322 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 15 



packag-e till said honey reaches the con- 

 sumer? This question is now being dis- 

 cussed with more vigor than usual. Mr. 

 Alma Olson takes the position that his name 

 should be allowed to stand on his honey 

 packages, and says: 



t^If the dealer were to erase my name and substitute 

 his own he would be robbing me of my just dues; and 

 if that is not illegal it ought to be punishable. But 

 there is an unwritten law governing these things. I 

 am not in the mood, neither do I have the inclination, 

 to make a reputation for Mr. A's or Mr. B's honey; 

 neither do I care to build up the reputation of all the 

 honey produced in Idaho by painstaking care. And 

 there is a natural law of compen'iation which rewards 

 each individual for his greater efforts. 



Mr. York replies: 



We never say on our labels that we are f he produce? s 

 of the honey we sell. We have spent hundreds of dol- 

 lars in creating a demand for "York's Honey," and 

 not for Olson's or that produced by Jones. Their 

 whole crops would be but as a "drop in the bucket " 

 compared to what wt sell during a season. We stand 

 back of all the honey that goes out as " York's Hon- 

 ey," and know nothing of Olson's or Nelsons or Mil- 

 ler's honey, and care nothing about their honey. We 

 are not working to sell their honey, unless we buy it, 

 when it becomes " York's Honey," like any other good 

 honey we buy. After it passes out of their hands they 

 have nothing further to do with it, having received 

 their pay for it. When you sell your wheat or oats to 

 a dealer do vou insist on having your name on the 

 bags holding" the wheat or oats? 'Well, hardly '. 



It "hardly" seems to me that Mr. York's 

 reasoning is correct. Suppose all wheat is 

 sold in bags, and that there is a great de- 

 mand for the Olson wheat. He says that 

 none is to be regarded as genuine unless 

 sold in bags labeled with his card. If the 

 York brand sells for 10 cents a bushel more 

 than the Olson, would it be fair to say Ol- 

 son wheat is York wheat simply because 

 Mr. York bought it? Doesn't the name be- 

 fore the article mean the producer rather 

 than the handler? In the long run it prob- 

 ably makes but little difference, however, 

 as the consumer knows but little about the 

 producer except in rare instances. 



However, this argument all depends on 

 whether comb or extracted honey is meant. 

 If Mr. York has a uniform brand of blend- 

 ed extracted honeys, he has a perfect right 

 to sell it as such; and then, of course, the 

 identity of each separate brand would be 

 lost, label and all. But if a certain brand 

 is in great demand in Chicago, the produc- 

 er would probably not find it necessary to 

 send it there, as he could sell it at home, 

 where he is known. 



Just as the above was written, the fore- 

 man asked me where to put the following. 

 As it comes in so pat here, I am glad to 

 make room for it: 



I hand you herewith the following resolution : 



'^Resolved, That this, the New York State Associa- 

 ciation of Bee-keepers' Societies, in convention assem- 

 bled at Syracuse, March 10, 1993, recommend and urge 

 the bee-keepers to place their name and address upon 

 the packages containing their honey, both comb and 

 extracted, and that this resolution be forwarded to the 

 bee journals for publication." 



Romulus, N. Y. C. B. Howard, Sec. 



\k$ 



ROCKY MOUNTAIN BEE JOURNAL. 



The above has just closed its third 3'ear. 



Unlike some of the newer publications it 



gives evidence of stability and usefulness. 



Indeed, it has already proven a power for 

 good in Colorado. It well deserves every 

 success. 



The Colorado Experiment Station, as we 

 have already announced, has decided that 

 the best time to cut alfalfa is at the period 

 of full bloom. In commenting on this, Ed- 

 itor Morehouse says: 



If this view of the matter is accepted by our farm- 

 ers, there need be no fear that the bee industry will 

 ever become extinct in Colorado, through the tenden- 

 cy to cut alfalfa before it blooms. In fact, extreme 

 early cutting is not practiced to such an extent as 

 some would have us believe; and with such good 

 wholesome advice as the above from our agricultural- 

 college professors, we expect to see it lessened in the 

 future. 



" Well, Doolittle, how are you this morn- 

 ing? " 



" Rather better of my rheumatism than I 

 have been for a week back. How is Mr. 

 Smith?" 



" I am pretty well to-day, thank you. I 

 want you to tell me something about in- 

 creasing bees. Will you do it? " 



" What! you got bees? " 

 • "Yes. I have purchased five colonies, 

 and wish to increase them to ten or more. 

 Is there any way of multiplying colonies, 

 except b3'^ swarming, as the bees conduct 

 this, for increase? " 



" Why do you wish any other way than 

 natural swarming? The bees know how to 

 increase themselves rather better than any 

 beginner can do it, if not better than is in 

 the power of the veteran." 



" I must be from home from half-past sev- 

 en to half-past five each day, except Sun- 

 days; and if there is any way to multiply 

 my colonies other than by natural swarm- 

 ing it would be much more convenient for 

 me. Please tell me something about this 

 matter." 



" I think I can give you no better advice 

 than to purchase some good book on api- 

 culture before undertaking artificial in- 

 crease; for in most of them the subject is 

 discussed quite extensively, and to greater 

 extent than would come in the space allot- 

 ted to this department." 



" I will do this; but can you not at this 

 time give me in brief some of the principles 

 governing artificial or forced increase of 

 colonies? " 



"Artificial swarming is based on the 

 following facts : First, a queen and some 

 workers, a thousand or more, constitute a 

 swarm or colonj' of bees, capable of carry- 

 ing on all the labors of the hive." 



