66 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



swarm? I am unable to say, but will say 

 to friends Bingham and Heddon, that if 

 they had been Italians or hybrids, or had 

 even an infusion of Italian blood, they 

 would either have swarmed or built comb 

 outside of the hive. These were the most 

 gentle bees I ever saw, and must have been 

 some that had lost all their vitality by long 

 in-and-in breeding. If, as many writers 

 say, including Langstroth, the cause of so 

 much loss of bees by dysentery, wintering, 

 etc., is attributed to their losing their vi- 

 tality by too long in-and-in breeding, then 

 my bees must be very healthy, from the 

 fact that losses in wintering is comparative- 

 ly nothing, and no disease has ever been in 

 my apiary. 



I have taken up enough space without 

 half finishing my remarks. I may continue 

 in the next number. R. M. Argo. 



Lowell, Ky., Jan. 5, 1877. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



The Kalamazoo Convention. 



The report of the Ninth Annual Session 

 of the Michigan B. K. Association, publish- 

 ed in the January number of the Journal, 

 has no doubt been perused by a majority of 

 its readers. In order to have it reach Chi- 

 cago in time for the January number, we 

 were compelled to entirely omit some 

 things and only glance at others that were 

 wortiiy of attention; and having a little 

 leisure to-day, will indite a few thoughts as 

 being additional to, or explanatory of, the 

 report. 



Some of our readers may have noticed a 

 discrepancy between the report and the 

 notices we sent out giving the time and 

 place of meeting. The notice published in 

 The Amp:rican Bee Journal gave it as 

 the tenth annual session, but this was a 

 mistake of our own. as it should have read 

 "the ninth annual session, etc." While 

 Michigan has the honor of claiming the 

 oldest, existing State Association of xVmeri- 

 can apiculturists, we have no desire to 

 claim more of years or usefulness than 

 we are justly entitled to. 



As will be seen by the report, the subject 

 of box-hives attracted considerable atten- 

 tion from those present. The fact that a 

 hive without frames should find favor with 

 such practical apiarists as Mr. T. F. Bing- 

 ham and James Heddon is certainly an in- 

 dication that they may possess certain 

 desirable qualities,which we, in our modern 

 "improvements," may have entirely over- 

 looked. There surely can be no harm in a 

 little careful investigation in this direction, 

 even if it should lead backward instead of 

 "onward and upward;" and if we find that 

 we have been going "too fast," let us frank- 

 ly acknowledge as much. Tiie hive Mr. 

 Bingham is using has been very properlv 

 styled "a box-hive," and we all know him 

 to be one of our best practical apiarists. 



Mr. Heddon, in answer to a question as to 

 what he could accomplish in the way of 

 manipulation with a box-hive, replied: "all 

 that anv of you will do with movable 

 frames;" and we think that no one who has 

 ever visited " Michigan Apiary" will doubt 

 his ability to do it. Without any prediction 

 relative to the future status of the box-hive, 

 we think a little scrutiny will reveal the 

 fact that a hive divested bf much that we 

 are pleased to denominate " improvement " 



may still be found to practically subserve 

 all our wants in the apiary. This of course, 

 has reference only to tnose apiculturists 

 who think they have little use for a "honey- 

 slinger," and have too much work to do 

 during the honey season, to admit of what 

 might be very properly styled " fancy bee- 

 keeping." 



Among the hives on exhibition was one 

 by a Mr. Hatfield, of Indiana, an improved 

 box-hive, designed to facilitate the manipu- 

 lation of honey-boxes, and increase the 

 amount of surplus. It received consider- 

 able attention and elicted many comments. 



Dr. W. B. Southard, of Kalamazoo, ex- 

 hibited some specimens of box-honey that 

 were indeed very beautiful. His experience 

 with both boxes and frames for comb honey 

 has resulted in giving a decided preference 

 to the former for profit, which exactly 

 agrees with our own experience. As will 

 be seen by the report, the test questions 

 submitted to the Convention, resulted in 

 several cases in very nearly an equal di- 

 vision of opinion of those present. 



Mr. T. F. Bingham, of Abronia, had on 

 exhibition two different styles of " bee- 

 smokers," which were unhesitatingly re- 

 commended to all who wish an instrument 

 that will give good practical satisfaction. 

 They are. made strong, and will burn season- 

 ed maple wood. He has two styles, but we 

 prefer the "bellows" pattei'n. 



The reading of Prof. Cook's paper on 

 " Mistakes of Bee-Keepers " elicted con- 

 siderable discussion relative to the value of 

 honey plants as a source of honey supply. 

 He gave in detail the experiments made in 

 this direction at the State Agricultural Col- 

 lege at Lansing, which gives promise of 

 much value to those who are making apiciil- 

 ture a specialty. 



We set out with the intention of giving a 

 pen picture of some of the names that have 

 become so indissolubly associated with our 

 Michigan Convention in the public mind, 

 but find it must be deferred for the present. 

 At some future period we may be able to 

 gratify public curiosity in this regard. 



Herbert A. Burch. 



South Haven, Mich., Jan. 13, 1877. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



My Annual Report. 



Last spring I sold about one-half of my 

 bees for $150. I started the season with ^ 

 stocks (5 were weak); increased to 39, most- 

 ly by artificial means. I got 800 lbs. of box 

 honey, which I sold at 213^c. per lb. The 

 early spring was favorable till fruit bloom; 

 after that the weather was cool. White 

 clover bloom was excellent, and lasted six 

 weeks. Then there was a scarcity till Aug. 

 20, and a meager supply till Sept. 4, when it 

 became cold, and remained so till frost on 

 Sept. 26. Some colonies that had just start- 

 ed to work in boxes, drew out the honey, 

 but the best colonies gathered a living and 

 secured a supply for winter. 



]My crop was cut short by the bad weather 

 at least 500 lbs., but my bees will show as 

 large a per ceut. profit as anything on my 

 farm, this yeai\ 



i put 10 stocks in the cellar, Dec. 1st; the 

 rest are on their summer stands, shielded 

 by a tight board fence and piK'kcd in hay. 

 This is my first trial of cellar wintering. 



Watseka, HI. T. N. Marquis. 



