1897. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



25 



1. Yes, if you are not now a metnber of the Union, and 

 if done so as to get your vote in before Feb. 1, 1897. Send 

 your dollar at once to the General Manager — Thos. G. Newman, 

 Station B, San Francisco, Calif. — who will then forward you 

 a blanlt ballot to use iu voting. We presume, however, that 

 your vote, written upon any Icind of paper, and sent with 

 the dollar in time to reach Mr. Newman before Feb. 1, will 

 be counted all right. 



2. If the New Constitution fails of adoption by the old 

 Union this month, you would be a member of the old Union, 

 working under its present Constitution. It would take 

 another dollar to become a member of the new Union, and 

 gain the advantages proposed by its Constitution. This is 

 Just where we, and others, have claimed — that there is no need 

 of two national organizations in the interest of bee-keepers. 



2. We believe the understanding at Lincoln was, that the 

 officers elected there as President, Vice-President and Secre- 

 tary, will fill those respective offices in the United States Bee- 

 Keepers' Union, whether the amalgamation takes place or 

 not ; and the New Constitution says very clearly that those 

 who are officers of the old Union when amalgamation takes 

 place, are to be the officers of the new, until the election in the 

 following December — which would be next December, if by 

 the votes of the old Union the two societies are declared to be 

 united, Feb. 1, 1S97. 



We might say here, that according to the Constitution of 

 the North American Bee-Keepers' Association in force at the 

 Lincoln convention, the olSjers eleited there would not enter 

 upon their duties until Jan. 1 of the following year — which 

 was the first day of this very month. 



■1. Yes, and no. Our understanding of the matter was, 

 that the old North American Bee-Keepers' Association should 

 be in existence until it was decided by the old LTnion (this 

 month) whether it would favor amalgamation. If it does not 

 so favor, then our interpretation of the feeling at the Lincoln 

 convention would be, that the new Union is to go ahead, elect 

 its Board of Directors, and begin to do business under the New 

 Constitution. It already has its Executive Committee, which 

 could send out ballots to its 60 or 70 members, and get things 

 in working order very quickly. 



But we are fully expecting the success of the present 

 amalgamation proposition, by the adoption of the New Con- 

 stitution by the old Union this month, when afterward we can 

 all labor together for the upbuilding of the grandest bee- 

 organization this country ever knew. 



Tl?e Weekly Budget. 



Prof. A. J. Cook, writing from Los Angeles county, Calif., 

 Jan. 2, said : "We have had another nice rain. I think 

 prospects for 1897 are fine." 



' " Mb. Walter S. Pouder, of Indiana — a reliable bee-supply 

 dealer who advertises regularly in the Bee Journal — wrote us 

 Jan. 2 : " I am building hopes on 1897 being a prosperous 

 year. Indiana is covered with a carpet of white clover, which 

 will bloom this year." 



Mr. Thos. G. Newmaw has reujoved from San Diego, 

 Calif., to Station B, San Francisco, Calif., where all his cor- 

 respondents will now address him. Mr. Newman reports that 

 the health of Mrs. Newman "is now vastly improved" since 

 residing in San Diego. This all will be pleased to learn. We 

 wish Mr. Newman much prosperity in his new home. 



Mr. Geo. W. Brodbeck, i^t Los Angeles, Calif., in a letter 

 dated Dec. 80, wrote us as follows: 



" The prospect for the coming year to the bee-keeper is 

 very promising, for our winter rains thus far have been all 

 that could be desired. As an absolute assurance, tho, there 

 must be late spring rains, and the moisture must penetrate to 

 a depth of 5 or (J feet. Then, again, localities vary, due to 



soil and distance from the ocean. The difference in climatic 

 condition and rain precipitation within a scope of oO miles, 

 and even less, is really wonderful. For instance, when Prof. 

 Cook recently reported a rainfall at Claremont (this county) 

 of 5 inches, the amount here was less than 2 inches. Thus 

 you see that a report favorable or unfavorable from one sec- 

 tion does not indicate the general condition of things In this 

 State." 



Rev. E. R. Hardy, of Buffalo, N. Y., recently con- 

 tributed two articles on bee-keeping to the illustrated Buffalo 

 Express. Gleanings said, in referring to them: "The pict- 

 ures are half-tone reproductions from real life, and a cursory 

 reading of the articles seem to show that Mr. Hardy is well up 

 on the subject." We can't have too many such articles, for the 

 general public is not very familiar with bees and their habits. 

 But we believe that articles on honey and its use as food 

 would be more beneficial, both to the public and to bee- 

 keepers. 



Mr. O. L. Hershiser, of Buffalo, N. Y , writes us that he 

 is very much gratified to learn tliat the United States Bee- 

 Keepers' Union will hold its 1SU7 convention in Buffalo. He 

 says that he will " try in every way to make it a great suc- 

 cess." That was one reason why Buffalo was selected, we 

 believe. All expected that Mr. Hershiser would be a good 

 man to work for a successful meeting, and there is no doubt 

 about those expectations being realized. Mr. H. knows how 

 to do it. 



Mr. R. a. Burnett, of this city, upon receiving the Bee 

 Journal for Jan. 7, wrote us: 



"Rather spicy reading in the American Bee Journal of 

 this date. I trust that only good may be the result." 



We thought Mr. Burnett would be interested in the first 

 number for 1897. There was quite a good deal in it concern- 

 ing a certain kind of commission-men. But Mr. Burnett is 

 not one of the kind that deserves denunciation. He, rather, 

 is entitled to a big slice of encouragement on account of up- 

 right dealing. 



Mr. R. F. Holtermann, editor of the Canadian Bee Jour- 

 nal, writes us this concerning the Toronto convention, held 

 Dec. 9 and 10, 1896 : 



" We had the best meeting of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' 

 Association we have had for years. The Minister of Agricul- 

 ture was there and gave an address." 



We are glad to hear of the successful gathering. There 

 should be no good reason why each succeeding meeting of any 

 association should not be "the best meeting." If it isn't, 

 some one is nearly always to blame therefor. 



Dr. Miller writes us Jan. 5, about a very sudden change 

 in temperature at Marengo, III. He said : 



"For two or three days the thermometer remained 

 steadily at 55^, day and night. Last evening it began to 

 change, and this morning it was 1-1- above 0." 



We had a similar change here in Chicago at the same 

 time. For two or three days it rained steadily, then the 

 evening of the 4th it began to turn colder, and the morning 

 of the 5th it was frozen solid. Since then it has been nice 

 winter weather, with some snow. 'Tls still pleasant to-day^ 

 Jan. 7. " 



Mr. G. K. Hubbard, who went from Ft. Wayne, Ind., to 

 California with his invalid wife two or three years ago, reports 

 that "she has lately been much better than at any time in the 

 last year," and that they will likely remain permanently In 

 California. We are glad to learn of the improvement in Mrs. 

 Hubbard's health, and we trust she may fully recover. 



Mr. Hubbard also informs us that he has just sold to The 

 A. I. Root Co. the good-will and entire right for the patent for 

 the machine for putting together one-piece sections, known to 

 bee-keepers as the " Hubbard Section-Press," as he is unable 

 to give his attention to its manufacture. 



Mr. R. C. Aikin, who contributes a valuable article to 

 this number of the Bee Journal, is now writing a series of 

 articles for Gleanings under the heading of " Ridgepole Mus- 

 ings." The rather toplofty first half of the name was sug- 

 gested, we believe, from the fact that for several years Mr. 

 Aikin kept bees in Colorado, several thousand feet above sea- 

 level — on the very " Ridgepole " of the continent; and he is 

 now in Iowa, where he is indulging in the "Musings" part 

 of the heading. Judging from the first installment, the 

 " Polings " of this new " Ridge Muse " will cause an " Aikin " 

 (achin') for more of the same kind, on the part of those who 

 " R. C.-ing " what he has to say. 



