1895 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



355 



not to boom it nor to say that everybody 

 should use it. but only to show that it is not 

 such an awiivvard hive as it appears to be. — 

 Ed.] 



THE MADISON CONVENTION. 



KEPOKT OF THE EI-EVENTH ANNUAL CONVEN- 

 TION OF THE WISCONSIN BEE-KEEPERS' 

 ASSOCIATION, HELD AT MADISON, 

 FEB. 6 AND 7, 1895. 



By H. LaUirwp. 



It was with some misgivings that the officers 

 of our association wended their way to the State 

 Capitol to our regular annual meeting. For 

 some years past the attendance had been get- 

 ting smaller; and just at convention time this 

 year there occurred one of the most severe 

 storms of the winter, which would discourage 

 some from coming. But the outcome was the 

 reverse of what we feared. There was a good 

 representation of the old stand bys, and a num- 

 ber of bright young men who attended for the 

 first time, and who will doubtless be among the 

 future successful bee-keeters of our State. 

 Much of the discussion related to questions 

 that have been discussed many times in con- 

 ventions before, and which might seem to have 

 been worn out; but we must not forget that 

 much of our work is for the benefit of the 

 younger and inexperienced, to whom these 

 questions are important. 



Some of the members of the Southwestern 

 Wisconsin Association were with us, of whom 

 N. E. France, the president of that society, was 

 elected to an office in ours. Messrs. Van Allen 

 and Williams, two enterprising young men 

 from Boscobel, Wis., had on exhibition a six- 

 frame automatic honey-extractor that seemed 

 to please every one who examined it. The 

 following is taken from brief notes of the ses- 

 sions: 



The convention was called to order by Presi- 

 dent Frank Wilcox, at 1:30 p.m., in a room of 

 the State-house. The minutes of the last 

 meeting were read and approved. 



N. E. France, of Platteville. stated that he 

 had been sent as a special delegate of the 

 Southwestern Wisconsin Association, for the 

 purpose of working w ith us for the passage of a 

 foul-brood bill, and asked the privilege of hav- 

 ing the question inserted in the program. 

 Pres. Wilcox replied that it is proper to intro- 

 duce any question by simply writing it on a 

 slip of paper and handing it to the chairman. 



Mr. Tawle called for the report of the com- 

 mittee appointed last year to present the re- 

 quest of the association for lower freight rates 

 on extracted honey. H. Lathrop reported that 

 the request had been presented in due form to 

 the chairman of the Western Classification 

 Committee, Mr. Ripley, who had promised to 

 bring it before the meeting of the committee in 

 November; but a list of tariff changes made in 



that meeting, which had since been sent out, 

 did not contain any reference to extracted hon- 

 ey. 



A letter from the commission house of S. T. 

 Fish & Co., Chicago, was read, in which they 

 answered several questions on the program, as 

 follows: 



Glass fronts to shipping-cases should not be 

 dispensed with. We would not allow any one 

 to ship us comb honey unless it had glass 

 fronts, and we think that any one who wants 

 to change the present style of case is making a 

 mistake. The railroad companies request that 

 the glass be covered; but in every instance 

 where this has been done, honey has arrived in 

 bad order, as the freight-handlers are not 

 aware of the contents of the cases; while if the 

 cases have glass fronts it is handled with care. 



They also spoke very decidedly against dis- 

 pensing with the use of separators. They do 

 not think statistics of the bee-keeping industry 

 is of any benefit. They preferred extracted 

 honey in barrels, half-barrels, and kegs, or in 

 <)0-lb. cans; but they could not pay any more 

 for it when in cans. 



Mr. Van Allen said it was of great benefit to 

 the retailer to have glass fronts in shipping- 

 crates. H. Lathrop described how he protect- 

 ed the fronts of single-tier crates by tacking 

 a short piece of lath across each end, and then 

 tacking a piece the full length of the crate on 

 to these short pieces. This protected the glass, 

 and conformed with the requirements of the 

 railroad companies, and did not hide the con- 

 tents of the crate. When the honey arrived in 

 store these strips can be pulled off. 



In regard to the use of separators the conven- 

 tion was about evenly divided for and against 

 their use. It was generally considered safest 

 for all, except the expert and careful bee-keep- 

 er, to use them. The question of supers was 

 taken up, and on this there was also a division. 

 Some declared they had the best success with 

 deep wide frames, and others used the T super, 

 or topless wide frame. It is evident that we 

 have not yet found a surplus arrangement of 

 such marked superiority that it will supersede 

 all others. 



It was voted to make the presidents of other 

 bee-keepers' associations, attending our con- 

 vention, honorary members. This admitted N. 

 E. France, president of the Southwestern Wis- 

 consin Bee-keepers' Association. At this junc- 

 ture Mr. France announced that the next con- 

 vention of their association would be held the 

 first week in October, at the house of E. France, 

 in Platteville, to which he invited all. 



The question of foul-brood legislation was 

 taken up. Mr. France spoke of the great dan- 

 ger to bee-keepers from foul brood, and read the 

 draft of a proposed foul-brood bill, which was 

 similar to the Canada law. A committee was 

 appointed to present the bill to the legislature, 

 and work for its passage. 



