Oct. 4, 1906 



American Iter Journal 



and though I did not care to know all about his methods, I 

 did secretly long to know how he could in less than 4 min- 

 utes prepare a colony so that it would not swarm. After 

 reading his article (see page 185), like all the rest of you, 

 my children, I wondered what sort of bee had got into 

 Brother Conscientious's bonnet. Really, I felt a little 

 wrought up, and if Conscientious were my truly brother I 

 should tell him strongly how I felt. I might even wish to 

 throw some rotten drone-brood at him. But I solved his 

 mean old problem, and it is for that reason that I am again 

 rattling my typewriter to let you know about it. 



At first I thought to think out the answer, but you know 

 very well that your old uncle much prefers to get things 

 physically rather than mentally, and that he enjoys an ad- 

 venture. So I 'phoned for Yon's flying-machine and went 

 post-haste to that far-away town in Minnesota. Did you 

 ever travel in a flying-machine? No? Well, you will 

 easily understand that that mode of travel offers little op- 

 portunity for inquiring the way. The matter of fixing the 

 guide-posts has not yet been satisfactorily solved. Thus I 

 was rather puzzled to know when I got there, or, rather, 

 was getting there. But, wonder of wonders ! You doubt- 

 less have observed that a man and a woman who have lived 

 as husband and wife for two score years have come to look 

 like each other. My children, Conscientious has imparted 

 his very spirit to the region round about that town in 

 Southern Minn. As I was spinning through the air I sud- 

 denly noted that the trees were taking on a different aspect, 

 that their leaves hung more modestly, that the very grass 

 waved less vigorously, that the birds sang more quietly, 

 and that the very mosquitoes bit me only on the forehead. 

 Soon a most modest town appeared, and on the outskirts 

 there were to be seen numerous hives of bees. In their 

 midst stood a man who wore a black tie and gloves. It was 

 none other than Conscientious D. 



As luck would have it, my anchor was skimming along 

 just right to pick up Brother Conscientious as he was stoop- 

 ing to insert something into a hole in the hive. Fearing to 

 injure the man I directed the machine up a little so that he 

 cleared the ground, and hung safely above all obstructions. 

 Then it was that I hit upon a bold scheme. Though he said 

 he would rather die than to tell his methods to the American 

 Bee Journal, he did promise to tell me if I would never di- 

 vulge the secret. Of course I promised, for you know that 

 I have an easy conscience. 



So I hauled Conscientious up and got his secret. Later 

 we descended, and I saw him go through the whole show. 

 As he says himself, he does not expect anyone to believe 

 his statements, and so I do not expect you to believe what I 

 am about to divulge. Yes, I did promise, but if you expect 

 me to keep that promise you can go and talk with Conscien- 

 tious D. 



Of all the schemes ! I have to laugh every time I do 

 the trick. The way Old Conscientious has played upon 

 feminine weakness and thereby gained for himself, and im- 

 parted to me (and through me to you), a mastery of bee- 

 keeping, beats all. True blue, I actually forgave the old 

 chap when I learned the trick, nor could I blame him for 

 wishing to keep it secret. 



"You see, Baron," says Conscientious to me, " the fe- 

 male nature is subject to two marked peculiarities. It has 

 a weakness for sweet scents and for mirrors. I reasoned 

 that to hold the queen in the hive, and thus keep the bees 

 from swarming, I must control the qneen in some way. 

 After many trials I have what you see here." 



He held up a small thimble-like affair with a mirror in 

 the bottom; also a small vial marked, "Queen Essence." 

 He stated that in the vial was a decoction obtained by 

 steeping the antenna; of drones (better, he says, the third 

 joints of the antenna;) in clover-blossom tea. Going to a 

 hive he turned a button and revealed a small hole into 

 which he inserted the mirror-thimble. Then with a small 

 brush he anointed the edges of the hole with the essence. 



"There," says Mr. C. D., "that colony will not swarm 

 till doomsday. The old queen will be looking into that 

 mirror, to which she will be attracted by the essence, half 

 the time. Even the bees will leave the swarming-fever 

 upon seeing their mother become such a home-lover. If I 

 leave the thimble in 2 weeks there will be a young queen 

 hatched. She, prevented from going to the mirror herself 

 through the jealousy of her mother, will become mated. 

 Thus, through this wonderful little device, a colony is 

 easily requeened. Every hive has, as you observe, the hole 



into which I can in 2 minutes insert and anoint the 

 thimble." 



Well, children, I did not believe it. I went home aud 

 tried it, and then was forced to believe. Were I conscien- 

 tious I should never tell you the secret, for the knowledge 

 of it will upset the bee-keeping world. A colony thus 

 treated will hustle in the honey all summer long, never of- 

 fering to swarm, and not sulking at all. It is wonderful. 

 I find it hard to believe, and I fully appreciate the tax which 

 Conscientious D. never put upon your credulity, but which I 

 now lay where you wish it. 



So, good night, my children. 



Convention 

 ceedinds 



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 



i Continued from page 768.) 



Mr. France, the General Manager, then read his paper 

 on, 



BUSINESS END OF BEE=KEEP1NQ 



Some people say the business end of the bee is its stinger, 

 but for me it is the long tongue "that improves each shin- 

 ing hour, and gathers honey all the day, from every opening 

 flower." 



The business end of bee-keeping means modern, sys- 

 tematic methods, familiar with and experienced in the best 

 methods of handling bees. The rearing, introducing and 

 shipping of queen-bees, controlling of swarming, producing 

 the best quality and greatest quantity of honey per colony 

 his locality can produce; the preparing of honey for market, 

 and getting, in cash, what it is worth, instead of letting 

 other people set the price and time to pay for it. The 

 business end requires the bee-keeper to know what his 

 locality is able to produce at different dates, also when 

 to have his colonies in the best possible shape to get it. 

 If for comb honey, all the sections with thin starters in, 

 in supers, ready to put on the hives ; or, if for extracted 

 honey, an abundance of clean, straight worker - combs, 

 all interchangeable. Not later than the close of a honey 

 harvest to plan for the next. Early in the fall to have the 

 bees ready for a hard winter. He has examined the several 

 honey-producing plants of his locality with prospects for 

 next harvest ; has decided how many of his best swarms he 

 desires to rear queen-bees from, which ones to rear drones 

 for each apiary ; how many swarms for comb honey, and 

 how much extracted honey he wants. In the fall, as soon as 

 the honey is sold, with the cash in hand, he takes advan- 

 tage of low price of supplies, buying what he cannot afford to 

 make. Then all winter he is getting all his hives made up 

 and painted, brood-frames made and wired; sections with 

 starters in supers ready; shipping-cases and storage for ex- 

 tracted honey in such packages as his market demands. 



When you find a bee-keeper as carefully attending to 

 his bee-keeping business as the successful merchant or other 

 business man attends to his business, you will likely find 

 hives all of one size, upper stories, frames or supers are a 

 perfect fit anywhere. Hives painted and set in some regu- 

 lar order in the apiary so as to help the bee-keeper at work. 

 He will have strong colonies at the beginning of the honey 

 harvest, swarming under control, and the bees busy gather- 

 ing honey. No hives with big clusters of bees loafing on 

 the outside of the hive or going to the woods. In my State, 

 while inspecting apiaries, often I do not find all of the above, 

 nor the business end of bee-keeping. Sometimes hives shaded 

 with the tall grass never cut, unpainted hives with crooked, 

 old black comb, half of it drone-comb; bees swarming and 



