CEntered at the Post-Office at Chicago as Becond-Class Mail-Matter.) 

 Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn Street. 



GEOKGE W. YORK, Editor 



CHICAGO, ILL, NOVEMBER 22,1906 



Vol. XLVI-No. 47 



•rial ^lofes 

 and Comments 



•*"•" 



The National at San Antonio 



The convention for 1906 is over. It was 

 not quite as large in attendance as was tbe 

 Chicago meeting of the National last year, 

 but that was to be expected, in view of the 

 place where it was held, and the fact that 1906 

 has been a very poor honey-year quite gen- 

 erally, and particularly in Texas. Jn the ab- 

 sence of Secretary Hutchinson, the Editor of 

 the American Bee Journal was elected secre- 

 tary pru lem. There were present about 50 

 bee-keepers from outside of that State. One 

 came from Utah, one from California, and 3 

 from New York. In all 14 States were repre- 

 sented. And 9 of them came in the special 

 car that started from Chicago. 



It was a good meeting. It was harmonious 

 throughout. It wouldn't have been a com- 

 fortable place for any trouble-makers. It 

 must be that such remained at home this 

 time, as none appeared. 



A number of good moves for the benefit of 

 bee-keepers were launched. Perhaps the 

 most important was the beginning of an effort 

 to get lower freight-rates on honey, bees and 

 beeswax. If success is won In this alone, it 

 will justify the existence of the National, and 

 will be a benefit to every bee-keeper who has 

 any honey, bees or beeswax to ship. The 

 committee appointed to look after this matter 

 are, General Manager N. E. France, of Wis- 

 consin, Fred W. Muth, of Ohio, and R. A. 

 Holekamp, of Missouri. It will not be the 

 fault of these men if lower freight-rates are 

 not secured, as they will make every effort 

 possible. 



The 8an Antonio convention was almost 

 wholly a question-box convention. There 

 were only 3 papers read, and they were fine 

 ones, too. 



Just as rapidly as possible the pamphlet re- 



port of the San Antonio convention will be 

 gotten up. It is mailed only to members. If 

 you are not a member now, and want the re- 

 port in pamphlet form, send Si. 00 for a year's 

 dues to the General Manager, N. E. France, 

 Platteville, Wis. 



What is needed is for all, who want to see 

 bee-keeping put on a more substantial busi- 

 ness basis, to turn in and push for a large 

 membership in the National. The few, espe- 

 cially in the East, who are trying to over- 

 throw the National, are not greatly interested 

 in honey-production anyway, so far as we can 

 learn. At any rate, bee-keeping with them is 

 a side-line, so their opposition should hardly 

 be considered. But, on the contrary, the 

 good and faithful work of those now in the 

 management of the National should be en- 

 couraged, and every bee-keeper worthy the 

 name should do everything possible to make 

 our great National organization greater each 

 succeeding year. The bee-papers, with but 

 a single exception, we believe, are doing their 

 share toward helping to build up the National 

 and make it a power in the land. 



The National Election of Officers 



It is being held this month. There will be 

 a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a 

 Treasurer and General Manager, and three 

 Directors, to be elected. 



Mr. C. P. Dadant, who is president now, 

 and also W. Z. Hutchinson, who is secretary 

 at present, positively refuse a re-election, so 

 it will be necessary to vote for others for 

 those two positions. 



It seems there are a few members who do 

 not think that bee-supply dealers and manu- 

 facturers 6hould hold offices in the National. 

 Well, the way to prevent that is for the ma- 

 jority not to vote for such. But just why 

 those mentioned, if bee-keepers, should not 

 hold office, is not very clear. We have yet to 

 see a good reason advanced for such prohibi- 

 tion from office. For about 15 years we have 

 been in a good place to know pretty well just 

 what has been going on in the National, and 

 we have yet to see a single instance where an 

 officer who was a bee-supply dealer or manu- 

 facturer failed to do his duty, or was in any 

 way a detriment to the National. And, above 

 all, we don't think they should be criticised 

 when in office, for they would not have any 

 offices if it were not that they were honestly 

 elected by a majority of the ballots cast. If 

 we are any judge, all the bee-supply dealers 

 and manufacturers who have held office, or 

 are now in office, are fully equal for such 

 positions, to those who are "kicking" 

 against them. 



Extra Combs of Honey 



This Journal has been insistent that extra 

 combs of honey should be secured, for the 

 sake of ministering to the future needs of the 

 bees. As a general rule, the smaller the hives 

 used the larger should be the stock of such 

 combs. They can, of course, not be secured 

 at this time of year when all gathering has 

 ceased. Too late for that. It is not too late, 

 however, to say a word as to the disposal of 

 some of these combs. It is entirely in the 

 range of possibility that some, especially of 

 those using small hives, found every comb in 

 each hive entirely rilled, somewhere about the 

 first of September, and settled down that 

 nothing further was needed for the winter, 

 and that the extra combs were to be kept for 

 spring use. But although the combs were en- 

 tirely filled, there was much brood present, 

 and later examination, after the cells were 

 emptied of all brood, would show one or sev- 

 eral combs with only a little honey in them. 



In some cases there may be a possible dan- 

 ger of starvation before the winter is over. It 

 is a bad thing to disturb colonies so late as 

 now; it is a worse thing to let them starve. 

 Then, too, it is perhaps better to disturb 

 them now than to disturb them early in 

 the spring; so if a colony is not heavy 

 enough so that you feel sure it will be all 

 right until plenty of flying days come, better 

 give it one or more of the extra combs of 



