1907 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



255 



from four to six inches beyond the sides of 

 the same. Lastly, do not forget the usual 

 "Handle With Care" placard. Now, if ev- 

 ery bee-keeper and shipper of honey will 

 follow the above instructions to the letter 

 that will tend to introduce a method that is 

 both simple and practical, he will not only 

 realize a greater profit in his product, but 

 will also be assisting those who are giving 

 their time and lending their experience to 

 secure lower freight rates for you. 



The producers and shippers of carloads of 

 comb honey appreciate the value and advan- 

 tage of using bottom as well as top starters. 

 For instance, last summer we received two 

 carloads of comb honey from two different 

 shippers. The one car contained 1170 and 

 the other 1350 cases, and in the entire lot 

 there was not one comb broken. These ship- 

 pers understand their business. On the oth- 

 er hand, we received quite a number of small 

 shipments, with here and there a broken 

 .comb, frequently some badly damaged lots, 

 caused by the failure to use bottom starters. 

 These experiences. are trying and disgusting; 

 and were the shipper in question subjected 

 to a few of them he would, without a doubt, 

 pay more attention to the manner in which 

 he raises his honey and his mode of packing 

 for shipment. These are the shipments that 

 are responsible for the high rates. Do not 

 misunderstand me; there are many produc- 

 ers and shippers of honey on a small scale 

 who thoroughly understand this part of the 

 work, and we must give the credit that is 

 due them. 



A word regarding extracted honey; the 

 railroad companies pay more damage claims 

 on account of poor packages used for ex- 

 tracted honey than for comb honey, and it be- 

 hooves us to ship our extracted honey in new 

 cans, if this style of package is to be used; or 

 if it be barrels, let them be good ones, well 

 coopered, first class in every respect. 



The greatest trouble rests with the bee- 

 keeper. He clings entirely too much to sec- 

 ond-hand packages, just because he can buy 

 them a little cheaper; whereas, if he were to 

 ship his product in good packages, the freight 

 rates would be comparatively less, and, in 

 the end, his cost for shipping would be a 

 great deal less than at the present time, and 

 there would be no trouble with the railroad 

 companies, nor any unsatisfactory transac- 

 tions. 



Therefore, friends, we must ask you to 

 help, each and every one, if you want us to 

 obtain lower freight rates for you. 



Cincinnati, O. 



[Some good suggestions are made by Mr. 

 Muth, especially in the matter of preparing 

 honey for market. We regard also as very 

 important the suggestion of using bottom 

 starters. The purpose of this, of course, is 

 to secure a bottom attachment to the combs 

 as well as at the sides and top. Such fasten- 

 ings will very greatly eliminate the chances 

 of damage to the honey during shipment. 

 Perhaps it might be better yet to use full 

 sheets of foundation — sheets reaching out to 



the sides and bottom also. But a good many 

 do not regard this as practical, while some 

 of our correspondents have already tried it 

 and proved it a success. Besides securing 

 well-fastened comb on all four sides of the 

 section, they are able to obtain a much fan- 

 cier box of honey. When a close-fitting full 

 sheet is fastened on all four sides, a Van 

 Deusen foundation-fastener should be used. 

 A brush dipped in melted wax will give 

 nearly as good results. 



Mr. Muth is doubtless correct in stating 

 that the classification committee bases its 

 rates on any commodity by the number of 

 claims that have been filed against such com- 

 modity. It is thus very important that we 

 bee-keepers should use proper care so there 

 will be no occasion for filing a claim against 

 a railroad company. While there is no ex- 

 cuse for the careless freight-handlers for 

 breaking honey out of sections, yet we bee- 

 keepers can eliminate this breakage of the 

 bunglers to a very great extent by seeing to 

 it that the combs are attached ok all four 

 sides. — Ed.] 



THE BRANT CO. DISTRICT CONVEN- 

 TION. 



Some Valuable Hints on Breeding up in the 

 Spring. 



BY K. F. HOLTEKMANN. 



The Brant Co. District Bee-keepers' con- 

 vention held at the City Hall, Brantford, 

 Jan. 29, 30, 31, was highly successful. The 

 foundation of its unprecedented success was, 

 no doubt, owing to the offer to pay the ex- 

 penses of a good and well-known bee-keep- 

 er, Mr. House, from a distance. Many such 

 men would, no doubt, be willing to go to 

 conventions at considerable distance for the 

 sake of seeing and hearing what can be seen 

 and heard in other sections, and from others 

 on these terms; and by so doing we would 

 draw men and women to our conventions 

 and make better bee-keepers of them, when 

 otherwise they would not come. From the 

 United States we had Mr. and Mrs. S. D. 

 House, Camillus, N. Y.; Messrs. O. L. Her- 

 shiser, Buffalo, N. Y.; W. L. Coggshall, Gro- 

 ton, N. Y.; E. R. Root, Medina, Ohio. 



At some future time more may be said 

 about the convention and what was brought 

 forth. The following are notes on the ad- 

 dress of Mr. S. D. House, upon "the build- 

 ing-up of colonies for the honey-flow." 



He stated that the subject was very impor- 

 tant, and had many factors entering into it. 

 The foundation must be laid by the time the 

 bees go into winter quarters. First we want 

 a good queen. During the past half-century 

 many strides have been made in bee-keep- 

 ing, but not much in the direction of progress 

 could be said to have been made in the breed- 

 ing of bees. If we bought an Italian queen 

 from its native haunts (Italy) we would prob- 

 ably find the average queen from there the 

 equal of the average Italian queen whose an- 

 cestors had for generations been in our own 



