MAY 15, 1916 



PENNSYLVANIA BEEKEEPERS MEET 



BY GEORGE H. RE A 



The twelfth annual convention of the 

 Pennsylvania State Beekeepers' Association 

 was held in the Chamber of Commerce Hall, 

 Lancaster, on Friday and Saturday, March 

 3 and 4. This proved to be one of the larg- 

 est meetings of the association in point of 

 attendance, and perhaps the most enthusias- 

 tic. Several tilings contributed to make it 

 so. Perfect harmony prevailed thruout, and 

 the contagious enthusiasm and zeal thrown 

 into it from the start by Economic Zoologist 

 H. A. Surface, president of the association, 

 were probably the two most important fac- 

 tors in the success of the meeting. The 

 secretai'j', Prof. H. C. Klinger, had the pro- 

 gram so arranged that everything went off 

 like clockwork. He was especially fortu- 

 nate in securing the presence of all sched- 

 uled on the progi'am, with one exception. 

 The chief difficulty was in stopping the dis- 

 crssions on the important subjects in order 

 to give sufficient time for the next number. 



One of the notable features of this con- 

 vention was the presence of several press 

 reporters who stuck to their posts thru the 

 sessions, early and late. As a result, com- 

 plete reports of the convention were printed 

 in various city papers. Some of the ad- 

 dresses were even printed in full. 



Mr. L. B. Huber, chairman of the local 

 committee, and his assistants, Samuel Go- 

 ehenauer, E. S. Hacker, L. K. Hostetter, 

 and Elmer J. Weaver, had everything in 

 readiness for a warm reception for the visit- 

 ing members. Mr. Hi;ber, with his compla- 

 cent smile and inherent good humor, Avas a 

 prominent figure all thru the convention. 

 He also contributed one of the most valu- 

 able papers given, entitled, " Constructive 

 Farming and Beekeeping." He showed how 

 one can practice better methods of farming 

 wiiile growing crops like the legumes and 

 buckwheat that produce honey crops. Lan- 

 caster County is the richest agricultural 

 county in the United States, having over 

 99 million dollars' worth of farm property 

 and products. Mr. Huber, as one of its 

 progressive practical farmers, spoke from 

 experience. 



Vice-president R. M. Reily, of the Cham- 

 ber of Commerce, made the address of wel- 

 come. The kind hospitality extended by 

 him was put into action by the local people. 



Dr. H. A. Surface, in his annual address, 

 said in pai't, " If, in the keen struggle for 

 existence in the future, we are to compete 

 with other nations we must be as economical 

 as they. For example, it has been but re- 

 cently announced that the German authori- 



ties have issued a proclamation that the 

 blossoms of various trees and shrubs, such 

 as the alder, hazel, etc., should not be gath- 

 ered for decorative purposes this sj^ring, 

 because, altho Avild and uncultivated plants, 

 tliej' will furnish nectar and pollen for the 

 bees, and, later in the year, yield nuts for 

 the food of mankind. If the Germans, in 

 their present stress, foresee the importance 

 of such economy, can we not say that the 

 beekeepers who are making it possible to 

 gather and save the nectar from our various 

 blossoms, and put it before the consumer in 

 the form of honey, are performing a valu- 

 able service to mankind ? " 



Dr. Surface brought out the facts that in 

 Pennsylvania there are about 22,500 per- 

 sons keeping bees, with an investment of 

 between one and two million dollars. About 

 one million dollars' worth of honey are 

 produced annually. He said, " There are 

 at this meeting persons from more than 

 fifteen counties scattered in different parts 

 of the state. They represent the Pennsyl- 

 vania Beekeepers' Association, which has 

 the largest membership of any agricultural 

 society in the state. 



"It pays to advertise in local newspapers. 

 There are no better educators in the country 

 than the local newspapers. There are three 

 hundred members of this association, and 

 during this year each one in his own com- 

 munity should carry on a newspaper cru- 

 sade to inform the public that there is a 

 beekeeping industry in the locality; that 

 there is local honey, local beekeepers, for 

 the people like a local product best. Use 

 printer's ink; do not be afraid of it; use 

 lots of it." 



He further urged that those in attendance 

 should make notes on the good things said 

 at the convention by the various speakers, 

 and write them up for the local papers 

 from time to time during the year. 



The apiary inspectors, J. R. Rambo, John 

 0. Buseman, and George H. Rea, reported 

 9384 colonies inspected in 1915, at a cost of 

 about 20 cents per colony. In this connec- 

 tion Dr. Surface stated that he had records 

 from owners of bees in certain infected 

 territories, to the effect that their bees are 

 doing much better since the services ren- 

 dered by the inspectors. The educational 

 value of apiary inspection is its chief merit. 



Perhaps the most interesting feature of 

 the whole convention was a paper entitled 

 " Beekeeping a Hobby for Girls," read by 

 Miss E. S. Brinton, of West Chester. [See 

 page 393 this issue. — -Ed.] 



