

178 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



October 



is twenty feet high. It is lighted with 

 electricity and is the centre of interest 

 for multitudes of visitors. The tent 

 which belongs to the Irish Bee-Keep- 

 ers Association, is much in evidence all 

 over the country during the season. A 

 hundred spectators can witness the 

 manipulations while themselves fully 

 pro.ected from assault by the bees. 

 Candidates *'or certificates as experts 

 are examined in the tent, before the 

 public and Mr. M. H. Read the Hon. 

 Sec. I. B. K- A. (shown in the illustra- 

 tion in shirt sleeves; see page 182) gen-' 

 erally takes charge of the operations. 



A great development of the industry 

 is taking place in Ireland this year. The 

 principle of co-operation has been in- 

 troduced and has done a great deal to 

 improve the prospects for bee-keepers. 

 Co-operative societies are being form- 

 ed all over the country and these are 

 federated in the metropolis where a de- 

 pot has been organized for the purpose 

 of marketing the honey and of supply- 

 ing all requisites at co-operative prices. 

 The government also has taken up bee- 

 keeing this year as an industry deserv- 

 ing of support, and in every county in 

 which the local council votes a grant of 

 money to promote bee-keeping the de- 

 partment puts down a more than equiv- 

 alent grant for the same purpose. The 

 fund thus formed is used to pay an in- 

 structor to grapple with foul brood and 

 to assist persons to start bee-keeping 

 by supplying them with hives and bees 

 and requisites at low rates and upon a 

 scale of deferred payment. Altogether 

 things are looking up in old Ireland, 

 from the bee-man's point of view, and 

 if you American cousins would only eat 

 up your own honey and so keep it out 

 of our markets, we should soon be in 

 a fair way to i^ake the business, as well 

 as the bees, hum. 



Lough Rynn, Drombd, Ireland. 

 July 23. iQo:>. 



DOWELEARNATCONVENTIONS 



The Lone Star Apiarist, which began 

 life so full of promise last January, died 

 a natural death in April. The National 

 Bee-Keeper appears to have also join- 

 ed the silent majority, and Texas is left 

 without a single bee journal thus early. 

 That "the good die young," has long 

 been said; and the instances noted cor- 

 roborate the adage. They were both 

 good little papers. 



A Number of latcrciUng: Subjects Tersely 



Touclied up by Our Gleaner of the World's 



Bcc News. 



(F. Greiner.) 



THE above question was asked me 

 recently by a friend. In reply I 

 want to say this: It is a fact, that 

 many times those who can write or 

 make a good speech are unsuccessful in 

 their business; and those who are suc- 

 cessful cannot write. At bee-keepers' 

 conventions the two meet face to face 

 and the first named will glean good 

 ideas from the other one, not only for 

 his own individual benefit, but also to 

 the advantage of the fraternity in gen- 

 eral, for it seems next to impossible for 

 him to keep all the good, helpful things 

 to himself after he gets hold of them. 

 Thus, of course, the practical and suc- 

 cessful man, the bee-master, may not 

 learn a very great deal; but the many 

 are greatly benefitted by him. 



Now, really, are there any such bee- 

 masters among us, that could not learn 

 something more? I am reminded here 

 of an historical incident. 



GUNDELACH KNEAV IT ALL. 



'Sixty years ago a few bee-keepers in 

 Germany conceived the idea' of starting 

 annual conventions. In order to or- 

 ganize they sent invitations to the 

 known bee-keepers and finally did or- 

 ganize what is known as the Wander- 

 Versammlung. Mr. Gundeiach, a not- 

 ed bee-keeper, wrote to Dzierzon in 

 response to the invitation: "I do not 

 sec the need of attending such a meet- 

 ing as I don't believe anybody can en- 

 lighten me on the subject of bee-keep- 

 ing; in other words, I think I know all 

 that is worth knowing." Friends, 

 think of it. A man living 60 years ago 

 had an idea of himself, that he had 

 reached the climax! Did he? Do you 

 believe he had? Certainly not! You 

 may be sure the next 50 or 60 j'ears will 

 bring even greater achievements than 

 the past, and in order to reap the full 

 benefit we will need to keep in close 

 touch with one another. In fact, that 

 is one of the secrets, the essentials, of 

 our success. A single bee would not 

 make any showing as to laying up a 

 supply of stores; thousands working to 



