1902 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



935 



time and money in perfecting- them, and 

 still more time in looking after them, even 

 getting up nights during extreme weather 

 to attend to them, until through force of cir- 

 cumstances during one fearful storm, all 

 were left closed for a week, at the end of 

 which I found the bees in the best condition 

 I had ever known them to be. This caused 

 me to keep the ventilators closed more and 

 more, till finally, when remodeling my bee- 

 cellar some fifteen years ago, all ventilation 

 by special means was disregarded, since 

 which my bees have wintered better than 

 ever before, and all of the harrassing work 

 with ventilators has been turned into more 

 comfortable employment which has paid me 

 in two ways — first, by that accruing from 

 my work at other things, but more largely 

 by the more perfect wintering of the bees, 

 with a less consumption of honey. But I 

 have an appointment to meet at 10 o'clock 

 this morning. It is now 9:45, and so I 

 must be getting ready."' 



" But I shall not dare try my bees with 

 no provisions for ventilation save that which 

 would naturally come into the cellar.*' 



" I would say to you as I have to many 

 others, where any person has fears in this 

 matter the proper way is for him to test the 

 thing till he is satisfied." 



This issue is largely editorial. We will 

 give our contributors more of a show next 

 time. 



"The flavor and grain of honey are great- 

 ly improved," says the editor of the Review, 

 "by waiting until the honey begins to gran- 

 ulate, then stir it up and draw it ofl^ into 

 retail packages." 



In this issue we have given considerable 

 space to the subject of organization and co- 

 operation for the purpose of maintaining or 

 getting better prices on honey than now 

 prevail. This is a subject that will bear 

 much thought, and our columns are open 

 for its further consideration. 



The Chicago convention will be held Dec. 

 3 and 4. There are indications that this 

 will be a very large meeting. Already 

 some of the most extensive and influential 

 bee-keepers have promised to be in atten- 

 dance, and it is confidently expected that 

 this convention will be as large as some of 

 the conventions of the National — yes, pos- 

 sibly larger than some of them. Chicago 

 is a good meeting-point, and always has 

 the reputation of having good conventions. 



"It is expected," says Mr. York," that all 

 the railroads centering in Chicago will ofter 

 excursion rates at that time, on account of 

 the National Live-stock Exposition." 

 Those interested should ask their nearest 

 railroad ticket agent somewhere about 

 Nov. 25. 



The editor of the Review advises against 

 putting exhibits of bee supplies in the same 

 room in which a convention may be held, 

 because it divides the attention, and groups 

 of bee-keepers will be persistently gather- 

 ing about the exhibition talking in an un- 

 dertone, very greatly disturbing the gener- 

 al discussions that may be going on during 

 the sessions of the convention. I agree with 

 Bro. Hutchinson. A hint to those who are 

 getting up conventions will not be amiss. 



DEATH OF DR. A. B. MASON. 



On Oct. 30, Dr. A. B. Mason, Secretary of 

 the National Bee-keepers' Association, was 

 severely burned about the face and hands by 

 a natural-gas explosion. His son reported 

 that he was a "very sick man" and "very 

 weak and exhausted from the nervous shock 

 and pain, ' ' and yet at the time his son Ellis 

 wrote (Nov. 4) he was gaining slightly. 



Since writing the foregoing, and just as 

 we were going to press, we learn that the 

 good doctor is no more. His daughter-in- 

 law writes as follows: 



Dear Mr. Root:— Yonr letter to father, written the 

 11th, came to us this morning, but too late for him to 

 know any thing about it. He died this morning, at 

 7:55, after a long night of suffering The nervous 

 shock of his recent injury proved to be greater than he 

 could bear. He will be buried on Friday afternoon, 

 the services to be held at the home. 



Thanking you for the messages of regard sent to the 

 family, in father's letter, I remain your friend, 



Toledo, C, Nov. 12. Mrs. Ellis Mason. 



The Association, of which the doctor was 

 a most active worker, has lost a valued of- 

 ficer and an active member. Personally I 

 feel that a very dear friend has gone, 

 and I can not quite bring myself to believe 

 that the one whom we have all known so 

 well and favorably will not be with us any 

 more to offer us his wise counsels and gen- 

 ial smiles. Every one who has attended 

 the National conventions will remember 

 that he (with that other doctor (Dr. Miller) 

 was the soul and wit of the meetings. Dr. 

 Mason's biography will be placed before 

 our readers in our next issue. 



FOUL-BROOD INSPECTOR FOR MICHIGAN. 



Mk. John M. Rankin, a student at the 

 Michigan Agricultural College, has resign- 

 ed his position as State Inspector of Apia- 

 ries to accept another position at a better 

 salary, and for work the year round, at the 

 sugar-factory at Wyandot, Mich. Mr. Ran- 

 kin is a young man of splendid ability, es- 

 pecially in the line of science. He filled 

 the position of Inspector in a manner emi- 

 nently satisfactorj' to the bee-keepers of 

 Michigan. Though he retires from that 

 position, another man, Mr. W. Z. Hutchin- 

 son, editor of the Bee-keepers^ Review, has 



