National Bee-keepers' Convention. 



Indications now point to a large and 

 enthusiastic gathering of the bee- 

 keepers of North America at their 

 Fifth Annual Convention, to be held 

 in Chicago, on the 21st of October, 

 1879. The interest manifested recently 

 in England at the great Bee and Honey 

 Show in connection with the Eoyal 

 Agricultural Society's Exhibition, and 

 which was shared by the nobility and 

 even royalty itself, is a strong proof of 

 the claims of progressive bee-keeping 

 upon the public consideration. In Ger- 

 many, great interest has been taken in 

 these National Conventions for several 

 years, until recently they have become 

 monster mass-meetings (the meeting of 

 1878 being attended by nearly a thou- 

 sand representatives), and so harmoni- 

 ous were their sessions that the apiarist 

 looked forward to the Convention as to 

 an extended and important holiday, in 

 which duty was combined with pleas- 

 ure, and both crowned with proht. 



All admit that the scientific bee- 

 keeper of America leads the Old World 

 in successful bee-culture, but even here 

 we have much — very much— yet to 

 learn, and how can we so well advance 

 ourselves in knowledge, and arrive 

 at correct conclusions, as in these Na- 

 tional Conventions, where each State, 

 territory and district is (or should be) 

 represented ; where the novice can 

 learn from the veteran; where the 

 amateur can share in the experience of 

 the specialist ; where the unlearned 

 can imbibe knowledge from the wisdom 

 of the scientist, and where all are 

 actuated by the one impulse— pro- 

 gress V 



In North America, where the honey 

 and beeswax product is estimated in 

 round numbers at about $15,000,000 an- 

 nually, and this, too, is capable of ex- 

 pansion to an almost fabulous amount, 

 the bee-keeping interest is destined at 

 no distant day to become a consider- 

 able factor in its productive wealth. 

 There are many reasons why a National 

 Association should receive the hearty 



391 



and united support of every bee-keeper 

 in the land, as a combination for ad- 

 vancement in scientific methods, and as 

 a deliberative body for making com- 

 bined movements in establishing stan- 

 dard markets, general usage, etc. 

 Much is needed in the way of legisla- 

 tion for the prevention of the pernic- 

 ious adulteration now so largely carried 

 on. Kevisions are required of the many 

 railroad freight tariffs which now so 

 mercilessly discriminate against the 

 bee-keeper by charging double and even 

 greater rates for the transportation of 

 honey, hives, bees, etc. Many other 

 measures require a general combina- 

 tion of those interested to effect re- 

 forms, which individual effort can 

 never accomplish. To be sure, we now 

 have our District and State Associa- 

 tions, and very agreeable and profitable 

 they are in their tendencies ; but are 

 they broad enough in their scope and 

 influence ? Would they not subserve 

 their purpose much better, were they 

 one and all, component parts of a 

 general body as broad as the continent 

 itself, and as comprehensive as the 

 science of bee-keeping 2 



These reforms and improvements 

 cannot be brought about at a single 

 session of the Convention ; but with 

 a good, big, rousing attendance at the 

 next Convention, much can be done 

 to put the matter in shape. A general 

 comparison of notes and experience 

 can be made ; a cordial interchange of 

 sentiment can be had between the 

 greater and lesser lights in bee-keeping, 

 and an intente cordiale established, 

 which can be productive of only good, 

 in the friendly recollections to be cher- 

 ished thereafter. President Newman 

 will have returned from the Old 

 World's Conventions, and fresh in his 

 mind will be the manners, experiences 

 and incidents of the bee-masters of 

 England, Scotland, Erance, Austria, 

 Prussia, Denmark, Hungary, Switzer- 

 land and Italy. His trip will be an 

 extensive one, and his aim is wholly to 

 learn in what we can improve ourselves, 

 either in bees or practice. His report 



