February, 1909. 



American Vae Journal 



Bees Might Have Saved Father Adam. 



Some little relatives who live across 

 the bay paid us a visit the other day, 

 and after a while were told to run 

 about the place and gather all the fruit 

 they could eat and carry home. In 

 an hour or so I asked one of the young 

 hopefuls if he was able to get plenty 

 of nice ripe fruit. He replied that he 

 did, but he was sure there was some 

 nicer apricots than any he was able 

 to get growing over the bee-hives, but 

 he was afraid that the bees would sting 

 him if he tried to get them ; and prob- 

 ably they would if he molested the hives 

 or remained any time among the colo- 

 nies. 



Just then it occurred to me that it 

 was a pity for mankind that dear old 

 Father Adam did not have some colo- 

 nies of bees scattered in his orchard, in 

 the Garden of Eden, especially under 

 that historic apple (?) tree God forbade 



Eve & Co. to take any fruit from. It 

 is a cinch, i warrant, that if the bees 

 were nicely domiciled in old gums or 

 even skeps, Mrs. Adam would never 

 have got near enough to the tree for 

 the serpent to tempt her with the for- 

 bidden fruit. Yea, the bees might have 

 saved the human family from the state 

 of sin, and lots of other hard things 

 that have since hung over them. But, 

 perhaps, none of the dear sisters would 

 have become bee-keepers, for before 

 Eve's vanity was her downfall, we read 

 that not as much as a fig-leaf was worn 

 by the sex that have since become the 

 slaves of the dressmaker and the mil- 

 liner. Just imagine Mother Eve out 

 among the bees without as much as 

 a veil upon her for ornament or 

 shield against bee-stings ! What a tar- 

 get her lovely self would have made 

 for the honey-gatherers when they had 

 a stinging fit on! 



Convention 

 Proceedings 



The Western Honey-Producers. 



The Western Honey-Producers' con- 

 vention at Sioux City, Iowa, January 20, 

 1909, was called to order by the presi- 

 dent, Thomas Chantry, with about 75 

 present. After a short talk by Mr. 

 Chantry on why the Association was or- 

 ganized, and the benefits given to mem- 

 bers, Mr. R. A. Morgan, of South Da- 

 kota, gave a short talk on Caucasian 

 bees. He spoke of them as being the 

 best he had ever handled. They are 

 good winterers and their honey has 

 white cappings. They are easy to get 

 into supers, queens are prolific, and the 

 strain he handled would work on rainy 

 days when Italians would not. They 

 collected a large amount of propolis, 

 which was deposited at the entrance and 

 not on the sections, any worse than 

 Italians. 



Mr. Phinny of Iowa, endorsed Mr. 

 Morgan's remarks. He reported 10 

 colonies of Caucasians averaging 3 full 

 supers of honey during 1908, while his 

 Italians did not average half that 

 amount. 



The question-box was then taken up 

 and the following questions read and 

 discussed : 



"Was the discussion of pickled brcod 

 at tlie National convention (as oer re- 

 port j satisfactory?" 



Mr. France answered that at one time 

 10 years ago, pickled brood was in 'J3 

 percent of the apiaries of Wisconsni ; 

 that there is little difference in the 

 disease in the Northern and Southern 

 States, but that it was caused by a short- 

 age of unsealed honey in the hive just 

 after fruit and dandelion bloom. 



"How long can combs be used without 



making bees smaller, or injuring quality 

 of extracted honey?" 



Mr. France said he had some combs 

 some 30 years old ; that he and Mr. 

 Ernest R. Root had been unable, after 

 careful measurement, to see any differ- 

 ence in the size, but that it was poor 

 policy to keep combs that long, as there 

 was a decided difference in colonics if 

 given new combs. Also, that by care- 

 fully observing bees and honey in the 

 same yard and flow, that the best honey 

 came from hives with new combs above 

 and below. With old below and new 

 above the quality was not as good, and 

 with the old above and below too — poorer 

 yet. Mr. Morgan thought 8 years about 

 as long as combs could be used. 



Mr. France gave an excellent talk on 

 how to melt up old combs, and advised 

 the use of a large amount of water. 



There was then a recess of 10 minutes, 

 during which time frame-wiring, putting 

 in foundation, queen-cell dipping, and 

 different appliances, were demonstrated, 

 which attracted every one. 



After recess Mr. Morgan read a copy 

 of the proposed foul brood law for 

 South Dakota. After some discussion 

 and changes recess for supper was taken 



B. E. Aldrich, of Iowa, read an inter- 

 esting paper on tiering up, and late ex- 

 tracting, which brought forth a number 

 of questions as to the value and merits 

 of queen-excluders, and, with further 

 talk on the foul brood law, the meeting 

 adjourned until the next morning. 



At the morning session Mr. Morgan 

 read a very good paper on marketing 

 honey. Mr. France then told something 

 about the value of honey as a food, fol- 

 lowed by Mr. F. W. Hall, of Iowa, on 

 his method of comb-honey production. 



In the afternoon the question-box was 

 taken up again. 



"What is the first thing any one should 

 get who wants to start bee-keeping?" 



Mr. McClintock and several others ad- 

 vised a good bee-book, while Mr. Mor- 

 gan advised a smoker. 



"How can I keep my Italians from 

 clogging the brood-chamber with hon- 

 ey ?" 



Mr. Clarke, of Iowa, advised prolific 

 queens, while Mr. Morgan advised ex- 

 tracting. 



The final report of the committees on 

 foul brood laws for South Dakota and 

 Iowa, was received, and committees were 

 appointed to bring them before the Leg- 

 islature, as follows : Iowa — F. W. Hall, 

 D. H. L'hommedieu, and W. H. Snyder, 

 with Mr. France. South Dakota — R. C. 

 Morgan, T. M. Goddard, H. Gensbeck, 

 and Mr. France. 



After passing resolutions thanking 

 Sioux City for the use of so excellent a 

 place of meeting, and also to endeavor 

 to secure the National convention for 

 1909, the meeting adjourned. 



B. F. Smith, Jr. 



Randolph, Nebr. 



Honey as a Health-Food 



This is a 16-page honey-pamphlet in- 

 tended to help increase the demand for 

 honey. The first part of it contains a 

 short article on "Honey as Food," writ- 

 ten by Dr. C. C. Miller. It tells where 

 to keep honey, how to liquefy it, etc. 

 The last part is devoted to "Honey-CIIook- 

 ing Recipes" and "Remedies Using Hon- 

 ey." It should be widely circulated by 

 those selling honey. The more the peo- 

 ple are educated on the value and uses 

 of honey, the more honey they will buy. 



Prices, prepaid — Sample copy for a 

 2-cent stamp ; 50 copies for 90 cents ; 

 100 copies for $1.50; 250 copies for 

 $3.00; 500 for $5.00; or 1000 for $9.00. 

 Your business card printed free at the 

 bottom of front page on all orders for 

 100 or more copies. Send all orders 

 to the office of the American Bee Jour- 

 nal. 



A New Honey-Spoon. 



Over in England they have invented a 

 new honey-spoon — or at least a device in 

 its handle that will prevent it from get- 

 ting down into the jar of honey on the 

 dining table, thus avoiding sticky fingers 

 and spoilt table-cloths. It is a very in- 

 genious contrivance, and should have 



a large sale among honey-consumers, es- 

 pecially bee-keepers. It is well plated on 

 high-class nickel. We have secured 

 some of these very unique spoons, and 

 will mail them at 90 cents each. Or, we 

 will send a spoon and the American 

 Bee Journal one year — both for $1.50. It 

 would make a fine gift. 



