806 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.. 



wheat — only called so from its resem- 

 blance to the cultivated plant. 



It was proposed to exhibit pressed 

 specimens of California honey-plants. 

 Bee-keepers of the northern portion of 

 the State have prepared specimens in 

 the hands of Mr. Watson, of El Dorado 

 county, and a proper exhibit will be 

 made of the flora of Southern California. 



The last hours of the session were 

 occupied by an interesting discussion of 

 the best methods of marketing honey. 



It was moved by Mr. 'Mellen that the 

 Secretary collect statistics as the season 

 advanced, and correspond with Eastern 

 honey-dealers and get the best market 

 prices. 



Mr. Touchton believed that bee-keep- 

 ers should keep their yields, whether 

 great or small, private. Reports of large 

 yields had a depressing effect upon the 

 honey market. 



Mr. Martin stated that bee-keepers 

 were the bluest mortals known during 

 an adverse season, while in a bountiful 

 one they lived in a sort of a seventh 

 heaven, and everybody was sure to 

 know it. 



The Secretary was instructed to send 

 a report of the meeting to the members 

 of the Association. 



Mr. Pryal thought bee-keepers should 

 form a Bee-Keepers' Protective Union. 



Resolutions, thanking the officers for 

 the effective work they had done, were 

 passed unanimously, and the meeting 

 adjourned to meet in Los Angeles at the 

 call of the Executive Committee. 



A few articles were on exhibition, 

 notably a very ingeniously constructed 

 self-reversing honey-extractor, invented 

 by C. W. Metcalf, of Santa Paula. A 

 carload of supplies from Medina, O., ar- 

 rived during the session, and a few of 

 the articles were unpacked for inspec- 

 tion. 



There was a heavy rain during all of 

 the second day, and instead of being de- 

 pressing to the spirits, it seemed to re- 

 vive every bee-man, for much rain now 

 means a chance for a good yield of honey 

 later on. John H. Mabtin, Sec. 



Your iNeigflibor Bee-Keeper 



— have you asked him or her to subscribe 

 for the Bee Journal ? Only $1.00 will 

 pay for it for a whole year. And, be- 

 sides, you can have Newman's book on 

 " Bees and Honey" as a premium, for 

 sending us two new subscribers. Don't 

 neglect your neighbor 1 See page 293. 



■laj 



How to Unite Colonies of Bees 

 in the Spring. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



A correspondent writes that his bees 

 seem to be wintering poorly, and from 

 this he fears he may have many weak 

 colonies in the spring, so he wishes me to 

 tell how I would unite them when spring 

 opened, saying, "Give us an article on 

 this subject in the American Bee Jour- 

 nal, as I am a reader of that paper." 



Long ago I read that early spring was 

 the time to unite weak colonies of bees, 

 but years of experience have proven to me 

 that each of the united colonies would 

 often pull through alone, while, if 

 united, all would perish. The reason 

 for this seems to be, by early uniting an 

 excitement is caused which wears out 

 the nearly exhausted life of the old bees 

 which then compose the little colonies, 

 so that they die before the young bees 

 are sufficiently matured to take up the 

 labor of sustaining the colony, thus 

 causing the loss of the whole thing. 

 Being left as they were, without uniting, 

 they seem to realize their condition, so 

 no great amount of extra labor is per- 

 formed until the young bees mature, 

 after which such weak colonies build up 

 rapidly. 



After learning that early spring was 

 not the time to unite weak colonies of 

 bees, I adopted the following jplan, 

 which I have used for years to my per- 

 fect satisfaction : 



In early spring, all the colonies which 

 I think will not make good, strong ones 

 by the middle of June, are shut to one 

 side of the hive, upon only as many 

 combs as they have brood in, by means 

 of a movable division-board, which num- 

 ber of combs will be from one to five, 

 according to the strength of the colony. 

 They are thus kept shut up until such 

 combs are full of brood. For food, I 

 generally set a frame of honey beyond 



