248 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



April 16, 



(^ {. OLDEST eCE PAPER fCj 

 |^-> r -IN AMERICA V<L, 



PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY 



GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 

 118 JUlcbls^aa St., - CHICAGO, ILL. 



HEGCLAR CONTRIBUTORS : 



G. M. Doolittle, of New York. Prof. A. J. Cook, of California. 



Dr. C. C. Miller, of Illinois. Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of Georgia. 



J. H. Martin, of California. Rev. B. T. Abbott, of Missouri. 



Barnett Taylor, of Minnesota. Mrs. L. C. Axtell, of Illinois. 



Cbas. Dadant & Son, of Illinois. 



$1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. 

 [Bntered at the PoBt-OCBce at Chicaxo as Second-Class Mail-Matter.] 



Vol. niVL CHICAGO, ILL,, APR. 16, 1896. No, 16. 



Alfalfa Comb Honev Candying-.— Some time 

 ago we mentioned it was claimed that alfalfa comb honey 

 would candy sooner than most other honeys. Mr. Geo. E. 

 Dudley, of Utah, who has had some experience in the matter, 

 wrote us as follows, on March 28 : 



Alfalfa honey in the comb has been kept here so far with- 

 out caudying, in several instances ; in others it candled the 

 last of January. I do not think it is going to candy soon 

 enough to make an argument against its selling qualities. A 

 Denver honey-dealer, who has come nearer supplying the 

 trade of that city than any other man, said that by keeping 

 his honey in a room where it was slightly warmer, was all that 

 was necessary to do to keep it till spring. 



Utah has had a lovely March — no snow or rain— and bees 

 have been out for a week, gathering pollen. 



Geo. E. Dudley. 



Next meeting: of the Nortb American.— 



In response to our request on page 216, Mr. L. D. Stllson, of 

 York, Nebr., has this to say : 



Mr. Editor :— I notice you ask as to what Messrs. Stilson, 

 Whitcomb and others think of the meeting of the North 

 American being held at same time and place as the G. A. R. 

 encampment this year. So far as Stilson is concerned, I will 

 say, I don't think it possible to hold a successful meeting of 

 bee-keepers in connection, or within sound, of a G. A. R. re- 

 union. Our feet would not keep still as the martial music re- 

 called scenes of army life, and the old soldiers would hunt up 

 brothers with whom we touched elbows in war, and it would 

 be a visit; the younger people would stay by to see that they 

 had a good time. The larger attraction of the encampment 

 and reunion would entirely overshadow and absorb the bee- 

 keepers. 



In regard to coming to Lincoln, I would say it was in 

 good faith that we invited the North American to meet at our 

 State capital, and as Mr. Abbott intimates, we are making 

 arrangements to fully carry out our part of the contract im- 

 plied in the invitation and acceptance to come to Lincoln. 



So far we have heard of but one reason for not coming to 

 Lincoln ; there, however, may be another, which, for fear of 

 hurting our sensitive natures, is not talked out loud. 



In regard to the reduced railroad fare, I will say that if 

 we are permitted to set the time of your visit, that arrange- 

 ments will be such that a one rate plus $2 or Si will be given, 

 whether there be 50 or 500 present. 



Regarding the second reason for not coming to Nebraska, 

 I may say : Eleven years ago, in connection with others, we 



worked up an excursion to attend the G. A. R. encampment 

 at Portland, Maine. Our Nebraska people left Lincoln with 

 30 cars running in two sections going to Chicago, where the 

 party divided, some going one route, some another, and meet- 

 ing at Niagara Falls, then again at Portland. As we left Chi- 

 cago, some wag of an operator wired to Portland that " 500 

 jayhawkers (Kansans) and 700 Nebraska cowboys had just 

 left that city, and that Portland had better look out for them." 

 Now, if the Eastern people are afraid to come as far west as 

 Nebraska, I will say we do not use bowie-knives for tooth- 

 picks any more ; and when they will stop to consider that the 

 majority of our people came from homes in the Middle and 

 Eastern States, they will then know that we are not all bar- 

 barians, and I think the members of the North American will 

 be as safe in visiting Lincoln as to have a body-guard of the 

 G. A. R. 



As a member of the North Ameriian, I say, keep faith 

 with the Nebraska people, and come to Lincoln. As a Ne- 

 braskan, I say to the officers and members of the North' 

 American, come to Lincoln for your meeting this year. 



Respectfully, L. D. Stilson. 



All will please understand that the only reason we favor 



going with the G. A. R. is on account of the assured low rates. 



If that objection can be overcome, let's go to Lincoln, by all 



means. Perhaps there has been enough said now in the Bee 



Journal, regarding the matter. If any others wish to speak 



on the subject they can do so by writing to the Secretary of 



the North American — a member of the Executive Committee — 



Dr. A. B. Mason, Station B, Toledo, Ohio. That committee 



has the deciding to do, as to where the next meeting of the 



North American will bo held. We having nothing further to 



offer, but will work for a good meeting wherever it is finally 



decided to go. 



•*-*-*■ 



"Wood-Base Foundation.— Mr. E. B. Weed, who 

 has had considerable experience with wood-base comb founda- 

 tion, gives the following opinion concerning it : 



Mr. Editor : — Noting your request in a late number of 

 the Bee Journal, for the experience of those who have experi- 

 mented with wood-base foundation, I will give mine. 



I have tested wood-base foundation very thoroughly, and 

 although it is readily accepted by the bees, I have found it 

 open to two very serious objections. One is, that when the 

 wood becomes moistened by the honey, it swells and warps. 

 The other objection is the treatment the bees give it, as soon 

 as the honey-flow ceases. At such times they are very likely 

 to attack it and gnaw the comb down to the wood. 



In case the combs were used only for extracting, and were 

 removed from the hive as soon as the honey-flow ceased, they 

 could very likely be used to advantage. E. B. Weed. 



A National Bee-Keepers' Organization. — 



Mr. Geo. W. Brodbeck, who wrote on this subject on page 

 195, also contributed an article to Gleanings In regard to it. 

 His concluding paragraphs read thus : 



As a closing suggestion we urge immediate consideration 

 and action ; and to further this project we would outline the 

 following : 



First, the selection of two delegates by each State associa- 

 tion, or assembly of bee-keepers where no State organization 

 exists. After due time for selection of delegates, the persons 

 selected organize, and proceed to formulate plans for a na- 

 tional bee-keepers' association. The work of this preliminary 

 organization can all be conducted by correspondence, and 

 then submitted to the various State associations for ratifica- 

 tion and the selection of delegates to the first assembly, the 

 place of meeting being central and permanent. 



We trust now that every bee-keeper who resides in the 

 United States will in some way give expression to his views on 

 the subject presented. We feel assured that, if we thus show 

 a willingness to present our cause, it will result in a double 

 assurance to our usually wide-awake bee-editors that they are 

 working for " the greatest good to the greatest number." 



In a foot-note to Mr. Brodbeck's article, Editor Root com- 

 ments as follows : 



If I understand Mr. Brodbeck correctly, he and the other 

 California bee-keepers would not object to the amalgamation 

 of the two societies [the North American and the Bee-Keepers' 

 Union] providing that the North American were distinctly 



