1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



121 



the man for the place, in view of the fact 

 that there was an "irrepressible conflict" 

 which was bound to come to a head at some 

 one of the sessions. The question at issue 

 was whether the State Association, at the 

 previous meeting, indorsed or fathered the 

 movement that had already been put into 

 operation along the lines of co-operation. 

 One side took the view that the Association 

 was a party to the movement, had appointed 

 the committee, and was, therefore, a co- 

 operative body to handle honey and sell sup- 

 plies. President Jacques held that the com- 

 mittee on co-operation had no organic con- 

 nection with the State Bee-keepers' Associ- 

 ation, that he did not so understand it at the 

 time the committee was named. This view 

 was supported by the minutes of the Secre- 

 tary, Mrs. W. S. Wingate, of Minneapolis. 

 A small but active minority insisted that the 

 committee was appointed by the chair for 

 the Association. The discussion waxed rath- 

 er warm, when finally, on a test vote, the 

 Secretary's minutes were sustained. The 

 minority was still strenuous in urging the 

 State Association to stand for co-operation. 

 After a long discussion, by an almost unan- 

 imous vote it was decided that the organiz- 

 ation could not, as incorporated, have any 

 thing to do with a commercial enterprise. 

 At the close. Dr. Jacques made a most con- 

 ciliatory speech that resulted in harmony 

 and good feeling all around, although, like 

 Banquo's ghost, the subject of co-operation, 

 I should judge, is one that will not down, 

 but probably come up in some form at a fu- 

 ture meeting. 



The Association took strong grounds in 

 favor of foul-brood legislation for Minneso- 

 ta. It was shown there was an urgent need 

 of such a law. An excellent committee was 

 appointed, and the probabilities are that a 

 strong effort will be made to get a law 

 through at the present session of the Gen- 

 eral Assembly of Minnesota. Editors York 

 and Root both volunteered to help along the 

 movement in any way that seemed feasible. 



At the evening session, on Wednesday, 

 there was some moving-picture stereopticon 

 work by Prof. F. L. Washburn, State Ento- 

 mologist, and E. R. Root, of Medina. Prof. 

 Washburn showed some beautiful colored 

 slides, not only relating to bee-keeping but 

 to his special department, entomology. 



On the same evening, Mr. Wm. Russell, of 

 Minnehaha Park, a native-born Scotchman, 

 gave a bagpipe selection. It was encored 

 niost vigorously. He was dressed in his na- 

 tive costume, and rendered his music in the 

 characteristic fashion of the native High- 

 landers. At the close of this, little Miss 

 Jessie Baker, a girl nine or ten years old, 

 dressed in Scotch costume, gave a Scotch 

 dance while her father played the bagpipe. 

 So well did she do her work that she was re- 

 peatedly called back by the audience. 



Quite a number of interesting papers 

 were read at this meeting; but as I was 

 able to be present at only a few of the ses- 

 sions I am not able to present them here, 

 but may do so later on. ,,,. ,itv>i 



LIVE BEES ON THE SCREEN; MOVING-PICTURE 

 WORK. 



It is not often that I give any comment 

 on my own convention work in these col- 

 umns; but our readers may be interested in 

 seeing what Bros. Hutchinson and York 

 have to say about the moving-picture work 

 at one or two of the late conventions, espe- 

 cially as there are ideas there that may be 

 helpful to other exhibitors and bee-keepers 

 who desire to illustrate bee-keeping in its 

 various phases before the public schools. 

 Well, here is what is said. We will first 

 quote from Mr. Hutchinson, of the Review: 



A delightful entertainment was furnished by E. R. 

 Root at the meeting of the Chicagro Northwestern Bee- 

 keepers' Association. It was a series of stereopticon 

 views, together with moving pictures showing the 

 swarming and hiving of bees, as well as some of the 

 manipulations of handling hives. When the operator 

 jerked back his hand and rubbed the back of it on his 

 pants leg there was a decidedly audible snicker from 

 the audience. At the close of the entertainment, live 

 bees, placed between two glass slides, were placed in 

 the lantern In catching the bees and putting them be- 

 tween the glass slides, some of the bees lost their stings, 

 to the sorrow of the operator. The sting remained at- 

 tached to one bee (not being pulled entirely loose), and 

 the way the bees chased this one, and tried to remove 

 the sting, brought down the house. The pictures of 

 the bees on the screen were about two feet in length. 



This is what Mr. York, of the American 

 Bee Journal, has to say: 



Mr. Ernest R. Root is a versatile man. He can do 

 many different things, and do them all well. His latest 

 attempt is the management of a kinetoscope, by which 

 moving pictures are thrown on the screen— pictures in 

 which every motion is shown just as if the very pictured 

 thing itself were in actual operation before your eyes. 



For instance, the hiving of bees, looking for the queen 

 in a colony, and, in fact, every motion made in the ma- 

 nipulation of a hive and colony, or the hiving of a swarm, 

 is presented in perfect life-likeness. This was the very 

 interesting feature of the Wednesday-evening session 

 of the recent Chicago-Northwestern convention. The 

 hall was crowded, and the whole performance was 

 greatly enjoyed by all. 



This was the first appearance of moving bee-pictures 

 in the United States. They were of English manufac- 

 ture, and so were of English hives and English methods 

 and manipulations. The usual quick action of the api- 

 arian operator as the result of a bee-sting was fully ap- 

 preciated by the duly iniatiated observers. As an ex- 

 periment, live bees were caged between a double glass 

 and also reflected on the screen. The way the shadows 

 of these bees scurried around was certainly surprising 

 as well as amusing. 



In addition to the kinetoscopic exhibition, Mr. Root 

 also gave a stereoscopic display, showing various pic- 

 tures of the factory and apiary of The A. I. Root Co., 

 besides portraits of many prominent bee-folks, apiaries, 

 parts of the bee— such as the tongue, eyes, sting, etc., 

 and many other pictures "too numerous to mention." 



Mr. Root is a great entertainer with his stationary- 

 and-moving-picture exhibition. He has given the same 

 show both at the Cincinnati and Minneapolis conven- 

 tions since the Chicago-Northwestern meeting. Don't 

 fail to witness it if you can possibly attend any conven- 

 tion or other place where it may be given. 



Mr. W. F. Marks, of Clifton Springs, N. 

 Y., says he suggested to me a number of 

 years ago the possibility of showing live 

 bees on a screen in the manner described 

 above; but I had forgotten all about it, in 

 the same way that I sometimes forget other 

 good ideas given me by my friends. In the 

 present case, at least, it was the Rev. D. E. 

 Lyon, of Matawan, N. J., who put me on 

 track of this method of showing living bees 

 on the screen. Where Mr. Lyon may have 

 gotten the idea I do not know; but I am 

 told that this principle of showing insects in 

 general has been known to practical stere- 



