22 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



out being distui'bed. Also tlie bees of No. 

 3 on going out will perhaps return to their 

 old stand, find No. 2, and being ladened 

 will also enter without being disturbed. 



About 12 o'clock on that day go to No. 3, 

 and throw open tiie entire top of your gum, 

 the bees will go almost immediately to No. 

 2, and that I icing scented liy tliat time with 

 the ladcwed bees from No. 3, will allow the 

 balance of them to enter undisturbed. You 

 should, however, have taken the queen 

 from No. 3, before opening the gum, killed 

 or caged her as you choose. If the bees of 

 No. 3 do not go immediately to No. 2, on 

 opening it, shake them down in front of No. 

 2, they will enter unmolested. You have 

 one frame left from No. 3, i)ut it in any hive 

 you choose, but be certain you do not dis- 

 turb Nos. 1 and 2 on that day. 1 have 

 doubled several hives this fall oh this plan, 

 and did not have a bee killed. 



Crystal Springs, Miss. J. W. McNeu-. 



Our National Saciety. 



To the Bee-keepers of NoHh America: 



At a recent meeting of the National Con- 

 vention of bee-keepers, which assembled in 

 Philadelphia, much to my surprise I was 

 chosen as its chief oflicer. In accepting the 

 position I promised to do all that I could to 

 promote its interest, and to that end I ask 

 the aid and co-0})eration of all who desire to 

 see a permanent national organization, and 

 if there are any opposed to a national organ- 

 ization 1 would ask why? In our country 

 nearly all trades and occupations have their 

 organizations. We have the Grangers, re- 

 presenting the farming community; the 

 Locomotive Engineers and Typographical 

 Unions,representing their interests; besides 

 various others which I might enumerate 

 but deem it unnecessary to do so. If we are 

 to have a National association of bee-keep- 

 ers, what are the best means of promoting 

 its interest? That there is a need for such 

 associations, for the benefit of bee-culture, 

 I have only to refer to the many local asso- 

 ciations existing throughout the country. 

 The lamented Quinby once wrote: "lean- 

 not conceive of a plan better adapted to the 

 better diffusion of knowledge in bee-culture 

 than the one already in practice. Let us 

 encourage the formation of as many asso- 

 ciations as possible. A half dozen live bee- 

 keepers cannot meet and talk one hour 

 without gaining sometliing. The best of 

 us are indebted to others for every idea we 

 possess; not always in expressed forms but 

 for material, that when combined gives it 

 form. Free discussion will do much; each 

 member can visit these small gatherings, 

 and if he does not know much he may learn 

 something eveiy time and treasure it up, 

 and with any experience of his own bring it 

 to the National Convention ]iext year and 

 present it for the good of all, and in turn 

 gather up the new ideas that are presented 

 by others to take home to the little circle in 

 exchange for what they furnished; they 

 will again tell it to their neighbors, who put 

 it in practice, and profit by many things 

 that would never have been dreamed of but 

 for this organization." 



It occurs to us that ]Mr. Quinby gives the 

 key note in the above extract, viz,: "The 

 encouragement of as many associations as 

 possible." Let such associations be formed 

 by all means. We do not wish to appear 



egotistical, but would say that it was 

 through onr efforts that the Maury County 

 Bee-Keepers' Society was formed, and it 

 was to us a profound pleasure, to hear it 

 referred to in glowing terms at the National 

 Association. The remarks were not made 

 in any spirit of flattery to us, for the 

 speaker was unaware of "our presence, and 

 had no acquaintance with us. I have refer- 

 red to this matter that I might state the 

 manner in which the organization of this 

 Society was brought about and suggest it as 

 the means for the formation of others. 



I had conversed with bee-keepers from 

 every portion of the county, and from these 

 conversations learned that there was an in- 

 terest felt in bee-culture. I addressed a 

 postal card to some twenty-five, requesting 

 them to meet at a certain hour and day at a 

 given place. Some 8 or 10 responded to the 

 call. We organized by electing officers and 

 adopting a constitution. The names of bee- 

 keepers were called for and about one hun- 

 dred nanres obtained. A day of meeting 

 was fixed and a postal card sent to all invit- 

 ing them to be present and participate in 

 the next meeting. The result was, we had 

 about thirty in attendance at the next meet- 

 ing. 



Now I would suggest that some active 

 bee-keeper in every county (and I am sure 

 there is one such in every county) take it 

 upon himself to pursue a like course, and I 

 will guarantee that a nucleus will be form- 

 ed which will soon become a populous 

 colony. A few hints in the formation of 

 these societies we do not think will be 

 amiss. As funds are essential to the suc- 

 cessful prosecution of any enterprise, let 

 there be a membership fee— a nominal sum, 

 just sufficient to defray any incidental ex- 

 penses, is ample. In selecting your officers 

 be sure to select a live and active man for 

 secretary. Then provide him with blank 

 notices printed on postal cards, require him 

 to fill these blanks and send them out, a 

 few days previous to each meeting to every 

 bee-keeper in your county. The labor with 

 these blank cards is light— a hundred of 

 them can be filled up in an hour. After a 

 few county societies are organized, steps 

 might then be taken to organize a State so- 

 ciety. 



We hope many such societies will be or- 

 ganized during the year, and would res])ect- 

 fully reauest the secretaries of all bee-keep- 

 ers' societies, now in existence, or which 

 may hereafter be organized, whether State 

 or county to forward us their names and 

 postoffice address, so that we may be able 

 to report their organizations at the next as- 

 sembling of the National Society. 



I would further suggest that all these so- 

 cieties become auxiliary to the National 

 Society, and that there may be an interest 

 in them aside and apart froin the benefits to 

 be derived in gaining a wider knowledge of 

 bee-culture — that there may be a benefici- 

 ary system adopted, similar to that now in 

 vogue with the Locomotive Engineers; 

 make the National secretary and treasurer, 

 salaried and bonded officers. Whenever a 

 member of the fraternity dies, require the 

 secretary of his local society to notifiy the 

 secretary of the National Society, then re- 

 quire the latter to give notice to all local 

 secretaries, and call upon tlie members for 

 such a sum as may be agreed upon, to be 

 paid in a given time. Such sum when col- 

 lected to be paid over to the widow or near- 



