^52 



GLEANIJ^GS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 



the most money for his particular production. It 

 shall be my aim in this article to aid my fellow bee- 

 keepers to dispose of their product to the best ad- 

 vantage. I never sell a pound of honey for less 

 than 20 to 25 e. Not only do I sell all my own honey 

 at these figures, but thousands of pounds purchased 

 from other beekeepers and commission men deal- 

 ing in honey. 



To those of my readers who have been shipping 

 their honey to commission merchants, taking their 

 prices, and not yours, and making fortunes by stand- 

 ing between the producer and consumer, I ask you 

 why you do not make an effort to sell that nice hon- 

 ey in your own home markets. If you have not 

 much of a market, go to work by your skill and in- 

 defatigable efforts, and create a home market, you 

 will not fail. You can do it; how? Why, I'll tell 

 you. The world is taken (in this age) by show; and 

 the sooner this is learned, the better for every one, 

 and especially for the bee-keeper. He has an article 

 that is in itself attractive and showy. It came from 

 the Creator's most beautiful and showy creation, 

 the bloom and the flowers; and why should we not 

 continue to display its attractiveness until we have 

 realized its actual value? 



When I say the world is taken by show, I mean 

 that an article exposed for sale, to meet with public 

 approval, must look well, or be presented in the 

 best and most attractive and convenient shape. I 

 will relate a little of my own experience in selling 

 honey, which will at once bring out the point I wish 

 you to see. 



Some years ago I was tempted by a low price to 

 buy a quantity of honey built in large rough boxes, 

 holding 10 to 20 lbs., which was of nice texture, and 

 ought to have sold readily. I left this honey with 

 retailers to sell forme at 15 cts.; and when sold, 

 they might pay me ]2'/4 cts. for it. Weeks and 

 months passed, and but little was sold. I did not 

 like to lose on the investment, so I set about to de- 

 vise a plan to make it go, or lose still more. A few 

 grosses of half-pound honey-tumblers were bought; 

 the honey brought home, cut out, and a nice little 

 piece dropped into each tumbler, and the chinks 

 tilled up with well-ripened, extracted honey. The 

 cap was so put on as to secure all, and a neat showy 

 label put on, filled in crates, and put on the market. 

 It is needless to say, that this honey went, and went, 

 too, like " wild fire," at 25 cts. per lb. The demand 

 soon got away ahead of the supply. I could scarcely 

 get enough to keep the retailers going for a long 

 time, until I got help in putting up. I have extend- 

 ed my trade in honey in this style of package to all 

 the towns and cities within convenient reach of me; 

 and I will say to you, that, in spite of all I can do, 

 when I come around delivering I find many out, 

 saying, "Why, I could have sold many more; I have 

 been waiting for you." 



Now, my friends, I have made some money, and 

 you can do the same. Let your honey be put on the 

 market in small neat packages, and displayed to the 

 best advantage, and it will sell itself for all it is 

 worth. John A. Buchanan. 



Holliday's Cove, W. Va., Nov. 23, 1883. 



Friend B., your suggestion is a grand 

 good one, even if it is not entirely new. 

 Some years ago we started quite a trade in 

 our town by putting chunk honey in Mason 

 jars, and filling around with liquid, as you 

 do. All went nicely until cold weather, and 



the honey candied all around the comb. 

 This finished up the trade ; and we attempt- 

 ed to heat the liquid honey enough to enable 

 us to seal it up to prevent candying ; but 

 we got it a little too hot, and the comb was 

 melted, and we gave up the business. It 

 has just occurred to me, that the little glass 

 pails we sell would be much nicer than the 

 half-pound jelly-tumblers. They are made 

 of Hint glass, and the bail gives a remark- 

 ably neat and handy appearance to the 

 whole outfit. 



THE mvSTERIKS OF BKE - KEEPING 

 EXPOSEM. 



SOME IMPORTANT FACTS I'ROM A FRIEND WHO LIVES 

 A GBEAT WAY OFF. 



EN reply to D. McKenzie (p. 538), I would premise 

 by stating that my experience with bees com- 

 menced in 1835, and the " mysteries " were hid- 

 den in a box till Mr. Langstroth introduced movable 

 frames, which allowed us an occasional opportunity 

 of observing some of the habitsof the little "insex;" 

 but now the use of an observatory-hive gives us an 

 insight into all the mysteries of ancient and modern 

 bee-keeping. 



I now form nuclei in observatory-hives with two 

 regular Simplicity frames, partly filled with brood 

 and honey, with all the bees that may adhere to 

 them. If the old queen be among them, she will 

 continue laying; if not, the bees may be expected to 

 rear a queen. 



EGGS MISSING. 



But, just here comes one of the mysteries referred 

 to (as taken from my note-book : Oct. 1. Formed the 

 usual nucleus. Oct. 8. There being no sign of either 

 queen or queen-cell, I gave them a few eggs and lar- 

 viP, which they immediately destroyed. I saw the 

 bees enter the cells containing eggs; and when they 

 withdrew, the eggs bad disappeared. I did not dis- 

 sect the bees for ocular proof that they had eaten 

 the eggs, but jumped at that conclusion. 



BEES EATING LARV.E. 



I saw the bees draw the larvfe from the cells, 

 crush them with their jaws, partly suck them, when 

 the larvae would be seized by other bees, and not 

 be dropped till the skin was empty. I gave them 

 young brood again on the 13th, with the same result. 

 On the 15th they commenced two queen-cells, which 

 were abandoned on the 17th, when I found about 200 

 eggs compactly laid in each side of the brood-comb; 

 some cells had two, and a few three eggs in them. 

 In due time, about one-half of the cells were en- 

 larged in diameter as they were built out, and cap- 

 ped as drone-cells, the intervening larvae being de- 

 stroyed. I presume it is a case of fertile worker; 

 but as there are no drones at present in my apiary, 

 I intend to let them hatch, and then return the nu- 

 cleus to the parent hive. 



SMALL QUEENS OR LARGE WORKERS — WHICH? 



My bees are common blacks; some of the old 

 workers are ?i of an inch long; and as their wings 

 do not cover the two last segments of their abdo- 

 men, I can not easily distinguish the queen, even 

 when placed beside them. This fact annoys me so 

 frequently that 1 have sent to California for some 

 Italians. 



DHOURRA, OR EGYPTIAN CORN. 



In reply to your query concerning Egyptian corn 

 (page 512), I would say that it is on record that Jacob 



