756 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



J{ov. 26. 



miles from home, we rent the ground they occupy in the pas- 

 ture, and do all the work ourselves. We clip all queens in 

 spring while equalizing. On each hive we keep a record of 

 the queen and work done, which I think is necessary. 



As soon as the harvest season begins, our colonies are 

 very strong, often queen-cells started. We then divide them 

 as we think best, taking from each colony from one to three 

 or four brood-combs with adhering bees, and form new colo- 

 nies on new stands, as strong as any in the yard. We leave 

 them a queen-cell from selected stock, and put on all hives 

 the upper stories of full combs. 



With plenty of room for brood and honey, the bees are 

 always busy, with no time for swarming or loafers on the out- 

 side of the hive. 



It has been my pleasure to visit many bee-keepers, and 

 often I have been surprised to see them working hard, and to 

 their loss, by using old, out-of-date tools. It is not economy 

 to work with such implements if one's time is worth anything. 



I have no ax to grind, nor supplies to sell, nor interested 

 in any dealer, but, as I said, we can't afford to use such old 

 tools, if our time is of any value. I have tried many kinds, 

 and my choice for extracted honey is a Crane smoker, Bing- 

 ham uncapping knife, Dadarl's uncapping can, Van Allen & 



N. E. France. 



Williams reversible extractor ; a good straw hat with cotton- 

 tulle veil with wide silk-tulle face ; Weed process full sheets 

 of foundation ; and a good-seasoned white-oak barrel, iron- 

 hooped, that never leaks, and will stand shipping any distance. 



N. E. Fbance. 



Vice-Pres. Whitcomb — The discussion on this paper is 

 now open to the members. 



Mr. Kretchmer — I desire to bring up one thing which Mr. 

 Prance mentions, and that is the use of white-oak barrels for 

 the storage of honey. I think galvanized-steel tanks are 

 better. 



Mr. Aikin — I used white-oak barrels for two years, then 

 put more hoops on them, driving them tight, and used them to 

 ship heart's-ease honey from Iowa to Colorado. When we ar- 

 rived, I put them out in the weather. Before long you could 

 push the hoops off with your hands. And these were extra 

 good barrels. 



Mr. Stiison — These gentlemen have not given us the rela- 

 tive amounts of extracted and comb honey produced by them. 

 Here in Nebraska I produce four pounds of extracted honey 

 where I can produce one of comb. My reason for this is that 

 the honeycomb is already made. It is better to dip the 

 combs, frames and all, into warm water, then put them in the 

 hot sunshine and let them dry. I hold my bees back in the 

 spring as long as I can. Then I feed them their syrup as fast 

 as possible. I use the Hill feeder. I begin to build up my 



hives with frames about the middle of April. We keep them 

 warm by packing. 



Mr. Kretchmer— I keep my bees in the cellar till they can 

 come out and feed on the pollen — till the elm is in bloom. We 

 produce both comb and extracted honey. The amount of ex- 

 tracted honey will double the comb honey, or even more than 

 that. 



Mr. Frazier — I produce chiefiy extracted honey, and get 

 about three times the yield of it that I get of comb honey. 



Mr. Gale — I would like to know how many use queen- 

 excluders. [8, yes ; i, no.] 



Dr. Mason — In my locality the honey-yield is so uncertain 

 that sometimes the bees scarcely get enough to keep them- 

 selves unless I use a queen-excluder ; but when I use it I sel- 

 dom fail to get a surplus. 



Mr. DeLong — I produced four times as much extracted a& 

 comb honey. I never used a queen-excluder, and I never 

 knew the queen to go higher than the second story. I use 

 the Boardman feeder constantly till the first of August. I 

 want as much as two colonies to a hive — with not less than 

 50,000 to 80,000 bees to a colony. 



Vice-Pres. Whitcomb — Let us now have the report of the 

 Committee on Thanks. 



The report was read by Mr. Secor, and unanimously 

 adopted as follows : 



ResolneO, That this Association hereby extends its sincere 

 and hearty thanks to the Local Committee of the Nebraska 

 Bee-Keepers' Association, who have so successfully provided 

 for the comfort of the members of the North American Bee- 

 Keepers' Association from outside the State; to the authorites 

 of the Nebraska University for the rooms so cheerfully placed 

 at our disposal, and for other courtesies extended. Especially 

 would we name the Honored Chancellor McLean, Prof. Bessey 

 and Prof. Bruner of the University, and Messrs. Whitco-nb, 

 Stiison and Heath, for attentions constantly bestowed. Our 

 stay in Lincoln has been a delightful recreation, and we shall 

 carry to our homes only pleasant memories of our visit to this 

 great State. Eugene Secor, Com. 



Wintering^ and Oilier Subjects. 



Dr. Mason — I winter my bees In the cellar, with the hives 

 piled on top of each other, without bottom-boards, and with 

 the quilts on as left by the bees in the fall, and in the spring 

 the hives are overflowing with bees. 



Miss Raser — Do you leave the quilts on during the sum- 

 mer months ? 



Dr. Mason — Yes. 



Mr. Patterson — I would like to know about what time you 

 get your honey ? 



Dr. Mason^The flow begins in April, and lasts until frost. 



Mr. Aikin — If the crop be taken in hot weather, I don't 

 believe twice as much extracted as comb honey can be pro- 

 duced. 



Mr. Patterson — In cool nights the bees would be driven 

 entirely from the supers. 



Mr. Gale — If we give the bees plenty to eat and room to 

 work in we will have bees enough. 



Dr. Mason— Localities differ as to the time of honey-flow. 

 Our white clover commences in April and May ; you can't get 

 too many bees. 



Mr. Patterson — Why not have more queens to build up 

 the colony, even four or five to a colony? I experimented 

 with that once. I took several queens and destinged them. 

 Then I cut off a little from one jaw. But when the time came 

 to lay, they all disappeared but one. I don't know what was 

 the matter. 



Mrs. Whitcomb — I think the trouble was that he didn't 

 " dehorn " them. [Laughter.] 



Mr. Patterson — I think if I had time I could make a suc- 

 cess of it. 



Dr. Mason — It was expected that all the papers on the 

 program would be here. The one by Mr. Holtermann could 

 not be prepared on account of his work. Mr. Hutchinson has 

 had so much sickness and misfortune in his family that he 

 could not prepare his paper. Mr. Hilton is chairman of some 

 political committee,- and is probably too busy saving the coun- 

 try to write a paper on bees. 



The Adulteration of Honey. 



Vice-Pres. Whitcomb — I do not think there Is any bee- 

 keeper in Nebraska selling adulterated honey. I know there 

 is a firm in Omaha selling glucosed honey, but they are not 

 bee-keepers. 



Mr. Kretchmer — Bee-keepers could not buy glucose, etc., 

 and adulterate honey, because they would buy it in small 

 quantities, and it would cost them more than the real honey. 



