'2oG 



GLEANINGS IX BEE CULTUEE.' 



An.. 



GROWLERY. 



In reading the list of "g-rowlers,"' I almist wished 

 That I had one word to say. after aU the orders 1 

 have sent you for myself and others. I am well 

 pleased with my own gv><">ds, and better pleased to 

 see mv neig'hb '"r* pleased with everything that they 

 pet o?you. I lost my last queen that you sent me 

 l>y my" carelessness, after you had lost three by 

 •lending in o»ild weather: but I soon filled her place 

 with one rearvd from the ttsted '"■ne you sent me. 

 that can not l>e beaten. James Parshaix. 



Tnion Vallev. Mo.. July 17th. 18TS. 



CAJi ^TE SELL OJTR HOXEY » 



A •'C.^NDIED" talk OS THB MATTER. 



• t 



^jJie ''Uvcnie]%. 



(This department is to be tept for the benefit of 

 those who are dissatisfied: and when anything is 

 amiss. I hope you will •T:aLk risht out." As a rule 

 we will omit names and addresses, to avoid being 

 tco personal.] 



Tp DARE Dot make this depaitnient very 

 .X long tMs month, for one friend '"fowled" 

 ~~ more than aU the rest because I 

 occupied so much space in a way that did 

 not particuh\rly benefit anybody, and I fear 

 there is considerable truth in the remark. 

 The tirst one in the list last month was more 

 wronged th.iu I supposed, for he did fur- 

 nish samples of what he wanted, and those 

 samples were some of my own work of a pre- 

 vious season, too. The inan who would not 

 receive the buckwheat, not only apologized 

 but sent more than half the money to^ pay 

 the express charges, when he found it came 

 out of my pocket, and not that of the ex- 

 press Co's. W. H. B. has not as yet sent in 

 any bill, and all have treated me in a kinder 

 way than I felt I had any reason to expect. 

 This is not a hard worldto get along in. my 

 friends, if one behaves himself half de- 

 cently. 



I return tc-iay the "tested" queen that you sent 

 me June 2l5t. I have carefully tested her, and I 

 find that she breeds an indifferent lot of bees: some 

 of them are well marked, but a great many have but 

 one band. Now you c-an take my word for this, as I 

 had her in a e 5lony where there was no other brood, 

 and I cannot be mistaken. Xow. Mr. Root. I cannot 

 think that you are a •"fraud." or that you wish to 

 act the rogue, but I must confess that I was disap- 

 pointed and a little out of humor when I found that 

 the queen wasn't pure. I had gone to the trouble to 

 raise several young queens from this "tested" 

 queen, as you called h?r. and what are they worth? 

 I might have raised gx>d queens from my own stock 

 while I was bothering with this one : but there is no 

 use crying over spilled milk, I will tell you what I 

 want you to do. If yon can send me a tested queen 

 re-.ired from an imported mother, that is large and 

 yellow, and one that will produce all three-banded 

 workers, you may do so. providing you send her im- 

 mediuelv. " L. W. V. 



Washington. Pa.. July fM, 1S78. 



That is right: I am glad you sent her 

 liaek. I have had one other "simDar com- 

 plaint, and it had, before this, decided me 

 01 testing all queens sold, in my own apiarv. 

 When at work in the apiarv. examining 

 hives, taking off honey, etc., "we write on 

 the hive the grade and'qualitv of the queen. 

 Some are marked S^5.00 queens: some .-<2.-50: 

 some S2.(JJ: and some Sl.oO. There are bat 

 few of the former and but few of the latter: 

 but when we have an order for a queen, we 

 know just where to find exactly the one we 

 want. It is expensive business. I well know, 

 to introduce a queen, and then finl her not 

 "j^t you bo-.ijht her for. 



^ PHESI'ME a good many of your subscribers. 

 •I like myself, are wondering what to do with their 

 — » h ney. Are there any resp-msible parties in 

 our large cities that will buy our surplus? or must 

 we depend on selling at home for what we can get? 

 Last winter was so favorable for bringing bees 

 thniugh al'.vc and in good condition, that there 

 prolwblv are now more bees in the country than 

 ever Itefore. Then again, last year's crop is not. 

 perhaps, all sold. I see no one advertising for hon- 

 ev: extracted honey was not quoted last winter in 

 our Chicttgo paper, and comb honey was quoted, 

 "Dull at 11 and i2 cents, sales only in a peddling 

 way." Now the use of comb foundation has in- 

 creased the production of honey, and California is 

 coming in with a crop which will find a place in the 

 market. Honcv was low without her as a competi- 

 tor last year. What can we get this year? What 

 ouaht we to ask? It seems to me we must put the 

 pric" very low to find a sale for the large aimunt 

 we shall have on hand this year. Still, honey has 

 not e<~>me in rapidlv: I mean into mv hives or my 

 neighbors', this season. Bees here did not work oh 

 white clover until late, and bass wood blossomed 

 very poorly. It took my strongest swarm a little 

 more than a week to fill up and cap over. 



Xow. please tell me what to do with my honey, if 

 vou do leave the rest of this letter out. and oblige 



J. B. COLTOX. 



Waverly. Brenner Co., Iowa, July 20, ISTS. 



I fear my advice in the matter may not be 

 very aaxeeable to our honey producers, but 

 for all that. I feel it a duty' to say that our 

 honey must, so far as I can see, be sold very 

 low. " It used to be said that comb honeV 

 should be sold for the same as good butter. 

 Butter is from 10 to L2 cts. in our to'mi. but 

 nice honey, in sui:\ll sections, sells from 18 

 to 20 cts. retail. In old fashioned boxes, it 

 would probably not bring over loc. If it 

 should go dowii ."c. lower yet. I do not think 

 we need be much surprised, or complain. 

 Some of us will probably retire from the 

 business, and go into sometliing else: others 

 will perhaps wear poorer clothes, and buy 

 less largelv of things we can make at home, 

 but for all that I do not think we need be 

 any less happy: it may be we shall all be 

 happier. Contentment does not always 

 come with money easily earned. As a geu- 

 er;il rule. I would sell my honey near home. 

 If it will not sell in the stores and groceries, 

 carry it around among those who know you. 

 If you are acquainted with some good man 

 in "some of the larger cities, send, or "better 

 still, carry it to him. and let him sell it for 

 you. or sell it outright, as you can do to 

 best advantage. 



In rpgr-.rd to prices : our commission men. 

 Stair cc Co.. of Cleveland, sold our first hon- 

 ey at about 22c. : but since then there has 

 been STich a flood of the small sections in the 

 market, that it has gone down as low as 16c.. 

 and we have concluded to keep the rest of 

 our.^ for possibly a better price, "We are re- 

 tailing at 20c,, .and should not care to close 

 out our whole cron, for less than ISc, net. 

 If nicely packed in the shipping cases, it 

 can l>e kept safely a year, if need be. I 

 would kee]> it in a frost proof, dry room, if 

 rtossible. Wherever you have it left for sale, 

 have it clean and neat, and make it your 

 especial business to see that it is kept so at 

 all times. Honev should, at all times, at- 

 tract customei-s byitslDols. and not repel 

 them. 



