6 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Jan. 5, 



Conucntions. 



Madison County, Ind., Convention. 



ignite a number of the most en- 

 thusiastic lice- keepers of Madison coun- 

 ty met in the City Clerk's office at An- 

 derson, Nov. 5th. The meeting was 



called to order by Mr. Ji is Mahan. 



who stated that the meeting was called 

 for the purpose of forming an associa- 

 tion of the bee-keepers of Madison 

 county. lie hoped the meeting would 

 be a success. He was satistied that 

 there were enough bee-keepers in the 

 county to make a good association, if 

 they were called together. There were 

 a large number of bees in the county, 

 but the greater part of them were in box 

 hives, orpatent hives of all conceivable 

 shapes and sizes. He was satisfied that 

 this could all be remedied by the form- 

 ing of an association. He therefore 

 moved that the meeting proceed to a 

 permanent organization, proposing the 

 name of A. J. Davis as President, who 

 was duly elected. 



Mr. (r*. Hall was made Vice President, 

 James Mahan, Secretary, and F. JVI. 

 Williams, Treasurer. By resolution, the 

 society is to be known as the Madison 

 County Bee-Keepers' Association. A 

 constitution and by-laws, similar to 

 those of the State Association, were 

 then read and adopted. Mr. J. <;. Brown 

 was called, and read the following: 



Hints to Beginners. 



The old opinion, which ought to be 

 entirely exploded, that bees will take 

 care of themselves, and bring us large 

 returns for little or no investment of 

 capital or labor, is still a stumbling 

 block to prosperous bee-keeping. 



Ignorance of the business, then, is the 

 cause of a large proportion of ill success. 

 What then is essential, is a thorough 

 knowledge of the business, plenty of 

 application and hard work. Much use- 

 ful information may be obtained by 

 reading the best bee journals and best 

 bee books, but actual practice in the 

 apiary is indispensable. Many persons 

 are naturally unlit for the business, from 

 carelessness and inaccuracy about their 

 work. I know of no out-door work 

 where so much depends on the right 

 thing being done at the right time and 

 in the right way. 



Avoid the common blunder of rush- 

 ing into bee-keeping just after there 

 have been one or two good seasons. 

 The fact is, that an extra good yield is 

 usually followed by a very moderate or 

 poor one. 



Beginners should purchase but a small 

 number of colonies at tirst, and the bees 

 will increase as fast as their knowledge 

 will increase. Buy always the best that 

 can lie found, even if they cost more, 

 for it will often pay you the* lirstseason. 

 Spring is the best time to buy bees, for 

 then they are through wintering and 

 you have not much risk, and they will 

 then be a profit to you. 1 Fse some good 

 movable frame hive, for with the box 

 hive the best results cannot be obtained. 



A very great hindrance to the success 

 of many who would like to have bees, 

 is fear (if the sting in handling them. 

 Every beginner should supply himself 

 or herself with a good bellows smoker, 

 for it is as necessary to the bee-keeper 

 as a plow is to the farmer. Then, by a 

 little practice you can handle bees as 

 easily as any of your stock. There is a 

 difference in the quality and prolfflc- 

 ness of different queens, and different 

 families of black bees. Some arc more 

 vindictive and more difficult to manage 

 than others. The difference is not in 

 the treatment they have had. but in the 

 blood. The same is true of Italian 

 bees. While, as a rule, they are more 

 peaceable and every way more easily 



handled than black bees, 1 found in 

 my experience this season that the 

 Albino bees are still more peaceable. 

 In successful bee-keeping more de- 



Eends on the bee-keeper than on the 

 ive, or the particular strain of bees; 

 in order to succeed in the pursuit, a 

 good degree of intelligence is needed, 

 but a man may be intelligent in other 

 things, and lie' a tlat failure as a bee- 

 keeper. He must become thoroughly 

 acquainted with the bees' instincts, so 

 as to know with approximate certainty 



just what the bees will do under any 

 circumstance. I do not believe that 

 any one will succeed as an apiarist who 

 has not a genuine love for bees. The 

 successful bee-keeper must feel enough 

 interest in his bees to know at all times, 

 winter and summer, their exact con- . 

 dition. and he must be careful to do for 

 them what needs to be done, and to do 

 it at the proper time. 



As my conviction is in favor of chaff 

 hives, and out of door wintering, I face 

 all the hives to the east or south, with 

 the bottoms of the hives three inches 

 above the ground. I remove all the 

 frames but those covered with bees and 

 put in the division boards each side, or 

 chaff cushions, and also on top of the 

 frames place chaff cushions. Then your 

 bees will stand the most severe winter. 

 But to those who have no chaff hives. I ; 

 would recommend covering the hives 

 with flax straw or stack corn fodder, and , 

 it will amply pay for time and trouble. 



Frank L. Dougherty, delivered an 

 addressafter which the following resolu- 

 tion was passed : "Resolved, that the 

 thanks of this association be tendered 

 Frank L. Dougherty for meeting with, 

 and assissting in the organization of 

 the association." 



The meeting then adjourned till It) 

 o'clock the next day. On re-assembling 

 the minutes of the previous meeting 

 were read and approved. The attend- 

 ance was much larger than on the pre- 

 vious day. Several good papers were 

 read and fully discussed. There was a 

 great deal of enthusiasm shown. The 

 meeting adjourned to meet on Saturday, 

 December 18, 1SS0. 



James Mahan, See. 



Southern California Convention. 



The Southern California bee-keepers 

 convened at Los Angeles, Oct. 20, at 

 10 a.m. The President, C. J. Fox, not 

 being present, Mr. J. S. Harbison was 

 elected temporary chairman, and X. 

 Levering Secretary. 



Mr. Levering stated that the object of 

 the meeting was to give an opportunity 

 for exchanging ideas, and the more 

 thorough organization of the honey pro- 

 ducers. The boundaries of the district 

 were decided to be the same as the 

 boundaries of the Fourth Congressional 

 District. 



On motion, the chair appointed a com- 

 mittee on programme for business of 

 convention, as follows : L. S. Butler. 

 Frank Flint and C. N. Wilson. 



Tire election of officers resulted as 

 follows : 



President -J. E. Pleasants, of Anaheim. 



Vice Presidents— J. S. Harbison, of San Diego ; A. 

 W. Hale, of San Bernardino j J. W. Wilson, oj Pasa- 

 dena : R. Wilkins, of Ventura ; Frank Flint, of 

 Santa Barbara ; G. M. Hamilton, ot Visalia. 



Secretary— J. A. Haskell, of San Fernando. 



Corresponding Secretary— C. .1. Fox, of San Diego. 



Treasurer— E. F. Spence, of Los Angeles city. 



Mr. Flint was called upon and read 

 the address of C. J. Fox, after which a 

 motion was made and carried that the 

 address be placed on tile and furnished 

 for publication. 



President's Address. 



Fellow Bee-Keepers :— It has been 

 found by experience that, in most oc- 

 cupations, co-operation is exceedingly 

 useful, and of late years almost a neces- 

 sity. It is especially advantageous to 

 farmers and producers. There are fruit 

 growers', wool growers', wine growers', 

 and other associations, the members of 

 which meet from time to time for con- 

 sultation and to arrange plans for mut- 

 ual counsel and assisstance. 



During the past live years, the bee- 

 keepers all over the country have formed 

 county, State and national associations, 

 at times and places, where much good 

 has been done by exchange of ideas and 

 opinions, and by comparison of differ- 

 ent methods of managing bees, secur- 

 ing honey, and marketing it iii the best 

 way. 



Keeping bees and obtaining or. as we 

 say. raising honey have been practiced 

 by people in all ages and countries, and 

 at times in the past, honey has been a 

 more important article of food than 

 now. 'when so many other articles are 

 used as sweets, few of them, however, 

 so healthful as pure honey is. 



But past history does not inform us 

 whether bee-keeping was ever pursued 

 as systematically as it has been during 



the last live years. All of us can re- 

 member the commencement of the 

 presenters of scientific bee-keeping and 

 its wonderful progress from small be- 

 ginnings to its present position, as one 

 of the important industries of our 

 country, and especially of Southern 

 California. San Diego county, where I 

 reside, lias the largest number of bee- 

 keepers, and produces the largest 

 amount of honey of any county in the 

 State, or perhaps of the same popula- 

 tion in the world, and I may be par- 

 doned for referring to its progress as an 

 illustration. The business commenced 

 in 1871 by Messrs. Harbison & Clark 

 bringing there 100 colonies of bees. 

 There had been a few there before, but 

 scattered about, very little attended to, 

 and only used for home consumption. 

 This was the first attempt at establish- 

 ingan apiary or making a business of 

 bee-keeping. At present Messrs. Har- 

 bison & Dowling are owners of over 

 3,000 colonies of bees, and the total crop 

 for the present year is 310,000 pounds. 

 They have shipped to the various mar- 

 kets in the Eastern States and Cali- 

 fornia in the year 1880, 265,000 lbs. and 

 have on hand yet to ship about 33,000 

 lbs., all comb honey, except about 2,000 

 lbs. In 1874-5 a good many others en- 

 gaged in the business, and in 1878 there 

 were over 20,000 colonies of bees in the 

 county, and the export of honey ex- 

 ceeded 2,000,000. 



The following figures represent, as 

 nearly as I can obtain them, the con- 

 dition of the business the present year : 

 San Diego county had March 1, 1880, as 

 returned to the assessor, 331 bee-keep- 

 ers, 15,621 colonies of bees, and has ex- 

 ported, including the amount now in 

 store in the city of San Diego, 418,700 

 lbs., of comb honey and 488,700 lbs. of 

 extracted honey in barrels and cans. 

 A considerable' amount has not been 

 brought in. and the total product will 

 be about 1,000,000 pounds. I could not 

 obtain exactly the number of colonies 

 of bees at present, but Mr. Horbison 

 and I estimate it at from 24,000 to 25,000. 



Santa Barbara county, by a report 

 from Mr. Frank Flint, Secretary Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, had March 1, 

 1880, 31 bee-keepers, 1,757 colonies of 

 bees, and has produced for export this 

 season 257,800 lbs. of honey, nearly all 

 extracted. The number as estimated 

 October 1, is 3,655 colonies. 



Ventura county, by a report from R. 

 Touchton Secretary of the Bee-Keepers' 

 Association, had last spring 70 bee- 

 keepers, about 4,600 colonies of bees, 

 and has produced for export 700,000 lbs. 

 of extracted honey. The number of 

 bees at present is estimated at 7,000 

 colonies. 



San Bernardino county, by report 

 from M. Segurs, Secretary Bee-keepers' 

 Association, has now about 6,000 colo- 

 nies of bees, and has produced about 

 350,000 lbs. of extracted and 100,000 lbs. 

 of comb honey. 



The totals from four counties show 

 that there are at present over 41,600 

 colonies of bees, and that the product 

 the present year is about 2,315,000 lbs. of 

 honey, or 1,157 tons. The return from 

 Los Angeles county would very much 

 increrse these figures. 



An industry that has grown in so 

 short a time to such large proportions, 

 naturally is not so well conducted as 

 one that has been of slower growth. 

 Thus we see a good many different 

 kinds of hives in use, different methods 

 of handling bees, of taking out honey, 

 of packing, shipping, and marketing it, 

 and a good deal of complaint among 

 dealers, of the poor condition it is re- 

 ceived in for market, and among pro- 

 ducers, of unremunerative prices. 



I leave the question of management 

 of the apiary to others more able than 

 I am to discuss it ; but, having had con- 

 siderable experience in marketing, will 

 mention a few points that may be 

 studied with profit. For foreign ship- 

 ment, a well made, iron-hooped barrel, 

 holding not over 15 to 20 gallons, is the 

 safest, strongest, most easily handled, 

 and most economical package. New 

 tin cans, holding 60 to loo lbs., and well 

 boxed, are very good, but more costly, 

 and not so acceptable to the European 

 buyers. Small cans, of course, suit the 

 Arizona and other retail trade. It is a 

 mistake to put good honey in old tin 

 cans. The loss by leakage', breakage. 



and unattractive appearance, more than 

 makes up for the saving in first cost. 

 As to comb honey, the Eastern dealers 

 inform me that small packages sell bet- 

 ter than large ones, though I know many 

 think otherwise. At all events, they 

 should be strong, neat and well packed. 

 A great deal of honey loses, not only in 

 weight, but in price, by being badly 

 packed. 



In regard to shipment, our railroad 

 freights are so high that we can scarcely 

 ship overland in competition with East- 

 ern producers and realize any profit ; 

 but ocean freights are cheap, though 

 slow, and the saving is of itself a good 

 profit to producers. 



It is a mistake to overload the market 

 of San Francisco while there are so 

 many others, for it causes low prices 

 and general disappointment. The in- 

 crease of our industry has been greater 

 than the demand, ami every one inter- 

 ested should do all he can to make more 

 markets and increase the consumption 

 of honey. 



A good deal has been done in this 

 way. Two years ago I made direct 

 shipments to Europe to the amount of 

 over 150,000 lbs. Although it did not 

 bring as good a price as I expected, yet 

 I learned that but for this and other 

 shipments, the price in San Francisco 

 would have fallen far lower than it did, 



and would have been nominal 



C. J. Fox. 



Mr. Gilchrist read an article on flori- 

 culture, at the same time exhibiting 

 specimens of the different plants, which 

 were placed on tile for publication. 



Mr. J. W. Wilson being called, read 

 an article on " A Step Backward in 

 Apiculture.'' 



Adjourned until 9 a. m. 



THURSDAY, OCT. 21. 



President Pleasants in the chair. Mr. 

 Barber's article on apiculture was read 

 and placed on tile. 



Dr. Galny spoke for some time on 

 various subjects in apiculture. 



Mr. Harbison gave some of his ex- 

 perience in the bee business in Cali- 

 fornia, and gave the association many 

 points of interest, both in the manage- 

 ment of the apiary, and also in the plan 

 of marketing honey. He thought the 

 mode of putting up honey for different 

 markets should be in different packages. 

 He placed great stress on the proper 

 curing of extracted honey, and in hav- 

 ing comb honey in straight full combs 

 and neat, clean frames. 



Mr. Levering read an essay on the 

 industry of honey producing. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



Mr. Harbison was requested to write 

 the next annual address, with Mr. 

 Flint as alternate. 



Mr. Levering had framed an act to be 

 presented to the legislature, (after such 

 modifications as the convention saw tit 

 to make), for the suppression and ex- 

 termination of foul brood. The same 

 was referred to a committee, with power 

 to act in the matter, without further 

 instruction. The committee being C. 

 X. Wilson, L. S. Butler, X. Levering 

 and J. E. Pleasants. 



Friday. October 22. 10 a.m. President 

 J. E. Pleasants in the chair. The sub- 

 ject of freights on packages was dis- 

 cussed, and left to local organizations. 



The Secretary read an article from 

 the New Fork Argus, entitled "The 

 Stingless Honey Bee." 



On motion, the executive committee 

 was authorized to co-operate with the 

 vice-presidents of the different coun- 

 ties in gathering statistics relative to 

 the present crop and also of the crop of 

 1881 : the vice-presidents reporting, from 

 time to time, to the committee, and 

 they in turn reporting the aggregate to 

 each of the vice-presidents. An invi- 

 tation was extended to all apiarists to 

 communicate anything of importance 



to the committee. 



The meeting then adjourned until fair 

 week. 1881. J. A. Haskell, 6'ec. 



i^The Michigan State Bee-Keepers' 

 Convention was held at Lansing, on tin- 

 8th and 9th ult. Prof. A. J. Cook was 

 elected President, and T. F. Bingham 

 was re-elected Secretary. The proceed- 

 ings were received too late for this issue, 

 but will appear in our next Weekly. 



