1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEK CULTURE. 



657 



Number of apiaries visited 633. 



Number of colonies examined liJH'i. 



Number of colonies diseased 4(i8y. 



Number of colonies condemned 2604. 



Number of colonies destroyed 214. 



The colonies destroyed were so badly diseased that 

 no treatment could s^ive them, and those condemned 

 were simply set aside for treatment. 



The Commissioner will be pleased to receive letters 

 from those in this State vrho have bees, and he is 

 anxious to do any thing in his power to increase the 

 product of the apiaries. 



This report was seut to us, but arrived too 

 late for our issue for Aug. 1. It shows the 

 awful prevalence of black brood throughout 

 New York, but on the other hand it also shows 

 the thorough work that is being done by the 

 Commissioner of Agriculture ; and if this 

 work continues, as it undoubtedly will, there 

 is no reason why the disease will not be 

 checked by another season. The one-inspect- 

 or plan could not have accomplished such 

 results, and it is evident that the bee keepers 

 of New York have just the law that is needed, 

 for the work is divided among a lot of compe- 

 tent experts who have this season had their 

 hands full. 



THE CHICAGO CONVENTION, AGAIN. 



Remember the date of the big Chicago 

 convention on the 28th, 29lh, and 30th of this 

 month, program of which is given on page 

 665 of this issue. As the time goes on, there 

 is every indication to show that this is going 

 to be a big convention. The very low rate of 

 a cent a mile each way, announced by some 

 of the big roads, will enable many to go who 

 would otherwise feel they could not afford the 

 expense. 



I am preparing for this particular conven- 

 tion something like 200 stereopticon slides. 

 These will comprise portraits and apiaries of 

 the leading bee-keepers, not only of this coun- 

 try but of other lands ; various methods of 

 manipulation of the bees, hives, and imple- 

 ments will also be illustrated, including anew 

 plan for bleaching comb honey. The pictures 

 will all be first-class ; and with a first class 

 stereopticon, I feel very confident that we 

 shall give the bee-keepers a good treat. It 

 will be practically a trip around the bee-keep- 

 ing world. A part of the journey I will take 

 you along on my bicycle, and show you what 

 I have seen. Mr. Hutchinson, on the second 

 evening, will take us with him on a trip 

 through Wisconsin and Minnesota. The views 

 on this evening will be especially fine, as they 

 are made from some of Mr. H.'s best photos. 

 Neither pains nor expense has been spared to 

 make the stereopticon feature of this conven- 

 tion one of the strongest that has ever been 

 given. 



The question-box will be another prominent 

 feature. The questions are already being pre- 

 pared by some of the leading bee-keepers of 

 the country, and will be answered by men of 

 skill and experience. The papers that will 

 be presented are from some of the best and 

 most skillful bee-keepers in their respective 

 lines ; and altogether, even if I do say it, I be- 

 lieve this will be one of the most profitable 

 and enjoyable conventions that we have ever 

 had. 



Unfortunately it has been a poor year for 



beekeepers throughout the country, but I feel 

 sure that those who are within reasonable dis- 

 tance of Chicago can not, in spite of the poor 

 season, afford to miss the privileges offered. 



Perhaps a/ier the convention there will be a 

 sort of honey-harvest festival. We have been 

 invited by L. Kreutzinger, of Chicago, to 

 make a visit to his apiary, and discuss bees 

 and honey. Just what action will be taken 

 will depend on the will of the convention. 



With regard to railroad rates, I would sug- 

 gest that each bee-keeper go to his local agent 

 and find out what he can do. He had better 

 buy a round-trip ticket to the Chicago G. A. 

 R. encampment. As some of the big roads 

 have already offered a cent a mile each way, 

 the probabilities are that the smaller ones will 

 follow suit. 



The proportionate weight of wax and 

 honey in capped comb honey. 

 On page 21 of Prof. Gillette's Bulletin No. 

 54, referred to in our last issue, there is an- 

 other table that shows the amount of honey 

 in given thickness of capped comb, and the 

 proportionate figures are somewhat interest- 

 ing, although not contrary to what we should 

 expect. Prof. Gillette says : 



In case of natural comb honey 1 37 inches thick the 

 honey weighed 28. .38 times as much as the wax, while 

 the sample .75 of an inch thick, which was built at the 

 same time as the thicker comb and by the side of it, 

 had only 18.43 times as much honey as wax. The in- 

 termediate sample (1,13 inches thick) had 26.66 times 

 as much honey as wax. 



And, again, in speaking of deep-cell foun- 

 dation, he adds : 



Passing to the sample of comb on the " 1899 " deep- 

 cell foundation, we notice, fiist, that it is much heav- 

 ier than any of the preceding, and hence much thick- 

 er, and in consequence it has a much higher ratio of 

 honey to wax, 1 to 27.7.5. This is also in keeping with 

 re.sults announced on previous pages, indicating that 

 this foundation is diawn out by bees into a comb ap- 

 proximating the lightness of the natural product. 



Once more, in summarizing the whole, he 

 concludes : 



From the facts given in the above table, it is evident 

 that, if we are to secure a c^mb honey wi.h the least 

 possible amount of wrx. it will be necessary to have 

 it built in sections that will secure the greatest thick- 

 ness of comb. In this way we can also econi mize 

 very considerably the labor and energy of the bee in 

 wax st-oretion and c.mb-building. 



The tendency is toward thinner combs rath- 

 er than thicker ones, the reason being that, in 

 the case of the last-named, there are apt to be 

 more unfinished sections than in the others. 

 Partly completed boxes bring only about half 

 the price of those fully finished. Then the 

 argument is advanced that honey is better 

 ripened in shallow cells than in deeper ones ; 

 but experience, as well as Prof. Gillette's ta- 

 bles, goes to show that, the thicker the combs, 

 the less of wax there will be to the given bulk 

 of honey. 



His observations regarding the deep cell 

 foundation are also interesting, as they go to 

 show how perfect was the article, and how 

 groundless were the fears that it would make 

 " gobby " comb honey. Were it not for the 

 mechanical difficulties, or, more exactly, the 

 great cost of turning out this product, we 

 would market deep-cell foundation by the ton; 

 but it requires very delicate die-work, and a 



