Nov. 13, 1902. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



725 



I Convention Proceedings, l 



THE DENVER CONVENTION. 



Report of the Proceeding's of the 33d Annual 

 Convention of the National Bee-Keepers' As- 

 sociation, held in Denver, Col., on Wed- 

 nesday, Thursday and Friday, 

 Sept. 3, 4 and 5, 1902. 



[Continued from paije 711.) 



Pres. Hutchinson — There was a committee I failed to 

 announce, which was to look after the question with the 

 Government, with reference to co-operation, and so on. I 

 will name the committee now : Messrs. J. U. Harris, R. L. 

 Taylor, O. ly. Hershiser, Georg-e W. York, and F. E. Brown. 



Pres. Hutchinson then called on Mr. H. C. Morehouse, 

 of Colorado, to present his paper, entitled : " Bee-Keeping- 

 Lessons that May be Learned from the Word ' Locality.'" 



Mr. Morehouse — The topic assigned me by the Program 

 Committee is one which I am sorry to say I do not know 

 very much about. 



Dr. Mason — We can tell better when you get through. 



Mr. Morehouse— All right. The paper is as follows : 



BEE-KEEPING LESSONS THAT MAY BE LEARNED 

 FROM THE WORD 'LOCALITY.'" 



" Locality," in the sense in which we apply it to bee- 

 keeping, means environment. The word "locality," as 

 defined by Webster, means place, or geographical position. 

 In bee-keeping we attach to it a much broader meaning, 

 which comprehends not only geographical relations, but the 

 influences of latitude, longitude, altitude, soil, meteorologi- 

 cal conditions, and, in fact, everything that may be em- 

 braced in the term environment. According to our most 

 learned observers of natural phenomena, environment is 

 the controlling factor in the wide distribution of species 

 of both animal and vegetable life, and the diverse racial 

 characteristics of each. The same authorities also inform 

 us that heredity has almost an equal potency, and that, 

 together with environment, determines the destinies and 

 accounts for the varied and peculiar characteristics of all 

 the myriad forms that manifest life upon this planet. We 

 learn from this that environment, or "locality," as we 

 bee-keepers term it, is a mighty predestinating force in the 

 world at large, and looking a little closer to our subject, I 

 believe we will discover that it reigns with equal and inex- 

 orable power in that little corner of the universe that is 

 comprehended in the world of apiculture. 



It was not until recent years that locality was recog- 

 nized as an important factor in bee-culture. Like all new 

 ideas, this one, when lirst advanced, was greeted with 

 derision. Now, there is a tendency toward the other ex- 

 treme, and it is quite popular in the current bee-literature 

 to solve the various puzzles of the bee-yard by broadly 

 charging them to locality. Indeed, with some writers it has 

 become the veritable philosopher's stone of apiculture. 



I believe it is our neighbor Coggshall, over in New 

 York, who, in enumerating the essentials of success in bee- 

 keeping, places locality first of all. This is an estimate of 

 its importance by one of the most extensive and successful 

 bee-keepers in the world. 



Locality, in the lexicon of apiculture, means not only 

 the effect of environment upon the nature and habits of the 

 bees themselves, but upon the honey-producing flora as 

 well. 



The first great lesson, then, to be learned in regard to 

 locality is variation. There is a world-wide difference be- 

 tween New England and Colorado, and between Colorado 

 and Texas, or Texas and California. Natural environments 

 in these localities are very dissimilar, and the creatures of 

 these environments are just as dissimilar as the environ- 

 ments themselves. A veteran bee-keeper from the verdant 

 hills of old Vermont would make a flat failure were he to 

 bring his apiary to Colorado and manage it the same as he 

 has been accustomed to doing. The system of manage- 

 .ment that is suited to Southwestern Texas would not suc- 

 ceed at all in Southern California, or perhaps anywhere 

 else but in Southwestern Texas. The same would be true 



in the comparison of nearly all other lacalitics, and, corainiB^ 

 nearer home, I will venture to say that the management 

 that gives the best results over on the Western Slope would 

 not insure the same measure of success, without some modi- 

 lications, on this side of the Kockies. It is not necessary, 

 in this paper, to point out specifically any of these marked 

 differences or variations. 



To conclude this paper, I wish to emphasize as the para- 

 mount lesson to be learned from considering the word 

 " locality," the importance of every bee-keeper becoming 

 thoroughly familiar with his own immediate locality. To 

 do this is the study and work of a lifetime, but, having 

 acquired such a knowledge, even if to only a fair degree, 

 one has at hand the elements of almost sure success in bee- 

 keeping. You may write it down as an axiom that the 

 man who does not understand his locality is not a bee- 

 keeper in the Twentieth Century sense of the word. 



I would amend Mr. Coggshall's statement of qualifica- 

 tions by placing knowledge of locality first. I know of some 

 men who are making a good living from bee-culture in 

 localities so poor that the majority of us would not think it 

 worth while trying. They are succeeding because they un- 

 derstand their localities, and are taking every advantage 

 possible. I also know of men in the best districts of Col- 

 orado who keep bees, but purchase all the honey that ever 

 appears upon their tables. They pay no attention to 

 locality, and very little to the bees themselves, and they 

 will invariably tell you that bees are more trouble than they 

 are worth — that they don't pay. Resolved down to its last 

 analysis, success in bee-culture depends almost wholly upon 

 the man, and the man will be successful just in proportion 

 as he understands his locality and adapts his management 

 to suit his peculiar needs. H. C. Morehouse. 



Pres. Hutchinson — The subject is before you for dis- 

 cussion. 



Dr. Miller — I believe we are very unwise to tire our- 

 selves out ; the interims between the sessions are filled up 

 with visiting, and that is more or less wearing, and when 

 we take a long afternoon session we are unfit for the even- 

 ing work. We have had a good deal this afternoon that 

 was not regularly upon the program, so that we will not be 

 able to go through the whole of the program, but I believe 

 it would be very wise for us to defer until to-morrow, when 

 nothing of that kind will come in, and I believe we can 

 then easily dispose of all there is upon the program. It is 

 now 20 minutes to S, and I, therefore, move that we adjourn 

 until this evening, at 7:30 o'clock. 



Pres. Hutchinson put the motion, which had been sec- 

 onded, and, on a vote having been taken, was declared car- 

 ried, and the convention was adjourned until 7:30 p.m. 



After the adjournmennt the members and their friends 

 gathered on the steps of the eastern entrance to the State 

 Capitol building, when Pres. Hutchinson took a group 

 photograph. 



SECOND DAY— Evening Session. 



At 7:30 p.m. Pres. Hutchinson called the convention to 

 order, and after vocal selections by Miss Brown, of the 

 Denver College of Music, Prof. C. P. Gillette, of Fort Col- 

 lins, Colo., delivered his interesting lecture on " The Out- 

 side and Inside of a Honey-Bee," illustrated by the stereop- 

 ticon. 



During the course of the lecture many questions were 

 asked by those present, which were very good-naturedly and 

 patiently answered by Prof. Gillette. The convention then 

 adjourned until Friday morning, at 9 o'clock. 



THIRD DAY— Morning Session. 



Pres. Hutchinson called the convention to order at 9:45 

 o'clock, and the first thing he announced the committee on 

 the matter of pear-blight : Messrs. F. E. Brown, Frank 

 Benton, and M. A. Gill. He also appointed a committee on 

 resolutions, viz.: Dr. C. C. Miller and James A. Green. 



THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE EXPOSITION. 



Dr. Mason — I have had some correspondence with Mr. 

 Taylor, who represents the Agricultural and Horticultural 

 interests for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. 

 Louis, or, rather, he has been corresponding with me. I 

 am happy to state to you that Mr. Taylor has been able to 

 get here, and he is with us tliis morning, and can speak 

 to you himself. We are very glad to have him with us this 

 morning, and he can tell us just what he wants, so much 

 better than by writing. 



Mr. Taylor — I should have enjoyed the next five min- 

 utes a great deal better to sit here and listen to one of these 



