174 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 15 



undertake the heavy duties incumbent on 

 them on account of their rapidly growing 

 business this coming spring and summer. * 



They have been prominent in Association 

 work; and in the general work of populariz- 

 ing bee-keeping in their own locality, no one 

 has done more. They have given speciaF at- 

 tention to the matter of preparing honey 

 exhibits at their local fairs, and, I under- 

 stand, have carried off a good many prizes. 



As already stated, little Ethel has often 

 been spoken of as the "sweet singer" at 

 some of our late National conventions, and, 

 indeed, she is; for her voice, for one so 

 young (eleven years), is quite remarkable. 

 Her words ring out with a birdlike clear- 

 ness and distinctness; and when she sings 

 some of those familiar songs, such as— 



Oh! I ish von of dose habby bee-mans— 

 I don't got to vork any more, 



every word is very clearly understood, even 

 through the German dialect. She is always 

 followed with a roar of encore, and it keeps 

 up until she responds with another song. 



NOTES FROM THE NEW YORK STATE AND 

 COUNTY CONVENTIONS. 



The local bee-keepers' conventions in New 

 York State from Jan. 9 to 19 were among 

 the best I ever attended. That State has a 

 large number of now famous men, and it is 

 a real pleasure to meet them. Then in 

 many of these counties there is a surprising 

 number of wide-awake men who, although 

 perhaps not quite so well known, are none 

 the less energetic. There is prosperity where 

 bee-keepers have enough interest in their 

 work to form county associations and to 

 hold county conventions. 



The bee-keepers of St. Lawrence County 

 got together and organized a society of their 

 own, with a good membership to begin on. 

 There are some extensive producers in that 

 county, and great things may be expected 

 of them. The Jefferson County Association 

 alone added 14 new members to their list. 

 This gives an idea of the interest shown by 

 these enterprising York State men. 



It is impossible for me to give any thing 

 like a satisfactory report of the whole series, 

 and it would be next to impossible to give 

 even the more important points; but there 

 are some things that went down in my note- 

 book, and I give them here, hoping they 

 may be of interest. 



The practice of sending honey to commis- 

 sion men was severely condemned in several 

 of the meetings. Some commission men are 

 so ignorant that they keep comb honey in 

 cold storage, or in a dark cold cellar, and 

 then have to sell at a low price, of course. 

 W. F. Marks strongly urges straight cash 

 sales, saying that, if every man would insist 

 upon cash for his honey, this old story of 

 damaged goods or of poor market, with con- 

 sequently delayed payment, would soon dis- 

 appear. 



A honey-producers' exchange was dis- 

 cussed, which should be formed for the pur- 



* Mr. A. has since returned. 



pose of establishing and maintaining the 

 price of the different grades of honey. This 

 was generally considered to be a good thing 

 if every producer could be induced to join 

 such an organization. 



The question-box proved its value at every 

 convention. Sometimes a beginner, feeling 

 that he had had so little experience, would 

 be more inclined to listen than to talk; but 

 the question-box opened the way for every 

 man to give his ideas, and this is the life of 

 any convention. 



It is a pity that all of the papers read at 

 these conventions could not be published; 

 but this would be impossible in this brief re- 

 port. Two of them, however, contain so 

 many good points that they will be given in 

 our next issue in full. 



Both during the meetings and in talking 

 with different men afterward, I picked up a 

 good many ideas which are given here for 

 what they are worth. 



Asbestos-tan is a good material for bee- 

 gloves.— L. F. Wahl. 



A flat or oval handle beats a round one all 

 to pieces for an uncapping-knife, — W. L. 

 Coggshall. 



A good paste for sticking labels on tin is: 

 Pulverized borax, 2 oz. ; flake gum shellac, 4 

 ounces. Dissolve in one quart of boiling 

 water.— N, E. France. 



In wintering bees outdoors, should we not 

 keep the wind from blowing directly in at 

 the entrance?— F. H. Cyrenius. 



A cloth damp with carbolic acid will hus- 

 tle bees out of a super. 



If hives are put on a north slope, the sun 

 will not lure the bees from the entrance be- 

 fore it is warm enough for them to fly. —A, 

 A. French. 



Old pieces of Brussels carpet will outlast 

 any other kind used, as a covering over the 

 enamel cloth on the frames.— W. L. CoGG-. 



SHALL. 



"Keep close to nature's ways."— A. A, 

 French. 



Just before swarming time, nail a few ce- 

 dar or spruce limbs to a stake, and set these 

 loosely in holes in the ground at convenient 

 places about the apiary. Swarms will gen- 

 erally alight on these, and then, without 

 any sawing or climbing, the limb containing 

 the cluster may be carried away.— Fred H. 



LOUCKS. 



Avoid trouble with your neighbors, and so 

 save the money of the National Association. 

 — N, E. France, 



H. S. Ferry, the well-known manufactur- 

 er of soda-water machinery, is also an ex- 

 tensive bee-keeper. He attended most of 

 these conventions, showing as much interest 

 as a man who keeps bees as a sole occupa- 

 tion. He showed several ideas of his own 

 invention which were interesting and valu- 

 able. . 



N. E. France was engaged by the State to 

 address each of these meetings. His talks 

 were full of common sense, and his word 

 was accepted as final authority. Certainly 

 the National Association ought to be proud 

 of its General Manager.— H, H. Root. 



