418 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



the nature and value of the nectar-bear- 

 ing plants of their locality, and cultivate 

 such as are of the most value. 



In the discussion following the essay, 

 it was asked whether sweet clover was 

 of any value as a honey-producing plant. 

 C. H. Coon had bought a peck of sweet 

 clover seed and gave it to neighbors and 

 to teamsters to scatter along the high- 

 way as they drove along, yet from the 

 whole peck of seed he had seen but two 

 plants, and they were grown in pots. He 

 thought the seed, perhaps, might be 

 poor, and he sent some to the Agricul- 

 tural Experiment Station, and 75 to 80 

 per cent, of the seed germinated ; so he 

 made up his mind that the soil, which 

 was mostly clay, was at fault. He had 

 seen sweet clover grow luxuriantly on 

 sandy, and also on mucky soil, but as it 

 is a poor plant for pasture or hay, he 

 does not think it would pay to plant for 

 honey alone. 



The fact was developed during the 

 discussion that in some localities the 

 golden-rod failed to blossom the past 

 season, which M. E. Mason attributed 

 to the dry weather just before the bloom, 

 which blasted the flower in the bud. 



In respect to planting the basswood for 

 honey, L. D. Freeman said it would take 

 a long time after planting before it 

 would blossom enough to yield honey in 

 quantities to pay for the outlay. 



D. H. Throop had basswood yield 

 honey in a very few years after planting, 

 besides he had a most beautiful shade 



C. H. Coon had basswood bloom the 

 fifth year after planting. He felt cer- 

 tain that we would have a good season 

 next Summer, because we have had a 

 hard Winter. The past three seasons 

 being failures, might be caused by the 

 three preceding mild Winters. 



Mr. Throop, who had for thirty years 

 or more been keeping bees, said it was 

 nothing new to have seasons of failure. 

 Such things are to be expected. 



All the topics were earnestly and well 

 discussed, and all present agreed that 

 the time was profitably spent. 



The next meeting of the Association 

 was fixed at Saegertown, at the Eureka 

 Hotel, or, if thought best by the Execu- 

 tive Committee, a change could be made 

 to either Meadville or Union City. 



The following officers were elected for 

 the ensuing year : 



President, M. E. Mason, Andover, O. ; 

 Vice-President, B. W. Peck, Richmond 

 Centre, O. ; Treasurer, L,. D. Freeman, 



Venangoboro, Pa. ; Secretary, George 

 Spitler, Mosiertown, Pa. 



Executive Committee— L. D. Freeman, 

 Geo. Spitler, and John McGonnell, of 

 Mill Village, Pa. 



The time for holding the next meeting 

 of the Association will be fixed by the 

 Executive Committee, and announced in 

 due season. Geo. Spitlek, Sec. 



Bee-Reepini in Dtal. 



J. L. BUNTING. 



The honey interest is on the increase 

 here. There are about 275 .hives of 

 bees in Kane county, which I can say 

 from experience is the most profitable 

 industry we have. We know nothing of 

 disease, such as foul-brood ; the worst 

 feature is neglect on the part of those 

 who have but a few colonies, and take 

 no care of them. 



There is a local demand for all our 

 honey, which is of the very best quality, 

 being produced from the Rocky Moun- 

 tain bee-plant, which grows here on all 

 waste lands, also the alfalfa fields yield 

 much when we have water from Kanab 

 creek, and I am happy to say that our 

 future prospects are good; our new dam, 

 which has cost $18,000, is near comple- 

 tion. 



We have had no water for irrigation 

 the past two years, and in consequence 

 the honey crop has been about one-half 

 the amount it would have been with 

 irrigation. The bees suffer for the 

 want of water ; we have had to treat 

 them as we do our chickens, water them 

 in pans with a coarse cloth laid over. 



My bees average about 75 pounds of 

 extracted-honey to the hive, when we 

 have water, and about 40 pounds for 

 the last two years. What we need most 

 at present is to improve our bees by the 

 introduction of Italian queens, founda- 

 tion, sections for comb-honey, and suit- 

 able cans for placing our extracted- 

 honey on the m&rket.—Intermountain. 



Cortlanl Union Bee^Keepers' Convention. 



C. W. WILKINS. 



The February meeting of the Cortland 

 Union Bee-Keepers' Association was 

 held in the W. C. T. U. room at Cort- 

 land, N. Y., on the 2yrd inst., there 

 being a small attendance, owing to a 

 poor condition of the roads. 



