90 



both in summer and winter. He lias 

 now five houses ; and used them six 

 years. A cheap board-house, 8x16 

 feet, with 6-foot walls, will hold about 

 40 colonies. 



An essay was read by V. DeVinney, 

 on the " Duties of Members of the 

 State Bee-Keepers' Association." After 

 remarks by several as to the duties of 

 members to encourage apiculture and 

 cencentration of power by State and 

 local clubs and personal work, and at- 

 tendance at all bee-meetings, the con- 

 vention adjourned for dinner. 



THE AFTERNOON SESSION. 



At 1 p.m. President Milleson called 

 the convention to order, which then 

 listened to 



Xlie Presitlent's Address : 



The intellectual activity that is being 

 aroused in every department of pro- 

 duction on the farm should stir us to a 

 more energetic perseverance and un- 

 tiring, persistent determination to 

 overcome every obstacle that the bee- 

 keepers of the great State of Colorado 

 may have to contend with. When we 

 seek for information as to the success 

 or failure of bee-keeping in the great 

 Northwest, on every hand, and on the 

 Pacific slope, we find indications that 

 the great honey resource of California 

 has reached its highest possible figure, 

 and if the arguments of the California 

 apiarists be true, California will never 

 again contest with Colorado for the 

 supremacy as a honey-producing State. 



Of course, it may seem strange to 

 some that have not studied much on 

 this particular subject, that we ven- 

 ture to take such high ground, but 

 how can we live in and breathe the 

 pure air of our great and fast-growing 

 State, and not feel the quickening of 

 the pulse of push and enterprise in 

 every department of labor ? When I 

 look back six years, and see the rapid 

 strides the bee-keepers have made in 

 that short time it is putting it mildly 

 to say that I am satisfied and proud of 

 the result. Notwithstanding the grip 

 the foul brood has made on some of 

 our heretofore best apiaries, we see the 

 bee-keepers increasing in number on 

 every hand, all over the State, and 

 with grand results. 



Many people look upon bee-keeping 

 as a side issue, expecting to produce only 

 sufficient honey for their own tables, 

 whereas the facts are that if the farmer 

 would give more time to the bees at 

 the proper time, the return would be 

 greater in money value than either the 

 dairy or the poultry yards. Some bee- 

 keepers (a very few) have become a 

 little discouraged on account of foul 

 brood, and "off years," as we term it. 

 when the little toilers fail to give us a 

 grand crop of surplus nectar ; but do 



we carefully take into consideration 

 how often the poultry-yard fails to 

 show satisfactory figures ; or the potato 

 crop turns out a partial or a complete 

 failure ; or the number of busliels of 

 grain falls below an average crop ; or 

 when tlie price of beef falls so very 

 low that the stock-grower becomes (as 

 well he may) very much discouraged, 

 and finds himself engaged in the very 

 unsatisfactory pastime, figuratively at 

 least, kicking himself around liis corral 

 for not having sold his stock when he 

 could have done so at a good profit ? 



Very few people are aware of the 

 magnitude of the bee-keepers' occupa- 

 tion. There are, according to esti- 

 mates, about 300,000 bee-keepers in 

 the United States and Canada, and if 

 every bee-keeper has 15 "colonies," it 

 would swell the grand total to 4,500,000; 

 and an average surplus put at the low 

 estimate of 30 pounds to the " colony," 

 would give an amount of 135,000,000 

 pounds of surplus in one year, which, 

 at 10 cents per pound, would bring 

 .113,500,000. We might reasonably add 

 to that already large amount one pound 

 of wax to each " mother colony" at 15 

 cents per pound, wliich would give us 

 the net sum of $675,000. Thus we find 

 our department of industry would give 

 employment to a vei-y great number of 

 workmen in the manufacture of hives, 

 honey-crates, and all kinds of ma- 

 terial for carrying on an industry. But 

 enough of this. 



Allow me to thank you for the uni- 

 form kindness and forbearance on 

 your part to me. While I am well 

 aware of my inability to preside over 

 this association, as well as many of 

 you are, yet I must say that it has 

 been a source of pleasure to me, hav- 

 ing had your uniform and hearty as- 

 sistance, and in taking leave of you at 

 tlie end of the second term as your 

 presiding officer, I can assure you that 

 whatever relation I may sustain in the 

 future to this association, I will always 

 cherish with pleasure our relations in 

 the past, and stand ready to help in 

 every way that I can, hoping that you 

 will look to our neighboring counties 

 for the officers for the coming year. 

 It would be a pleasure to me to have 

 an excuse to go away from home to 

 attend the next annual meeting of the 

 Colorado State Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion — either north, south or west. 

 Bear in mind, please, I hope you will 

 divide the honors as well as the labor 

 with our neigbors in the other coun- 

 ties. E. Milleson. 



The following officers were elected 

 for the ensuing year : 



President, E. Milleson ; Vice-Presi- 

 dent, W. L. Porter ; County Vice- 

 Presidents : H. Knight, Arrapahoe ; 

 W. Emery, Boulder ; Mr. Beal, Weld ; 

 L. Brock, Jefferson ; O. F. Blair, Las 



Animas ; N. C. Alford, Larimer ; A. 

 Cushman, Montrose; member of Ex- 

 ecutive Committee, Mrs. L. Booth. 



R. H. Rhodes read an essay on 

 "Foul Brood." It is a fatal disease, 

 that all must help to keep out or eradi- 

 cate. The law on the subject should 

 be well distributed by bee-keepers, and 

 published by all papers. Immediate 

 cremation of badly affected comb and 

 iiives is a heroic medicine. 



J. M. Clark's extempore " essay" on 

 "The honey market," was full of good 

 points and hints for the interest of all. 

 It is best to have a general agent or a 

 house to buy all your surplus honey at 

 a fair price, so that the home supply 

 can be under control, and be able to 

 compete with outside competition. For 

 industrial producers to go on the 

 street and peddle their honey at any 

 and all prices, will work harm to them 

 and the whole fraternity, and help to 

 flood the State with all sorts of inferior 

 honey from abroad. Put good, clean 

 honey in neat, attractive, packages. 

 Two-tier 24-pound, square crates are 

 best. Sell by net weight ; no pay for 

 crates, only in better price for the 

 honey. 



Colorado honey is at the head of the 

 class for quality. Mr. Davis exhibited 

 three crates in the East, and all ac- 

 knowledged it superior. The demand 

 is good, and the supply is getting 

 short. Extracted honey is also in de- 

 mand. All producers should belong 

 to a joint-stock commission house, as 

 with their sympathy and a good bank 

 account, you can do a better business. 

 Out of 400 bee-keepers, 125 have re- 

 ported 125,000 pounds of honey. Let 

 all apiarists look, and work, for the 

 general and continuous interest and 

 State market, and not let a few paltry 

 cents and temporary selfish motives 

 injure the general market and fra- 

 ternity of bee-keepers. 



Before adjourning, it was decided to 

 have a two days' session next year. — 

 Colorado Farmer. 



FOUL BROOD. 



Are there Two Distinet Kinds 

 of the Disease i 



Written for the Americam, JieeJcyu/mal 



BY WM. S. BARCLAY. 



In my early efforts in bee-keeping 

 (37 years ago), if I could except my 

 perplexity in wintering bees, my next 

 difficulty was to overcome the ravages 

 of the moth ; this, to our present en- 

 terprising bee-keepers, may seem a 

 wonder ; but should they reflect, they 

 will remember that it was in the days 

 of the black or German bee. Now, as 

 the Italian bee has become the princi- 



