344 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



understood as discouraging importations 

 from Italy. No, I am in favor of it and in- 

 tend during tlie winter to make arrange- 

 ment to import a good number next season. 

 1 agree with Dadant in the main on dollar 

 (lueens. 



Now friend Alley, let me ask you one 

 question. Don't your Northern patrons say 

 your queens are too bright, and your South- 

 ern ones say they are not brig'ht, or (pilte 

 bright enough? This has been the tone of 

 my patrons for years to such an extent as to 

 make me heliexe that the brightest queens 

 are raised .South or the Southern people pre- 

 fer the bright yellow. If I were running 

 my apiary for honey exclusively, I would 

 prefer a dark leather color, both queen and 

 workers. All of the most prolific, pure 

 Italian queens I ever saw were a dark 

 leather color, and the three bands on the 

 worker's very thin or line. Also the small 

 queens are more prolitic than large ones as 

 a general rule. Yet the people cry for the 

 large, bright yellow and we nave to furnish 

 them with the sort they want. But for that, 

 I guess that nine-tenths of the breeders 

 would go for the tlark leather color. 



There are a good many other articles in 

 the September number I would like to an- 

 swer, but for want of time will' have to 

 defer the pleasure. R. M. Akgo. 



Lowell, Ky., Sept. 13th, 1877, 



The North Mo. Convention. 



Met at Auxvasse, Calloway county. Mo., 

 on August 1st, 1877. Hugh Hamilton, presi- 

 dent, in the chair; the Secretary being ab- 

 sent Mr. P. P. Collier was appointed Secre- 

 tary pro tern. The following persons were 

 added to the membership: J. J. Crowson, 

 Oscar Black, liev. W. W. Trimble, Geo. C. 

 Fuller, H. I. Williams, M. McClintock, Dr. 

 E. C. L. Larch, .John T. Sailor, Wm. Y. Par- 

 mer and Ed. McCracken. 



At 3 p. m. the following programme was 

 announced: 



*' Swarming, natural and artificial.*' A. A. 

 Collier. 



"How to secure the most honey," John 

 Sal lee. 



"Marketing honey," P. P. Collier. 



"Honey, its sources and how gathered." 

 B. F. James. 



" Our best honey plants," R. L. Davis. 



" Honey dew," Robert Sallee. 



SWARMING, NATUKAIv AND AKTIFICIAI.. 



Mr. A. A. Collier said he preferred artifi- 

 cial swarming from several considerations. 

 1st, it is more safe. I can ascertain their 

 condition when I have a strong colony of 

 bees with one cell. At the proper time I 

 set two hives. (I use Langstrotlf s). I take 

 from my full colony four frames with bees 

 adliering, place in empty hive, leaving the 

 old queen with the old hive, insert my cell, 

 remove old hive a rod off, place new one on 

 Its stand, and will soon have a better swarm 

 than the first. My hives are jilaced in a cir- 

 cle so that I can stand in center and see the 

 entrance of each hive. 



Mr. Trimble wanted to know how he got 

 the bees in new^ hive. 



Mr. Collier— If I have not bees enough on 

 the cards given, I shake from other cards a 



sufficient number of bees, after sprinkling 

 with sweetened water, scented with pepper- 

 mint. 



Mr. Bane— Bees disagree, by disorganizing 

 them there was no danger of fighting. 



Mr. Collier asked why bees fought? 



Mr. Sallee did not know; thought a bee 

 filled with honey would be received friendly 

 in any hive, but a hungry bee would meet 

 with rough treatment. 



Mr. Collier— I brought two queens some 

 seven miles away, introduced them into new 

 formed colonics; one was killed, the other 

 received friendly — all scenting alike. 



Mi-. Sallee— The difficulty was, probably, 

 that one was disturbed soon after, while the 

 other was not. 



Mr. Collier— This was the case. 



Mr. Sallee — I favor clipping queen's 

 wings, for sometimes two or more swarms 

 come off— all went together; but if he had 

 his queen's wings clipped he could capture 

 the queen, change locations, put in queen in 

 new hive on old stand, and the circling 

 swarm would soon return, enter new hive 

 and all was well; but after.swarms were 

 more difficult to control. 



The President— Remove all cells after the 

 first swarm, and all difiQculty of after-swarms 

 was removed. 



"how to secure the greatest AMOUNT 

 OP HONEY." 



Mr. Sallee said he ought to be excused, 

 but would do the best he could. He had 

 been theorizing, but for honey-gathering he 

 preferred his first swarms rather than his 

 old ones. Extracting was the best not onlj'- 

 10 secure the greatest amount, but would 

 stimulate the bees to gather more than in 

 boxes. If you want box honey you must 

 have the bottom story full, as bees would 

 not tenter boxes unless full below. Mr Bane 

 said Mr. Smith's queens went into his boxes, 

 the cause was that they were on new swarms. 

 It would not be the case on old hives. Put 

 on boxes on old stands early, but on new 

 not until late. 



Dr. Larch said raise and slip boxes under. 



Mr. Sallee said many questions might be 

 considered. One man fed his bees honey in 

 spring; they accumulate much more than 

 those not ted. Plenty of comb was neces- 

 sary as it required 20 or 25 pounds of honey 

 to make one pound of fat or wax. 



Mr. Trimble asked how about foundation? 



Mr. Sallee had no experience. 



Dr. Larch said it was good for starters in 

 boxes, but did not favor it for the main 

 hive. 



Mr. Sallee said extracting was the best, 

 but others wanted to know how to get box 

 honey. 



Mr. P. P. Collier— Extracting was beyond 

 question the best to secure the greatest 

 amount of honey, but there were other 

 things to be considered. Bees nuist be kept 

 strong; (luecns must be prolific; plenty of 

 room to deposit. And last, but not least, a 

 good pasturage is iiidispeiisible; not all are 

 favored with good natural pastures. This 

 is in the power of man, and it is his duty to 

 furnish good pastures— early and late— to 

 secure a good yield of honej'. 



Mr. Bane— Get the bees and you would 

 have the honey; it was necessary to keep 

 bees quiet anil satisfied to work well. 

 Young queens were essential. 



President — A tjueen one year old was 

 better than a young one. (Here the subject 

 ran into swarming and no vote was taken.) 



