68 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



The question was asked: Would not the 

 Italians rob the blacks? 



President— My experience was that they 

 would rob no more than other bees; some- 

 times robbing would occur, and in that case 

 the Italians were more able to defend them- 

 selves. 



The question was asked: Which is the 

 best hive? 



A. A.. Collier— Mr. Quinby preferred the 

 shallow frame, by having tlie frame 83^x18 

 in., the comb guide was longer and insured 

 straighter combs. 



President— The weight of the bees in con- 

 structing the combs frequently stretched 

 the comb. The Langstroth hive was the 

 best to secure the most box honey, and he 

 believed it the best for all purposes. 



Mr. Davis— Bees would build straight 

 combs if the hives were set level. He pre- 

 ferred shallow frames. 



A. A. Collier explained the comb guide. 



P. P. Collier— To secure straight comb, 

 remove every other sheet and insert an 

 empty frame in its place, the combs on 

 each side will serve as a guide. By this 

 means he secured 49 full sheets of straight 

 comb from 3 hives, the past season, besides 

 4(30 lbs. of excracted honey. He preferred 

 the Langstroth hive for all purposes. 



President — In swarming time bees would 

 build drone comb. 



Mr. Davis— My black bees have done much 

 better than my Italians. 



Mr. Smith— Have hybrids and blacks, but 

 the hybrids were in better condition. 



Mr. Davis— Had a swarm of blacks come 

 off in July, got SO lbs. of box honey. 



A. A. Collier— Italian bees gathered honev 

 from red clover. 



Mr. Edwards— Had never seen bees work- 

 ing on red clover. 



Mr. James— Doubted very much the truth 

 of impregnation on the wing; believed thev 

 were fertilized in the hive. He kept bees 

 on the old-fogy style— in nail kegs, barrels, 

 etc. — and believed he had some experience 

 in " bee-keeping.'" He wanted questions 

 that would interest "scientific" men. 



Mr. Edwards— Did too, for the benefit of 

 Mr. James, as he kept his bees in kegs, etc. 



Mr. James— Had not learned anything 

 from the discussions. At the next meeting 

 he would introduce and prove that the bee 

 never went to flowers of any description, or 

 under any circumstance, to gather honey or 

 nectar; that bees gathered honey as it 

 passes through the air, as flowers gather it; 

 that the bee only went to the flower for its 

 own living, etc. It was a startling an- 

 nouncement, but he would prove it. 



He was requested to present his questions 

 at the next meeting. 



Mr. Edwards moved an' adjournment to 

 meet at Mexico, Mo., on the first Wednes- 

 day in May, 1ST7, which was carried. 



P. P. Collier, Sec. 



H. HAMiLTO]>f , Pres. 



The Science of Bee-Keeping. 



READ BEFORE THE MO. B.K. ASSOCIATION. 



The objects of this Association are to ad- 

 vance the science of bee-culture, associa- 

 ting in a body those who are interested in 

 it. The importance of associations, when 

 there are common objects to carry out, will 

 be readily conceded. The advantages to be 



j derived from associations where matters in 

 which all are interested, and especially 

 where there is room for differences of 

 opinions, cannot be over estimated. He 

 who undertakes to carry out, solitar,.y and 

 alone, what he is aiming to accomplish 

 when there are others equally anxious to 

 succeed in the same direction, with whom 

 he can consult and co-operate, is as a straw 

 before the wind. 



We have agricultural societies, granges 

 and others to look after the great funda- 

 mental industries of our country. Conven- 

 tions are being held all over this broad land 

 in order to further the ends for which they 

 were organized. 



There is no class of men whose interest 

 calls louder for consultation and association 

 than bee-keepers. When we consider the 

 fact that bee-culture is both a science and 

 an art, that but few have any knowledge of 

 the great discoveries or inventions that 

 have been made, that the mass of bee owur 

 ers are ignorant of even the simplest opera- 

 tions of the apiary, it behooves us to do all 

 in our power to impart that knowledge by 

 which we may prosecute bee-cnlture suc- 

 cessfully. 



While we believe the fundamental prin- 

 ciples of apiculture have been laid, much is 

 yet to learn. 



With the movable-frame hive, the ex- 

 tractor, the Italian bee, nothing is wanting 

 but a thorough knowledge of bee-culture 

 and a determination to succeed. 



Determined men in all the Northern 

 States are producing tons of honey, realiz- 

 ing profits, and growing rich from the toil 

 of the honey bee; and why not we? Our 

 honey-producing plants are numerous; our 

 broad acres are rich with sweets. All that 

 is necessary to furnish our tables with this 

 delicious food is an effort. 



Honey, as food for man, was of sufficient 

 importance to be recorded in the sacred 

 writings. "Sampson enjoyed a rich feast 

 of honey." John the Baptist lived on lo- 

 custs and honey. 



It is a fact that if man is to have honey, 

 the bee must gather it, and it is very certain 

 that the amount gathered is insignificant 

 compared with the amount that might be 

 gathered if there were bees to gather it. Do 

 not think me exaggerating, when I say that 

 it is my opinion that enough honey is avail- 

 able in Audrain or Callaway counties to 

 give every housekeeper in Missouri 100 lbs. 

 of pure honey. 



"Out of 40,000,000 people in the U. S. about 

 70,000 are bee-keepers, and they send to 

 market 15.000,000 lbs. of honey and wax 

 yearly, representing in value $3,676,763 for 

 the former, and $189,388 for the latter." 



"Will it pay?" is a question that interests 

 most persons, in all pursuits of life. I 

 answer, bee-keeping is like all other pur- 

 suits — has its successes and its failures — 

 but no more subject to failure than others. 



I am fully aware that many who have 

 bees fail to realize profit from them; but 

 there is no reason why they should not. If 

 they were to give their farm stock no more 

 attention than they do their bees, they 

 would prove the most worthless of the two. 

 There is no reason why our land should not 

 flow with milk and honey. Tons of honey 

 could be produced where only pounds are 

 now made. 



It does not take long to learn to swarm 

 bees artificially, thereby increasing stocks 



