44 



SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



US now is to prepare for the coining season, 

 for prices will undoubtedly start off brisk, 

 and they may, and probably will, sag a 

 little in anticipation of the crop, especially 

 if prospects are good. The producer 

 should have his equipment ready. If his 

 supplies are not ordered, he should order 

 at once, for freights are slow and congested. 



The winter is before us, and there may 

 be and probable will be some winter losses. 

 Colonies that are not well packed will need 

 more stores than those properly housed. 

 Therefore it becomes the duty of every 

 bee-keeper to put his bees in the cellar if 

 he has not already done so, or put packing 

 material around the outside of the hives 

 out doors. This can be done in manj' 

 parts of the West by piling cornstalks 

 around the hives. 



There will be an enormous demand for 

 bees in paclcage form this year, and many 

 bee-keepers will recoup their losses by 

 buying bees in pound packages. It is 

 important to place your order early, and 

 with a reliable breeder; and be sure to 

 stipulate that the bees are not to be de- 

 livered later than a certain date, or else 

 the money is to be returned. 



Last spring was verj' backward and un- 

 favorable for the bee-keepers of the South. 

 Many of them were not able to lear their 

 queens or to get their bees ready for ship- 

 ment. We hope that conditions will be 

 better this coming spring; for if there ever 

 was a time when we need to get all the 

 honey there is in sight, it is right now. 

 It is evident that, if the war continues, the 

 allies will continue to buy vast quantities 

 of honey. The old lines of trade, especially 

 the bottling trade, is having an active 

 demand, and if there ever was a time 

 when the bee-keeper stood a chance to 

 make some money it is right now. Even 

 if only half a crop of honey is secured it 

 will biing a much larger return than a full 

 crop brought four years ago, or during the 

 first year of the war, when prices were 

 clear down and begging a market. There- 

 for I urge you to be ready for the season 

 when it comes. 



The President — The next thing will be 

 reports of committees appointed last year. 

 Committee in Reference to Bee-keeping 

 in Public Schools. Mr. King is chairman. 



Mr. King — There was nothing done. 

 And we have no report to make. 



The President — Gentlemen, what will 

 you do with the report of the committee, 

 and the committee? Is it your pleasure 

 to continue the committee, with instruc- 

 tions to get busy and do something, or 

 will you receive the report and dismiss the 

 committee? 



Mr. Williams — Mr. Chairman, I will 

 have to plead quilty, soneway, I dont 

 know how it is. Mr. King came to me 

 to-day and asked me what I had done 

 about this. I told him I did not know I 

 was on the committee even. 1 thought I 

 attended all the sessiond last year. I don't 

 remember about my being appointed on 

 this committee, my name appeared no- 

 where. 



The President — You are not on the com- 

 mittee. 



The Secretary — Yes, he is. 



The President — According to the report 

 made by the Secretarj% it is Mr. King, 

 Dr. Baxter and Mr. Withrow. 



Mr. Williams — There is one thing I 

 should like to say right here that would be 

 to the benefit of the fraternity. My wife 

 is considered a pretty good cook, I am a 

 living example, and she never had tried 

 cooking with honey until after the con- 

 vention last year, I think. I got a little 

 leaflet with some receipes and took it home 

 and she used some of those with some kinds 

 of cooking, especially cookies and some 

 kinds of cakes and she does not use any- 

 thing else now but honeJ^ Some of our 

 neighbors have had some of the honey and 

 have used some of those recipes, and I do 

 not believe that I will be able to furnish 

 them with the honey that thej' want. I 

 think that is pretty good stuff. 



The President — It says here, a motion 

 prevailed to appoint a committee of three 

 to take up the matter of having it taught 

 in the schools of the State, in classes of 

 domestic science. The Chair appointed 

 as such committee Messrs. King, Cum- 

 mings and Dr. Baxter. 



The Secretary — That was the year be- 

 fore. Mr. Cummings wrote a letter, say- 

 ing that he could not act, that went into 

 last year's report. 



The President — This is the committee 

 that is actually in existence. 



Dr. Baxter — I acknowledge I was on that 

 committee, and I asked to be relieved. I 

 was on several other committees. I was 

 made chairman of the Committee on Ap- 

 pointment and asked to be relieved, and 

 you appointed Mr. King as chairman. 



The President — Gentlemen, it is up to 

 you. What will you- do with the com- 

 mittee? 



A Member — Court martial. 



Mr. Dadant — This is a verj' important 

 subject. The only trouble is that it is 

 too large for a committee without a salary. 

 I think the reason why Mr. Williams was 

 mentioned in connection with it is that 

 George B. Williams of Indiana introduced 

 this matt r. It is one of the hobbies of 



