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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



producing flora of that locality. From 

 these reports could be made a sort of 

 floral map of the whole State. An in- 

 quiry in regard to the honey-producing 

 value of any part of the State could be 

 easily answered. 



In regard to affiliation with other as- 

 sociations, Mr. Benton thought it a good 

 thing. He would have the small asso- 

 ciations within the State affiliate with 

 the State association, and the State as- 

 sociation with the North American. He 

 would have each association send a dele- 

 gate from each State association, and 

 the result would be that the attendance 

 at the North American would always be 

 sufficient to secure reduced rates. 



J. H. Larrabee had been gathering 

 statistics from the whole United States 

 in regard to the honey-producing re- 

 sources of different localities, and get- 

 ting up a map something like that sug- 

 gested by Mr. Benton. 



Request of the Illinois Experiment 

 Station. 



Mr. Thomas G. Newman offered the 

 following resolution, which was adopted: 



Resolved, That a committee of three 

 be appointed to submit resolutions on 

 the subject of our Obtaining recognition 

 from the Director of the Experiment 

 Station of Illinois, and to ask for a 

 share of the appropriation of the $15,- 

 000 from the general government for 

 experimental purposes. 



By vote, it was decided that Mr. J. A. 

 Green should be the man that should be 

 recommended for the position. 



Adulterators of Honey. 



Mr. M. H. Mandelbaum offered the 

 following resolution : 



Resolved, That this convention recom- 

 mend to the publishers of the various 

 bee-papers that they secure an affidavit 

 or contract from all the firms quoting 

 honey in their honey column, that they 

 will not sell adulterated honey or bees- 

 wax, they knowing it to be such. 



J. A. Green thought it scarcely a busi- 

 ness thing. A firm that would adulter- 

 ate honey would not hesitate to furnish 

 a false affidavit. 



Mr. Mandelbaum — You get the pub- 

 lishers to get such affidavits from dealers 

 who quote in their columns, and if they 

 continue to adulterate, our firm will at- 

 tend to them. 



Thomas G. Newman — It is possible 

 that Mr. Mandelbaum has struck a 

 scheme whereby we can reach the adul- 

 terators. 



The resolution was adopted, and W. 

 Z. Hutchinson instructed to bring the 

 same matter before the North American 

 at its next meeting. 



Mrs. L. Harrison, of Peoria, Ills., read 

 the following essay upon 



The Most Important Function of the 

 Honey-Bee. 



What is the most important function 

 of the honey-bee — the production of 

 honey and wax or the fertilization of 

 flowers ? 



In the account of the creation, as 

 given in the book of Genesis, the com- 

 mand was to multiply and replenish the 

 earth, and that every plant should bring 

 forth seed after its kind. There is 

 harmony in nature, and there is always 

 an appointed means to accomplish a 

 desired end. Plants cannot walk like 

 animate nature, therefore there must be 

 a foreign agent to carry a message from 

 one to another. 



In some families of plants, as the 

 grasses, cereals, palms, and of our 

 forest trees, the lone missiles are car- 

 ried by the wind, and many times for 

 great distances. 



In other families of plants, insects are 

 the appointed agents to perfect this 

 union. In California the Smyrna figs do 

 not bear fruit, because their fertilizing 

 agent has not been imported. Neither 

 does Dicentra spectablis — that beautiful 

 flower so much admired — bear seed, for 

 its moth has never been brought from 

 China, its native habitat. 



Since the time Adam and Eve dwelt 

 in the garden of Eden, the honey-bee 

 has been his companion and co-worker, 

 as the special agent for the fertilization 

 of cultivated crops. When this conti- 

 nent was discovered, there were no 

 honey-bees, for the wild flowers and 

 grasses did not need their agency ; but 

 when the white man came, bringing his 

 little fruit trees and seeds with him, 

 then " the white man's fly" appeared. 

 There were a few insects that fertilized 

 the bloom of wild apples and plums, but 

 they were few and far between. 



During the blooming of the fruit trees, 

 if there are no honey-bees, there will be 

 but little fruit set. This was exemplified 

 the past season, for during its bloom 

 there were long-continued rains which 

 washed off the pollen, and confined the 

 bees to their hives. 



cloveks (Trifolium). 



This is a family of plants of such great 

 value to farmers and to the people at 

 large, that their worth cannot be over- 



