Jan. 'J, 1902. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



23 



bcrs, that in the trial before a Justice 

 of the Peace, wherein it was char^jed 

 that the bees had injured a iieach-grow- 

 er's fruit, the Justice had decided 

 affainst the t)ee-l<eei)er, and assessed 

 the damaffcs at $2S and costs. This 

 case came on before the County Court 

 on appeal, and occupied several days. 

 A numberof witnesses were introduced 

 by the fruit-men, attempting: to prove 

 that bees (■()«/(/ and ;//(/ injure sound 

 peaches. On the other hand, the asso- 

 ciation put such experts on the witness 

 stand as Frank Benton, W. F. Marks, 

 A. I. and K. K. Koot, and (). L. Her- 

 shier, who were able to convince the 

 Court and Jury that the bees were in- 

 nocent. 



After summing- up the case by our 

 able and learned legal counsel, the 

 Court instructed the Jury as to the 

 law, and they were not slow to over- 

 rule the judgment of the lower court, 

 and acquit our friend, the innocent bee- 

 keeper. 



Thus ended one of the most widely 

 advertised and hotly contested bee law- 

 suits which has come to my attention. 

 There is no doubt of the influence 

 which this verdict will have on future 

 troubles of this kind. The case ought 

 to be briefed for future use, and would 

 have been if I could have carried out 

 my own plans. 



THE CITY OF ROCHESTER VS. TAUNTON. 



Another case almost as notorious as 

 the one just mentioned came to an 

 issue in Rochester, N. Y. In Dec, 1900, 

 an attempt was made to pass an ordi- 

 nance prohibiting the keeping of bees 

 within the City limits. This movement 

 appeared to be directed against one par- 

 ticidar bee-keeper, and was probably a 

 case of jealousy or spite. Having- 

 been appealed to by the bee-keeper, a 

 member of our Association, such ad- 

 vice and printed matter was sent him 

 as the General Manager was capable 

 of supplying, and it was thought for a 

 time that the persecution was at an 

 end ; but, in April, 1901, an ordinance 

 was again presented and passed, de- 

 claring it unlawful to keep bees within 

 the City limits except with the consent 

 oi all lot owners luithin loo Jeet of the 

 place where it 2vas purposed to keep bees. 

 Our member was notified by the City 

 authorities to remove the bees. W. F. 

 Marks, one of our directors, was re- 

 quested to visit Rochester and investi- 

 gate. He did so, and reported that Mr. 

 Taunton was keeping his bees in a 

 proper manner. He was advised not 

 to remove them. He was arrested and 

 tried before a police Judge. I employed 

 the best legal talent to be found in the 

 City and defended the bee-keeper. Af- 

 ter a hard legal battle the ordinance 

 was declared unconstitutional, and an- 

 other victory scored for the Associa- 

 tion. All the daily papers of Roches- 

 ter reported the case, and, in all, col- 

 umns were published about the ordi- 

 nance and its miscarriage. There has 

 probably been more newspaper notori- 

 ety concerning these two New York 

 cases than all others which had pre- 

 viously gotten into the courts. 



KEEPING BEES IN A PROPER MANNER. 



Another case was reported from a 

 small town in Michigan, where a bee- 

 keeper was ordered to remove his bees 

 from the town limits. Mr. Hutchinson 

 was requested to investigate and re- 

 port, which he did, advising the mem- 



t)er to remove his bees, which Mr. 

 Hutchinson thought had not been 

 handled in a manner to make good 

 neighbors, or a good ca.se to tight. 



This is to show that we do not advise 

 resistance in every instance, liecs may 

 be so manipulated as to become a nui- 

 sance to near-by neighbors, and it is 

 not the purpose of the present manage- 

 ment to encourage such careless meth- 

 ods. It sliould be the aim of all bee- 

 keepers to convince the uneducated 

 public that bee-keeping is not only a 

 legitimate industry, worthy of encour- 

 agement on economic grounds, but 

 they should endeavor to prevent annoy- 

 ance to neighbors by intelligent meth- 

 ods. For example : If I had a near 

 neighbor, I would never take my bees 

 out of the cellar on washday. If I 

 lived in town, I would try to avoid the 

 unpleasant experience of chasing 

 swarms into my neighbors' yard, by 

 clipping my queens or by pursuing a 

 system of management which would 

 discourage swarming. I would try to 

 handle my bees at all times in such a 

 manner as to prevent robbing, and the 

 consequent consternation and irritabil- 

 ity sure to follow. If all these things 

 were looked after by bee-keepers, there 

 would be less opposition to our pursuit. 



SETTLEMENTS WITH COMMISSION MEN. 



During the past year the General 

 Manager has been appealed to in sev- 

 eral instances to assist in getting set- 

 tlements with commission-men who had 

 neglected to remit, and he has been 

 able to render assistance that was 

 heartily commended. 



BEES AND PKAR-BLIGHT. 



A great commotion was started in 

 California last spring on the charge 

 that bees carried pear-blight, and in 

 one county the Board of Supervisors 

 was petitioned to remove all bees at 

 least two miles from the pear-orchards. 

 In the subsequent discussion on this 

 subject certain orchardistsand bacteri- 

 ologists have made grave, but reck- 

 less, charges against the bees, as 

 though bee-keepers had no rights 

 which fruit-growers ought to respect. 

 It seems to be forgotten that bee-keep- 

 ers were in California long before pear- 

 growers, and, according to the reason- 

 able law of priority, were entitled to 

 the field. 



I know nothing about the conditions 

 in California, but in my own locality 

 bees were kept many years before twig- 

 blight appeared. How did it get here ? 

 Did bees bring it? No one believes 

 they did. 



If bees are so guilty how does it hap- 

 pen that trees blight which never had 

 a bioom on them ? Why do they 

 blight mostly long after the blossom- 

 ing period? — (which is the case here.) 

 Why do they blight badly one year and 

 not the next ? And if bees are guilty 

 as charged, what good would it do to 

 banish the domestic bees when the 

 legions of wild ones would be left to 

 carry on their work of destruction ? 



I am satisfied that, when the whole 

 truth is known, this unjust persecution 

 will cease, and that every thoroughly 

 scientific observer will take his hat off 

 in the presence of God's busy hand- 

 maiden, the wonderful, the useful, the 

 necessary bee. 



I'lNANr lAI. ■*TA-rEME.NT OK TUB TIlEAHt-KEK, 

 lli:i-BMIIEIt-i<t, llWl. 



RECEIIM'S. 



Hiiluneeon haml from liisi report. ...t .Wl.l.'i 

 Kc<!elved durlnifycar, ilueh. Inclu'llnif 

 ?27.;t4 recelvuil lhrou;{li Hoc. MiiKou <17H.)il 



Total ItTOeiplK fl,li).5.0(l 



EXPENDITURES. 



Attorneys in iriiil of Ult«r vs. Utter* lOO.iH) 



VVIinetiS Frank licnlon'g expenses. . . Ti.Kt 



(). I,. II«r»lii»er'h " ... 'MM 



W. K. .Mark's " ... IB.W* 



Copy of .ludiri's Instructions to Jury 3.0U 

 \V. /.. lliilfliinw)n"R Expenses to Fow- 



lerville, Mii-li 7.01) 



1 ,U()1) Envelopc^H. printed H.IXt 



1.111)11 I'arnplilets, Conslilulion, Klc.. l.'>.()0 

 (ieijr(,'u \V. Yiirk. KcporLinir Conven- 

 tion of I'.liKI liine-lialf the cost) 70.(KJ 



Attornev.s in KucheMer case ........ .'jD.WJ 



InilexeilCard ('aljinel for Names of 



Meinljers X.'i\ 



I'riulink' reports, law-cases concern- 

 ing bce-koepcrs' rights 7.00 



MeinliLTsliip < aids and Letter File . . 2.25 



I'OBta^'i'Stiinips 18.00 



Kenewal Blanks 4.2.5 



.iiiii Letter Heads 2.7.5 



Salary of (leneral Jlanager 117 OO 



Tola! Expenditures * 470.;i'J 



RECAPITULATION. 



Receipts and balance on hand I'.IOO. ..* 1,19.5.01! 

 Expenditures for lliul 47t!.3!» 



Balance on hand ? 718.67 



Note —The amount received does not repre- 

 sent membership, as m.iny State atd local so- 

 cieties join in a budy at S\) cents per member. 



IN CONCLUSION. 



For five years I have rendered this 

 Association such services as my limited 

 abilities fitted me to perform. Other 

 and more congenial work has been 

 neglected that I might discharge the 

 duties of General Manager in a man- 

 ner to satisfy my own conscience. 

 While some of the work has been hard. 

 I have found many sympathizing 

 friends and kind treatment generally. 

 To all who so generously contributed 

 to make this the largest and strongest 

 bee-keeper's society in America, I ten- 

 der my most grateful thanks; but I 

 must beg to be relieved from the cares 

 of this responsible office. I wish to 

 turn over the insignia of office and all 

 its emoluments to my successor — a 

 stronger, wiser, less busy, more useful 

 man. Fraternally yours. 



Eugene Secor. 

 General Manager. 



Forest Citv, Iowa, Dec. 26, 1901. 



Langstroth on the Honey-Bee. 



This is one of the standard books on 

 bee-culture, and ought to be in the 

 library of every bee-keeper. It is bound 

 substantially in cloth, and contains 

 over 500 pages, being revised by those 

 large, practical bee-keepers, so well- 

 known to all the readers of the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal — Chas. Dadant & Son. 

 Each subject is clearly and thoroly ex- 

 plained, so that by following the in- 

 structions of this book one cannot fail 

 to be wonderfully helped on the way to 

 success with bees. 



The book we mail for $1 

 it -with the American Bee 

 one year — both for $1.75 ; 

 mail it as a premium for 

 THREE NEW subscribers 

 Journal for one year, with S3. 00. 



This is a splendid chance to get a 

 grand bee-book for a very little money 

 or work. 



.25, or club 

 Journal for 



or, vye will 

 sending us 



to the Bee 



