GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Feb. 



MORNING SESSION— THIRD DAY. 



After the convention was called to order by the 

 President, C. B. Jones g-ave a very interesting ad- 

 dress on the production of fine comb honey. His 

 address was, in brief as follows: I do not want a 

 colony too strong- with bees. I prefer 6 or 7 frames 

 only. Don't put the sections on too early; wait un- 

 til white clover is fairly started; give starters only, 

 in sections, placing the sections the same way as 

 the frames. I recommend removing the sections 

 early. I do not aim to secure the most honey, but 

 the best looking and most salable. 



N. Hutches.— Does it pay to feed back partly filled 

 sections, to finish others with ? 



It was not considered profitable. 



Pres. Root gave a detailed description of the Hed- 

 don hive, its management, and its good and bad 

 features. There was considerable discussion on the 

 same, the majority not favoring it. 



Mrs. Gulp expressed herself somewhat as follows: 

 I do not think it profitable to change an apiary of 

 40 or 60 colonies for any new improvements in 

 hives, discarding old ones. 



To show what could be done with the old L. hives 

 and fixtures, she gave an Interesting account of her 

 management of an apiary, how she handled an 

 apiary of 40 colonies without help. She uses a mod- 

 ification of the L. hive, and keeps her queens' wings 

 clipped. Her report for the past season was 5600 

 lbs. of comb honey, for which she received 18 cts. 

 per H). ; 2400 ft>s. of extracted, at 15 cts. Her bees are 

 hybrids. She prefers them for honey to any others. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



After the convention was called to order, the sub- 

 ject of honey adulteration was opened for discussion. 



Mr. Nathan Hutches. — A young man of polished 

 manners— a college graduate, as he said— informed 

 me that he had seen, in the city of New York, comb 

 honey manufactured; that he had seen them make 

 the comb, fill it with the abominable stuff, and cap 

 it over with thin wax by means of a " rocking con- 

 cern." 



President.— Didn't the fellow see them fastening 

 foundation into wired frames with a foundation- 

 fastener ? 



Mr. Hutches.— No, sir. He appeared to be a 

 straightforward sort of fellow. He said he had no 

 object one way or the other in stating these facts. 

 Mr. Earle Cllckinger heard the same storj'. 



When the latter gentleman, a honey commission- 

 merchant, was called upon, he verified what the 

 previous speaker had said. He stated that he be- 

 lieved that the young man who had given these 

 facts was still in the city. Upon motion of the con- 

 vention, Mr. Hutches was instructed to call upon 

 the fellow at his place of business, bring him to ihe 

 convention rooms, and let him tell his story. After 

 a lapse of.a short time, Mr. H. returned and report- 

 ed to the convention that the college fellow had 

 "gone west." The convention then instructed Mr. 

 H., that, if he ever saw the polished young man 

 again, to inform him of A. I. Root's offer of $1000 to 

 any one who should prove that comb honey could 

 be manufactured. 



C. E. Jones.— I think that comb honey is often 

 taken for adulterated when it is made of honey-dew, 

 or some kind not usually gathered. 



After further discussing this matter, the follow- 

 ing question was propounded: Does the queen de- 

 termine the>ex of her progeny at will ? 



Mr. Miller.^I have been taught, that the sex of 



the bee is determined by compression, owing to the 

 size of the cell. 



C. B. Jones.— I think she has the free power of de- 

 terming the sex. 



Secretary.— I have seen the queen lay eggs In 

 queen-cells only slightly started; also in foundation 

 that was-not drawn out more than ^g of an inch. 

 How does the compression theory account for this ? 



Mr. J. L. Mock gave a new use of wide frames for 

 division-boards. Nail thin boards on each side, fill- 

 ing the space with dry sawdust, forest-leaves, or 

 some light material. They are good for winter or 

 summer use. 



As many were desirous of getting off. on the after- 

 noon train, the convention proceeded to matters of 

 business. It was moved and seconded that a com- 

 mittee of one be appointed to prepare a question- 

 box for next meeting. The chair appointed S. R. 

 Morris. The committee on exhibits reported as fol- 

 lows: Frank A. Eaton, section case and skeleton 

 honey-board combined, adapted to the tierlng-up 

 system, and removing sections with ease. Mr. Earl 

 Cllckinger exhibited a section crate, a case of fine 

 comb honey; jars of extracted honey; Bingham 

 smoker and honey-knife and Eaton feeder. J. W. 

 Newlove, combined shipping and honey crate; also 

 well adapted for tiering up. 



Bluffton, Ohio. Frank A. Eaton, Sec. 



HONEY EXHIBITS AT FAIKS. 



THE advantages OF ADVERTISING IT THAT WAY. 



MNOWING that you like to see novel things 

 In bee culture, I herewith send you a photo 

 of my exhibit at our county fair. The 

 boxes in front show for themselves what 

 they are— honey-cakes and Todd's honey- 

 candles, with an observatory hive on the left. On 

 the right is a log cabin, made entirely of different 

 styles of honey cans and pails, with sections of 

 comb honey for windows and doors. The roof is 

 covered with strips of foundation, and the appro- 

 priate name of " Home. Sweet Home." over the 

 door. 



The next structure bears upon the banner the 

 title," Beeswax Pavilion," after the Grecian models. 

 This is a hexagonal framework of wood, covered 

 entirely with foundation. The narrow spirals up- 

 on the columns are of colored wax, one coluinii 

 covered with green spiral, the next with red; the 

 bands of foundation around the upper part were 

 also of different colors, all surmounted with a Hag- 

 staff and a banner. In the center of the pavilion 

 was a small pyramid of beeswax surmounteil witii 

 a bouquet of wax flowers. 



The next object is an exhibit of comb Imiiey, in 

 the form of a double arch, each section glassed. In 

 the center was also a pile of comb hciu^v. This 

 double arch was finished out with a fine bouquet of 

 natural flowers, scarcely discernible in the picture. 

 On the left of the comb honey is a jiyramid of ex- 

 tracted honey in tin and glass cans. 



This exhibit attracted a great deal of alttMilioii. 

 and called forth expressions of "Isn't it beauti- 

 ful?" from scores, and I was kept quite busy ans- 

 wering questions, and giving information general- 

 ly. This exhibit was shown at three county fairs- 

 Warren, Saratoga, and Washington. At Ballston, 

 Saratoga Co., we had a fine display. Mr. Tarent 



