April 26 19(6 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



365 



that T do get. if I left it until it was all capped, and I would 

 have the air full of swarms. 



To prevent swarming, when the weather begins to 

 ,,-m. raise tin- hives up from the bottom-board so that 

 the bees can get plenty of air. It makes no difference if thej 

 work .u,t Erom the sides. Raise the top so that the 



Jso lay a -hade-board over the top 

 the hive. Have a good hive-stand, one where the bei 

 crawl uo from the ground into their hive when they come m 

 heavily loaded and fall on the ground. I think this is a 

 great help in a heavj (low I also believe that some strain- 

 of bees are worse swarmers than others, and I have tried for 

 years to weed out. I think I have succeeded. My advice 

 I he. if you have time, get the best queen you possibly 

 can. and rear your own queens. My wife rears all my queens, 

 and -he delights in the work. When I want to increase the 

 just draw a frame or two of brood from each hive and 

 them a ripe queen-cell. 

 You must use judgment and not extract the honej too 



it the end of the season. 

 I want to say to the bee-keepers, don't think that you 

 cannot afford a bee-paper, but take 3 or 4 and read them 

 - . and then keep close watch of the bees and do the 

 little things, for it is the little things that we neglect. 



Mills Co., Iowa. 



(£onr>entton 

 Proceedings 



J 



Report of the Northern Michigan Convention 



BY IRA D. BARTLETT. 



[Continued from page 346.] 



SECOND DAY. 



The morning session opened at 8:50 o'clock. 



Mr. Hilton read the report of the awarding committee, as 

 follows : 



Class A. — Best 10 pounds of red raspberry comb honey. 

 1st prize. Observatory Hive, won by E. D. Townsend. 2d 

 prize, a year's subscription to American Bee Journal, won by 

 Geo. H. Kirkpatrick. 



Class B. — Best 10 pounds of comb honey, any variety. 

 1st prize. 500 No. 1 Lewis sections, won by E. E. Coveyou. 



Class C. — Best 10 pounds of extracted red raspberry 

 honey. 1st prize, 500 No. 1 Lewis sections, won by E. D. 

 Townsend. 2d prize, a year's subscription to the Bee-Keeper's 

 Review, won by Mr. Kirkpatrick. 



Class D. — Best 10 pounds of extracted honey, any variety. 

 1st prize, a year's subscription to the American Bee Journal, 

 won by Geo. H. Kirkpatrick. 



Class E. — Best single section of honey. 1st prize, one 

 Standard Cornell Smoker, won by Mr. Kirkpatrick. 



Class F. — Best 10 pounds of beeswax. 1st prize, a Bing- 

 ham Smoke Engine, won by Mr. Kirkpatrick. 2d prize, won 

 by E. D. Townsend. 



Reduction of Freight Rates. 



Mr. \Y. Z. Hutchinson read the report drafted by the 

 Committee on Resolutions, which was adopted, as follows : 



Whereas, The freight-rates on beeswax are higher than 

 on similar substances, and the rates on extracted honey are 

 higher than on syrups, the rates on bees are almost pro- 

 hibitive, even though shipped at owner's risk, therefore be it 



Resolved, That the Northern Michigan Bee-Keepers' As- 

 sociation ask the National Association to make all possible 

 efforts to procure more equitable rates on their products. 



W. Z. Hutchinson, 

 E. D. TOWNSEM'. 



S. D. Chapman, 



Committee. 



Mr. Hilton then gave hi- opinion, saving that he believed 

 we were taking the right steps, and that he believed the 

 National could and would help us in the matter suggested 



The election of officers resulted as follows: President. 

 George H. Kirkpatrick, of Rapid City; Vice-President, E. D. 

 Townsend, of Remus; Secretary and Treasurer, Ira D. Bart- 

 lett. of East Jordan. 



It was decided to hold the next meeting at Ka-t Jordan. 

 the time of meeting to be left to the executive hoard. 



Fifty Years From Now— A Prophecy. 



Mr. Hutchinson then gave its a short talk on the pros- 

 pects of a honev crop 50 years h :nce. He spoke about the 

 sage of California, believing that it would be there, and 

 secreting honey, but in general thought it was merely a 

 prophecy. 



Mr. Chapman said that he was sure of one thing, and that 

 was that we could be sure of milkweed and Canada thistles 

 50 years hence. 



Mr. Hilton said that in his locality the red raspberry, the 

 willow-herb, and other nlants that were there in his locality 

 ill years ago. have disappeared somewhat, but that other 

 plants are now taking their places; and that he believed we 

 need have no fear, for surely Nature will provide some other 

 plants. _ 



Mr. Chapman said that if it were not for the forest fires 

 we would have red raspberry plants longer. 



Superseding Queens. 

 Do you supersede queens, or do you allow the bees to 



do it? ' . , , , 



Mr. Kirkpatrick— I supersede queens during the month ot 



Mr. Chanman also practises killing the queens at this 

 time. 



Mr. Hilton asked if the practise caused excessive swarm- 

 ing. 



Mr. Chapman— No; if the bees have not the swarming 



fever. 



Mr. Smith never has bees swarm late, so he could super- 

 sede without trouble from swarming. 



Crossness in Bees. 



Are bees crosser some seasons than others, or is cross- 

 ness a sign of degeneracy? 



Mr. Coveyou says that shortly after a honey-flow bees 

 are cross, but "he thinks that as a rule they average about the 

 same, i 



Mr. Chapman says that bees in shade are crosser. 



Migratory Bee-Keeping. 



Huber Root asked if migratory bee-keeping pays. Mr. 

 Hilton thought that conditions make the difference. If you 

 have nothing much at home, move them to another field where 

 the flow is on, and he believes that you will be well paid. A 

 change of locality, he says, inspires the colony. 



Mr. Coveyou said that he moved some bees to his home 

 yard from another yard and they did much better. 



Mr. Smith had the same experience. 



Mr. Hutchinson said that it was the opinion of those 

 at the Chicago convention that the moving seemed to inspire, 

 hut that in most places it seemed that the bees were placed 

 in the front of the yard, and that it was possible that many 

 bees from the back hives entered those hives, causing the 

 apparent difference. 



Bees Conversing— Shaking Queen-Cells. 



Mr. Chapman asked how bees converse with each other. 

 Different opinions were given; decided that Nature provides. 



Mr. Bartlett asked if shaking combs with queen-cells on 

 them would hurt the queen in the larval state. Mr. Hutchin- 

 son said that it would ; that he had lost a great many queens 

 in that way, before he knew what was wrong. Mr. Chapman 

 had a similar experience. 



Wiring Frames. 



The question of wiring frames was then brought up. 

 Messrs. Hutchinson. Kirkpatrick. Smith, Coveyou, and others, 

 told how they wired; most wanted the foundation warm. 

 Mr. Bartlett Wanted his cold, and heated the embedder 

 Huber Root said that embedding by electricity is the best 

 way if you have access to the right current. 



Mr. Kitson wished to know the best way of wiring— 

 horizontally, perpendicularly, or diagonally. Mr. Hilton said 

 that the horizontal wiring seemed to be recognized as the 

 best way. 



Comb and Extracted Honey in Same Hive. 



Mr. Kirkpatrick asked for the experience of those pro- 

 ducing comb and extracted honej :n the same hive. 



Mr. Townsend uses a piece of wood in the center of the 

 extracting combs, so that he can kej up in the outside center. 

 Mr. Kirkpatrick uses for the first super, one extracting comb 

 in the center and one on eai h and on others put on uses 



only a comb on each side. 



