552 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Sept. 2 



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S,tourna| 



GBORCE; W. YORK, - Editor. 



PtJBLISBT WEEKLY BY 



GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 

 118 Afioliig-an St., - CHICAGO. //,/.. 



$1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free, 

 rsntered at the Poit-Offlee at Chicago as Second-Class Mall-Matter. 



United States Bee-Keepers' Union. 



Orpnnlzed to Rdvanoe tlip pursuit of Apiculture: to promote the intpresls 



of bee-lieepprs : lo protei I Its members ; to pro»e7it the adulteration 



01 honey: and to prosecute the oishonest honey-commission men. 



Membership Fee-SI.OO Per Annum. 



Executive Committee. 



President— George W. York. Vice-Pres.— W. Z. Hutchinson. 

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



Board of Directors, 



E. Wbitcomb. E. T. Abbott. 



C. P. Dadant. 



E. R. Root. _ 



W. Z. Hutchinson. Dr. C. C. Miller. 



General ^Xlana^er and Treasurer. 



Eugene Secor, Forest City, Iowa. 



Vol. invil, CHICAGO, ILL, SEPT, 2. 1897. No. 35, 



Editorial Con)n)cr)i^^ 



The Buffalo Contention closed Thursday after- 

 noon, AuR. 26, being one of the very best of the national 

 meetings of bee-keepers ever held. The attendance was 

 good, and the Interest most excellent throughout. 



With the exception of the election of W. Z. Hutchinson 

 as Vice-President, the olScers elected are the same as the 

 past year. 



We expect soon to begin the publication of the report, 

 and will endeavor next week to give some convention com- 

 ments. 



Bee-Keeping: »n Arizona.— A recent issue of 

 The Star — an Arizona newspaper— contained the following re- 

 garding honey-productlou In that part of the United States : 



It Is stated that there will be shipt from the Salt River 

 Valley this year over 800,000 pounds of honey produced iu 

 that .section. This seems almost incredibje, when It Is known 

 that 20 years ago there was not a honey-bee iu this territory, 

 and the myriads of swarms now doing business in every sec- 

 tion of Arizona, and all the product 'Of two swarms brought 

 from San Diego In 1S77. The mountains are also said to be 

 swarming with these little workers. Caves, trees, and, be- 

 times, the catclaw bush, are utilized as the home of these fac- 

 tors of civilization. 



In the valleys where alfalfa is not produced, the mesqulte, 

 catclaw, and the various species of the cacti furnish abun- 

 dance of sweet liquid for honey-production, so that bee-keep- 

 ing Is quite a prolitable Industry in all sections of the terri- 

 tory. It Is estimated that Pima county has two or three 

 thousand colonies. If this Industry was developt to its highest 

 profitable llinlt In this section, there ought to be 10,000 or 

 15,000 colonics. Mountain and mesqulte forests could be 

 utilized, as well as the agricultural spots In our valleys. If 

 properly cared for there la much profit In the bee-Industry. 



These Editorial Paragraphs are taken from 

 the Bee-Keepers' Review for August: 



Basswood has been a failure in many localities — don't 

 forget that in estimating the honey crop. 



Queens will be thrown out of the mails again unless some 

 folks are more careful than they are In putting them up for 

 shipment. Use a good strong cage, and be sure that the 

 queen can't get out. 



Wing Vibrations of Bees. — The Canadian Bee Journal 

 copies from the Sclenliflc American an extract from a very 

 interesting illustrated article showing the rapidity of the 

 wing vibrations in the flight of bees. The vibrations some- 

 times reach 15,540 strokes per minute. 



A Fight to the Finish has always been the result when 

 I put two laying queens together, and I have doue this several 

 times when Italianizing black and hybrid colonies. I men- 

 tion this because the subject is being discust In the American 

 Bee Journal. 



Packing should never be so thick that the colony cannot 

 get the benefit of the warmth when the day is pleasant and 

 sunny, for, if the colony becomes weak and not able to heat 

 the hive, it becomes to the bees a veritable refrigerator, says 

 R. C. Aikin in the Canadian Bee Journal. 



This Year has been a good one for honey in most locali- 

 ties, but not In all. It is true that supply dealers have bad 

 the biggest trade they ever had ; but this alone ought not to 

 lead to a decision that there has been such an enormous crop, 

 as the poor seasons that preceded this one have discouraged 

 the buying of supplies, and the present harvest caught most 

 bee-keepers short of supplies. To allow dealers to get the 

 idea that there has been, universally, a very heavy crop, un- 

 less this is really true, might cause a needless tumble in prices. 



The Apiary ofGeorg^e and 'Wayne Roby, 



shown on the first page this week will be admired because of 

 the youthfulness of its owners, if for no other reason. When 

 sending us the photograph, "George" wrote us as follows: 



Neosho Co., Kans., July 26. 1897. 

 Mr. Editor: — I send you a sketch of myself and my 

 brother " Wainey ;" also our little apiary of 40 colonies of 

 bees. We are the "bee-kings "of this part of the country. I 

 am 14 years old, and my brother is 0. We produced 1,600 

 pounds of honey last year. Our crop Is a little light so far 

 this year, but of very fine quallity. Or.r best honey-flow Is In 

 September, and we expect to have our dish right side up as 

 usual. We take two good bee-papers, and we have two or 

 three good books on bee-culture. Yours truly, 



George Roby. 



Hurrah for the little "bee-kings!" Long may they live, 

 and greatly may they prosper. 



The Best lUarketing; of Crops Is getting to 

 be more and more of a puzzling question with all kinds of 

 country producers. Bee-keepers are beginning to realize 

 something of the magnitude and importance of the question. 

 Here Is something taken from the Field and Farm — a Colorado 

 farm journal — that contains some most excellent and timely 

 advice: 



When a crop is produced, but half of the battle against 

 all the evils of trade Is won; and unless the farmer finds a 

 good market his labor Is lost, and the complaint is made that 

 the farm does not pay. There are many leak-holes between 

 the harvest and the market, by which the profits escape 

 through carelessness ; but the most important point, requir- 

 ing constant vigilance, is the fluctuating scale of supply and 

 demand. Many times the Western farmer and stockraiser 

 loses his entire shipment of potatoes or sheep, and frequently 

 receives a bill for freight, with the stereotyped " please remit " 

 stampt upon the paper. 



There is no safety in relying upon the middle-men or 

 agents of commission houses, because they give no guarantee 

 o.f returns except such as the market assures on day of sale. 

 The local merchants are not always justifled In paying the 

 value of produce, even in goods, for the reasons that they 

 have not the capital to invest, nor faciiilies for watching the 

 market. Direct shipments cannot be made to the market 

 centers except by train or carload lots, and then experienced 

 dealers must accompany the produce iu order to realize the 

 full benefits of all that the market returns. Individual mar- 



