190c 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



321 



before harvest? [I do not know. But how 

 is this question, with its new conditions, re- 

 lated to the former question? to which I re- 

 ferred on page 244, Feeding: before the 

 honey-flow as practiced by Mr. Boardman 

 is a verj' dift'erent procedure, and for a dif- 

 ferent purpose, from feeding after \.\\q. honey- 

 flow, as it is sometimes practiced by the 

 Danzj'ites. In the case of the former, even 

 if the colonies are strong they are fed to 

 crowd the brood-nest with stores so that all 

 new honej' will go above In the case of 

 the latter, the depth of the brood-frames 

 takes care of the matter automatically to 

 some extent so that, whether the apiarist is 

 negligent or too busy, the honey when it 

 does come in will be forced above. When 

 syrup is given after the honey flow, it may 

 be given in one large feederful at one dose, 

 and taken down in a night. It is then de- 

 signed simply to give the bees winter stores 

 just before they go into winter quarters. 

 There is no idea of stimulation about it. 

 Mr. Boardman designs to stimulate as well 

 as to crowd the brood-nest. If the questions 

 are to be linked together at all, the same 

 procedure before and after should be given 

 to each kind of hive. — Ed.] 



" HoNEV may be shipped by express when 

 the distance is short and the weight light," 

 quoth ye editor, page 275. I used to think 

 that, but experience taught me differently. 

 It is true that you can send a small amount 

 a short distance by express as cheaply as 

 by freight, and in less time. But the cost 

 is not the chief objection : it's the rough 

 handling, at loading and unloading, and it 

 will be the same for a long distance as for 

 a short, unless there is a change of roads. 

 Also it will be worse for a light than for a 

 heavy weight, for express men just throw 

 things. Experience tells me it would be 

 risky to send 5 lbs. of comb honey 5 miles 

 by express. [Your experience has been a 

 good deal like that of others, and ours too — 

 that a small shipment of comb honey sent by 

 express is liable to be smashed or damag- 

 ed. The rate from here to Cleveland is 40 

 cents on 100 lbs. Suppose I wish to send 

 200 lbs. of honey, it costs only 80 cts; then 

 if it were crated, the handles sticking out 

 at each end, the honey should be (but it is 

 not always) carried without breaking. A 

 li{;ht fragile package weighing 10 or 15 

 lbs., that can be thrown like a brick, is lia- 

 ble to be damaged. It often happens that 

 for a short distance 200 or 300 lbs. can be 

 sent cheaper than by freight. When it is 

 sent bj' express it is delivered to the con- 

 signee. When sent by freight there is a 

 cartage item of at least 50 cts., to sa}' noth- 

 ing of the delay and the freight itself. For 

 a distance of 25 to 50 miles, the express will 

 often be cheaper than freight. Let us take 

 an example : The freight and cartage on 

 100 lbs. of comb honey to Cleveland would 

 be 75 cts. The express on this same weight 

 (including cartage) would be only 40 cts., 

 and the goods would be delivered in three 

 or four hours. On 200 lbs. to the same 

 point the cost would be slightly in favor of 



freight, or 75 cts. as against 80 cts. by ex- 

 press. On 300 lbs. the ratio would be 86 

 cts. and $1.20 respectively. But having 

 said all this, I suspect the average ship- 

 ment of less than 200 lbs. had better go by 

 freight; for, as you say, comb honey by ex- 

 press is quite liable to be broken because 

 the goods are shoved in and out of the ex- 

 press cars in a hurry, slam- bang ker-bump 

 ker-smash fashion. The messengers and 

 agents have to hustle, for the conductor 

 stands with hand raised, ready to give the 

 signal for the starting of the train. — Ed.] 





J) 



Darkened days — drizzle, rain, 



Fog, and steamy air ; 

 Muddy roads, no glimpse of sun — 



April everywhere. 



\U 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 

 Concerning honey as a staple article of 

 food, Mr. Hasty well says: 



Oranges and lemons are luxuries, but somehow the 

 people will have them. Honey is a luxury, and most 

 people consent to go without very easily, if the article 

 is not handy This queer and ugly fact should be fig- 

 ured on in decidii g as to the possibility of a Honey 

 Exchange. Al.so, this related fact that higher prices 

 are not nearly so much needed as the cultivation of the 

 market clear from the bottom. Doubt whether the 

 proposed Exchange will cultivate or do the opposite 

 thing. A stream is not expected to rise higher than its 

 fountain : and an organization formed of those who 

 extract their honey before it is really ripe will hardly 

 refuse to handle unripe honey. 



\b 



If there is any one thing that ought to be 

 proclaimed on the housetop it is the follow- 

 ing, from J. M. Young: 



Every bee-keeper should have a small stamp, then 

 stamp all his stationery and every thing he sends out 

 by mail. On every bit of matter sent through the 

 mail, put your name and address, for it will .'ave your 

 customers, and people who do business with you, a 

 world of trouble. Again, it prevenis mistakes in many 

 instances. I put my name and address on every sec- 

 tion I use on the hives, or that the honey is built in, 

 and I also use it on every box I send out by express or 

 freignt. The latter statnp, of course, must be a larger 

 one, for shipping by freight or express. 



As stamps are so cheap now, there is no 

 reason for any man, who writes letters, to 

 go without one of these conveniences. Many 

 who write for the press sign their names in 

 such a way as to be entirely illegible, and 

 their address the same often omitting one 

 or the other, which they would not have 

 done if a stamp had been handy. " G. C. 

 Greiner. Producer of Pure Honey, La 

 Salle, N. Y.," has our thanks for stamping 

 every sheet he sends us. Of course, a type- 

 writer answers the same end. 



likr 



Should the name of the producer of a 

 given quantity of honey be retained on the 



