THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



19 



sure that I do not succeed with any ac- 

 curacy, and I have not been able to 

 discover that a little distance more or 

 less than the 1^ in. makes any differ- 

 ence in any way. 



3. I prefer 2 in. That seems about 

 the distance naturally adopted by the 

 bees for honeycomb, when they 

 have their own way about it, and it 

 takes less expense of wax to do the 

 cappinfj than if the combs are tliiuner. 

 I am aware that combs 1^ in. thick are 

 more apt to be built straight and reg- 

 ular, so that honey can be secured iu 

 them with fair success without separa- 

 tors; but as I would use separators 

 underany circumstances, that would be 

 no consideration with me. 



4. Before foundation became fashion- 

 able, I used to feed cheap sugar when- 

 ever bees were not getting honey to 

 liave comb built in brood frames and 

 for starters. My experience leads me 

 to believe that the practice is more 

 profitable than any use that I have 

 made of foundation, at any price for 

 which it has been sold in the last 

 couple of years certainly. When wax 

 can be sold for more than 30 cts. and 

 foundation costs him over 40 cts., I 

 believe the best foundation-mill a bee- 

 keeper may have is bees, and the 

 best thing to run it with is sugar. 



5. A good deal according to the pur- 

 pose for which I might keep them. If 

 to sell, the Italians are unquestionably 

 best, and I am not sure but what I 

 would prefer them for extracted 

 honey; but for comb honey, I should 

 certainly take the larger variety of 

 black bees or gray bees as they are 

 sometimes called, or the Carniolans 

 which are about the same thing. I 

 would avoid crosses of all kinds, as 

 their characteristics are uncertain. 



Bound. Brook, N. J. 



CONVENTION NO TES. 



THE JIICHIGAN STATE CONVENTIOX. 



As our space is limited and feeling 

 that most of our readers prefer the 

 majority opinion of those who take part 

 ill the discussions at our conventions 

 rather than to read a great deal of un- 

 important matter to glean a few valua- 



ble ideas, we have decided to hoil down 

 tlie reports and give to our readers the 

 cream of the discussions. 



The meeting was a most excellent 

 and profitable one to all who attended, 

 among whom were many of our most 

 prominent western beemasters and the 

 convention was honored with the genial 

 presence of the Rev. L. L. Langstroth. 



The president's address and several 

 interesting and valuable papers were 

 presented, which we must omit at this 

 time. We give as follows the results 

 of the discussions as gleaned from the 

 secretary's report so kindly forwarded 

 to us. 



1. The past season was admitted to 

 be the poorest they had ever experi- 

 enced. 



2. Feeding back has but few advo- 

 cates and is unprofitable. 



3. Zinc or other metal or wood per- 

 forated with oblong holes not over 3A; 

 of an inch, will prevent not only the 

 drones but the queens from passing 

 through, and may be used to advantage 

 for a variety of purposes, but the zinc 

 is preferable. 



4. Both comb and extracted honey 

 should be produced, but some preferred 

 producing wholly extracted and others 

 all comb honey, and the opinion on this 

 subject was equally divided. 



5. As a rule late gathered honey is 

 not a good winter food for the bees, as 

 it is liable to cause the dysentery. 



6. Increase of bees early in the 

 spring, when judiciously conducted is 

 attended with great good. T. S. Pettitt 

 said "the best stimulant in the spring 

 is salty water placed in a trough where 

 the bees can have access to it. Do not 

 get the water too salty, a teaspoonful 

 to a pail of water being enough." 



7. Section honey can be produced in 

 better shape without the use of separa- 

 tors. Mr. Hutchinson read an ad- 

 dress on this suliject in which he said : 

 "that separators were not needed, if 

 the sections were Ih inches wide and 

 filled with "Given" foundation ; the sur- 

 plus receptacles were well filled with 

 German bees or Italians having a dash 

 of dark German blood, and the hives 

 kept level." The Eev. L. L. Langstroth 

 made experiments in 1860 in order tq 

 get straight combs, he used black bees 

 and finds by these and recent experi- 

 ments with the Italians, that bees do 

 not like separators. 



8. Worker foundation is the best for 

 section boxes. 



