Aug. 2, 1906 



659 



American Hee Journal 



. Convention 

 roceedintfs 



Report of the Western Illinois Convention 



The meeting was held in Galesburg, 111., and was called 

 to order by the President, J. E. Johnson, about g o'clock 

 a. m., May 16, 1906. Instead of a President's address the 

 following questions were given for discussion: 



HONEY PROSPECTS — INCREASING THE HONEY FIELD 



"All things considered, what is your prospect for a 

 good honey crop this year?" 



"How might we make our locality yield more honey?" 



Some of the members thought the prospect fair, but 

 most thought it poor to very poor, owing to the absence 

 of white clover. 



Mr. C. P. Dadant said we might improve our locality 

 by sowing sweet clover and some other honey-plants, 

 and thought that much good might be done by getting 

 farmers to sow alsike clover along with their timothy and 

 other grass seed. 



Nearly all members reported the heaviest winter loss 

 for many years. Mr. Cave reported only 5 or 6 colonies 

 lost out of 170 wintered in the cellar. Mr. Woods lost 

 very heavily in the cellar. Frank Moore reported 30 per- 

 cent loss out of 80 colonies. Some lost as high as 75 per- 

 cent. J. E. Johnson reported nearly 30 per cent loss in 

 outdoor wintering, but 12 colonies put into the cellar came 

 out in fine shape. All in the cellar had young queens 

 bought of queen-breeders. The fine Punic queen imported 

 from England, was among those lost in outdoor winter- 

 ing, and he regretted very much not having wintered that 

 colony in the cellar. Those in the cellar consumed only 

 about one-third as much honey as those wintered out- 

 doors. 



REPORT OF THE FOUL BROOD INSPECTOR. 



Mr. J. Q. Smith gave a report of his work as inspec- 

 tor, and said he had met with success in treating foul- 

 brood, and as yet had encountered but very little opposi- 

 tion among bee-keepers in examining apiaries. He favors 

 the appointment of deputies in different parts of the State 

 to treat bees, as in that way more work can be done, and 

 more good accomplished with less expense. He also 

 gave his method of treating foul-brood. Every bee- 

 keeper in the State of Illinois who has foul brood among 

 his bees, or any bee-keeper who has neighbors that have 

 foul-brood among their bees should correspond with Mr. 

 Smith, at Lincoln, 111., and he will give them aid. He 

 will either come and treat them himself, or see that they 

 are treated properly. 



VALUE OF WORKER-COMB. 



Mr. Dadant gave an excellent talk on the value of 

 good worker-comb, and illustrated how the good patches 

 of worker-cells could be cut by pattern out of a frame 

 having too much drone-comb and inserted in other 

 frames having the same, so that 5 or 6 frames of bad 

 comb could be made into 4 or 5 frames of good worker- 

 comb, and thus any one having a lot of bad combs con- 

 taining too much drone-comb could fix them over into 

 good worker-comb without expense, and thus get comb 

 as good as though full sheets of brood foundation were used. 



Different questions were discussed, some of which 

 were very interesting and profitable to all. The election 

 of officers resulted in the same officers being re-elected. 



It is ,iardly profitable for me to take up more space 

 in the American Bee Journal with this report, except to 

 say that f communication was read from the Secretary, 

 J. Arthur Smith, of the Connecticut Association, with a 

 copy of the resolutions adopted by that Association in 

 regard to t le purchase of bee-supplies. This matter was 

 discussed at some length and the Western Illinois Asso- 



ciation is heartily in sympathy with the matter of co- 

 operation and extends to the Connecticut Association its 

 thanks for being interested in our Association. The 

 Western Illinois Association is ever ready to extend the 

 hand of fellowship to all other bee-keepers' associations, 

 and is ready to cooperate in any movement which is for 

 the betterment an.] benefit of the every-day bee-keeper. 

 We have been enjoying the benefits of cooperation in our 

 own Association. But while we believe in cooperation, 

 we don't believe in abusing the manufacturers, as they 

 are like the rest of us. They want to make all they can, 

 but it is our business to see that we are not the victims 

 of high prices. So we don't talk so very much, but we 

 "saw lots of wood," and have been enjoying good goods 

 at low prices for about 3 years. 



Our next meeting will be held in the county court- 

 room at Galesburg, 111., in September and we want a lot 

 of Illinois bee-keepers there who have not been there 

 before, and any from other States that will come. Our 

 wives are going to bake a lot of cakes, cookies, etc., using 

 honey instead of sugar. They will also bring jellies, pre- 

 serves, jams. etc.. in which honey forms the sweetening 

 part, and will exhibit for the benefit of the bee-keeping 

 industry. If you are good, you may sample some of 

 them. In addition to this. Messrs. C. P. Dadant, George 

 W. York, J. Q. Smith and others will be present and 

 contribute to our profit and benefit. You can't afford to 

 stay away. Come and be welcome. The exact day is not 

 set, but it will be duly announced in this and other bee- 

 papers. .T. E. Johnson, President. 



'♦> 



NATIONAL AT CHICAGO 



Report of the 36th Annual Convention of the 



National Bee-Keepers' Association, held in 



Chicago, 111., Dec. 19, 20 and 21, 1905 



[Continued from page 64t.] 



Mr. O. L. Hershiser presented the following paper 

 on 

 WAX-EXTRACTING METHODS AND THEIR FAULTS 



Wax is the most valuable of apiarian products, because 

 it commands the higher price; and for the further reason, 

 that it may be kept indefinitely without injury to its proper- 

 ties. Moreover, its market value is comparatively stable. 

 Although a product of great value, comparatively little at- 

 tention has been given to its production until quite recent 

 times. The only explanation of the lack of interest in wax 

 production is the fact that the product from a single apiary 

 is small. Formerly the bee-keeper had but one apiary, and 

 that rarely exceeded 100 colonies. The honey-extractor was 

 not in existence, and, hence, there was no wax from cap- 

 pings. It is doubtful if the wax product before the era of 

 modern bee-keeping, which may be said to have commenced 

 with Langstroth, exceeded one-half pound per colony under 

 the most careful methods by the best apiarists. A close ob- 

 server, Mr. W. L. Cogshall, estimates that the wax-j>roduct 

 under the present methods of production, is at the rate of 

 12 pounds to every 1,000 pounds of honey. In 1893, Mr. Mer- 

 cer, of California, produced 100,000 pounds of honey, and 

 about 2,000 pounds of wax, which would be at the rate of 

 20 pounds per thousand. Much depends upon the thorough- 

 ness with which the bees are allowed to cap the honey. 

 It may be remarked, in passing, to those who may feel dis- 

 posed to save time and pounds of honey by extracting be- 

 fore it is sealed, that they lose in wax more than they make 

 up in additional pounds of unripe nectar, and are losers in 

 the end both in dollars, and in conscience, by reason of 

 failing to allow the honey to reach perfection in the natural 

 way. 



Until within quite recent times the most common method 

 of producing wax was to place the bee-comb within a bag, 

 immerse the same in a kettle of boiling water, and when the 

 wax had melted and floated to the surface, skim it off or al- 

 low it to form into a solid cake before removing it. Good 

 wax was thus obtained, but, obviously, it was a wasteful 

 method; the amount of wax thrown away with the slum- 

 gum or refuse being from 25 percent to 35 percent of the 

 weight of slumgum. 



