274 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



Now for the explanation as to the dif- 

 ference between Wisconsin and Nebraska 

 regarding this matter. The honey flow 

 in Wisconsin conies in July when the 

 nights are hot, and the hives and their 

 contents do not "cool off" during the 

 night. In Nebraska the nights are cool, 

 and if a hive is in a dense shade, it is late 

 in the morning before the bees become 

 warmed up enough to fly freely, and bj' 

 this time much ot the nectar has evapora- 

 ted. If the hive stands in the sun, with 

 its entrance turned toward the East, the 

 morning sun gets the bees out to work as 

 soon as it is warm enough for them to fly. 



A shade board is the kind of shade 

 that Mr. Whitcomb prefers, as that allows 

 the sun to strike the hive in the morn- 

 ing and evening but shields it during the 

 hottest part of the day, 



THE USE OF COMB FOUNDATION IN 

 COMB HONEY, 



The subject brought up in this issue by 

 Mr. Greiner is not entirely new. It has 

 been discussed before, 3'et bee keepers 

 keep right on using foundation in 

 their sections. I presume that the}- will 

 keep right on doing so; however, there 

 is no harm in talking the matter over 

 once more. 



I agree entirely with friend Greiner 

 that comb honey stored in naturally built 

 comb is far more toothsome than that 

 built from foundation. It is friable and 

 brittle, and breaks up in the mouth. For 

 my own eating I would willingly paj- five 

 cents more a pound for comb honey built 

 without foundation. A year or two ago 

 I bought some honey stored in naturally 

 built comb. As well acquainted as I am 

 with the eating of comb honey, the eat- 

 ing of this was a mild surprise to me. 



Notwithstanding all this, I very much 

 doubt the advisability of attempting to do 

 away with comb foundation m sections. 



To illustrate: there are many delicious 

 varieties of fruits and vegetables that are 

 never found upon the market for the sim- 

 ple reason that there is more profit in the 



production and sale of other varieties. I 

 never see on the market any of the sweet, 

 delicious, tender, black Mexican corn; 

 nor Cumberland strawberries, nor Cham- 

 pion of England peas, nor lima beans. 

 When I talk to the gardeners about them 

 they say: "It doesn'tpay to raise them. 

 Very few people know about them, and 

 it is too much trouble to educate them, 

 and they won't buy them and pay more 

 for them until they are educated. There 

 is more money for us in raising the com- 

 mon kind, that we can raise cheaply, and 

 sell at a low price, and that everybody is 

 ready to buy." 



Men are in the bee business to make 

 money, and I am satisfied that the use of 

 foundation in the sections largely increas- 

 es the crop of honey; much more than a 

 raise of price, of five cents a pound, would 

 increase the profit if no foundation were 

 used. To educate the public to distin- 

 guish the difference between comb honey 

 built on foundation, and that built nat- 

 urally, would be a great task. The gen- 

 eral public does not keep bees, is not in- 

 terested in the question, and will not be 

 unless we tr}' to interest it. A bee keep- 

 er could quickly tell if the comb was nat- 

 urally built. Not so the average pur- 

 chaser. If we attempt an education, it 

 may be to arouse a prejudice in the minds 

 of some, where none now exists. 



Nine-tenths of the purchasers know 

 nothing of foundation, and never will 

 know unless we educate them. They buy 

 honey now and are satisfied with it. Why- 

 try to produce something better, and try 

 to educate consumers to buy it, and pay 

 more for it, when by so doing we will de- 

 crease our profits ? 



The use of foundation in sections may 

 be written against and condemned, as 

 much as you please, bee keepers will 

 never give up its use if they can make 

 more money by using it. 



If friend Greiner, or any other bee keep- 

 er, can find a class of customers who will 

 pay a sufficient advance for comb honey 

 in naturally built combs, let him produce 

 it by all means, but for the commercial 



