316 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



queen's wings clipped. To clip the queen's wings, I find the comb she is 

 on and hang it in an empty hive, then pick up one wing and draw my 

 knife across it, where it lays on my thumb or finger, letting herding to 

 the comb. I do not think I ever lost a queen by clipping her wings. 



I use foundation starters in the sections, and put the cases on as soon 

 as I think the Dees will enter them readily. When they swarm I take 

 the section cases off and put them on the hive of the new swarm. If I 

 put the old colony in a new place, I cut out the queen cells on the eighth 

 day, if I am sure a young queen has hatched. When the first case is nearly 

 full I raise it and put a new one underneath. When the main honey flow 

 is over I take the sections off and sort them, and put the partly filled ones 

 in a case, and set it on a hive containing a strong colony, and try to get 

 them all filled and finished. Next comes wintering. I want each colony 

 to have enough good honey to winter on. I never feed anything but 

 sealed honey. I pack a surplus case full of dry leaves and put it on top 

 of each hive, and put them in a dry cellar with a temperature of forty to 

 forty-five degrees above zero, and have been lucky enough not to lose a 

 single colony in wintering yet, but expect to this winter as I have thirty- 

 two colonies in a cave, and they seem pretty damp. 



I am a poor hand with a pen, so you must excuse all mistakes of an old 

 farmer, but a young bee-keeper. 

 The meeting then adjourned until 7 o'clock P M. 



EVENING SESSION. 



The following paper was read by the president: 

 HONEY PLANTS. 



BY A. N. WILCOX, OF HASTINGS. 



As a rule we may class as honey plants all those whose flowers 

 originally require the presence of foreign pollen to develop perfect seed 

 formation; for in these flowers nature deposits a small drop of nectar to 

 attract the attention of insects to them, which bring the pollen of other 

 flowers of kindred species to produce the cross fertilation required. Many 

 of these like the clovers and asters, strictly speaking, are a bunch of sep- 

 arate flowers each producing its seed independent of each other, and so 

 furnish nectar for a long period of time, or until the last division has 

 been pollenized; for it is a well established fact that the secretion of nectar 

 will cease, when there is no further necessity to the flower for its presence. 



The most prolific honey producing flowers in Minnesota, are the clover, 

 basswood, and the asters of our river bottoms; and all these owing to our 

 pure and invigorating atmosphere, which give to the plants a healthy, 

 vigorous growth, secrete a large amount of nectar of excellent quality. 

 Where these all are within reach of the apiary they furnish it with an al- 

 most continuous flow of honey; besides the late flow of honey stimulates 

 late brood rearing, giving an abundance of young bees, which is an import- 

 ant requirement for successful wintering. 



The aster grows on our low lands and river bottoms to a height of five 

 or six feet, bearing on its top and on the ends of its branches a large com- 



