184 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



istics, more marked queens of desirable 

 strains and strong colonies. 



SufBcient honey should be kept back 

 to give each colony natural stores, un- 

 less the bee-keeper is in an exceptional 

 locality, and natural stores are injuri- 

 ous — of this latter I have no experience. 

 If combs of honey have been kept, they 

 can readily be given as soon as the brood 

 hatches from the brood-chamber ; if not, 

 I take one of the strongest colonies I 

 intend to destroy, place upon it two up- 

 per stories, and feed it a syrup prepared 

 from granulated sugar, pure water, and 

 a little honey ; and feed this as rapidly 

 as possible. No better method can be 

 derived than to feed from beneath the 

 brood-chamber. 



Bees when not gathering settle down 

 to a quiet condition, during which there 

 is very little wear and tear of the sys- 

 tem. This quiescent condition should 

 not be broken in any way avoidable. By 

 making the bees you intend to destroy 

 do the storing, there is no loss in this 

 way. Next there will be less waste of 

 stores and vitality all around. Even 

 should you have no colonies to destroy, 

 by disturbing a few instead of many, it 

 is extremely likely much will be gained. 



Again, by means of such feeding win- 

 ter stores are sealed, and in much better 

 condition. The best method of feeding 

 combs of honey, is to prepare the stores 

 in a hive, place this under the old brood- 

 chamber, and shake the bees down. A 

 few moments, and the work is done. 



I am no advocate of uniting bees at 

 any time unless it be just before the 

 honey-flow. After having left the prac- 

 tice of contracting the brood-chamber 

 according to the strength of the colony, 

 I return to it and advocate that bees 

 should fairly well fill their hive. I 

 would contract by means of a close 

 division-board. 



I am (for cellar-wintering) an advo- 

 cate of sealed covers, with packing 

 above, to keep the moisture from con- 

 densing on the surface of the quilt, and 

 raising the rear of the hive from the 

 bottom-board. R. F. Holterma.nn. 



The chief discussion following this 

 essay was whether we could afiPord to 

 winter bees to sell. One man could buy 

 bees at from $2.00 to $4.00 per colony 

 in the spring, and at such prices it would 

 not pay to rear bees to sell if the risk of 

 wintering must be taken. Another re- 

 ported that a Mr. Robertson once made 

 a specialty of rearing bees for sale. He 

 secured as much as .$5.00 per colony in 

 the spring, and wintered his bees almost 



invariably without loss. He sometimes 

 had as many as 300 or 400 colonies to 

 sell in the spring, and often asserted 

 that there was more profit in rearing 

 bees for sale than in producing honey. 



The next meeting is to be held in 

 Detroit, and the following officers were 

 elected : 



President — M.H.Huht, of Bell Branch. 



Vice-President — H. D. Cutting, of 

 Tecuraseh. 



Secretary — W.Z. Hutchiason, of Flint. 



Treasurer — Wm. Anderson, of Imlay 

 City. 



The committee appointed to draft a 

 series of resolutions in regard to experi- 

 mental work at the station, reported as 

 follows : 



Whereas, The State Board of Agricul- 

 ture during the past year made provision 

 for the establishment of a sub-station to be 

 devoted to experiments in the interest of 

 apiculture, and placed the same under the 

 supervision of Hon. R. L. Taylor, of La- 

 peer; and 



Whereas, Though less than a fyear has 

 elapsed, giving opportunity for scarcely 

 more than such experiments as may be 

 properly conducted during the summer sea- 

 son, yet the results of the experiments 

 made at the station during that time, es- 

 pecially those relating to self-hivers, non- 

 swarmers, comb foundation, etc., which 

 have been so practically set forth by the 

 State apiarist, have inspired tliose most 

 familiar with the business and necessities 

 of apiculture with confidence - in tlie api- 

 arist. Mr. Taylor, as well as in the value 

 and importance of the season's work, so far 

 as known ; therefore, 



Jiexolved, That it is the unanimous sense 

 of the Michigan State Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation — 



1st. That the apicultural work of the Ex- 

 periment Station ought to be continued, 

 both for the verification of results hitherto 

 attained, as well as for the solution of 

 other practy3al problems, and the State 

 Board of Agricultui-e is hereby respectfully 

 requested to continue to sustain the same. 



2nd. That Mr. Taylor should be continued 

 in charge of the work. 



3rd. That the subjects for experiment be 

 determined by the apiarist on consultation 

 with the Executive Board of the Michigan 

 State Bee-Keepers' Association ; and 



Whereas, It is desirable that a Bulletin 

 containing the results of the work already 

 completed, and to be soon completed, 

 should be issued as early as possible in the 

 coming spring for the use of bee-keepers 

 during the coming season — which would 

 not perhai)S be practicable if the work is 

 not to be continued another year — as other 

 work to be completed at the end of the 

 year would hardly be suflScient for another 

 Bulletin ; therefore. 



Jiesolned, That it is deemed desirable by 

 the Michigan State Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion, that the Board of Agriculture take 

 early action with reference to the con- 



