90 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[June, 



Diffenderffer, city; H. H. Tshudy, Litiz; T. F. 

 Evans, Litiz; G. A. Geyer, Spring Garden; J. B. 

 Lichty, city; J.H.Miller, Marietta; Washington L. 

 Hershey, Chiclsies; C. L. Hunsecker, iVlanheim; J. 

 W. Broolvhart, Salunga; J. G. Reist, Mount Joy. 

 New Business. 



Under this head the following questions were sub- 

 mitted for discussion at the next meeting : 



"Is it advisable to hold a poultry show next win- 

 ter ?" Referred to S. P. Eby, esq. 



" Should fowl fanciers breed more than a single 

 variety?" Referred to G. A. Geyer. 



Regular Discussions. 



"What is a preventive for vermin on fowls?" 

 This question having been assigned to W. J. Kafroth, 

 who was absent, the discussion was taken up by Mr. 

 8. P. Eby, who said that a first consideration was a 

 clean nest to hatch in. Three days before the chicks 

 come give the hen aid nest a good dusting with 

 insect powder. If this is not done vermin will surely 

 come, retard their growth and perhaps kill the 

 chicks. They must be watched afterwanis. Keep 

 the roosts clean also. He keeps the hen house dusted 

 with coal ashes mixed with dry earth. He removes 

 these with the droppings occasionally, and no vermin 

 get a foothold. The red spider louse often causes 

 much trouble. Insect powder will remove the 

 trouble. Ointments are harmful. 



Mr. Evans' method to prevent vermin is to put 

 tobacco into the nest where the hen sits, along with 

 dry sulphur. In the poultry house he uses coal oil 

 and tobacco siftings. The young ones he treats with 

 a preparation composed of one part of oil of sassa- 

 fras and seven parts of sweet oil, and greases, the 

 chicks under the wings. He recently tried this on 

 badly infected chicks, and it killed them at once. 



H. H. Tshudy believes in a liberal use of dust. He 

 uses street dust with fine lime, and finds it does very 

 well. Lice gather in small openings in the boards of 

 roosts, where they can be rea.;hed with coal oil. It 

 is a bad plan to set hens in the same room where 

 others roost. He has never tried coal ashes, and 

 believes in tobacco siftings and sassafras oil, al- 

 though he has doubts about greasing chicks with 

 anything ; cleanliness is the main part. 



Mr. Evans said a dust bath of any kind is good. 

 Fancy fowls should, however, have the kind that 

 "preserves their plumage best. 



Mr. Geyer's way of setting hens is to use tobacco 

 in the mother's uest. Birds that run in the fields 

 are freer of vermin than those more confined. 



Mr. Miller uses a box filled with coal dust ; car- 

 bolic acid insect powder he also finds very good. 

 He uses the insect powder mill to apply the powder 

 with — it reaches the skin in this way. 



S. P. Eby has known tobacco to kill larger animals 

 than birds. Insect powder can be used on canary 

 birds, showing that it does not affect the health of 

 chicks. 



F. R. Diflenderffer uses street dust, in which sul- 

 phur has been freely put. 



Rev. D. C. Tobias said since our last meeting he 

 had received a letter from Mrs. R. Baldwin, who 

 gave a new method for removing the membrane or 

 worms from the windpipe of chicks afflicted with 

 gapes. It was the use of the thin wire wrapped 

 around the silk or gut of a G violin string. This 

 was introduced into the windpipe and the spirals 

 entangled the dangerous obstructions and brought 

 them along when the wire was drawn out. This 

 remedy seems a very simple one and can easily be 

 tried . 



F. R. Diffenderffer %aid he had a hen that was 

 afflicted with leg-weakness. For a few days after 

 being taken from the nest with her chicks she was 

 put on a board Hoor, where the disease first de- 

 veloped. The chicks were taken from her, but the 

 disease still remains, although not so severely as at 

 first. 



J. H. Miller recommended rubbing the legs with 

 ammonia. 



There being no further business before the society, 

 it adjourned. 



THE BEEKEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. 



The Lancastei County Beekeepers' Society met 

 on Monday afternoon, May VZ, at 'A o'clock, in the 

 parlor of the Black Horse Hotel. The following 

 members were present: J. F. Hershey, Mt. Joy; I. 

 G. Martin, Earl: D. H. Lintner, Millersville; John 

 Huber, Pequea; D. Kreider, West Lampeter; J. H. 

 Davis, East Earl; L. D. Wenger, West Earl; Jacob 

 Gorgas, Ephrata; Henry Shiffer, Pennville ; J. B. 

 Eshleman, Ephrata; Henry Huber, Pequea; Adam 

 Shreiner,city; P. S. Reist, Litiz. 



The meeting was called to order by. the Vice 



President. In the absence of the regular Secretary, 



Mr. F. K. Diffenderffer was elected Secretary pro tem . 



Condition of the Bees. 



Mr. Hershey reported that he had wintered seventy 

 Bwarms indoors, and all came out strong in bees ana 

 brood, and had plenty of honey. He dug in the 

 ground four feet and made a frame of boards and 

 filled in with sawdust. Boarded up the whole build- 

 ing and inserted ventilators. They wintered very 

 well. The temperature should be kept even at 

 about 40 degrees. He had no trouble in reference to 

 mouldy combs. 



Mr. Detwiler went into winter quarters with 

 seventy-five swarms, and all came out strong. He 

 took his swarms out only once in three months. 



Mr. Lintner went into winter quarters with thir- 

 teen hives. He left them on the summer stand. 

 Four of them died of dysentery. The bee house was 

 built close to a fence, and there was considerable 

 noise which caused excitement. The others had 

 dysentery, but he stopped it with aniseseed oil mixed 

 in syrup, and they are now doing well. The four 

 which difd had plenty of honey. 



Mr. Kreider went into winter quarters with four- 

 teen swarms, and lost two. His bees are now all 

 doing well. He packed chaff around two swarms, 

 and they are now doing better than the rest. 



Mr. Shifter had thirty-eight swarms in the fall and 

 just left them on the summer stand, and all came 

 out in good condition. He puts corn fodder around 

 the houses to keep them warm. He fed the bees five 

 or six pounds of honey in each box, and that kept 

 them in good condition. 



Mr. Martin went into winter quarters with twenty- 

 nine colonies packed in chaff, and they are now in 

 very good condition in bees and honey. Some were 

 very weak when he went into winter quarters, but 

 are now in very good condition. The bees had a fly 

 in January and one in February, and very few during 

 the remainder of the winter. All the bees in Earl 

 township are doing well. 



Mr. Eshleman put up thirty colonies about the 

 middle of November, and lost two, one became 

 queenless and one died from want of food. His bees 

 are all in good condition. He built a shed to pro- 

 tect them from the north winds. The advantage of 

 packing in chaff is that you will have a larger brood 

 in spring. By giving them proper attention you 

 could make it more profitable. 



Mr. Gorgas wintered eight swarms of bees well, 

 and they will be ready to swarm as soon as any in 

 the neighborhood. 



Mr. Davis went into winter quarters with twenty- 

 eight swarms on summer stands, and all are doing 

 well. He uses no honey board. He has a shea 

 built to protect them from the north and west winds. 



Mr. Reist knows of fifty or sixty swarms that all 

 came out well. They had no protection except from 

 the north wind. 



Mr. Hershey reported that he had a letter from 

 New York State> which reported very heavy losses in 

 that State. 



Mr. Huber thought it more necessary for bees to 

 have good ventilation in winter than in summer. He 

 found that plan worked very well. There should he 

 a chaff cushion on top to absorb the moisture. 



Mr. Reist thought there should be an understand- 

 ing among beekeepers as to how much honey they 

 should sell and at what price. 



Mr. Hershey said honey was selling at his place 

 for 19 or 20 cents. The price will depend upon the 

 size of the crop. 



Dysentery in Bees. 



The following question had been referred to Mr. 

 Davis: '-What causes dysentery in liees?" He 

 thought extremely cold weather without a fly would 

 cause the dysentery in bees. 



Mr. Hershey thought dysentery was caused by 

 chilling and bad honey for food. They must eat a 

 certain amount of good honey in order to keep up 

 the heat. 



Mr. Huber thought bees were as much subject to 

 dysentery in summer as in winter. He thought they 

 were feeding on some kind of food which was nut 

 good. 



Mr. Eshleman thought dysentery was caused 

 principally by the food. You will find dysentery in 

 summer as well as in winter. 



Mr. Hershey said he had weak colonies with as 

 good honey as the strong ones. The strong ones got 

 the disease while the weak ones did not. 



Mr. Reist said sweet cider would not produce 

 dysentery, while sour cider would. He thought it 

 wiiB caused by unwholesome food. 



Virgin Queens. 



"Will a virgin queen, if she meets no drone within 

 ten daj's, afterwards prove fertile?" Referred to 

 Mr. Hershey. 



Mr. Hershey said he had queens that went eight 

 or nine days after they were hatched before they met 

 the drone, and they proved fertile. He knew them 

 to go out within fourteen days and then become 

 fertile. 



Mr. Huber said the queens mostly came out the 

 third day, if the weather is favorable. Sometime 

 since he found a box that was queenless. He pro- 

 cured a queen before he had any drones, and when 

 the eggs were hatched they were all drones. 



I. G. Martin said he had a queen that could not 

 fly out, and every egg she laid proved a drone. 



Mr. Davis had a queen that could not fly, and she 

 became fertile and perfect ; her hive was well sup- 

 plied with bees. 



Business for Next Meeting. 



"Should glucose be fed to bees or not?" Referred 

 to I. G. .Martin for answer at next meeting. 



"What is the best method to prevent increase?" 

 Referred to P. S, Reist for answer at next meeting. 



Introducing Queens, 

 Mr. Hershey read the following paper: 

 Three months have passed since we met last, and 

 now we are here again to see how we can improve 

 beekeeping in our day. The honey season has now 

 commenced, and we have to work among our bees. 

 As the season for introducing queens is at baud I will 

 try and say a few words about the subject. I first 

 remove the queen from the swarm where I want to 

 put the Italian queen. I put the Italian queen in a 

 wire cage, and put a stopper, made of some comb 

 that the bees did not breed in yet, m one end of the 

 cage ; the other end I pinch together. Now hang the 

 cage with the queen between' the combs near the 

 brood, so that the bees will cluster on it. If the 

 stopper is not made too large and pressed too tight 

 together, the bees will liberate the queen in ^4 or 36 

 hours. If the honey is plenty in the fields and the 

 bees store pretty fast, I take the cage out the third 

 day after I have put the queen and cage in. If the 

 honey is scarce aud the bees store very little, I wait 

 one week before I take out the cage. 1 don't disturb 

 the swarm at all for one week. The bees will liberate 

 the queen in a few days, and she will lay just as well 

 with the cage between the combs as it the cage is 

 out. If the cage is taken out as soon as the bees 

 have liberated the queen, then she lias not commenced 

 to lay yet, is light aud wild, and will run over combs. 

 The bees will go after her and get hold of her and 

 then she tries to get loose. Then she will be sur- 

 rounded, and the'bees will smother her. As soon as 

 a queen moves fast over the comb the bees go after 

 her. If it is their own reared queen they want her 

 to move slowly over the combs. If a swarm is not 

 disturbed in one week after the queen is introduced 

 with the cage, then she will be out and laying ; is 

 heavy with eggs, feels at home, and will move slowly 

 over the combs. A great many of the queens that 

 are killed when introduced are killed ou account of 

 the swarms being disturbed before the queen has 

 commenced to lay. Queens that are shipped and 

 have stopped laying for three or four days, are harder 

 to introduce than queens that are just changed from 

 one swarm to another in the same apiary. The best 

 time in the day to introduce queens, when honey is 

 scarce, is in the evening just before the sun sets ; 

 then very nearly all the bees in the other swarms are 

 at home, and if they would try to rob, night would 

 soon overtake them. The next moruing bees that 

 were disturbed by the introduction of ^he queen will 

 be ready for a fight if strange bees should come. If 

 the honey is plenty in the field a swarm can be opened 

 at any time in the day with safety to introduce a 

 queen. 



Mr. Martin tried Mr. Hershey's plan and only 

 failed once. 



The Honey Market. 

 Mr. Martin read the following paper : 

 Marketing honey is of great importance to the 

 beekeeper. If we had but a small number of colo- 

 nies we can find ready sale for our honey at home, 

 and it is not of much importance iu what shape it is 

 put up. But if we have a large number of colonies 

 and get thousands of pounds of honey, we must have 

 some other than the home market. Honey to be 

 sent to the city market must be put up in neat and 

 attractive shape, and so arranged as not to give the 

 dealer any trouble. One leaky box or can may do 

 great injury. Comb honey should be chiefly in small 

 sections of one and two pounds each, for such pack- 

 ages are sure to sell. They should be clean and 

 white; the honey should be taken from the bees as 

 soon as it is capped, for if it is on the hives long, 

 after it is capped, it will get dark-looking by the 

 bees traveling over it. By having it in sections 

 which only contain a single comb, the consumer can 

 see what he buys. The sections can be glassed if 

 the market demands it ; but I think it will sell better 

 without glass, because if the consumer wants to buy 

 a few pounds of honey he does not want to pay for 

 one-fourth weight of glass which he cannot eat. I 

 think the two-pound sections are preferable for the 

 following reason : the bee will store more honey in 

 them than in the one-pound sections, for by using 

 the one-pound sections the hive is too much divided 

 into small compartments. Besides, we can afford to 

 sell them cheaper, and the consumer will not have 

 so much tare as when he buys them in the one- 

 pound sections. But if the market demands the one- 

 pouud sections, then we should furnish them. 



If separators have been used (and every progres- 

 sive beekeeper should use them), these sections will 

 be in good condition to be glassed, if glass is de- 

 manded ; and they will also be in nice shape to be 

 shipped without glass, as they may stand side by 

 side without marring the comb. These should be 

 packed iu crates of one dozen of the two pounds, or 

 two dozen of one pound sections ; and the crates 

 should have glass on two sides, so that the honey 

 may be seen. 



Extracted honey has all the flavor and is in every 

 way equal, if not superior, to comb houey. When 

 the people once know what it is, and know that it is 

 not strained honey, the demand for this article will 

 largely increase to the advantage of both the con- 

 sumer and the producer. Extracted honey is the 

 pure honey removed from the combs and is free of 

 all impurities. It is not the strained honey, pressed 



