ken witliin tlie past two years ought to cheer 

 and encourage us to renewed exertions for 

 its welfare. 



As our honey is gatliered in about six 

 •weeks, it is essential that bees should be 

 ■easily and rapidly handled; they should be 

 in good hives and kept strong in numbers, 

 ■with good queens, and then the best results 

 may be expected. 



With comb-foundation, one-third of the 

 labor of comb-building is saved, and with 

 the present prospect of the introduction of 

 new races of bees during the present year — 

 to infuse new blood into our stocks — when 

 we meet again I hope we shall have good re- 

 ports to make of the season's success. 



Salem, Mass. Silas M. Locke. 



The nomination and election of oflicers 

 followed: 



President— L. C. Root, of Mohawk, received 42 out 

 of 51 votes, iind was elected. 



Vice Prcsiiliiit— (ifor;;!' B. Seeley, received 11) and 

 <J. M. I). M. little, nf BnnMliiu), 21), with a few scatter- 

 ing votes. Mr. Doolittle was declared elected. 



Secretary— J. H. Nellis, of Canajoharie, received a 

 iinaniiuous election as secretary. 



Treasurer— R. Bacon, of Verona, was unanimously 

 ■elected. 



Honorary Vice Presidents— W. E. Clark, George T. 

 Wheeler, K. F. Wright, andC. C. Van Dusen. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



The retiring president, P. II. Elwood, 

 read the toUowing, as his 



ANNUAL address: 



In an old book we read of a good time 

 coming, when '• swords shall be beaten into 

 plowshares and the spears into pruning- 

 hooks." But in neither sacred nor profane 

 lore do we find allusion to the time when the 

 latter shall be converted into tiiat weapon 

 which is said to be *' mightier than the 

 sword" — the pen ! This, however, is the 

 the modest task you impose on your country 

 in calling for an address. 



As we meet again after the successes and 

 reverses of anotiier year, I think it may be 

 well to inquire why so many have come up 

 to our annual gathering, at so great an ex- 

 penditure of time and money? Are the re- 

 ceipts expected to counterbalance the ex- 

 penditures? I apprehend this may be the 

 cxijectation, for, although our business pos- 

 sesses other attractions, and an opportunity 

 for mental work and improvement not found 

 in other out-door occupations; nevertheless, 

 bee-keeping, with the majority, is a matter 

 of dollars and cents. So-called philan- 

 thropic motives may urge a few to sustain 

 an association of this kind, but with the 

 :great majority "the bread and butter (pies- 

 tion" is a greater incentive. 



What are some of the benefits to be de- 

 rived from our Conventions? First, the so- 

 •cial element is one that cannot easily be 

 over-estimated. The hearty hand-shakings 

 and greetings are expressive of a sympathy 

 not to be recorded on a lettered page. This 

 sympathy encourages us to extra exertions, 

 sustains us in difficulties, and helps estab- 

 lish a class pride that is beneficial. A com- 

 parison of the results of the year's labor, 

 prompts us to a good-natured rivalry, and a 

 comparison of tlie ideas advanced in debate 

 ■often arouse trains of thought that lead to 

 important results. At our Conventions we 

 meet those who contribute to our literature, 



and we judge of their ability and reliability, 

 which helps us much, in future reading, in 

 separating the wheat from the chaff. The 

 written part of our Conventions is valuable, 

 as coming from some of our most practical 

 and successful apiarists, some of whom do 

 not contribute to our Journals. The un- 

 written part is still more valuable. We 

 usually gather together with some problem 

 to solve, some point of practice on which we 

 have not had enough experience to decide. 

 We propound the question to those of more 

 experience, and we come away confirmed 

 or cautioned in our course of procedure. 

 We talk of supply and demancl, of over- 

 stocking tlie market and over-stocking the 

 land, and in a way not always encouraging 

 to dealers in supplies. Wejsometimes ques- 

 tion the propriety of advising everj' one to 

 go into a business in which so much more 

 has been lost than made, and in which, even 

 at the present'time, more goods are produced 

 at a loss than at a profit. In short, we are at 

 perfect liberty to express our views as we 

 please, with " no one to molest or make lis 

 afraid." 



Ex-president Bacon last year recommend- 

 ed co-operation in marketing honey, and in 

 some form it undoubtedly is destined to pro- 

 duce the most satisfactory results. Many of 

 us are annually compelled to market our 

 products before knowing much about the 

 aggregate production. Without this infor- 

 mation we have noway of judging what 

 the price should be. I suggest that meas- 

 ures be taken at this session for collecting 

 statistics of the next crop in time for use in 

 marketing the same. With suitable blanks 

 furnishecl each member of this As.sociation 

 and to those honorary members who might 

 be appointed and wlio would consent to col- 

 lect statistics of the yield in their vicinity, 

 we might be informed in August as to the 

 total production throughout the country. 

 This information would be of very great 

 service to us all, as our markets are annually 

 very much injured by parties who sell 

 below the market price. 



Our markets are also much injured by 

 placing goods upon them in an unmarket- 

 able shape. This considerably lessens con- 

 sumption, and I again assert, that it is to our 

 interest to have the best packages used by 

 all. Especially should we affirm, that the 

 Eastern market prefers glassed honey. It 

 presents a finer appearance, and in the re- 

 tailer's hands the loss from breakage is so 

 much less, that many dealers will handle no 

 other. When you read, please remember 

 that a very strong interest is at work in the 

 East in building up a trade in unglassed Cal- 

 ifornia honey. I am sorry to say that one of 

 our bee-publications is aiding in this work 

 by recommending unglassed lioney. 



Whatever may be your conclusions as to 

 the merits of comb foundation in the brood 

 chamber, I trust you will return no uncer- 

 tain verdict as to its use in surplus honey 

 receptacles. That commercial beeswax is 

 fit to eat no one familiar with its manufac- 

 ture will affirm, and it is not expected that 

 passing it between two corrugated rollers 

 will affect its character in this respect. It 

 is also well established, that bees donotsuf- 

 ficiently thin it. Heretofore comb-honey 

 has been one of the things that could not be 



