678 



GLEANlJSGS IK BEE CULTUliE. 



AtTft. 



tended by the IJiiinii, and, as a result, it was dis- 

 missed by the court. The costs wei-e *20; one-half 

 of it was paid liy the I'nion. This is tlie case which 

 was so badly misrepresented at the Indianapolis 

 convention by an nfticious neig'hbor, and it is with 

 much satisfaction that 1 am now able to say that 

 the Fnion was too much for the enemies of the 

 pursuit of beekeeping'. 



The city council of Fort Wayne, Ind., passed an 

 ordinance against keeping bees within the city lim- 

 its. If enforced it would practically wipe out the 

 pursuit of bee-keeping- there. Such a pressure was 

 l)roug-ht to liear by the bee-keepers, backed uii by 

 the Union, that the ordinance is a dead letter, and 

 it is expected that it will soon be repealed, if it has 

 not already been done. 



In Arkadelphia, Ark., the City Council ordered 

 Z. A. Clark to remove his bees from within the city 

 limits within 30 days. Major J. L. Witherspoon, ex- 

 Attorney General of Arkansas (who stands at the 

 head of the Bar of the State), was employed to at- 

 tend to the matter on behalf of the bees. The Na- 

 tional Bee - Keepers' Union backs up Mr. Z. A. 

 Clark to flg-ht the case on its merits. 



The thirty days have expired, and the bees are 

 still there. Public opinion is strong: against their 

 removal, and the newspapers are teeming- with rid- 

 icule of the order to remove them. 



The Union will stand by Mr. Clark in this matter, 

 and see it through, for it would be very detrimen- 

 tal to the pursuit to allow a decision against bee- 

 keeping to be put upon record on the plea of its be- 

 ing a nuisance. 



PROPOSED LEGISLATION IN MICHIGAN AGAINST 

 BEE-KEEPING. 



The McCormick bill introduced in the Legislature, 

 "intended to wipe apiculture out of Michigan," as 

 Prof. Cook stated it, raised such a buzzing about 

 his ears that it was tabled on his own motion, and 

 there died. The President of the Union (Mr. Hed- 

 don), as well as Vice-President Cook and the Gener- 

 al Manager, all labored with Mr. McCormick to 

 bring about the before-mentioned result. 



Here wo have another result of the benefits to be 

 derived from organization and combined effort. The 

 members of the Bee-Keepei's' Union have many 

 triumphs to feel proud over, and this adds another 

 laurel. 



FIN.^NCIAL STATEMENT FOR THE TWO YE.\RS, 



From July 1, 1885, to June 30, 1887. 



From 620 memberships at $1.25 each $775.00 



Paid S. I. Freeborn's suit $131.00 



Paid G. Bohn's suit 192.25 



Paid M. Darling's suit 25.00 



Paid C. C. Richardson's suit 10.00 



Printing, stamps, stationery, etc 192. .50 



Defense Fund— Cr $2(51.25 



Defense Fund— Dr 37.00 



Balance on hand July 1, 1887 $22+.'?5 



I estimate that the amount remaining in the 

 treasui-y will about cover the expense of the sever- 

 al suits still before the courts and in an unfinished 

 state. 



THE ELECTION OF OFFICERS. 



It now becomes ray duty under the Constitution 

 to call for $1.25 for the coming year (assessment $1.C0, 

 and dues 25 cents) from each member. I therefore 

 inclose a blank to be used for that purpose, and 

 also a voting-blank. Kill up all the blanks, and 

 send to the manager, with a postal note or money 

 order for $1.25. It must be sent by Aug. 1, 1887, or 

 the vote will be lost. 



CONCLUDING REMARKS. 



I now submit my second annual report, with the 

 hope that it will I'ncet with the approbation of ev- 

 ery member. If 1 have failed in any particular to 

 act for the general interest of the pursuit of bee- 

 keeping, it has been unintentional— that having 

 been my only aim. I ani now both ready and willing 

 to transfer the oiHcc to my successor as soon as such 

 is elected. Fi-aternally, Thomas G. Newman, 

 General MMnager. 



Every bee-keepei- luivin^ any interests at 

 stake, who would secure the benefits of the 

 Union, ought surely to become a member. 

 Remember, " it will defend only its mem- 

 bers who became snch before any laws'.iits 

 were commenced against them." 



MISHAPS IN INTKODUCING QUEENS. 



ALSO SOMl'.TIl INC. ABOUT HE1N(J POSITIVE, WHEN 

 VOU MAY BE MISTAKEN. 



PRESUME that every one who rears 

 queens for sale has had more or less 

 complaint that the queen sent was pure 

 black with no Italian blooil about her; 

 and this oftentimes happens when the 

 queen-breeder has no blacks in his apiary, 

 or none that he knows of in the vicinity. In 

 past years there have been some unkind 

 words, and perhaps some unkind feelings, in 

 regard to this very matter; and to illustrate 

 how easy it is to be mistaken we give the 

 following from a friend to whom we sent a 

 queen May 16. A little over a month after- 

 ward, you will notice, we received the fol- 

 lowing letter : 



F^'icnd Root: 



I must say that the untested queen you sent me 

 in May last was a black queen instead of an Italian; 

 and if j'ou don't believe it, you send me an untested 

 queen at your expense, and I will send this one to 

 you, and j'Ou can see for yourself, for I know, for I 

 have tried her. I think you ought to make some 

 amendment on her; if not, I think I will send to 

 some other place hereafter. P. J. Long. 



Selbyville, Del., June 25, 1887. 



We replied, stating that we thought it im- 

 possible that the queen he received had no 

 Italian blood about her at all. and suggested 

 that the queen we sent him was lost, and 

 that one already in the hive, or that got in 

 by some outside mishap, was in her place. 

 Some time after, we received the following 

 apology and acknowledgment of his mis- 

 take : 



I was mistaken about that (jueen, I suppose, but 

 she is not in the stand that 1 put her in. There is a 

 black one in there, but I have noticed all of the 

 stands, and found in one of them some Italians, and 

 I suppose she has left the stand that I put her in 

 and got into another one, from the looks of the 

 bees. There are about a fifth or sixth of them Ital- 

 ians, and I think that she is in there with the black 

 queen, bj- the looks of the bees. I will beg to be ex- 

 cused for writing what I did to you, for I would not 

 have done it for twice the worth of the queen, if I 

 had known it; but by a black queen being in there 

 I thought you perhaps had got hold of a black one 

 Instead of Italian, by not noticing- close. 1 don't 

 want you to think that I was trying to cheat you 

 out of a queen, for I don't mean to do any thing of 

 the kind, for I want to deal with my fellow-men 

 fair and square, if 1 possibly can. I am glad to find 

 her in another stand; and more so, as I hope you 

 won't think hard of my writing what I did, for 1 

 thought I was right. P. J. Long. 



Selbyville, Del., July 3, 1887. 



Friend L., we didn't think you were try- 

 ing to cheat us, for it is not likely that even 

 a bad man would uiulertake to get another 

 queen in such a way ; but we did think you 

 were :i little hasty and a little more positive 

 than need be. When things of this kind 

 come up, we all need to go slow, and to have 

 much charity for our fellow-men— the kind 

 of charity that ihinketh no evil ; and this is 

 what I need every day and every hour. 



