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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



W. M. Hoge reports that throuf^li the lib- 

 erality of Mr. Peter Cooper, the use of the 

 large hall of Cooper Union will be given, 

 under the auspices of the American Insti- 

 tute, for holding the meetings of the Na- 

 tional Bee-keepers' Convention, beginning 

 16th of Oct. 1877. 



Messrs. Tliurber & Co., offer a $50 Gold 

 Medal for the best display of comb-honey 

 in the most attrdctive and marketable 

 shape. 



All exhibits for the Fair, consigned to 

 Messrs. H. K. & F. B. Thurber & Co., will 

 be transferred from the depots and piers by 

 careful and experienced hands and placed 

 in position in the Institute Building, free of 

 chti-rge, and at the close of the Fair they 

 will either buy, sell, or reship the goods at 

 the option of the exhibitor. 



Mr. Hoge presented letters from sundry 

 persons to Messrs. Thurber & Co., all evinc- 

 ing a lively interest in the coming Conven- 

 tion and lloney Show. Among others we 

 notice the tuUovving: 



Department of Agriculture, ) 

 Washington, D. C, Aug. 21, 1877. f 

 Messrs. Thurber & Co., New York City.— 

 Gentlemen:— "Thanks for your timely 

 letter calling attention to the Bee-keepers' 

 Convention. No doubt it will be an oppor- 

 tunity to secure some statistical knowledge 

 that ought to be and must be improved. It 

 had not come into the field of my vision, al- 

 though I have been, and am, searching for 

 all sources of the nation's wealth, that come 

 properly under the supervision, notice, or 

 control of this department. If possible I 

 will send you some statistical or other in- 

 formation to use as you suggest." 



Wm. G. Le Due, Commissioner. 

 from prop, silliman. 

 Gents: — "Regarding the Bee-keepers' 

 Convention, to be held next October, I am 

 much interested and shall take pleasure in 

 contributing all I can towards its success." 

 B. Silliman, Yale College. 



Belle viiXE, N. J., 7th Sept. 1877. 

 Messrs. H. K. & F. B. Thurber & Co.— 

 Gentlemen:— "I am unable to attend 

 the Bee-keepers' Meeting to-day. I have 

 prepared for exhibition at the American In- 

 stitute, a simplicity hive — Langstroth frame 

 — and several specimens of larv<e, etc., in 

 alcohol. I also expect to put in an Observa- 

 tion Hive, of one comb having a queenless 

 colony with drones on one side <ind a full 

 colony on the other. I shall be very glad to 

 exhibit through the Convention." 



R. Ferris. 



After some further interchange of ideas 

 it was moved and seconded that the secre- 

 tary notify officially the persons elected as 

 officers to this Association. 



It was moved and seconded that the Ex- 

 ecutive Committee be empowered to fill any 

 vacancies or to add to their number, not to 

 exceed three more than now elected. 



It was moved and seconded that the pro- 

 ceedings of this meeting be reported for 

 publication to such papers as may l)e favora- 

 bly disposed to the bee-keeping interest. 



It was voted that this meeting adjourn to 

 meet in room 24, Cooper Union, on Satur- 

 day, 22d September, 1877, at 12 o'clock M. 



An opportunity will then be given for any 

 one to become a member of the New York 

 Bee-keepers' Association by signing the roll 

 and paying the membership fee of $1, when 



credentials will be furnished each member 

 of this society, which will entitle him to 

 three single admission tickets, free, to the 

 American Institute Fair to witness the en- 

 tire exhibition, including the Honey Show 

 on the 16th, 17th, and 18th of October. 



I'ersons who cannot make it convenient 

 to be present at our meeting on the 22d of 

 September, can become members of the 

 Association by remitting the membership 

 fee by P. O.. money order or registered let- 

 ter to W. S. Slocum, Secretary New York 

 Bee-keepers' Association, who will send by 

 return post the credentials, giving the three 

 free admissions as above noted. 



It is hoped that every person receiving 

 one of these circulars will consider himself 

 especially invited to forward for exhibition 

 anything of interest in anyway connected 

 with bee-culture. Send what you can and 

 do not fail to be present at the meeting. 



W. S. Slocum, Secretary. 



117 Sixth Avenue, Brooklyn, L. I. 



For the-American Bee Journal.. 



Wintering on Honey-Dew. 



In the article entitled, "A visit to an 

 Illinois bee-keeper," speaking of Mr. An- 

 derson's comparison of his black bees and 

 those of bis neighbor's Italians, you make 

 me say black instead of Italian. Please 

 correct me if the mistake is mine. [The 

 mistake is in your copy. — Ed.] 



In an article in the Journal, headed: 

 "Various Topics," Mr. Martin asks infor- 

 mation in regard to the honey-dew as food 

 for wintering bees. He says that species of 

 trees upon which the dew is found is con- 

 fined to the beech and maple, and thinks 

 that the honey is slightly acid. 



I have seen it on the chestnut, cherry, 

 peach, oak, ash, etc; and have had consider- 

 able experience with this kind of honey. I 

 will say that I had almost as soon find all 

 my bees dead some morning, as to run the 

 risk of successfully wintering them on such 

 kind of food. It is more fatal in its effects 

 than all the ravages of the dreaded moth, 

 loss of queens and foul-brood put together! 

 In fact I consider its presence, in any sea- 

 son, as the certain precursor of the only 

 foul-brood known in tliis country. It seems 

 to retain its watery particles so long, and 

 the acidity becomes so strong that it is al- 

 most certain to prove the destruction of 

 nearly every colony that is in possession of 

 it. 



The long confinement of the bees in their 

 hive during winter, causes almost as certain 

 destruction as if they had been treated to a 

 dose of brimstone, although its effects are 

 not as speedy I It is said by some apiarists, 

 better versed in bee-culture than I am, that 

 bees will live upon any kind of sweets, as 

 long as they can fly out occasionally and 

 discharge their fseces; but 1 think that a 

 month or 6 weeks at a time is long enough 

 to give them this American foul-brood to 

 such an extent that their doom is certain. 

 Their discharges are as black as tar, and 

 they void it in all parts of the hive, creating 

 a most offensive stench, which, if it is as 

 offensive to them as to us, it is no wonder 

 that such a speedy destruction awaits them. 



Three years ago, we had a very dry Aug. 

 and Sept. here. Honey in the fields was all 

 gone, and the little yield of buckwheat was 

 of a very poor quality. Honey-dew came,- 



