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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 



By the way, we have more than one plan we follow 

 which we call the Doolittle plan, for wo And his ad- 

 vice generally good and safe. But we concluded 

 that it is generally the safest plan to cage the queen, 

 as we lost quite a number of queens in wintering — 

 several at least. Probably some would have died if 

 let alone; but as we had more bees than we in our 

 poor health knew how to care for, we did not care 

 very much. 



When the swarming began we had 30 or 30 two and 

 three frame nuclei, made so by taking away all their 

 brood and bees except what went back, and giving 

 them to other colonies, leaving about 180, or nearly 

 that, of good colonies. I doubt If there were more 

 than 170 good strong colonies by the time we finished 

 all uniting, as we were severe on uniting, as we de- 

 termined on having strong colonies, and desired no 

 increase all summer, as we had all the bees we 

 wished. We kept no record of numbers united 

 back, as both of us were out of health, and our help 

 was insufficient and inexperienced. 



Finished putting on surplus frames the 10th of 

 June; the 13th we had two swarms; from that time 

 until the 10th of September, our last swarm (last 

 honey gathered Sept. 16th), we had swarming every 

 day almost — from one to thirty per day, except 

 about the last of July. 



The first swarms we put into hives by themselves, 

 helping them all we dared to, and not have them 

 swarm again. The old stocks we gave more combs 

 of brood, often filling up the hive full with 10 to 13 

 combs of brood, and a queen-cell just ready to hatch, 

 or one of the best we had. By the time the young 

 queen was ready to lay, the hive was boiling over 

 with bees, and would often swarm when she flew 

 out, especially If any thing had destroyed the first 

 young queen, and they had to raise another. By the 

 above method the bees were almost sure to swarm, 

 but just as sure to gather honey. The swarms were 

 always large, and ready to go into boxes. Every 

 Bwarm, except strong first swarms, were put back 

 into the parent hive, and also late first swarms were 

 put back. 



We had about 400 swarms, but united back until 

 we had, at the close of the swarming season, only 

 about 398 colonies all together. Increased by swarm- 

 ing, about 80. Honey gathered, 39,000 lbs. or more; 

 about 1900 or 3000 extracted, and the rest comb hon- 

 ey, and as nice honey as we ever had. 



A GOOD WORD FOR THE COMMISSION MEN. 



Thirty thousand pounds was shipped to Chicago, 

 and is being sold by five commission men. We are 

 not certain but that it would have been better to 

 have let one man handle it all instead of dividing it 

 to many; for when a person came to buy he would 

 go first to one commission man and then to another, 

 and get his price on a particular brand, and buy 

 where he could get it the cheapest. There is one ad- 

 vantage, however, in leaving it with a number of 

 men, for if one was dishonest, or failed, we shou'd 

 not lose all; but we are each year learning to have 

 more confidence in our commission men; in fact, 

 more confidence in everybody, especially business 

 men and railroad companies. 



nOAV TO MARKET HONEY. 



We shipped one lot of our honey to Chicago just as 

 early in the fall as we could get it ready, at so much 

 per pound (about 7O0O lbs.), not knowing we could 

 have chartered a car and saved $10.00 on the ship- 

 ment. Next time wo chartered a car, and then the 

 honey is allowed to remain in it until the commission 



men take] it out themselves, which they do with 

 their own light spring express wagons. We can 

 send a carload then, if one wishes to, for same price. 

 We prefer to ship by freight instead of express, even 

 small lots. Since very cold weather came, we sent 

 two boxes to Nebraska. The weather was rather 

 moderate while on the cars, and the honey was re- 

 ceived all right, not broken badly, and more has 

 been ordered. Our agent takes great pains that it 

 shall be safely sent. 



REPORTING CHICAGO MARKETS. 



I have sometimes wondered that the Chicago mar- 

 ket was withheld on comb honey, in Gleanings, 

 when the truth is, there are tons and tons of it in 

 the city, selling at a paying price too. Mr. Axtell 

 was there week before last, and none of our honey 

 had sold for less tban 15 and 16 cts. in large lots, and 

 17 and 18 in small lots, crates generally to be re- 

 turned. 



GIVING AWAY THE CRATES WITH THE HONEY. 



We made our crates so nice that we thought wo 

 could not lose them; but in that we think we made a 

 mistake. The crate ought to go with the honey, to 

 be of no more care to the commission men. One of 

 the men who handle our honey, K. A. Burnett, one 

 who handles as much, or more, than any man in 

 Chicago, said he preferred the crates to be of un- 

 paintcd, fresh new pine; but the ethers all said 

 paint them, as it gives the retail merchant a better 

 chance for selling. If one ships all his honey to one 

 man he will not be likely to buy so much of another; 

 but if he has a dozen lots from so many different 

 men, his customer has a chance to reject yours, if it 

 is not quite as attractive as others. Honey ought to 

 be graded with the greatest of care, and not one 

 dark or rough comb should be put into a crate with 

 honey represented as nice. If you do, they will re- 

 member it, and shun your honey next time. But it 

 is well to have a second grade, marked as second, as 

 the commission men say they often have some men 

 who want such, if they can get it cheaper. 



NO SEPARATORS. 



We took great pains in cleaning our section 

 frames, and in putting them in the crates so the 

 honey would not touch, as we used no separators. I 

 don't know bow we could have kept the bees in the 

 hive with separators this year. 



PUTTING THE HONEY IN THE CRATES. 



And then we put In two thicknesses or more of pa- 

 per in the bottom of the crate, and let the paper 

 stand up a little around, so if any honey got to leak- 

 ing it could not run out of the crate, which is a very 

 important thing to do, unless the crate is made so 

 tight as to hold honey, and each comb was perfectly 

 sealed into the section all around, and no broken 

 cells. In handling sections to clean the frames, our 

 girls would cut cells occasiOHally, which I also found 

 it hard to help; but I found it paid to have clean 

 sections. Some of our sections had been on the hive 

 the year before, and a few two years; but on account 

 of the nice comb in them for starters we used them, 

 and white honey was put in them; but the frames 

 needed thorough scraping before they were fit for 

 market. 



For our town market I don't know but that the 

 honey sold just as well if not so carefully cleaned, 

 though we held oura at 18 cts., and the box-hive men 

 got only 15, both in the same store. We sold consid- 

 erable, but in small lots. If customers wanted 10 

 lbs. or so, or wanted a whole box, they took the 15- 

 cent bouey, as it was. just as nice as ours. 



