126 



THE AMEEICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Dec, 



20 inches tlie first season and can be cut for 

 a hay or seed crop. Such was the case last 

 year, in some parts of Michigan. It is now 

 no h:)nger a question with those wlio have fairly 

 tried the Alsike that it is a valuable plant 

 fur honey, in seasons and on soils suited to its 

 growth. 



A Stranger.— Would it not be well to plant 

 groves of the locust, for liouey? This tree blos- 

 soms very full, and yields a large amount of most 

 excellent honey. It is also valuable, when large 

 enough for posts and ties, and seems at present 

 to 1)0 free from the attacks of the borer. 



Mv. Wilmot. — I have observed bees working 

 considerable on the male plant of the hemp, and 

 have thought that it miglit be a profitable crop 

 to raise for honey and otlier purposes. Has any 

 one any experience with this plant? 



Wm. G. King, Champaign.— My former home 

 was Kentucky. Large fields of hemp vvere grown 

 in my neighborhood. My observation is that 

 bees do not gather honey from this plant, but 

 pollen only. Tliis being the case it will not pay 

 to raise this crop for the use of the bees, as they 

 can always get as much pollen as they need. 



j\Ir. Duiilap. — It is well known to botanists 

 that staminate plants do not yield honey, 



FEKTrLE WORKERS. 



Mv. Kt:xG. — As fertile workers are a source of 

 mui h trouble to bee-keepers, I wish to say a few- 

 words in regard to them before we adjourn. 

 These may be found and destroyed very readily 

 by making several temporary divisions of the 

 colony. By watching tliese divisions closely for 

 a short time, those Laving no fertile worker will 

 show it by their actions, the same as though made 

 queenless. The division that remains quiet 

 should now be examined, and, as it contains a 

 mere handful of bees, you will soon find the mis- 

 chief maker. When destroyed unite the bees 

 and give them a fertile queen, and she will be 

 kindly treated. If any one has a better way of 

 disposing of these would-be queens, I should like 

 to know what it is. 



Secretary. — Tliere are twoobjections to the plan 

 given by Mr. King. One is, tlie waste of unne- 

 cessary time in making the divisions and search- 

 ing for tlie fertile worker. The other is the 

 liability of still leaving one or more fertile work- 

 ers among the bees 1 In practice we find it much 

 the better way to let the bees themselves destroy 

 the fertile workers, which they will do as soon 

 as they have a supply of young bees. To supply 

 these, simply take one or more combs of larvaj 

 and maturing worker brood from other colonies 

 in the apiary and insert them. By this means 

 the queenless colony is kept in full strengtli, and 

 tlie young bees will not oidy destroy all the 

 fertile workers, but now proceed to raise a queen 

 from the jirojier material, or accept of an offered 

 queen or a queen cell. 



Prevention, however, is much better than a 

 cure. Do not allow any colony to remain queen- 

 less so long that they are compelled to resort to 

 such abnormal measures for their preservation 

 and perpetuation. 



The objects for which the society met having 



now been accomplished, a motion to adjourn was 

 in order. 



M. M. Baldridge, Sec. T. 



* This method of subdivision may be advantageously re- 

 sorted to when it becomes necessary to search for the queen of 

 a very populous colony of black bees. It is then a less trnnble- 

 some and fir more agreeable means of finding her majesty 

 than overhauling a series of combs crowded with ill tempered 

 and irritated bees, while an eager horde of robbers is on the 

 wing, ready for a general raid on the hive and its contents. — 

 Ed. a. B. J. 



E-eport of the Semi-annual Meeting of tte Nortli- 

 Eastern Bee-Eeepers' Association. 



Held During the N. Y. State Fair at 

 Utica, Sept. 37 and 28, 1870. 



M. Quinby, (presiding) called the meeting to 

 order. Minutes of the last meeting read and 

 approved. After distributing papers containing 

 the Constitution and By-Laws, an opportunity 

 was offered to bee-keepers present to join the 

 association, and a goodly number enrolled their 

 names. 



Mr. Robert Bickford. of Seneca Falls, being 

 present, wa's invited to address the meeting, as 

 he was familar with tlie history of similar 

 associations in Germany. 



He said he stopped off not to attend the fair, 

 but to be present at the semi-annual meeting of 

 this association ; was pleased to see the interest 

 manifested, but we were fixr behind the German 

 associations ; at one of their late meetings three 

 hundred and ninety bee-keepers were present, 

 including eighteen or twenty ladies, and the 

 citizens took a deep interest in the cause, pro- 

 viding for members at their own homes. They do 

 not make a side show of their meetings by hold- 

 ing tliem in connection with fairs, but have a 

 grand rally that stirs the whole community like 

 some of our great political meetings, and they 

 have a grand display of firev,-orks in the even- 

 ing. With the name and address of each mem- 

 ber is recorded the number of stock of bees he 

 keeps ; the number in movable-comb and box 

 hives ; the number of pounds of honey secured 

 and the price obtained in the market. 



Mr. Bickford suggested tliat we make a similar 

 I'ecoid a..nd publish the same in the papers with 

 the report of the Convention. 



Mr. King moved that we adopt Mr. Bick- 

 ford' s suggestion. Mr. Quinby suggested that 

 the phrase movable-comb hives would be suffi- 

 cient without mentioning the name of the hive 

 inventor or patentee, and the motion thus 

 amended passed unanimously. 



The following questions for discussion were 

 read : 



1st. Is it profitable to prevent natui-al swarms 

 in all cases ? 



2d. To what extent is artificial swarming 

 profitable '? 



3d. At what time of the season is it best to 

 make artificial swarms? 



4t]i. Will it prove an advantage, all things 

 considered, to use the honey emptying machine 

 extensively? 



