Dec. 13, 1900. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



789 



I Convention Proceedings. 



Report of the Proceeding's of the 31st Annual 



Convention of the National Bee-Keepers' 



Association, held at Chicag'O, 111., 



Aug'. 28, 29 and 30, 1900. 



BY DR. A. B. MASON, SEC. 



(Continued from page 775.) 

 DISCUSSION ON PURE FOOD LEGISLATION. 



Mr. Moore— I would like to have Mr. Abbott go on and 

 state specifically what we as individuals and organizations 

 should do to have the Brosius Pure Food Bill past. 



Pres. Root— I thought he did state that pretty clearly, 

 didn't he? 



Mr. Moore— Shall we each write a personal letter ? or 

 shall we as organizations pass resolutions and have those 

 forwarded ? 



Mr. Abbott — Do both ; you can't send too much. Let it 

 hail, rain, and snow influence in Washington, and let them 

 know that you mean business. 



Mr. Hershiser— I would like to inquire what the length 

 of this bill is ; how much matter there is in it. 



Mr. Abbott— Four pages in the original coarse type that 

 bills are usually printed by the Senate ; it is very coarse 

 print. 



Mr. Hershiser— It seems to me it would be quite inter- 

 esting to bee-keepers to read this bill; it doesn't seem to 

 me it would be out of place to have it publisht in the bee- 

 papers ; I would like to read it. 



Mr. York— I would suggest it be publisht in conection 

 with the report of this meeting. 



Pres. Root— If there is no objection, and Mr. York is 

 perfectly willing to do it, I think we would be glad to have 

 him do so. 



Mr. Benton— I couldn't possibly sit still and let one 

 statement made by Mr. Abbott pass. He said the bee-keep- 

 ers were represented in the second pure-food congress by 

 one bee-keeper only ; the first congress by Mr. Secor and 

 himself. The National Bee-Keepers' Union appointed a 

 delegate to both congresses ; he was present and took part 

 and formed a part of several different committees, particu- 

 larly the committee on legislation — an important one— and 

 was able to influence the wording of the bill in some re- 

 spects ; that member was also a member of the committee 

 on resolutions, which past one or two important resolutions 

 affecting the work of the congress, and one of those resolu- 

 tions was proposed by the member as the chief resolution 

 at one of the meetings of the congress. Utah also ap- 

 pointed the same delegate to represent the Utah State Bee- 

 Keepers' Association at both congresses. It is due to the 

 bee-keepers to mention that. I think it was an oversight 

 on the part of Mr. Abbott. That delegate supported the 

 Brosius Bill, feeling that it was the bill which gave the 

 execution of this law into the hands of the Secretary of Agri- 

 culture ; gave him the power to appoint those who should 

 see to the execution of the law, which required everything 

 to be labeled as to its contents. The Babcock Bill was de- 

 signed, as far as I could ascertain myself, to put in office a 

 few people who should have control of a large bureau, and 

 give five or six political offices to people, and that seemed 

 to be the sole reason of the existence of the Babcock Bill, 

 and I think the delegates saw thru that and supported the 

 Brosius Bill, which was widely supported. 



Mr. Abbott— I think I misspoke myself a little. Mr. 

 Benton is correct. If I said the bee-keepers, I meant this 

 Association, and it had not occurred to me about the com- 

 bination of the two associations, but the gentleman referred 

 to was Mr. Benton himself, who was in all of these con- 

 gresses, but at the last congress I had the impression that 

 he represented the Government as a delegate. I hadn't any 

 intention of making this society include the bee-keepers of 

 the United States ; I simply meant to say that this society 

 sent only one delegate. Mr. Benton heartily supported the 

 Brosius Bill, and I think he was a member of some of the 

 important committees in every meeting that we have had. 

 I didn't know whether he was a delegate from some State 

 representing some bee-keepers' association, or whether he 

 was a delegate from the Government; it doesn't cut any 



figure, anyway ; he was there and gave his influence, and I 

 am glad he called my attention to it. I had no disposition 

 to misrepresent in any way. The reason I made the remark 

 was that this Association was called upon to pay some ex- 

 penses both times, and I knew that you hadn't paid any- 

 body's expenses but mine for the two times, but Mr. Ben- 

 ton was the representative of the other society. I forgot 

 we were then two societies ; this is really the two societies 

 now, as we united only last year. 



Dr. Mason— I think it is only justice to say that this 

 Association did not pay all of Mr. Abbott's expenses. I 

 think he paid his own railway fare. At any rate, itdidn't 

 cost much ; he gave his own time and lookt out for his own 

 railroad fare, if I am correct. 



Mr. Abbott— I happened to be able to " work" the rail- 

 roads with my paper. 



Dr. Mason— I didn't say how. I think it cost this Asso- 

 ciation only $20 the last time Mr. Abbott went. 

 Pres. Root— Anything further? 



Mr. York— A number of bee-keepers have been asking 

 whether or not Dr. Miller is going to be here. I received a 

 letter yesterday morning, saying he expected to be here this 

 morning, and now I have received this letter : 



Friend York :— I have strongly fought against giving 

 up the intention to be at the convention, but it is no use. I 

 regret it exceedingly, but I am not able to be up all the time, 

 and there is no use fighting against it longer. I know the 

 bee-keepers are all having a good time, and I am almost 

 baby enough to cry that I can't shake hands with all of 

 them when it is only two hours away. Give my best wishes 

 to all of them. ' C. C. Miller. 



Pres. Root — We have about ten minutes more ; and 

 there are some very important and valuable questions to be 

 discust. We might have one or two now. 

 Mr. Aikin will read the questions. 



LUBRICATING COMB-FOUNDATION MACHINES. 



Mr. Aikin— I will read a question and refer it for an- 

 swer, viz.: "Would Pres. Root explain how to clean and 

 lubricate a foundation machine. Which is the best make 

 of soap to use for lubricating ?" 



Pres. Root — The plan we use ordinarily is a jet of steam. 

 But as steam is something every bee-keeper doesn't have, 

 and can't have, hot water can be used. A jet of steam is 

 just turned onto the rolls, and the rolls being revolved 

 while the jet of steam is turned on, will cause the rolls to 

 become clean, and the wax will be blown off. If you haven't 

 hot water use gasoline. I don't know any particular brand 

 of soap, but you want a good washing-soap. 



A Member — Ivory soap ? 



Pres. Root — I would prefer a soap a little stronger, 

 something like Dobbins'. 



Mr. Wood— The cheapest yellow soap you can get is 

 best. . . . 



Pres. Root— You have to get a good deal of lye in it in 

 order to make it work. 



HIVING SWARMS IN A SHALLOW BROOD-CHAMBER. 



Mr. Aikin— Here is a question for Mr. Hutchinson : 

 " In hiving a swarm in one division of the Heddon hive, 

 causing the queen to fill every cell with brood, and forcing 

 the bees to carry all the honey up into the sections, how 

 does Mr. Hutchinson keep the bees from storing pollen in 

 the sections?" 



Mr. Hutchinson — I don't have that trouble; but I can 

 tell why it is. Where the sections are set over from the old 

 colony, those sections are partly filled, and all the cells will 

 contain some honey, so the bees don't put pollen into the 

 cells, as they have honey in them ; the cells below will have 

 some honey and some pollen ; bees don't store much pollen 

 at the time they are filling cells with brood. 



WINTERING BEKS IN A COLD TEMPERATURE. 



Mr. Aikin — "How is it best to winter bees where the tem- 

 perature goes 10 degrees below zero?" Formy part, I don't 

 know ; locality has something to do with that. In Colorado 

 it will go 30 or 40 degrees below zero, and we winter bees 

 right on the summer stands in single-wall hives. Where 

 the temperature goes so low, and continues for a long time, 

 and the bees have no opportunity to get warm, I suspect 

 you would better winter them in the cellar ; but in Colorado 

 the thermometer may indicate 20 degrees below zero, or 

 may be as many degrees above freezing ; you see the con- 

 ditions are altogether different. Here you may not see 

 snow for a week or two at a time, and the thermometer lies 

 in the zero neighborhood. 



