808 



THE AMEKICAI^ BEE JOURNAL. 



length made by the United States 

 Department of Asiifiltme, in the 

 promotion of bee-culture, and wel- 

 comes its representative, Mr. Nelson 

 "W. McLain, to whose explanatory ad- 

 dress and the extracts from his forth- 

 coming report the Society has listened 

 ■with much interest, especially concur- 

 ring in the suggestion that statistics 

 of the honey crop be included in the 

 report of the Department. 



A. J. Cook— People have several 

 times told me that their grapes had 

 been destroyed by bees, and I have 

 offered to come and see the destruc- 

 tion, if they would let me know when 

 it was going on, but I cautioned them 

 to first be sure that they had a case. 

 I have never yet been called. Bees 

 do sometimes attack grapes, liowever, 

 but it is when the weather has tirst 

 caused them to crack, or something 

 else attacked and opened the skins. 

 I cannot believe that queens can be 

 fecundated while in the larval state. 



N. \V. McLain^When I gave to 

 Prof. Riley an account of my experi- 

 ments in fertilizing queens in the 

 larval stale, he saidthat it was noth- 

 ing strange ; it had been frequently 

 done with otlier insects. By exercis- 

 ing the laws of breeding, different 

 varieties of bees can be crossed, the 

 undesirable qualities eliminated, the 

 good qualities preserved and so inten- 

 sified tliat we really have anew strain 

 of bees that will transmit their char- 

 acteristics. 



James Ileddon — Have you the 

 temerity to tell me that I can cross 

 the Italian and (Jerman bees, and 

 secure a cross possessing the good 

 qualities of both varieties V 



N. W. ^McLain.— Most assuredly. 



Mr. Heddon then gave a history of 

 how his strain of bees were originated. 

 In regard to bees being trespassers, 

 he said that people do not look at the 

 matter in its true light. In some 

 localities cows are allowed to run at 

 large; what would be said of the latid 

 owner who would put poison into a 

 pumpkin, saying. "It is my poison, 

 my pumpkins, and my land, I can do 

 with them as I please, let people take 

 care of their cows if thev don't want 

 tliem poisoned V" There" is as much 

 sense in saying that bees must be 

 kept at home. All bee-keepers should 

 join the Union, and thus help to have 

 bee-keeping recognized as a legitimate 

 industry. 



N. W. McLain detailed in graphic 

 language the treatment to which 

 honey was subjected at the bands of 

 eommision men. The remedy is to 

 let people know that you have pure 

 honey for sale. If bee-keepers would 

 take one-fourth tlie pains that patent 

 medicine men do to advertise, there 

 would now be no complaint of a poor 

 honey market. 



The convention adjourned until 9 

 a.m. of the next day. 



THIRD DAY— THURSDAY. 



MOKNING SESSION. 



The meeting was called to order at 

 9 a.m., Pres. Cutting in the chair. 



It was moved and carried that the 

 Secretary be paid S.")0 to pay for his 

 expenses and services. 



The President called on Mr. T. G. 

 Newman for a report on " Apicultural 

 Necrology." 



[This Is omitted for want of room ; 

 it will appear next week.— Ed.] 



Prof. Cook remarked that he was 

 very much interested in the subject, 

 and remembered with pleasure many 

 meetings when those mentioned liy 

 Mr. Newman had been present. He 

 sjioke particularly of Mr. Moon, the 

 original projector of the National 

 Society, and Mr. Williamson, who so 

 nobly managed the entertainment of 

 the Society at Lexington, Ky. He 

 moved a vote of thanks to Mr. Nevi'- 

 man for placing their names and 

 history before the Society, and also 

 that it be spread upon the minutes. 

 Carried unanimously. 



Mr. James Ileddon then read the 

 following on 



REVERSING COMBS. 



My experience with reversing brood 

 and surplus combs is nearly all con- 

 fined to two seasons ; but as I have 

 had in use 4,000 to 0,000 reversible 

 brood-frames, as well as quite a num- 

 ber of reversible comb-honey-cases, 

 that experience has been somewhat 

 compretiensive. I try to be practical 

 in all my work, never jumping hastily 

 at conclusions, nor adopting methods 

 and fixtures which, although of some 

 little advantage, still are not "enough 

 to over-balance the extra cost of con- 

 struction and manipulation. Despite 

 such endeavors I realize that it is by 

 no means impossible for me to make 

 mistakes, yet I feel quite positive 

 that implements arranged for revers- 

 ing brood and surplus combs at will, 

 have come to me to stay. 



During the jiast yeai- 1 have been 

 using a hive which I devised for the 

 purpose, with which I can reverse, 

 or more propeily. invert a whole case 

 of brood or surplus combs at will. 

 While we all, here, consider this a 

 great improvement over reversing 

 combs singly, yet were I to continue 

 the use of such hives as necessitated 

 reversing each brood-comb separately, 

 I feel positive that I never should again 

 use a frame that would not admit of 

 reversing. 



Some of our bee-keepers have 

 paused to ask if there was not some 

 serious objection to inverting combs. 

 They had noticed that the cells were 

 slightly inclined ; that the workers 

 nearly always built them in this way ; 

 and they believed that behind this 

 almost universal method of comb- 

 construction, was a design for a pur- 

 pose. Even if this be true (which I 

 doubt), is it not quite evident that 

 the designers are not aiming at our 

 desired end ; that they do not purpose 

 " lots of surplus honey to sell." 



Let us not forget that our bees 

 always and invariably construct their 

 combs so that the cells are in rows 

 horizontally— not vertically. This is 

 an unvarying rule, while the incline 

 of the cell is not. Now, I found that 

 by the use of comb foundation, I 

 could make them construct their 

 combs with the cells running in rows 

 vertically. Much of Dadant's excel- 

 lent brood foundation is stamped in 



this way. Many believe that it is less 

 inclined to sag, when so placed in 

 frames. I have found by practical 

 use of thousands of pounds of it, that 

 the little worker, in so rigidly follow- 

 ing her instinct in rowing the cells 

 horizontally, was only "just trying to 

 fool somebody." By the inversion of 

 thousands of combs, I have proven 

 that her less determination to incline 

 her cells, belongs in the same cata- 

 logue with placing the same in hori- 

 zontal rows. I think that the scientist 

 has long since learned that Nature, 

 when forming instinct in animals, is 

 no more working for our interests 

 than when she pours her rain-water 

 back into the sea, while our crops are 

 blasting and withering ; or when she 

 visits us with cyclones. 



I know it is "true that we cannot 

 with impunity violate some of the 

 instincts of our bees ; that some of 

 them run directly parallel with the 

 ends we desire; but which are for 

 and which against us, we must deter- 

 mine by experiment. I have satisfied 

 myself that in the inversion of combs 

 we violate no instinct which is 

 favorable to our success. We do, 

 however, encourage certain actions 

 on the part of our bees, that greatly 

 favor the desired result. 



By virtue of this reversing we get 

 our frames completely and solidly 

 filled with comb, which metes out to 

 us no less than six points of advantage 

 which I will not consume space to 

 detail. It also tends to keep the 

 brood-combs the more completely 

 filled with brood, the honey going 

 into the surplus combs. When re- 

 versing is practiced, as we can well 

 afford to do when we can reverse a 

 whole set of combs with a single 

 motion, it gives us great control over 

 swarming. I lind that the reversing 

 of the surplus combs after I have 

 learned the proper time to do it, is 

 conducive of most favorable results. 

 It causes the bees to more completely 

 fill the sections, which is not only an 

 economy, besides presenting a more 

 attractive package, but adds greatly 

 to the shipping-qualities of our sur- 

 plus comb honey. It also stimulates 

 hasty and complete capping of the 

 combs. 



During my experience in reversing 

 combs, I have never yet discovered 

 any ill-effects resulting therefrom ; 

 but besides the advantages above 

 enumerated, I am always meeting 

 with unexpected minor benefits re- 

 sulting from the practice. 



Dr. A. B. Mason— When is the 

 proper time to reverse the combs ? 



James Heddon— The proper time to 

 reverse brood-combs is when the bees 

 are rearing large quantities of brood, 

 and desire to increase the size of the 

 Tjrood nest. To reverse the brood- 

 combs late in the season, when they 

 are contracting the brood-nest, will 

 cause the brood-nest to be filled with 

 honey all the faster. Sections should 

 be reversed when the bees are in- 

 clined to store honey in them ; if 

 done after the bees cease storing 

 honey in them, it will hasten the re- 

 moval or the honey to the brood-nest. 

 As soon as the outside sections are 



