without impoverishing or diminishing 

 the property of ;iny one. 



A wonderful mathematician and 

 architect is this little insect. If it ac- 

 cepts shelter from man, it yet builds 

 with method and exactness its own 

 house and store-house, and furnishes 

 its own materials. Almost all of its 

 actions, apparently, are governed by 

 unvarying rules, and in its travels, 

 whenever it chooses to, it pursues its 

 ways along a straighter path than 

 birds or other insect ever took. The 

 carrier pigeon makes a wonderful flight 

 through the air, finding its way back to 

 its home, from distances very remote, 

 and over unfamiliar route. No bee, or 

 insect, or other bird can accomplish 

 such a feat, and yet the path of the 

 carrier pigeon is not straighter than 

 other birds can take, but who ever 

 heard of a bird-line, or a bug-line. It 

 is only the " bee-line " which has come 

 to be in common speech the synonym 

 of unvarying directions. 



We are greatly beholding to the ani- 

 mated, irrational creation. Food and 

 clothing it furnishes us, comforts and 

 luxuries also ; ivory and pearls, and 

 beautiful firs and feathers. The fish, 

 the beast, the bird and the insect min- 

 ister to our wants and gratify our 

 tastes. But all these, except the pro- 

 ductions of the honey bee require skill 

 and labor to make them serviceable. 

 The honey comes prepared for instant 

 use. It has been distilled by a more 

 delicate and perfect process than any 

 labratory has ever provided. It has 

 been stored in a permanent and eco- 

 nomical way, and the case in which it is 

 enclosed has a value beyond its primary 

 use. 



Full of wonder as well as of use are 

 this little insect and its productions. 

 It is not strange that the wise and 

 learned have patiently studied its 

 habits and its organization, and that a 

 literature, full of curious and valuable 

 information, has grown out of their 

 researches, now that poets and moralists 

 have wrought into their fancips and 

 sentiments the images and lessons 

 drawn from its habits. 



Any thing which may increase our 

 knowledge of the honey bee and its 

 ways and methods of work and em- 

 ployment, or aid in increasing the 

 amount and quality of its productions 

 has real and permanent value. And an 

 association which brings the bee-keep- 

 ers of a community together, and dif- 

 fuses useful knowledge with respect to 

 their calling, deserves to be promoted. 



The members reported for 1880 less 

 than an average honey yield. The re- 

 port from 17 bee-keepers is as follows : 



In the spring, 283 colonies ; now, 547— 

 increase, 2(>4. Honey obtained, 8,500 

 lbs.— 5,800 lbs. of comb honey, and 2,700 

 lbs. of extracted. The discussion of 

 honey report occupied the remainder of 

 the forenoon. 



Afternoon Session. 



An essay was read on Wintering Bees, 

 by E. A. Morgan, of Arcadia, Wis. 



[Owing to want of room we must omit 

 its publication this month, but will give 

 it hereafter. — Ed.] 



Nelson Perkins, Houston, Minn., win- 

 tered on the summer stands, but thought 

 upward ventilation was necessary to 

 winter successfully. 



L. II. Pammel, LaCrosse, Wis., said 

 upward ventilation was unnecessary ; 

 he had wintered very successfully with- 

 out it for 3 or 4 seasons. 



J. Pelty, LaCrosse, Wis., wintered in 

 a bee house ; always had upward venti- 

 lation, and lost very heavily through it. 



Mr. Palleys, Melrose, Wis., always 

 wintered in a dry cellar, and never lost 

 any bees, either through spring dwind- 

 ling or dysentery. 



E. Markel, LaCrosse, Wis., always 

 wintered in a dry cellar ; as nine-tenths 

 of the bee-keepers winter in cellars, it 

 must certainly be the best and cheapest 

 way; as regards carrying the bees in 

 and out of the cellar, bethought it must 

 be cheaper than to pack them in chaff. 



Louis Peters, Melrose, would winter 

 in a dry cellar, and let his bees have an 

 occasional flight on a very nice day. 



Mr. Sprain, Barre Mills— Would it 

 make any difference whether bees were 

 wintered in a bed-chamber or bee-win- 

 tering house V 



Mr. Whipple said it would not make 

 any difference, if the chamber was dark. 



Mr. Whipple, Shelby, Wis., would 

 winter his bees in a bee-house with 

 double walls, with a 2% inch space filled 

 with sawdust; then leave the door open 

 at night so that the dead air can escape. 



Mr. Zoules, LaCrosse, wintered in a 

 bee-house ; used a double- walled bee 

 house, with a dead-air chamber, and al- 

 ways kept his bee house dark. 



Simon Klich, LaCrosse, would have 

 such a bee hive that he could winter on 

 the summer stand. 



J. C. Kraemer, LaCrescent, Minn., 

 turned his bee hives from south to north, 

 and left them on the summer stands. 



Kev. O. Clute, Iowa City, Iowa, save 

 his consent for the Secretary to read his 

 Chicago essay on " Increasing the De- 

 mand for Honey." 



L. H. Pammel stated that we must do 

 something to make honey a staple arti- 

 cle, so that the poor man can enjoy its 

 luxuries as well as the rich ; for such a 

 demand he thought extracted put up in 



