GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 



COJ\VENTIO:VS, SjECTI KES ETC. 



WILI^ TIIEY PAY? 



W'lTHOUT doubt much that was valuable 

 was ])ro.ught forth by the N. A. B. Con- 

 vention, a report of which is to be found in the 

 Dec. No. of the B. K. M., and while we have 

 no wish to detract any thing from its merits, 

 or to intimate that it was in any way inferior 

 to large conventions generally, we would di- 

 rect the attention of practical Bee-Keei)ers to a 

 few points discussed. Adulteration of Honey 

 is certainly a great, but we cannot thinlv a 

 growing evil. The remedy is like that on all 

 other articles of merchandise, let proprietors of 

 canning establishments and dealers, purchase 

 only from parties of known integrity. This is 

 daily becoming more a necessity in all branch- 

 es of trade, not only to the consumer, but to 

 the jobbers. To succeed in any business a 

 reputation must be acquired, that is easily lost, 

 but only gained by real, honest effort. Show 

 up the dealers in artificial honey, butter, or 

 adulterated goods of any kind by all means, 

 and without mercy, but don't for a minute 

 tliink of waiting until "Paradise is restored" 

 to have the thing set right, To judge by the 

 reports, Mr. King was all through the conven- 

 tion hand in hand, with our old friend (and 

 sinner) Benedict, who advertises and sells 

 Queens reared on Kelley's Island and yet does 

 nothing of the sort. This same Benedict is on 

 a committee with Mr. King and Mrs. Tupper, 

 to decide a))out Diplomas for Queen rearers. 

 As they are to decide by the "looks" of the 

 Queens and bees only, we really hope Mr. King 

 will be able to tell, in this manner, which friend 

 Benedict rears on the Island and which he 

 does not, since his (Benedict's) word is good 

 for nothing in the matter. How about the 

 "Paradise" mattery Have Mr. King and Mrs. 

 Tupper no fear that they may get so "mixed 

 up" in bad company as to by some mistake get 

 taken along with them. 



Dr. Ilusii had a secret to sell, viz : one tco- 

 spoonfiil of flacoriny Extract of Lemon to one 

 gallon, of lioney to prevent candying. This re- 

 ceipt cost liim fvJO.OO. Has not every one of 

 our readers at some time or other sutticiently 

 seen the folly of receipt selling, that we may 

 pa>.s the matter without comment, unless it be 

 to advise putting all in together with the Bee 

 Btiug remedies ? 



In regard to "BidAvell's" method of winter- 

 ing, our Benedict seems to have solved the 

 Whole problem by declaring that the diseased 

 hi^•es may have a frame covered with musquito 

 bar placed over the combs, that when tlie 

 whole is carried into a warm room, they may 

 fly and void tlielr fa'ces, o)i tlie combx. When 

 hives have to be thus lugged about in the 

 winter or spring, and the ))ees compelled to 

 exist in this lllthy and unnatural manner, who 

 would not beg to retire from the l)usiness in 

 disgust. If Benedict did this way when on 

 the Island twelve miles from shore (it is only 

 four) is it any wonder that ford brood, got such 

 a hold there that it cannot 'l)e eradicated. 



If it wti'e not for finding so much fault, we 

 Should also mention that this trio, Mr. King, 

 Mrs. Tupper and Benedict, decided that Iin- 

 portcd (Queens of late Avere a failure. What- 

 evt;r may have been the case with their imi)or- 



tations (the latter probably referred to the 

 "Italy of America") we do know that those 

 brought by Adam Grimm, by Langstroth, and 

 recently by Nunn Bro's,— as honey gatherers — 

 were very much superior to our common stock 

 of yellow Italian Queens. Also, if any one of 

 our readers purchased one of the Nunn Bro's, 

 whose workers showed less than three yellow 

 bands, and whose "grand children" showed 

 none under any circumstances, we should be 

 pleased to hear from them. Whatever others 

 may have done, tlie Queens /iiruished by Grimm 

 and Nunn, at least, were pure and well worth 

 the expense, and diploma or no diploma the 

 "dollar" Queens sent out from our County 

 hereafter, will be all or nearly all reared from 

 genuine Imported Motliers. We sliall be sure 

 also that they are imported. 



Now in regard to National Conventions and 

 expensive Lectures : In the Dec. No. of Am. 

 Agrictdturist, Walks and Talks on the Farm 

 writes: "If we could get at agricultural facts 

 by holding conventions, making reports, and 

 passing resolutions, we should soon place ag- 

 riculture on a scientific basis." Again, Daily 

 Rural Life says in Bural Neic Yorker of Dec. 5, 



Of late, I have read a little but seen a great deal in 

 my agricultural i)ai)ers about 



FAUMEUS' CONVENTIONS 



held in vai-ious Western States, and at which there 

 has been much speech-making and stupendous re- 

 solves made to do great tliingb'. Perhaps the time 

 and money spent at these gatherings could not be jnit 

 to better "use ; but when reading the rei»orts of the 

 same, 1 cannot help thinking of my old neighbor who 

 got up every morning with a good resolution to do 

 something the next tlay, which of course never came. 



Now is not this too much the case' in Bee 

 Culture V Grimm, Harbison, Capt. Hethering- 

 ton, and our greatest honey producers, in gen- 

 eral, seldom attend conventions ; perhaps be- 

 cause the}' would be crowded into the back 

 ground by "resolutions" etc., if we may be 

 pardoned for the suggestion. 



Suppose wc wanted to know just how Har- 

 bison secured his groat crop. Which would 

 be best for all parties ; to have him come to 

 some convention and give an address, or to 

 have some Journal pay him for his time for 

 making out a careful report of his seasons op- 

 erations? Which would be worth most to 

 bee-keepers, to have lus address, or to have a 

 printed copy to read over during the season, 

 as the successive points came up? Above all, 

 which would be least expensive to a host of 

 novices who usually have but little money to 

 waste ? 



The matter of engaging lecturers at a con- 

 siderable expense comes right in liere. It cer- 

 tainly is a pk^asure to see and listen to the 

 persons themselves. W^e might have decided 

 to pay $5, or even $10 to hear Dickens read, 

 what we had often read before ; but will this 

 sort of thing pay in the i)resent stage of Bee 

 Culture? How many have we who are com- 

 petent to undertake the task ? If there were a 

 single man, or woman either, in America, who 

 could tell us how to take our colonies through 

 the winter as safely as we do through the sum- 

 mer months, we should say send him along by 

 all means ; until such a one is found, had we 

 not l)etter wait awhile? 



AVhen it was intimated that Mr. Clarke him- 

 self was open to such an engagement, it oc- 

 curred to us as (|uestionalik' whether one who 

 could make such an "ado" about a single bee 



