596 



THE J5MERICJCH BE® JO^RNSlLr. 



Comventions of Ilee-Keepers is 



to receive considerable attention in the next 

 Reuiciv, and as an introduction to the dis- 

 cussion, Bro. Hutchinson starts out with the 

 following hints about their utility and use- 

 fulness : 



The season for holding conventions will 

 soon be here, thus the topic will be a fitting 

 one. These gatherings are intended for the 

 interchange of thought, the exchange of 

 views and experiences, and the enjoyment 

 of the pleasures that arise from a personal 

 acquaintance with those engaged in the 

 same pursuit as ourselves. 



Years ago, bee-keeping literature was not 

 so plentiful as it is now. Then, if a bee- 

 keeper heard of a paper containing an arti- 

 cle "on bees," he would tramp away off 

 across the town for the sake of reading it. 

 In those days, to attend a convention was a 

 great advantage. Those days are past. 

 Apiarian books and journals are now plenti- 

 ful and cheap. Through these mediums the 

 diffusion of knowledge has become well- 

 nigh universal. Even a thought is no 

 sooner born than it is wafted on the white 

 wings of journalism from one end of the 

 land to the other. So fully do the periodi- 

 cals keep abreast, yes ahead, of the times, 

 that conventions can do but little more than 

 talk over what has been already discussed 

 in the periodicals. For a few dollars, the 

 bee-keeper can have the best books and all 

 of the periodicals published. With these 

 he can sit down in the quiet of his home 

 and read them at his leisure. 



Under such circumstances, every point is 

 taken in and comprehended ; in the hurly- 

 burly of a convention many things are not 

 always clearly understood, or are driven 

 from the mind. How many up with-the- 

 times bee-keepers now go to these meetings 

 expecting, as the result, to come home 

 loaded down with information ? Not many. 

 It is not for that they go. It is to meet with 

 the " boys." 



It would be too sweeping an assertion to 

 say that no valuable knowledge is ex- 

 changed at these gatherings ; but, owing to 

 the thorough manner in which the journals 

 do their work, conventions are, more than 

 ever, great big, visiting-bees. " But to meet 

 our brother bee-keepers, to grasp their 

 hands, to rub our minds against theirs in 

 actual, personal conversation, is a great 

 thing. It brightens us, it sharpens us, it 

 gets us out of the ruts, and we go home with 

 a feeling of vim and freshness about us." 

 So we felt and wrote after returning from 

 the last meeting of the North American at 

 Columbus ; and so we still feel, but cannot 

 our conventions and associations be im- 

 proved ; be made to help us more in a 

 Hnancial way ? 



We know'it is not best to so magnify the 

 almighty dollar, that it hides everythini; 

 else, but of this there is no danger in this 

 connection. The social feature " will out ;" 

 the bee-keepers ivill visit ; so it is with a 

 clear conscience that we may turn our at 

 tion to the more utilitarian advantages that 

 may be gained by association. 



After the above the editor of the Bevicw 

 devotes two columns on the financial part, 

 and argues well on the desirability of hav- 

 ing a good Secretary, and paying him 

 liberally for the work, which he must do to 

 make the convention a success. This is, of 

 course, a feeler, and we shall look with 

 much interest for the opinions of his cor- 

 respondents on the points presented, and we 

 shall have our say about them hereafter. 



Care of Honey.— In the Farmer and 

 Poultry Ealser ■wetoA the following sen- 

 sible hints about the proper care of both 

 comb and extracted honey, and the impor- 

 tant fall work to be done in the apiary : 



All marketable honey should be removed 

 from the hives at the close of the flow. 

 Comb honey, if left on the hive, will be- 

 come soiled and dark, and its bright appear- 

 ance as a first class, marketable article will 

 be damaged ; hence it should be removed. 



If any extracting is to be done, it also 

 should be done at once, and not left to a 

 later day, as it will be found very difficult 

 to uncap and extract honey at a time of 

 dearth. Some very important work is to be 

 done in fixing bees up properly at the clos- 

 ing of the honey season. We very often 

 find queenless colonies now, especially if 

 much swarming is done, and all such colo- 

 nies are a bait for robbers, and they seldom 

 fail to find them. 



After the close of the honey-flow the bees 

 seem to have a mania for robbing, and if we 

 carelessly leave colonies in such condition 

 as not to be able to protect themselves, rob- 

 bing is sure to follow ; and if once they get 

 well started at it, they will give trouble 

 throughout the entire season. Hence, take 

 precaution in time and prevent this difficulty. 



Examine every colony and ascertain if 

 they have a fertile queen ; there should be 

 brood in all stages now, if the queen is all 

 right. It this cannot be found, something 

 is wrong. 



Do not leave surplus honey around where 

 the bees have access to it. You may think 

 that you have stored it away in some house 

 or building, but it must be very securely 

 stored, or the bees will find it ; and if they 

 once get a taste, they will bother your 

 dwelling-houses and prov§ a pest to your 

 neighbors ; hence prevent all such, by clos- 

 ing everything well, and making all things 

 secure as you go. 



After the close of the honey season, 

 market your comb honey if you can get a 

 fair price for it. If not, hold it. It may be 

 kept in good condition, but must receive the 

 best of care. Look ont for ants, as they are 

 very destructive. They will puncture the 

 cappings and ruin your crop. Place your 

 comb honey on tables with their feet 

 set in basins of water and kerosene-oil. In 

 this manner the ants cannot reach it. 

 Cover the honey with thin muslin to keep 

 the dust off, and also give it light. Never 

 put honey of any kind in a cellar or under- 

 ground repositories of any kind. Keep it 

 high and dry. The garret is better than the 

 cellar. 



Heat will not Injure honey, it will only 

 tend to ripen it into a better quality. 



Do not put extracted honey into tight re- 

 ceptacles until it is thoroughly ripened. 

 Leave an air-hole for the gas to escape. 



Xlic <luca$;o Convention will be 

 held on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 



11 and 13, 1889. The Railroad Traffic 

 Association has made a rate of one fare for 

 the round trip from any point within 200 

 miles of Chicago, good on Oct.lO,and can be 

 used on any train returning after that until 

 Monday, Oct. 14. The first session will be 

 held at 9 o'clock in the morning of Friday, 

 and an adjournmentcan be had on Saturday 

 afternoon In time for those who may wish to 

 return on that day. Those who can remain 

 over Sunday will have an opportunity of 

 visiting our magnificent churches and cathe- 

 drals in the morning and evening, and of tak- 

 ing a pleasant walk in the parks or riding 

 on the boulevards in the afternoon, as their 

 inclination and tastes may lead them. 



Seasonable Hints.— Now that the 

 principal honey crop for the present year is 

 gathered, we should give attention to 

 another .subject which is of more importance 

 just now than securing the crop — and that 

 is, how to successfully put the product upon 

 the market. Mr. 6. A. Skinner, in the 

 American Rural Home, mentions the fol- 

 lowing points to which it will pay to give 

 full attention. He says : 



In crating comb honey two grades should 

 be made. No. 1 being white and perfect 

 combs, while that which is somewhat in- 

 ferior should go as No. 3. Never mis two 

 grades in the same crate, putting the white 

 on the outside, and the dark in the center, 

 as I have seen done, as this causes the cus- 

 tomer to think he is not getting what he 

 bargains for, and leads to the overhauling of 

 the contents of the cases. This often causes 

 the honey to be bruised and otherwise In- 

 jured, and made to leak, thereby daubing 

 many of the crates, which results in dis- 

 gusted dealers and low prices. 



Some bee-keepers rush into market with 

 poor honey early in the season, and sell it 

 at unreasonably low prices, thus causing a 

 depreciation in the price of a good article 

 put up with care. This should not be so, 

 and is not doing as we would be done by. 

 There need be no hurry, as honey is not a 

 perishable article like small fruits and some 

 other things ; but on the contrary, honey 

 rather improves with age if properly kept. 



Jndjsrin;; on Bees and Honey at 



Fairs.— These are the "points" adopted 

 for the Hall County, Nebr., Fair as the 

 standard for j udging the exhibits. As they 

 are quite complete, and well digested, we 

 give them in their entirety for the guidance 

 of others : 



Comb Honey.— 1. Perfection of capping. 

 3. Evenness of surface. 3. Whiteness of 

 capping. 4. General appearance as to mar- 

 ketability. 



Extracted Homey.— 1. Cleanliness. 2. 

 Clearness. 3. Flavor. 



Bees.— Test tor colonies shall be the net 

 gain in stores, and will be determined by the 

 weight of honey that can be extracted from 

 the combs of the second and third stories 

 (if there be a third story). Each colony 

 shall be weighed, inspected and sealed at 

 the commencement of the trial, and ex- 

 tracted as above stated at its close. No 

 caging of queens will be allowed, or any 

 practice by which a colony is put out of a 

 normal condition. The bees of each colony 

 shall be the sole progeny of the queen 

 therein, and no colony shall be entitled to 

 compete for a premium not showing, when 

 handled, the ordinary amiability of pure 

 Italians. The test for colonies shall end on 

 Thursday night of the Fair. 



No colony shall be admitted coming from 

 any locality in which there is any reason to 

 suspect the presence of foul brood. 



Honey-.HercIiant Head.- The Cal- 

 ifornia J?Vi((t Qrowerot the 7th inst., makes 

 this sad announcement : 



One of San Francisco's representative 

 business men has passed away, and we are 

 called upon to record the death of Mr. S. 

 Steiner, a member ot the firm of Schacht, 

 Lemcke & Steiner of this city. Mr. Steiner 

 died at his residence on Thursday, Sept. 0, 

 from pneumonia, after a very brief illness. 

 Mr. Steiner was past the prime of life, but 

 apparently strong and hearty, and gave 

 business matters his personal, active atten- 

 tion. He leaves a wife and seven children 

 to mourn their loss. 



