1881. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



301 



Bees and Honey. 



By particular request, the editor of 

 the Bee Journal gave a lecture at 

 the Court House, in St. Joseph, Mo., 

 under the auspices of the St Joseph 

 Exposition, on the ahove subject, on 

 Thursday, Sept. 8,1881. The St. Joseph 

 Herald gives the following report 

 of the lecture : 



Mr. Thos. G. Newman, editor of the 

 American Bee Journal, of Chicago, 

 delivered a very interesting lecture to 

 an appreciative audience, last night. 

 at the Court House. Mr. Newman is 

 a very pleasing speaker, and when 

 talking about bees, he is at his best. 

 There was present at the lecture a 

 number of prominent gentlemen of 

 the city. Mayor Finer presiding over 

 the meeting, and introducing the 

 speaker. We give the following syn- 

 opsis of Mr. Newman's lecture : 



Mr. Newman said that the magni- 

 tude of the industry of -'bees and 

 honey " could be estimated by the fact 

 that there were in North America 

 300.000 persons who keep bees, and if 

 these apiaries average but 10 colonies 

 each, the number of colonies reaches 

 3,000,000, and if these produce but 

 the very small average of 25 pounds of 

 honey per colony, then the product is 

 75,000,000 of pounds of honey, worth 

 10,000,000 of dollars ; and if each col- 

 ony of bees yields but 1 pound of bees- 

 wax yearly, then the wax product at 

 20 cts. per lb. is worth $600,000. 



The lecturer then reviewed at length 

 the rise and progress of apiculture 

 from ancient Bible times to the pres- 

 ent, showing the several " progressive 

 steps" in the science, and illustrated 

 his lecture by a full description of the 

 most useful implements of modern 

 bee-keeping, many of which he exhib- 

 ited to the audience and explained 

 their uses. 



He detailed the efforts put forth to 

 obtain superior races of bees, and was 

 very emphatic in his assertions thai 

 the credit belonged to America for ob- 

 taining, by careful selection and im- 

 provements, the best strains of Ital- 

 ian bees in the world, saying that he 

 had taken some of these superior bees 

 from his apiary in Chicago to the most 

 prominent European countries, inclu- 

 ding Italy (the home of the Italian 

 bee), and that these bees were univer- 

 sally praised for their singular beauty, 

 size, docility, etc., and that since he 

 returned to America the Italian bee 

 paper, L'ylnit'o//ore, published at Milan, 

 Italy, has thus said : " The American 

 bred Italian bees exhibited to us by 

 Signor T. G. Newman, editor of the 

 American Bee Journal, on his re- 

 cent visit to Italy, were the pretiest 

 bees we ever saw." 



He said that live points were es- 

 sential to entitle bees to the admira- 

 tion of bee-keepers, viz: They must 

 be prolific, industrious, docile, hardy 

 and beautiful in appearance. The 

 queen must be able to keep the hive 

 full of bees to gather the honey har- 

 vest when it comes (and it is quite of- 

 ten of short duration) ; the bees must 

 be industrious, to let nothing escape 

 their vigorous search while gathering 

 the sweet nectar; tliey must be docile 

 to allow the apiarist to manipulate 

 them with ease and pleasure; they 

 must be strong and hardy to withstand 

 the rapid changes in climate ; and they 

 must be of singular beauty to attract 

 the admiration of the fancier of line 

 stock. He said his ideal bee would be 

 present at the very moment when the 

 slumbering flower awoke to conscious- 

 ness, and unfolded its buds to take in 

 the first rays of the morning sun. and 

 will dip into that tiny fountain which 

 distils the honey drop by drop, and 



all of the special features of 

 coming bee," he was certain that it 

 would gather the most honey, be Hi" 

 most docile, hardy and induslrious, 

 and that its name will be " Apis 

 Americana." 



From the fact that by the advance 

 civilization, many of the honey-pro- 

 ducing trees, plants and shrubs were 

 disappearing; the lecturer argued at 

 some length the necessity of planting 

 for the honey bees just as much as for 

 any farm stock— in order to secure a 

 succession of bloom from spring to 

 fall. 



The speaker said that notwithstand- 

 ing the many improvements that had 

 been made in apiculture, it was but 

 yet in its infancy— that the flora now 

 going to waste in America could, if 

 properly gathered by bees, produce a 

 revenue of 200.000,000 of dollars annu- 

 ally. 



The lecturer then entered into de- 

 tail about the wondeis of the bee hive 

 and its industrious little insects. He 

 described the development of the 

 queen, drones and workers, and gave 

 the audience an insight into the won- 

 derful enonomy of the hive. He said 

 lie had seen the seven wonders of the 

 world, but the wondrous little bee, 

 with its architectural skill, govern- 

 mental wisdom, untiring activity, and 

 marvelous transformations, was really 

 the Aaron's rod that .swallowed up 

 all the other wonders— many of which 

 he detailed at considerable length. 



Some were fearful of an over-pro- 

 duction of honey, but the speaker said 

 that there was already a demand far 

 in excess of the supply. Just before 

 leaving Chicago to come to St. Joseph 

 to deliver this lecture, he had received 

 a letter from England asking him to 

 send 250 tons of comb honey, and the 

 purchaser stood ready with cash in 

 hand to take it at three times the price 

 it would bring in America. The rea- 

 son for this foreign demand was ob- 

 vious. Europeans had neither the 

 honey-producing flowers, favorable 

 seasons, nor the improved appliances 

 to gather the honey at home, and 

 hence must depend on America to 

 supply them. 



Mr. Newman closed his lecture, 

 which had been interrupted by fre- 

 quent and prolonged applause, by say- 

 ing that he had read with much pleas- 

 ure the article in the St. Joseph Her- 

 ald of last Sunday, entitled," Beesand 

 Honey," and was amused at the sa- 

 gacity of the reporter as well as the 

 philosophy of Mr. A. M. Saxton, one 

 of theprominentcitizensof St. Joseph, 

 who had been interviewed. Mr. Sax- 

 ton was right in saying that the in- 

 habitants of St. Joseph and its vicin- 

 ity should be benefited by the display 

 of honey and bees at the Exposition, 

 and the speaker said he was glad to 

 see that Mr. Saxton had offered spe- 

 cial premiums of $40 for honey exhibi- 

 ted by ladies. Many ladies were al- 

 ready engaged in the industry, and 

 were among the most successful, na- 

 ture having endowed them with finer 

 feelings, and as close a scrutiny and 

 activity as it had man. The speaker 

 said that to the untiring energy of Mr. 

 R. S. Musser, the credit was due for 

 making the bee and honey show so 

 much of a success. It had really been 

 one of the chief attractions of the Ex- 

 position, many having come from 50 

 to 100 miles to see it alone. He most 

 emphatically endorsed the following 

 sentiment, quoted by Mr. Saxton : 



" Work for some good, be it ever so slowly. 

 Cherish some flower, be it ever so lowly. 

 Labor!— all labor is noble and holy. 



Success in any industry depended 

 upon information, study, activity, 

 adaptation and skill, and anyone who 

 possessed these essential qualities, and 

 was willing to learn, could make a 

 success of bee-keeping. Those who 

 would not study and learn from the 

 experience of others how to care for 

 bees, should keep out of the business 

 entirely. 



In conclusion, the speaker detailed 

 some of the principal -qualities of 

 honey, both as food and medicine, and 

 and then look his seat amid much ap- 

 plause. 



A vote of thanks was unanimously 



' the Chicago, for his lecture. Mr. New- 

 ■ man is not only the editor and pub- 

 lisher of the Amkiiii an Bice Journal 

 (the first weekly bee paper in the 

 world), but isthe author and publisher 

 of several works on the subject of sci- 

 entific bee-keeping and honey produc- 

 tion. 



fifTlie Northwestern Bee-Keepers' 

 Association will meet in Chicago, on 

 Tuesday and Wednesday, October 25 

 and 26. All bee keepers are cordially 



invited to attend. It is desired to 

 make this one of the most interesting 

 conventions ever held in the United 

 Slates. C. C. Miller, M. D., Pres. 



C. C. COFFINBERRY, SCC. 



Bee and Honey Show at Manchester, 

 England.— The London Horticultural 

 Journal gives the following account of 

 this show: 



The Committee of Management ar- 

 ranged to have no competition in the 

 bee tent, and requested Mr. Petti- 

 grew, of Bowdon, to provide an at- 

 tractive and interesting display of 

 bees and honey from his own garden. 

 He consented to do so. believing that 

 an exhibition of this kind would go 

 far to popularize bee-keeping. Mr. 

 Pettigrew resolved to make this show 

 a novel one. by introducing a new 

 form of observatory hives, and to ex- 

 hibit legends on black boards done in 

 honey comb by bees, and sets of icicles 

 of honeycomb under glass shades. The 

 state of his health prevented him 

 from doing all he intended and desired 

 to do. The icicles were not done. 

 However, the exhibition was evidently 

 a great success. The honey tent 

 was crowded with visitors every day, 

 and no one could enter it without 

 hearing expressions of wonder and 

 gratification from all classes of visi- 

 tors. The observatory hives, 4 in num- 

 ber, were of cheap and simple con- 

 struction, with bees and glass on one 

 side only of eacli super. The queen of 

 each super had a white woolly cotton 

 thread tied round her waist, which 

 enabled the spectators to see her at a 

 glance, and watch her movements as 

 she wandered amongst the commun- 

 ity. But the most conspicuous and 

 novel exhibits of the bee tent were 

 two black boards 6 feet 4 inches long, 

 and 2 feet broad, with two legends on 

 them done in honeycomb— viz : " God 

 Save the Queen," and " Industrial 

 Exhibition." The letters being 5 

 inches long or thereabouts were easily 

 read, and seemed to delightall classes 

 of visitors. Both boards were labelled 

 ■' Our First Efforts in A B C." Honey 

 of different kinds and of the highest 

 quality in glass dishes were on the 

 tables, beside bone spoons, for visi- 

 tors to taste ; and honey in glass bot- 

 tles — 4 lbs in each — was there for sale. 

 The demand for run honey was extra- 

 ordinary, and all was speedily sold at 

 Is. id. per lb. (about 30 cts). Three 

 bottles of crude honey were on the 

 tables for the purpose of showing, in 

 the exhibitor's opinion, that honey 

 proper and lit for use on the breakfast 

 table is not found in field or forest, 

 but is made by bees at home from the 

 crude materials found in flowers. 



(ST The Western Michigan Bee- 

 Keepers' Association will meet in 

 Berlin, Ottawa, Co., Mich.. Thursday, 

 Oct. 27, 1881, in Huntley's Hall, at 

 10:30 a. m. All interested, are cordi- 

 ally invited. 



W.m. M. S. Dodge, Sec. 



Coopersville, Mich., Aug. 29, 1881. 



igg* The Northern Michigan Bee- 

 Keepers' Association will hold its 

 fourth Annual Convention at Maple 

 Rapids, Clinton Co., Mich., Oct. 11 

 and 12, 1881 . O. R. Goodno. Sec. 



Bee-Keepers' Union.— The Eastern 

 New York Bee-Keepers' Union Asso- 

 ciation, will hold their eighth semi- 

 annual Convention on Tuesday, Sept. 

 27, 1881, at 10 a.m., at Knowersville, 

 N. Y. All bee-keepers are invited to 

 attend. W. D. Wright, Pres. 



N. D. West, Sec. 



gg" The South Eastern Mich. Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, will hold its 4th 

 meeting at the Court House, in Ann 

 Arbor, Wednesday, Oct. 5. 1881, at 9 

 o'clock a. m.; the week of the County 

 Fair. An adjourned meeting may be 

 held during the week. All interested 

 are invited to attend. By order of the 

 Executive Committee. 



N. A. Prudden, Chairman. 



<gr The North Eastern Wis. Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, will hold its 

 fall meeting at Peewaukee, Wis., on 

 Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 11 and 

 12. A "full attendance is cordially re- 

 quested. Notice of the plauce of 

 meeting will be found at the local 

 Post Ollice. 



Geo. Church, Pres., Neenah, Wis. 

 Frances Dunham, Sec.,Depere,Wis. 



igy The time selected by the Execu- 

 tive Committee for holding the Na- 

 tional Convention, at Lexington, Ky., 

 is October 5, 6 and 7, 1881. All bee- 

 beepers are invited to attend and take 

 part in the deliberations of the Con- 

 vention. As Lexington is a central 

 point, the Executive Committee hope 

 to have a large attendance from the 

 North, South, East and West, and 

 from Canada, and that the 12th annual 

 meeting of the North American Bee- 

 Keepers' Society will be the most in- 

 teresting meeting that the bee-keepers 

 of the United States have ever held. 

 N. P. Allen, Pres. 



South Western Iowa Bee Association. 

 — The regular annual meeting of this 

 association, will occur at the apiary 

 of James T. Fife, in Jasper township, 

 near Corning, Iowa, on Thursday af- 

 ternoon, Sept. 29. The place of meet- 

 ing is such that the, topics considered 

 will be practically demonstrated. Fol- 

 lowing is the programme : Business 

 of Society; raising of queens ; intro- 

 duction of queens ; dividing of bees ; 

 practical handling of bees. A full at- 

 tendance is desired. 



J. T, Fife, Pres. 



W. J. Oliver, Sec. 



ig" The Eastern Michigan bee-keep- 

 ers' Association will hold its fall meet- 

 ing in Detroit, Oct. 4, in the Y. M. C. 

 A. hall, at 10 o'clock a. m. 



A. B. Weed, Sec. 



bear away its sweet nectar to its waxen 

 cells of beautiful comb. 



He said that while he did not know 

 what may be the color, markings or I given to the Hon. T. G. Newman, of 



Kentucky Bee-Keepers' Association. 



—The second annual convention of 

 the Kentucky State Bee-Keepers' As- 

 sociation, will be held in the Exposi- 

 tion Building, in Louisville, Ky., on 

 Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 12 

 and 13, 1881. 



A fine display of bee-keepers' sup- 

 plies, honey, etc., is expected, and 

 some of the most prominent bee-keep- 

 ers in America, who will be in attend- 

 ance at the National Bee-Keepers' 

 Convention, at Lexington, Oct. 5, 6. 

 and 7, are expected to attend. All 

 are invited. N. P. Allen, Pres. 



igg" Owing to the fact that the time 

 of the regular meeting of the Union 

 Bee Association, at Shelbyville, Ky., 

 conflicts with the time fixed by theex- 

 ecutive committee, to hold the Na- 

 tional at Lexington, the meeting of 

 the Union, at Shelbyville, has been 

 postponed till the 20th of October. 

 G. W. Demaree. Sec. 



Christiansburg, Ky., Sept. 3, 1881. 



^•The Rock River Valley Bee- 

 Keepers' Convention, will be held at 

 Monroe Center, on the third Tuesday 

 in October. We hope a good atten- 

 dance will be the outcome, and the bee 

 interest revived. 



D. A. Cipperly, Sec. 



l^ - The Southwestern Wisconsin 

 Bee-Keepers' Association will hold its 

 next meeting in Platteville, GrantCo., 

 Wis.. Nov. 30. 1881. 



N. E. France, Sec, Platteville, Wis. 



