April SO, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
363 
whatever kind of racks or supers are to be used all should 
now be got ready, for the secret of success in bee-keeping 
depends upon doing everything at the right moment, fore¬ 
sight as to requirements, and promptitude in using them.— 
P. H. P. 
THE BRITISH HONEY COMPANY. 
The first general meeting of the shareholders of tbe above Company 
was held at 105, Jerrayn Street, S.W., at 4 p.ji., the Rev. H. A. Peel in 
the chair. 
The Chairman moved that the report and accounts be passed. This was 
seconded by the Rev. J. T. Scott, and carried. The report of the Directors 
showed that 5470 shares had already been allotted, and that the shares had 
been taken up by persons of all classes, from the capitalist to the cottager, 
showing conclusively that the formation of the Honey Company met a 
° n ? wan * i — v * z :> a r J a,dy and reliable wholesale market for honey. It 
stated that premises had been secured on most favourable terms at 
Columbia Market through the generous aid of the Baroness Burdett-Coutts, 
who have already evinced so much interest in the promotion of the honey 
industry^in the United Kingdom. The statement of the accounts showed 
that £127 had been expended in printing, rent, trade mark expenses, &c., 
and that the Directors proposed an outlay of £167 for the necessary plant 
for carrying on the business. 
The Chairman gave a short history of the reasons why the Company was 
formed, pointing out that the B.B.K.A. did not feel itself justified in under¬ 
taking the work of buying and selling honey, as it was a purely philan¬ 
thropic Association, and that for many years the Committee had tried in 
vain to arrange some plan by which the British bee-keeper might be able 
to dispose of his surplus honey. Private enterprize and honey fairs had 
alike failed, and as an instance iie mentioned that some hundredweights of 
honey had been offered to the Company from Lincolnshire, showing that 
the Griantham honey fair had failed in disposing of the honey gathered in 
its own county. He was fully confident of the success of the Company, 
both as regarded the producer and consumer; the former would be able 
to obtain the full market price for his honey, and the Company would pay 
him prompt cash, while the latter would get pure honey, and not a com¬ 
pound made out of old pawn tickets and sulphuric acid. In answer to the 
Baroness Burdett Coutts, who wished to know why the Directors had 
decided to allow bee-keepers to pay for their shares in honey, the Chairman 
pointed out that those who would rather not receive money for their honey 
might be able to show their interest in a Company which existed for their 
benefit by taking shares instead of their value in money. 
Mr. Stewart said that the chief object of the honey fairs seemed to be 
the keeping up of an artificial value for honey, and that the expenses 
incurred in carriage, ifec., with the chance of the honey not being sold after 
all, prevented many bee-keepers from sending their honey. 
Dr. George Walker said that it was impossible to say what the price of 
honey would be, but he thought that 6d. per lb. would be about the average 
pnce for the next year or two. It had been brought as an accusation against 
J.® Company that it was going to act as a middleman or merchant, but he 
faued to see how the public could do without middlemen. The experiment 
had been tried in the foreign trade, but had resulted in failure. 
Mr. Cowan thought that the Directors were justified in taking full 
powers to sell pure foreign honey if necessary, but they had no intention of 
doing so at present, unless the honey harvest of Great Britain was not 
sufficient to supply the demand. 
The Baroness Burdett-Coutts was surprised that there should have been 
any opposition to this Company, which was to a great extent philanthropic, 
though she was glad to see that the commercial element had not been lost 
sight of, which was a sure guarantee of its success. She mentioned that 
there was a bill now before Parliament to bring a railway right into 
Columbia Market, which, when passed, would much lessen the cost of 
carnage, and in conclusion she said that Mr. Harrison, the Superintendent 
at Columbia Market, would render every assistance to the Company. 
The Chairman in reply said that the Company had been most courteously 
treated by Mr. Harrison, who was a very able man, and the Company 
must express its deep sense of the obligations they were under to the 
Baroness Burdett-Coutts. A cordial vote of thanks to the Chairman and 
Directors was passed, and the proceedings closed. 
THE HONEY COMPANY. 
“ A Hallamshire Bee-keeper ” states that he pre f er3 facts and not 
assertions, but when he talks of a multitude of sellers and only one buyer, 
it appears that he rather prefers false assertions to either, as he must 
know that there are scores of buyers of honey both wholesale and retail. 
No doubt he possesses a monopoly of business capacity, but having shown 
his letter to a merchant of some fifty years’ experience, it may interest him 
to know that the criticism of his letter was concise, though not compli¬ 
mentary, consisting of one word — ridiculous. Before accusing the 
directors of a want of business capacitv, it would have been well if he had 
referred to Mr. Lyon’s letter on page 384 of the Bee Journal, in which he 
says that he had received scores of letters from bee-keepers who wanted 
to know if he would take some cwts. at the same price they had retailed 
it per lb. in their immediate neighbourhood. It was in order to prevent 
any misconception on this point that the editor wrote as he did. There is 
an old proverb, “ Let the buyer beware,” but it seems now that it ought 
to be changed into, “ Let the seller beware.” It has always been sup¬ 
posed to be a difficult matter to get the better of my fellow countrymen 
the Scotch, Yorkshiremen, or Jews, but for the future the second on this 
list will have to be left out. Suppose, for instance, that I offer to give 
Is. per dozen for glaziers’ diamonds, say in Sheffield, the philanthropic 
manufacturer would, of course, refuse to take more than 6d. per dozen, 
for fear lest I should not be able to make a proper profit. 
Surely when I was offered the honey it was not my business either to 
introduce the seller to a beneficent potter who would do the business for 
him at half per cent, or to a confiding banker, who would promptly 
advance him 8d. per lb., of course without any interest, till the honey 
was sold, for the simple reason that I do not know, though I shall be very 
happy to learn, where these wonderful men are to be found. The refer¬ 
ence to America is peculiarly unfortunate, as that country is suffering 
heavily from their ridiculous protection tariffs, and the general public 
there are beginning to find out at last that the upshot is to take their 
money and put it into the pockets of the manufacturers of protected 
articles. 
It is open to anyone who can prove that the Honey Company are 
selling glucose or foreign honey as pure British honey to prosecute the 
directors for fraud. Personally I like to pay all my debts, even for 
advertising, and have no wish to appear as a defendant in a county or 
any other court of law, and as a certain amount of the analysis of the 
honey offered to the Company will fall to my share, the public may be 
confident that, as far as I am concerned, I shall not palm off glucose aa 
pure Britislqhoney, nor will any other director.— George Walker. 
VARIETIES OF HONEY BEES. 
In giving my conclusions upon the above subject, conclusions formed 
from continued careful experiment with German and Italian bees of the 
various strains, and observation and conversation with friends who have 
experimented with Cyprians, Syrians, and Carniolans, I believe that all 
these so-called races should properly be divided into two—the brown and 
yellow bees—of which the Italian and German represent the best of the 
two classes. Great radical differences in points of character are not found 
between Cyprians and Syrians, or Germans and Carniolans, but between 
the brown and yellow bees, of whatever Dame they may be called. Now, 
if one race or the other possessed all points of superiority and the other 
none of them, any discussion regarding “ best bees ” would be a thing of 
the past ; but as it is a fact that points of superiority and inferiority are 
about balanced between the races, it leaves a wide field in which the 
apiarist may well use his judgment and tact. All practical honey pro¬ 
ducers will admit that the following points of differentiation between the 
two races not only illustrate more radical differences, but points of more 
importance. 
Let us mention of the yellow bees the following valuable points of 
superiority. 
1, Protection of their homo against enemies. This characterist'c is of 
greater value to the novice than the specialist. 
2, As a rule they have a longer proboscis. This point is of advantage 
in such locations as at certain times of the year abound with flowers 
which have many nectaries too deep for honey bees. 
While it is more or less correct to say that the Italians stick better to 
their combs, are more courageous, will remain in any new location better, 
are less liable to quarrel when different colonies are united, though fiercer 
in disposition, are less liable to sting, because they are less liable to take 
wing, that the queen is more readily found, &c. All these are minor 
points, and even the second can hardly be called a major point. 
Now, let us see about the brown German bees. 1, They are superior 
comb-builders, making wax more readily, of better colour, capping over 
their combs quicker and whiter, leaving a space between the honey surface 
and cap, which not only much improves the appearance but enhances the 
price 2 or 3 cents per lb., securing a more ready sale with that advance, 
and enables the honey to bear a humid atmosphere for a considerable 
time without any material deterioration. 
The foregoing was of not so much importance twelve and fifteen years 
ago, when the honey supply was unequal to the demand, and buyers came 
hundreds of miles to secure our crop—let it look as it might, if it was only 
“honey but in these days it is to me the most important point of 
superiority to be found with any race of bees. 
2, They are much less inclined to swarm. This is an important trait, 
especially to the larger special producer ; also to any who cannot give 
their apiaries close attention, either because they have too many apiaries 
for the help employed, or too few colonies in one apiary to afford them 
continual attention. 
Minor points of superiority are that they build the most worker comb 
and straighter (some may wonder why I call straight worker comb¬ 
building a minor point; because of the otherwise, wise and general use of 
full sheets of comb foundation, but in cases where such are not used this 
trait of the brown German bee3 is a major point, greatly in their favour), 
enter surplus receptacles more readily, in cases where the apiarist has bad 
communications thereto, are more easily shaken from the combs (some¬ 
times an advantage and sometimes not), and are more sensibly affected 
by the loss of the queen. This aids us in many manipulations. 
When swarming these bees alight sooner and with more certainty 
than Italians ; a swarm hives more readily, they can be driven more 
easily, heediDg the admonitions of the smoker more promptly, &c. 
I do not doubt the wisdom of choosing the pure Italian bees by those 
who live in the south and make extracted honey a speciality ; but for 
those who live in the north and produce comb honey (which I think more 
profitable wherever the bulk of the crop is light-coloured), the pure brown- 
German bee is radically my preference over any Italian, Cyprian, or 
Syrian, or crosses between them. 
You may ask, Wbat of my crosses ? This strain of bees I have been 
working some six or seven years, hoping to combine the best and most 
essential points of character of the brown German and leather-coloured 
Italian bees. I am forced to adroit that my success has been only partial. 
I consider this strain to-day ahead of all other bees as a general-purpose 
