AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



117 



steam escaping, around our heads. I 

 was told they would follow for a half 

 hour trying to sting, and so they did. 



As we went from hive to hive of Ital- 

 ians, those Funics were still after us, 

 and when we went to Mr. D.'s arbor, on 

 one side of the yard, and were seated, 

 the most amusing thing to me was to see 

 our friend use his paddle on these Punic 

 bees, as they came in under the arbor. 

 I never saw him miss one but once. All 

 were sent to the ground never to return. 



Well, I didn't go out to see his bumble- 

 bees. 



His solar wax extractor was at work 

 in one corner of the apiary. 



The remainder of the morning was 

 spent in talking about bees and queens ; 

 drones and q,ueens mating in the open 

 air, and refusing to mate in a tent of 

 confinement, all of which was very in- 

 teresting. 



I asked if he believed there was such 

 a thing as male and female eggs, and if 

 the queen knew just when she was going 

 to lay the drone egg, so as to hunt up a 

 drone-cell to deposit that egg. He said 

 he thought the queen was prompted to 

 do what she did by a natural instinct ; 

 and a line of thought presented itself 

 here that we knew but little about. 



Mr. D. kindly gave me a tested Italian 

 queen, a bee-escape and a drone-trap. 



At about 12 o'clock I was invited into 

 the dining-room, where Mrs. Demaree 

 had the table supplied with a bountiful 

 dinner, of everything that a hungry 

 man's heart could wish for. 



Of all the apiarists that I have visited 

 in this county of Shelby, Mr. Demaree 

 was the most pleasant and profitable to 

 me. There are no selfishness or secrets 

 in his bee-business. I shall look for him 

 to return the visit, and I shall do all in 

 my power to make his stay as pleasant 

 as he did mine. 



I think the honey will not exceed one- 

 fourth of a crop in this county this year. 



Todd's Point, Ky., July 6, 1893. 



** A Modem Bee-Farm and Its 



Economic Management," is the title of a 

 splendid book on practical bee-culture, by 

 Mr. S. Simmins, of England. It is 5%x8K 

 inches in size, and contains 270 pages", 

 nicely illustrated, and bound in cloth. It 

 shows ''how bees may be cultivated as a 

 means of livelihood; as a health-giving 

 pursuit ; and as a source of recreation to 

 the busy man." It also illustrates how 

 profits may be " made certain by growing 

 crops yielding the most honey, having also 

 other uses ; and by judgment in breeding a 

 good working strain of bees." Price, post- 

 paid, from this ofiice, $1.00 ; or clubbed with 

 the Bee Jouknal for one year, for $1.70. 



Report of the Cortland Union 

 Bee-Convention. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY C. W. WILKINS. 



It was my pleasure to meet many of 

 the members of the Cortland Union Bee- 

 Keepers' Association at my home, on 

 Wednesday, May 31, 1893. The morn- 

 ing was spent very pleasantly in apicul- 

 tural conversation and matters pertain- 

 ing to the interest and pleasure of those 

 present. 



After the " cravings of the inner 

 man " had been satisfied, the meeting 

 was called to order by Pres. M. R. Wood, 

 of Cortland. The reports of the Secre- 

 tary and Treasurer were read and ap- 

 proved. 



The place of meeting for our annual 

 picnic was again fixed at the Cortland 

 Trout Park, on account of its being 

 more central, and presenting better ac- 

 commodations and more attractions than 

 any other location brought before the 

 meeting. Miles Morton, of Groton, M. 

 Fairbanks, of Homer, and J. L. Kinney, 

 of Cortland, were appointed by the Sec- 

 rectary, at the request of the President, 

 to act as a committee in assisting the 

 standing committee in fixing the date, 

 arranging programme for, and booming 

 the picnic. 



In a section containing the number of 

 apiculturists of promise and success with 

 which ours is blest, it is a shame, a dis- 

 grace to our vocation — indeed, it is a 

 slur on civilization, that we are not rep- 

 resented in a more thorough manner, 

 and that we do not show more interest 

 in our work. Come. ^ You are going to 

 miss something of importance to you, if 

 you are absent from our picnic. 



The meeting next proceeded to ascer- 

 tain the loss of bees during the past win- 

 ter and spring. But few bees were lost 

 during the winter — the spring is what 

 did it, causing a loss which has reached 

 at least an average of 29 per cent. 



SPRAYING FRUIT-BLOOM. 



As the premature performance of this 



