October, 1909. 



American ^ee Journal 



the present year. There is no "broom- 

 weed " this year, and if we don't get 

 rain soon both the cotton-bloom and 

 sumac will be a failure, and we will 

 have to score our first flat failure in a 

 honey crop in 19 years. So much for 

 drouth, heat, and insects. 



This is one of the }"ears that honey- 

 dew was welcomed in this locality. 

 Had it not been for the so-called 

 honey-dew. we would have been forced 

 to feed at least another month. This 

 would have meant several more barrels 

 of sugar. 



This year has proved very plainly 

 what I have several times before stated 

 in the various papers I have written 

 for. That is, it is not all in the amount 

 of bloom we have that insures a honey- 

 flow. We have seen the whole face of 

 the earth covered with honey-produc- 

 ing plants, and yet the bees had to be 

 fed to prevent starvation ; and in a few 

 instances tlie weather conditions seem- 

 ed favorable for honey secretion, too. 

 The present year there has been less 

 bloom than I can ever remember see- 

 ing, and still some few colonies that 

 were well supplied with old pollen of 

 last year's gathering, stored some sur- 

 plus honey. (There has been a scarcity 

 of pollen the whole spring here, so 

 much so that it has been impossible to 

 keep the bees up to the proper strength 

 for honey-gathering.) Could I have 

 had all up to proper strength, I should 

 have secured a small crop of honey, 

 and it was not honey-dew either. 



Rescue, Tex. L. B. Smith. 



The Texas Convention 



The Texas Bee-Keepers' Association 

 held a very profitable meeting at Col- 

 lege Station in connection with the 

 Farmers' Congress which convened 

 July 27 to 30, 1909. The meetings of 

 the bee-keepers were invaluable to the 

 members present, and better prepared 

 them for meeting their apicultural 

 struggles of the future. Many ques- 

 tions were discussed that were verv 



The convention adjourned to meet 

 next year as usual with the Farmers' 

 Congress at College Station. 



Something New for Bee and Honey Ex- 

 hibits at Fairs 



As there will be fairs and fairs for 

 centuries to come, and as all of these 

 in time will have their apiarian exhib- 



T. P. Robinson. Rartlett. Tex. 

 Pres. Texas Bee-Keepers Association. 



its, it has occurred to me that some of 

 our work of this fall would be not only 

 of interest but of some benefit, and not 

 only to the exhibitors of bees and 

 honey, but to the fair associations also. 

 Those who have had experience know 

 that it is a difficult task to send bees in 

 glass observatory hives and honey in 

 glass packages without having trouble 

 from leakage in route, especially when 

 such e.xhibits are sent long distances. 

 Besides this, the shipping expenses are 



^r:m'sm 



Members of the Texas Staie bEt-KtEi-EKs' Association. 



interesting to the veterans as well as 

 to the younger members of the apicul- 

 tural craft. The meeting was harmo- 

 nious throughout, and a brotherly 

 spirit prevailed that made all feel that 

 it was a pleasure to be there. 



T. P. Robinson, of Bartlctt, Tex., 

 was elected president; and W. T. Child- 

 ress, of Batesville, was elected secre- 

 tary-treasurer. 



very high on glass packages, and they 

 must be packed into very bulky boxes 

 or crates to go safely; and, even then, 

 where rough handling at many transfer 

 stations occurs, some of the glass is 

 broken. 



It is very exasperating to the exhibi- 

 tor, and also to those who take charge 

 of the stuff at the fairs, to find leaking 

 honey, or the glass of observatory hives 



broken, and most if not all of the bees 

 escaped. It is no agreeable task to 

 wash honey jars and bottles, especially 

 if these are labeled. 



Another trouble that has to be over- 

 come to get a larger number of exliibi- 

 tors, is to help them to get the proper 

 containers in which to exhibit their 

 stuff. There are many annually who 

 have either very fine bees or honey 

 worthy the place at any fair, but which 

 does not find its way there because it 

 is difficult to procure the necessary 

 material to put it in an attractive shape 

 for exhibition. 



Having all these things in view, the 

 following letter has been sent out to a 

 number of bee-keepers who, it was 

 thought, may be able to furnish some 

 of the things mentioned. The letter is 

 self-explanatory : 



Dear Sir:— lam in Dallas preparing for 

 the biggest and best bee and honey exhibit 

 that the South has overbad. In this we want 

 your co-operation. It will not talie very 

 much of your time nor be any great expense 

 to you. yet you will help us do a wonderful 

 thing toward advertising our bees, queens, 

 honey and wax, and other by-products of the 

 apiary. 



We are going to have the biggest show of 

 bees of the different races in one-frame ob- 

 servatory hives that the world has ever seen 

 at one place, and for this purpose we are 

 getting made up here a big lot of the glass 

 hives ready to receive the bees that are sent 

 here. All you have to do is to send the one- 

 frame nuclei in their shipping-cases, and we 

 will put tlicm into the glass hives and care 

 for them in the best possible manner while 

 they are here. In this way we will get a 

 great number of competitors to show their 

 best stuff, and it will be an advertisement 

 for all who participate. We are writing you 

 this at the present time so that you can pre- 

 pare your best bees and have them ready to 

 ship to us 4 or 5 days before the opening of 

 the fair. 



We also want the greatest number of ex- 

 hibits of different kinds of honey, and we 

 have struck on the following plan; We 

 will procure a large nuiidier cjf white flint 

 glass jars holding ?, pountls each. All that 

 will be required for the exhibitor will be to 

 send enough honey 136 pounds) in the regular 

 (K>-[iound cans. We will [lut the honey in 

 the jars, properly labeled with the number 

 of the exhibitor. After tlu' fair all of the 

 honey will be sold, and that sent by the ex- 

 hibitor paid for. 'I'his will save the risk and 

 expense of shipping glass packages. 



As there are premiums on white and am- 

 ber honey, two cans can be shipped in one 

 case by freight. Include with this shipment 

 other things named in the premium list en- 

 closed — comb lione>'. wax. vinegar, etc. All 

 these shiijments should be sent early to ar- 

 rive here in due time, while bees and queens 

 are rushed through by express later. Ad- 

 dress all shipments and send all bills of 

 lading to me. 



Write me at once a list of what you will 

 send us. so we can arrange for it promptly. 

 Remember the dates c>f the fair are Oct. i6 

 to -\\. and all exhibits must reach us by the 

 15th. We will take the best care of them 

 here. Lotus H. Sciioll. 



Sti-M- Afiiariiiii Defil. 



It is hoped in this way to obtain a 

 greater number of e-xhibits; and to 

 make it easier and less expensive to the 

 exhibitor. We have every confidence 

 in this plan, although it is our first ex- 

 perience along that line. Whereas 

 there have only been a dozen or 20 ob- 

 servatory hives of bees on exhibition, 

 there should be 50 or more when the 

 glass hives arc furnished by the Fair 

 association, which keeps them as perma- 

 nent property from year to year. 



The plan for the honey exhibits 

 should make possible a much larger 

 showing also. If the necessary jars are 

 procured in gross lots or more, they 

 will not only be cheaper but the ex- 

 hibits will be of more uniform sizes. 

 Another advantage gained is that the 



