1883 



GLEAl^LNGS IN i3EE CULTUEE. 



7t6 



through, for want of definite knowledge on the 

 subject. 



The whole thing is a personal matter between this 

 A. V. Conover and his neighbor, a Mr. Frcy, an 

 elderly gentleman who through me started in 

 modern apiculture; and with his small apiary of 

 thirty or thirty-five colonies of gentle Italians, and 

 Mr. Conover's fears that "they might do him harm," 

 is the whole thing on which he is acting. If any 

 one wishes to communicate to me in regard to the 

 matter I will willingly reply to all questions relative 

 thereto. F. C. Lockwood. 



Freehold, Mon. Co., N. J., Dec. 7, 1883. 



To be sure, friend L., we wish to prevent 

 any such hasty action which might result 

 from the fact that bee culture is in many 

 places a comparatively new industry. Any 

 well-informed person would be likely to pro- 

 notmce the above notice the result of ignor- 

 ance and spite, on first reading it. Still, as 

 ignorance and spite do a considerable amount 

 of harm, your suggestions may be timely. 

 It seems to me that the proper thing to do 

 would be to refer the whole matter to some 

 disinterested friend of both parties, who is 

 well posted in the matter, and explain the 

 case to Mr. C., and endeavor to have him see 

 the mistake he is making. People some- 

 times get to be greatly embittered toward 

 certain things ; and although well meaning 

 as a general thing, they may, as in this par- 

 ticular case, labor under a great misappre- 

 hension. 



REPORT FROM HENRY AVIRTH. 



ANGTHEU GOOD REPORT FROM DOGLITTI.E'S NEIGH- 

 BOHHOOD. 



/^^NE year ago I sent you my report for 1882. 

 WW) There was considerable comment made in re 

 ^"■^ gard to it. I now come again; and what I 

 bave to say in regard to my bees this year I will 

 vouch for and can bring any necessary number of 

 good creditable vouchers, as to the facts herein. I 

 went in winter quarters in 1883 with twenty - five 

 colonies, and wintered them on their summer 

 stands (which I shall do again this winter). I saved 

 from the 25 colonies, 18—10 fair and 8 very weak 

 ones. I rented 2 colonies of a neighbor; paid SIO.OO 

 for the use of them; took 3 colonies of another 

 neighbor on shares, to give one-half the product. I 

 took no honey from the 8 weak colonies, leaving me 

 1354 colonies from which I got all of my honey. I 

 built up the weak ones, and increased from all of 

 my colonies except 3, which were too weak to start a 

 swarm. I go into winter quarters with 34 colonics, 

 and with 3 that I got out of the woods this fall where 

 other parties cut the trees and got the honey. The 

 product from the IS'/i colonies was 29:>6 lbs.; 1400 

 lb3. of comb, and 1536 lbs. of extracted; got 14, 15, 

 and 16 cts. per lb. for my comb, and 10 cts. for my 

 extracted at wholesale, giving me for my honey 

 $363.60. 



The season has been a very remarkable one, the 

 most of the time quite wet, which, according to all 

 writers upon the subject, is very bad for honey-pro- 

 ducing. The first basswood that I got was about Ju- 

 ly 14. The basswood yielded honey for about five 

 weeks. Then I got no more honey; in fact, if it had 

 not been for the basswood there would have been 

 nearly, if not quite, a honey famine. 



Now, Mr. Editor, I have condensed, not taking up 

 any of your valuable room with botanizing or any 

 other subject foreign to the facts. I would say to 

 you and the readers of your valuable periodical, 

 that I am satisfied with my year's labor among my 

 bees, as I think all apiarians in this section are, 

 without a single exception, as far as my knowledge 

 extends. Henry Wirtii. 



Borodino, N. Y., Dec. 4, 1883. 



Friend VV., we are very much obliged for 

 your report, especially as it comes from the 

 neighborhood of friend Doolittle, and we 

 should be glad to hear from every bee-man 

 you reler to, who, you say, have also done 

 well. You have given us a very important 

 fact in regard to the length of time bass- 

 wood may yield honey. The longest period 

 we have ever known here was about three 

 weeks, while you put it at five weeks. I 

 presume this extra two weeks is from the 

 basswood located on hill-tops, and blossom- 

 ing that much later. Now, friend W., may 

 I inquire why you speak as you do, where 

 you mention '' botanizing " ? and in one oth- 

 er place you speak as if you thought there 

 was somebody unfriendly around. I sup- 

 posed we were all a neighborly, good-natured 

 sort of people ; and if we have not been in 

 your case, we will try to do better. I do not 

 think any vouchers are needed for a straight- 

 forward report like the one you have given. 



SELLING HONEV IN TUlHBIiERS. 



SOMETHING FURTHER IN REGARD TO THE MATTER. 



SN your foot-notes to my article in Dec. No., you 

 say that, in your experience with chunk honey 

 ~^ in Mason jars surrounded with liquid honey, 

 that " all went well until cold weather, and then the 

 honey all candied, and this finished up the trade." 



Now, I am not surprised at this when you say you 

 used so large a package as the Mason jar. You are 

 aware that goods in small packages sell more readily 

 than when put up in large packages; and you found 

 it slow sale, and it had plenty of time to candy 

 before a customer could be found to take 3 lbs. at a 

 time. Years ago I tried selling honey in three- 

 pound jars, and it was slow, and I soon gave it up; 

 but honey put up in '/i-lb. tumblers is a different 

 thing entirely, and I never find it on the retailer's 

 hands long enough to candy. When put up in M-lh. 

 flint-glass tumblers, as we do, and neatly labeled, I 

 find honey sells ten times faster than in any other 

 shape it can be put on the market. 



You speak of your littile glass pails as perhaps 

 some better than the tumblers. This may be; but 

 they cost too much, and are no more desirable for 

 siibsequent use to the purchaser than the half-pound 

 tumblers. Your package must be as cheap as pos- 

 sible, but yet look well; otherwise there will be a 

 loss to some one; and further, if you would have 

 your honey sell quickly at the best prices you must 

 use tumblers holding no more than half a pound of 

 honey. 



I furnish my retailers with tin trays. These trays, 

 or pans, hold from one to two dozen tumblers; are 

 easily kept clean; they can be made plain or orna- 

 mental; they can be made of nicely grained hard 

 wood by any one. The advantages of this method 

 of selling are many. Your extracted honey may be 



