention the names of the dis- 

 tinguished bee-keepers from many 

 parts of the United States, who 

 "hunted me up " to grasp my hand, 

 during bee-keepers' week, but I could 

 not do it without forgetting some 

 whose memory is henceforth dear to 

 me. I will be pardoned, howeveij for 

 mentioning the name of W. S. Hart, 

 of New Smyrna, Ela., because he 

 came from the uttermost parts of the 

 Union to visit us. Mr. Hart proposes 

 to be at the Toronto Convention be- 

 fore he returns home. I am sure that 

 all who meet him will not only find 

 him a master in apiculture, but a most 

 congenial friend and gentleman. The 

 sessions of the Kentucky State Society 

 were well attended, and the proceed- 

 ings very entertaining. The assem- 

 bly of bee-keepers was at no time 

 very large, owing to the many things 

 to attract at the Exposition, and from 

 the further fact that many of the 

 members of the society had to look 

 after their honey and bees on exhibi- 

 tion. Still, Dr. Allen was heard to 

 remark that it was the " best meet- 

 ing ever held by the society." 



I believe I learned something dur- 

 ing " bee-keepers' week " about pre- 

 paring honey for the market. I 

 believe it a mistake to put flashy 

 labels on small honey packages. It is 

 too suggestive of the trashy goods so 

 commonly seen in family groceries. 

 These extravagancies have liad their 

 day, and people are getting tired of 

 being cheated by outside appearances. 

 The trade will have much more con- 

 fidence in a plain label that gives the 

 name of the article and the name and 

 address of the producer. 



At the honey show the competition 

 for the first prize on comb honey was 

 doubtless very sharp. I cannot see 

 how it could have been' otherwise, as 

 so many fine combs so nearly alike 

 were in the display. There was more 

 difference, tiowever, in the extracted. 

 Extracted honey may be extra good, 

 good, common and "indifferent, just 

 in proportion to the good manage- 

 ment of the apiarist. 



During the latter part of last June 

 a neighbor of mine informed me that 

 the "yellow uees " were working 

 thick on his red clover. I visited the 

 field and found my bees working 

 busily on the red clover. Bees were 

 gathering rapidly from the white 

 clover at the same time. This led me 

 to observe closely, and I believe that 

 nine out of ten of the bees which were 

 visiting the red clover were of the 

 lightest strain of bees in my apiary. 

 I thought but little about the matter 

 at the time, as I had never got more 

 than 20 pounds at two different times, 

 heretofore, that I knew to be red 

 clover honey, and this was in the 

 comb, and gathered from the second 

 crop of clover, and late in the season. 

 In the former case the work was done 

 on the red clover, in the best of the 

 white clover harvest, and on the first 

 crop of red clover bloom. 



A short time after this I extracted 

 some SIX or eight hundred pounds of 

 the whitest and thickest honey I ever 

 drew from the extractor. When I 

 saw it was extra white, thick honey, I 

 kept it by itself. From this lot" of 

 honey I made up my exhibit of ex- 

 tracted honey, and it took the first 

 prize at ttie Exposition. Mr. Muth, 

 of Cincinnati, sampled this honey, 

 and expressed ins belief that it was 

 too white for white clover honey, and 

 gave it as his opinion that it was red 

 clover honey. I am able to identify 

 at least 6 colonies that produced more 

 or less of this remarkably white, thick 

 lioney. Although I have seen my 

 bees working on red clover once in 

 awhile, I have heretofore had but 

 little faith in "red clover bees," and 

 I yet suspect that the seasons must be 

 extra good so as to fill the deep tubes 

 of the clover blossoms pretty well 

 with nectar in order that any bees 

 yet imported to this country can reach 

 it sutliciently to obtain surplus honey. 

 Nevertheless these colonies will re- 

 ceive extra care forfuture experiment. 



The Kentucky Bee-Keepers' Society 

 has set on foot a scheme— if success- 

 ful — which will be of much impor- 

 tance to those who contemplate 

 making honey production a specialty. 

 A committee has been appointed 

 whose duty it will be to collect infor- 



mation as to the unoccupied fields 

 suitable to the production of honey in 

 our State, and about everything re- 

 lating to the adaptability of the State 

 to tlie bee business. The work will 

 be published in pamphlet form by the 

 society. It is hoped that such a work 

 will be of the greatest benefit to those 

 persons seeking locations for apiaries. 

 The work of the bee-keepers' socle- 

 ties of our country has heretofore 

 been too circumscribed in character. 

 Their proper sphere is too benefit 

 mankind, and in order to do this they 

 must not only be progressive but 

 aggressive in their work. Commit- 

 tees appointed by societies generally 

 do nothing, simply because nothing is 

 expected of them. The fault is with 

 the society. The committee selected 

 for this work is composed of Dr. N. 

 P. Allen, of Smith's Grove, Ky. ; W. 

 C. Pelham, of Maysville, Ky. ; John 

 T. Connley, of Napoleon, Ky., to 

 which the president of the society 

 was added. With the untiring energy 

 of Dr. Allen at its head, this commit- 

 tee will discharge its duties faithfully. 



We have quite a drouth here now, 

 and the prospects for a fall run are not 

 at all flattering at this writing. At 

 the honey show at the Southern Ex- 

 position, Mr. A. C. Cunningham, of 

 Salvisa, Ky., took first prize on comb 

 honey, and N. P. Allen, of Smith's 

 Grove, Ky., second prize. Your 

 humble servant won first prize on ex- 

 tracted, and N. P. Allen the second. 



Christiansburg, Ky. 



For the American Bee Journal, 



How to Clean Wax. 



F. L. DRESSER. 



The great demand for comb foun- 

 dation, and consequent consumption 

 of wax in its manufacture, has so 

 destituted the market that the bee- 

 keeper now finds little trouble in 

 realizing twice the price for his wax 

 that he did a year or two ago. And 

 the prospect is, that unless beeswax 

 is imported to this country in consid- 

 erable quantities, the price will rise 

 still higher, and bee-keepers may, 

 ere long, consider the question of 

 running some colonies for wax as a 

 prime object. But with the present 

 prices and amount obtainable, the 

 care of wax is a question of dollar 

 and cents to those who wish to make 

 bee-keeping pay. With many this is 

 considered "the woman's job," and 

 given no further thought by them : 

 while the women dread this annual 

 job as much as we do the semi-annual 

 house cleaning. Indeed, I think that 

 I should prefer to blister my hands 

 pounding an old dusty carpet than to 

 burn them raw pounding hot wax 

 through an old coffee sack. I know 

 that I would rather eat my dinner 

 spread on a barrel in the woodshed 

 than to have my clothing and un- 

 covered extremities smeared with 

 such immovable stuff. Yet, with a 

 little expense and proper manage- 

 ment, no one need be made uncom- 

 fortable, and the overburdened 

 farmer's wife may be released of the 

 detested duty. 



