285 



itself, and during all the honey season 



he preferred and would advise each kind 

 of honey to be as near the production 

 of the different blooms the bees work 

 on as possible. Ripen honey by expos- 

 ing it to the air in open cans. 



The Secretary said any well ventilated 

 dry place would answer. The whole se- 

 cret is pure air. ventilation and sun- 

 shine. 



Secretary Williamson said that he had 

 often thought that bee culture and its 

 benefits had never been properly or fully 

 presented to ladies as a light and profit- 

 able employment. The subject of bees 

 and flowers are so inexhaustible, so in- 

 dispensable to each other, and each so 

 susceptible of care and cultivation by 

 ladies, that a few hints on these inter- 

 esting subjects may lead to others still 

 greater. Bee culture, like all sciences, 

 is full of research, and probably more 

 fascinating than any. It is akin to bot- 

 any, but even more interesting ; in fact 

 there is a certain mystery about the 

 habits of bees that forever keeps the 

 imagination waiting for some new dis- 

 covery. The bane of bee-keeping has 

 been stings ; but modern improvements 

 in bee culture, bee-veils, rubber gloves 

 and smokers, properly applied, should 

 be sufficient to dispel every fear, even 

 of the most timid. Bees have been 

 spoken of in the earliest history of the 

 world. In the Bible, bees and honey are 

 spoken of as possessing wonderful vir- 

 tues. The ancients called the bee " De- 

 borah,*' or she that speaketh. They 

 have been called the tl chief of geom- 

 etricians."' "a ray of Divinity," as 

 '" surpassing in architecture the skill of 

 Archimedes," and ,k a magazine of the 

 virtues." 



When such authors as De Montford, 

 Quintillian, Plutarch and Virgil, have 

 made famous in history the virtues of 

 the humble bee, I am led to believe that 

 many a silent lesson in the economy of 

 the world has been learned from the 

 wonderful bee. That sweet and simple 

 song: ■• How doth the little busy bee 

 improve each shining hour," was taught 

 us in childhood. We never forget it; 

 it teaches us that the sweets of this life 

 are offered to us all, as freely as the 

 sweets of the flowery kingdom to the 

 virtuous and industrious bee. If we but 

 imitate these virtuous habits our coffers 

 will overflow with the sweets of life. In 

 fact, the whole study and practice of 

 bee culture is refining, ennobling and 

 elevating. Ladies are certainly adapted 

 to bee-keeping, because as a general 

 rule they love and cultivate flowers— 

 the very perfection of virtue and in- 

 spiration. Bees and flowers seem insep- 

 arable. Where flowers are bees are, 



even in the deserts where the foot of 

 man has never trod. In the cliffs, on 

 the hills and in the valleys, may be 

 found the industrious little bee sipping 

 the sweets from the 



" Many flowers that arc born to blush unseen. 

 And waste their sweetness on the desert air." 



What a wonderful mission these little 

 workers seem to perform while gather- 

 ing honey, which the Bible declares is 

 ' ; sweet to the soul, and health to the 

 bones." They spread from flower to 

 flower "the germs of life," of the 

 sweetest things of earth's broad bosom. 

 Let us provide abundant forage for our 

 bees, fill our gardens full of flowers, and 

 thus invite them to " Come and taste 

 the sweets my garden yields, the bud, 

 the blossom— all are thine." Every 

 lady loves flowers, cherishes them, and 

 at all seasons of the year they are her 

 constant care. You, who will care for 

 bees as for flowers, keep them. You 

 who enjoy nature, pure air, healthful 

 and invigorating exercise, keep them. 

 I would not advise all ladies to keen 

 bees ; but to those who have time, in- 

 clination, and wish all the benefits, in- 

 cluding the profits of bee-keeping. I say 

 try a few colonies. Gi^e them the same 

 care and attention you give flowers, and 

 I am sure the results will exceed your 

 most sanguine expectations. 



Second Day's Proceedings. 



President Hersperger in the chair. 



After some preliminary business, a 

 number of questions were opened for 

 general discussion, and each gave their 

 experience on the questions submitted. 



The following resolution was offered 

 by F. P. Scearce and J. W. Bagby, and 

 was unanimously adopted : 



Resolved, By this Association that we 

 condemn the use of glucose for feeding 

 bees at any season of the year, because 

 it is an impure sweet and an uncertain 

 economy, and detrimental to the inter- 

 est of bee-keepers in producing a belief 

 that we are adulterating our honey; 

 and, further, that we reaffirm our in- 

 dorsementof the law passed by our Leg- 

 islature two years agoal the instance of 

 this Association, in regard to fine, con- 

 fiscation and destruction of all adulter- 

 ated honey not plainly labeled as impure 

 honey. 



C. F. Muth said that in Cincinnati 

 adulteration of honey is carried on to a 

 fearful extent, about equally with ma- 

 ple sugar, lie has seen a druggist mak- 

 ing honey composed of lib. of honey and 

 5 lbs. of glucose ; glucose can be bought 

 at3^c per lb. He said: lam sorry to 

 acknowledge that nearly all of the ordi- 

 nary syrups sold are impure and adul- 

 terated with glucose, acids, etc.; and, 



