THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



75 



bees would be very likely to cut them 

 out, and then it would be worse than 

 if none had been used. 



Ties. Tvvilchel said that he and a 

 friend liad, that morning, made a 

 tour tlirougli the honey markets of 

 Erie, and they found but very little of 

 the honey where full sheets of founda- 

 tion was not used, that was even fairly, 

 and none perfectly, filled ; and such 

 was being offered at 1 or 2 cents less 

 than that which was well filled, and 

 was dull at that. 



S. B. Wlieeler, Union City, Pa., has 

 the best success by using full sheets 

 of foundation. He said that the man 

 who gets the best price for his lioney 

 is the one who has the most perfect 

 sections ; and that result is best ob- 

 tained by the use of full sheets of 

 thin foundation made from very light 

 wax. lie would have it made witti a 

 thin and even septum, and high side- 

 walls. He said ttiat he had handled 

 large quantities of honey, and always 

 had received I or 2 cents more for per- 

 fectly filled sections than for those 

 which were not so well filled. 



Statistics obtained from 30 bee- 

 keepers showed that 1,400 colonies 

 had been placed in winter quarters in 

 the fall of 1888, of which 237 died in 

 the winter or spring, thus leaving 

 1,163 with which to begin the season 

 of 1884. These were increased to 

 1,5.54, and they gathered 23,985 pounds 

 of comb honey, and 10,870 pounds of 

 extracted. 



There was a good exhibit of apia- 

 rian supplies, most of which were of 

 good quality. The usual variety of 

 hives, smokers, sections, comb foun- 

 dation, reversible frames, etc., was 

 exhibited. 



The following officers were elected : 

 President, M. E. Mason, Andover,0. ; 

 Vice-President, I). Videto. North 

 East, Pa. ; Secretary, C. H. Coon, 

 New Lyme, O. ; Treasurer, J. H, 

 Woodworth, West Williamsfield, O. ; 

 Executive Committee, Geo. Spitler, 

 Mosiertown, Pa., D. H. Le Fever, 

 Hayfield, Pa., J. McGonnell, Water- 

 ford, Pa. The next convention will 

 be held in Meadville, Pa., in Jan- 

 uary, 1886, due notice of which will 

 be given in the Bee Journal. 



C. H. Coon, Sec. 



P. F. TwiTCHEL, Pres. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Cyprian and Italian Bees. 



L. B. SMITH. 



In the spring of 1884, 1 had 6 colo- 

 nies of bees, in box-hives, and bought 

 one colony of Italians in a frame gum, 

 in April, thus making me 7 colonies 

 in all to start with. I took only 

 enough honey for my family use, but 

 I got as much increase and as many 

 stings as any one in this section. The 

 Italians increased to 6 colonies, all of 

 which were very large ones. 



I have been testing three different 

 races of bees, this season, the Ital- 

 ians, Cyprians and blacks. I find that 

 the Italians are far superior to the 

 black bees, both for honey gathering 

 and increase. They will store sur- 

 plus honey while the blacks are idle. 



I also find that the Cyprian bees are 

 as far ahead of the Italians as the 

 latter are ahead of the blacks. I 

 think that I hear Mr. Doolittle say, 

 " In what way y" In these ways : 1. 

 They are more beautiful. 2. They are 

 proof against robbers, which the Ital- 

 ians are not. I find this by far the 

 worst trait that the Italians possess. 

 Ttiey will not defend their hives 

 against robbers. 



o. They are more active and swifter 

 on the wing than other races, con- 

 sequently they will fly farther in the 

 same length of time in search of 

 stores than other bees will. They 

 will work in dry, sultry weather while 

 the others are idle. They are more 

 hardy, and they will stand the sudden 

 changes of our Texan climate better 

 than other races. Such has been my 

 experience with them so far. They 

 build the straightest combs and ca,p 

 the honey the nicest of any bees that 

 I have ever kept. They are very Uttle 

 if any crosser than Italians, when 

 they are properly handled, and not 

 nearly so cross "as the hybrids, es- 

 pecially a cross between the Italian 

 and the black bees. I will admit that 

 it requires some knowledge of the 

 Cyprian bees before they can be man- 

 aged properly. They should not be 

 jarred, smoked or roughly handled in 

 any way. If they are smoked at all, 

 it should be very little. 



I have 4 colonies of Cyprians, 4 of 

 Italians, and the rest are blacks and 

 hybrids, making 16 colonies in all, 

 which have wintered well up to this 

 date. 



Cross Timbers, 5 Tex., Jan. 17, 1885. 



Convention Notices. 



IS" The Eastern New York Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association will hold its annual con- 

 vention at Albany, N. Y., in Horticultural 

 Hall, on Wedne.sday and Tliursday, Feb. 

 IS and 111, 188.5. Tlu'ee sessions will be 

 lield each day. The first session begin- 

 ning at 10 a. in., on Feb. 18. 



Solomon Vkooman, Pres. 



im" The second annual meeting of the 

 Seneca Connty Bee-Keepers' Association 

 will be held in the Engine House at Ovid, 

 N. Y., on Feb. 11, 188.5, at 9 a. m. All in- 

 terested are cordially invited to attend, 

 and make tlie meeting as profitable as 

 possible. All implements of the apiary 

 sent to the Secretary will be exh.ibited at 

 the meeting, and will be disposed of or 

 returned as the owner directs. 



ijiA Wllson, See. 



as" The Ohio bpe-keepers will hold 

 their annual convention in the Agricul- 

 tural Room of tlie State House at Colum- 

 bus, Ohio, on Feb. 17, 1.88.5. All subjects 

 pertaining' tobet'-fulture will be discussed, 

 more especially those ot spring and sum- 

 mer maiiauenieiit of bees. Eminent 

 speakers will be in attendance. All are 

 cordially invited. 



C. M. KiNGSBUBY, Sec. 



xm" The New Jersey and Eastern Bee- 

 Keepers' Association will hold their next 

 annual convention at Cooper Union, in 

 New York City, briiiiiriiiig on Wednesday, 

 March 11, 1885, mikI u, coiitirnie. two days or 

 more. The coiiiinittei' iiromises a good 

 programme, and extends a cordial invita- 

 tion to all. 



W. B. Treadwell, Ass't. Sec. 



The International Congress. 



The Convention will assemble at 10 

 a. m. in the Lecture Hall on the Ex- 

 position Grounds. Among the sub- 

 jects which will be considered during 

 the sessions of tlie Convention will be 

 reports of the honey resources and 

 production of America and Europe ; 

 preparation of lioney for market; 

 transportation; lower rates of freight; 

 marketing ; the advantages of the use 

 of comb foundation ; sections, the 

 best size and the best way to use 

 them ; the best race of bees for Amer- 

 ica ; prevention of swarming ; fertili- 

 zation of queens; bee-pasturage; 

 bee-keeping as a pursuit ; besides the 

 discussion of other questions of in- 

 terest that will be propounded. Essays 

 to elicit discussion are expected from 

 some of the most prominent bee-keep- 

 ers of Europe and America. 



Bees and bee-keepers' supplies for 

 exhibition must be sent with all 

 freight prepaid, and directed to Maj. 

 E. A. Burke, Director General of the 

 Exposition, for Department of Agri- 

 culture, New Orleans, La. The Board 

 of Management of the Exposition has 

 established a Department of Informa- 

 tion and Accommodation, at Nos. 164 

 Gravier and 15 Union streets, for the 

 purpose of furnishing visitors with 

 information as to suitable board and 

 lodging houses, or furnished rooms 

 with directions how to reach them. 

 For such service no charge is made. 



Bee-keepers, on arrival in the city, 

 are advised to go at once to the odice 

 of this department and make the best 

 arrangements that they can for quar- 

 ters, and if they will leave their cards 

 and address at "the same place, their 

 friends will know where to look for 

 them. The most of the visitors to 

 the Exposition find it best and cheap- 

 est to rent rooms and take their meals 

 at restaurants. Furnished rooms 

 will cost from 75 cents to SI for each 

 person, per day, and board and lodg- 

 ing about double these rates. We are 

 assured that the hotels have not ad- 

 vanced their rates, which are $2 to $3, 

 according to location of rooms, etc. 



Dr. J. P. H. Brown, Aug-nsta, Ga. 

 Dr. N. P. Allen, Smith's Grove, Ky. 

 W. Williamson, Lc.xinjjton, Ky. 

 Dr. O. M. BlantoM. firccinillp. Miss. 

 P. L. Viallon, Ituydu Coiila. I,a. 

 Judge W. H. Aniire\vs. .McKiuney, Tex. 

 W. S. Hart, \cw Siiivrna, Florida. 

 S. C. Boylst..ii,('liarlcstcin, S. C. 

 H. C. Austin, Austin's S])ring:s, Tenn. 

 R. C. Taylor, Wilinin-ton, N. C. 

 J. W. Porter, ("liurluttcsville, Va. 

 S. Valentine, Ha^rerstown, Md. 



The Northeastern Michigan Bee- 

 Keepers' Association will hold its third 

 annual convention on Feb. 4, 1885, in the 

 Opera House, atVassar, Mich. No local 

 society has lietter meetings than the N. E. 

 Michigan. Reduced Hotel rates may be 

 secured. President Taylor has visited 

 New Orleans, and will probably be able to 

 give an interesting account of the apiarian 

 department of the Exposition. Those go- 

 ing on the cars will please write for rail- 

 road certificates and secure reduced rates. 

 W. Z. HuTCHLNSON, Sec. 



Rogersville, Mich. 



^" For two subscribers for the 

 Weekly Bee Journal (or 8 for the 

 Monthly) for one year, we will present 

 a Pocket Dictionary, and send it by 

 mail postpaid. 



