sell at all, spoiled the market by offering it 

 at a very low figure. 1 think that the 

 extremely low price created a distrust of 

 its quality, and that actually less honey was 

 sold than would have been had it been held 

 at a fairer rate. Mr. Newman speaks of a 

 similar experience. 



In conclusion! repeat that this is a subject 

 of great importance to most of us. Much 

 has been written and said upon it, but real 

 action lias been limited. Let me urge upon 

 each member of this association, and bee- 

 keepers every where, to make an effort in 

 the way of building up a home market, and 

 thus increasing the demand for honey. 

 One fact has proved to be invariably true, 

 and that is, that when parties are induced to 

 try a good quality of pure honey, they are 

 sure to continue its use. We should if 

 necessary furnish small packages as sam- 

 ples. 



We must put our honey in neat and 

 attractive packages of different sizes for 

 family use, always consulting the tastes and 

 wants of the consumers, and let it go to 

 them as direct as possible from our apiaries. 

 I am fully convinced that intelligent and 

 associated action by all honorable bee- 

 keepers in the line of these suggestions will, 

 ere long, place our business upon the foot- 

 ing it deserves, and 1 shall hope to hear 

 many favorable reports in this direction at 

 our next session. 



The Chair appointed the following com- 

 mittee on question drawer : Messrs. 

 Bacon ami Clarke, of Oneida, and Long- 

 street, of Onondaga. 



The question of the superiority of 

 Italians or black bees was discussed by 

 Messrs. Bacon, Hoot, Dine, Everett, Long- 

 street, Clarke and Marquissee, when the 

 convention adjourned to 7 o'clock. 



The evening session commenced with the 

 discussion upon the 



Removing Bees from Winter Quarters 

 in the Spring. 



Mr. Clarke believed it depended a good 

 deal on their condition. Warm weather and 

 natural food were botli requisite. He did 

 not believe in taking them out of comforta- 

 ble bee houses until there was something 

 for them to do. They should be kept in if 

 possible until the 10th of May if they could 

 be kept quiet that length of time. 



A delegate had found his bees on Monday 

 a little disturbed ; the question with him 

 was should he lose many by taking them 

 out if they got uneasy ; he believed he 

 should leave them in at least till he got 

 through sugar-making. 



The president thought bees should be 



E laced in winter, quarters in November, 

 efore it is very cold and if the proper con- 

 ditions are observed he thought it unneces- 

 sary to take them out before April or May, 

 his rule was about the time the soft, maples 

 were in blossom. Some of Mr. Quinby's 

 last experiments led him to believe that the 

 liquid portion of the feces was evaporated 

 through the body of the bees when they 

 were surrounded by proper conditions. 

 This, of course, would render the so- 

 called "purifying flight" unnecessary. 



At the request of the president, the sec- 

 retary pro tern read a communication from 



J. H. Nellis, secretary, which was placed on 

 file. 



SECOND DAY. 



The first discussion was upon the subject 



of 



Wintering Bees. 



Mr. Clark wintered in a bee-house above 

 the ground ; size, 13x16, where he could put 

 between 100 and 150 colonies; preferred 80 

 colonies in such a room, ventilated from the 

 outside through a tube 5x10 ; the vitiated air 

 escaped from the top of the building. 



Mr. House had tried both methods, in and 

 out-door wintering. This winter he had 

 lost at one apiary on out-door stands, four ; 

 at another apiary in a summer bee-house, he 

 lost 13 out of (50. Mr. H. recommended, for 

 out-door wintering, a shed which could be 

 made of rough boards ; under this he placed 

 his hives, packing them in shavings or 

 chaff, the latter having the preference. At 

 his home apiary in the cellar he lost as 

 heavily as anywhere else. His losses, in all, 

 would be probably between 40 and 50; when 

 they wintered bad out-doors, he found they 

 wintered equally bad inside. 



Mr. Clarke saved materially in honey by 

 wintering in-doors ; saved at least one-half. 



Mr. House's experience led him to agree 

 with the idea that bees out of doors would 

 consume more honey. 



Mr. Warner had wintered out of doors, he 

 bail a few Snow hives, in which he found 

 his bees had come through all right. The 

 larger portion of his bees were in the Bet- 

 singer hive, and these had nearly all come 

 through right. 



S. H. Corbin had buried a few bees as a 

 trial; he had been told that there they would 

 consume but fi lbs. of honey on an average. 



Mr. Betsiuger said lie was confounded by 

 his past experience ; lie did not think it was 

 cold that killed bees ; the superabundance 

 of moisture in winter caused the so-called 

 bee disease, but it was no disease at all. 

 Dry and cool atmosphere must be had, or 

 the bees must be placed where, they can fly 

 often in order to get rid of the moisture. 

 Thick honey would carry the bees through 

 a long winter. 



Mr. Longstreet asked why not feed flour 

 and sugar. Several questions on this point 

 were asked and answered. 



Mr. Clarke asked if honey thoroughly 

 sealed ever grew thin. 



Mr. Betsinger said newcomb honey would 

 grow thin much sooner than in old comb, 

 because the. coverings of the cell were thin; 

 he believed, that wax was never perfectly 

 air tight. 



Mr. House and Mr. Bacon agreed witli the 

 former speaker, that damp places would 

 affect the honey. 



Mr. Everett extracted all unsealed stores 

 in the fall and gave the bees nothing but 

 sealed combs for winter. He had wintered 

 mostly in cellar, but the last winter had had 

 some but doors packed, protecting them in 

 front as well as on other sides by about one 

 foot of packing. The cellar should be large 

 in order to give bees plenty of air; his own 

 31x33 ; he aimed to keep the thermometer at 

 45 degrees, although it had run down to 

 about 33 degrees ; in a cellar of the above 

 size he could put from 50 to 150 colonies. 



