AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



855 



that keep the most bees get the most 

 honey per colony. I do not think my 

 field is overstocked. 



J. H. Jones — We never mention the 

 cause of the failure of the honey season 

 in this part of the country, which was, 

 I think, on account of the heavy rains, 

 immediately followed by dry weather. I 

 do not think my field is overstocked, and 

 I keep 150 colonies in an apiary. 



A. A. Baldwin — I think there are 

 certain seasons of the year when the 

 field could be overstocked, but in the 

 main honey-flow it is almost impossible 

 to overstock the field. 



HOW FAK DO BEES FLY FOR HONEY ? 



Mrs. Null asked, "In your opinion 

 what distance do bees usually fly in 

 search of honey ?" 



A. A. Baldwin — That depends upon 

 the lay of the land. On the prairie, two 

 or three miles ; if in the timber, it may 

 be 1% miles. I think two miles about 

 the range of bees in quest of honey. In 

 hunting bees I have lined them three 

 miles, but that was in a scarcity of 

 honey. 



R. W. Knox — My experience is similar 

 to Mr. Baldwin's. My impressions are, 

 from observation, that one to 1% miles 

 is their flight ; that they do not get out- 

 side of two miles. 



Mrs. Null — If the honey-producing 

 plants were 1% and beyond to three 

 miles, would the distance make any 

 material difference in the honey crops ? 



L. W. Baldwin — Yes, to a considerable 

 extent, although in 1868, in the time of 

 white clover, I was three miles from 

 home, and noticed Italian bees on the 

 clover, mine being the only ones in that 

 section of country. 



Secretary Baldwin — I should not look 

 for much of a honey crop if the begin- 

 ning of the honey-producing plants 

 were 1% miles from my apiary. 



J. H. Jones — Just after the clover sea- 

 son I moved from my apiary 50 colonies 

 three miles from home, and only about a 

 quart of bees returned. My home apiary 

 is two miles from basswood, and when it 

 yields abundantly I get basswood honey, 

 but from the apiary located right among 

 the basswood, I get basswood honey 

 every year. 



S. A. Utley — I would say that apiaries 

 should be three miles apart ; still I 

 hardly think that bees go two miles. I 

 should think that 1% miles would cover 

 their flight. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



The convention met again at 1:30 

 p.m. After the Treasurer's report and 



election of officers, the programme was 

 taken up with this subject : 



PROFITABLE APIARIES DURING A DROUTH. 



" How to make an apiary profitable 

 during a drouth." 



L. W. Baldwin— It would have been 

 better to have said " the best manage- 

 ment during a dry season." I have not 

 seen a season in 25 years when I could 

 get a crop of honey in a drouth. 



J. H. Jones— In a dry season that I 

 remember, I secured a large crop of 

 honey. 



Secretary Baldwin— In a severe drouth 

 the colony does not get sufficient honey 

 and pollen to keep up breeding, and 

 should be stimulated by feeding to keep 

 up its strength. 



MOST RELIABLE HONEY-PLANTS. 



Ques.— ".Which are our most reliable 

 honey-plants ?" 



Mr. Weaver— About all the honey I 

 get is from white clover and Spanish- 

 needle. 



Mrs. Null — Our surplus is from white 

 clover, basswood, Spanish-needle and 

 heart's-ease. For breeding purposes, 

 fruit-bloom is good, if the weather is so 

 that the bees can get out. Also locust 

 yields some honey. 



Mr. Weaver — There is located in 

 range of my apiary several large or- 

 chards, and last year, if the colonies 

 were strong, they worked on the bloom 

 to some extent. 



G. P. Morton— Through the central 

 part of the State the white clover is first 

 in importance. If we had linden it 

 would be equally as good a source as the 

 white clover. In the fall we have 

 Spanish-needle, heart's-ease, etc. 



A. A. Bladwin — This year buck-bush 

 yielded honey sufficiently to keep the 

 colonies storing a little, and if there 

 was enough of it, it would be a good 

 plant for surplus. 



Mrs. Milton Cone — One year our crop 

 was entirely from Spanish-needle, but 

 the next year it yielded nothing. 



EVENING SESSION. 



The evening session was called to 

 order at 7 o'clock. 



MAKING EXHIBITS AT MEETINGS. 



The first question discussed was "The 

 advisability of making exhibits at our 

 meetings, and devoting the night sessions 

 to them." 



J. H. Jones — I am in favor of making 

 exhibits. 



