1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1496 



"METHOD OF USE. 



Light and heavy smoking was advocated. 

 Pi'obably a fair coudensation of the opinions 

 and arguments would be that, where thei'e 

 were Limes when a heavy volume of smoke 

 should l)e used, the objection to excessive 

 smoke was that, in robbing time, the robber 

 bees would lie thrown from their guard: in 

 the honey season it would tend to taint the 

 honey, and in queen-clipping and hunting 

 time the bees would be so disturl)ed that it 

 would be a difficult matter to locate the (lueen 

 readily. 



Mr. Miller, in addition to previous remarks, 

 mentioned the desirability of a rim riveted 

 inside the smoker-nozzle to keep in position 

 the bunch of grass generally shoved into it 

 to prevent sparks, etc., from coming out with 

 the smoke: also a contrivance superior to a 

 hinge for attaching the nozzle to the barrel. 

 This device will be given by photograph and 

 word description later. 



Mr. R. Lowey gave as the best smoker fuel 

 second-growth pine bark. 



Mr. Bailey, of l3racebi-idge, advocated a 

 smoker-barrel large enough to have grass at 

 both ends: he also advocated lighting the 

 smoker at the top of the fuel instead of near- 

 est the source of draft. 



ELECTION OF OFFICERS. 



Tne convention was historic in that the 

 by-laws had to be amended to conform to 

 the new Agricultural and Art Act. Directors 

 were elected, and these later appointed their 

 president and vice-president, which resulted 

 as follows: 



President, R. H. Smith, St. Thomas. 



First Vice-pres., J. F. Miller, London. 



Second Vice- pres., Wm. Couse, Streetsville. 



Directors, W. J. Brown, Chard; A. A. Fer- 

 rier, Renfrew; M. B. Holmes, Athens; R. 

 Lowey. Woodrows; Jas. Storer, Lindsay: J. 

 M. Switzer, Orangeville; G. A. Deadman, 

 Brussels; Jas. Armstrong, Cheapside; Prof. 

 Sherman, O. A. C, Guelph. 



Representative to Toronto Industrial Ex- 

 hibition, E. Gi'ainger, Toronto. 



Representative to Western Fair, J. B. Hall, 

 Woodstock. 



Central Exhibition, J. K. Darling, Almonte. 



Next annual meeting is to be held at To- 

 ronto. 



SOME TERSE REMARKS DURING THE CONVEN- 

 TION. 



Ml'. E. Grainger says that, while one little 

 girl was looking at the observatoi-y hive at 

 the convention, she asked another girl how 

 to find the queen. "Why, look for the one 

 with the crown on," was the reply. 



Mr. Arthur Laing (in the discussion on the 

 cold-and-hot method of making syrup for 

 winter feed) said, "I make my syrup with 

 just a stick and cold water." 



A member asked,'' What proportion of 

 stick to water do you use'.'" [Laughter.] 



Mr. Laing said, "Two to one, and be sure 

 to use a maple stick, as it is the best wood 

 for making sugar." [Great laughter.] 



THE HONEY CROP OF 1906. 



A Visit to the New York 3Iarkets ' 

 Effect of the Importations of Cuban and 

 California Honey on Prices of the Home- 

 grown Product; Remedy for Low Prices. 



BY E. W. ALEXANDER. 



As the child naturally turns to the parent 

 for help and protection, so we as honey-pror 

 ducers naturally turn to our bee journals for 

 help and advice in disposing of our honey 

 when the markets are supplied. We were 

 told by good authority during the summer 

 that, over a large section of the United 

 States, the honey crop was almost a failure, 

 especially in Southern California; also that 

 in Cuba it was the lightest crop known in 

 many years. Some of us who sold early got 

 a good' price. We were fortunate in selling 

 our entire ci'op of about 30 tons early in 

 October: but many others still have a large 

 part of their crop unsold. 



Recently I spent some time in New York 

 city, and took pains to visit the most extensive 

 dealers in honey in that city. I was some- 

 what surprised to see the amount of honey 

 they already had on hand. One party who 

 had a large stock bought a carload of 50,000 

 lbs. fron a dealer while I was present, at a 

 ruinously low figure. After this speculator 

 went out I made the remark that that carload 

 was quite an addition to an already large 

 stock. The merchant said that 35 or 50 tons 

 additional, if the price was right, made but 

 little difference with their trade. 



Another extensive dealer whom I called on 

 bought large quantities in Cuba and Southern 

 California. He had just returned a few days 

 before, after having bought several carloads 

 at from 3| to 4^ cents per lb. on board the 

 cars. This was all sage honey of the finest 

 quality, put up in new five-gallon square tin 

 cans, two in a case, all clean and attractive. 

 I asked him about the cost of getting it to 

 New York. He said the freight was a small 

 fraction less than a cent a pound. I asked 

 him in regard to Cuban honey. He said the 

 price was about the same, usually a little 

 cheaper for that choicest bellfiower honey. 

 We have been told many times that we need 

 not worry about Cuban honey affecting our 

 mai'kets: but if you could see the hundreds 

 of tons of Cuban honey that is sometimes on 

 the New York market, and that of as nice 

 quality as w^as ever gathered by bees, I am 

 sure you would realize that Cuban honey is 

 no small factor in the United States. 



I asked this dealer in regard to our ex- 

 tracted clover honey. He said he did not 



