1903 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



709 



use in milk to keep it from souring, saying that such 

 milk is death, slow but sure, if continuously fed to 

 babies. 



It must not be understood that formalin is a cure 

 for foul brood. All that is claimed for it is that by 

 its use foul-broody combs may be disinfected so that 

 they may be safely used in a healthy colony. Even 

 this is a very important matter, as thousands of dol- 

 lars have probably been lost by the burning of such 

 diseased combs. 



The combs are 'submitted to the effect of the gas, 

 and the most convenient way to use it is probably by 

 means of formalin pastils vaporized in Schering's for- 

 malin-lamp. The lamp costs $1.75, including 40 pas- 

 tils, and pastils cost W cents for a box of 20. 



For reliable disinfection of rooms in dwellings, one 

 pastil i.s used for evers' 18 cubic feet. If it can be vised 

 at the same rate in disinfecting combs, a single pastil 

 ought to be enough to disinfect KX) combs piled up in 

 hive-bodies, costing onlyl^ cents. Actual practice, 

 however, will be necessary to determine the minutitu, 

 and to ascertain to a certainty that the disinfectant 

 absolutely destroys all the spores. 



BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. • 



In addition to what is said In Glean- 

 IXG.S, p. 688, last issue, the following will 

 be found to be of interest: 



The scheme of insurance for bee-keepers promoted 

 by the British Bee-keepers' Association has passed its 

 first year with satisfactory results to all concerned. 

 Only one case came up for adjustment during the 

 year, and that was promptly and satisfactorily settled. 

 A new policy, covering the period between August 1, 

 1903, and August 1, 1901. has now been obtained, and 

 premiums for risks under this policj- have been paya- 

 ble since July 1. 



It is expected that the number of hives insured will 

 be doubled this year, and we sincerely hope this ex- 

 pectation will be realized. Indeed, there is no reason 

 why 50,000 hives might not be covered, to the advan- 

 tage of the bee industry as a whole. 



June was a frosty and backward month 

 in England. "June 18, gave syrup; June 

 20 ditto," are among the records one bee- 

 keeper says he put on his hives. 

 tV 



Concerning the Weed foundation, Mr. W. 

 Woodley, of Beedon, says: 



The great advance of the Weed foundation on the 

 old style of dipping the sheets of wax before being 

 pres.se'd into foundation is shown principally by the 

 few complaints from users. We seldom now hear the 

 cry that " the bees would not -work it out into combs." 

 Xor do we hear of any objections to the combs of 

 which Weed foundation forms the midrib. Surely 

 these are points of great importance to both the pro- 

 ducer and the consumer of comb honey. I am ex- 

 ceedingly well plea.sed with the grand parcel of extra 

 thin super foundation received from the British Weed 

 factory at Holme, in return for my year's parcel of 

 wax — it was simply perfect. 



AUSTRALIAN BEE-KEEPER. 



Here is something which seems to me to 

 be in the right line. I have suggested it 

 more than once in times past: 



In connection with the production of beeswax in the 

 West Indies, a suggestion has recently been made that 

 — inasmuch as muscovado sugar can now be purchased 

 throughout the West Indies in who'e-sale quantities at 

 from ;?s. to 4s. per cwt., while beeswax is worth about 

 $38 per cwt.. and taking into consideration the fact 

 that the honey- flow does not exceed four months of 

 the year in the most favorable localities— it would pay 

 well to feed the bees nearly the year round either 

 with dry sugar, s\'rup, or molasses, making the honey 

 produced a by-product and the wax the main product. 

 It is said that it tak^-s about 10 pounds of sugar to 

 make 1 pound of beeswax: therefore should the sug- 

 gestion prove a practical one, it would be a great boon 

 to West Indian bee-keepers, who would no doubt then 

 import a species of bee from India which is especially 

 suitable for wax-production. 



HOW TO BUILD UP A REPUTATION (?) 



"Good afternoon, Mr. Doolittle. Hard 

 rain we had this forenoon." 



" Yes. So much rain and so few flowers 

 so far this year, since our early drouth, 

 that bees have not stored the usual amount 

 of white honey. My crop will be scarcely 

 half of the average year. How have your 

 bees done, Mr. Jones? " 



" We had quite a basswood yield, and I 

 shall have a good crop considering the poor 

 condition my bees were in when the drouth 

 ceased. I understand basswood did not 

 bloom in this locality." 



"No, we had no basswood buds, on ac- 

 count of the hard freeze killing them — some- 

 thing I never knew before during the 34 

 years I have been keeping bees. If we 

 could have had basswood bloom added to 

 the yield from mustard, teasel, and red 

 clover, undoubtedly quite a large yield 

 would have been obtained." 



"I came over to have a little talk with 

 you about putting my name and address on 

 cases of honej' when the same is to be ship- 

 ped on commission. Would there not be an 

 advantage in so doing?" 



"Possibly, if the commission merchant 

 would allow you to do this." 



" Do you think he would object? " 



" I think so. For several years I sold my 

 honey to a dealer in Syracuse, and he in- 

 sisted on having the honey brought with no 

 marks of any kind on the cases save the 

 gross weight, the tare, or weight of the 

 crate, and the net weight of the honey. 

 When I asked him the reason for this he 

 showed me stencil plates bearing his own 

 name and address, and said, ' I put my 

 name and address on every case of j-eally 

 fine honey which I buy, so as to build up a 

 trade in honey; and with the inferior grades 

 that came with any lot I leave the stencil- 

 mark off, so that none but the very best 

 bears my name, and thus I am gaining a 

 reputation year by year which is growing 

 constantly. If I allowed you to put your 

 name on the cases it would not help me a 

 bit; and as long as jom sell to me each year 

 it could be of no benefit to you.' " 



" Did you believe it? " 



" Not at first; but after a year or two I 

 saw that his line of reasoning was correct; 

 for every year gave him a larger range of 

 customers, so that soon he was handling 

 honey by the tons instead of by the hun- 

 dreds of pounds. He was removed by 

 death, and after this I wrote to commission 

 merchants asking them if they would allow 

 me to put my name and address on each 

 case." 



