96 



SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



to get rid of their bad stock. It wouldn't 

 pay them to raise queens that way. If 

 they gave me in the spring the queen of a 

 colony that has been raised the previous 

 fall, I would like that just as well as one 

 raised that same spring, therefore I don't 

 think we should blame the breeder. He 

 may not undersfand his business, that is 

 possible, or he may not have packed them 

 right, or they may have been jammed on 

 the way, but there are a great many things 

 to consider. I have heard, at several meet- 

 ings, bee-keepers give very indifferent re- 

 sults, and I believe in most cases the 

 trouble was the condition in which the 

 bees were transported, the way of packing, 

 and the time of the year, that is, the 

 weather in which they were received. I 

 believe that if vuu find a good shipper, 

 better stay by him, because a good shipper 

 will follow the best methods and usually 

 furnish good queens. 



Mr. Stewart — T went to a place last 

 May or June^ the man was selling at three 

 prices, and. they were all in the same yard. 



Mr. Wheeler — Queens, workers and 

 drones? 



Mr. Chairman, I would like to hear a 

 little more on that question in regard to 

 the prospects for another year. I think 

 the prospect in Cook County is fine for 

 white clover. On a trip I took to Rock- 

 ford, a while ago, I saw a strip of country 

 between here and there, where the people 

 I believe will be disappointed. I am afraid 

 the clover has been injured this fall by 

 drouth. 



Mr. Gill — I have read somewhere that 

 the cool weather, while it hasn't been 

 favorable for making honey this season, 

 it has been favorable to the gro'n'th of 

 clover, is that true? Has the cool summer 

 been beneficial to the clover? 



Mr. Smith — It seems to be the popular 

 feeling among the farmers, that the cool 

 weather was favorable. 



Mr. Roehrs — ]Mr. President, it seems to 

 me if we have a cold and wet season, or a 

 cold spring and summer, it is very favorable 

 for white clover to develop, but to say I am 

 sure we are going to have a good crop on 

 account of that next year, I think that is 

 stating it too optimisticallj', because we 

 do not know how the season will be next 

 year. If we have a rainy and cold season 

 again, where will we get the honey? The 

 main thing is the white clover; it must 

 furnish the nectar. When does it furnish 

 the nectar? It is biinging up so many 

 questions, I think we are inclined to say, 

 "I am sure we are going to have a good 

 crop ne.xt year." No one can tell, that is 

 my impression. We do not see that the 



white clover has developed splendidly this 

 year, and the chances are better than if 

 it had not, that is true, but to say "I 

 know we are going to have a good crop 

 next year," I say we can't tell. 



The President — That is what we want 

 to hear is, what are the prospects at the 

 present time. Has the clover developed 

 up to the present time as we would like 

 to have it? 



Mr. Wheeler — How is it in your neigh- 

 borhood? 



The President — It is fairly good, this 

 season. 



Mr. Roehrs — Mr. President, I would 

 like to ask whether the old, experienced 

 bee-keepers have not found it thip way: 

 that when we didn't have any nectkr flow 

 one year, that the next year the nectar 

 flow would be so much the better and 

 balance things up again. It seems to me 

 nature has always evened up again. If 

 nature is backward one season with some- 

 thing, she tries to get even the next season. 

 Am I right or not? 



Mr. Stewart — It won't on clover. 



Mr. Dadant — 1 don't think that one 

 year will make up for another, but I have 

 heard an old bee-keeper say that when 

 the clover had been destroyed it will 

 average up; if it is bad one year the follow- 

 ing year it is generally good. It seems to 

 be that way. However, it is so hard to 

 tell, and I guess most of us don't know. 

 There are lots of people who think we do 

 know, and others who think that we don't 

 know. My impression is that the clover 

 was very nice last fall, and last spring we 

 had no clover. 



Mr. H. H. Moe— Mr. President, I am 

 from Wisconsin, and I have been inter- 

 ested in some of the things said in regard 

 to our Wisconsin weather. I want to add 

 a little to that, and also perhaps I had 

 bettc answer this question before the' 

 house at present, in regard to the prospect 

 for clover, although it comes under the 

 head of a weather prophet, and when you 

 come to the weather prophet part of it, 

 it is rather a hard matter. In regard to 

 clover, I used to regard and observe all 

 those things. I have seen the finest kind of 

 a prospect and things were coming on in 

 fine shape. I thought there would be a 

 great clover crop, and then all of a sudden 

 it would fail. We would have chill j- 

 weather, cool weather, the weather would 

 not be favorable. In fact, the common 

 crop for honey, the white clover or rather 

 the clover, the Alsike and the sweet clover 

 all go together. The buckwheat seems to 

 require different conditions from the 

 clover. Cold weather, a little bit chilly 



