THE AMERlCAJSl BKE JUURNAL. 



167 



to, and work in unison with their 

 county or district associations. What 

 honey is sold in the towns would be 

 left on commission with good, wide- 

 awake grocers, the association estab- 

 lishing the price at which it is to be 

 BoW ; being careful to establish and 

 maintain a high reputation for the 

 quality and purity of their honey. 

 Much more might be accomplished 

 in this way than by any producers' 

 association, and thus tlie problem of 

 the honey market would be solved. 



Now is the time to work up such 

 organizations and prepare tor the 

 coming season's operations ; it can be 

 done at little expense, and would re- 

 sult in great good to all. 



Almena, ? Micti. 



For tlie Amencan Bee Journal. 



U. S, Honey-Proiliicers' Association,' 



J. M. HAMBAUGH. 



To organize a controlling per cent. 

 of the honey-producers of the United 

 States, and thereby bring them under 

 • the controlling influence of the asso- 

 ciation, is a task not easily accom- 

 plished. Can the North, the South, 

 the East and the West he brought to- 

 gether under one bond ot brother- 

 hood, so that therewill be no infring- 

 ing of 'rights, one upon the other, in 

 the financial transactions of the en- 

 tire honey traffic of the United States V 

 Can our oganization be so strong that 

 we can successfully " bull " and 

 " bear " against the laws of supply 

 and demand V 



We will suppose for argument's 

 sake, that we are now organized, and 

 have proclaimed to the world that the 

 prices on our product shall no longer 

 be trailed in the dust, and consumers 

 must pay us 15 cents a pound for ex- 

 tracted honey, and 2-5 cents per pound 

 for comb honey, or go without it; 

 what does any one think would be the 

 result? I believe the mass of the 

 consumers would argue that they can 

 obtain granulated sugar at 1-5 pounds 

 for a dollar, being equivalent to less 

 than 7 cents per pound ; from this 

 they will say they can make syrup 

 costing less than 6 cents per pound ; 

 hence the folly of paying 1.5 cents per 

 pound for honey when they can get a 

 fair article of syrup for 6 cents per 



Eound. Sorghum molasses can be 

 ought from 40 to 60 cents per gallon, 

 and the larger per cent, of the con- 

 sumers will live on sorghum at those 

 figures rather than to pay at the rate 

 of $1 .65 per gallon for extracted honey. 



Can any tell how this state of affairs 

 can be benetiled by an association of 

 honey-producers V We might be able 

 to raise a " corner " on our product, 

 but at the present low rates of other 

 sweets, it would eventually succumb, 

 and at last be governed by the laws 

 governing the supply and demand. 



To me, there appears to be but one 

 remedy, and one road out of the mire. 

 and that is expressed in this short 

 sentence : Increase the consumption of 

 honey 1 



Do away with commission men en- 

 tirely, and sell only to the retail dealer 



and the consumer. Let honey seek 

 its level along with other products of 

 man's labor, and when we cannot 

 produce it at the prices the times and 

 circumstances justify, let us step out 

 and surrender to those who can. We 

 should endeavor to increase the de- 

 mand by giving the consumer some- 

 thing to '• tickle histaste," and by our 

 honest, square dealings, let him know 

 that he can rely upon our word, and 

 feel that he gets value received for his 

 money. 



We should endeavor to maintain 

 good prices by placing a superior 

 article upon the market, put up in 

 such shapes as will attract attention, 

 and suit the convenience of the pur- 

 chaser; but until the farmers, cane 

 and sugar producers, wool-growers, 

 etc., effect a "corner" on their pro- 

 ducts, I believe it useless for the 

 honey-producers to organize with that 

 end in view; on the other hand, I 

 believe it to be detrimental to their 

 interests. While I believe in organi- 

 zations to defend our rights, elevate 

 and increase our industry, I do not 

 believe in "corners," monopolies, etc. 



Spring,*© Ills. • 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Tie PrcYention of Increase, etc, 



ABEL GRESH. 



I have been looking in vain over 

 several of our prominent bee- papers 

 to find some experienced apiarist give 

 his method— or some practical one— 

 whereby increase could be prevented, 

 and yet get the full benefit of work 

 from the bees, in producing comb 

 honey in sections. Nearly all agree 

 that prevention of natural swarming 

 is not practical, but hint or say in- 

 crease could be practically prevented ; 

 but I have the first to see who ven- 

 tures to give explicit details of how he 

 accomplishes the object.- It begins to 

 look to me as if their methods were 

 considered " tricks of the trade "not 

 to be divulged. I know that hiving 

 back into the same hive is not prac- 

 tical with me. Hiving back into a 

 hive whose colony sent off a swarm 

 some days previously, is condemned 

 by good authorities. Uniting swarms 

 or parts of swarms, when swarming 

 at the same time, is of little benefit, 

 unless swarms are small, and, even 

 then the object is only partly attained. 



Mr. Simmius' method of preventing 

 the desire to swarm may work in 

 England, but I have my doubts about 

 it succeeding in my apiary. Still I 

 am glad that Mv. Simmins has given 

 his method to the public, as it gives 

 us ground to work and experiment on, 

 and all methods should be given a 

 fair trial, and if each would con- 

 tribute his theories, or better still, his 

 practice in this direction, together 

 with results, I believe the problem 

 would eventually be effectually solved, 

 for "in the multitude of counselors 

 there is wisdom." Let those who 

 have had any experience on this line 

 report it in the Hee Journal, giving 

 full method, for the benefit of the 

 fraternity in general. 



As to legislation, I doubt if any 

 good could be accomplished by it; 

 but I think much might be done to 

 promote sales of honey, and hold 

 prices at a reasonable figure by united 

 effort. 



Weedville,6 Ta. 



Tor tlie Amencan Bee Jonmal 



Coml) Founflation-Foiil Brood. 



CHAS. H. VAN VECHTEN. 



I could not do without foundation 

 at any price. I use it in full sheets in 

 the brood- frames and in the sections. 

 By its use a pound ot bees can be 

 built up into a good colony when the 

 bee-keeper has no empty combs ; and 

 by putting it into sections in full 

 sheets, it is wonderful to see how the 

 bees build it out, and the amount of 

 honey they store from Alsike clover. 

 My bees averaged 160 pounds of clover 

 honey per colony. I use a chaff hive 

 something like the " Falcon," only the 

 ends have hooks to keep the doors in, 

 a catch to the bottom, and the cover 

 is on hinges with a wooden staple and 

 stick on one corner. When the cover 

 is open the stick holds the cover level, 

 where tools and crates can be piled 

 on. The back is double-walled, and a 

 false bottom is under the hive, both 

 of which are to be packed. Ttie hive 

 takes 8 frames, 10xl6>^ inches. I wire 

 the frames and use a steel wire for a 

 brace instead ot a tin post. The hive 

 has an 8-inch entrance and a 1-inch 

 hole 6 inches above the entrance for 

 free circulation. By putting 2 bushels 

 of chaff on the hive, the bees will 

 winter as well as calves or horses. 



In answer to the question whether 

 extracting causes foul brood, I would 

 sav that there are quite a number of 

 bee-men in this locality, and some of 

 us have kept bees for 30 years. We 

 work for comb honey in sections, and 

 I never heard of a single case of foul 

 brood here. I should think that re- 

 volving the brood in all stages, with 

 such force in extracting, would kill 

 some of it in its first stages ; but I 

 notice that Mr. E. France, of Wis- 

 consin, extracts from all the combs, 

 and his bees never had the foul brood. 

 I also read of a farmer who had a lot 

 of bees in box-hives, and they were 

 rotten with foul brood. It seems to be 

 hard to decide. 



Victor,*o N. Y. 



For tlie American Bee JouraaL 



Best Metliofl of larMng Honey. 



THOS. TKACY. 



There seems to be a question as to 

 the hest method of market honey. In 

 many of the large cities the whole- 

 sale houses have ceased buying honey, 

 going to the commission house to fill 

 their orders, and the retailer only 

 buys from day to day, throwing the 

 carrying all on the producer or mar- 

 ket man. 



Honey shipped by promiscuous 

 freight to commission men, for them 



