30 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Jan. 26, 



British Bee Journal. 



Congress of Bee-Masters at Cologne. 



COL. G. J. PEARSON. 



The occasion was somewhat more 

 than ordinarily interesting, tor it was 

 the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Con- 

 gress. 



The proceedings commenced on Mon- 

 day evening by an unofficial meeting of 

 those who arrived from all parts of tier- 

 many and Austria to take part in the 

 Congress. Among them were many 

 who have a European reputation as bee"- 

 keepers, and I may especially notice the 

 great Dzierzon. the Baroness Von Ber- 

 lepsch, Herr Vogel (author), and the 

 Pasteur Rabbow, of Hohendbrf in Pom- 

 erania. 



The Exhibition opened on the morn- 

 ing of Tuesday the 7th, and resembled 

 very much all exhibitions of the same 

 description. If I may offer criticism on 

 it, I should say that practical utility 

 was not sufficiently kept in view by the 

 greater number of exhibitors, who 

 rathor sought to catch the eye by the 

 attractiveness of there article's. I may 

 mention with satisfaction that two out 

 of three of the exhibitions which gained 

 silver medals (of which only three were 

 awarded) were made up largely of 

 articles which had at least a portion of 

 their origin in England, Mr. Neighbour 

 having carried off one of them for an 

 excellent collection of apicultural instru- 

 ments and super honey, and Mr. Denn- 

 ler having also a silver medal awarded 

 to him for a dozen of Mr. Abbott's 

 honey-boxes magnificently Idled, and an 

 extractor, the idea (though not the 

 mechanism) of which was borrowed 

 from that of Mr. Cowan, which gained 

 a prize at London last year. 1 shall 

 refer to this extractor hereafter. For 

 the rest, there were some well stocked 

 hives of Cyprians and Italians in the 

 courtyard, with some well-made porta- 

 ble hives for transporting bees or queens 

 from place to place. There were huge 

 glass bells, nearly two feet high, well 

 filled with comb, very pretty to look at, 

 but not half so practically useful as our 

 honey boxes. This, indeed, the jury 

 fully" recognised in their awards to 

 Messrs. Dennler and Neighbour. There 

 were also some ingeniously arranged 

 devices in comb exhibited by Pasteur 

 Rabbow. the bees having been made to 

 build into moulds or shapes, which were 

 afterwards detached, leaving the shapes 

 of comb, like shapes of blancmange, on 

 a dish. There were also some capital 

 masks, plenty of good comb-foundation, 

 and a number of hives, the prices of 

 which ranged generally from seven to 

 lifteen shillings, a few fancy hives only 

 being higher in price. The stock of 

 honey and mead in jars and bottles was 

 very large. All this was, however, 

 nothing more than may be seen at any 

 bee show. 



The important part of the proceedings 

 were the re-unions, where papers were 

 read and speeches made. The first of 

 these commenced at 10a.m. on Tuesday, 

 and lasted till - o'clock. It was opened 

 by the Burgomaster, who in a short 

 speech addressed the meeting, express- 

 ing a hope that the fiftieth Congress 

 might bean international one, as there 

 were few countries which now did not 

 take some interest in bee-keeping. Then 

 admidst the applause of the whole 

 meeting, the delegate of the Minister of 

 Agriculture and Commerce called up 

 Herr Schmidt, of Eichsteid, who is the 

 permanent Vice President of the Con- 

 gress, and. after complimenting him. 

 decorated him with the order of the 

 Crown, sent expressly to him by the 

 Emperor. 



The real business of the meeting then 

 began, Dzierzon, who was most warmly 

 applauded, addressing the Congress at 

 some length. Dr. Dzierzon dwelt on 

 t he yet undeveloped state of bee science, 

 and the necessity of close and patient 

 study and watching, as well as practical 

 application, if we would arrive at 

 results worthy of the end at which we 



strive. " What we know as yet,"' he 

 exclaimed. " are like a few shells picked 

 up i\> a child on the sea-shore, which 

 give but little idea of the wealth that 

 the sea contains." 



Herr Vogel, whose book on the bee 

 was rewarded with the annual gold 

 medal of the Congress, followed next, 

 taking up the question of a uniform 

 or standard size of frame for all Ger- 

 many. This has been long discussed, 

 and has resulted in a gradual diminu- 

 tion of the size of frame. The time 

 was thought to have arrived for definite 

 action, and the size of frame was, after 

 long discussions in the Congress, finally 

 fixed at 'li}i centimetres (or 9 inches) 

 broad, with a depth of i'S centimetres 

 lor 15 inches) for" the body of the hive, 

 divided into two frames, each 18 centi- 

 metres (nearly iy 2 inches) deep. This 

 hive, however, admits of being built up 

 to any height the amount of honey- 

 gathering justifies. There are usually 

 two rows of ten to twelve frames, or 

 three rows of eight frames, one above 

 the other, in each hive, making from 

 twenty to twenty-four frames of the 

 above size in each hive. 



You are aware that in the German 

 hives the frames always stand across the 

 entrance, not at right angles to it. In 

 this principle they exactly resemble Mr. 

 Abbott's Combination Hive. There 

 was only one German hive in the ex- 

 hibition which had its frames at right 

 angles to the entrance. And here I 

 may mention a Swedish hive which re- 

 sembled very much one of Mr. Abbott's 

 Combinations, ami which was furnished 

 with a division-board to enable the 

 frames to be put back from the entrance 

 in winter. There was a tunnel leading 

 from the entrance to the division-board, 

 giving ingress and egress to the bees, as 

 for the ventilation of the hive ; the 

 space between the end of the hive and 

 the division-board was then filled with 

 chaff well rammed home. This seems 

 to me a capital idea for keeping bees 

 warm in winter. 



It is no doubt a great advantage in 

 Germany that practically one size of 

 frame is adopted by all bee-keepers in 

 all parts of the country. I am myself 

 strongly impressed with the practical 

 utility of the German hives. I have 

 this summer been working very much 

 with some which are known as the 

 Baden or Black Forest hives. They 

 seem to me to present some very great 

 advantages, both in regard to manipu- 

 lation and supering. I am inclined to 

 think that bees also winter very well in 

 them. First, as regards manipulation, 

 the frames being drawn out by a pair of 

 strong pincers from the rear of the 

 hive, a small puff of smoke easily drives 

 the bees downwards to the front, and in 

 this way I really cannot remember ever 

 having been once stung in opening a 

 hive, which I have been doing lately 

 every day ; then the frames have only a 

 small bearing at the ends, and are very 

 easily detached from the propolis. 

 Thirdly, the brood is invariably found 

 in the front, and notably the lower front 

 of the hive. In this way,, for extracting 

 you may take out the eight upper and 

 four lower frames from the rear, with 

 the almost absolute certainty of finding 

 no brood in them. The frames being of 

 small size, are put at once into the ex- 

 tractor, the honey is taken out, and the 

 frames are replaced in the hive without 

 any derangement of the brood or an- 

 noyance to the queen. Then for super- 

 ing the narrow hive seems to concen- 

 trate the heat and send it into 'the 

 supers, which the bees take to at once, 

 while the broad shallow frames of the 

 Woodbury would seem to fail in this 

 particular. I can only say that two 

 Alsatian gentlemen to whom I gave a 

 number of .Mr. Abbott's excellent sec- 

 tional supers, have been showing me 

 magnificently filled honey-boxes all the 

 summer from their Baden hives, while 

 I never have been able to get a bee to 

 go into mine, except for promenade pur- 

 poses. I am disposed to think, too, 

 that bees winter better in adeep narrow 

 hive. By leaving them a certain num- 

 ber of frames rilled to all their depth, 

 the bees need never change from frame 

 to frame, but always keep near their 

 food ; and so it comes to pass that after 

 considerable experience, I have come to 

 be very fond of these small frame hives, 

 which are so handy for storing and 



manipulation. The only modification I 

 should like to make in them would be 

 the adoption of the quilt in winter. 



I would now add a few words on Mr. 

 Dennler's extractor. It was exteriorly 

 of the ordinary form, the motive power 

 being placed " below the body of the 

 machine, and the center pivot turning 

 in a socket below all ; so that all the 

 weight of the frames in the interior 

 rested on the center pivot, ami all 

 straining was avoided. The cages for 

 containing the honey combs for extrac- 

 tion are raised about G inches above the 

 bottom of the receptacles so as to allow 

 of at least 25 lbs. of honey being ex- 

 tracted without drawing it off. The 

 whole of the appratus for turning is 

 very solid and well made. The cages or 

 receptacles for the combs are three in 

 number, forming a triangle inside the 

 receptacle ; and this, I think, is its only 

 fault, for with three frames there is no 

 counter-balance on the pivot, and this 

 must eventually cause an uneven and 

 wobbling motion. It could be as easily 

 made with two or four cages, and it 

 would then be better; otherwise it ad- 

 mits of the frames being reversed like 

 in Mr. Cowan's extractor, which is done 

 by lifting each frame up about a quarter 

 of an inch, turning it, and letting it 

 drop into its place. This action is ex- 

 ceedingly simple, takes no appreciable 

 time to put in motion, and is not ex- 

 posed to any chance of derangement. 

 As the machine exhibited has extracted 

 nearly a ton of honey this year, its effi- 

 ciency may be said to have been 

 thoroughly tested and established. It 

 was very greatly admired and praised 

 by Dzierzon, and many other experi- 

 enced bee-keepers. 



Among other subjects of interest 

 from a practical point of view discussed 

 by the Congress, was that of the use of 

 perforated zinc as a queen-excluder. 

 This was introduced by Herr Guhler, 

 who very clearly explained the great 

 results which might be obtained by the 

 use of it, in reference to the checking 

 of swarming and the production of 

 honey. Several bee-masters followed 

 on this subject, saying that perforated 

 zinc was changing the whole system of 

 apiculture, and the principles on which 

 it was conducted from a scientific point 

 of view. It maybe added that the sale 

 of perforated zinc at the exhibition was 

 very huge, almost more than that of any 

 article. The holes are the same depth 

 as ours, but have a greater breadth, at 

 least one and a half to one of ours. 



Professor Donhoff read a very in- 

 teresting paper on the physiology of the 

 bee, which was warmly applauded. 

 Herr Frey, of Murenberg, did the same 

 in reference to foul-brood, which he 

 treated ably. Herr Deichart, the Presi- 

 dent of the Society of Apiculture in 

 Hesse, read a paper on " Wintering 

 Bees," the chief practical hint I gained 

 from which was, that it was well not to 

 leave colza honey in a hive for winter, 

 as it crystallised very readily in the 

 hives, and was not made easily available 

 to the bees when in that condition. 

 Herr Schzen spoke on the introduction 

 of Italian and other foreign queens. 

 He appeared to think that the chief ad- 

 vantage gained was the infusion of 

 fresh blood into an apiary, and that this 

 would be as readily effected by any 

 other exchange of queens not neces- 

 sarily of another race. 



The next Congress was then settled 

 to take place at Erfurt in 1SS1 ; and 

 either at Buda-Pesth or Frankfort-on- 

 the-Maine in 1882. 



There was another point of interest 

 brought out in the discussions. You 

 are perhaps aware that in Hanover, 

 where there is an immense trade in ex- 

 ported honey, the practice is to destroy 

 one-third of the hives every year, anil 

 take all the contents. This practice is 

 justified by the people on the ground 

 that they have too many colonies, and 

 that they woidd be over-stocked with 

 bees otherwise. In fact, they say that 

 in a good year each colony will give 

 three swarms and 100 lbs." of honey. 

 Moreover, they say, by constant renewal 

 of the combs, they avoid foul-brood, 

 and have a much longer and finer race 

 of bees. Pasteur Rabbow violent at- 

 tacked the whole system as beingcruel, 

 unnecessary, and not really economical. 

 Herr Schzen, the editor of the Hanover 

 Bee Journal, replied to him : " We are 



■ not cruel, but what are we to do with 

 ! our bees ? We have 000.000 colonies 

 every year to dispose of, and if you will 

 come in the autumn, we will only too 

 gladly drive the bees, and sell them to 

 1 you for a mark and a half (eighteen 

 pence) each colony." 



It is a question for our enterprising 

 bee-merchants whether it might be 

 profitable to purchase bees in autumn 

 at this price, feed them for winter, and 

 sell them in spring. It may be observed 

 that Pasteur Rabbow was right, and 

 that by using frame hives and checking 

 the laying of the queen by the use of 

 perforated zinc dividers, the number of 

 swarms might be diminished, and the 

 income of honey increased in propor- 

 tion. The hive's used in Hanover are 

 tall conical skeps, with the entrance 

 near the summit. 



The show remained open and the 

 meetings continued daily till Friday, 

 when the prizes were given, the goid 

 medal going with universal applause to 

 Herr Fred. William Vogel, for his 

 recent work on bee-culture ; Mr. Denn- 

 ler and Mr. Neighbour, and one other, 

 receiving silver medals; and many 

 others diplomas of merit. 



So ended a very interesting visit, dur- 

 ing which I visited also the Industrial 

 Exhibition at Dusseldorf. Perhaps the 

 most interesting part of the exhibition 

 was the pleasure and honor of meeting 

 renowned bee-keepers like Dzierzon and 

 the Baroness A'on Berlapsch. 



Nancy. France. 



Central Michigan Convention. 



The Central Michigan Bee-Keepers' 

 Association met in Convention in the 

 Pioneer Rooms of the State Capital, at 

 Lansing. Oct. 7, 1880. President Ash- 

 worth being absent, the forenoon was 

 occupied with informal discussion. 



At 1 p. m., Vice President D. R. Cole, 

 of Livingston, was called to the chair, 

 and the Convention proceeded to busi- 

 ness. The President delivered a short 

 and spicy address on the subject of 

 honey-producing and gave some of his 

 observations during the season. His 

 remarks led to a lengthy discussion of 

 the subject of wintering. 



The topic of foul brood was next con- 

 sidered, and as it was reported to exist 

 in the adjoining counties, it awakened 

 much interest. 



Prof. Cook said it was really terrible, 

 and that none of us knew its effects. 

 He advised all not to buy bees or queens 

 at a distance ; if we did. it might bring 

 on our ruin. 



A voice. What is the remedy ? 



Prof. Cook. Immediate destruction 

 of bees, hives and honey. 



Mr. Wood, of Grand Ledge. How do 

 you do it? 



Prof. Cook. Take the hive and con- 

 tents out in a field and build a bonfire. 



Inquiry was then made about the 

 Holy Land queen. 



Prof. Cook said she was very prolific ; 

 that she laid 4,000 eggs a day by actual 

 count, and that all of the workers were 

 uniform and very gentle. 



Mr. Waldo, of Grand Ledge, said he 

 obtained a daughter of the Holy Land 

 queen, and crossed her with Italian 

 drones, and thinks he will like the cross 

 for their quietness. 



Prof. Cook gave a few incidents from 

 the letters of Frank Benton, which both 

 amused and instructed the members 

 present. 



Time was then given for the examina- 

 tion of the supplies, hives and fixtures. 



The attendance was large and the 

 meeting passed off pleasantly. 



On motion of Prof. Cook, the Secre- 

 tary was instructed to return thanks to 

 the Superintendent of State Property 

 for the use of the hall, and the attention 

 the Convention received. 



Adjourned to May 5, 1881. 



Geo. L. Perry, Sec. 



l®" The Rock River Valley Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association will hold their annual 

 meeting at Monroe, Ogle county, 111., on 

 Feb. 8, 1SS1. The weather was such 

 that our Secretary was not at our last 

 meeting and our Secretary pro tern hav- 

 ing failed to send in his report, I send 

 the above notice. A. Rice, Pres. 



