AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



23 



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N. E. OHIO and H. W. Pa. CoiiYenlion. 



REPORTED BY GEO. SPITLER. 



The 14th annual meeting of the 

 Northeastern Ohio and Northwestern 

 Pennsylvania Bee-Keepers' Associatian 

 was held at Union City. Pa., on October 

 25th and 26th, the Pres. E. S. Crooker 

 In the chair. After the usual prelimi- 

 nary business, the program was pro- 

 ceeded with, the first topic being 



HOW TO BEST ADVANCE OUR INTERESTS 

 AS BEE-KEEPERS. 



It was urged that a larger attendance 

 at our bee-conventions would do much 

 to advance our interest, because much 

 would be learned that would help in 

 securing a good honey crop. Plans 

 could also be arranged for making sale 

 of the crop when produced. As the con- 

 dition now is, many small producers who 

 have a little honey will rush it to mar- 

 ket, taking no note as to whether it is 

 ripe or whether there is a demand for it. 

 Co-operation among bee-keepers for the 

 sale of honey was urged as being impor- 

 tant, as thereby better prices could be 

 realized, and honey would be sold when 

 there was a demand. 



BEE-KEEPING AS AN AVOCATION. 



It was urged that in time those who 

 produced our honey would be specialists, 

 not that they would make bee-keeping 

 their only business, but they would pre- 

 pare themselves by studying the subject 

 so as to do the work in hand thoroughly. 

 Success can only be attained by learning 

 all the details ; first by reading up on 

 the subject, and by experience. No 

 person should keep more than two or 

 three colonies to commence with. In- 

 crease of colonies, if proper care is 

 taken, will come with experience ; with- 

 out a large amount of knowledge and 

 experience, success would be impossible. 



It was urged that all farmers ought to 

 have a few colonies of bees, because the 

 study of bees and their manner of work- 

 ing had a good influence; besides, in 



these times, when we are importing 

 millions of dollars' worth of sugar from 

 foreign countries, and at a time, too, 

 when large numbers of our people are 

 pressed for the money to buy it with, it 

 would be well to consider whether or 

 not much of this money could be kept at 

 home, which could be done by having 

 the bees gather the sweets which are 

 wasted " on the desert air." 



Honey, it was urged, is a much health- 

 ier sweet than the purest of sugar, and 

 could be had with but little cost. The 

 idea was advanced, that without bees, 

 fertilization of fruit - blossoms would 

 often be a failure, which often resulted 

 when there was rain while fruit trees 

 were in bloom, so as to keep bees from 

 the blossoms. Farmers would benefit 

 themselves as well as others, by keeping 

 bees. 



It was the general opinion that at this 

 time and in this vicinity it was not ad- 

 visable for a person to depend upon bee- 

 keeping alone for a living, butf=make it 

 one branch of mixed farming, so as not 

 to have " all the eggs in one basket." 



The bee-keeper, to meet with the great- 

 est success, must have a liking for the 

 pursuit. In a family there would be 

 one of its members, either boy or girl, 

 who IS especially adapted to bee-keep- 

 ing. Let that one take the care of the 

 bees, making a specialty of it, while the 

 others attend to the other branches of 

 farm work. 



DIFFERENCE IN HONEY-YIELDS. 



" Why some bee-keepers secure a fair 

 yield of honey in a poor season and 

 others none," proved an interesting top- 

 ic. There were many reasons suggested. 

 Among the most important was the fact 

 that in poor seasons, unless extra care 

 is given to the bees, so that brood-rear- 

 ing is kept up at the right time, enough 

 bees are not in the hive when the honey- 

 flow (Joes come. "With a good, prolific 

 queen in the spring, and plenty (not too 

 much) of honey in the hive, a colony is 

 almost sure to be strong by the time 

 white clover blooms. 



Bee-keepers were cautioned to see 

 that there is no dearth of honey in the 

 hive between fruit-blossoming and white 

 clover bloom. Feeding, if short in 

 stores, will stimulate the queen and bees 

 to renewed exertions, so that the hive 

 will be full of bees at the right time. 

 Even where stores are abundant, bees 

 want looking after, to make sure that 

 the queen has room enough for deposit- 

 ing the eggs. Another reason why fail- 

 ure to secure a honey-yield occurs, is 



