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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



They breathe and move ; only, liow- 

 ever, but very little. We subjected 

 the wasp to greater cold, and it waked 

 not ; I have found by oft-repeated ex- 

 periments that greater cold waked 

 the bees to greater activity. Dr. 

 Tinker finds the same. They now 

 breathe more, eat more, move more. Is 

 not tliis curious hiberriatiou V My 

 idea— I think the popular idea — in 

 truth, an excellent idea of hiberna- 

 tion—is stupor engendered by cold, 

 which becomes the more profound as 

 the cold increases. Grant the defini- 

 tion, and surely bees do not hibernate. 



Let me ask Dr. Tinker if he would 

 be willing to leave his bees without 

 food, in case he was positively sure 

 they would keep for weeks in this 

 condition of greatest winter quiet. I 

 do not believe that he would. He 

 certainly would not the second time. 

 Again, the hibernating wasp did not 

 sting when we picked it up. Try the 

 bee from the Doctor's " hibernating " 

 cluster, and see if the results are the 

 same. 



Now I am through ; and I shall not 

 trespass on the space of the Bee 

 Journal again, I think, with this 

 subject. I only desire that we should 

 not use this teim, when winter quiet 

 or quiescence is just as good— I think 

 far better— and we need this term for 

 another plienomenon more startling 

 and wonderful. If we use this term 

 for bees, we may with hardly less im- 

 propriety call sleep hibernation. If 

 our bees truly hibernated, we could 

 withdraw food, reduce the tempera- 

 ture, and cry " Eureka !" with I5ro. 

 Clarke, knowing that with returning 

 warmth our bees would wake to new 

 life. 



Agricultural College,? Mich. 



Fur the Amencan Bee Journal. 



Tlie Cliaffliilaifl Valley Convention, 



The Champlain Valley Bee-Keepers' 

 Association met in Middlebury, Vt., 

 on Jan. i!I. 1886, being called to order 

 by the President, Mr. H. L. Leonard, 

 of Brandon, Vt. Tlie report of the 

 last annual meeting was read by the 

 Secretary, and adopted. 



A discussion was opened by Mr. E. 

 J. Smith, of Addison, Vt., on the sub- 

 ject of '• The best race of bees for 

 profit." ;Vlthough the subject was an 

 old one, quite a spirited discussion fol- 

 lowed. Tlie experience of different 

 members varied, l)ut the majority 

 were in favor of hybrids for all pur- 

 poses. The grouiid was taken hy 

 Messrs. A. E. Manura, of Bistol, V. V. 

 Blaokmer, of Orwell, and others, that 

 there were two distinct races of black 

 bees— the small Ijlack bee and the 

 larger brown bee. ,J. E. Crane, of 

 Middlebury, lield tliat tliey were not 

 distinct races but the dilference in ap- 

 pearance might be on account of dif- 

 ference in breeding and the kinci of 

 flora ujion which they fed in different 

 localities. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



The Treasurer's report was called 

 for. and showed that the expenses in- 

 curred by the Secretai-v for tlie ar- 



rangements of the present meeting 

 were more than the sura in the treas- 

 ury. On the suggestion of the Presi- 

 dent a sufficient amount was collected 

 to pay all bills and leave a balance in 

 the treasury. 



The committee on the nomination 

 of officers presented the following as 

 officers for the ensuing year : Presi- 

 dent, P. C. Abbey, Essex, Vt.; Vice- 

 Presidents, W. H. Proctor,Fair Haven, 

 D. S. Hall, South Cabot, and J. E. 

 Crane, Middlebury ; Secretary, R. H. 

 Holmes, Shoreham ; and Treasurer, 

 J. E. Crane. On motion, the Secre- 

 tary cast the vote of the Association 

 for the above-named persons, and 

 they were declared elected. 



The following essay was read by 

 Miss Marcia A. Douglas, of Shoreham, 

 Vt.,on 



BEE-KEEPING FOR WOMEN. 



It would be presumptuous for me, a 

 novice of but two seasons' experience, 

 to stand in the presence of tliese vet- 

 erans in the field of apiculture and 

 attempt to bring before them any- 

 tliing new or instructive upon this 

 ancient, yet modern, theme. But I 

 trust you will bear with me for a little, 

 and if any errors creep in, remember 

 that it is throus'h ignorance. 



Josiah Allen s wife says, '' There 

 are a dozen sides to everything," and 

 I am sure that no bee-keepers would 

 take exceptions to this assertion in re- 

 gard to their business. But it is not 

 my intention at this time to discuss 

 more than eleven sides, for I could not 

 profitably use more than the fifteen 

 minutes allotted to me on the pro- 

 gramme. 



The necessary and primary elements 

 in women to succeed in bee-keeping 

 as in any other undertaking, is to per- 

 ceive what needs to be done, and then 

 be able to bring about the most satis- 

 factory results with the least possible 

 expenditure of time and labor. We 

 must also love the bees, enjoy watch- 

 ing them, and strive to ascertain their 

 requirements so as to be able to ad- 

 minister to their wants. The ever- 

 recurring ■■ cause and effect " must 

 be traced out, and when we are able to 

 accomplish this, amid the varied cir- 

 cumstances in 'this intricate business, 

 we have taken the one all-important 

 step to success. 



We are told in " Holy Writ " that 

 " Where no counsel is, the people fall ; 

 but in a multitude of counsellors there 

 is safety." Surely, Solomon could not 

 have considered that especially appli- 

 cable to us — beginners in the bee- 

 business I Why, there is such a 

 diversity of opinions and so much 

 contradictory advice given so freely 

 and courteously through the various 

 periodicals, that if we were to swallow 

 it all and undertake to digest one-half 

 of it, dyspeptic apiarists would be the 

 inevitable sequel. I would not ignore 

 all authorities— far from it; but I 

 would carefully peruse them and ex- 

 tract therefrocii such ideas as com- 

 mend themselves clearly to our com- 

 prehension and individual need. 



During my career I have been, and 

 am still highly favored, in that I live 

 not very far from reliable authority, 

 and I avail myself of opportunities to 

 ask questions, as may tje attested by 



one of the brothers present. But 

 there are emergencies in the apiary 

 that try women's souls and call for 

 prompt action. Then every particle 

 of " bee-lore " in our possession is 

 mustered into service to aid in re- 

 sponse to the call. By way of encour- 

 agement, Harriet M. iSIorris states 

 that, " The being who has for genera- 

 tions split kindling-wood with a case- 

 knife, driven nails with a stove-hook, 

 and defended herself with a broom- 

 stick, may be relied upon to find a way 

 to capture the most inconsiderate 

 swarm that ever settled upon tree or 

 post." Men have the advantage of 

 us, they are such calm, moderate, de- 

 liberate creatures, and can adjust 

 themselves so readily to circum- 

 stances ! Now we are not to suppose 

 for one moment that our Secretary 

 was in the least disconcerted one day 

 last summer, if he did have nine 

 swarms come out at once and form 

 one grand cluster ; and at another 

 time a very aspiring colony insist 

 upon occupying the very highest 

 branch of the tallest locust tree in the 

 yard after having been offered a hive 

 once or twice from some of the lower 

 limbs ! I think the climbing was the 

 most trying to him, still, he is not one 

 who would easily weary in well-doing ! 



The next side to be considered is 

 that scientific bee-culture is an open 

 field for women as well as men, and 

 our opportunities for making discov- 

 eries and improvements are equal, 

 and, withal, we are thought to be such 

 ornaments or acquisitions to bee-keep- 

 ers' associations that we are gratui- 

 tously voted into full membership. 

 Now, judging from the past pre-emi- 

 nent success of the score or more of 

 women throughout this broad land, 

 we can but take courage to press for- 

 ward and make our way through this 

 open gateway to the attainment of 

 the same desired goal. By many it is 

 often exclaimed mentally, if not 

 audibly, " Oh, for an opportunity to 

 earn money that I can call my own ! " 

 In the days of our grandmothers, 

 country women could realize quite an 

 income from the fruit of the spin- 

 ning-wheel and loom ; but that mighty 

 motive-power, steam, has hoisted 

 those machines to the attics, where 

 the " young Americas " have, in play, 

 brougiit them to such a state of dilapi- 

 dation that but a few fragments of 

 the originals are left to tell the story. 



For several seasons past the poultry 

 business has been quite a " fashion- 

 able summer resort," and in many in- 

 stances with good results; yet, at- 

 tended by no small degree of uncer- 

 tainty, and besides, their pasturage is 

 niuch more expensive than that of the 

 bees. If we compete with our brothers 

 in making pantaloons or in teaching 

 school, we are imagined decidedly out 

 of place in demanding as much pay as 

 is commanded by them for the same 

 work. Several years ago, during the 

 operation of the cheese-factory near 

 whicli I live, the dividends were made 

 out by a man, one of the directors of 

 the company, and when it was sug- 

 gested tluit a certain woman make out 

 the dividends and receive tlie same 

 remuneration, another man in protes- 

 tation affirmed that her time was not 



