562 



E. D. Godfrey. Some of our largest wax 

 producers do not use wax extractors at all. 



A. Reynolds. I have tried salt water for 

 melting and caking wax in, and think it sep- 

 arates the dirt better. 



Kesolutions of Thanks. 



The thanks of the Society were voted to Messrs. 

 Geo. Bischoff, Paul Lange and others, for their efforts 

 to prepare a hall, etc., for the meeting ; to the papers 

 for their continued notices of the meeting, and to 

 the Reform Club, for the excellent manner in which 

 their hall was taken care of for our use. 



Resolved, That the Secretary of this Society be 

 made an honorary member, without expense, in per- 

 petuity. 



Whereas, Since our last meeting two of our mem- 

 bers, Martin Wirt, Esq., of Keithsburg, 111., and Mrs. 

 Jas. A. Simpson, of Alexis, 111., have been removed 

 from among us by the hand of death, therefore, 



Resolved, That we hereby express our hearty appre- 

 ciation of the worth of these friends who have gone 

 from us, our respect for their industry and enthusi- 

 asm as bee-keepers, and our sorrow that we shall no 

 more enjoy their kindly presence and help in our 

 meetings. 



Resolved, That we extend to the families and 

 friends of these deceased members, our heartfelt 

 sympathies in the great sorrow that has come upon 

 them. 



Drawing of Prizes. 



Twenty-four prizes were given away to 

 members present, as follows : 



1st Prize.— A copy of " Blessed Bees." given by O. 

 Clute, Iowa City, Iowa ; drawn by S. N. Black, Clay- 

 ton, 111. 



2d Prize.— A lamp mat, given by Mrs. Z. Hollings- 

 worth, Montrose, Iowa ; drawn by Perry Morrison, 

 Trenton, Iowa. 



3d Prize.— The American Bee Journal for one 

 year, given by D. Rider, Fairfield, Iowa ; drawn by 

 W. B. Buker, Trenton, Iowa. 



4th Prize.— A nice bed quilt, given by Mrs. L. H. 

 Scudder, New Boston, 111. ; drawn by herself. 



5th Prize.— An imported q ueen, given by Ch. Dadant 

 & Son, Hamilton, 111.; drawn by E. L. Dunn, 

 Alexis, 111. 



6th Prize.— A pair of choice fowls, given by J. R. 

 Baker, Keithsburg, 111. ; drawn by Will M. Kellogg, 

 Oquawka, 111. 



fth Prize.— Package of Rocky Mountain bee plant 

 seed, given by Mrs. C. M. Kingsley, Elvaston, 111. ; 

 drawn by L. H. Scudder, New Boston, 111. 



8th Prize.— Package of catnip seed, given by Mrs. 

 C. M. Kingsley ; drawn by E. C. Crane, Burlington, 

 Iowa. 



9th Prize.— Package of mustard seed, given by Mrs. 

 C. M. Kingsley ; drawn by E. D. Godfrey, Red Oak, 

 Iowa. 



10th Prize.— Package of unknown seed (very valua- 

 ble), given by Mrs. C. M. Kingsley ; drawn by Wm. 

 H. Smith, Burlington, Iowa. 



11th Prize.— Two pounds of comb foundation, given 

 by L. H. Scudder, New Boston, 111. ; drawn by Loren 

 Hanchet, Burlington, Iowa. 



12th Prize.— A pair of light Brahma fowls, given 

 by Harmon Brown, Galesburg, 111. : drawn by Geo. 

 Bischoff, Burlington, Iowa. 



13th Prize.— A bee feeder, given by H. F. Putnam. 

 Galesburg, 111. ; drawn by Mrs. Z. Hollingsworth, 

 Montrose, Iowa. 



14th Prize".— Picture "Evening Prayer," given by 

 Paul Lange, Burlington, Iowa ; drawn by Alvah 

 Reynolds, Oneida, 111. 



15th Prize.— A bread plate, given by Mrs. E. P. Hol- 

 lingsworth, Monmouth, 111. ; drawn by Miss Mary 

 Scudder, New Boston, 111. 



16th Prize.— A large size honey dish, given by Mrs. 

 E. P. Hollingsworth ; drawn by Wm. Parr, Burling- 

 ton, Iowa. 



17th Prize.— A small size honey dish, given by Mrs. 

 E. P. Hollingsworth ; drawn by herself. 



18th Prize.— China cup and saucer, given by Mrs. 

 E. P. Hollingsworth ; drawn by John Hanna, Dan- 

 ville, Iowa. 



19th Prize.— One stem honey dish, given by Mrs. 

 Craig Hanna, Gerlaw, 111.; drawn by H. F. Putnam, 

 Galesburg, 111. 



20th Prize.— A glass pitcher, given bv Mrs. Craig 

 Hanna ; drawn by H. J. Elliott, Burlington, Iowa. 



21st Prize.— A celery dish, given by Mrs. Craig 

 Hanna ; drawn by Paul Lange, Burlington, Iowa. 



22d Prize.— A pickle dish, given by Mrs. Craig Han- 

 na ; drawn by J. W. Barlow, Keokuk, Iowa. 



23d Prize.— Small pickle dish, given bv John Hanna, 

 Danville, Iowa ; drawn by John Hoover, New Bos- 

 ton, 111. 



24th Prize.— A butter dish, given by John Hanna ; 

 drawn by Mrs. S. J. Ryder, Fairfield, Iowa. 



Mrs. L. H. Scudder, who drew her own prize, pre- 

 sented the bed quilt to the Society, who in turn, on 

 motion of E. D. Godfrey, presented it to the Secre- 

 tary. 



Election of Officers. 



The election of officers for the ensuing 

 year resulted as follows : 



President— L. H. Scudder, New Boston, 111.; Secre- 

 tary and Treasurer— Will M. Kellogg, Oqnawka, 111.: 

 Vice Presidents— E. D. Godfrey, Red Oak, Iowa, and 

 Mrs. Z. Hollingsworth, Montrose, Iowa. 



A committee of arrangements for the next 

 meeting was appointed, as follows : T. G. 

 McGaw, Judge John Porter and Mrs. E. P. 

 Hollingsworth, all of Monmouth, 111. 



The usual exhibition of bee-keepers' arti- 

 cles was very small. 



Adjourned at 3:30 p. m., to meet at Mon- 

 mouth, 111., at the call of the Executive Com- 

 mittee. L. H. Scudder, Pres. 



Will M. Kellogg, Sec'y. 



Read before the National Convention. 



Humanity to the Bees. 



BY A. J. KING. 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : 



The subject of humanity to the bees is not 

 a new one. If has been urged almost from 

 time immemorial. Poets, statesmen, phi- 

 losophers, and philanthropists have de- 

 picted in glowing language the cruelties 

 practiced upon the industrious insects, and 

 have awarded prizes for taking surplus 

 honey without sacrificing the lives of bees. 



During the past thirty years by improve- 

 ments in hives and bee-keeping apparatus 

 generally, as well as in methods of manage- 

 ment, the " brimstone pit," is rendered not 

 only entirely unnecessary, but positively 

 wasteful and unjustifiably cruel. These 

 new methods of management have been 

 published and practiced far and wide, until 

 there is not a bee-keeper in the country who 

 is not aware of their existence. 



The fact that by the new methods more 

 than double the quantity, and honey may be 

 taken in much better shape for any use, 

 with less labor, and no loss of bees, is also 

 patent to all. Yet, notwithstanding all this, 

 each year witnesses the destruction of mill- 

 ions of honey bees, while the country needs 

 a hundred, where it has but one. 



The poet Thomson has so faithfully por- 

 trayed the cruel and fiendish process of 

 taking honey by the old methods that I can- 

 not forbear repeating his lines : 



"Ah see ! where robbed, and murdered, in that pit 

 Lies the still heaving hive ! At evening snatched 

 Beneath the cloud of guilt-concealing night, 

 And fixed o'er sulphur ; while, not dreaming ill, 

 The happy people in their waxen cells, 

 Sat tending public cares, and planning schemes 

 Of temperance, for winter poor ; rejoiced 

 To mark, full flowing round, their copious stores. 

 Sudden the dark, oppressive steam ascends ; 

 And used to milder scents, the tender race, 

 By thousands tumble from their honeyed domes 

 Convulsed and agonizing in the dust. 

 And was it, then, for this you roamed the spring, 

 Intent from flower to flower ? For this you toiled 

 Ceaseless the burning Summer heats away ? 

 For this in Autumn search'd the blooming waste. 

 Nor lost one sunny gleam ? For this sad fate, 

 O man ! tyrannic lord ! how long, how long, 

 Shall prostrate Nature groan beneath your rage. 

 Awaiting renovation ? When obliged, 

 Must you destroy ? Of their ambrosial food 



