American ^ee Journal 



March, 1908. 



after row of bottled honey as we place 

 it on the market, with hives in pack- 

 ages of 5 lined upon each side. This 

 honey was bottled S at a lime by a ma- 

 chine invented by Mr. A. I. Davis. 



In the background can te seen differ- 

 ent size bottles of honey in all forms ; 

 pure vinegar, made of honey and water ; 

 honey and tar — a much-used medicine 

 made and put up by us; and fruit pre- 

 served in honey, which received firsr 

 and second prizes, the judges saying it 

 was the richest preserved fruit they 

 had ever eaten. 



The left wall, which can be seen but 

 dimly, contains box after box of sec- 

 tion honey piled to the ceiling. 



In front can be seen our new, up-to- 

 date, modern bee-hives, for which wc 

 received a diploma, as they are consid- 

 ered the best ones on exhibition, as 

 judged by the largest and best bee- 

 keepers in Texas. 



Mrs. a, I. Davis. 



San Antonio, Tex., Jan. 27. 



We have not yet forgotten the large 

 and splendid apiarian exhibits at the 

 San Antonio Fair in 1906. It certainly 

 was a pleasant surprise to us, to see 

 what great things those Texans could 

 do in the bee and honey exhibition line. 

 It was fine. 



Honey from New York to Detroit 



The United States Department of 

 Agriculture has been doing some figur- 

 ing lately, which results in quite a good 

 showing for the honey-business. The 

 figures indicate that the honey crop of 

 one year in the United States, if loaded 

 on freight cars, would make a train ex- 

 tending in a straight line from New 

 York City to Detroit, Mich., and valued 

 at $25,000,000. Not such a small af- 

 fair, after all, if those "figures don't 

 lie," as it is said some figures do, some- 

 times. 



The National Convention in Detroit 



Secretary Hutchinson sends the fol- 

 lowing description of the place of hold- 

 ing the next meeting of the National 

 Bee-Keepers' Association, to which we 

 do not feel that we could add any- 

 thing: 



The National Convention lias not always 

 been fortunate in its place of meeting. Some- 

 times it has been held near a noisy, dusty 

 street, where the rattling of trucks over stone 

 pavements, and the rumble of street cars, 

 would often completely drown the speaker's 

 voice. Again it has been held in some hot, 

 close hall, up two or three flights of stairs. 



We have not always been thus unfortunate. 

 Some of the meeting places have been very 

 comfortable and well adapted to our needs; 

 but never, in its 40-odd years of existence, 

 has the National Association met in a place 

 so ideally perfect as the one chosen for the 

 coming convention, to be held next October, in 

 Detroit, Mich. It is the pavilion, or sun- 

 palace, built by the Wayne Hotel almost ex- 

 pressly for the use of conventions. It is back 

 of the hotel, away from the noise and dust of 

 the main street, and extends down to the very 

 edge of the Detroit river; where the traffic 

 of the great lakes may be .seen passing and 

 repassing, al all hours of the day. At one 

 side of the pavilion is a little garden, or pri- 

 vate park, filled with beautiful flowers, lawns 

 and walks. On the other si.k- is Third Street, 

 but It IS paved with asphalt, which gives 

 little sound; besides, the street ends at the 

 river, and is not much used opposite the 

 pavilion. 



The pavilion is two stories high, and it is 

 in the uiipcr story where the convention will 

 be held. The sides can all be thrown wide 

 open, allowing the cool, river breezes to 



sweep through; or the windows may be all 

 drawn down, if desirable. If the weather is 

 cool enough to need it, steam heat can be 

 turned on. In fact, we will be able to rid 

 ourselves of noise, dust, heat or cold. We 

 can sit at our ease, with the beautiful river 

 at our feet, and the spires, chimneys, and 

 wooded hills, of the King's domain (Canada) 

 looming up in the distance. 



Near the center of the pavilion, but some- 

 what to one side, is an enclosed space, per- 

 haps 40 or 50 feet across, the sides mostly 

 of glass, and extending from floor to ceiling. 

 In this will be a capital place to exhibit honey, 

 wax and supplies — near at hand, yet not right 

 in the convention room, which sometimes 

 causes annoyance. 



All of these comfortable quarters will be 

 free, with the understanding that we make 

 our headquarters at the Wayne Hotel. "The 

 Wayne is a strictly first-class house — what 

 some of us common folks might call high- 

 priced. It _ has an unusually large oflfice, 

 or lobby, with two fire-places, or grates, as 

 they are now called, marble floor and sup- 

 porting pillars, with large, leather-bound loung- 

 ing chairs and sofas — a delightful visiting 

 place for us between sessions. Everything is 

 quiet, orderly, and wen managed — no more 

 desirable stopping place could be found. 



What are the rates? They run from $2.50 

 to $4.50, American plan — that is, including 

 meals — but here is the bargain that we have 

 made: They will take care of 150 bee-keep- 

 ers at $2.50 per day, provided 2 will occupy 

 the same room — and who ever heard of a 

 bee-keeper at a convention who wished to be 

 put off alone in a room, all by himself? In 

 order to give this flat rate for so Iarp<^ -1 

 number, many rooms will be used for which 

 the charge, ordinarily, is much higher. 



Of course, no one will be compelled to 

 stop at the Wayne, and there are other hotels 

 within 2 blocks where 200 people, extra, can 

 he cared for at from $1.25 to $2.25 per day. 

 In these times, however, it is difficult, in a 

 large city, to secure really desirable accommo- 

 dations at much less than $2.00 a dav, and 

 when one has paid that much, besides several 

 other dollars to reach the city, it seems fool- 

 ish to allow a paltry 50 cents a day to stand 

 in the way of joining the crowd, and being 

 "one of the boys." 



One thing more: The Michigan Central and 

 the Big Four railroad station stands just 

 across the street from the Wayne, while the 

 Union station, used by the Pere Marquette, 

 Wabash, and Canadian Pacific, is only 2 blocks 

 away. The Grand Trunk and the Lake Shore 

 and Michigan Southern station is several 

 blocks away, perhaps 7 or 8, but is easily 

 reached by street cars that pass the Wayne. 

 The electric suburban car station is within 

 easy walking distance — only 4 or 5 blocks. 



The dates for holding the convention have 

 been fixed on October 13, 14 and 15 — at a 

 time when the weather conditions in the 

 North are usually ideal. The heat and dust 

 of summer have past, and wintry blasts and 

 snowdrifts are then in the distant future. 



Flint. Mich. W. Z. Hutchinson. 



Secretary Nationat Bee-Keepers' Association, 



A Plea for Spring. 



Come, my charming pussy willows. 

 Shake again your fluffy pillows 

 In the lap of t,irdy spring; 

 Let me hear once more tlie wing 

 Of the Priestess Honey-Bee, 

 .'\s she earns her marriage fee — 

 Claiming gold for every rite, 

 Whisper'd e'er she takes her flight. 



Ye are first of all the cousins 

 To unfurl your flags by dozens. 

 Brave and hardy as an oak. 

 Every flow'r-bud wears a cloak, 

 March winds do not frigthen ye, 

 Mad and .spiteful tho' they be. 



Welcome, pussy-willow friends. 

 First to bloom when winter ends. 

 We shall hear the bluebirds sing 

 When ye tell them it is spring. 



Forest City, Iowa. Eugene Secor 



Bee-Supply Catalogs Improved 



VVe note in some of the 1908 bee-sup- 

 ply catalogs there is quite an improve- 

 ment over those of preceding years. 

 As compared with some of the incuba- 

 tor and poultry-supply catalogs that we 

 have seen, the bee-supply catalogs have 



simply not been "in it" at all. So we 

 are glad to see the attempts at im- 

 provement being made in the catalogs 

 of bee-supply dealers. 



Two of the most striking so far, that 

 have come to our desk are the catalogs 

 of the Gus Dittincr Company, of Au- 

 gusta, Wis., and the G. B. Lewis Com- 

 pany, of Watertown, Wis. Both are 

 very neat, indeed, and are gotten up in 

 good style. 



We don't see why bee-supply catalogs 

 should have been so far behind some 

 others for so many years. But doubt- 

 less as the industry of bee-keeping 

 grows there will also be a notable im- 

 provement in the appearance of its cur- 

 rent literature, although what little there 

 is in that line we think compares quite 

 favorably with the literature of most 

 other pursuits — at least, it is as good as 

 could be expected when the low sub- 

 scription prices are considered. 



We Commend Our Advertisers 



We want to call particular attention to 

 our advertisers. We believe, they are 

 a clean, honest lot of people, else their 

 advertisements would not be found in 

 our columns. 



We want especially to invite our read- 

 ers to patronize the advertisers who use 

 space in the American Bee Journal. It 

 would be utterly impossible to publish 

 this Journal were we to depend entirely 

 upon the receipts from subscriptions 

 alone. We wish our subscribers to 

 help us to encourage those whose an- 

 nouncements are found herein, bv send- 

 ing them orders whenever it is possi- 

 ble to do so. We are desirous of in- 

 creasing our advertising patronage, and 

 believe it can easily be done if those 

 who already use such space find that it 

 is profitable to them. And the way to 

 aid us to make it profitable is for all, 

 so far as possible, to remember our 

 advertisers when needing anything they 

 offer to sell. 



Be sure, always, to mention having 

 seen it in the American Bee Journal 

 when writing to any one whose adver- 

 tisement you are answering that appears 

 in these columns. It will help both the 

 advertiser and ourselves. 



Pan-Handle Bee-Keepers' Convention 



Tlie Pan Handle Rec-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation will meet in Knights' Golden 

 Easile Hall, corner 38th and Jacob Sts., 

 Wliecling, W. Va., March 25, 1908. The 

 morning session at 10 o'clock, the after- 

 noon at I o'clock ; and the evening at 

 7 o'clock. The object of the Associa- 

 tion is to promote and protect the inter- 

 ests of its members. All bee-keepers are 

 requested to attend. Ladies are cor- 

 dially invited. 



Blaine, Ohio. W. L. Kinsey, Sec. 



Michigan State Convention 



The next annual meeting of the Michi- 

 gan State Bee-Kecpcrs' Association is to 

 be held in connection with the National 

 Convention in Detroit, October 13, 14 

 and 15, 1908. Secretary Elmore M. Hunt, 

 of the Alichigan Association, is making 

 a systematic effort to increase the mem- 

 bership of his Association to 200 by the 

 time of the meeting in October. Surely 



