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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



May 17, 1900. 



Report of the Northeastern Ohio and Western 

 Pennsylvania Bee-Keepers' Convention. 



The Northeastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania Bee- 

 Keepers' Association held their 19th annual convention at 

 Andover, Ohio, Jan. 12 and 13, 1900. Owing to the fact 

 that a farmers' institute was being held in tlie neighbor- 

 hood, and, as nearly all the bee-keepers were farmers, they 

 were reallj' more interested in the farmers' meeting. The 

 attendance at the bee-keepers' convention was rather slim. 

 In fact, the convention was more informal than regular. 

 Nevertheless, the enthusiasm displayed would have done 

 credit to a mucli larger assemblage. All those in attend- 

 ance felt that their time had been well and profitably spent, 

 and all departed for their homes avowing renewed alle- 

 giance to the association, and promising their best efforts 

 for the success of future meetings. 



It was at Andover that the association had been or- 

 rganized 20 years before. In fact it was, I believe, one of 

 "the pioneer bee-keepers' associations of this country. It was 

 here that some of their most enthusiastic and largely at- 

 tended conventions had been held. These earlier ineetings 

 were attended by some of the best bee-keepers in the coun- 

 try. The early records of the association show that Thomas 

 ■G. Newman, then editor of the American Bee Journal, was 

 one of those who attended and took an active part in the 

 affairs of the association. Among those in attendance at 

 the last session was a number of those who had signed the 

 roll at the initiatory meeting 20 years before. 



The first day's session was gifen over to a kind of an 

 ■historical reminiscence of the association and its earlj' 

 •members. One of the most pathetic incidents of the con- 

 vention was when Mr. M. E. Mason, one of the founders of 

 the association, took the old record-book and called the roll 

 that had been signed at the first meeting in 1880. As the 

 names were called those present told what had become of 

 the former members, how this one had moved here, and 

 that one there, how this one had been dead for nearly 20 

 years, and how that one had gone into other business, and 

 so on until nearly all of the early members had been ac- 

 ■counted for. The home-coming to Andover was within 

 itself a pathetic incident. It had started out from there 18 

 years before in the full vigor of youth, strong in members, 

 and rich in enthusiasm ; and now, after flitting hither and 

 thither, it returned like the prodigal of old, weak and worn, 

 and in a not overly prosperous condition. 



The convention was called to order by Pres. Spitler- 

 After the usual preliminary business was disposed of, the 

 first thing on the regular program was an essay on "Spring 

 and Early Summer Management of Bees," by Mrs. C. J. 

 ■Cornwell. [This and other essays will appear later. — Ed.] 



Mr. O. O. Belden followed with an interesting talk on 

 the " Desirability of Preventing S%varms." He argued 

 that while it was not desirable at all times to prevent 

 swarming, it was a very desirable thing to know how to do 

 it ; that increase was easy at all times, but the curtailing 

 of swarms was one of the most difficult problems that the 

 bee-keeper with a large number of colonies had to contend 

 "with ; and very often the success or failure of the season 

 •depended upon curtailing, or at least controlling, the 

 swarms. He would manage by putting on sections just 

 when the bees were ready for them. He thought that put- 

 ting on sections too early would not discourage swarming, 

 but, if anything, rather encouraged it. 



Full sheets or starters was the nest discust. All pres- 

 ent favored full sheets in the brood-chamber, and the ma- 

 jority would use full sheets in the sections. 



The advantages of producing extracted honey were set 

 forth in an article by Mr. B. W. Peck. 



Mr. M. E. Mason gave a very interesting talk on the 

 " Best and Cheapest Method of Producing Comb Honey." 

 The success or failure of the season, as to comb honey, he 

 considered, depended largely upon the spring and early 

 summer management of the bees. In general, he endorst 

 the management of Mrs. Cornwell for this time of year. 

 He thought that too rapid breeding early in the spring was 

 not desirable, and that when the hives became overcrowded 



before the honey-flow, it superinduced the swarming in- 

 clination. He favored drawing brood from the strong 

 colonies and building up the weak, and he said the success- 

 ful comb-honey producer must know his flora, and when to 

 expect the honey-flow, and then try to time his bees so that 

 they will reach their maximum strength at the right time 

 to take care of it. His method and system of management 

 was practically the same as the Danzenbaker system. 



The next thing on the program was an essay on " Bees 

 as PoUenizers of the Blossoms," bj' Ed JoUey. 



Jefferson, Ohio, was chosen as the next meeting place, 

 and the following officers were elected for one year : 



President, B. W. Peck ; Vice-President, M. E. Mason ; 

 Secretary and Treasurer, Ed Jolley, of Franklin, Pa. 



The convention then adjourned to meet Jan. 9 and 10, 

 1901. Ed Jollky, Sec. 



The "Old Reliable" seen thru New and Unreliable Glasses. 

 By E. E. HASTV, Richards, Ohio. 



RED-RIBBON YOUR APIARIAN TOOLS. 



If you want to be "in town " paint your little tools red 

 (but not the town) ; then you can find 'em when they get 

 lost in the grass. Some folks, however, dread to meddle 

 with paint. These can tie strips of red cloth to the tools 

 and find it answers the same purpose prettj' well. My waj' 

 (my ideal, at least) is to keep the ground so cleanly hoed 

 that things can not hide very easily. Page 211, Geo. G. Scott. 



WAX FROM CAPPING .\ND VIRGIN COMB. 



In Dadant's excellent marketing article, page 211, we 

 read, " Wax from cappings is the very best that can be 

 had." Presumably he means the best which is on the mar- 

 ket in large quantities. Wax from select bits of virgin 

 comb would naturally be expected to be much better. But 

 when j'ou come to melt it up it won't look white like the 

 comb does — one wonders why — and your scheme of getting 

 rich by selling half-ounce cakes for ladies' work-baskets is 

 likely to come to grief, just because the " monopolist's " 

 bleacht wax will look so much better than j-ours. Five 

 cents a cake is iS1.60 per pound for your wax — but the money 

 is " sour" like the grapes. 



BIG BOTTOM-BOARDS — CHEAP CRUDE Oil,. 



Bottom-boards 25 feet square, all in one piece — why, 

 they won't do at all, Mr. Jameson. Too big for the bee we 

 now have, and too small for the one we read of a few weeks 

 ago. But California crude oil at fl.SO per barrel ought to be 

 cheap enough paint, if it can be made to dry. Page 212. 



smith's SECOND SWARMS. 



Those second swarms of S. B. Smith, 21 days after the 

 primes, were mathematically but not bee-ologically " sec- 

 onds." They were prime swarms of a new series, and 

 somewhat interesting on account of the very brief time 

 they got around in. Presumably the first prime came out 

 with a virgin queen, another queen emerging and taking 

 possession of the old hive the same da3'. If she got to lay- 

 ing in six days that would leave her 15 days in which to fill 

 the brood-combs with brood, and swarm. Page 213. 



AUTOMOBILES .\ND CANYON ROADS. 



The California folks have discovered that the automo- 

 bile is an " animile " that will not snort, kick, nor run 

 awa)', not even from an idle California apiary in which the 

 bees have a good dash of Cyprian blood. But I sadly fear 

 the automobile trust will see to it that we don't get that 

 $300 vehicle right away. And, let me see, are the boulders 

 of the canyon roads just the things to run automobiles 

 over? Page 214. 



NATURAL SWARMING. AND NON-SWARMING. 



On the natural-swarming matter I can both yelp with 

 the hound and hop with the rabbit — can be fascinated with 

 Mr. Doolittle, and be disgusted with Dr. Miller to the cows- 



