136 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 15. 



of wliich are pretty sure to benefit apiculture, if 

 Mot directly, at least iiidini'tly. For instance, If a 

 species or race of bees could be bred or introduced, 

 which, in theearly part of I lie season, when bumVUe- 

 bees are few in number, would fertilize the red 

 clover, and later in the season do the same work 

 more thoroughly than it is now done, there is no 

 question that we should reap a reward in tlie larger 

 yield of clover seed, and in this way our pasfcurag-e 

 would be vei-y generally improved; so that this 

 would indirectly affect beneficially our stock and 

 dairy interests, to say notliing- of a more general 

 employment of red clover as a green manure in the 

 increase of most of our ciops. In cases like this 

 the benefit would be not to individuals, but would 

 be general, and so great that the expense of accom- 

 plishing iir would be insigniticant in comparison. 

 Even an experiment which fails, ;ind whicli would 

 be disastrous to individual i);nticii)ants in it, would 

 not be felt by the general government, and might 

 serve to point out the wny to success in subsequent 

 attempts; for failure often proves very useful in 

 pointing out the directions in which we sluiuld look 

 for anything valuable. Thus, if the Dcpurliiieiit, 

 by ample effort, should prove that nothing can be 

 gained in any given direction, it will save further 

 disappointment to individual ('Xi)erimenters, and 

 prevent a repetition of useless effort. To my mind, 

 the character of the work to be undertaken by the 

 department should be of such a nature as to benefit 

 the industry in all parts of tlie country alike; and 

 prominent among the subjects whirh it should 

 undertake is this introduction and testing of foreign 

 races of bees, of which there is much yet to discover, 

 and about wliich our actual experimental knowl- 

 edge is limited. The distribution of queen-bees of 

 improved vai'ieties, where they would most aid in 

 building up the industry, might be undertaken by 

 the Department wherever it would not interfere 

 with individual effort in this direction. But while 

 the lines for government action, so far as the 

 economic side Is concerned, are limited, there is a 

 large and interesting field for further scientific 

 investigation of the life-historv of tlie bee, of its 

 diseases, and of its relations to plant-life. Few of 

 you, who do not view the economy of the bee from 

 the purely entomological or scientific standpoint, 

 are aware of the erroi's that are yet extant in con- 

 nection with the subject, and are still perjietuated 

 in many of the popular treatises on the bee, and 

 tliere is no better evidence of the biologic questions 

 yet to be decided tlian the discussions at such gath- 

 erings as these, which, as evidenced this afternoon, 

 involve the actual influenct; of the bee on the 

 sweets which it gathei-s. I am satisfied that no 

 thorough iuvestigalloii under compel ent direction 

 would fail to elicit most interesting facts, and to 

 settle many disputed pcjints. In connection witli 

 the wintering of bees in the cooler portions of our 

 country, there is much that remains to be investi- 

 gated. The statistics of the industry have never 

 been properly collected, and could not be, except 

 by some national organization. 



Following slionly after tliis address was the 



KEPOKTOFTHE COMMITTEE ON WHAT THE GOVERN- 

 MENT OUGHT TO DO FOR APICULURE. 



The committee to whom was I'eferred the matter 

 of government aid to apiculture beg leave to fe|iort 

 ana advise that the l)ee-lveepersof tlie United States 

 ask, first, that the Section of Apiculture, in the 

 Division of Entomology, Deiiartment of Agriculture, 

 be raised to an independent division; second, thali 

 in connection therewith tliere be an experiment 

 apiary, established at Washington, having all the 

 apptiintments necessary to a flr.st-class apicultural 

 experiment station;- third, that the appropriation 

 for this division be sufficiently large .so that the 

 work may not be embarrassed by a lack of funds. 



This is the least tliat we can ask in justice to our- 

 selves. That most important branch of our busi- 

 ness, devoted to the production of liquid honey, is 

 in great danger of being ruined. The chief com- 

 petitor of liquid or strained honey in the manufac- 

 tures is cane sugar; and the recent removal of the 

 duty on it, and the consequent lowering of prices, 

 has materially lessened the demand for honey; and 

 we find that we shall have to lower the cost of pro- 

 duction in order to meet this unequal competition 

 so suddenly thrust upon vis. Millions of money are 

 taken from the treasury to reimbur.se the producers 

 of cane and maple sugar for tlie loss occasioned bj' 

 the removal of the duty; but our legislators entirely 



forgot the producers of honey, whose product is but 

 sugar with the flavor of the flowers added. We do 

 not as'i a bounty, but we do ask the government 

 for all the assistance that scientific research and 

 well-directed experimental work can give us in 

 cheapening the cost of production. This is but a 

 moiety of wliat is granted the sugar-men. Our in- 

 dustry is still in its infancy; and while many mil- 

 lion pounds of honey are jilready produced, the 

 business is capable of an expansion .so great as to 

 wholly eclipse the present production of sugar from 

 the sugar-cane. Four contiguous counties have 

 produced in one season over four million pounds of 

 honey, and this represents but a fractional part of 

 what miglit have been gathered. Vast as our busi- 

 ness may become, the indirect benefits conferred by 

 the honey-bee on the agriculturists of this country, 

 in the fertilization of the flowers of fruits, grains, 

 seeds, etc., will always surpass in value the honey 

 gathered by it. 



The committee have named Washington as the 

 place for the experimental yard, because of its 

 convenience to the Department of Agriculture; 

 also l)et-ause of the longer season in which to exper- 

 iment. There may be better locations for honey, 

 but for many purposes a poor locatit)n may be best. 

 If for any purpose a better one is desired, such maj' 

 be found not many miles out, and a part of the 

 bees removed to it. 



Should the association see fit to adopt this repoi-t, 

 it would undoubtedly be best to have a committee 

 estimate the necessary expense, and immediately 

 formulate a petition naming the amount of the 

 appropriation desired, and the changes called for, 

 with a few of the reasons why we demand tlie as- 

 sistance asked. 



P. H. ElwoOD, ; c,,n-,mittep 



J. E. Hetherington, i committee. 



Considerable discussion followed the reading 

 of this report, and it was argued by the govern- 

 ment officials present that It was impracticable 

 to establish a station at Washington, and that 

 it was altogether improbable that the govern- 

 ment would raise apiculture to an independent 

 division. Prof. Riley said the tendency of the 

 government was to reduce the number of di- 

 visions, rather than to separate. After consid- 

 erable discussion it was finally voted to continue 

 the committee for another year. 



The last session was, for the most part, a bus- 

 iness meeting. The election of officers, we have 

 already given; and as there were no more sub- 

 jects on the progiam. it was voted to adjourn 

 in order that, the next morning, the whole con- 

 vention might take in the sights of Washington. 



OURSELVES AND OUR NEIGHBORS. 



Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.— 

 John 8::i4. 



It seems almost impossible that mankind can 

 understand or comprehend the extent to which 

 one's better judgment and good common sense 

 are impaired, weakened, and blighted, by vol- 

 untarily doing that which we know we ought 

 not to do. One who commits deliberate sin is 

 like the man who goes and deliberately gets 

 drunk; yes, and after he has done things while 

 in a drunken state that he would not think of 

 doing while sober, he is loth to believe that he 

 has done the.se things. We all admit that the 

 man who is angry has, to a certain extent, lost 

 his j udgraent and reason. The greatest trouble 

 is, however, we are never willing to admit that 

 we are angry — that is, we are seldom willing to 

 admit it. Ihave seen people who had the rare 

 good sense to say, " Look here, my friends, I 

 am too much stirred up now to say any thing, 

 and I hope you will excuse me if I refuse to 

 have any thing more to say or do in the matter 

 until I have had a little time to get quiet, so 

 that I may reason fairly and impartially." The 

 man who can do this has already said, " Get 

 thee behind me, Satan," and he has already 



