A communication from G. F. Merriam. 

 Bernardino, .San Diego connty, Cal., giving 

 a report of iiis apiaries for tiiis season. 



A comnumication from Cliarles Dadant, 

 Hamilton, Illinois, on honey as a medicine, 

 and adnlteration. 



One from Jas. Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich., 

 entitled, '* iStray Thonghts," touching vari- 

 ous important topics in bee-keeping. 



The subject of adulteration was discussed, 

 and a committee appointed to prepare a bill 

 to prevent and punish adulterators of food 

 and to urge it upon the attention of the 

 legislature next winter. Committee — N. 

 Cameron, M. A. O'Neill and S. M. Allen. 



There was on exhibition comb-foundation 

 machines and white clover honey by F. J. 

 Farr, Independence, Mo.; hives, honey, 

 comb-foundation and section-boxes by P. 

 Underwood, North Lawrence; section-box 

 by J. Heddon; honey extractor, sample of 

 honey-dew honey and bellows smoker by 

 N. Cameron; and Cook's Manual by T. G. 

 Newman & Son, Chicago, 111. 



After a vote of thanks to Judge Smith for 

 the use of his room, the meeting adjourned. 

 O. W. Carpenter, Sec. 



Lancaster Co. (Pa.) Convention. 



This Association metatLancaster,'Pa., on 

 Monday, Aug. 13, 1878. 



Tlie following members and visitors were 

 present: Peter S. Reist, Litz(Pres't); J. G. 

 Martin, Earl; Amos G. Wenger, Masterson- 

 viile; Tobias Seachrist, Manor; Samuel Erb, 

 Warwick; G. S. Lintner, Citv; John Metzler, 

 West Earl; Isaac Shirk, West Earl; J. F. 

 Hershey, Mount Joy; J. M" Johnston, City; 

 F. K. Diffenderfer, City; Elias Hershey, 

 Paradise; John Huber, Pequea; Daniel 

 Krider, West Lampeter; J. F. Schaffer, U. 

 P.; B. F. Seldomridge. 



The meeting was called to order by the 

 President, who read the following address : 



GentIjEMen : Itaifords me great pleasure 

 to meet the members of the Lancaster 

 county, Pa., Bee-Keeper's Association again 

 after a lapse of three months. Allow me, 

 therefore, to gi'eet all brother bee- keepers 

 present, and bid all interested in bee-culture 

 welcome to our city and to a participation 

 in our discussions to-day. 



As the time of our meeting is precious, I 

 shall not trespass with any extended 

 remarks. Suffice it to say that we meet here 

 to discuss the habits and the management 

 of bees, a subject that is becoming of great 

 interest, and an industry which is the most 

 remunerative, considering the amount of 

 capital invested and cost of management, of 

 any pursued in tlie country. 



The number of pounds of beeswax now 

 produced in the United States is about one 

 million anda-half; this at 25 cents per pound 

 would make $3T5,U00. 



The number of pounds of honey produced 

 is now about 24,000,000; this at 1.5 cents per 

 lb. would make the sum of $3,600,000, of 

 which Pennsylvania alone produces about 

 1,.500,000 lbs. 



There are about 3,000 hives of bees in 

 Lancaster county, 50,000 in the State and 

 about 900,000 in the United States, from all 

 of which is collected a surplus natural 



growth and substance which would be a loss 

 to the human family were it not tor the little 

 bees. A gentleman in conversation with a 

 triend on this subject once remarked, when 

 asked if he was keeping many bees, "I own 

 a lot, but the bees are keeping me," and such 

 is the case in many instances. 



Since so many volumes have been written 

 and so many journals are published on bee- 

 culture, I will ask to be excused from say- 

 ing more than that there are a number of 

 certain facts, well established, which we 

 must understand and follow if we would be 

 successful in bee-culture. 



There are three kinds of bees, in every 

 prosperous hive— the drones, the queen and 

 the workers. The workers constitute the 

 main body of the colony. These do all the 

 labor, but live only about two months, and 

 are tiie smallest. The drones are the male 

 bees, fewer of which are raised in a liive, 

 and are always destroyed after the honey 

 season. They fecundate the queen, do no 

 other work, and are clumsy and nearly as 

 large as the queen herself, but ai'e drones in 

 every sense of the word. 



The queen bee is the only perfect female 

 in the liive. She is the mother of all the 

 others. No colony can exist and prosper 

 without the queen. There can never be two 

 queen bees in one hive. She leaves the hive 

 when about seven days old to meet the 

 drones for the purpose of becoming fer- 

 tilized, and never leaves the hive again, 

 except with a swarm. The queen sometimes 

 lives three years. She is capable of laying 

 100,000 eggs in one season. 



There are four substances secreted in 

 gathering by the bees, viz: pollen, or bee- 

 bread, propolis, wax and honey. 



A great deal depends on the management 

 of bees and the handling thereof. There is 

 a spring, summer and winter management, 

 natural and artificial swarming, feeding, the 

 kinds of hives or boxes, and the destruction 

 of fruit. The subjects, together with the 

 management necessary for every montli in 

 the year, will make good questions for our 

 consideration to-day. The study of bee 

 life and how to treat them so as to receive 

 the most good from their labors, is a most in- 

 teresting one and well deserves the attention 

 of both farmer and scientists. 



In the absence of the regular Secretary, 

 F. R. Diffenderfer acted in that capacity. 



G. S. Lintner reported his bees as not having 

 done as well as last year. He started with 8 

 colonies and they have increased nearly 100 

 per cent. The weather was not favorable 

 and they have not made as much honey as 

 they should have done. 



J. F. Hershey said the spring was not 

 favorable, some of his colonies were in a 

 starving condition. He started with 62 colo- 

 nies and has now 40 more. He has already 

 taken away some 500 or 600 lbs. of honey 

 and will get more. He gave his attention 

 more to raising queens, and that prevented 

 natural increase to a large extent. 



John Huber said in the early summer 

 some of his colonies did well, but since hay- 

 making they have not done much. There 

 has not been the increase that there should 

 have been. 



