258 



THF BEE-KEEPERS' REV in. w. 



and neither race will be pure. At any rate 

 we'uns, the doubting Thomases, will say bo 

 so confidently that the market will be 

 busted. 



In the third number Rambler pitches a 

 little wild when he says honey does not be- 

 come a staple article on account of the in- 

 constancy of the supply. MHuy years ago it 

 might have been true that honey could only 

 be had in plentiful years ; but that state of 

 things is not likely to return again. But as 

 to the wicked taking of California's name in 

 vain to cover all sorts of poor stuff and adul- 

 terations — and just as bad when California 

 has no crop as wlien she has — I guess we on 

 this side of the Rockies should offer our sin- 

 cere regrets. The wrong is done by rogues 

 who regard no one but the sheriff' ; and we 

 have not got around to employ the sheriff 

 much yet. Going to. 



And that other charge that honest folks 

 over here are unduly hostile to California's 

 product, perhaps the best thing we can offer 

 at present is to sit awhile on the stool desig- 

 nated for penitents, and meditate on the 

 charge, We'll give conscience a whack at 

 us boys ; but if she don't whack what then 

 can be done V 



C. H. Clayton speaks of the advantage of 

 feeding outside the hive, having no other 

 bees near. He thinks from practice, as I do 

 theoretically, that the product is a little 

 nearer true honey when the bees fly with it, 

 even a little distance than when fed inside 

 the hive. His 150 colonies carry oft' 135 

 pounds in three or four nours — say four 

 ounces per hour per colony. 



Friend Norton shows familiarity with 

 swarm fever when he tells that desperately 

 smitten colonies will not put honey in empty 

 combs (much less build comb) will not 

 even mend broken combs — nothiug but 

 build queen cells by the dozen, and struggle 

 to get away with their clipped queens. Rut 

 his main theme is getting contrary bees to 

 work in sections. Swarms them himself by 

 shaking, hiving them in a half story of half 

 frames — these to contain some comb but 

 not very much. This new shake-swarm has 

 the original stand while the old hive, with 

 some bees yet clinging to the combs, is set a 

 little to one side. Sections are put on be- 

 fore the shake is made. Says it works tip 

 top with him and he has a finished super of 

 sections inside of ten eays. 1 should say, 

 good for the rest of us if zinc e.xcLuders are 

 put on. If your bees always go about 



promptly, whenever there is honey (my hap- 

 py fix) why then there still remains the im- 

 portant opject of preventing increase, as 

 later on the old hive is set back top the 

 new colony's half story. Between Mr. Nor- 

 ton, Mr. Kloer and the rest of us a new 

 standard style of manipulation is likely to 

 arise. The credit of getting first into print 

 with the plan is yielded to Mr. Kloer. See 

 Gleanings 425 for a very meaty article on 

 the subject by the latter. As I greatly hate 

 to have odd sorts of frames laying around, 

 I should try very hard for some modifica- 

 tion that would admit of the regular size of 

 frame. 



R. Wilkin defends the pepper tree. Not 

 sufficient evidence against it yet. 



Editor says it is a mistake to ship comb in 

 such cases as can be thrown. Crate 'em to- 

 gether till it takes two men to carry the 

 combination. 



Richards, Ohio. 



Aug. 5, 189(i. 



eXTRT^OTEO. 



Shipping Comb Hony Safely by Freight. 



The season for the shipping of comb hon- 

 ey is upon us, and greiit is the sorrow when 

 the honey reaches the market in a broken 

 condition. Much can be done by the ship- 

 per to avert tliis dreaded catastrophe. The 

 advice given in the following editorial cop- 

 ied from the Pacific Bee Journal is most ex- 

 cellent ; 



" The loss of our beautiful comb honey by 

 breakage in shipment and the ruined con- 

 dition of the home market caused by the 

 damaged condition of our honey packages 

 has led me to try to better the method of 

 handling this tender article, comb honey. I 

 have often witnessed the forced sale of dam- 

 aged honey and in almost every store that I 

 visited last summer I found a quantity of 

 this leaky case-daubed comb honey. 



Brother bee keepers, arouse yourselves 

 and put up your honey right. The first step 

 is to produce the article iu correct shape by 

 having the combs built solid to all four sides 

 of the section, and to do this to a certainty, 

 two strips of starters must he used. One 

 large strip at the top of the section and a 

 small one at the bottom, perfectly fastened 

 to tlie section, and there to stay. The Daisy 

 Foundation fastener is the best machine for 

 starting foundation in sections that has yet 

 come to my notice. 



