there is but about 2 days' difference in the 

 time of filling a box, in the honey harvest, 

 between a starter of natural comb and a 

 box filled with foundation. 



Thus far, I have said notliing about the 

 ■expense of foundation, as compared with 

 natural comb. As all parties agree that 

 natural comb of worker size is just as good 

 for the brood chamber, and drone size for 

 the boxes, as can be obtained with the use 

 of fouudation; therefore, if we can produce 

 natural comb for the same outlay of money, 

 we have something that is just as good, (as 

 admitted by all), as foundation, and I claim 

 far superior to foundation, in its present 

 state of perfection. From experiments 

 •conducted the past season, I am confident 

 we can produce more stjuare feet of natural 

 comb than can be purchased by foundation 

 for the same amount of money. I can buy 

 a swarm of bees for from 3 to 4 dollars, 

 transfer them to a frame hive and produce 

 froui 25 to .50 square feet of comb from 

 .theui, according to the season, with no 

 more trouble than is required to fuss with 

 the foundation: besides, this is one of the 

 best sciiools for a beginner to learn apicul- 

 ture in! 



Thus I liave simply given the facts as I 

 found them, and would advise all to experi- 

 ment for themselves with a pound or two of 

 foundation, and then, if they wish to use it, 

 they can purchase more largely. I expect 

 to have my wax worked up again this year 

 for further experiments, aud if I can devise 

 any means to prevent its sagging, I shall 

 ■consider it an acquisition for the brood 

 apartment, to get all worker comb, but for 

 nothing else ! 



1 think no one sliould be enough of an 

 ■enemy to himself and honey-producers gen- 

 erally, to use foundation in surplus boxes 

 to the injury of our honey markets. Any 

 one can satisfy himself that bees do not 

 thin the base of the cells, by taking two 

 pieces from the same sheet of fouudation, 

 large enough to fill a box. Fit one into a 

 box, and reserve the other. After the box 

 has been filled with honey, shave it down to 

 the base, wash it aud compare with the 

 reserved piece; and, if any one can see any 

 •ditterence between the base of the two, it is 

 more than I have ever been able to do ! 



1 have not said that bees in Ohio do not 

 thin the base of foundation, for I have 

 never kept bees in Oliio; neither have I 

 .said tiiat lioney-buyers, in the city of 

 Cleveland, would not prefer honey built on 

 foundation, for I have never sold honey in 

 •Cleveland; but I do say, that if the use of 

 foundation, as heretofore made, is persisted 

 in for surplus boxes, it will ruin our honey 

 markets here in the east. 



G. M. DOOMTTLE. 



Fresident Root would not countenance 

 tlie use of artificial foundation in the pro- 

 duction of box honey, but thought there is 

 gain in using it in the production of extract- 

 ed honey. 



Mr. Van Dusen had more confidence in 

 its use in the brood chamber than anywhere 

 else. He found the quality of the wax 

 made quite a difference about sagging. 



W. E. Clark had unfavorable experience 

 with foundation. His bees tore it down, or 



else it fell of its own weight. It did better 

 in the brood chamber. 



Mr. Perry asked " if the sagging of artifi- 

 cial foundation enlarges the cells, what 

 would be the effect on the characteristics of 

 the bees hatched therefrom?" 



No one answered. 



Mr. E. D. Clark spoke from experience. 

 He found that the machine made the arcli 

 on the wrong side; it gave no support. He 

 finally got some foundation that gave com- 

 plete satisfaction in the brood-chamber. 

 About one queen in fifty rejects it. He 

 thought as a rule it is not made heavy 

 enough. 



Mr. Doolittle had found that bees build 

 their cells at all angles— sometimes with the 

 angle up, and sometimes with the flat side. 



Mr. Warner produced a sheet of comb, 

 built from yellow foundation, from which 

 Mr. Nellis cut specimens, which demon- 

 strated that bees do thin artificial founda- 

 tion. He cut out a piece Avhere the comb 

 was over an inch thick, upon which the bees 

 had not added a particle of their own wax, 

 in other words, the comb was perfected en- 

 tirely from the wax supplied in the founda- 

 tion. He prophesied its general adoption. 

 Yellow wax will be made into sheets so 

 thin and perfect that its use will not be de- 

 tected in comb-honey, and said the action of 

 this Association will be a source of amuse- 

 ment to the reader of tlie future. If hives 

 are properly sliaded, lie does not think there 

 will be any trouble about sagging. He has 

 no difficulty in using it. 



A paper from Capt. Hetherington, of 

 Cherry Valley, on artificial foundation, was 

 read l)v Mr. Ellwood. 



Mr. Bacon now, as last year, condemned 

 the use of artificial foundation in surplus 

 boxes. Consumers' do not Avant to chew 

 beeswax. In the brood-chamber it is well 

 enough to use artificial foundation. 



Mr. Ellwood had no success in using foun- 

 dation in his surplus boxes. From this fact 

 and his observation, he thiidcs it one of the 

 biggest humbugs of the age. He does not 

 think it worth what it costs for use in the 

 brood-chamber. 



The following resolutions were then 

 adopted : 



Besolved, That we. the members of the North- 

 Eastorn Bee-Keepers' Association, in Convention 

 assembled, after another year has passed in experi- 

 mentins with comb foundation, do hereby reiterate 

 our verdict of last year, tliat we do most emphatically 

 condemn its use in surphis boxes. 



Refiolri'i}. That the use of comb foundation in the 

 brood-chamber be recommended. 



Mr. Curtis, of Utica, gave the Convention 

 the following statistics, showing the produc- 

 tion of honey in the State in 1874, according 

 to the last State census : In the State, 1,469,- 

 318 pounds, of which the county of Steuben 

 ])roduced 109.319 pounds; Onondaga, 77,3.36; 

 Ontario, 69.179; Otsego, .56,862; and Cayuga,' 

 47,448 pounds. The total production of 

 honey in the State in 1869, according to the 

 United States census, was 896,286 pounds. 

 Our State production of maple sugar in 187.5 

 was 9,272,702 pounds, and 240,023 gallons of 

 syrup. 



Adjourned to 10 a. m., Feb. 8th. 



[The last day's proceedings and the sta- 

 tistical table will be given in our next issue. 



-Ed.] 



