TMW MMBRICMK mmW JOURKAIU. 



83 



EDITOR. 



Vol. mi. FeD. 8,18 



No. 6, 



Xlie Election of Oflicers for the 



National Bee-Keepers' Union closed on Jan. 

 31, 1890, and resulted as follows: There 

 "were 207 ballots cast, and they figure up 

 thus: 



For President — James Heddon, 154; 

 scattering, 44; blank, 9. 



For Vice-Presidents— G. M. Doolittle, 

 176 ; Prof. A. J. Cook, 172 ; G. W. Demaree, 

 162; A. I. Root, 176; Dr. C. C. Miller, 178; 

 scattering, 115; blank, 66. 



For Oeneral Manarjer, Secretary and 

 Treasurer — Thomas G. Newman, 202 ; 

 blank, 5. 



The old officers are therefore elected by 

 an overwhelming majority. It is a very 

 flattering endorsement for the General 

 Manager that not a single vote was re- 

 corded for another person. There were 5 

 blanks, but 4 of these supposed that the 

 voting closed on the first day of January, 

 instead of the last day. All that the Mana- 

 ger can say is, that according to the meas- 

 ure of strength allotted to him, he will do 

 his best to maintain the present satisfactory 

 position of the Union. While no one can 

 reasonably expect to win every suit, yet 

 he will strive to have the defeats as few as 

 possible— so far, there are none to record, 

 of any finished case. What the future has 

 in store for the Union, no one can now tell. 



The apathy so far manifested by bee- 

 keepers, is the only thing discouraging. 

 There ought to be ten thousand members 

 instead of only three hundred, more or less. 

 The work done by the General Manager 

 has taken much time, thought and energy— 

 but it has been cheerfully given to this 

 great cause, because no funds have been 

 available to pay for the labor. Whenever 

 there are funds in hand to pay for it, then 

 he will insist upon being relieved— until 

 then, he will do his best to defend the pur- 

 suit as required by the Constitution of the 

 Union. 



One in SI 'I'liunsnnd. — The Union 

 has about HOO members, and there are 

 about 300,000 bee-keepers in North Amer- 

 ica — that is one in a thousand for the 

 Union! The following from the Amcr I call, 

 Rural Ho)nc shows the situation of affairs 

 very forciblj' : 



The annual rei)ort of the Manager of the 

 Bee-Keepers' Union is again out, and shows 

 that the Union is doing much good by the 

 way of protecting bee-keepers from the 

 jealous attacks of those who suppose that 

 the "little bus}' bee " has nothing to do ex- 

 cept to "eat young ducks and peaches." 



The report also shows that not a single 

 case which the Union has defended has 

 been lost, which is an almost unheard of 

 precedent. This is largely due to the wis- 

 dom shown by the Manager, for he does 

 not undertake to defend any suits where 

 only personal spites or feelings are the 

 motives, but only where the interests of 

 the fraternity as a whole are at stake. 



Yet, however encouraging the above 

 may appear, it is a singular fact, that only 

 about 300 of our 300,000 bee-keepers of 

 North America, have interest enough in the 

 matter to pay the SI fee demanded of them 

 annually, to help carry on this good work 

 of protecting our interest, and enlighten- 

 ing the public generally, regarding the im- 

 portant place our pursuit occupies among 

 the agricultural interests of the world. 



The great purpose in the creation of the 

 bee was the fertilization of flowers, so that 

 all plants and trees whose flowers were not 

 self-fertilizing, might become productive, 

 and yet there are many persons, who have 

 the bees only to thank for their bountiful 

 harvests, who are so silly as to believe that 

 they are only like "a roaring lion going 

 about seeking whom they may devour." 



The Union is doing much to drive away 

 this fog and superstition, and the bee- 

 keeper who neglects or refuses to come to 

 its aid by joining the same, is standing in 

 his " own light," and showing a narrowness 

 of mind not justifiable in any one. 



Xlie Speed ot Bees. — Quite fre- 

 quently we hear of experiments being 

 made, to endeavor to find out just how 

 fast bees fly— as well as how far they go in 

 search of nectar. All such experiments are 

 interesting, and often not unprofitable, as 

 they serve to awaken a greater interest in 

 the "busy bee," aside from its honey- 

 gathering ability. The testimony of an 

 English engineer, regarding the speed of a 

 bumble-bee, is given in the following para- 

 graph: 



Some years ago, in England, I was out 

 on an engine that we had rebuilt, during 

 her trial trip. A bumble-bee took a fancy 

 to investigate us, and after looking us all 

 over on all sides, it began making a circle 

 around the smoke-stack, varying from one 

 foot to three feet from it. It seemed to do 

 it with the greatest ease, for several min- 

 utes, and then left us, to find itself six or 

 eight miles from where it joined us. We 

 were going close on to sixty mUes an hour. 

 How fast was the bee going, when circling 

 around the smoke-stack? 



Aniongf the many who have been af- 

 flicted during the past month of general 

 tribulation, we may mention our friend J. 

 W. Sanders, ot Le Grand, Iowa— his whole 

 family having been quite severely afllicted 

 — but all are now hoped tobe out of danger. 



Vlie Intemallonsil Bee-Association 

 should be a rei)iesentative body. That was 

 the intention of the committee when pre- 

 senting the now Constitution and By-Laws, 

 This we have advocated in the Amekk ax 

 Bee Jouunai. at every opijortunitj', and we 

 hope ere long to see all the advantages of a 



' thoroughly organized representative body 

 fully realized. We commend to the atten- 

 tion of all, the following very pertinent 



, remarks of Mr. R. McKnight, of Owen 

 Sound, Ont. : 



The history of the International, so far, 

 shows that it is only such in name. A short 

 time ago Canadian bee-keepers were almost 

 ruled out, when its business matters came 

 in question, and justly so, for Canada 

 could only show two hands on a vote ; but 

 time works its changes, and to-day Canada 

 takes the most prominent place on its mem- 

 bership roll — numbering four to one as 

 against the States. Next year I suppose 

 all this will be changed, and Illinois will 

 "rule the roost." 



As long as this state of things go on, the 

 International cannot be what it ought to 

 be — the great representative body of the 

 industry in North America — an industry 

 that has made striking jirogress in recent 

 years. It is useful in its way, as now con- 

 stituted, but its present usefulness is noth- 

 ing, as compared with what it ought to be, 

 and what it might be. 



Its comparative lack of usefulness is not 

 to be looked tor in its Constitution, for this 

 requires few if any amendments. There is 

 in it all that is needed to make the Associa- 

 tion a felt power in the land. Not until the 

 Association becomes the recognized federal 

 head of the bee-keeping commonwealth of 

 America, will it have attained to the posi- 

 tion it ought to occupy, and this can never 

 be, until the State associations take advan- 

 tage of the provisions of its Constitution, 

 and become affiliated — send their delegates 

 to its meetings, carrying with them the 

 wants and the wishes of those they repre- 

 sent, and their suggestions respecting con- 

 certed action in matters affecting the gen- 

 eral interests of the fraternity. There is a 

 work the International can do, and a work 

 it ought to do, that no sectional association 

 can accomplish. It might as well never 

 have been called into being, if it fails in be- 

 coming a representative body. 



R. McKnight. 



"Concert of action" and a "union of 

 effort " will work (lood for the pursuit in 

 general, and we commend the remarks of 

 Mr. McKnight to all who are interested in 

 the welfare of the International, and its 

 destined work and ultimate accomplish- 

 ments. 



We«' <"^!ilalog;'nes and Price-Lists for 

 1890 are received from — 



E. L. Pratt, Marlboro, Mass. — 5 pages^ 

 Carniolan Queens. 



W. E. Clark, Oriskany, N. Y.— 26 pages— 

 Bee-Keepers' Supplies. 



W. J. Row, Greensbui-g, Pa. — 13 pages — 

 Queens, Bees, Hives, etc. 



H. D. Davis & Co., Bradford, Vt.— 10 

 pages — Hives and Supplies. 



American Manufactming Co., Buffalo, 

 N. Y. — 18 pages— Poultry Supplies. 



John Nebel & Son, High HUl, Mo.— 16 

 pages — Bees, and Bee-Keepers' Supples. 



Clubs of 5 for $4.00, to any addi-esses. 

 Ten for $7.50, if all are sent at one time. 



