434 



GLEAKINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



At one of our yards Mr. Pritehard and 

 oiuself found that cell-builders seemed bent 

 on making us a lot of trouble. You know 

 that cell-builders have to be kept up to a 

 high state of prosperity. The colonies have 

 to be extraordinarily strong; and when 

 honey is coming in at a furious rate, and 

 bees building cells, is it any wonder thai 

 they swarm? 



At the present time it is very dry in our 

 locality, but not dry enough to prevent a 

 copious flow of honey; but unless we can 

 get a good soaking rain, our crop will be 

 cut square in two. 



We hope to have some photos a little 

 later that will show the operations here at 

 Medina of the automobile truck in action. 

 Say! that motor truck is proving to be all 

 that we wished for it. It practically puts 

 all of our eight yards together where our 

 men can take care of them, and yet at the 

 same time it allows us the advantage of 

 immense fields for honey production. In 

 .h's connection some of our yards have had 

 a soaking rain, while the others, near our 

 home yard, remained high and dry. That, 

 again, shows the wisdom of scattering our 

 yards. More anon. 



DEATH OF ANOTHER PIONEER BEEKEEPER; A 

 STRENUOUS ADVOCATE OF HAVING ALL 

 THE CELLS SEALED BEFORE EX- 

 TRACTING. 



Our old friend Dan AVhite, of New Lon- 

 don, Ohio, died June 2. He was known to 

 the beel^eeping world as perhaps one of the 

 most strenuous advocates of bee-ripened 

 extracted l:oney. He wrote a number of ar- 

 ticles denouncing the policy of extracting 

 before all the cells are sealed. Especially 

 did he condemn the plan of extracting be- 

 fore the honey is ripe and finishing the 

 ripening in open vats. 



He built up a fine local trade for his ex- 

 tracted honey. It was so good, he said, that 

 he had no trouble in disposing of all he 

 (ould produce, as his old customers would 

 continue to call for it year after year, 

 knowing it had quality. 



Our friend had a unique personality. He 

 had a strong rugged appearance and an 

 honest face. His plan of selling was to go 

 around to a town and give aAvay samples 

 of his extracted honey, saying he was not 

 selling any thing that day. Then he would 

 hand out a blank postal card with his name 

 and address on it, and say to them, " If you 

 want any of this good honey, put your name 

 and address on this card, and when I come 

 with my delivery wagon I will bring what 

 you want." The next day he would get a 

 string of postal cards that would call for 



a wagonload of honey. He never had to 

 drum up that trade any more, because the 

 quality of the goods was his traveling sales- 

 man. 



This method of selling, which has proved 

 to be so effective on the part of others, will • 

 be advocated by the ABC and X Y Z of 

 Bee Culture as long as we have control of 

 it; and Mr. White's short and convincing 

 letter in connection therewith will continue 

 also. 



THE CONVENTION AT AMHERST, MASS. 



There was held at Amherst, Mass., on 

 the 11th and 12th of June, immediately fol- 

 lowing the close of the apicultural school- 

 work under Dr. Gates, a convention which 

 in point of valuable, helpful discussion, was 

 the equal of any meeting. National or State, 

 we have ever attended. There were students 

 from other States as well as Massachusetts. 

 There were also beekeepers of prominence 

 as well as scientific men from the college who 

 took part on the program. Dr. Gates show- 

 ed that he is a master in getting up a pro- 

 gram, and if he has any thing to do with 

 preparing the official program for the next 

 convention of the National, the members of 

 that organization may rest assured that the 

 convention will be well worth attending. 



It will be almost impossible, in the limit- 

 ed space at our disposal, to give any thing 

 like an adequate and complete report of the 

 Amherst meeting; and all Ave will attempt 

 to do will be to refer briefly to some points 

 brought out by only a few of the speakers. 



We should, perhaps, state in advance 

 that the discussions that took place in one 

 of the college class-rooms were followed up 

 by actual demonstrations at the college api- 

 ary and in the college bee and extracting 

 house. The students were, therefore, able 

 not only to take in the theoretical but the 

 practical side of the industry at one and 

 the same meeting. And this reminds us 

 that more of our conventions should have 

 more practical work — in other words, there 

 should be facilities provided whereby the 

 various speakers can illustrate their ad- 

 dresses by the things themselves. There is 

 nothing like showing the actual operation : 

 and we are of the opinion that those who 

 attended the Amherst meeting came away 

 wit h a very clear conception of the methods 

 and things described. 



BEES ALMOST THE ONLY AGENCY FOR POLLIN- 

 ATING FRUIT-TREES. 



We arrived a little late for the first ses- 

 sion, but in time to hear the address of 

 Prof. F. A. Waugh, of the Massachusetts 

 Agricultural College, on the pollination of 



