THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



Ill 



stopped up with a cork. If queens hatch, 

 the bees destroy them before they are ready 

 to fly. By this management, increase of 

 colonies is prevented. 



Instead of shaking off all the bees, at the 

 end of the seventh day. one comb with queen 

 cells upon it may be left unshaken, all the 

 combs returned to the hive, and an Alley 

 (lueen trap placed over the entrance. In 

 from five to eight days the queen will be 

 found caught in the trap, when all the bees 

 may be shaken off in front of the hive con- 

 taining the new swarm, and the combs dis- 

 posed of as before. This leaves a larger 

 portion of the bees with the swarm upon the 

 old stand, but necessitates two jobs at shak- 

 ing off the bees. 



We must say that this plan of waiting 

 seven days before shaking off the bees and 

 giving the brood to some other colony, im- 

 presses us much more favorably than that 

 of going through with the performance im- 

 mediately after swarming. 



The extra combs that accumulate with this 

 system are piled up on as few colonies as 

 possible, precautions being taken against 

 the wind's blowing them over. About the 

 10th of October, all combs not needed upon 

 the hives are taken away and piled up in 

 brood chambers out of doors where the 

 winter's frost will destroy the eggs of the 

 bee moth. The combs come through in such 

 nice condition that the temptation io hive 

 bees upon them is very strong, but, after 

 many trials, the Doctor has decided that it is 

 better to simply use starters. -They are used 

 to the best advantage in the production of ex- 

 tracted honey. 



The Doctor thinks we are gainers, by al- 

 lowing the bees to swarm, even if we wish 

 no increase, and are obliged to resort to 

 some method to avoid increase, as in no 

 other way can we secure the wonderful ac- 

 tivity induced by swarming. He thinks 

 many failures result from neglect to take 

 the fullest advantage of the swarming im- 

 pulse in getting bees down to hard labor. 



THE NEXT SPECIAL TOPIC TO BE " FBOM THE 

 HIVE TO THE HONEY MAEKET." 



Having raised our honey, the next step is 

 its preparation for market. What this prep- 

 aration shall be depends upon the market ; 

 whether it is a home or a distant market, a 



wholesale or a retail one. Where honey is 

 to be retailed at home, it might be said that 

 it required almost no preparation. Where 

 one or two sections of honey are sold to a 

 neighbor, we have simply to wrap them in 

 paper, or, perhaps, put them into paper car- 

 tons. In retailing extracted honey at home, 

 where customers bring in pails, pitchers and 

 pans to be filled, we have only to keep the 

 honey in a large tin can, with a honey gate 

 near the bottom, and have some scales to 

 weigh the honey. But, as we have decided to 

 take up "Marketing" in the August issue, 

 we will confine ourselves, in this discussion, 

 to the preparation for market, and the 

 shipping ; and we wish to discuss the sub- 

 ject from the standpoint of the man who 

 raises more honey than he can or irill sell at 

 home. 



Several of our correspondents have told us 

 that extracted honey ought to stand a few 

 days in large vessels, that the thin honey 

 may rise to the top, when the thick honey 

 may be drawn off at the bottom into the 

 packages in which it is to be shipped. Where 

 honey is raised in very large quantities, and 

 shipped in bulk to jobbers, or to be used, 

 perhaps, for manufacturing purposes, we 

 doubt if there is a more desirable package 

 than the barrel. When pains have been 

 taken to raise an extra fine article for table 

 sauce, and it is to be sold direct to consum- 

 ers, or to retail dealers, we think the (50 lb., 

 jacketed tin is the package. It never leaks 

 nor taints the honey : it protects the honey 

 perfectly from the air; is easily opened: and, 

 if candied, the honey can l)e liquified in it. 



Almost everybody prefers their honey in a 

 liquid state. They prefer to buy it in that 

 condition, and thus be saved the trouble of 

 melting it. Honey is more attractive in 

 its appearance when in its liquid state. 

 When candied, it has no more beauty 

 than so much lard. In order that the 

 beauty of extracted honey may be seen, it 

 must be put up in glass : then its beautiful, 

 amber tints sparkle in the light, and the re- 

 sult is that the prospective purchaser ends 

 by saying , "Well, I guess I'll take it." To 

 compete with comb honey as a fancy article 

 of grocery merchandise, extracted honey 

 must be in its liquid state, and put up in 

 glass with tin foil caps and small, tasty la- 

 bels. Of course, all this costs money, but 

 any expense incurred in beautifying a com- 

 odity is m ost cheerfully repaid by the con- 

 sumer. Some purchasers may not be will- 



