976 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



how to raise the heavy one up to the third- 

 story level. It seemed about impossible un- 

 til the inspiration came to place an empty 

 super on top of the hive and transfer the 

 heavy combs one by one. This method is 

 slow, but perhaps not as much so as waiting 

 for some one to come and help. It could 

 be used in moving the second story if nec- 

 essary ; but the mother is small, and not at 

 all muscular, and she has found that an 

 empty super to swing it on to is all that is 



needed. However, she says that, if she were 

 5tartiny' in business with a new equipment 

 she would try the shallow supers because of 

 the greater ease in handling, and in spite of 

 the fact that the brood and super combs 

 would not be interchangeable. 

 Ventura, Cal. 



[The plan here outlined is perfectly fea- 

 sible, as we have tried it on numerous 

 occasions. — Ed.] 



BEE -NOTES FROM HOLLAND; OUR BEEKEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



BY J. H. J. HAMELBERG 



We have only one association of beekeep- 

 ers in this country. Considering, however, 

 that the whole of Holland has only about 

 six million inhabitants, this one association 

 may be said to be all that is wanted. At 

 the beginning of this year it counted 6574 

 membei's (which means one member to eve- 

 ry 100 inhabitants), divided over 121 dis- 

 tricts, each of which has at least 25 mem- 

 bers. Each district has its own officers, 

 and can make its own by-laws and regula- 

 tions when these do not conflict with the 

 statutes of the association or with the reso- 

 lutions of the annual conventions. 



The yearly contributions of the members 

 is one guilder (40 cents), each district hav- 

 ing control over the contributions of its 

 members, under the obligation, however, of 

 holding three-fifths of these at the disposal 

 of the General Board of Directors. Persons 

 wishing to become members, but not desir- 

 ing to reside under the district board of 

 their places of residence, can do so ; but 

 the contribution is then doubled. Voting 

 for membership is not required. To become 

 a member one has only to send in his name. 



Every year, in April, a general meeting 

 of the members takes place. Each district 

 can send a delegate to this annual conven- 

 tion, who then represents the entire district, 

 and has to vote in accordance with the opin- 

 ions expressed by a meeting of the district 

 members, previously held, or according to 

 the instructions the district board may have 

 given him. He may bring out one vote for 

 every twenty-five members of his district, 

 but is never entitled to more than six votes. 

 Once a district is represented by a delegate, 

 its other members, although having the 

 right to assist in the meeting, and there 

 have their say, are not entitled to vote, 

 neither have the members not belonging to 

 any district such right (which seems ratlier 

 hard on them). 



It is to be regretted that this annual con- 

 vention lasts only one day. The reading of 



the yearly report of the secretary, the dis- 

 cussions about the budget, the election of 

 commissions, and other official business, 

 take up so much of the meeting's time that 

 there hardly remains an opportunity for 

 the discussion of the pros and contras of 

 difi'erent matters recently brought forward 

 in bee-management, nor for the exchange 

 of experiences of the practical beekeepers 

 present at the meeting. 



As evening approaches, one may notice 

 every now and then a member or district 

 delegate who has to catch the last train to 

 reach home that night, leave the assembly, 

 and, as a rule, the latter part of the pro- 

 gram has to be hurried through. No won- 

 der that, except the district delegates, so 

 very few members assist in these annual 

 conventions where they seldom hear any- 

 thing of practical use to them. 



This year two papers were read at the 

 convention, one treating on the rights on 

 stray swarms, the other discussing the de- 

 sirability of introducing a species of red 

 clover accessible to bees, and of the same 

 value for feeding purijoses as the red clo- 

 vers cultivated in this country. Both lec- 

 turers proved to be well posted in the mat- 

 ters treated by them; but their practical 

 value to an audience of beekeepers seems 

 rather doubtful. We have no legislation on 

 the rights of ownership of stray swarms, 

 and it is, in fact, of little value to the prac- 

 tical beekeeper to hear what should be, but 

 what is not. And as for the desired species 

 of red clover (the benefits of which will 

 hardly need to be demonstrated to beekeep- 

 ers) this is a subject for the researches of 

 our agricultural experiment stations, while 

 the introduction of such a species, whenever 

 found, would surely be in better hands by 

 the farmer than by the beekeeper. 



Although one can appreciate the attempt 

 of the General Board of Directors to make 

 the annual conventions more attractive to 

 the members, it cannot be doubted tliat sucli 



