THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



823 



engraving, and thinking it might be a great help to the bees 

 and allow them to work overtime I sent the paper to my afore- 

 mentioned brother. I found however, that he knew all about 

 it, and he mentioned several gentlemen in the United States 

 who had either invented or improved on the thing. 



To try to get even with him I told them of a patent way 

 we have of making hens lay continuously, but he elaborated 

 on that subject so well that I desisted from giving him any 

 more pointers. I have recently in an hour or two learned 

 more about bees than I ever knew before, by reading this 

 little book, "The Irish Bee Guide," written by my brother 

 previously mentioned as the editor of the Irish Bee Journal, 

 and I am not surprised that you, gentlemen, take such an 

 interest in the subject. This little book is the first and only 

 one on the subject printed in Ireland, and I have great pleas- 

 ure in presenting the President and the Secretary of the Na- 

 tional Bee-Keepers' Association with copies of the work on 

 behalf and with the best wishes of the author. 



Receiving every month a copy of the Irish Bee Journal, 

 I find that the bee-keepers there have been sorely afflicted 

 with foul brood. At first, in my innocence, I thought foul 

 brood was some dirty habit or other the little urchins had 

 fallen into, but I find it is something like hog cholera, or 

 lumpy jaw in cattle, and requires extermination. Through this 

 affliction the bee-keepers in Ireland have suffered severely, 

 and therefore felt unable to bear the expense of sending a 

 representative such a distance at great cost, hence my ap- 

 pointment. 



I will state that the bee-keepers in Ireland have not only 

 the dread enemy of foul brood to contend against, but also 

 a department of agriculture, which knowing nothing of bee- 

 keeping, has refused all offers of assistance from the Irish 

 Bee-Keepers' Association and appointing instructors in the 

 counties who are as inefficient as the Department itself, are 

 playing tricks with the interests of the industry. The Irish 

 Bee-Keepers' Association is now obliged to introduce a bill 

 in Parliament for the purpose of doing what it is the duty 

 of the Department to do, viz., to combat the disease, which, 

 through the apathy and ignorance of the Department has 

 been allowed to spread through every county in Ireland. 



The Irish Bee-Keepers' Association for more than a quar- 

 ter of a century has been promoting bee-keeping in Ireland 

 by lectures, publications, qualifying of experts, and by every 

 other method available. They have co-operative societies of 

 bee-keepers through the counties, affiliated with the Irish Bee- 

 Keepers' Federation, which latter, with extensive premises in 

 Dublin, supplies the hives and appliances at co-operative prices 

 to the members and societies and also markets their honey and 

 wax. The Department has worked steadily against every de- 

 velopment of the kind, but the Irish Bee-Keepers' Association 

 will persevere in hope that with a change of government the 

 Department may get into better hands and the industry receive 

 more recognition from the powers that will then be. 



In such an evergreen country as Ireland, in fact in all 

 Great Britain, where the fields are green and full of clover 

 and other honey-bearing flowers. I may say all the year 

 around, one would imagine the Government would leave no 

 stone unturned to foster such an industry, whose possibilities 

 are very great, and in this connection I will state that the 

 value of honey imported into the United Kingdom in the 

 month of July was $23,260, but alas, for the bee-keepers, that 

 country does not enjoy a protective tariff or prohibitive, if 

 you will. 



In conclusion, gentlemen, I will state that the editor of 

 the Irish Bee Journal, and author the "Irish Bee Guide," the 

 Rev. J. G. Digges, my brother, sends to the biotherhood here 

 his cordial greetings, and that but for the pressure of work 

 connected with the interests of the craft in Ireland he had 

 hoped to attend in person, and in behalf of the Irish Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, I offer sincere thanks for your exceed- 

 ingly kind invitation to be represented at this most dis- 

 tinguished assemblage, and pledge the assistance of the Old 

 Country Association in any measure that may be advan- 

 tageous. I also assure you that if any of the members of 

 the National Bee-Keepers' Association find your way across 

 "the pond" the Irish Bee-Keepers' Association will give you 

 a Caed Mille Failthe, or in plain English a hundred thousand 

 welcomes. C. J. S. Digges. 



Dr. Bohrer moved that the paper read by Dr. Digges be 

 placed on file, to be incorporated in the proceedings, and that 

 a vote of thanks be extended to the Irish Bee-Keepers' As- 

 sociation through their representative. [Carried.] 



Dr. Digges — I am heartily pleased with the reception ac- 

 corded to the Irish Bee-Keepers' Association through me. I 

 merely reiterate what I previously said, that if any of you 



take a little trip and go over there you will see some bees, if 

 the foul brood has not exterminated them. 



On motion the convention adjourned until 2 o'clock p. m. 



SECOND DAY— Afternoon Session. 



At 2 p. m. Pres. Harris called the convention to order. 

 On motion of Mr. Pressler, H. H. Hyde was appointed 

 sergeant-at-arms, and E. E. Coveyou as his assistant. 



reward for proof of manufactured comb honey. 



Mr. Van Dyne (N.J.) moved that this convention offer 

 $1,000 for two sections of honey 4}4 by i'A, adulterated or 

 unadulterated, manufactured, filled and sealed over by human 

 hands or machinery within one year from this date; and that 

 we authorize and require every member of this convention to 

 have this offer published in their county newspaper in each 

 State represented here today. 



Mr. Kretchmer (Iowa) moved an amendment that the 

 publication shall be without cost to this Association. [Amend- 

 ment accepted.] 



Mr. Cary (Mo.) — I offer an amendment that in the pub- 

 lishing of the reward mention be made that the object of the 

 reward is to convince the public that there is no such thing 

 as manufactured comb honey. 



Dr. Bohrer — I would suggest instead of saying "manu- 

 factured honey" we say "manufactured honey-combs." 



Mr. Cary — I accept the correction. 



Mr. Hershiser — What is the object of limiting it to 454 

 by 4^? 



Mr. Cary — It occurs to me some of these manufacturers 

 might be making sections of other sizes. 



E. T. Abbott (Mo.) — This seems to me a pretty serious 

 thing, and I do not like the shane the resolution is in be- 

 cause it is suggestive, and it is an inducement to somebody 

 to do it. I move that the entire matter be referred to a 

 committee who shall report at a later time. 



Mr. Dadant — I second the motion. 



Mr. Vandyne — I hope this resolution will not be buried. 



Mr. Dadant — I wish to say this is a serious matter. A 

 number of prominent bee-keepers have asked us to bring 

 this matter forward for discussion, and for us to vote on this 

 question at present is too premature. The motion is all right, 

 only we want to be careful how we word it, and what we say. 

 That is why I second the motion to refer this to a committee 

 until we can have a good discussion. 



Dr. Miller— I have been at a good many meetings of the 

 National Association and I never yet knew any matter to be 

 buried in a committee, and I don't believe there will be any 

 trickery of that kind. I. am very sure, after reading, that 

 some changes should be made in it. I certainly hope it may be 

 referred to a competent committee, and time taken upon it. 



Mr. Diebold — In my opinion the whole thing is out of 

 order. I believe in letting the whole matter rest as it is. 



Prof. Benton — Mr. Abbott brought forward one idea I 

 •should like to emphasize because it has occurred to me in 

 the same fashion, time and time again. Whenever this has 

 been brought forward it has been as a reward. We do not 

 want that thing accomplished, therefore it should not be a 

 reward, but a forfeit, distinctly, provided the thing can be 

 done. 



The motion to refer the matter to a committee, was car- 

 ried, and the following appointed : Messrs. Pressler, Kretch- 

 mer, Gill and Abbott. 



COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL LEGISLATION. 



Mr. Hershiser — This is a pretty large country, and the 

 bee-keeping interests are varied and occupy a good many 

 portions of it. I therefore suggest that the personnel of this 

 committee be distributed throughout the various sections of 

 the country most interested in bee-keeping, and who would 

 have the greatest interest in National legislation upon the 

 subject. 



Mr. Hyde moved that a committee of seven be appointed. 



Mr. Dadant — I rather object to the number of seven; I 

 have been on committees where the understanding had to 

 be by correspondence, and when there are seven it is slow 

 work. The less the better. Of course it takes at least three 

 for a committee. Ordinary politeness requires we should hear 

 from every member when there are seven, and seven are too 

 many. I move we amend this motion to three. 



Mr. Hyde — I accept the amendment, with the consent of 

 my seconder. 



A vote having been taken it was declared carried, and 

 Pres. Harris appointed Messrs. Ferry (N. Y.), Marks (N. 

 Y.), and Dadant (111.). 



