April 7, 1904. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



263 



adulterated with it. I tried to make it into foundation, and 

 could not. 



SIZE OF HIVB. 



" What size of hive would you advise ?" 



Mr. Pettit — I have used a hive equal to the lOframe 

 Langstroth ; it is good for comb honey with dummies. It 

 is also a good hive for extracted honey, but probably not 

 quite large enough. At any rate, I have placed my order 

 for 100 12frame Langstroth hives for nest season's use. 



Mr. Dickenson — This is not according to what the sup- 

 ply men have listed and advised for years. When men have 

 made a study of the matter, and have 200 or 300 8-frarae 

 hives, what shall we do ? Fortunately we have the 9-frame 

 hive. 



Mr. Pettit — I am always anxious to receive advice, but I 

 must use my own judgment as to accepting it. If my 

 queens would not fill more than 8 frames I would dispose of 

 them and get better ones. As to using the two-story brood- 

 chamber of Langstroth combs, I find that in a few weeks 

 the lower brood-chamber is largely forsaken, the combs be- 

 come clogged with pollen, and soon take on the appearance 

 of a deserted house. 



Mr. Hall — I am an old-fashioned bee-keeper, with an 

 old-fashioned hive. I began, 28 years ago, with a hive 

 equal to the 11-frame Langstroth. If I could I would add 

 one or two more frames. 



Mr. Holtermann — We follow others too much without 

 reasoning. In five years there will be a large increase in 

 the use of large hives. 



Mr. Webster — We must have large hives to get the bees 

 and honey. 



Mr. McEvoy — I have 8, 9. and 12 frame hives, but I pre- 

 fer the 9-frame. 



Mr. Dickenson — It is very important in the foreign mar- 

 ket to have clover and basswood honey separate. The large 

 hive will mix honey. 



Mr. Holtermann — I think that in the large hive kept 

 together with a small one, it is no larger in proportion. 



Mr. Dickenson — With two supers you can't keep clover 

 and basswood separate. 



Mr. Pettit — If you want to keep clover and basswood 

 separate, you must use only one super. 



Mr. Newton — A colony in a 16frame hive will swarm 

 as soon as an 8 frame. 



Mr. Darling — I have found them to want to swarm 

 when the brood-chamber is only two-thirds full. 



Mr. Pettit — You miss it by not putting on a second 

 super till the first one is two-thirds full. Both should be 

 put on at beginning of the season. 



BENEFIT OF THE HII.I,'S DEVICE. 



" What benefit is the Hill's device on top of the frames 

 to hold up the quilt ?" 



Mr. Pettit — It gives a passage from one comb to another, 

 so that bees do not need to leave the cluster and go down 

 under the lower edge of the comb. For outdoor wintering, 

 with the Langstroth depth of frame, it is quite necessary. 

 We do not use it in the cellar. 



CARRYING EGGS FROM BROOD-CHAMBER TO SUPER. 



" Will bees carry eggs from the brood-chamber to the 

 super ?" 



Mr. Pettit— I don't know. I know they will carry them 

 from comb to comb. Drone-brood in the super is probably 

 from laying workers. 



GETTING NEW EXTRACTING COMBS. 



"If you want a new set of extracting-combs, would you 

 use starters or full sheets ?" 



Mr. Pettit — I would use full sheets. 



Mr. Newton — Messrs. Hall and Holtermann advise full 

 sheets. 



Mr. Pettit — I am not fully decided, but I believe it will 

 pay to work into worker-combs for extracting, for various 

 reasons. 



Mr. Sibbald would let them build combs from starters. 

 They naturally secrete wax which should not be wasted. 



Mr. Pettit — Uncap deep while extracting. They can 

 use extra secretion to draw out these combs. 



WHITE CLOVEK HONEV IN BARRELS. 



" Where at the present time is the best market for white 

 clover honey in barrels ?" 



Mr. Pettit— Wherever you can get a sale. 



Mr. Sibbald — I believe there has been too much put in 

 barrels this year. 



MOVINC. BEES EARLV — TRAMP BEEKEKPEKS. 



" Would it pay to move bees early in March, and place 

 them on the summer stands?" 



Mr. Pettit — Mr. Lott answered this very well in his 

 paper. It is very important to have colonies moved to an 

 out-yard early, to get the spring flow. 



"What shall we do with tramp bee-keepers ?" 



Mr. Pettit — I have not met any. Farmers are learning 

 the value of bees to alsike. I had a man come to me early 

 in alsike bloom and insist on me bringing bees to his place, 

 14 miles away, for the benefit of the seed in his alsike. This 

 was done, the farmer got more alsike seed than his neigh- 

 bors, and the bees got a good crop of honey. 



REPORT OF THE HONEY EXCHANGE COMMITTEE. 



A report of the Ontario Honey Exchange was presented 

 as follows by Mr. H. G. Sibbald : 



The Honey Exchange Committee appointed at Barrie, 

 held a meeting in the office of G. C. Creelman, in April ; 

 present, Messrs. Newton, Chrysler, Couse, and Sibbald. 



It was decided to sell the honey of members through a 

 reliable wholesale house, to collect reports, and advise mem- 

 bers as to the probable crop and prices. All members to 

 have the right to sell at wholesale and retail, as per circular 

 issued to members. 



The committee met again at Woodstock, Aug. IS. 

 Grading committee also present. Decided that price of 

 honey in new, clean, 60-pound tins should be 7'2 cents, 

 f. o. b., Toronto. Comb honey SI. 65 to S2 00. 



Grading rules were drafted. A committee of the presi- 

 dent and secretary was appointed to confer with Rutherford 

 & Marshall with a view to their handling honey for mem- 

 bers. We were led to believe that all would be agreeable, 

 but only one member of the firm had been consulted, and 

 when the matter was talked over by them together they 

 decided not to handle the honey. They said that mernbers 

 had already sold to firms in Toronto contrary to their un- 

 derstanding of our proposal, viz. : To give them sole agency 

 for members' product in Toronto and other places named 

 in prospectus to them. 



While we failed to handle the honey this season, your 

 committee have done considerable work collecting and dis- 

 tributing- reports, which was an object of the committee. 

 Grading rules were also drafted, which ought to be of last- 

 ing benefit to bee-keepers. Our membership increased to 

 62, and after paying the traveling expenses of the com- 

 mittee, and printing, a balance of $7.65 remains. 



H. G. Sibbald. 



Mr. Sibbald— The exchange failed to handle honey 

 this year because bee-keepers held off from joining until 

 they would see whether it was going to pay or not. Some 

 members did not like the rules ; they thought they should 

 be allowed to sell all they could in Toronto, then place the 

 balance in the hands of the firm that had agreed to handle 

 our honey. 



Mr. Gemmill — We must co-operate. 



Mr. Morley Pettit stated that while the committee had 

 done a good work — as good as could be expected for the first 

 year — the crop reports would have been much more valuable 

 had they come earlier in the season. The large number of 

 small producers makes it exceedingly difficult for an ex- 

 change to operate and control prices. In any case it can do 

 nothing without money. A stock company seems to be the 

 only solution of the dilficulty. 



Mr. Wra. Couse agreed with Mr. Pettit, that we must 

 have money. The committee has done good work in mak- 

 ing reports, and grading rules, and the prices set were not 

 far off from those at present prevailing. 



Messrs. Morrison and Lowey moved that the grading 

 rules, as formu ated by the Honey Exchange, be printed 

 in the annual report of the convention. Carried. 



Mr. Holtermann spoke at some length on the work of 

 the Honey Exchange. He said that the committee had 

 done good work in fixing grading rules, as there was here a 

 great need. But it was necessary to have an incorporated 

 limited company. He doubted if we could ever control the 

 output on account of the great number of small producers, 

 and the almost universal distribution of honey-plants. We 

 often hear, he said, of the Citrus Fruit Exchange, but there 

 is no comparison. Citrus fruit is grown in a comparatively 

 small area of country, but honey can be produced wherever 

 the sun shines and' flowers bloom. Dairymen have not 

 tried to fix prices, neither have fruit-growers, nor poultry 

 men— they have the best men in the country to help them 

 to produce a good article, and to open up the market. They 



