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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



kMn 



Report of tlie Vermont State 

 Bee-Keepers' Convention. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY H. W. SCOTT. 



At the 18th annual convention of the 

 Vermont Bee-Keepers' Association about 

 35 members met in the parlors of the 

 Van Ness House, in Burlington, Vt., on 

 Dec. 28, 1892. 



The meeting was called to order by 

 President V. V. Blackmer, of Orwell. 

 Prayer was offered by R. H. Holmes, of 

 Shoreham, after which the minutes of 

 the last meeting were read and ap- 

 proved. The President appointed the 

 following committees : 



On Nominations — O. J. Lowrey, of 

 Jerico ; E. J. Smith, of Addison ; and 

 M. F. Cram, of West Brookfield. 



On Eesolutions— R. H. Holmes, of 

 Shoreham ; W. G. Larrabee, of Larra- 

 bee's Point ; and J. W. Smith, of Mos- 

 cow. 



The report of the Treasurer showed a 

 small surplus, and the report was ap- 

 proved. 



J. H. Larrabee, of Larrabee's Point, 

 being unable to be present, the topic on 

 which he was to speak, was passed 

 over. 



BEE-KEEPING AT THE VEKMONT AGRI- 

 CULTUKAL COLLEGE. 



T. H. Wheatley, of Burlington, spoke 

 on "The Possibility of Bee-Keeping at 

 the Vermont Agricultural College Ex- 

 periment Station." He told of the ef- 

 forts he had made to get a few colonies 

 of bees to the station, and his subse- 

 quent work with them. Lack of time 

 had somewhat curtailed experiments. 

 Those connected with the station seemed 

 not only willing, but anxious to aid the 

 bee-keepers all that lay in their power, 

 and he did not doubt that some day in 

 the near future, the best honey State in 

 the Union would have a well equipped 

 apiary for experimental work at the 

 State College. 



President Blackmer thought that bee- 



keepers have been altogether too modest 

 in asking for proper recognition by those 

 in authority. He thinks it is time we 

 ask for our fair share of the moneys 

 appropriated for experimental work. 



Some one suggested that a few promi- 

 nent apiarists be employed to conduct 

 experiments, keeping an accurate ac- 

 count of the same, and be paid for their 

 reports, which reports might be com- 

 piled in a bulletin. This was thought 

 to be hardly feasible, as there are so 

 few that would have sufficient appli- 

 ances to conduct certain experiments. 



A committee being appointed for the 

 purpose, visited the Station, made an 

 estimate of the cost of increasing the 

 apiary there to a suflScient size as to be 

 serviceable, and the cost of an Expert 

 Director for the same one year. Their 

 report being received by the convention, 

 a special committee was appointed, to 

 hold office one year, and to confer with 

 the Board of Control of the College. 

 Committee — J. H. Larrabee, F. M. 

 Wright and M. F. Cram. 



PERFORATED ZINC AND ITS USB. 



Mr. O. J. Lowrey gave an interesting 

 talk on "The Advantages and Disad- 

 vantages Attending the Use of Perfor- 

 ated Zinc." He first tried queen-exclu- 

 ders in hiving swarms in contracted 

 brood-nests. He prefers the zinc-wood 

 slatted honey-boards, because they pre- 

 vent burr-combs. He had used the zinc 

 in drone-traps in out-apiaries, also in 

 caging queens in sections. He has had 

 very little trouble in queens going 

 through the zinc, but thinks that there 

 are different sized queens as well as per- 

 forations in zinc. Queen-excluders would 

 be a disadvantage if used before swarm- 

 ing. 



W. G. Larrabee had used queen-ex- 

 cluders in working for extracted honey, 

 and could scarcely do without them. 



HOUSE APIARIES, ABSORBENTS, ETC. 



The address on " House Apiaries and 

 How to Use Them," was a very inter- 

 esting one, given by H. P. Langdon, of 

 East Constable, N. Y. His description 

 of a model house for 200 colonies was 

 illustrated by drawings which made all 

 very plain. He has used it but one sea- 

 son, but likes it so well that he could 

 not be induced to change. 



The question of absorbents and up- 

 ward ventilation was discussed. Many 

 believed that they had been given too 

 much upward ventilation, and had con- 

 cluded that a circular hole in the honey- 

 board, 8 inches in diameter, issuflacient. 



