North American Bee-Keepers'Society 



The Tenth Annual Convention, held 

 in Chicago, Oct. 21, 1879, was called to 

 order at 10 A. m., President Thomas G. 

 Newman in the chair. 



The President delivered his annual 

 address as follows : 



President's Address. 



Ladies and Gentlemen :— Since last 

 we met, a year of toil and care has passed — 

 a winter of disaster to our bees, and a sum- 

 mer of greatly decreased yield of honey. 

 Yet we have much to be thankful for, when 

 we compare our condition with that of our 

 brother bee-keepers in Europe, who have 

 not only had sad experience with foul-brood 

 and decimated colonies, but have had to 

 feed their bees almost the entire summer, 

 having no yield of honey to cheer their 

 spirits or sweeten their palates. 



How to successfully winter our bees will 

 be a subject for discussion during this 

 meeting, and we hope some valuable infor- 

 mation maybe elicited. The honey yield 

 though it has not been as good as it was last 

 year, is still a very creditable one— prob- 

 ably much over one-half. Therefore the 

 demand for honey will be large, not only for 

 our own country, but also for Europe ; and 

 the prices will be correspondingly advanced. 

 Long before next year's crop is gathered, 

 there will probably be no honey upon the 

 markets. 



At our last meeting, it was a matter for 

 general rejoicing that America's greatest 

 bee-master, the Rev. L. L. Langstroth, was 

 partially restored to health, and we all 

 expected to greet him at this meeting, but 

 alas for human plans, he is not only not 

 here, but he is totally unable even to enjoy 

 the reading of our proceedings. His old 

 life-long malady has again laid him pros- 

 trate, and the bony fingers of poverty are 

 loudly knocking on the window-panes of 

 his residence. In June the Wisconsin 

 Association made an appeal to bee-keepers 

 in his behalf and the American Bee 

 Journal started a subscription list ; from 

 the latter $100 have been realized and sent 

 to his relief. We hope that this Association 

 will give this matter the attention that it 

 deserves. 



The subjects under discussion at this 

 meeting are varied and momentous. We 

 hope that all the discussions will be carried 

 on in a spirit of candor and fairness— that 

 no unkind word nor harsh expression may 

 mar our proceedings— and that harmony 

 may characterize the deliberations of this 

 assembly. Kemember that we speak not 

 only to those who are present, but also to 

 the thousands who await with almost breath- 

 less anxiety the published report of our 

 proceedings. Should any be so thoughtless 

 as to come here to ventilate their pique or 

 jealously or to serve their own selfish ends, 

 it will be the duty of this Convention to 

 kindly but firmly inform them that " no 

 entering wedge of discord" will be tole- 

 rated, even for a moment. 



As to the matter of adulteration of honev, 

 that is in a great measure corrected — the 

 price of honey is now so low that it is no 



longer profitable to adulterate it, and there- 

 fore it is, in a large measure, now "among 

 the things that were." Honey is one of the 

 purest and most delicious of sweets, and is 

 taking the place of the adulterated syrups, 

 especially is this so in the pure extracted 

 form. Extracted honey will soon, we think, 

 become a staple article in the markets of 

 the world. We were much interested in the 

 many uses found for it in Austria and Ger- 

 many ; at the Honey Show in Prague one 

 room was devoted to cakes, ginger-bread, 

 confectionery, mead and wine made from 

 honey. The display was very grand and 

 attractive, the products were exceedingly 

 tempting and palatable, and the demand for 

 them was highly satisfactory. Many lessons 

 are to be learned by us yet in this line. 



Creating a home demand for honey was a 

 subject greatly recommended by our last 

 meeting. 1 am happy to announce that this 

 advice has very largely been acted upon, and 

 I think it quite safe to say that the " home 

 demand" has been more than doubled dur- 

 ing the past year. 



Many of our Vice Presidents have nobly 

 attended to their duties in the different 

 States, Territories and Provinces. They 

 have used commendable zeal in getting the 

 attention of Managers of State, County and 

 District Fairs, and having prizes for honey 

 and bees inserted in many of the Premium 

 Lists. To many of them this Association 

 should give the encouraging " Well Done ;" 

 and we hope that those Vice Presidents who 

 have so nobly spent their time, money and 

 energy to further the interests of their con- 

 stituents may be re-elected, to still further 

 " help on the good work " during the coming 

 year. 



The Executive Committee thought best to 

 begin slow, and so have only gotten up 

 Diplomas for the use of Vice Presidents in 

 awarding prizes, though the last Conven- 

 tion gave them discretionary powers, as to 

 the getting up of medals, &c. Another year 

 medals may serve a good purpose. The 

 "Programmes " for this Convention, which 

 you all have for use, have been produced 

 without cost to the Society— the advertisers 

 paying the entire expense. 



We hope that this Society will perfect 

 some plan at this session to make its power 

 felt by the railroads whose freight tariffs 

 discriminate against the bee-keeper by 

 demanding double the amount charged for 

 other merchandise, for carrying bees, honey, 

 hives, &c. We must combine and use 

 our united power to affect this. Individuals 

 are powerless for such work ; it takes the 

 united efforts of large bodies to cope with 

 such gigantic monopolies. 



In conclusion, allow me to thank you for 

 the honor conferred on me, by the last 

 meeting in unanimously choosing me for 

 your presiding oflicer. Though conscious 

 of many short-comings, I have endeavored 

 to serve you to the best of my ability during 

 the past year, and now, as soon as my suc- 

 cessor is appointed I shall have pleasure in 

 retiring, wishing the Society a happy and 

 prosperous future. 



On motion of Mr. P. W. Chapman, 

 Illinois, a committee of three was ap- 

 pointed on President's address. Chair 



