10,2 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Feb. 12, 1903. 



sent it to the Association when they get it complete, either 

 this afternoon or to-morrow, for adoption. 



Messrs. Hutchinson, Root, and Wilcox were named as 

 the committee. 



Pres. York — We now come to the program. I believe I 

 said we didn't have any, but we have an order of business. 



Mr. Horstmann — I move that we have a few minutes 

 recess, so as to give the members a chance to pay their 

 dues. Carried. 



Pres. York—Before we have this intermission I would 

 like to say that the dues are one dollar, and this dollar pays 

 for your membership not only in this Association, but also 

 in the National. The dues of the National are also one 

 dollar, but if you join this one you become a member in both 

 Associations for the one dollar, where otherwise you would 

 have to pay a dollar to join the National and another dollar 

 to join this Association. I hope ever5' bee-keeper who 

 comes here will become a member of this Association. 



After a short recess the convention proceeded. 



Pres. York — I would like to appoint a committee to dis- 

 tribute slips of paper for questions. This is the way we 

 make up our'- program." Mr. Niver and Mr. Green will act 

 on that committee. Now, if you have any questions you 

 would like to ask and have discussed, write them on "the 

 slips of paper, and they will be collected a little later, so we 

 will have some questions to go on with. 



Mr. York — I have four questions we will begin on while 

 you are writing others, and we would like to have each one 

 who wishes, and will, take part in these discussions. I do 

 not like to call on any one, but unless we get started 

 promptly we will have to start by calling on some one. 

 These questions were sent in by mail. The first question 

 is this : 



CARRYING DRAWN-OUT SECTION BY RAIL. 



" Is it possible to carry by rail quite a distance, sections 

 containing foundation which has been drawn out by the 

 bees and emptied of honey, without damaging the same ? 

 If so, how should they be packed ?" 



Pres. York — Who has had experience in shipping sec- 

 tions containing foundation which has been drawn out by 

 the bees and emptied of honey ? How can you ship without 

 this comb breaking out of the sections? Has any one done 

 anything of that kind ? 



Mr. Wilcox— There will be no trouble whatever if the 

 •weather is sufficiently warm. All vou want is to ship them 

 in hot weather. 



Dr. Nussle— I would like to have them shipped packed 

 in the super as they are when they are drawn in the sum- 

 mer. Heat them up and put in the super, and you can ship 

 any distance, winter or summer. 



Mr. Hutchinson — I don't see why there should be any 

 difficulty in shipping these any more than honey. The bee's 

 can not draw out that foundation with honey without con- 

 necting it at the top and partially at the sides, and we have 

 shipped such honey, and the thing would be the same. I 

 don't see the point the questioner wishes to make— why 

 foundation can not be shipped as well as honey. 



Pres. York— I suppose the questioner has what Dr. 

 Miller would call " bait-sections." Has any one else any- 

 thing to say on that question ? Is there anything further 

 that can be said ? 



Mr. Pettit— If the sections have been kept over winter 

 in a cold place, and were cracked, I should not think they 

 could beshipped at all ; but otherwise they would ship more 

 easily and safely than if they had honey in. 



Pres. York— Mr. Wilcox suggests that a gas stove be 

 sent along with them I 



Mr. Simon— What Mr. Pettit has said is very true, that 

 the comb is not more susceptible, or not as much suscepti- 

 ble, to breakage without the foundation, or without the 

 filling of the honey, as it would be with it; therefore, I 

 should consider it perfectly safe to ship them in almost 

 any kind of weather without the honey in it as well as with 

 it. Do you understand what I am driving at ? 



WHAT COLONIES TO COUNT AS PRODUCERS. 



"When finding the average amount of honey produced 

 by a certain number of colonies, should the colonies which 

 produce just a few pounds— say two or three— be counted as 

 honey-producers ?' 



Mr. Hutchinson— Count every colony that produces any 

 honey. 



Mr. Wilcox — If I am counting up the average per col- 

 ony, I take no notice of the honey produced from a young 

 swarm, but I count all colonies even if they don't give me a 

 single pound, in fixing the average per colony. 



Pres. York— How does Mr. Whitney do ? Did you ever 

 get an average ? How do you make it ? 



Mr. Whitney — I don't know any other rule than that 

 suggested by Mr. Wilcox. I usually count mine spring 

 count — average spring count. Last season my average 

 spring count was a little over 103 pounds from 33 colonies. 



Pres. York — Comb or extracted ? 



Mr. Whitney— Comb. They gave me nearly 3500 pounds 

 from 33 colonies. 



Pres. York — Is there any other view on this, or do we all 

 agree that the proper way is to count all the colonies ? If 

 so, we will go to the next question. 



COUNTING THE AVERAGE PER COLONY. 



"In estimating the number of sections produced by a 

 colony, are salable ones alone counted ?" 



Pres. York — Are they all counted, or only the salable 

 ones ? How do you count them ? 



Mr. Whitney — I would explain my method of counting 

 in answer to that question. I count only such as you can 

 crate and ship away. The unfinished sections I ordinarily 

 put back and let the bees finish them up, or extract them 

 and keep them for bait-sections. 



Pres. York— Judging from most of the honey shipped 

 to market, I would say not every one does that way. I have 

 had it come in hardly half sealed, and half filled. Think of 

 sending sections of honey away to market in that condition 1 

 Is there any one else who produces comb honey who cares 

 to answer this question ? How do thev do over in Canada, 

 Mr. Pettit ? 



Mr. Pettit — We don't count the sections that are not 

 salable, of course. We extract those and count them in 

 with the extracted honey, or use the sections for bait- 

 sections. 



Mr. Niver — I have found some who don't have any No. 

 2 honey at all, in my travels the last two months. Bee- 

 keepers should simply take and sort when thej' take up a 

 super, and take off as No. 2 all that won't grade No. 1, and 

 put it in the super and set it in front of the hives at night, 

 and let the bees carry it in to fill up their No.-2's so they 

 have only No. 1 to sell. That is quite a nice way, I think. 

 That is, it gives good results. 



(Continued next week.) 



Contributed Articles. 



A National Honey Exchange Outlined. 



BY PROF. A. J. COOK. 



IN a late number of the American Bee Journal I gave 

 what seems to me a fair description of the signs of the 

 times in regard to combination, whether of capital or work 

 and the great importance of co-operation in all lines of 

 work. I there stated that I would in a succeeding article 

 outline what seemed to me a feasible course for the bee- 

 keepers to pursue. This is not visionary or a mere theory. 

 It is indeed what has already proved a success with the cit- 

 rus growers of Southern California. I need not, however, 

 say Southern California now, because our Citrus Fruit Ex- 

 change has already entered and captured central California, 

 and is even gaining a foothold in the northern part of the 

 State. What I give, then, is no theory, it is a sort of evolu- 

 tion. Although the Citrus Fruit Exchange started nine 

 year ago it is to-day an acknowledged success, and all agree 

 that it has been the salvation of a most important industry 

 of our State. 



California is peculiarly handicapped in the circum- 

 stances attending her fruit industry. We are over 2000 

 miles from market, and the freight charges on fruit to the 

 Eastern cities are about one dollar a box. We had to com- 

 pete with Italy and other sub-tropical and foreign nations 

 where citrus fruits were produced. There transportation 

 was by water, and, so, very cheap. Our superior intelli- 

 gence, energy and enterprise made it possible for us to 

 eclipse them to a marked degree in the quality of the fruit, 

 but with railroads against us, and their determination to 

 " charge all the traffic would bear," it was impossible for us 

 to win success except through co-operation. As a result we 

 have to-day the Southern California Fruit Exchange. By 



