34 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Frank Benton— Have tried both methods 

 and prefer the guide-combs to the wooden 

 guide. 



Dr. Southard— Have found it difllicult to 

 get straight combs in section frames; the 

 queen is more liable to occupy them ; and 

 could scarcely sell them at all. Box honey 

 sells readily. 



Julius Tomlinson — People want a choice 

 article and are willing to pay for it. Box 

 honey secures this. 



James Heddon — If I had an abundance 

 of empty comb, I would use it ; but not, if 

 I must have the bees build it specially for 

 the purpose. 



Prof. Cook— I move that it be the sense of 

 this meeting that wooden guides are as effi- 

 cient in securing straight combs, as guides 

 •of honey comb. The vote was lost by two 

 majority. 



James Heddon—I move that it be the 

 sense of this meeting that it is not profitable 

 to raise comb expressly for guides to be used 

 in surplus boxes. The motion was carried 

 l»y two majority. 



Prof. Cook— I would move that all white 

 drone-comb should be used as guides in sur- 

 plus boxes. Carried unanimously. Also, 

 that as much honey can be produced in 

 small boxes as in sectional frames. Carried 

 by one majority. 



James Heddon — A choice piece of comb 

 nicely tapered, for a guide will induce bees 

 to commence sooner; but a flat, ragged 

 piece will often delay them three or four 

 clays. In such cases the wooden guide is 

 preferable. 



Prof. Cook then read an able paper on 

 ^'Mistakes of Bee-Keepers, which received 

 the closest attention. He also read a paper 

 on the methods of prejparing bees for winter 

 at the Agricultural College, detailing the 

 various experiments made tliere to ascertain 

 the cause of our losses in winter. 



Julius Tomlinson— Have had experience 

 in burying bees in Wisconsin— succeeded 

 well. 



James Heddon— We have decided that 

 bees w.ill swarm, and when they all winter, 

 then we shall have bees on every acre of 

 land in the country. 



Prof. Cook — Just what I want to see. 



James Heddon— But probably never will. 



T. F. Bingham— According to the general 

 laws of fertilization. Prof. Cook's bees that 

 are manured the most heavily, will yield the 

 largest crops. 



Frank Benton read a paper on "Bee-Cul- 

 ture in the South." The advantages and 

 disadvantages of the "Sunny Soutli," were 

 canvassed with theconchisioii that with the 

 single exception of winterhig, the Northern 

 latitudes were far preferable for bee- 

 culture. The question to be decided is, will 

 it pay to ship bees South in the fall and re- 

 turn them in the Spring, in order to insure 

 sate wintering? 



Shipping bees South for the purpose of 

 wintering is expensive. A year ago, it cost 

 $.300.00 to siiip 160 colonies. This year a lit- 

 tle less. Personal expenses must be added. 

 Secured but little honey in fall, and when 

 returned home in the Spring liad to feed. 

 There is also danger in shipping. It is a 

 many sided question and needs further ex- 

 perience to settle its practicability. 



Frank Benton— With an empty space 

 above tlie fri'.mes, and an al)undanee of ven- 

 tilation, tlicie nt'tnl he no loss in moving. 



The election of otticers was then taken up 



with the following result: President— Prof. 

 A. J. Cook, Lansing, Mich. Vice-President 

 — Dr. W. B. Southard, Kalamazoo,> Mich. 

 Secretary — H. A. Bnrch, South Haven, 

 Mich. Treasurer— James Heddon, Dowagi- 

 ac, Mich. 



Mr. Tomlinson's resolution was adopted, 

 extending tlie warmest thanks of this As- 

 sociation to the people of Kalamazoo for 

 the courtesy and hospitable treatment re- 

 ceived at their hands; also to those who 

 had furnished papers for this session. 



The Secretary moved tiiat we elect as 

 honorary members all who had sent us 

 papers, that are not already members of the 

 Association. Carried. After the transac- 

 tion of some routine business, the Conven- 

 tion adjourned to meet in Lansing, at the 

 call of the Secretary. 



Herbert A. Bukch, Sec'y. 



Neatness in Bee Keeping. 



READ BEFORE THE MICH. B. K. ASSOCI- 

 ATION', DEC. 21, 1876. 



Neatness in all things is to be commended. 

 In all the walks of life, neatness gives a 

 ciiarm to everything we do. How much 

 nicer a person appears who is always neat 

 in his personal affairs, and how much more 

 we can enjoy their society, than one who is 

 a sloven in all he does! 1 do not mean to be 

 always "dressed up;" dandyism and fopish- 

 ness are not neatness, by any means. A 

 man may be very finely dressed and make a 

 good appearance, and yet be a sloven in his 

 private affairs. He is neat only to " show 

 off." This neatness we should extend to all 

 we do in bee-keeping, neat in our persons, 

 so that in case we have visitors, as we all 

 do, when we are working with our bees, 

 handling combs, extracting honey, etc., they 

 may not go away with the feeling that they 

 do not want any of our honey, because we 

 are so careless in regard to clean hands, 

 clean tools, etc. We must guard our reputa- 

 tion as the cream of success. Nearly all of 

 us can get the honey, but not every one can 

 sell it readily in these days of so many adul- 

 terations. Neatness is one point in getting 

 and keeping a good reputation ; honey neatly 

 put up in bottles, jars, boxes, or frames, sells 

 very mucli better, than the carelessly put up 

 hoiiey, while an article neatly and tastefully 

 labeled adds nnich to its attractiveness, while 

 all combined adds the value to our pockets. 

 We must see to it that our extractors, tools, 

 frames and boxes, are kept and used in 

 clean places. 



Then in regard to our hives and yards. 

 It is but a few moment's more work to set a 

 hive in perfect line with its fellows, and 

 then how much more pleasant to look at. 

 To a person with a true eye to the beauty 

 of uniformity, it is a real annoyance to see 

 hives looking like a hastily thrown together 

 rail fence, facing all points of the compass 

 in the same row, even if there has been an 

 attempt to make a row of them; some hives 

 tipping to the front, the next back, others 

 endwise, this way and that, making the 

 yard look as though the bee-keeper(?) had 

 sailed over his yard in a balloon, sown his 

 hives bi-oadcast, and then tried to rake them 

 into straight rows with the anchor. Put 

 the hives in straight rows, even if the rows 

 face difiierent ways, and tip them all a little 

 to the front to carry off water from the en- 



