US better in the end than to sell off our sur- 

 plus stock. Such a course will jjreatly im- 

 prove our stock, and secure us saifety in win- 

 tering. I have in my possession several 

 •other letters from worthy apiarists, stating 

 about fifty colonies as the most profitable 

 number of stocks to keep in one locality. 



Now comes the question. What area con- 

 stitutes a " locality" for the apiarist? My 

 bees go south four miles and bring in bass- 

 wood honey rapidly when the yield is good. 

 1 find my bees tliree and a half miles north 

 of the apiary, working on golden rod, of 

 which a book bee-l:eeper would say, tliere 

 was enough for 1,000 colonies witriinthe first 

 mile in that direction. Even if we ain 

 beat the bees making comb, we haven't yet 

 been able to keep them close at home. They 

 seem to tJiiiili they know their " little biz," 

 a,nd something about where honey Is still 

 remaining in tiie blossoms! 



My apiaries are six and a half miles apart, 

 and yet are close enough. I have every evi- 

 dence that I have seen bees from each apiary 

 on the same plant. There are not a dozen 

 colonies near either apiary belonging to 

 other parties. If I wish to gather only one 

 bushel of walnuts. 1 prefer a ten-bushel pile 

 to scoop them out of, to a scattered bushel 

 under a ravaged tree. Let some " go to 

 waste." It takes longer to find the last drop 

 than the first bucket fti.U. You will recol- 

 lect that those large pro rata yields come 

 from apiaries of few colonies. 



The practicability of running more than 

 one apiary, is a matter of doubt among many 

 of us who are trying it. Could the instinct 

 of swarming be exchanged for an equal 

 amount of energy inithe boxes, capital could 

 find a broad field in apiculture, that might 

 pay a satisfactory per centage for a few years 

 to come. 



I will pay $100 for an individual right to 

 the use of a practical apparatus that will 

 hive my bees in my absence, such machine 

 not to cost more than a good hive, and I 

 will furnish one for each colony. The above 

 sum I will give to get a part of my bees out 

 of the way of the other part, at the same 

 time securing the increase without an every 

 clay's attention. 



In my opinion, I have now bees enough to 

 stock at least four locations — in all, 350 colo- 

 nies. Now, I am confident that our fields 

 and markets here will not aft'ord a hired 

 hand for each apiary during the busy time 

 of year that we need one to hive swarms. 

 Now, if the above ideas are conceded cor- 

 rect, can we, any of us, fail to realize the 

 importance of selecting a location for an 

 apiary where few or no bees are kept by 

 others, and in maintaining such a condition 

 of affairs as long as possible. 



I fully believe that nearly the entire honey 

 crop of the future will be raised by specUtiL- 

 ists, and we need not crowd each other to 

 the detriment of both parties so doing, as 

 our broad country affords far more good lo- 

 cations for our favorite pursuit, than coming 

 demands tor honey will wanant us in occu- 

 pying. 



I hope these scattered ideas may draw out 

 shai-p criticism and friendly discussion, 

 which I may hereafter read in The Bee 

 Journal, and from which receive personal 

 benefit. James Heddon. 



North-Eastern Convention. 



The eighth annual convention of the 

 North-Eastern Bee-Keepers' Association 

 was held in Syracuse, N.Y., on Feb. 6, 7 &8, 

 1878. Vice President, G. M. Doolittle in 

 the chair. J. H. Nellis, the secretary, 

 called the roll, after which the minutes of 

 the last meeting were read, and Mr. Bacon 

 corrected, by stating that the report con- 

 cerning comb foundation was intended to 

 apply only to the use of it in boxes. The 

 report as corrected was adopted. Mr. Bacon, 

 tile treasurer, read his report, which was 

 accepted and adopted. 



Many names were added to the Roll, for 

 the coming year. 



L. G. Root, E. D. Clark, and N. N. Bet- 

 singer were appointed a committee to have 

 charge of the question drawer. 



J. H. Nellis was appointed to examine 

 and report upon the minutes of the National 

 Convention, held in New York last October. 



W. E. Clark, L. C. Root, and C. D. Jones 

 were appointed a committee to consider a 

 proposed amendment of By-laws, Art. IV, 



DISCUSSIONS. 



" Will it pay to caltivate any crop ivith. 

 the sole view ofprndncing honey f" 



The chairman thought it doubtful whether 

 it would pay to cultivate any crop for that 

 purpose, lie lived in a section where 

 nature furnishes the desired blossoms. He 

 did not think it would pay to grow teasels, 

 as these are in blossom at the same time as 

 the basswood, and it is very laborious to 

 grow them. 



How, then, can teasel honey be distin- 

 guished from basswood? The bees seem 

 to prefer working on teasels; and hence, 

 when we see them at work on teasels and 

 neglecting basswood, we naturally infer 

 that they are making teasel honey. The 

 latter is clearer and more translucent.— 

 Teasels grow anywhere that winter wheat 

 will do well. There is no other flower in 

 basswood time that makes as clear honey. 

 Sumac makes a yellower honey, and blos- 

 soms earlier. In the fall of 1872, he fed 

 sugar to his bees; since then, he has not fed 

 them at all, but reduced his swarms when 

 they were not strong enough to winter well. 



Mr. Longstreet found alsike clover good 

 for honey. It afterward made excellent 

 feed for horses. He did not know of a crop 

 that it would pay to cultivate exclusively 

 for honey. 



Mr. Ba(^on asked the best means of pre- 

 venting bees from swarming. He tried 

 hiving the young swarm, and set it by the 

 old one, and afterwards destroyed the 

 (jueen-cells, and re-united the swarms. So 

 far as tried, this had proved successful.— 

 The main object is to prevent swarming the 

 second time. The first is admissible. 



Mr. House, of Fayetteville, had for 8 or 10 

 years, practiced artificial swarming a few 

 days before the bees would naturally 

 swarm, and seldom failed. Clipping the 

 wings of the queens was unsatisfactory. 



C. C. VanDusen favored artificial swarm- 

 ing. It is important to give ample room, 

 and get the bees to work early. 



The chairman, about 8 days after swarm- 

 ing, when 1 queen has hatched, clips all tlie 



