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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



The East Tennessee Contention. 



BY H. F. COLEMAN. 



The attendance at the East Tennessee 

 Bee-Keepers' Convention at Whitesbur^, 

 on Aug 16th, owing to the meeting of a 

 Baptist association near by, was not 

 what was expected, but was fair. The 

 bee-keepers present had a jolly good 

 time, and spent the day pleasantly. 

 Brother Webb, of Sutton, whose pres- 

 ence was expected, from some cause was 

 not there, and we failed to form his per- 

 sonal acquaintance, but he will probably 

 attend our next meeting. 



Your correspondent had the pleasure 

 of testing several samples of persimmon 

 honey, and found it to exceed his expec- 

 tations. In color it is a golden yellow, 

 and its flavor and density are all that 

 can be wished. Brother Root, no doubt, 

 would enjoy* a sample of it. 



By special invitation we visited the 

 home and apiary of W. A. Lee, of Three 

 Springs. Mr. Lee is a model farmer of 

 East Tennessee, and is one of the farm- 

 ers that make bee-keeping pay. His 

 apiary consists of only 26 colonies, but 

 they are managed so nicely that they 

 yield a profit every year. The idea that 

 bee-keeping cannot be made profitable 

 by farmers is a mistake, as is verified in 

 this instance. 



The Feathers family at Whitesburg 

 entertained the bee-keepers, and we 

 found them all truly interested in bee- 

 culture. 



We will speak more of the proceedings 

 of the Association later. 



H. F. Coleman, Sec. 



Sneedville, Tenn. 



Central California Convention. 



r.V .J. F. FLORY. 



A special meeting of the above Asso- 

 ciation met in the City Hall at Hanford, 

 on Aug. 1st, to discuss the question, 

 " How to dispose of our honey to the 

 best advantage." 



President Hart called the meeting to 

 order, and the Secretary then read the 

 minutes, which were accepted. Most of 

 the day was taken up with the question 

 of marketing, and the amount of tare 

 that should be deducted for the cases. 

 There wasn't the least inclination mani- 

 fested by any to consign any more honey 

 for the present. The sarcastic thrust 

 at some of our commissioners was any- 

 thing but pleasant, while those who 

 have dealt fair are also brought to pub- 

 lic notice. 



THE QUESTION OF TARE. 



In extracted honey none wished to sell 

 wood for honey, but serious objections 

 were made to knocking off tare for 

 cases, cans, and then several pounds of 

 honey besides, as we have done in three 

 carloads of honey sold in the last ten 

 days. Cases generally weigh 10 pounds, 

 while an occasional one weighs 12 

 pounds. And to cover the weights of 

 all, to avoid the weighing, of each case 

 separate, as was resolved by the State 

 Association at Los Angeles last January, 

 that we add 10 or 20 per cent, to the 

 average case, so as to cover the full 

 weight of all cases. And to let the buyer 

 know that we wanted to do nothing but 

 what is fair. Upon motion it was 

 unanimously decided that we deduct 12 

 pounds per case for tare, and no more. 



As the cases for comb honey vary in 

 weight, it was decided by motion that 

 they be weighed, and 10 per cent, of 

 their weight be added to them for tare. 

 On the price of honey, viz.: 4}-^ cents 

 for bright amber, at which price the 

 three carloads above mentioned were 

 sold, and it was unanimously decided, 

 on motion by a standing vote, that inas- 

 much as the crop of California is the 

 shortest known for many years, and 

 from the latest accounts in the East, 

 that their crop was also short, that we 

 are not getting market value for our 

 honey, and that we will not sell for less 

 than 5 cents until our next meeting, on 

 the first Wednesday in September ; and 

 that the Secretary inform the different 

 honey-dealers of this fact, as well as that 

 we have a fine lot of honey for sale. 



During noon the Secretary placed on 

 the table samples of N. 1). West's queen- 

 cell protector, (lueen-cages, and his im- 

 provement on it for the safe introduction 

 of queens; and samples of beeswax 

 made by his improved solar wax-extrac- 

 tor. Tiirough a mistake the extractor 

 was not brought. Also sample hive with 

 honey in clamped sections with wide 

 frames, just as taken from the hive, to 



