Tu.m itimmmic-iLM mmi^ jourkkit. 



73 



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There is a bee-space between the super 

 ami the top of the bi'ood-framcs. 



When I put the bees into the celhir, 

 1 turn the bottom-board iijiside down, 

 which leaves a 2-inch space below the 

 frames ; and as the bottom-board is 

 l(inf!;er than the hive, I can see the 

 under surface of the frames, b}' hold- 

 ing a light in the right position ; and 

 looking under once a week, I can de- 

 tect any unusual mortality. 



It is a pleasure to go in the cellar 

 when the temperature is below zero, 

 and see the clusters of bees as large as 

 the top of my head, some of them 

 hanging 2 inches below the frames, 

 and resting on the bottom-board. Very 

 few dead bees have dropped down yet 

 — I think that 1 could get them all into 

 a quart measure, from 85 colonies. 



Redwood Falls, Minn. 



MAINE. 



Proceeding§ of tlie Bce-Keep- 

 ers' Convention. 



Reported for the American Bee Journal 



BV L. F. ABBOTT. 



The ninth annual session of the 

 Maine State Bee-Keepers' Association 

 was held ou Jan. 8, 9 and 10, 1889, at 

 Brunswick. This meeting was de- 

 signed to unite all the local societies 

 in the State, in one grand convention. 

 The Maine State Society is the oldest 

 organization. Next is the Western 

 State Society, formed some three or 

 four j'Cars subsequentlj', and later the 

 Maine Apicultural Society, organized 

 three years ago, but which has done 

 but little towards discu,ssing the bee- 

 question. Although the past season 

 has been the poorest in the annals of 

 bee-keeping in Maine, a fair represen- 

 tation was present at the opening 

 session. 



The opening discussion, set in mo- 

 tion by the President's address, turned 

 mainly upon hives and the wintering 

 problem. 



Factors of Success in Uee-Keep- 

 ing. 



Rev. C. M. Herring, of Brunswick, 

 who had success in bee-keeping, made 

 some points in his address which will 

 be of interest to note. He alluded to 

 the unstable chaiacter of the enter- 

 prises in which men engage. Success 

 and failure are common to all. In 

 boc-culture, the failures are frequent, 

 which should lead to the inquiry, 

 whore lies the road of success ? He 

 would saj-, first in the man. One 

 should understand the nature of these 

 insects, and so comprehend their 

 wants. Second, another secret of suc- 

 cess lies in the bee, and mainly in the 

 blood. All bees, like all men, are not 



of equal value. As with horses, cows, 

 sheep and swine, blood will tell. We 

 find in all organic life that inter- 

 breeding of the same blood diminishes 

 the vital forces ; ;ind also that con- 

 tinued crossing between the diller(Mit 

 races, improves the stock. It is a mis- 

 take to think that all bees are alike. 

 Another factor of success lies in the 

 hive — a hive of tlie right size and 

 form, and made to protect from cold. 

 The best requisite lie would name for 

 the hive is thick walls ; next the cubic 

 form, so that the bees can mass in 

 close proximity to the stoi'es. These 

 two ideas he held lirmly as a means 

 of success. 



The discussion of the points pre- 

 sented in the President's address called 

 out quite diverse opinions. Mr. 

 Greelej', of Clinton, took quite a strong 

 ground against the cubic form of hives. 

 Dr. Morton, of Bethel, seconded Mr. 

 Greeley's views. The discussion re- 

 vealed the fact that nearly all the bee- 

 keepers were using the oblong frame 

 of the Langstroth pattern. Mr. Rey- 

 nolds, of Clinton, was of the opinion 

 that chaft' hives were superior to 

 wooden walls. Mrs. Hinckle\% of 

 Bowdoinham, believed in protecting 

 hives in winter. The practice is quite 

 well established by placing bees in the 

 cellar, as the safest i)lace to winter. 



Races omees. 



Mr John Reynolds, of Clinton, gave 

 his ideas as to races of bees. He 

 thought that each one should decide 

 for himself the value of many things 

 in use in bee-keeping, and in regard 

 to different races of bees. In his opin- 

 ion, climate creates races of bees ; 

 races succumb to climate. Maine's 

 climate creates a dark race of bees ; 

 the climate of Italy and the Isle of 

 Cyprus originated a yellow race of 

 bees. Different races are all equallj* 

 good, perhaps, in their own locality. 

 In his opinion, whoever attempts to 

 keep all races of bees in one locality, 

 will not succeed. 



An essay by Mr. I. F. Plumraer, of 

 Augusta, contained some points and 

 suggestions. 



LiOcal Uee-Associatious. 



Mrs. W. M. Hincklej', of Bowdoin- 

 ham, sent an essay, mainly devoted to 

 suggestions concerning the work of 

 the associations. She thought that 

 every town where bees are kept should 

 have a regularly organized society of 

 bee-keepers, holding meetings and 

 comparing notes at least twice a year. 

 There should be one central State 

 society, composed of the Presidents 

 and Seci'etaries, or of specially elected 

 delegates from each town in the State, 

 regularly incorporated, with power to 

 elect its own officers from members as 



furnished by the town societies, and to 

 transact business as its necessities 

 demanded. 



The State societ3' .should select care- 

 ful, intelligent men in every jiart of 

 the State to sujierintend the careful 

 testing of the dillerent races of l)ees, 

 the difterent methods of handling, 

 feeding and swarming; the various 

 hives before the public, especially those 

 that have secured such a foothold in 

 the public mind as to allow them to 

 claim standard merit ; all the dillerent 

 frames and tools and methods of 

 manipulation in use, and who shall 

 clearly and faithfully report their ob- 

 servations to the Secretary of the State 

 society at the close of each season's 

 work. 



'I'Ue nome market tor Honey. 



One of the questions discussed was, 

 " Creating a Home Market." Mrs. 

 Crockett, of Foxcroft, sent an essay 

 which was read by the Secretai'y, giv- 

 ing her views upon the subject. 



Mrs. Crockett spoke of the difficulty 

 of getting the idea established that 

 honey is a staple article of diet, rather 

 than a luxurj', and cheaper than ber- 

 ries and canned fruit. One thing that 

 will go far to make a market, is to 

 convince the consumers that the honey 

 we put upon the market is absolutely 

 pure, and hence, a healthy article of 

 diet. 



There are confused ideas among 

 customers regarding extracted honey, 

 many believing it to be impure. Hence, 

 we drop the term and call the product 

 comb and "strained" honej", the latter 

 term being a familiar one j'cars ago 

 when bees were kept in box-hives. 



The essaj'ist preferred to sell honey 

 direct to consumers rather than sell in 

 the wholesale market. 



The profit the trade puts on, above 

 the wholesale cost, brings the product 

 too high, so that the masses cannot 

 ailbrd to purchase it ; still if we sell 

 direct to the consumer, and furnish 

 those who prefer comb honey with the 

 best quality at remunerative rates, we 

 shall find plenty to take our second 

 quality for one or two cents less per 

 pound. It pa3s to have the sections 

 clean and nice, and the clear honey 

 put up in attractive form. 



Xlie Feeding ofUees. 



How to feed bees in the fall econo- 

 micallj' and with the best advantage 

 to the colon}', was the subject of some 

 discussion. Mr. Greelej- gave his plan 

 of late feeding, by turning thick sugar 

 syrup, slightly warmed, directly into 

 tiie coralis. Colonies so fed late in 

 October capjjed the combs so treated, 

 and he expected them to winter well 

 on the same. 



Feeding in the cellar with frames of 

 sealed honey might be accomplished 



