“ NOVICE’S ” GLEANINGS IN BEE CIJLTTTEE. 
29 
HEAI>S OF «KAIN FROM DIFFER- 
EKT FIELDS. 
THESE WILE BE XI'.MIIERED HEREAFTER TO 
FACILITATE REFERENCE. 
‘jVfrO. 12. — Please let us know soine- 
4 *j JJ thing about shipping bees ; how far 
could they be sent, probable cost, etc. 
It. S. Becktill, Madison, Wis. 
We believe that bees can be shipped 
almost.any distance, but do not think it 
advisable to undertake very long ship- 
ments when it can be avoided. As they 
must be sent by express, it is necessarily 
quite expensive ; perhaps $2.00 or $2.50 
would be the charge on a hive of bees 
from New York to Chicago, as an illus- 
tration. As a general rule we think it 
best to trade as near home as may be, 
either in hives, bees, queens or extractors, 
unless it may be for a choice imported |i 
queen, or for samples of implements ; and 
some good mechanic in every neighbor- 
hood should make it his business to fur- 
nish hives, extractors, etc., uiipalenled, 
and thus save expensive freight bills and 
also allow the purchaser to examine his 
goods before buying. 
No. -13. — Some live or six years ago 1 
read with much interest in the American 
lice Journal the account of the astonish- 
iiii/ yield of over 300 pounds of honey 
from one swarm of bees In one season. 
At that time 1 bad but small experience 
in bee cultivation, and although my theo- 
ries and enthusiasm bad led me to expect 
liberal proceeds, still that amount quite 
came up to my most sanguine hopes. Not 
being, as I think, in as good a location, 
and also for want of time lo give tin; at- 
tention required. 1 have never, as yet, 
gone over about 200 pounds. Hut T think 
1 could, with proper attention in a good 
location, go as high as “any other body. ’ 
't ear before last i obtained 2200 bbs. from 
about 10 hives. Last season was not 
near as good, and besides my bees came 
out in the spring in very bud order ; so I 
said 1 would never carry my bees into the 
cellar again. So l have been trying the 
experiment of out-door wintering, with- 
out protection, and two days ago I be- 
came so fearful that all would be dead be- 
fore spring that 1 hurried what were alive 
into the cellar again, making up my mind 
decidedly that in this climate, out-door 
without protection is very unsafe. 
S. L. ltll'IIARDSON. 
Webster City, Iowa, Jan. 24, 1873. 
We have been obliged to come to the 
same conclusion with Mr. It. in regard to 
out-door wintering. 
No. II. — 1 am tired of buying rights. 
Have you borage seed and the Itoeky 
Mountain bee plant ? 
Who isn’t tired of “rights ?” There’s 
plenty of borage at the seed stores. We 
don’t know about the other. 
No. 45. — Your advocation of the exclu- 
sive use of the extractor, f must acknowl- 
edge to a noil-conviction of its profits. I 
was offered last summer, in Chicago, 5c. 
i per lb. That is the reason I run most ot 
my bees last summer for box honey. 
Fred'k Crathorn'E, Bethlehem, Iowa. 
See pages 5, 23 and 24 of "Gleanings, 
and the following : 
No. 46. — Don’t you think yon can at- 
l'ord to turn some of your surplus energy 
towards the production of box honey? 
Wo think, in view of the slow sale ol ex- 
tracted honey especially in our Eastern 
markets, that seme of the bee-keeping 
geniuses should turn their attention to 
producing box honey, so as to simplify it, 
and make it more certain. It is easy to 
learn lo raise bees, increase stock, and ex 
I tract the honey ; it is only a matter of un- 
remitting labor, of persevering industry, 
and don’t require a very great amount ol 
hard work. In fact, we think you will 
be a Novice until you can get so you can 
put any good stock of bees into boxes and 
keep them there through the season, and 
have them store the majority of their sur- 
plus in comb, without attempting to swarm, 
and without a very great amount of troub- 
le. That is the problem, and when yon 
get so you can do that, you will begin to 
understand the science of bee-keeping. 
Not but what you have done much already 
(lor we have much to thank you lor,) but. 
we would very much like you to try and 
do as much for the box liouey producers 
as you have already done for the produ- 
cers of extracted honey for this reitson : 
There is a class of consumers (and they 
are the class who buy the most of the lion 
ey, especially in these Eastern cities,) who 
will have comb honey, at’ whatever price. 
Take the New York quotations, for in- 
stance. While box honey is quoted at 
from 32 to 35 ets.. the highest quotation 
for extracted is 15 ets. Extracted is offer- 
ed in a great many places in this city, hut 
it is a drug. There is scarcely any sale 
for it, because the market is supplied with 
comb honey. A great many customers 
buy comb honey purely for its looks, be- 
cause it sels out a table, and would not 
buy it for any other purpose; and then 
they claim that the flavor is superior, which 
we think you must admit. It is very true 
that when it is first extracted it lias a pe- 
culiar fresh flavor : hut it is always ex- 
tracted at a time of year when there is no 
sale. Eastern dealers don t deal in ex- 
tracted honey until about November ; then 
your extracted honey soon begins to can- 
dy and lo$e its fresh flavor, and sales 
stop. Now we claim (although we have 
no statistics to go by, and don t know as 
there are any statistics that can be got 
at.) that nine-tenths of all the honey pro- 
duced in the United Slates and sold for ta- 
i hie use. is comb honey. If we are wrong. 
