42 



THE AMERICAN APIGULTURIST. 



I ctm cause ii colony of bees to have 

 the dysentery and nearly every oue will 

 be dead in three days " Go to a colony 

 and rap on the hive every little while 

 for three days, and at the end of that 

 time the colony will be dead. This is 

 the cause, and to prevent it our bees 

 should be kept quiet in an even and 

 proper temperature. 



SPRING DWINDLING : ITS CAUSE AND 

 PUEVENTION. 



Mr. Betsingkr.— I examine my col- 

 onies early in the spring to see their 

 condition. I keep them as warm as 

 possible by covering the frame with old 

 carpets. We cannot keep them too 

 warm. It does not pay to spend much 

 time with poor weak colon ii^; queens 

 in such colonies are afiectn! as much 

 as the bees, and will seldom recover 

 or regain their usual vitality. 



Mr. Bacon.— When too cold the 

 bees eat too much honey and this diffi- 

 culty (dysentery) is broughi on. 



After spending much time without 

 coming to any conclusion, the conven- 

 tion adjourned to meet at 1 o'clock 



p. M. 



The convention was called to order nt 

 1.15 p.m. with President • 'k in th. 

 chair. 



Considerable time was l:;i-('n up in 

 receiving new members, cluction of 

 officers, and deciding on next place of 

 meeting. 1(38 members paid their an- 

 nual dues. About 200 beekeepers were 

 iu attendance Avho did not become 

 members. 



The election of officers resulted as 

 follows : 



President, L. C. Hoot, Mohawk, 

 N.Y. ; Vice President, C. G. Dickinson, 

 South Oxford, N. Y. ; Secretary, Geo. 

 W. House, Fayetteville, N. Y. ; Treas- 

 urer, 11. Bacon, Verona, N. Y. 



Syracuse was the choice of the con- 

 vention for the next place of meeting ; 

 the time for holding the next conven- 

 tion was left to the executive com- 

 mittee. 



After the installation of officers, the 

 retiring President, Mr. W. E. Clark 

 then delivered his annual address, 

 which was attentively listened to by 

 the convention. 



Annual Address. 



By W. e. Clakk. 



Through the goodness and mercy 

 of our Heavenly Father we are per- 

 mitted to come together afler a year 



of toil and labor in our favorite pursuit 

 at this our annual jiatheriug to welcome 

 each other. We lind in looking over 

 the familiar faces, there is one absent 

 Avho has finished his work and laid 

 aside the implements of his profes- 

 sion.. Brother Houck has gone to 

 that resting place Avhich is eternal. 

 Although young in years, he has left 

 us to battle on in life's journey without 

 his companionship. 1 had formed but a 

 short acquaintance with him and so 

 far as I am able to judge he was an 

 honest, upright young man. I would 

 recommend that a committee be ap- 

 pointed by this convention to draw 

 up some suital)le resolutions on the 

 death of our brother. It is pleas- 

 ant to know that the calling (if we 

 may' call it such) of which we follow is 

 one that any one may feel proud, and yet 

 it is one of sweat and toil; every dollar 

 that a beekeeper gets is well earned. If 

 there is any doubt about it, let us take 

 the testimony of those present that 

 have taken care of an apiary of one 

 hundred stocks for the season. Ask 

 them if they ever had the backache, 

 if they ever felt the perspiration ooz- 

 ing from every pore. We think there 

 is a mistaken idea going out to the 

 public that it is such an easy way to 

 make money ; and allow me right here 

 to say that tliis mistaken idea in my 

 opinion has, to a certain extent, been 

 forced upon the minds of the public 

 by our bee papers giving so much 

 prominence to the gushing reports 

 ; f the beginner or novice, who has 

 1. ought two or three colonies of 

 bees, has increased them to an enor- 

 mous number (thereby glutting the 

 home market with honey) and sent a 

 il'W thousand pounds to New York, or 

 some other city. These mushroom 

 reports come from a new class every 

 year almost invarial)ly. The hot, burn- 

 ing sun of inexperience has destroyed 

 all the bee enthusiasm there was 

 in them. Those reports very often 

 wind up by saying they owe to a large 

 extent their grand success to the dear 

 " Gleanings" or '•Journal" or may be 

 the " Magazine." After we read it we 

 say, oh! how easy to make money, all 

 there is of it is to get a few stocks of 

 bees, take a bee paper and then the work 

 is done, our fortune is made. I think 

 some of our fathers in beekeeping will 

 say as one of old : "O foolish Galatians, 

 who hath bewitched you." 



Now, 1 do not say that it is unwise 

 for our bee papers to publish such re- 

 ports ; neither do 1 say such reports are 

 not true. I would not shut them out 



