1897. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNALo 



755 



keepers of the country, and emphasized the desirability of 

 baviiip pure air, as no other exiH'rimeut could. A similar ex- 

 periment was tried during the winter of 1896-97, and with 

 similar results. 



There is one point I wish to emphasize, and an additional 

 experiment duriuR the past winter goes to show the impor- 

 tance of this. The chimney into which the foul air passes, 

 must be what we call a live chiinney--it must have a pipe with 

 hot air constantly passing into it. Why? Because in this 

 way we secure the power necessary to make the current travel 

 one way In the chimney. We know that cold air will rush 

 into warm, and the variations in temperature is a cause for 

 the movement of atmosphere. Last winter I arranged another 

 cellar with the same method in view. The stove was boxt in a 

 compartment about \ feet square, as air-tight as matcht lumber, 

 felt paper, and sheet iron could make it. A shaft of fresh air 

 opened under the stove, and half way between ceiling and 

 floor, and at opposite sides two pipes led to the bee-cellar, the 

 pipes discharging pure atmosphere along the cellar walls. I 

 could not reach a live chimney, so put the foul air pipe outside 

 of, and about the stove-pipe, making a double pipe, thinking 

 that the heat from the stove would act as a sufficient motor to 

 secure a steady current of air. During cold weather, every- 

 thing workt well, but when the fire was low there was not suf- 

 ficient heat in the pipe, and the atmosphere would become 

 stagnant or the current reverst, and instead of the foul air 

 being carried off by the pipe, the cool air would rush down the 

 ventilating-pipeand into the cellar without passing through 

 the heating compartment. The direction of a current can 

 readily be detected by means of a sheet of paper held close to 

 the opening. The sjeet of paper will be drawn in the direc- 

 tion of the current. There were slight symptoms of dysentery 

 in some; only one colony was found dead when taken out and 

 one was queenless ; it was an improvement on no regular ven- 

 tilation, but not satisfactory. 



So much for pure air and artificial heat. You will notice 

 that the appliances available were not perfect. A cellar should 

 be so constructed that air can enter and escape only through 

 regular openings. What is required is a thoroughly equlpt 

 apiary, and buildings specially constructed for experimental 

 work in every county. R. F. Holtebmann. 



Mr. Holtermann's paper was discust by Dr. Kesse, Dr. 

 Miller, Dr. Mason, Jacob Dickman and others; and after a 

 recess of ten minutes Capt. J. E. Hetherington, of New York, 

 cas called out, and was most heartily applauded. All seemed 

 anxious to do the Captain honor, and he highly appreciated 

 the markt evidence of esteem, and in a very instructive and 

 entertaining talk delighted the convention. 



Next came a paper by Mr. E. Whitcomb, of Nebraska, on 



Apiarian E\liibit§ at Fairs. 



At the fairs is where the apiarist dons his Sunday suit 

 and places before the public the finest product of his or her 

 apiary. These exhibits are beneffcial in many ways. First, 





X 



E. nil Urn, III,. 



they are the main educators of the general public. In the past 

 13 years in the apiary department of our State I have many 

 times stopt my busy work to explain to some rural body that 



the extractors were not churns ; that we produced no strained 

 honey at this time, and that the pure, clear extracted honey 

 on exhibition was as far, in flavor and purity, from being the 

 strained honey of our younger days as the east is from the 

 west. 



In my observations at the fairs I more than suspect that 

 the education has not been entirely with our rural friends, 

 but that it has gone into the largest apiaries of the country. 

 At the fairs we meet in friendly and often close conununion. 

 Here we exhibit our skill as bee-masters, our good taste and 

 neatness in performing our part in showing -our goods to the 

 best advantage, for if we please the eye we also tickle the 

 palate and thus increase the demand. 



During the past few years I have pleasantly noted the 

 strides that have been made in the mannerof making exhibits; 

 that the finest honey placed on exhibition in colored glass 

 failed to attract the eye of the great throng who viewed the 

 exhibit, and finally scored several points below when the ox- 

 pert judge summed up for placing the awards; the dark-col- 

 ored sections or a liberal amount of propolis untidily left upon 

 them was also a cause of failure. liere is where we reap the 

 great benefit from making exhibits at fairs. We get better 

 acquainted with one another, and are enabled to get a better 

 interchange of ideas, and to annually makesome Improvement, 

 some advancement, from what we have seen and heard at the 

 fairs. 



We have yet great Improvement to make in these exhibits, 

 In the manner of placing them, and in the awarding of pre- 

 miums. In our own State fair we have adopted a system of 

 making all entries within the department where they are to 

 be exhibited, thus saving the exhibitors the trouble of ranging 

 around the Secretary's desk, and often being waited upon by 

 clerks who have little experience in this department, or have 

 little idea of just where the entries of different articles should 

 be made. 



Again, the system of score cards has been adopted with 

 100 as the maximum, with a judge who is an expert, and the 

 different exhibits in their class going before him by the num- 

 ber of their entry rather than the name of the exhibitor. This 

 plan can hardly fail of giving entire satisfaction, of knowing 

 that favoritism at least did not figure them. 



Not only the honey-producer but the supply-dealer should 

 take an interest in the exhibits at the fairs, both local and 

 State. When we are at the fairs we are somewhere in the 

 line. When not in line we have dropt out, and no exertion 

 otherwise can give us the standing with our customers that an 

 exhibit can when we meet them face to face and are better 

 acquainted. E. Whitco.mb. 



Following Mr. Whitcorab's paper, Mr. W. Z. Hutchinson, 

 editor of the Bee-Keepers' Review, of Michigan, read a 

 paper on 



Sugg:c»tion8 on tiie making of Exiiibits at Fair§. 



Dealers in apiarian goods, and manufacturers of these 

 goods, have made exhibits at the fairs for the sake of the ad- 

 vertising that may be secured thereby; The producers of 

 honey have also exhibited their product for the sake of the ad- 

 vertising, and for the sake of what they might sell at the fails. 

 Others have exhibited bees and honey at fairs mainly for the 

 sake of securing the premiums offered. It is with the latter 

 object in view that I have made exhibitions, and it is from this 

 point of view that my suggestions will be made. 



The first thing to be considered is the premium list. It is 

 at the winter meeting when the agricultural societies revise 

 their premium lists, and to these meetings should be sent a 

 delegate, or delegates, from the State bee-keepers' societies 

 with instructions to look after the Interests of the bee-keep- 

 ers. I went o"e winter, with Mr. H. D. Cutting, to the meet- 

 ing of our State Agricultural Board, and succeeded in getting 

 the premium list raised from §150 to 8300. Whoever has 

 charge of the preparation of the list should he extremely care- 

 full as to the wording, that it be so simple, yet so specific and 

 clear that it cannot be misunderstood. I must say that I ad- 

 mire the New York list in one respect, it limits the amount of 

 honey that shall be shown. The limit is 250 pounds, no 

 more and no less. In times past the premium was offered on 

 the largest exhibit. Now most of the lists say, "the most at- 

 tractive display." This is much better. It is true that size 

 may be one factor in the attractiveness of a display, and the 

 Illinois list places quantity at -10 per cent in 100 points. But 

 if 250 poundsof honey are shown, I think that better results 

 may be secured by offering a premium upon the quality of the 

 honey and the attractiveness In which it is put up, than by of- 

 fering a premium on a large quantity. Put the exhibitors on 

 their mettle as to attractiveness of display. As it now is, the 



