1893 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



885 



"VV. talked like a bee-keeper of only a few colo- 

 nies. Mr. West was promptly asked how many 

 ■colonies he had. " Four 'hundred, in three or 

 four out-apiaries." This raised quite a laugh 

 at the expense of the other bee-keeper who had 

 just spoken. Mr. E. T. Abbott, referring to the 

 ■experiments of Mr. Taylor in the Ttevieiv. could 

 not see the use of being so exact, and thought 

 the taking account of the small fractions of an 

 •ounce all nonsense, and a waste of time. Mr. 

 Taylor and others insisted that wc must have 

 exactness, so as to compare results. 



KEPOKT FROM THE Al'STKAI.IAN DELEGATE. 



Although this convention was represented by 

 t)ee-keepers who had come great distances, 

 none had come further than J. W. Pender, a 

 ■f'elegate from the Hunter River Eee-K'eepers' 

 Association, in Australia. At this point in the 

 proceedings the president called on him for an 

 address, to which Mr. Pender kindly responded. 

 It afforded him no little pleasure to meet Amer- 

 ican bee-keepers, and to have the pleasure of 

 meeting them at this time, in such a represen- 

 tative gathering. As to the bee-keepers of his 

 own country, he was happy to say that they 

 were following after American methods. The 

 Langstroth hive and system had been adopted 

 almost exclusively. As to a country for bees, 

 he believed they had the best in the world. 

 The resources were such that, in three years' 

 time, he thought they could supply the markets 

 -of Great Britian. They had in profusion all 

 the great honey-plants of the world, such as 

 white clover, lucerne (or alfalfa), basswood, a 

 rgreat variety of gum-trees, eucalyptus, besides 

 a large number that were peculiar to their own 

 country. The honey was of the first quality — 

 indeed, was so white in color, and so mild in 

 taste, that the buyers in London were suspicious 

 •of it — that is, they thought it could not be pure 

 — that it must be sugared. They produced al- 

 most exclusively extracted honey, because 

 comb honey, owing to their hot climate, would 

 break down in shipment. Their bees could 

 gather honey nine months in the year, and the 

 average per colony was over 200 lbs., besides 

 increase. One apiary of 17 colonies produced 

 7000 lbs. of honey, and increased to 90. His own 

 apiary of 40 colonies yielded 9(j0 lbs. in 14 days. 

 A letter of a later date says that this apiary of 

 40 colonies had produced 3700 lbs., and he ex- 

 pected to get 3000 lbs. more yet. All of this 

 would be obtained inside of 90 days. As to price, 

 they realized about 8 cts. 



BUKR AND BRACE COMBS. 



This was the subject next under considera- 

 tion. To avoid confusion. President Miller 

 defined /*race-combs as those that are built 

 between the top-bars, and that burr combs 

 were those that were built hetiveen top-bars 

 and the next set of frames or cover. The ques- 

 tion was asked, how many did not care for burr 

 and brace comb'^. The discussion showed that, 

 while a fesv did not. the great majority did 

 •object To them. Opinions varied as to how 

 thi*y might be dispensed with. Some thought 

 it tiot necessary to have thick top-bars: that a 

 '4 inch bee-space between frames and the next 

 st't of frames or cover, and a top-bar not less 

 than an inch, or, better, 1 jV inches, would pre- 

 ^'ent brace-combs; but it was urged that correct 

 bee-spaces could not be maintained unless top- 

 bars were thick enough to be proof against sag- 

 gine, and that thickness had something to do 

 with the matter. Testimony was not wanting, 

 to show that the wide and thick top-bars did 

 almost entirely prevent brace-combs. The 

 ■question was then asked, how many thought 

 honev - boards necessary. A show of hands 

 develiiped a vote of .'iU for them and .57 against 

 them. The president here remarked that a 



large change had taken place among the mem- 

 bers of this convention. It was formerly held 

 that the honey-board could hardly be dispensed 

 with in practical apiculture; and James Hed- 

 don, on the floor of this convention a few years 

 ago, had said that, when a brick might be 

 thown up and not come down, then and only 

 then could the honey-board be dispensed with. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



The discussion on the subject of burr and 

 brace combs was renewed. Mr. Alpaugh. of 

 Ontario, was one of those who held that a 34- 

 inch horizontal bee-space, with a top-bar one 

 inch wide, would largely do away with burr- 

 combs; nothing would entirely prevent them. 

 When the question was asked as to how far 

 this opinion might be shared by others, 21 held 

 up their hands. Others urged that exact spac- 

 ing had largely to do with the matter. In 

 response to the question as to what was the 

 right distance for spacing, the general opinion 

 seemed to be for 1% inches, although some pre- 

 ferred IV- President Miller called attention to 

 the fact that but Utile had been said regarding 

 />rr(ce-combs — those bits of wax between the 

 top-bars. One thing he knew — that V to ^^ 

 space between the bars made all the difference 

 from none to plenty of brace-combs. He had 

 also found that a top-bar J.s deep was essential 

 in preventing both burr and brace combs. He 

 had tried the thinner top-bars, but found them 

 not as satisfactory. 



We next listened to an address by T. G. New- 

 man, on the subject of the scope and work of 

 the National Bee-keepers' Union. At the last 

 election of officers the constitution had been 

 amended in such a way as to allow the Union 

 to exert its influence and devote its resources 

 for any purpose in the interest of the pursuit. 

 Its powers were circumscribed only by its avail- 

 able funds, and it remained, therefore, with the 

 Advisory Board to determine its legitimate 

 work. Prominent among the later suggestions 

 was, that the Union should assume the aggres- 

 sive, and prosecute adulterators. Much as he 

 approved of that sentiment, he was compelled 

 to admit there were difficulties to be encounter- 

 ed, because of the diversity of laws in several 

 States. What was needed was a general law, 

 enacted by the eeneral Congress, against the 

 adulteration of all kinds of food, applicable to 

 every State. Until this was done, he feared we 

 should labor in vain. Another difficulty was, 

 that the analyzation of honey by chemists could 

 not always be relied on. The reason of much 

 of this confusion lay in the fact that honey 

 from different localities varied. He was glad 

 to notice, however, that the professors them- 

 selves were endeavoring to overcome all diffi- 

 culties. Another phase of legitimate work for 

 the Union was. to make its influence felt in 

 legislative halls in preventing unjust enact- 

 ments; and test cases in every State, where 

 suits were begun against bee-keepers, were de- 

 sirable. The moral effect of the Union was 

 wonderful. Lawyers, judges, and juries, as 

 w(»ll as quarrelsome neighbors, were all influ- 

 enced by the fact that an organization stood 

 I'eady to dc^fend us. In an existence of only 

 eight y(>ars the Union had won victories to be 

 proud of. It has compelled the courts to render 

 just and fair decisions, and has won valuable 

 precedents. 



Prof. H. W. Wiley, Chief Chemist of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture, Washington. D. (.'., 

 was present, and was called upon. He thanked 

 the bee-keepers for the kindly interest they 

 had taken in his work. 1I'> had recognized 

 that there were two grt^at points necessary for 

 success; litst, the production of something; 

 and, second, a market. While a few may keep 



