1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



311 



sow it at all, but let it sow itself. My brother- 

 in-law, who Is a much better farmer than I, in- 

 sists that it is best to have nothing else sown 

 with it. The piece that I spoke of being plowed 

 in was plowed iu last spring about six inches 

 deep in May, the seed having fallen on the 

 ground the year before. I don't think it would 

 make much difference what time the seed was 

 put in from November till the first of June, 

 providing it was put in fairly deep, or the 

 ground well firmed if put in shallow. I've seen 

 it grow well on sandy soil and on very stiff clay. 

 I don't think it would grow on a bare rock, and 

 it would probably not make a good growth in 

 clear sand. 

 Marengo, 111., Dec. 11. 



[The house-apiary would make it much more 

 difficult for them to get at the honey, and then 

 I am not so sure it is so much more expensive 

 than hives in an open yard. Usually at an out- 

 yard some sort of small shed or shop is needed 

 to hold the tools and honey. A little more ex- 

 pense would make this a house-apiary where 

 tools could be kept, honey stored off the hive, 

 and the bees wintered without hauling them 

 several miles home, and then storing them in 

 the cellar. There is no mowing of grass and 

 weeds, and no leveling up of hives. In the 

 house-apiary, too, the fifty or seventy-five col- 

 onies are almost within arm's reach. In ex- 

 tracting, steps are saved, and robbers are shut 

 out. Taking every thing into consideration I 

 doubt if the house plan is much more expen- 

 sive. — Ed.] 



GLOKY AND RENOWN, 



OR DISHONOR TO THE NORTH AMERICAN BEE- 

 KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. 



By Ramhlev. 



There seems to be considerable controversy 

 over the amalgamation scheme that has been 

 sprung between the Bee-keepers' Union and 

 the N. A. B. K. A. It is well to discuss all of 

 the bearings in the case, in order to come to a 

 wise decision. 



I believe, with several others, that the Union 

 has but little to gain in amalgamation. The 

 membership of the N. A. is not large, and the 

 dollars and prestige it would bring would not 

 materially enlarge the usefulness of the Union. 

 If, upon amalgamation, the N. A. could put 

 into the Union treasury $10,000 there might be 

 some good grounds for the change; but even 

 then I think there are more advantages to be 

 gained by acting along independent lines. Let 

 me explain: 



The Union was organized for a specific pur- 

 pose: "The protection of bee-keepers in the 

 lawful pursuit of their business." It has had 

 remarkable success in that line of work, and 

 still stands as a menace against those who 

 would drive out a legitimate rural industry; 

 and the Union is an organization of which 

 every bee-keeper in the land may be proud. 

 The N. A. was also organized for a specific pur- 



pose, of which the social feature was the most 

 prominent; and, although I can judge only 

 from written reports of the meetings, I have no 

 hesitation in expressing the opinion that it has 

 been a decided success. The topics that have 

 been discussed have been ably handled; its 

 meetings that have been held in various por- 

 tions of the Eastern States and in Canada have 

 imparted enthusiasm and bee-lore to many per- 

 sons who would not otherwise have been in- 

 terested. 



The weakness of the organization, however, 

 has been its non-representative character; and 

 the same persons have appeared so often in the 

 annual gatherings that the association has been 

 facetiously called a mutual-admiration society. 

 And now. after many years of pleasant exist- 

 ence and hallowed memories, its latest act is to 

 lose all dignity, and it tries to crawl under the 

 mantle of the successful Union. 



It has been urged many times, and not with- 

 out reason, that the Union should take up the 

 subject of adulteration, and fight the adulter- 

 ators of our product to the bitter end. It is all 

 very well for us to outline a policy, but quite 

 another thing to carry it out. The laws in 

 relation to adulteration in one State are quite 

 different from those in an adjoining State; and 

 when set in motion the battle would have to be 

 fought in every large center of trade; and the 

 $700, more or less, in the treasury of the Union, 

 would be just about enough to make a respec- 

 table fizzle. 



THE REMEDV. 



If the suit of the N. A. to amalgamate should 

 be rejected, as it is hoped it will be, there then 

 arises the one great opportunity for the N. A. 

 to arise from its humble position and become 

 a new light in the apicultural world, and of so 

 much and far-reaching importance that the 

 Union will become a dwarf beside it. 



Here in California we have various organized 

 exchanges. Among the most successful is the 

 exchange for handling citrus fruits. The plan 

 of organization is a centi'al office, in Los An- 

 geles. This central head is in direct communi- 

 cation with auxiliary exchanges in various 

 counties; then, where necessary, there are town- 

 ship exchanges, and even school-district ex- 

 changes. As the season advances, the head 

 knows just about how much fruit there will be 

 to market; and, though there are some hitches 

 in the new machinery, it works satisfactorily 

 to a large number of producers. The bee-keep- 

 ers are now organizing along the same lines; 

 and, owing to their product being non-perish- 

 able, there is no reason to doubt that success 

 will be attained. 



Now allow me to suggest that the North 

 American Bee-keepers' Association, at an an- 

 nual (or, better, a special) meeting, soon change 

 their name to the North American Bee-keepers' 

 Exchange, become duly incorporated for busi- 



