THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



789 



Nortli American Bee-Keepers' Society, 



The Sixteenth Annual Convention 

 of the Korth American Bee-Keepeis' 

 Society met at Detroit, Mich., on 

 Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 10 a.m., President 

 L. C. Root in the chair. Quite a large 

 number of bee-keepers were present 

 from 10 Slates and Canada ; all were 

 very enthusiastic, and as " sweet as 

 honey." 



After an impressive invocation by 

 the Rev. L. L. Langstroth, the Sec- 

 retary called the roll of members for 

 last year. Those present paid their 

 dues and received their badges, 

 among them being six ex-presidents 

 of the Society. 



The Treasurer reported $48.90 in 

 the treasury. It was voted to omit 

 the reading of the minutes of the last 

 meeting, as they had been published 

 in all the bee-papers, and it was not 

 necessary to lose time in reading 

 them. 



Mr. A. F. Manum, Vice-President 

 for Vermont, reported the honey crop 

 of that State, for the present season, 

 to be 160 tons. 



Mr. Wm. G. Gibbons, Vice-Presi- 

 dent for Delaware, in his report, says: 



The year 188.5 has been an exceed- 

 ingly unpropitious one for bee-keep- 

 ers in this part of the country. The 

 warm weather which usually sets in 

 by April 10, was procrastinated until 

 near the beginning of May, and dur- 

 ing both April and May cold rain- 

 storms were frequent. The result 

 was that the bees got to work 15 days 

 later than usual. The white clover, 

 which is in this section the best and 

 almost only bee-pasturage, did not 

 seem to be well supplied with nectar, 

 and the season of its bloom was ex- 

 ceptionally short ; consequently the 

 colonies gathered a very small supply 

 of surplus honey, and few swarms 

 issued. Generally the colonies are in 

 good condition for entering upon the 

 coming winter, and seem to be 

 healthy. 



Mr. Arthur Todd, Vice-President 

 for Painsylvania, made the following 

 report for the year 1885 : 



The winter of 1884-85 proved dis- 

 astroQs to many bee-keepers in the 

 State of Pennsylvania, and as regards 

 a honey harvest— practically there 

 was none. Tlie fall crop of lionev has 

 likewise been a complete failure", and 

 bees go into winter quarters in bad 

 condition, unless fed on sugar syrup. 

 I have taken pains during my busi- 

 ness journeys, and in my correspond- 

 ence, to learn the actual results of 

 bee-keeping this year in this State for 

 many a mile distant from Philadel- 

 phia, and I think that the word 

 "disastrous" will best express the 

 general feeling as to the results. 



I regret that I am unable to meet 

 the brethren in convention assembled; 

 it is a great disappointment to me. 



Mr. II. F. Hunt, Vice-President for 

 Quebec, Canada, reported as follows : 



The knowledge of bee-culture, by 

 the improved methods of manipula- 

 tion, is still in its extreme infancy in 

 Quebec, and has only within the past 

 few years begun to be disseminated 

 among the peoi)le, tlie soutliern and 

 southwestern parts having more bee- 

 keepers tlian the other parts. There 

 are numerous box-hive bee-keepers 

 throughout the country, who still take 

 their honey by the old-fashioned 

 method of " brimstoning"— a method 

 which I hope is now on its "last 

 legs." My report, therefore, w^ill not 

 bear comparison with that of our 

 sister Province— Ontario— but I hojie 

 that in the not far distant future, we 

 shall be able to make as good a show- 

 ing. The success attending the labors 

 of bee-keepers in Ontario, will act as 

 a stimulus to those in Quebec. 



In common with the rest of the 

 North American Continent, the 

 losses last winter were heavy, but 

 bee-keepers, as a rule, have not been 

 much discouraged, and are hoping 

 for better success this winter. Our 

 losses were not so heavy as those 

 farther south, which I attribute to 

 our being compelled to protect the 

 bees well, on account of the severe 

 cold which once or twice every winter 

 touches 30° below zero, the average 

 being 5° to 10° above. 



I have not received as many re- 

 sponses as I could wish, to my request 

 for reports, but I generalize from 

 what I did receive. The past season 

 has been a very poor one indeed, 

 owing to the extraordinary cold sea- 

 son, which seriously curtailed brood- 

 rearing and the secretion of nectar, in 

 some parts of the Province, notably 

 in the vicinity of Lake Megantic, and 

 in the county of Beance. The spring 

 was so dry that certain crops had to 

 be replanted, and would, no doubt, 

 have acted unfavorably to the secre- 

 tion of nectar in the white clover. 

 Some honey was gathered from bass- 

 wood, which yields more freely to the 

 south than to the north of the St. 

 Lawrence. Fall flowers also have 

 not given much, and many colonies 

 have had to be fed for winter. 



Mr. S. T. Pettit, Vice-President 

 for Ontario, Canada, made the follow- 

 ing report : 



Bee-keeping in Ontario, for the last 

 year, has not been of the most flatter- 

 ing kind. During the last winter and 

 spring about 75 per cent, of our bees 

 perished. This great loss was brought 

 about by three principal factors, viz : 

 poor stores, long-continued cold in 

 both winter and spring, and inex- 

 perience. 



Generally speaking, those of long 

 experience in apiculture, who have 

 given much time, study, painstaking, 

 and exacting care— in a word, those 

 who make bee-keeping a specialty, 

 and who are adapted to the business, 

 sustained comparatively little loss ; 

 hence it is plain that this great loss 

 fell principally upon those who. as a 

 rule, neglected some other business 

 to enjoy an immense amount of pleas- 

 ure and grow suddenly rich by "keep- 

 ing bees." The large amount of dead, 

 fllthy honey thrown upon the market 



the past spring, has done no little 

 harm to the pursuit. Interested 

 parties are constantly prouiulgating 

 the idea that everybody slundd keep 

 bees, which results in no inconsider- 

 able loss to the country. 



Beside the indirect loss by diverting 

 the minds of many from their legiti- 

 mate calling, I believe a fair calcula- 

 tion would show tlie startling fact 

 that every pound of honey produced 

 in Ontario, for the last 6 years, has 

 cost the producers, on an average, not 

 less than 25 cents per pound. 



The teaching that everybody should 

 do everything for himself, is a retro- 

 grade movement, undermining the 

 best manufacturing, producing, carry- 

 ing and commercial interests, and 

 tends to semi-barbarism ; no mat- 

 ter how persistently or plausibly put, 

 " the trail of the serpent is over it 

 all ;"" every man to his trade " is a 

 noble motto, and brings " the greatest 

 possible good to the greatest possible 

 number." 



The season was a poor one ; the 

 amount of honey taken being about 

 50 per cent, below the average. The 

 weather was too cold and wet with 

 occasional hot spells. The principal 

 honey-producing flowers were abund- 

 ant, but the elements failed to get 

 into the proper humor to inspire them 

 with their natural love for the secre- 

 tion of the delicate, sparkling Sweets, 

 and the friendly visits of the honey- 

 bee. In spite of all this, some of the 

 short crop of 1HS4 is yet on the mar- 

 kets ; but we will have a clean market 

 for 1886. 



There are several practices that 

 militate against the true progress of 

 apiculture in Ontario, besides those 

 already referred to : 



1 . Extracting green or unripe honey. 

 It is impossible by human art or skill 

 to impart that exquisitely fine, finished 

 flavor that the bees give it when left 

 with them until it is capped. 



2. The practice of feeding sugar 

 either for stimulating or wintering 

 purposes. It is very difficult to dis- 

 abuse the public mind. They know 

 that we feed sugar, and they seem 

 determined to cherish the belief that 

 in some way or other it gets into the 

 honey. If we all fed honey instead of 

 sugar, a less quantity would be 

 thrown upon the markets, and a cor- 

 respondingly higher price would be 

 obtained, besides inspiring confidence 

 in the purity of our honey. 



3. Small bee-keepers demoralize our 

 markets sadly, and giye a good deal 

 of trouble by allowing their bees to be 

 robbed. 



4. And last but not least, I fear the 

 most of us will have to plead guilty 

 to the charge of painting the bright 

 side of bee-keeping tno bright, while 

 we keep the dark side obscurely ia 

 the dark ; in fact it is much easier to 

 show up the bright side than the 

 dark side— it seems to loom up so 

 easily. 



In conclusion, I desire to say, that 

 the practice of exhibiting granulated 

 honey in glass, at our Expositions, is 

 doing good service by way of an edu- 

 cator ; both dealers and consumers 

 begin now to regard granulation as a 

 proof of purity. 



