680 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Oct. 22, 



<^ 7- OLDEST BCrPAPtB 

 '-'-' " -'HAIlCRICA 





CEORGB W. YORK, . Editor. 



PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY 



GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 

 MS JUlchlg-ali St., - CHICAGO, ILI^. 



*1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. 

 [Entered at the Post-Offlce at Cbicago as Second-Class Mall-Matter.J 



Vol. niVI, CHICAGO, ILL,, OCT. 22, 1896, No, 43, 



EDITORIAL CDIVIMENTS. 



The CIiicag:o Honey market is still being over- 

 quoted by certain commission firms who evidently find it 

 difficult to get any honey at all. In a private letter dated 

 Oct 9, one of them quoted 15 to 16 cents for "white, choice 

 to fancy" comb honey, when we could then, and can yet, get 

 the best comb honey here for 13 cents per pound. Don't 

 allow yourself to be induced to ship to any firm that over- 

 quotes prices on honey. 



*-—»■ 



"What Haire You Learned the past season ? The 

 longer evenings will soon be here, and you will then have time 

 to write out the results of your experience and the experi- 

 ments of the season Just ending. As you have been benefited 

 by what others have written, why not return the favor by 

 describing the new and helpful kinks that you have discovered? 



Remember, the Bee Journal is kept up for the purpose of 

 interchanging ideas on all apiarian subjects. It is perfectly 

 independent, is run by no clique, is fearless for the right, and 

 against the wrong. In a word, it is here to do its utmost to 

 aid bee-keepers and place the industry of bee-culture on a 

 higher plane. It is your paper, and its columns are open 

 always to the best information to be had relating to bees and 

 their profitable management. 



*-'-*■ 



Lincoln Convention Comments.— We hardly 



know where to begin to comment upon the recent meeting of 

 the North American Bee-Keepers' Association held at Lincoln, 

 Nebr. Perhaps it will be just as well, however, to begin at 

 the start, and say that we left Chicago Monday night — just 

 one day sooner than we had expected to go. Editor Ernest R. 

 Root, of Gleanings, was our genial, and very cojigenial, travel- 

 ing companion from first to last. We were together five 

 nights and four days on the round trip. 



We reached Des Moines, Iowa, about 8 o'clock Tuesday 

 morning, where Hon. and Mrs. Eugene Secor, of Forest City, 

 joined us. Messrs. Jos. Nysewander and James Cormac, two 

 local bee-keepers, also met us for a few minutes on the train 

 at Des Moines, but did not go on with us. 



At Atlantic, Iowa, Mr. W. C. Frazier got aboard the train 

 and went on to the convention, also returned with us to that 

 point. Mr. F. is a hustling farmer bee-keeper, does the work 

 of about two ordinary men, and seems to keep healthy and 

 well. Perhaps the pound of honey he said he ate daily, helps 

 to sustain his muscle as well as avoirdupois. He is interested 

 in sheep, bees, poultry and strawberries — of course the finest 

 varieties of each. 



We reached Lincoln at 3:35 p.m., and not finding a dele- 

 gation of Nebraska bee-keepers with brass band and banners 



(!) waiting to receive us at the railroad station, the five of us 

 boarded a carriage and were taken to the " Lincoln " hotel. 

 Leaving Mr. and Mrs. Secor there, the rest of the company 

 went to the University buildings, where we found that kind- 

 hearted, cheerful-countenanced Nebraska bee-keeper — Mr. L. 

 D. Stilson. He was accompanied by Mr. H. E. Heath, the 

 busy editor of the Nebraska Farmer, which, by the way, is 

 published in Lincoln. 



Dr. Miller and A. I. Root arrived at about 5:30 p.m., 

 Tuesday, and Dr. Mason the following morning. These three, 

 with E R. Root and the writer, were assigned to the Lindell 

 Hotel, which is a grand place to stop ; the meals are excellent, 

 and all attendants kind and courteous. 



Mr. and Mrs. Secor were very fortunate in being sumptu- 

 ously entertained at Chancellor McLean's delightful home, 

 where they were made to feel as if regular members of the 

 family. 



Before going any further, we want to say that never be- 

 fore have we met a man who holds so high a position as does 

 Prof. McLean (being Chancellor of the great Nebra.-ka State 

 University), who was also such a genial, generous and kindly 

 hearted man. Why, he was simply " one of us " all the time, 

 and won the admiration of the whole convention by his inter- 

 est in us all and our meetings. It is indeed a pleasure to show 

 our readers the Chancellor's pleasant countenance (see first 

 page), and to inform you that he is now an honorary member 

 of the Association. We also had the privilege of meeting Mrs. 

 McLean, who we felt was in every way her honored hus- 

 band's equal. 



It would be impossible to touch upon every incident of 

 the convention in one installment of comments, so we will ex- 

 tend them through several numbers of the Bee Journal. 



But before closing for this time, we want to refer to Prof. 

 Lawrence Bruner and his interesting talk on bees. He has 

 charge of the entomological department of the University, and 

 we are sure it is in good hands. We were told that the Pro- 

 fessor is a born entomologist. When but a child he was in- 

 cessantly after all kinds of bugs, and wanted to know, you 

 know, all about them. We think he found out, or else he 

 would not be in his present responsible work. For 13 years 

 Prof. Bruner occupied a position in Washington, D. C. He is 

 a pleasant speaker, and held the attention of the convention 

 closely when delivering his lecture on "The Wild Bees of 

 Nebraska." He did not wholly confine himself to the bees of 

 that State, as will be seen when reading his address as it 

 appears in the regular report of the convention proceedings. 



Next week we will try to give some glimpses of the con- 

 vention and its members, as well as a few side lights that 

 helped to enliven the whole. 



■•—*- 



United States' Annual Honey Crop.— Editor 

 Root, of Gleanings, has several times made an effort to get at 

 the amount of comb and extracted honey produced annually 

 in the United States. Finally, he thinks he has succeeded in 

 getting somewhere near the correct estimate. In Gleanings 

 for Oct. 1, he has this editorial in regard to this subject : 



Some two years ago I made an effort to get the manufac- 

 turers of section honey-boxes in this country to make a report 

 of their output te Dr. C. C. Miller. My idea was that, if we 

 could get all of them to give to him the number of sections 

 they had made during the calendar year, we could make a 

 sort of estima'e on the amount of comb honey produced an- 

 nually. Still better, if mauufacturers would give their average 

 annual output for a period of ten years to some oue person, 

 that persou could figure very closely on the average annual 

 amount of comb honey produced during that period. 



Two years ago, when I tried to carry out this scheme, one 

 of the large manufacturers refused to give their output. The 

 consequence was, I had to give up my pet scheme for a time. 

 But this year I have learned approximately the number of 

 sections that were made in the United States during the past 

 year. Making a liberal allowance for the fact that sections 



