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Southern Michigan Convention. 



A special meeting of the Southern 

 Michigan Bee-Keepers' Association was 

 held in Battle Creek, Mich., on Thurs- 

 day, Sept. 2, 1880. Over 30 members 

 were present and took part in the dis- 

 cussions. Letters were read from Mr. 

 James Heddon, Mr. J. II, Townleyand 

 others, and the question of foul brood 

 was discussed. 



The crop reports of 34 bee-keepers 

 were as follows : From 518 colonies in 

 the spring they had 377 swarms, 2,586 

 lbs. of comb honey, and 695 lbs. of ex- 

 tracted ; being a little over 6 lbs. to each 

 colony in the spring. Mr. Heddon re- 

 ported no fall honey, and not one-fifth 

 of a crop. Mr. Townley had obtained 

 but 40 lbs., but if the weather continued 

 favorable he might obtain 2,000 lbs. 

 more. 



Mr. Heddon's essay was as follows : 



The Honey Producer's Future. 



The poor season, though very hard on 

 us, especially those of us who are largely 

 spread out in the business, will, I feel 

 confident, prove a blessing to us. It 

 will teach us that bees do not " work for 

 nothing and board themselves. 1 ' It will 

 teach us not to rush our honey into the 

 market all at once, but to hold for a re- 

 munerative price. If one-fourth of a 

 crop will bring one-half more price, let 

 us sell our next good crop in fourth lots. 



The honey-producer's future looks 

 brighter to-day than for some time past. 

 The new and useful improvements, such 

 as foundation, etc., together with our 

 accumulated knowledge of manipula- 

 tion, and last, but not least, the export 

 trade in our product, all whisper " Suc- 

 cess." I rejoice that I am thus enabled 

 to conscientiously own that our pros- 

 pects look brighter. 



The large, yes, almost unlimited for- 

 eign demand for honey, will prevent a 

 glut in the market; and now, bee-keep- 

 ers, it rests with you to use discretion 

 with the source of our product— the 

 field. No wise apiarist will try to pro- 

 duce honey in a range already occupied 

 by another. From the unwise, little fear 

 or successful opposition need be enter- 

 tained. Thousands of good locations 

 are yet unoccupied, and if it will not 

 pay the would-be honey-producer to re- 

 move to them, it certainly will not pay 

 him to labor in a divided field. 



FOUL, BROOD. 



I am pained, but not very much sur- 

 prised, to hear that this most dreadful 



of all our enemies is at work among 

 you. I think you will remember seeing 

 something from my pen in regard to the 

 great caution we should use when pur- 

 chasing bees from different parts of the 

 country. I have no doubt but that you 

 got your start in this dreaded scourge 

 from some imported queen and her at- 

 tendants. I have always used the great- 

 est care when opening communication 

 with other apiaries. In fact, I have 

 done but little importing from other bee- 

 gardens, just through my caution in this 

 respect. One remark in your letter in- 

 duces me to say, that there has never 

 been a cell of foul brood in this vicinity. 

 I will pay $100 to any committee who 

 will find a cell of it among my 500 colo- 

 nies. My motto is, "An ounce of pre- 

 vention is worth a pound of cure." If 

 I had it to cure, however, I should purify 

 by cremation, as I am not posted in re- 

 gard to any other effectual method. 



I hope your Convention will become 

 wise, both in prevention and cure. I 

 feel that you may be working for me 

 against the day I may find it here. I am 

 determined to postpone that time as 

 long as possible, and to that end I have 

 dissuaded all bee-keepers in this vicinity 

 from promiscuously purchasing bees 

 from other apiaries. James Heddon. 



Dowagiac, Mich. 



The following essay was read on 



Foul Brood : 



Having been called upon to give my 

 views and experience in regard to foul 

 brood, and being requested by brother 

 bee-keeper whose apiaries are attacked 

 by this most dreadful of all diseases the 

 bees are subject to, I will endeavor to 

 comply with their requests. If not ar- 

 rested in time and cured radically, this 

 evil will spread over all the surround- 

 ing country, wiping out of existence 

 thousands of colonies. The worst of it 

 is, that in all places where this disease 

 appears, bees brought from a distance, 

 not affected, are just as liable to have it, 

 even if you have killed and burned 

 your affected bees, comb and honey. If 

 you wish to rid your apiary of this evil 

 by cremation, you will not only have to 

 burn your bees, comb and honey, but 

 all your hives, too, your implements, 

 your clothes, in fact everything having 

 been carried, worn or handled in an af- 

 fected apiary. 



Experience in Germany, as well as in 

 this country, has convinced others, as 

 well as myself, that this disease is con- 

 tagious in the highest degree ; further, 

 that all means, medicines and chemicals 

 employed failed to cure it, up to a very 

 recent date. The most extreme meas- 

 ures were adopted to eradicate this evi 1 



