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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[March 



TAKING IT EAST. 



Mr. Sisson told of a friend of his who took stocks 

 to California, and was offered $100 each for his 

 stocks after his arrival. He refused to sell, but 

 the bees finding that they could gather honey every 

 day in the year, refused to gather any honey in store. 



Capt. Hetherington had experimented somewhat 

 in the matter under discussion. He considered the 

 profits of non-swarming, and of moderate increase 

 about equal. 



Mr. Root stated that Mr. Barber had destroyed 

 the desire to swarm by allowing the swarms to issue. 

 After they cluster, he hives the bees in a box. He 

 then takes all the frames except one from the 

 parent stock. The boxes are then placed directly 

 against this frame and the swarm returned to the 

 hive. After 48 hours the other frames are put in 

 the hive after destroying the queen cells. By this 

 time the boxes are generally well filled with comb, 

 and the desire to swarm is thwarted. 



WHAT WAS THE TROUBLE? 



The next question proposed was: "What were 

 the causes of mortality among bees during the win- 

 ter and spring of 1872?" 



Mr. Bacon said the fall of 1871 was wet and cold, 

 very unfavorable for bees. He put his bees in his 

 cellar, very early, in consequence of the weather, 

 and ventilated from the top. The result was the 

 bees were very uneasy. After the meeting of this 

 association last spring, he ventilated at the bottom 

 of the hive, which seemed to improve the condition. 

 Still bees were in wretched condition from the 

 severity of the winter and the length of time they 

 were confined. 



Mr. Van Deusen said a neighbor of his wintered 

 forty-six stocks successfully by putting them in 

 a good warm cellar, and ventilating from below. 



Mr. Van Alstyne thought the disaster in winter- 

 ing came from the dampness of the autumn and the 

 severity of the winter. 



Mr. Nellis believed the damp autumn in connec- 

 tion with the long time during which they were 

 confined, from October 1 to April 13, was the cause 

 of the great mortality among bees. The honey 

 seemed to be of as good quality as any ever gathered 

 by bees. 



Mr. Herrington thought impure air might aid the 

 disaster among bees last winter. 



Mr. Richards was of opinion that bees should by 

 all means be allowed to fly during winter. 



Mr. Sisson said stocks belonging to careless bee- 

 keepers, kept in box hives, with no ventilation 

 except that derived from the entrance, had been 

 known to winter better than others in hives sup- 

 posed to be better prepared for winter. 



Mr. Nellis said one stock, stimulated to fly late in 

 the fall, wintered better than any other stock in his 

 cellar. He thought pure air not as important to 

 bees as to human beings. Too much ventilation 

 had been probably given frequently. 



Mr. Quinby quoted the lately deceased Mr. Coe, 

 who claimed that when bottom ventilation was 

 neglected, carbonic acid gas was generated, very 

 poisonous to bees. Mr. Quinby also read an article 

 of his from one of the bee journals, in which was 

 advanced the theory that suffering from cold is a 

 primary cause of dysentery. Examples were given 

 to sustain this point. 



Mr. Van Deusen would let restless stocks fly in 

 winter. For this purpose he places a stock, with 

 the bottom board removed, over a gauze box, two 

 feet square, in a light warm room. After they fly 

 sufficiently, or at evening, the bees return to the 

 hive. This has been found practicable, so far as 

 tested. It also stimulates breeding. 



Mr. Sisson said carbonic acid gas was poisonous 

 to animal nature. It is heavier than air, and he 

 thinks only enough downward ventilation should 

 be given to allow its escape from the hive. 



Mr. Tennant spoke of one of his neighbors who 

 lost all his bees in a very cold cellar, while another 

 neighbor, who kept his in a warm cellar, lost but 

 two stocks. The bees were kept in hives of the 

 same pattern. 



The next question was: "What is considered 

 the best artificial food upon which to winter bees?" 

 Considerable discussion of no special importance 

 followed. 



The majority of persons present considered the 

 best quality of white sugar the best for bees. It 

 should be made into a syrup by dissolving four 

 pounds of sugar in one quart of water. Bring it 

 to a boiling point and skim. 



SWEETS FOR THE SWEET. 



Mr. Alexander thanked the ladies present for 

 their attendance and congratulated them on their 

 interest. He spoke of bee-keeping as a pursuit 

 especially adapted to ladies, and predicted that 

 after the pecuniary benefits reaped by Mrs. Tupper 

 became generally known, more ladies would take up 

 the business of bee-keeping. 



The association adjourned until 2 P. M. 



AFTER DINNER. 



Association met at 2 p. m., Vice President Bacon 

 in the chair. After the reading and approval of the 

 minutes several matters of minor importance were 

 discussed for the special benefit of individual 

 members. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



The following resolutions were unanimously 

 adopted : 



Resolved, That the North-Eastern Bee-Keepers' 

 Association regards the position of the editor of 

 the American Bee Journal as the one best suited 

 to develop the science. 



Resolved, That so long as that position is sustained 

 we heartily indorse that journal. 



On motion of Mr. Alexander, the sum of $10 

 was appropriated to the Secretary for official 

 services. 



The time of the next meeting was fixed on the 

 first Wednesday and Thursday of February, 1874. 

 The thanks of the association were tendered the 

 proprietors of the Butterfield House for courtesies, 

 and the association adjourned. 



[ For the American Bee Journal.] 



Introducing Virgin Queens. 



Mr. Editor: — I have been very suscessful in 

 introducing virgin queens the past season. My 

 plan is simple and in every case proved a success. 

 Immediately after the swarms have left the parent 

 hive, I enclose a queen in a cage, and put her in 

 with a very small wax stopper, so that the bees can 

 remove it in a short time. The principle is this,. 



