perger said he could attest all Mr. Dean 

 said about the Simplicity hive as in the 

 cold northern climates. They liad experi- 

 enced great difficulty in bringing bees 

 through the winter ; but since they have 

 used the chaff hive it seems to have given 

 general satisfaction. In regard to winter- 

 ing bees, Mr. Robt. Featherstone said the 

 best and most successful bee-lceeper he ever 

 knew was a German, who simply left his 

 bees on their summer stands, and filled the 

 upper story of his hives with corn-cobs, 

 which would naturally absorb all dampness 

 that ascends from the bees, and acts as a 

 ventilator and protection for winter at the 

 same time. 



Mr. Williamson explained how he win- 

 tered his bees safely by simply making a 

 rough Ifex out of common plank or old dry 

 goods boxes, large enough to encase the 

 regular Langstroth hive. Leave a space of 

 from 3 to 6 inches all around, have the top 

 lid loose, to slide, as on a two-story hive, 

 make a small funnel, say>^x4of thin plank, 

 close up all the entrance in hive, except 

 just the sizes of the mouth of the funnel, 

 let the funnel extend even with the outside 

 of the rough box, and it is complete. 



They wintered all their colonies safely. 

 The boxes will last for many years, and the 

 hives might be left in them all summer 

 with equally good results, particularly 

 where there is no shade ; he agreed with 

 Mr. Featherstone in regard to filling the 

 upper story with corn-cobs or straw, or a 

 thick chaff mat, instead of the honey board ; 

 of course, in this climate, the same protec- 

 tion is not necessary as it is in northern 

 climates. The main points of wintering in 

 this climate is to break the wind and give 

 ventilation without draught.. 



Thos. L. Bryan asked if an air space for 

 wintering would not answer as well as 

 chaff. The President said it would, as he 

 had proven by many practical results ; for 

 instance, he said, a dwelling liouse built 

 with a double wall, and an air-space of only 

 two inches, was always the driest and 

 warmest house in winter, and the coolest 

 house in summer. 



Mr. Williamson gave the following 

 address on 



HONEY, AND MARKETING IT. 



The subject of honey and* marketing 

 it, is one whicli conerns nearly every 

 bee-keeper, and very properly too, because 

 in these, aside from pleasure, rests the just 

 reward of study and labor ; for it is fallacy 

 to think, without study and labor in bee- 

 keeping, as in all other pursuits, great 

 results can be accomplished. In marketing 

 honey, it should never be forgotten that a 

 good article in an attractive form will 

 always command the highest price, the 

 best reputation and a steady demand. 



We see this illustrated every day. The 

 confectioner assorts and classifies liis 

 candies and fruits ; in fact, arranges every- 

 thing in his store in the most tempting 

 style, to captivate human taste and appetite. 

 The druggist adorns his packages of pow- 

 der with lithographs of beautiful women, 

 his toilet soaps are put up in delicately per- 

 fumed boxes ; and thus it is in every branch 

 of human industry— the great aim of the 



" knowing ones " is to make things look 

 attractive. 



At the pi'esent time, in large cities partic- 

 ularly, there is more demand for comb 

 honey, in small frames and boxes, than for 

 extracted. This result is due, in a great 

 msasure, to the frauds that were practiced 

 in former years, by manufacturers of what 

 was called " strained " honey. 



Extracted honey is the purest honey 

 possible, and physicians have often de- 

 nounced the idea of eating honey and comb 

 also; and when the useless and injurious 

 etfects of eating comb honey is generally 

 understood, we shall shrink from eating it 

 as we would from eating glass. 



Extracted honey may be eaten at all 

 times with perfect impunity. Our Jewish 

 friends use honey in many of their religious 

 rites, particularly in the Feart of the Passo- 

 ver, and so strict are they in regard to its 

 purity that the price to be paid is no object. 

 The rabbis instruct them to buy candied 

 honey as a precautionary measure against 

 impurity. 



And when we consider that pure honey 

 is the very essence of flowers and plants, iii 

 which, we are told, there is a remedy for 

 every disease, surely we can not doubt the 

 happy combination of honey as medicine. 

 The Scriptures tells us in many passages of 

 the wonderful efficacy of honey as food and 

 medicine. And I believe as the treatment 

 of disease becomes more and more rational, 

 so will the value of honey as a medicine 

 become more and more apparent. Honey 

 has generally been looked upon as a luxury. 

 The price lias been considered high ; the 

 consequence is that fashionable golden 

 syrups have been filling the place that 

 honey ought to occupy, and which honey is 

 now fast superseding as the injurious 

 effects of these syrups become more gener- 

 ally known. We have often wondered 

 what discolored our teeth after eating cer- 

 tain syrups and drinking tea. Can we 

 doubt but that it was the chemical action of 

 the acids used in the manufacture of these 

 syrups ? How often it has been proven by 

 analysis that these syrups are adulterated 

 with injurious chemicals, in order to give 

 them that bright golden color so inviting to 

 look at— while pure, extracted honey is as 

 free from all inipurity as the dew drops of 

 morning ; and I believe the time is not far 

 distant when the use of honey in every 

 home will become as common as " house- 

 hold words." Wm. Wimjamson. 



The Secretary read a communication 

 from the Executive Committee of the Na- 

 tional Bee-keepers' Association, which was 

 received and filed, also a communication 

 from W. J. Davie, M. A., State Commis- 

 sioner of Agriculture and Statistics, after 

 which was read Mr. Davie's interesting 

 article on Bee Culture, " from his first 

 annual report of 1877." 



Mr. Ollie Redd asked if it was proper to 

 try to prevent bees from swarming. 



Mr. Hersperger said it certainly was. and 

 the aim of every bee-keeper should be to 

 have his bees make honey, and not bees. — 

 He said all colonies should be kept strong ; 

 and to prevent swarming, take out all 

 the queen cells, put the bees into a new 

 hive, place it where the old one was, and 



