189G. 



rilE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



119 



any trouble outside of what scratching 

 they do, 



I have ray home yard of some 150 

 colonies well set with fruit trees, such 

 as peach, plum, cherry, etc., also some 

 grape vines. This gives shade for the 

 apiarist and bees ; and at the sa.ne 

 time I have a nice lot of bloom for 

 my bees, and a very nice crop of fruit 

 for myself. It also gives the bees a 

 chance to cluster at swarming time 

 without getting away from the apiary, 

 and settling in the top of some big 

 tree. It also improves the looks of 

 the place, and I always like to see 

 see things neat and tidy; in fact the 

 appearance of a place has a great deal 

 to do with encouraging or discourag- 

 ing us in our work. The trees and 

 vines need some cultivation, and that 

 is the time when I do not enjoy hav- 

 ing chickens around ; at least not un- 

 til after we had a rain to settle the 

 ground some. 



My ol)ject in keeping bees and 

 poultry in the same yard is to keep 

 poultry among the fruit trees, having 

 read at different times that poultry 

 would destroy many insects that injure 

 fruit and fruit trees. If my chickens 

 have ever eaten bees, or even drones. 

 I have never seen them do it ; and I 

 have never known my poultry to be 

 stung. At one time I noticed a pul- 

 let that acted as though it had been 

 stung, and for several days acted as if 

 in great pain, and al.-o seemed to have 

 lost sight to a certain extent, but in a 

 few days was all right. This may 

 have been caused by a bee sting, but 

 I do not know. 



If any great evil existed in keeping 

 bees and poultry in the same yard I 

 should know something of it by this 

 time, as this yard is where i breed my 

 queens, and 1 spend a great deal of 

 ray time there, and so would be able 

 to observe what is going on. 



Steeleville, 111. 



United States Association of 

 Bee Keepers' Societies. 



BY W, 1'. MARKS. 



The bee keepers of this country need 

 a National As.s()ciati()n, organized on 

 business principles that are systematic 

 and representative. Did it ever occur 

 to you how absurd it is for a few indi- 

 viduals to meet and organize an asso- 

 ciation, elect a /eio honorary members 

 from various localities, give the asso- 

 ciation a big name, and imagine that 

 they constitute or represent the bee 

 keepers of this great country ? Such 

 an organization never has had, never 

 will have and does not deserve the confi- 

 dence or respect of the bee keepers of 

 this country. There is no use of try- 

 ing to fix up any dead or dying so- 

 called organization for any purpose. 

 Let us, as G. W. Broadbeck suggests, 

 begin and build up through represent- 

 atives from the various State, County 

 and District Bee Keepers' Sr)eieties, 

 that are or may be organized, a Nati- 

 onal Society. It will be representa- 

 tive from the start and will command 

 the respect of not only the bee keep- 

 ers and all other citizens, but of the 

 National and every State Government. 

 Such an organization will not only 

 control but can tiemand and dic- 

 tate legislation pertaining to our in- 

 dustry. We want an organization 

 that can not be controlled by a few in- 

 dividuals for personal or selfish ends, 

 an organization organized for business 

 pnrj)oses, and controlled by Bee Keep- 

 ers' Societies from every part of this 

 country, where every Society and 

 every member will have an equal 

 voice in its management. I would 

 respectfully call the attention of all 

 bee keepers and Bee Keepers' Socie- 

 ties in the country to this subject and 

 trust that its agitation will lead to an 

 organization that will be a credit to 

 our industry for all time. 



ChapinviUe, N. Y., April 20, 1896. 



