AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



393 



World on the same day, though the opposi- 

 tion didn't appear to be very strong. 



The Sunday ,School Time.s. in reporting the 

 proceedings, says in its issue of Sept. 9th : 



"The discussion ran good-natured and 

 earnest, but all in one direction. At this 

 juncture, Mr. Jacobs got the floor. He 

 asked consent to call for persons of other 

 views. He feared, if none spoke in the 

 negative, it would be said ' Discussion was 

 cut off.' He called and called again, and 

 the audience waited for the antagonist to 

 appear. While all were silent and expect- 

 ant, a stout, deter mlned-htoki )tg man arose, and 

 made his way to the front. Who he was, 

 none seemed to know. It was whispered 

 that he was the champion, possibly the 

 author, of this or that rival system. He 

 took the platform, and began by declaring 

 • I am in favor of some other system — if 

 there is any other ' [roars of laughter and 

 rounds of applause] — ' if there is any other 

 that is better, and if I can be guaranteed 

 that after 21 years of trial no more opposi- 

 tion will be raised against it than there now 

 is against the International System.' The 

 speech was ended, and the hit was squarely 

 made." 



It is needless to say that there was no 

 change made in the system that had been 

 so successfully used for 31 years. But it 

 was the following " stray straw." by that 

 "stout, determined-looking man," that 

 brought down the convention : 



I am in favor of some other system — if 

 there is any other that is better, and if I 

 can be guaranteed that after 21 years of 

 trial no more opposition will be raised 

 against it than there now is against the 

 International System. 



It is interesting to know that the fore- 

 going " straw " was presented by our own 

 Dr. Miller — the " stout, determined-looking 

 man," whom everybody will be delighted 

 to see at the North American convention 

 next month. He is the honored President 

 of the Association, you know. 



l^ext California, Contention. — It 



has been suggested that the next meeting 

 of the California State Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation be held in San Francisco during the 

 time of the Mid- Winter Fair. The plan 

 seems to be a good one, and should induce 

 a good attendance. No doubt the railroad 

 companies will make such a reduction in 

 transportation rates that people from the 

 Southern portion of the State can find it 

 convenient to go to the metropolis without 

 feeling that they are giving away their 

 birth-right to do so. 

 There is also some talk of getting the 



professors of entomology in both the Cali- 

 fornia and the Stanford Universities inter- 

 ested in the convention, and, if possible, 

 have one from each institution furnish es- 

 says. The latter university has the cele- 

 brated Prof. Comstock as one of its faculty ; 

 if he could be secured "on the list," it 

 would be a drawing card. Then, we un- 

 derstand, the State University has one of 

 the best botanists in the land on its staflf. 

 This is Prof. Greene. He might be asked 

 to give an essay upon the honey-flora of the 

 State. Also, some of the faculty who are 

 connected with the horticultural branches, 

 might say something on the bee-fruit side 

 of the question. 



Again, the chemical colleges, and per- 

 haps the electricity branches connected 

 with these institutions might be induced to 

 tell something about what has been done in 

 their lines of late for the bee-keeper. All 

 these would bring a new lot of men before 

 the public, and it is possible that they could 

 throw some new light upon the industry. If 

 they can be secured, what a force of co- 

 laborers we shall have, when they are 

 added to those we now have, that is, to 

 Profs. Cook, Wiley, Mr. Benton, and others. 



It does seem to us that to hold the Cali- 

 fornia State bee-convention during the 

 Mid- Winter Fair at San Francisco would 

 guarantee a grand meeting in every way. 



^Vr. James Mc:%eill, of Hudson, N. 

 Y.. gave us a very pleasant call recently. 

 Mr. M. is one of the prominent bee-keepers, 

 as well as writers, of his State, and in years 

 gone by his name appeared frequently in 

 these columns. He was " doing " the Fair. 

 It's too bad he, as well as many other bee- 

 keepers, couldn't have waited so as to be 

 here at the North American convention 

 next month. 



The Flavor of Honey is written 

 about in the Rural Californian, by Mr. C. N. 

 Wilson. He says that the nectar of flowers 

 that grow at an elevation of 700 feet or 

 more above the sea level, is richer and con- 

 tains more sweet than that produced nearer 

 the sea or in low lands. No doubt the pur- 

 ity of the atmosphere in the higher alti- 

 tudes has considerable effect as to the flavor 

 of honey ; even the ancients considered that 

 produced in mountain districts superior to 

 I that gathered in valleys. Forty years ago 



