408 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



July 1, 





GBORCB W. YORK, ■ Editor. 



pnBLISHT WEEKLY BY 



GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 

 lis Mlclilgan St., - CHICAGO, ILL. 



$1.00 a Year — Sample Copy Sent Free. 

 (BDMred at tbe Post-OtBce at Chicago aa Second-Class Mall-Matter. 



United States Bee-Keepers^ Ujiioji. 



Ort'anized to advance the pursuit of Apiculture; to promote the intereets 



of bee-keepers ; lo protect its nieuibers ; to prevent the adulteration 



of honey; and to prosecute the dishonest honey-commission men. 



Membership Fee— $1.00 Per Annum. 



JijveoiitiT^e Committer, 



President— George W. York. Vice-Pres.— E. Whitcomb. 



Secretart— Dr. A. B. Mason, Station B, Toledo, Ohio. 



Board of Directors, 



E. R. Root. E. Whitcomb. E. T. Abbott. 



W. Z. Hutchinson. Dr. C. C. Miller. C. P. Dadant. 



Ge-nera/ il/anai*-er and Treasurer. 



Eugene Secor, Forest City, Iowa. 



Next Auunal JTIeetlng at Buffalo, N. Y., Aug. 24-26, 1897. 



VoLfflVII, CHICA&O, ILL„ JULY 1, 1897, No. 26, 



Editorial Con)xrfct)t$^ 



That BufTalo Convention— are you beginning 

 to plan to go ? It will be the first good chance to have a real 

 big meeting of bee-keepers. With only half a cent a mile on 

 all railroads, it seems to us every bee-keeper will try his best 

 to be there. Why, it will be almost as cheap to go as to stay at 

 home ! 



Remember the date— Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 

 Aug. 24, 25 and 26. 



Mr. O. L. Hershiser, who lives in Buffalo, is making great 

 preparations for the oee-conveutlon. Shouldn't wonder if he'd 

 have something fine to say about It pretty soon. 



The program will be Issued soon, in pamphlet form. You 

 will want a copy of It, whether you attend the convention or 

 not. Next week we hope to be able to tell you more about it 

 — more about the program and also about the convention. 



Tbe Old Union and Adulteration.— On page 

 405, Prof. Cook has an article urging that the National Bee- 

 Keepers' Union take up the fight against adulteration of 

 honej in California, as they now have a stringent antl-adul- 

 teratlon law there. Were it not for the fact that the good 

 Professor says he was unable, from a press of duties, to give 

 the subject of amalgamation due consideration when it was 

 up for discussion and voting the past winter, his stand now 

 would be almost amusing. 



Several of the members of both the Old and the New 

 Union tried to get the members of the former society to see 

 that If only the amalgamation of the two organizations could 

 be effected, then all the money In both treasuries, and to be 



paid in thereafter, could be used in a big effort to stop the 

 adulteration of honey, or along any other important line of 

 interest to bee-keepers. 



But as all know, amalgamation was defeated, and with it 

 a pretty clear notice given that the money in the treasury of 

 the Old Union was to be used only in protecting bee-keepers 

 in their right to keep bees, and not to be spent in other direc- 

 tions. Altho we had about as big a share in the funds on 

 hand as any one, and very much desired to see a union of the 

 two societies, so that greater work could be undertaken, we 

 quietly submitted to the will of the majority — until some 

 future time, when those disagreeing with us could have time 

 to see the error of their action, and perhaps untie the hands 

 of the Old Union, by finally deciding that there shall be but 

 07ie national organization of bee-keepers — an organization 

 around whose standard and objects might be rallied a large 

 membership that would be glad to contribute when they could 

 see that every bee-keeper in the land was being benefitted 

 thereby. 



But everything depends upon the general manager of a 

 society like the Union, if anything useful is to be done. If 

 the manager is listless, unaggressive, and "afeard " to begin 

 a fight against the wrong, when having ample backing, then 

 of course nothing will be done, and the membership can 

 simply have the " pleasure " of belonging to an organization 

 with a big name, and existing upon past achievements, tho of 

 but little real use in the world. 



Like a political party, when an organization fails to ad- 

 dress itself to the new and developing needs that accompany 

 progress and the ongoing of time, it should have the good 

 sense to get out of the way, and not continue a stumbling- 

 block or an impediment in the way of the advance of newer 

 and better organization, that is adapted to meet the demands 

 of the times, and that will, with proper and deserved encour- 

 agement, do even a greater work than the superannuated 

 society ever did. We say this with all due respect for what 

 the Old Union has been enabled to accomplish in years gone 

 by. But all organizations must keep abreast with, or broaden 

 out to encompass, the rapidly increasing needs, or expect to 

 be superseded by others that will do the work that must be 

 done. 



Had Prof. Cook, and all the rest of the one hundred or so 

 that helpt to defeat amalgamation, voted the other way, he 

 now would need to spend no time in an endeavor to get the 

 resulting society to undertake the enforcement of an anti- 

 adulteration law, for that is a part of the New Union's busi- 

 ness, and just as soon as it has the necessary funds (as it 

 would have had long ago, had amalgamation carried) it will 

 likely address itself to that important task. 



Permit us to suggest that another ballot on amalgama- 

 tion be taken soon, without any unjustifiable interference by 

 any one, as was done at the last election, and we'll wairant 

 that it will carry with a whoop, and all will be happy and 

 hopeful — except perhaps those with a pet hobby, or who think 

 they must rule, else all will go to the everlasting bowwows. 



Another "Cure" lor Bee- Paralysis.— Mr. 



Joseph Mounier, of Florida, who has had some experience 

 with bee-paralysis, describes his treatment as follows in Glean- 

 ings for June 15 : 



Last fall my prospects as a bee-keeper were very unsatis- 

 factory by reason of " paralysis" among the bees, nearly my 

 whole apiary being infected. The bees had a greasy appear- 

 ance, and were dying In front of the hives by thousands, and 

 I thought seriously of giving up the business. So, just before 

 starting for Miami to pass the winter, I doubled up several of 

 the very weakest and left them for all winter In discourage- 

 ment. 



About the first of last March I went to take a look at 

 them, and found about half of tbe colonies dead, and the 

 others very weak ; but I was surprised to see the colonies I had 



