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CONVENTION DIRECTORY. 



1891. Time and place of meeting. 



Jan. !, 2.— Michigan state, at Detroit, Mich. 



H. D. Cutting, Sec, Clinton, Mich. 



Mav 7.— Susquehanna County, at Montrose, Pa. 



U. M. Seeley, Sec, Hartord, Pa. 



11^" In order to have this table complete, 

 Secretaries are requested to forward full 

 particulars of the time and the place of 

 each future meeting.— Tue Editor. 



International Bee-Association. 



President— Hon. R. L. Taylor.. Lapeer, Mich. 

 SECRET.iBY— C. P. Dadant Hamilton, Ills. 



National Bee-Keepers' Union. 



President- James Heddon ..Dowagiac, Mich. 

 Sec'y and Manager- T. G. Newman, Chicago. 



Rhode Island Kpiculturc— The 



following is the spring report of the apiar- 

 ist, at the Rhode Island Agricultural Ex- 

 periment Station, taken from advance 

 sheets of Bulletin No. 7. Part 3 : 



Of the 13 colonies of bees wintered out- 

 of-doors last season, all lived but one. This 

 colony was the weakest when prepared 

 for winter. The others were in fine condi- 

 tion April 1, the time of the first examina- 

 tion, and all were afterward built up into 

 prosperous colonies. The two strong colo- 

 nies and one weak one, placed in the farm- 

 house cellar Nov. 6, were alive at this time, 

 although the record kept by Mr. Adams of 

 the temperature near them, showed the 

 place had been much too cold and variable 

 for the safe wintering of bees. From 42 to 

 45 degrees is generally accepted as the 

 best temperature for a bee-cellar, while in 

 this cellar, during February and March, 

 the temperature ranged between 30 and 

 39 degrees nearly two-thirds of the time, 

 and reached as high as 44 degrees but four 

 times. On Feb. 26 the thermometer reg- 

 istered 26 degrees in the morning, 28 de 

 grees at noon, and 27 degrees at night. On 

 April 17, each of the 12 hives outside in 

 the apiary had good patches of brood in 

 from 2 to 6 combs, and quite a number of 

 young bees, and the strongest were given 

 as material for brood-rearing a quart of 

 syrup at one feed. 



Of the 3 colonies wintered in the cellar, 

 all contained live bees, but upon examina- 

 tion, after they were removed to the api- 

 ary, the weak colony was found to have 

 dwindled away to but a handful, the inter- 

 ior of the hive was also badly fouled, 

 therefore the combs were given to other 

 colonies. The other two had eggs and 

 larv* in a few cells, and nearly as much 

 capped syrup as when placed in the cellar, 

 and were strong in bees. The combs were 

 somewhat soiled, and the outer ones were 

 moldy, the result of low temperature and 

 dampness. Both were packed in outer 

 cases the same as the other colonies. At 

 this time, maples were in bloom, and as 

 there was an abundance of sealed stores in 

 the hive, they were not fed. As with the 

 others no more combs were left than were 

 covered with bees, and the extra combs of 

 honey were placed outside the division- 

 board where they might visit them on 

 warm days. 



The bees wintered outside were strong 

 and ready for the honey-flow the earliest. 

 They had used more stores, but had its 



equivalent in young bees and brood. The 

 past winter was very favorable to out-door 

 wintering, and any colony of good strength 

 having plenty of sealed stores, even if un- 

 protected, should have wintered well. The 

 cellar was unsuitable, its temperature at 

 times going below freezing, however the 

 colonies of good strength survived. The 

 weak colonies, with plenty of good food, 

 were lost under each method. Had the 

 winter been severe, with long continued 

 cold and a backward spring, the bees in a 

 suitable cellar would, no doubt, have 

 shown the best record. 



Though in our winter preparations the 

 arrangements considered most safe and 

 convenient were adopted, and no competi- 

 tive tests of the two methods were intend- 

 ed, the novice may learn something from 

 results, and see the importance of having 

 colonies strong for winter and spring, in 

 order to have them suflSciently populous to 

 best improve the time during the honey 

 harvest, and realize the folly of attempting 

 to winter several weak colonies, when a 

 powerful colony may be made by uniting 

 them. It is not, however, intended that he 

 should receive the impression that it is 

 advisable or safe for him to open hives 

 previous to the first of May in this State. 



SPRINt4 FEEDING. 



That the colonies mightbebuit up quickly 

 and made very populous by the time of the 

 honey flow from apple blossoms, we de- 

 sired that each should receive daily a small 

 quantity of food to stimulate brood-rear- 

 ing. As our visits to the Station at that 

 time were made not oftener than once in 

 ten days, the usual plan of regularly giving 

 in a feeder a small quantity of thin syrup, 

 could not be followed, therefore to accom- 

 plish the same, or similar results, we 

 adopted the plan of feeding soft undis- 

 solved sugar in the hive. As with daily 

 syrup feeding, though in less degree, this 

 could not be done, without danger of 

 greater loss than gain, until the weather 

 allowed the bees almost daily flights. 



Up to that time those colonies having 

 suflicient stores were not fed, or their 

 stores uncapped, empty combs only were 

 given as required ; but early in May good 

 moist sugar were sni)plied in frame feeders 

 hung next to the brood-combs, and suffi- 

 cient given to last until another visit. This 

 was renewed as needed, and the result was 

 all that could be desired. 



As the apple bloom apparently failed to 

 secrete nectar, the feeders were allowed to 

 remain until sometime previous to the 

 honey- flow from clover, when they were 

 removed from all colonies that were to be 

 used for honey-production ; and at the 

 commencement of the harvest all combs of 

 stores that might contain this feed were 

 also removed and given to nucleus colo- 

 nies. This method of 



DRY SUGAR FEEDING, 



as it is called, was brought before the pub- 

 lic by Mr. Samuel Sinimins. of England, 

 and is described in various English books 

 and publications on bee-culture, but we 

 believe is little understood or followed in 

 this count!'}'. 



After several years' trial of the plan, on 

 a somewhat extended scale, we do not hesi- 

 tate to recommend it. It is well suited to 

 the management of out-apiaries, where but 

 occasional visits are made, and in all cases, 

 though possibly in a dry country not so 

 efl'ective as syrup feeding, saves the trouble 

 of making syrup, and the time required in 

 its daily distribution, while the danger of 

 the disastrous results of occasionally omit- 

 ting the daily ration is avoided. 



Instead of dry sugar, moist sugar like 

 good grades of molasses and C sugar are 

 best, but the former should first be well 

 drained. This, placed in a feeder where the 



heat and moisture is confined, is slowlj- 

 licked up or liquefied by the bees. The- 

 rapidity with which this is done depends- 

 upon the heat and moisture in the hive. 



By placing an enameled cloth, enameled 

 side down, over the frames in place of the- 

 porous covering, the loss of * moisture, so- 

 desirable in freezing weather, may be les- 

 sened, while by removing the warm cush- 

 ions or quilts from part of its surface, 

 condensation of moisture takes place upon 

 the enameled face beneath, and furnishes; 

 water to promote more rapid work. 



The sugar may be placed in an ordinary 

 syrup feeder, or wrapjjed in cheese-cloth> 

 and laid over the frames, but the arrange- 

 ment we prefer and us9> here is similar to- 

 Mr. Simmins' pattern, and consists of a 

 hollow dummy, having the same length and 

 depth as the brood-frame, and a similar 

 top-bar and a movable side that does not 

 reach the top-bar by '4 inch. 



This is filled by removing the side, while- 

 the space at the top allows the bees access, 

 and but little escape of heat. If the inside- 

 space is more than an inch wide, comb will 

 be buill therein. 



This method of feeding is only suitable- 

 for spring stimulation, but is invaluable in 

 a poor season to prevent starvation, for 

 queen-rearing, for building up nuclei, and 

 working for increase, or drawing out foun- 

 dation, as well as for promoting brood-rear- 

 ing after removing what is in some locali- 

 ties the only honey croj) of the season. By 

 using soft candy of best granulated sugar. 

 it may be made to piece out scant stores iit 

 the fall. Samuel Cushm.4.n. 



The Uses for Honey.— A corres- 

 pondent in the loiva Homestead, in an. 

 article on the value and uses of honey^ 

 says : 



The extensive use of sugar on fruits is- 

 not as bad as the cake and cooky mania 

 that rages in so many kitchens. The fruit 

 acids largely neutralize the indiscriminate 

 and injudicious use of sugar. It is no seri- 

 ous thing to eat considerable saccharine 

 food in a pure state, but not in the form of 

 pure refined sugar. 



If eaten and taken in the form of honey, 

 it at once becomes a valuable medicine 

 and food. Instead of having it given us in 

 this form in a mixture with bulk foods, as 

 in the cane and beet, we have it mingled 

 with fruit juices exuded from flowers, 

 highly charged with medicinal properties 

 in the alchemy of nature and the apothe- 

 cary of the bee-hive. 



The advantages of honey as a medicine- 

 or food are too extensive to be considered • 

 at length here. Honey taken as a food be 

 comes a powerful medicine to the sugar- 

 fed and half-diseased, and many must 

 begin on small quantities and acquire an, 

 appetite for it. 



Foul air, improper ventilation, coal gases, 

 together with the sudden change and ex- 

 posure of lungs and throat to zero weather, 

 or worse, in a moment, is the source to uo- 

 end of throat and bronchial troubles. A 

 free, regular and constant use of honey i» 

 probably the best medicine for throat 

 troubles there is, and its regular use would 

 be largely corrective here. It is alwaire^ 

 best to take our medicine and food together. 



]^e>v Subscribers can have the Bee 

 JouRN.\L and the Illustrated Home Jour- 

 nal from now until the end of 1891 for 

 *1.3o. This is a rare opportunity of club- 

 bing two valuable periodicals for a slight 

 advance upon the price of one, and getting 

 the rest of this year free. 



