AMERICAN BEE JOURNAU 



G41 



17 ; fifth, 15 ; sixth, 12. Ratos for 

 shorter or longer -distances boar about 

 the same ratio to one another. 



The commodities in which bee-l\eepers 

 are more particuhirly interested arc 

 chissed as follows at i)resent : Beeswax, 

 first-class ; bee-comb, second-class ; bee- 

 hives set up, double first-class ; bee- 

 hives nested, first-class ; bee-hives K. D., 

 third-class ; or, in carloads, fourth-class. 

 Empty barrels and kegs are classed as 

 follows : Ale or beer barrels go at actual 

 weight, and third-class freight, while 

 vinegar, cider, molasses, syrup, or other 

 tight barrels, are called 100 pounds 

 each, and go as second-class. Liquor 

 kegs, acaal weight, second-class. Kegs, 

 N. O. S., actual weight, 2}4 times first- 

 class. 



Of course, - you are interested in the 

 mention of ale and beer barrels and 

 liquor kegs, only as a comparison with 

 the kinds used to ptit honey in, to show 

 an instance of favoritism to the liquor 

 interests. Box stuff is classed fourth, 

 and in carloads, sixth-class ; but that no 

 longer concerns us, for railroads will 

 not accept bee-boxes, or honey-boxes, or 

 any other kind of boxes made in a bee- 

 hive factory, as anything but bee-hives. 

 Honey in glass, packed, first-class. 

 Honey in cans, boxed, also in kegs, sec- 

 ond-class ; honey in barrels, third-class. 

 Tin cans, boxed, first-class. 



Although the Classification Committee 

 probably intend the term bee-comb to 

 apply to old comb before being rendered 

 to get the wax, yet we take advantage 

 of the term and apply it to comb-founda- 

 tion, calling this, on our shipping-bills, 

 bee-comb in sheets. When the article 

 you are shipping is not specifically 

 named in the classification, the rule is 

 to class it with analogous articles and 

 comb-foundation is more nearly analo- 

 gous to bee-comb than beeswax ; hence, 

 although of greater value and risk in 

 handling, it goes at a lower rate than 

 beeswax. 



Syrup in cans, kegs, or barrels, goes 

 at one class lower freight than honey 

 put up in the same way ; and some have 

 recommended billing extracted-honey as 

 syrup, in order to get the lower rate ; 

 yet it is a questionable practice. Syrup, 

 as a rule, is not worth as much as honey, 

 and hence not so great an amount is at 

 stake, and a lower rate can be made. 

 The practice of billing bee-hives K. D., 

 as box stuff, is perhaps alike question- 

 able, although the difference in value is 

 not so marked and well defined. 



It is hard to see wliy a certain amount 

 of lumber, cut up to form the bodies, 

 covers and bottcfms of bee-hives, should 



be charged a higher rate of freight than 

 the same amount cut into the same or 

 much smaller dimensions, to be used as 

 packing-boxes ; yet it is no doubt owing 

 to the fact that the frames and insider 

 fixtures of the hives go wite tlih outside, 

 and thus make the whole of more value 

 than box stuff. 



About two years ago, bee-hives K. D. 

 were classed second in small lots ; and 

 in a recent visit to Jamestown, I learned 

 that Mr. W. T. Falconer had been before 

 the Classification Committee, and suc- 

 ceeded in having the classification 

 changed to third, and this secured quite 

 a substantial benefit to bee-keepers. 



During the past year or two traveling 

 freight agents representing such roads 

 as the Lake Shore & Michigan South- 

 ern ; Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific ; 

 Union Pacific, and others, have visited 

 us, and on examination of the goods we 

 were sending out, they, with one accord, 

 agreed that the rough, heavy parts of 

 hives were properly billed box stuff, as 

 we had been doing. The inspector rep- 

 resenting the trunk lines merging into 

 Chicago, did not agree with their opin- 

 ion, and all such goods which passed 

 through Chicago were changed to bee- 

 hives K. D. Not long ago this was 

 followed by instructions to the agent at 

 Medina not to receive any more goods 

 from us as box stuff. We then entered 

 on argument before the Classification 

 Committee, showing that bee-hives K. 

 D. were of no more value than some 

 grades of lumber in the rough, nor of 

 box stuff, and asked for a reduction in 

 the rate, putting bee-hives K. D., on the 

 same basis as box stuff. 



The chairman of the committee says 

 that he will recommend putting the car- 

 load rate fifth, instead of fourth as at 

 present, but no further change is pro- 

 posed. As very few carloads are ship- 

 ped, this is but very little practical 

 gain, except to show that there is an 

 evident desire on the part of the com- 

 mittee to correct injustice when brought 

 to their notice. 



As compared with many interests rep- 

 resented in the classification, bee-keep- 

 ers have quite fair and reasonable 

 recognition. A few interests are 

 favored, but we can hardly hope to be 

 among the favored ones. 



In the matter of shipping comb-honey, 

 it may be well to mention that the class- 

 ification provides that, if the shipper 

 chooses, to pay one class higher rate- 

 namely, 1}4 times first-class, it will be 

 taken at carrier's risk ; and, if smashed 

 or damaged, the amount of loss may be 

 recovered, We had a case of this kind 



