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it was moved that the members be 

 giveu the privilege to ili.si'iiss the ques- 

 tions in the box. Carried. 



The President appointed Messrs. 

 Nebel, Baldwin and Atkins as comiait- 

 tee on the qnostion-bo.\. 



It was moved to use question in box 

 as a programme. Carrietl. 



The prepare<l programme was tal^en 

 up as the regular order. 



"Should bee-keepers encourage the 

 patenting of bee-tixtures ?" It was 

 opened by J. W. Rouse as follows ; 



Brother Bce-Ker.pers ;— I hope I am only 

 expected to open this subject for discu.ssion. 



It is onr opinion that bee-keepers should 

 not encourage the patenting of bee fixtures. 

 While we will admit that there are many 

 lixtures used that bee-keepers could not 

 afford to do without, even should they cost 

 double their present price (as a patented 

 article always costs more, if not double, 

 than it would if not patented), still we 

 must enter a protest on patented fixtures, 

 and will give reasons for our opinions. 



In the first place, if all bee-fixtures were 

 patented that are now used, there would 

 be a great many less bee-keepers on account 

 of the increased cost of fixtures. 



It may be possible that some would not 

 count this a great calamity, but if this idea 

 should be carried out in all the productions 

 of the land, we think it would be a very 

 great calamity. 



Again, there is scarcely any fixture of 

 any kind now used that is the invention of 

 any one jierson, but what is a combination 

 of two and sometimes of many more per- 

 sons' invention. 



While there are now some patented 

 fixtures, the royalty on them prevents their 

 general use more than fixtures not patented. 



Besides these reasons a great many more 

 might be given against the patenting of 

 fixtures ; but we believe these are sufficient 

 to open the subject for discussion, but will 

 further add that in all our intercourse and 

 experience with bee-keepers, we have 

 always found them of a very liberal mind, 

 and communicative of bee-knowledge. 



We remember when we first started in 

 the business of visiting a noted bee-keeper, 

 now a member of this Association, and 

 while be found us very inquisitive, he an- 

 swered all of our questions, and gave us a 

 great deal of valuable information besides, 

 and iu addition to all that lodged us while 

 there free of cost to us, and treated us to 

 the first honey we had had for quite a 

 while. 



We have ever endeavored to carry out 

 this same liberal spirit since then, except 

 on one occasion, and that was when a 

 patent-right man lodged with us we charged 

 him for it, but have since repented of our 

 actions, as we learned he was a victim of 

 another patent-right man, and if he should 

 ever have occasion to visit us again, we 

 hope to treat him more lilierally. 



We do not wish to be understood that 

 patent-right men are not liberal minded, 

 because we have some grand men in our 

 ranks that have patents. But our inter- 

 course with each other, and our conven- 

 tions and bee-literature, all seem to us to 

 lie in a different rather than the patenting 

 spirit. 



J. Nebel — I never believe in patents, 

 and especially on bee-fixtures. They 

 are generally impractical. Some fix- 

 tures we could not do without even if 

 patented. I have some patented hives, 

 but do not want them for Italians. 



are not ])ractical, and I am opposed to 

 patent fixtures. 



G. P. Morton — While I feel more or 

 less of an inventive turn, and favor 

 patent rights, believing that pat(uits 

 have been a great incentive to im- 

 provement, I am opposed to patent- 

 ing bee-fixtures iu general. It would 

 raise the price of fixtui'es, if loaded 

 with a patent, necessitate the sale of a 

 territory, and thus limit the inventor 

 himself as to territory. A small article, 

 such as a smoker, will do well enough 

 when patented ; but, as a general rule, 

 a patented article in bee-fixtures nearly 

 always goes into obscurity. 



Heddon's hive is loaded with a 

 patent, making it very expensive, and 

 beyond the reach of most bee-keepers. 

 A patent concern cannot be changed 

 without renewing or vitiating the 

 patent. 



J. W. Rouse — I do not know that I 

 entirely oppose the patenting of some 

 articles. Patents would keep ns fi'om 

 manufacturing many articles. 



J. M. Haley — An inventor ought to 

 have compensation for his invention, 

 and bee-keepei-s ought to be willing to 

 pay something for using them. 



Mr. Pew — I never saw a patented 

 hive of any account. 



R. B. Leahy — It may look strange to 

 look at these ideas from a business 

 standpoint. When I first started I 

 used the Simplicity hive. I make a 

 hive of my own. and there may be 

 something about it which I might 

 patent, but when the idea occurs, it is 

 accompanied with another thought, and 

 there the idea stops. 



H. O. Calhoun — We ought not to en 

 courage patent bee-fixtures unless of 

 marked merit, and sold cheap. 



G. P. Morton was called upon to 

 condense the discussion. 



Mr. Morton — So far as the discussion 

 extended, it was in opposition to the 

 patenting of bee-fixtures in a general 

 way. A few fixtures, when made 

 cheap, might be patented. 



EVENING SESSION. 



■Which is the most profitable to 

 produce under the present market 

 prices, comb or extracted honey ?" 



Mr. Larch — It depends on location. 

 In many localities we sell little ex- 

 tracted-honey, and comb-honey sells 

 readily, and vice versa. 



Mr. Nebel — Every year is not alike. 

 When honey is scarce, extracted-honey 

 sells readily. When we have a good 

 year farmers sell too cheap — ten cents 

 in trade. In that condition of the 

 market practical bee-keepers lose. It 

 depends also on locality. I run both 

 ways, and can produce twice as much 

 extracted as comb honey, consequently 



They may do for blacks. Most patents ' the extracted pays me best. 



K. B. Leahy — -I want to bi'ing out a 

 few points that should not be over- 

 looked in this discussion. There is a 

 good deal in what a man is adapted 

 to. I never did like to handle comb- 

 honey. We must have nice, white, 

 clean sections for comb-honey. In a 

 poor season many are only partially 

 filled ; no bee-bread must be in them ; 

 they are expensive to ship ; the sec- 

 tions and starters add to the expense. 

 Witli extracted honey it is different. 

 Less care is re(iuired. less trouble. 

 less expense in shipping, and the combs 

 can be used again. 



Mr. Morton — I arranged 6 colonies 

 for the extractor ; 5 of them produced 

 100 pounds of honey in 30 da3.s. From 

 16 colonies I got 900 pounds of honey, 

 of which 55 pounds was extracted. I 

 can sell twice as much extracted as 

 comb honey. 



Mr. Pew — I think there is more 

 money in producing extracted-honey in 

 my localitj'. I can sell teu pounds of 

 extracted to one of comb-honey, and 

 the extracted is easier to produce. 



Mr. Atkins — We turn all our atten- 

 tion to oomb-houey, and where I sell 

 one pound of extracted I dispose of 

 500 pounds of comb-honey. 



Mr. Calhoun was called upou to 

 condense the discussion. 



Mr. Calhoun — As I understand i it 

 the sense of the Convention wouldjbe 

 that the production of extracted-honey 

 is the most profitable. 



"What are the relative merits of the 

 races of bees amongst us ?" 



With this question the following was 

 also submitted: "Will the Italian 

 bees be diminished in their good quali- 

 ties by crossing with the German or 

 any other race of bees ?" 



Mr. Baldwin — I know nothing of 

 any bees but Italians. They suit me. 

 It takes careful work to keep my Ital- 

 ians' blood up. A lower kind of the 

 same species will degenerate a higher. 

 A race above the Italians would lift 

 them up. 



Mr. Haley — Where the Italian bees 

 degenerate, do not the lower races 

 gain some ? 



Mr. Baldwin — The progeny from an 

 Italian queen crossed with a black 

 drone is better than that of a black 

 queeu crossed with an Italian drone. 



The further discussion of the ques- 

 tion was laid over to the second day. 



Mr. Rosser — How long will a comb 

 be good for brood-comb in a hive ? 



Mr. Nebel — I have some 18 years 

 old. 



Mr. Larch — I have combs used for 

 20 years. 



Mr. Atkins — I have combs that have 

 been used 15 years. 



• • What is the best method to stop 

 robbing ?" 



