189: 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAI. 



803 



Black. Bee-keepers should not only distribute leaflets as 

 above, but should have as much as possible of the matter of 

 these leaflets printed in their local papers. 



2nd. We recommend that iho IJoard of Directors of this 

 Union open commmunication with the California Bee-Keepers' 

 Exchange with the idea of co-operation with them as to 

 marketing honey, so that the honey of one section shall not 

 come unduly in conflict with another, thereby glutting mar- 

 kets and lowering prices. 



3. We recommend the appointment of a committee by the 

 Board of Directors to grade honey and to report in our periodi- 

 cals in six months from their appointment, and the same to be 

 presented at the ne.xt meeting. 



4th. If the Directors of the Union shall find it practical, 

 we suggest that they furnish ITnion labels guaranteeing the 

 purity of the honey to a cannery or canners putting up a pure 

 extracted honey, the Union to assume no liabilities except as 

 to purity, and that to be covered by a bond taken by the 

 Directors. P. H. Elwood, 1 



E. Whitcomb, ^ Com. 



David N. Ritchby, ) 



Apiarinii !>)iipcriiitendcul at Omaha. 



Wherkas, Many prominent bee-keepers of the West are 

 asking the appointment of Hon. Edward Whitcomb as General 

 Superintendent of apiarian exhibits at the Trans-Mississippi 

 Exposition to be held at Omaha, Nebr., in 1S98, be it 



Resotved, That the United States Bee-Keepers' Union In 

 convention assembled do hereby endorse his candidacy, and 

 respectfully ask the management that he be appointed for 

 that position ; and the Secretary of this Association is re- 

 quested to forward a copy of this preamble and resolution to 

 Mr. E. E. Bruce, Superintendent of Exhibits, Trans-Miss- 

 issippi Exposition, Omaha, Nebr. (Carried.) 



Resolution on Apis Dorsata. 



Resohicd. That this Unio-i commend any effort which may 

 be made to learn the relative » alue of Apis dorsata, and other 

 foreign bees, and their ada -i bility to the climate and sur- 

 roundings in the United Stat.. '.. (Carried.) 



Report of Committee on Resolutions. 



We, your committee appointed on resolutions, desire to 

 report the following: 



Resolved, That the thanks of this Union be and are ex- 

 tended to the citizens of Buffalo for all courtesies shown us or 

 its individual members; 



Resolved. That we extend our thanks to the management 

 of Caton Business College, for the very generous use of their 

 spacious hall, and many other courtesies shown this Union 

 and its individual members, with the assurance that we shall 

 carry to our homes many fond recollections of these courtesies ; 



Resolved, That the hearty thanks of this Union are due 

 Mr. O. h. Hershiser, for his earnest efforts in behalf of this 

 meeting, and its ultimate success, without which it would 

 have suffered many inconveniences. 



E. Whitcomb, I „ „ 

 E. R. Root, K°™- 



Report or the Obituary Committee. 



Whereas, The United States Bee-Keepers' Union has 

 been robbed of two of its loved and valued members by the 

 cruel hand of Death ; therefore, be it 



Resolved, That in the death of Mrs. A. L. Hallenbeck and 

 Mrs. J. N. Heater, this Union has lost two of its most re- 

 spected and valued members ; and the bee-keepers at large 

 have lost valuable lights, to whom they could look for much 

 help in the vocation of bee-keeping; further be it 



Resolved, That the Union deeply sympathize with the 

 relatives of the deceast, feeling, however, fully assured that 

 their irreparable loss is to the eternal gain of those loved de- 

 parted ones; and 



Resolved, That these resolutions be spread upon the 

 records of this Union, and a copy be forwarded to the rela- 

 tives of the deceast. Eugene A. Wander, ) „ 



Wm. Couse, f ^'""■ 



Questions Ans^vered by Dr. miller. 



The following questions being in the Question-Box when 

 the hour for adjournment came, it was voted that Dr. Miller 

 be requested to answer them in print, which he has kindly 

 done: 



WHAT TO DO WITH I,ATE SWARMS. 



QuES. — What would you do with swaTms that came oft 

 this time of year? 



Ans. — That depends somewhat on circumstances. Under 

 ordinary circumstances the best thing to do with a swarm 

 coming off the last of August would be to put it back where it 

 came from, and tell It to behave itself. If anxious for in- 

 crease, it might bo well to hive it, and then see that it should 

 have enough stores for winter, feeding early If necessary. 



CLARIFYING HONEV-VINEGAB. 



QuES. — What Is the best way to clarify honey-vinegar? 



Ans. — The books have a good deal to say about making 

 honey-vinegar, but are silent as to any method of clarifying. 

 From this, one would judge that it was not considered a mat- 

 ter of great importance, and that generally it was used with- 

 out being clarilied. I have a dim impression that I have read 

 of using a small amount of yeast, but I may be mistaken. 



MAKING NUCLEI, OR NATURAL SWARMING, FOR INCREASE. 



QuES.^Enquirer has bees he wishes to increase to double 

 the number uf colonies ; which is the most profitable, to make 

 nuclei in the spring or to allow natural swarming? 



Ans. — If natural swarming be all-owed, the bees may not 

 swarm enough to double, or they may increase more than 

 desirable. With the nucleus plan of increase it would be 

 easier to hold to the exact number. Probably, however, most 

 bee-keepers would do better with swarming, and, in general, 

 each one would do well to take the plan with which he is most 

 familiar and most successful in the past. 



WINTERING BEES IN THE FRUIT CELLAR. 



QuES. — Can bees be wintered successfully in solld-hot- 

 tomed hives in the cellar with potatoes and fruit ? 



Ans. — The presence of fruit and vegetables in a cellar 

 need not prevent successful wintering, provided the care is 

 taken that should in any case be taken to prevent the accumu- 

 lation of decayed specimens. If "solid-bottomed hives" means 

 those without any chance for ventilation below, such hives 

 may be successful if they are open on top. If it means hives 

 with bottoms nailed fast, and with the usual summer en- 

 trance, such hives may also allow successful wintering if the 

 air of the cellar is good, but there is decided advantage in 

 having a large opening at the bottom and a space of perhaps 

 two inches under the bottom-bars. 



"MAIDEN" OR "VIRGIN" SWARM. 



QuES. — Is a swarm that issues the second lime In one 

 year with the old queen properly named "maiden "or "vir- 

 gin" swarm ? 



Ans — There certainly does seem to he some inconsistency 

 in such naming, and it would be interesting to know on what 

 ground such terms ever came into use. The first swarm of 

 the season would seem to have a belter right to be called 

 " virgin " than any later issue; but long use has establisht 

 the matter so that it would be difficult to change it. 



WINTERING BEES IN A BARN. 



QuES. — If bees are in a barn, with entrances on the side 

 of the barn, and covered with straw, can they be wintered 

 successfully ? 



Ans. — Probably they can in a mild winter or in a mild 

 climate. I knew of one case where -10 colonies were so win- 

 tered in northern Illinois, and the experiment was a dismal 

 failure. 



COMB HONEY CELLS FILLED WITH POLLEN. 



QuES.— Why do many bee-keepers who use patent hives, 

 separators, and all the late appliances, get many cells filled 

 with pollen, while one who uses Quinby hives, no separators 

 nor queen-excluders, has not had half a dozen such cells in 20 

 years? 



Ans. — I don't know. I've just a little doubt whether 

 many with latest appliances are very much troubled in that 

 way, and yet every now and then some one reports an aggra- 

 vated case. It's a matter that seems just a little mysterious, 

 and it is to be hoped that some one may give some light upon it. 



PRICE OF COMB HONEY AND COST OF ATTENDING THE CONVENTION. 



QuES. — How much per pound should comb honey sell for, 

 to equal the price per mile we paid to reach this convention ? 



Ans. — I think I'll refer that question to my good friend, 

 G. M. Doolittle, who is more skilled than I am in intricate 

 financial problems. 



Some questions that were handed in are omitted, as being 

 of such character as to require something like a vote of the 



