78 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



damaged. The white painted hives stood 

 the ordeal vastly better, though even in 

 them, when the entrance was not full width 

 of hive (like your Dovetailed hive), there 

 were some combs melted down. My combs 

 were mostly new ones, and very full of 

 honey. After that disastrous experience I 

 whitewashed my hives, and now I believe 

 that that is the proper treatment for them, 

 as it comV)ines both the advantages of the 

 painted and the uupainted hives. The 

 whitewash does not prevent evaporation of 

 moisture ; and by giving a fresh coat each 

 spring the hives much surpass in whiteness, 

 and therefore in coolness, a painted hive, 

 especially if it has not Vieen painted for two 

 or three years. Mr. Doolittle, too, se ms to 

 have had some unfavorable experience with 

 unpainted hives since writing his article of 

 March 15, 1889 ; for, May 15, 1890, one year 

 and two months after, he closes a letter by 

 saying he now ' prefers to paint his hives 

 and let them stand in the sun.' 



Your Dovetailed hives, both in body and 

 style of cover, are well suited for this cli- 

 mate, as nails alone will not prevent boards 

 from warping here." 



I should be willing to leave hives unpaint- 

 ed, if they were to be shaded, were it not 

 that it is an advantage to have all hives ex- 

 actly alike in appearance. Some operations 

 are greatly simplified by this uniformity in 

 appearance. For instance, that of hiving a 

 swarm by allowing it to return to the old 

 location. If a man could have all of his 

 hives made at one time, and never need any 

 new ones, this objection to leaving off the 

 paint would not hold good. But when new 

 ones are added and none of the hives are 

 painted, there is a decided difference be- 

 tween the old and new as regards the color. 



Grading, Shipping and Marketing > Honey. 

 At the recent meeting of bee-keepers 

 in Albany, N. Y., Mr. Segelken, of the firm 

 of Hildreth Bros. & Segelken, commission 

 merchants of New York City, read a paper 

 upon grading and shipping honey, that was 

 unusually meaty, so much so that it is a 

 difficult task to condense it ; but I am going 

 to try and see what I can do in that line, and 

 give the result below : 



" In these days of sharp competition it is 

 necessary to put goods on the market in the 

 most attractive style. 



The single-tier case is better than the 

 double-tier. If a section leaks in the double 

 tier, those below are daubed. 



Put only the net weight on the cases, and 

 put it in plain figures on the end of the case. 

 Never have any odd ounces ; the dealer is 

 obliged to "throw off" the odd ounces. 

 Changes some of the sections from one case 

 to another, until each case has an even num- 

 ber of pounds. 



Put heavy paper in the bottom of each 

 case, and turn it up half an inch pn the sides. 

 If any combs break down, the paper catches 

 the drip and prevents it from running out 

 and daubing other cases. 



Heavy pasteboard boxes (the Schofield) 

 are preferable to the folding box made of 

 light paper. 



In the New York market, glassed sections 

 still find a ready market, in fact the demand 

 is increasing and promises to be permanent. 

 Of course, it is profitable to put up honey in 

 this shape. The nailed or dovetailed sec- 

 tions are preferable when the sections are 

 to be glassed. The glass is attached by tin 

 tags or wire nails. Glue is sometimes used, 

 but the glass sometimes drops off if the glue 

 is not good. 



It is of great importance to have sections 

 weigh not more than a pound. From 14 to 

 1<) ounces is preferred. It is slow work sell- 

 ing heavy sections. Make the sections nar- 

 rower — not more than 13^2 inches, or l^y,, so 

 when glassed the section will not weigh 

 more than a pound. 



Two grades are sufficient for white honey. 

 Never mix dark and white honey. Straight 

 buckwheat honey finds a readier sale than 

 mixed honey. 



For extracted honey, basswood, white 

 clover, or buckwheat, a keg holding 150 

 pounds, a half barrel of 300 pounds, or even 

 a barrel of 500 pounds is preferable. Tin 

 cans are expensive, and the honey in them 

 will not sell for any higher price. 



All honey should be sent by freight. 

 There is less likelihood of its being broken, 

 and the cost is less. As the transportation 

 companies will carry it only at owner's risk, 

 why pay express companies three times 

 freight rates ? 



Ship in the original cases. Don't put six 

 or eight cases into one large crate. [Here I 

 must disagree. If the honey is put into an 

 ordinary box or crate, that may be tumbled 

 about either side up, then Mr. Segelken is 

 right ; but if the crate is made with slats at 

 the side, allowing the honey to be seen, and 

 of such size that it will hold about 150 

 pounds, and provided with handles that 

 tempt freight handlers to grasp them, then 

 the safety of transit is enhanced. — Ed.] 



The best time to ship honey to market is 

 in September and the first part of October. 

 Be the crop large or small, early shippers 

 get the best prices and quickest returns." 



Outside Cases for Winter. 

 Gleanings for March 1st, comes just in 

 time for me to copy the following most ex- 

 cellent and timely article from the pen of 

 that old-time friend and correspondent of 

 the Review, J. A. Green : 



"From the refermces that have appeared in 

 Gleanings lately in regard to outside shells 

 for packing bees that are to be wintered on 

 their summer stands, the novice would al- 

 most be led to think that it is a new and un- 

 tried device. 1 liave used such packing- 



