otluT queen cells. In his experience, If he 

 clipped the cells in advance ot the hatching 

 of 1. the bees provide for raising an unusual 

 number of (pieens. If we have a good 

 honey season, there is little trouble about 

 swarluing. In poor seasons, nothing will 

 prevent Italians from swarming. Remov- 

 ing all but 1 virgin queen does not entirely 

 prevent swarming. * 



Mr. House. — Wiien bees get a swarming 

 fever, it is hard to subdue them. 



Mr. Neliis has a house apiary, and never 

 had a swarm issue from it. Last summer 

 he had 1.5 swarms making box honey. — 

 They gave him about 60 lbs. of box honey 

 eaeii. The house is octagonal, and holds 68 

 swarms. It is lined with building paper, 

 and never becomes extremely hot. He 

 thinks excessive heat makes bees swarm. 



Mr. Betsingor's bees swarmed the most in 

 the poorest seasons, 1806 and 1876. A lack 

 of honey causes swarming. 



Dr. A. H. Marks found that his bees 

 swarmed most in the honey-producing 

 seasons. 



The chairman wanted to know if the bee 

 papers are right in favoring consumers and 

 dealers instead of the bee-keepers, who are 

 their patrons. He then read an extract 

 from the Bee-Keepers^ Magazine, calling 

 for the sacrifice of the glass on the small 

 boxes. 



Mr. Bacon thought it was ungenerous on 

 the part of the papers. The only profit in 

 the small box is the glass. It is a mistake 

 to gather honey in less than 5 or 6 lb. boxes. 



The president thought such papers did 

 not deserve the support of bee-keepers. — 

 He read from one that hoped honey would 

 come down to .5 or 6c. per ft., so that every 

 one could afford to use it. 



Mr. Neliis thought the demand would 

 decide the form of the package. If it is 

 wanted in glass, it will be put in glass; if in 

 any other form, that form will be adopted. 

 Rich people want it in glass, fand care not 

 about its being weighed in. It protects the 

 honey and keeps it clean. 



Mr. Snow concurred substantially with 

 Mr. Neliis. He thinks he has created a 

 home market for extracted honey, and lie 

 can make the most money out of it. 



kS. M. Locke thought the buyers of honey 

 know that they get honey in the box by 

 gross weight, and, therefore, there is no 

 fraud, as intimated by the Bee-Keepers^ 

 Magazine. It costs more to make honey in 

 small boxes. If the consumer wants it so 

 put up, he must pay for it. 



Oh motion, G. M. Doolittle, L. C. Root, S. 

 M. Locke and W. E. Clark were appointed 

 a committee to consider the conduct of cer- 

 tain bee papers, and report what action this 

 Association ought to take in regard to the 

 matter. 



EVENING SESSION. 



(Several new members were received. The 

 Convention then discussed: 



" In what manner shall ive use the sur- 

 plus funds of the Association to best pro- 

 mote its interestsf^ 



It was moved by Mr. Root to send out 

 blanks about August 1st, to be filled out by 

 members and returned to the secretary, 

 who will in return forward the information 



thus obtained about the products to each 

 member. It was maintained that this would 

 furnish a basis for regulating prices and aid 

 in successful marketing. 



Mr. Bacon showed that, as matters now 

 stood, small producers, who make no busi- 

 ness of honey making, too often make the 

 price, by taking to market honey out of sea- 

 son and accepting the first offer. If properly 

 posted, there would be a better chance for 

 having a paying home market. But prices 

 must not be above the reach of the con- 

 sumer. Consumption must be encouraged, 

 and the middlemen must be content with a 

 fair profit. 



The chairman and Mr. Betsinger could 

 get only 16 cts. a pound ottered by a whole- 

 sale dealer in Syracuse. They sold in New 

 York for 24 cts., and saw two-thirds of their 

 hojiey go to Philadelphia at 38 cts. 



Mr. Betsinger would give S25 a year to get 

 accurate statistics of the honey product. 

 The different organizations might obtain it, 

 if an effort was made. 



Mr. Root was in favor of getting such in- 

 formation, and was willing to pay for it. 



"Is grape sugar valuable as food for 

 bees to winter upon?" 



Reports are afioat, said the secretary, that 

 experiments had been successfully made in 

 its use. Is it prepared in the form of a syrup? 



Mr. Root had seen an experiment. In this 

 case the grape sugar was put in a dry state 

 in the top of the hive and all honey re- 

 moved. This was in 1872. The bees lived 

 only thirty days. They lived three months 

 on dry loaf sugar. 



The chairman had found the syrup from 

 grape sugar to candy in a few hours or days. 

 Mixing honey with it retarded the candying 

 process. He had never fed it. 



" What will be the effect upon the honey 

 market of adulterating honey, and shall 

 we countenance it?" 



It was agreed that the effect was inicer- 

 tain. The secretary said some people would 

 not buy candied honey, supposing it adul- 

 terated, when candying is a guarantee of 

 purity. If it must be kept from candying, 

 it must be adulterated. 



" What is the best method to promote 

 early Breeding ?" 



The chairman knew of no way to get a 

 hive full of bees in March, or even as late 

 as the 2.5th of May. He can get a new swarm 

 the latter part of June, by furnishing plenty 

 of uncapped comb, full of honey. 



Mr. Locke said the largest swarm he ever 

 had was a natural one, on May 10th. 



The practice of spreading comb and sup- 

 plying new has worked well with Mr. Root. 

 Reuses a very large frame. But tiiis prac- 

 tice must not be carried too far. After ap- 

 ple-blossoms pass away he had often been 

 compelled to feed heavily. We should see 

 to it that there is always capped honey in 

 the hives. We should not put bees out too 

 early. He would not put them out before 

 the soft maple is in blossom. 



The chairman said it is a disadvantage to 

 have the hives full of bees before there is 

 any work for them to do. 



Mr. House does not believe there is any 

 advantage in early stimulation. 



