522 



June 13, 1907 



American IBee Journal 



Worcester Co. (Mass.) Bee- 

 Kespers' Couveutlon 



The second annual meeting- in an In- 

 stitute with the State Board of Agri- 

 culture was held most successfully in 

 Horticultural Hall, Worcester, on Sat- 

 urday, Feb. 16, 1907. At 10:30 a.m. 

 the meeting was called to order by 

 Pres. Burton N. Gates, who introduced 

 Hon. J. Ivewis Ellsworth, Secretary of 

 the State Board. Upon invitation Mr. 

 Ellsworth presided at the morning 

 session. After a few remarks on the 

 conditions of bee-keeping, and the 

 progress it has made the past few 

 years, Mr. Ellsworth presented Mr. 

 George W. Adams, of Byfield, Mass., 

 who gave the address for the Board of 

 Agriculture. His subject was, "Prob- 

 lems in the Intelligence in Bees." This 

 subject, while not so much before the 

 American bee-keeping world as before 

 the European, was most admirably 

 presented. We are inclined to be dog- 

 matic in things of bee-life ; it does not 

 pay to be so. We are also likely to 

 surround the activities of the hive with 

 mysticism and magic. But these are 

 not the spirits of the true investigator. 

 Mr. Adams did much to strip off the 

 old garb of the subject, and present it 

 in its truest light. 



One fact which Mr. Adams empha- 

 sized, is that the bee has intelligence. 

 By this he would not imply faculty of 

 reasoning in the sense we think of the 

 term, but rather as an intermediate be- 

 tween mere machine activity and rea- 

 soning as we view it. In proof Mr. 

 Adams gave illustrations and quota- 

 tions from his long experience as a 

 bee-keeper from his reading. 



Dr. James P. Porter, of Clark Uni- 

 versity, Professor of Psychology and 

 Student of Animal Behavior, followed 

 Mr. Adams in discussion. Dr. Porter 

 could but commend the address of the 

 previous speaker. He also pointed out 

 that we are too prone to allow our own 

 — our human — emotions to enter into 

 the reading of animal behavior. In 

 this state, unlike the true attitude of 

 the scientist who looks at things in a 

 matter-of-fact, more-or-less-cold-blood- 

 ed way, we are not inclined to judge. 



Investigations show that bees have 

 memory. A bee may be intoxicated 

 by a stimulant in the food, and made, 

 thereby, to forget its way and bearings. 



" Bees are intelligent rather than 

 reasoning. They work in accord with 

 their experience. The dog, trained to 

 do tricks, will start to walk on his hind 

 legs around a table ; but when out of 

 sight will drop to all fours, coming to 

 his hind legs when he gets in sight on 

 the other side. This would appear rea- 

 soning to take advantage of the mas- 

 ter. But analyze the matter : How 

 was the dog trained ? When the truth 

 of the matter is learned the dog re- 

 ceived, every time that he came to all 

 fours behind the table, a morsel of 

 meat ; whenever he failed he got no 

 meat. In this case, superficially look- 

 ing like cunning and reason on the 

 part of the dog is really a matter of 

 training, of experience. So it is with 

 most animal action, though not always 

 purposeful, or even conscious, on the 

 part of the trainer. This does not 

 show reasoning on the part of the dog. 



but is rather the result of remembering 

 that if he does an act in such a way he 

 will be rewarded. Science calls this 

 intelligence : it is this kind of intelli- 

 gence that the bee acquires." 



After the morning session there was 

 a banquet in the dining hall. Nearly 

 100 sat down to the dinner, and the hall 

 was filled with the merry din of bee- 

 keepers, each telling the other of his 

 fine crops, the superiority of certain 

 honey-flows, what he will do next sea- 

 son, and a multitude of other bee-keep- 

 ing tales. 



The afternoon session, presided over 

 by Pres. Gates, was called to order at 

 2 p.m. The first speaker was Dr. Fred 

 Kuhlmann, of Clark University. Dr. 

 Kuhlmann, likeDr. Porter, is a student 

 of psychology, and has made some 

 quite unique investigations of bees, the 

 results of which we believe have never 

 been made public before. This ad- 

 dress, without the curves and tables 

 which Dr. Kuhlmann used to illustrate 

 his talk, is not satisfactory, and is best 

 not to attempt to report. 



The pith of Mr. Kuhlmann's paper 

 was the " Rhythm of Daily Activity in 

 Bees," and results from watching 

 marked bees for a season, 20 minutes 

 per hour, 24 hours per day. 



It will suffice to say that work was 

 done not only with the worker-bees, 

 but also with the queen and the drones. 

 The results are not in accord with the 

 proverbial " busy bee" theory. If the 

 Doctor is right, the bee, individually, 

 works but a very small portion of the 

 day. The busy appearanceof the hive 

 is due to a little work by a great num- 

 ber rather than from much work by a 

 few. We hope this paper may soon be 

 published with charts and tables. 



The next speaker was Mrs. Florence 

 Richardson, of West Medford, Mass. 

 Mrs. Richardson is Secretary of the 

 Massachusetts Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion, and spoke on "A Woman's Ex- 

 perience with Bees." She is a most 

 practical " bee-master." She says that 

 she has tried nearly everything recom- 

 mended by others, and now has the 

 profit of much valuable experience. 



Mr. Charles H. Goodell, of Worcester 

 an old-time bee-keeper, read a paper on 

 " The Importance of Bees to the Fruit 

 Crop.'" While the writer did not pre- 

 tend to be giving any startling dis- 

 covery, he emphasized the importance 

 of complete fertilization of apples and 

 strawberries, and of the fruits. It is 

 well known that the apple ovary is 5- 

 parted, and in order to insure a well- 

 filled out apple, must receive no less 

 than 5 fertilizations. The strawberry, 

 too, is an aggregate of a great number 

 of ovules, and, in order to develop well, 

 must receive some 300 pollen-grains. 

 This work of fertilization is largely 

 the work of bees. 



Mr. Arthur C. Miller spoke for mod- 

 ern investigation in bee-keeping. In 

 part he said: "Bee-keeping is very 

 little advanced from what it was 1500 

 years ago. At that time, in the Sicil- 

 lian Isles, it was much developed in 

 advance of all other parts of the world. 

 We can not make progress if we relig- 

 iously cling to the tradition of our 

 fathers, and do not attempt to investi- 

 gate doubt. 



A general discussion followed the 



reading of the papers. Single-walled 

 hives, covered with tar-paper instead 

 of air-spaced, or the miserable chaff 

 hive, were advocated by Mr. Miller. 



It was concluded that the long sec- 

 tion-bos is a more salable shape than 

 the older square one. 



The interest of the session was so 

 great that it was 5 p.m. before we ad- 

 journed. Reporter. 



Honey as a Health-Food. — This 



is a 16-page honey-pamphlet intended to help 

 increase the demand for honey. The first 

 part of it contains a short artiele on " Honey 

 as Food," written by Dr. C. C. Miller It 

 tells where to keep honey, how to liquefy it, 

 etc The last part is devoted to " Honey- 

 Cooking Recipes" and "Remedies Using 

 Honey." It should be widely circulated by 

 those selling honey. The more the people are 

 educated on the value and uses-Of honey, the 

 more honey they will buy. 



Prices, prepaid— Sample copy for a 2oent 

 stamp: 50 copies for 70 cents; 100 for |1.25; 

 250 for $2 25; 500 for U.OO; or 1000 for $7.50. 

 Your business card printed free at the bottom 

 of front page on all orders for 100 or more 

 copies. Send all orders to the office of the 

 American Bee Journal. 



"Songs of Beedom."— This is a beau- 

 tiful 16-page-and-cover pamphlet, 6x9 inches 

 in size, containing 10 bee-songs- words and 

 music— all the songs so far written specially 

 for bee-keepers, we believe. It is nice, as 

 well as convenient, to have these songs all in 

 one binding. Every bee-keepers' organiza- 

 tion should have copies for use at conven- 

 tions They could be sold to members after 

 using once, or held by the secretary for use 

 at future meetings. Of course, every bee- 

 keeper's family will want at least one copy. 

 It is sent, postpaid, for only 25 cents, or 3 

 copies for 60 cents; or, we will mail one copy 

 with the American Bee Journal one year- 

 both for SI. 10. Send all orders to the office 

 of the American Bee Journal. 



The Sixth Annual Report of the 



Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Association has 

 iust been issued, containing 176 pages. Its 

 'contents, besides considerable miscellaneous 

 matter, are the 1906 reports of the Illinois 

 State Bee-Keepers' Association, the National, 

 and the Chicago-Northwestern. There are a 

 number of very fine engravings of apiaries, 

 the lilinois State Capitol, etc. Cloth-bound 

 copies were issued for the members of the 

 Association only, and will be sent out as long 

 as they last to any who become members on 

 the payment of Sl.OO to the Secretary, which ■ 

 not only secures a cloth-bound copy, but 

 membership in the State Association one year, 

 and the same in the National Association. A 

 paper-covered copy of the Report will be 

 mailed to any one who sends 15 cents to the 

 Secretary to pay postage and wrapping. We 

 think the Sixth Annual Report is as attrac- 

 tive and instructive as any we have ever 

 issued. General Manager N. E. France says 

 concerning this Report; "It is a credit to 

 all concerned in getting it out." 



Jas. A. Stone, Sec. 

 Route 4, Springfield, 111- 



Our ^Vood Binder (or Holder) is 

 made to take all the copies of the American 

 Bee Journal for a year. It is sent by mail 

 for 30 cents. Full directions accompany. 

 The Bee Journals can be inserted as soon as 

 they are received, and thus preserved for 

 future reference. Or we will send it with the 

 American Bee Journal a year— both for -Jl.lO. 

 Address office of the American Bee Journal. 



