rtmm mjmmmiQmn wmm jourh^iu. 



817 



■• * -^ * -^ * 



through a part of all the sessions, imbibing 

 all he can (why didn't the Doctor say ab- 

 sorbing) that is to be learned, but is sud- 

 denly struck with paralysis, when those 

 present are asked to walk up and pay their 

 dollars. If anything is said to him he may 

 reply: 'I just dropped in awhile to see 

 what is going on ; I don't know that I can 

 be here after this session, so it's hardly 

 worth while to become a member'." 



Since the last meeting of the Association 

 the sleepless destroyer. Death, has invaded 

 the ranks of our fraternity, and quietly 

 and noiselessly removed many loved ones, 

 adding their names to the long list of those 

 who have passed from this sphere of labor, 

 and enjoyment, as well as disappointment, 

 to try the realities of " the beyond." Many 

 of these were to us unknown, but, without 

 doubt, you will all remember the name of 

 Mrs. Mahala B. Chaddock, whom we ex- 

 pected to have met here, and who so re- 

 cently passed away, while, we may almost 

 say, the ink fi-om the pen that wrote for 

 our entertainment was scarcely dry. The 

 last verse of a poem written by her for the 

 Nov. number of the Illustrated Home Jour- 

 lUll seems now to have been written for 

 herself. She says : 



I am swineinc in my hammock old. 

 And I look awav to the hills of cold. 

 Where the reaper binds with ruthless hold, 



And fathers the Bidden sheaves. 

 'Tis meet that ripened j^rain should fall. 

 And the Heavenly Father watches all : 

 But o'er our lives there hantjs a pall- 

 She sleeps 'neatb the whispering leaves. 



E. C. Jordan, of Virginia, who has fre- 

 quently contributed to our bee-literature, 

 has passed away, and none of us knows 

 who will be the next. 



It has been truthfully said that in the 

 course of human events we all have our 

 joys and our sorrows, which are deep and 

 abiding. It becomes us then to accept these 

 joys, and, as best we may, modify our 

 griefs by a more thorough devotion to the 

 duties before us. ever thankful to the Great 

 Power which controls all for the manifold 

 bles.sings received. 



Mr. John Little, of this Province, Ont., 

 in an after-dinner speech at a meeting of 

 the American Horticultural Society, said 

 that he put horticulture and religion to- 

 gether, and was sorry he had not com- 

 menced earlier in life. 



We can substitute bee-keeping for horti- 

 culture, or what would be better still, add 

 it to the others, for horticulture, bee-cul- 

 ture and religion make a trio that go well 

 hand in hand, and if any of us are laggards 

 in either respect, let us rectify the mistake 

 at the earliest possible moment, for. 



This life to toil isgiven. 



And he improves it best. 

 Who seebs by patient labor 



To enter into rest : 

 Then pilKrim. worn and weary. 



Press on. the goal is high ; 

 The prize is straight before thee— 



There's resting by and by. 



In closing, I wish to tender this associa- 

 tion my profound and sincere thanks for 

 the confidence reposed in me, as shown by 

 your haviug twice chosen me as your pre- 

 siding ofticer. 



I accepted this evidence of your esteem, 

 with au earnest desire to discharge the 

 duties of the office acceptably, but with no 

 idea of doing it as acceptably as have the 

 ably, illustrious, scholarly, eloquent and 

 noted men who have preceded me; but I 

 shall ever remember with gratitude this 

 unexpected evidence of your esteem. 



With the most earnest and sincere desire 

 for the success and happiness of you all in 

 your chosen vocations, as the years go by, 

 1 wish you all God-speed. 



A. B. Mason. 



The adilress of the President was re- 

 ferred to a business committee as fol- 



lows : Prof. A. J. Cook, Chairman ; 

 E. R. Root, F. H. Macpherson, M. 

 Emigh, Wm. Couse, J. R. Howell, Wm. 

 Hislop. 



After the reading of the President's 

 address, the meeting adjourned until 

 8:30 a.m. 



SE: CO 1^13 3DA."3r. 



MORNING SESSION. 



President Mason called the meeting 

 to order at 8:30 a.m., and the conven- 

 tion listened to the reading of an essay 

 written by Miss H. F. Buller, of Camp- 

 bellford. Out., on 



Bee-Keepins: ^^ nn Occupation 

 tor Women. 



The question may be, and no doubt often 

 has been asked, "Is bee-keeping a suitable 

 or desirable occupation for women!" and 

 after having given it a pretty fair trial for 

 the last eight years, I am of the opinion 

 that there is no reason why any woman of 

 moderate strength and intelligence, should 

 not be able to take charge of an apiary of 

 from 80 to 50 colonies, with very little as- 

 sistance, and derive both pleasure and 

 profit from the emploj-ment; at the same 

 time, I doubt whether there are many who 

 would succeed very well in carrying on the 

 business alone, though of course there are a 

 few who would. 



In reading the numerous bee-papers that 

 are published nowadays, one frequentl.y 

 meets with articles on the subject of, 

 whether it is best to make a specialty of 

 bee-keeping, or combine it with some other 

 occupation. Now I do not believe that the 

 farmer can carry on both farming and bee- 

 keeping successfully himself, but if he has 

 either daughters or suns, who will make a 

 specialty of this department, bee-keeping, 

 it may very advantageously be combined 

 with farming; and 1 do not know of any 

 reason why girls might not make as great 

 a success of the business, as boys. 



The wife is supposed to have her hands 

 quite full enough with household work,and, 

 I may say, her head, too, and for any one, 

 either boy or girl, man or woman, to do 

 any good with bees, they must give them 

 their individual attention, and be really 

 interested, and enthusiastic over their 

 work. 



" Eternal vigilance is the price of suc- 

 cess " in any business, and in none more 

 than in bee-keeping. It is not only labor, 

 but a science, and will make constant de- 

 mands, not only on the patience, but on the 

 bodily strength and intelligence of those 

 who engage in it; at the same time there is 

 a fascination about the business which re- 

 lieves it of all tediousness. A woman will 

 think of her bees, study about them, and 

 become so interested as to be almost paid 

 for her work by the love of it. 



I believe it would be well worth while for 

 any one who has not been in the way of 

 having the management of an apiarj-, to 

 spend one season with a skillful bee-keeper 

 before embarking in the business on his 

 own account, as he would then find out not 

 only the best methods of working, but also 

 whether the kind of work suited him. How- 

 ever, even with this preparation, all will 

 not succeed, for I know a lady who took 

 this course, and afterwards failed entirely 

 when she was working for herself; while 

 others, who have only learned what tUoy 

 could from books anil papers, besides the 

 suggestions and instructions given them by 

 more experienced bee-keepingfriends, have 

 done very well. 



In conclusion, I may say that a great deal 

 of the work in the apiarj' is quite as well 

 adapted for women as for men, and also in 



the care of the honey, and in preparing it 

 for market. 



Where they are most likely to feel their 

 deficiency, is in the lack of skill to do the 

 various carpentering jobs that seem to be 

 inseparably connected with bee-keeping. I 

 imagine that it is the exception, rather 

 than the rule, to find a woman who knows 

 how to handle carpenter's tools, though 

 even this they may acquire enough of to 

 answer the purpose, where there is a neces- 

 sity for doing so. 



Hexriett.v F. Bullkk. 



Miss Puller's essay was then dis- 

 cussed as follows : 



Prof. A. J. Cook— The key to the 

 situation is just this: Give the children 

 some bees oi their own. Do not give 

 them the bees and then take the honey 

 and sell it, and pocket the money. 



R. L. Taylor — Bee-keeping is as good 

 as anything to furnish ladies a health- 

 ful, out-door occupation ; but the ipies- 

 tion is, whether it is the best thing for 

 them as a business. For some ladies it 

 is all right. Some women can lift a 

 barrel of flour ; I have seen them do 

 it. Some men are not strong enough, 

 physically, to make a business of bee- 

 keeping. We must look at this as a 

 business. All kinds of business can be 

 carried on with but little demand for 

 physical strength — sections can be put 

 on and taken oft" one at a time — but the 

 question is, does it pay ? 



O. L. Hershiser mentioned that two 

 girls had done most of the required 

 work with his bees the past season, 

 and, as their part of the proceeds, they 

 now had $75.00 in the bank. 



R. McKnight tliought that perhaps 

 75 per cent, of women would succeed 

 as well as men at keeping bees. 



Wm. Sawyer said that a woman was 

 not capable of managing a larye apiaiy. 



Geo. H. Ashby — Some of you speak 

 about the hoalthfulness of bee-keeping, 

 and that it is on this account that ladies 

 take up the pursuit. Now, I would 

 like to have you show me the woman 

 that thinks tliat bee-keeping is health- 

 ful, unless she also finds it profilablc. 



C. P. Dadant — There is much con- 

 nected with bee-keeping that ladies 

 cannot do. but they can have it done. 



R. McKnight, of Owen Sound, Ont., 

 followed with an essay on 



Cellar vs. <»iit-I»oor Winlering: 

 of Mees. 



I have been assigned the duty of saying 

 a few words on the subject of wintering 

 bees, with the view, I suppose, of opening 

 up a discussion on this important matter. 



Safe wintering is of prime importance to 

 success in bee-keeping, in high latitudes, 

 hence the best method of accomplishing this 

 cannot secure too much attention, for upon 

 it depends, i:^ a large measure, the result 

 of the sea.sou' work. 



I am not expected to treat the subject ex- 

 haustively—this is clear, from the fact that 

 I am liiuited to eight minutes in discuss- 

 ing it. 



Successful wintering, either m-doors or 

 out, depends not so nmch upon where bees 

 spend their quietude and repose, as how 



