D. Rider — It' a swarm conies off with 2 

 queens, how can we well decide which is 

 best. 



T. G. McGaw— Let the bees choose in that 

 case. 



S. J. McKinney — I think bees have some 

 instinct as well as other animated things, 

 and that they can choose a good queen as 

 well as a bee-keeper. If they get a poor 

 queen, they soon supersede her. 



Afternoon Session. 



The following letter from one of the Vice 

 Presidents was read by the Secretary : 



Kind greetings to pleasant friends. As the time 

 draws near for the meeting of our Society, I find 

 myself thinking much about it, and should like to be 

 one of those present, but as circumstances are inau- 

 spicious 1 shall have to forego that pleasure, but shall 

 try to be with you at the tall meeting, the location 

 of which arrange among yourselves, and count upon 

 my concurrence therein. I shall look forward to the 

 AMERICAN Bee Jocknai.'s report of the meeting 

 with much interest, as I am feeling somewhat dis- 

 couraged, having lost must of ray bees during the 

 past winter, only saving 9 out of J.'i colonies. Unit- 

 ing and fall feeding seemed to be successful, until 

 there came two or three cold days about Christmas, 

 when all such died, with feed by them, on summer 

 stands, with quilts over them. Also, I am doubtful 

 about the February feeding, whether it did not do 

 more harm than good. The honey season must be 

 very late, for the weather has been so very windy 

 that the poor bees can scarcely do anything. The 

 usual supply of hazel pollen was nearly all cutoff 

 by a severe frost in March after the blossoms had 

 partially opened. Last week there were two or three 

 good days in which they gathered honey from the 

 peach, pear and gooseberry, and pollen from the 

 plum, and now, better than all, there is an abun- 

 dance of apple bloom, 60 or 90 acres of which are 

 accessible to my bees. Oh! that I had a few mil- 

 lions for a few days, only that it seems as if the 

 God of winds had turned all his furies loose upon 

 us to-day. 1 fear I should not compare favorably 

 with the good bee-keepers. Success belongs to the 

 ever vigilant apiarist. 



Hoping you will have a pleasant and profitable 

 meeting, I will close. lilts. Z. Hollingswokth. 



Wintering of bees, etc. ' 



Mrs. C. M. Kingsley— Like many bee- 

 keepers of the present time, I will say my 

 hive is the best one in use for outdoor win- 

 tering. It is 24 inches long, holds 12 frames; 

 the frames are 12 inches square. In the fall 

 1 take out 2 frames at each end, put in the 

 end hoards, then fill the space with straw, 

 put on the quilt then fill the cap with straw. 

 1 examine them during the winter, and, if 

 the straw is gathering moisture, I empty it 

 out and put in a fresh supply. About the 

 1st of April I throw the straw out of the 

 cap, but leave it in the ends until the 

 weather is quite warm. 1 like outdoor win- 

 tering best. If you keep the frost out of 

 the caps by changing the straw when neces- 

 sary, the bees are very much less liable to 

 dwindle in the spring. My feeder is a piece 

 of (bone comb placed under the quilt near 

 the edge of the hive, directly on the frames, 

 and pour warm honey on it every evening. 



A report of members on method of win- 

 tering and result was called for, and was 

 given as follows : 15 wintered in cellar or 

 house, 10 outdoors in chaff, straw, etc. The 

 balance gave no report. 1,420 colonies were 

 put into house or cellar, with a loss of 175 ; 

 484 were wintered dn their summer stands 

 with a loss of 51. 



Ffteen new members were added to the 

 list, 7 of them being ladies. 



There was quite a good display of articles 

 on exhibition, and 36 prizes were given away 



295 



to members present. [The full list of these 

 is omitted for want of space.— Ed.J 



A vote of thanks was given to Mr. Clute 

 for his very able and interesting lecture. 

 Also to the County of Warren for the (ice 

 list' of the court house, to the citizens of 

 Monmouth for their generous, hospitable/ 

 treatment of visiting bee-keepers, and to Mrs. 

 L. Hollingsworth and T. G. McGaw, of the 

 local Committee of Arrangements, for their 

 services and efforts to make visitors com- 

 fortable, and to the President and Secretary 

 for their services. 



Mrs. L. II. Scudder and Messrs. D. D. Pal- 

 mer and John Hoover, of New Boston, 111., 

 were appointed a local Committee of Ar- 

 rangements for the next meeting. 



Adjourned t meet at New Boston, 111.,, 

 at the call of the E .entire Committee. 

 L. 11. Scuddeb, Pres't. 



Will. M. Kellogg, Sec. 



Cortland County (N. Y.) Convention. 



A regular meeting was held at Cortland, 

 N. Y., on Tuesday, April 8, 1880. President 

 Charles A. Pierce called the Convention to 

 order at 1:30 p. in. The proceedings of last 

 meeting were read, and the Treasurer being 

 absent, a brief statement of the previous 

 condition of the Association was given by 

 the Secretary. 



The first question proposed for discussion 

 was " Spring Feeding." 



R. H. Mellen considered it a good plan to 

 feed if bees needed it ; otherwise, objec- 

 tionable; would not feed outside unless the 

 weather was such that it could be done with- 

 out injury. In cold weather would feed in 

 the hive ; in warm, at the entrance. 



I. L. Schofield had fed grape sugar in a 

 trough out-doors, but could not have ted 

 honey in the same manner. Fed grape su- 

 gar at about 9 a. m., and large quantities 

 would be eaten before night. In 14 years'' 

 experience had never found any other ma- 

 teria! that could be fed to bees outside of 

 the hive in safety, unless among a limited 

 number of colonies. 



A. G. Chapman thought the question 

 started wrong. It would be better to deter- 

 mine just what circumstances rendered 

 feeding necessary or advisable. Had fed 

 sugar and water among his bees outside the 

 hive and with success. Rather thought it 

 prevented robbing. 



.). (I. IJingham had learned from experi- 

 enced bee-keepers that feeding strong 

 colonies made them lazy when it came time 

 to gather honey. His method was to teed 

 in liquid form at entrance at night. 



Mr. Schofield thought but little wouid be 

 taken by the bees before morning. 



Mr. Schofield presented some comb foun- 

 dation which was made by a newly invented 

 machine he had purchased. He considered 

 it the best foundation so far, the bees not 

 tearing awav the side walls. Some time 

 was taken by the members in examining the 

 foundation and also a double-draft Quinby 

 smoker. 



Pres't Pierce inquired what was the best 

 method of arranging boxes and sections for _ 

 surplus honey. 



J. H. Kennedy preferred to have boxes- 



