134 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Mr. Schofleld— If our neighbor is 

 rightly instructed, it will not help the 

 supply dealers. 



Mr. Dick— It is a different thing 

 instructing your neighbor and in- 

 structing those who come to conven- 

 tions. 



W. E. Clark thought we should do 

 to others as we would that others 

 should do to us. 



L. C. Eoot was of the opinion that 

 we are not doing our neighbors a 

 favor to instruct them in bee-keeping, 

 while honey is at its present price. 



WEDNESDAY MORNING. 



Pres. Root called the meeting to 

 order at 9 a.m. 



After the appointment of some com- 

 mittees, an address was delivered by 

 P. H. Ellwood, of Starkville, N. Y., 

 on " Apiculture as a pursuit." In 

 connection therewith, a paper by 

 Arthur Todd on the " Alarketing of 

 our products," was read. The two 

 topics were discussed conjointly. The 

 adulteration of honey was, as usual, 

 pointed out as a great hindrance to 

 the development of bee-keeping, and 

 a damage to the price of honey. Cul- 

 tivation of a home market, employ- 

 ment of middlemen, services of 

 drummers, peddling honey, and va- 

 rious other side issues were adverted 

 to. 



"W. r. Clarke said it was of no use 

 to light the laws of trade. One of 

 them was that cheapness increased 

 consumption. The history of penny 

 postage, and of all cheap 

 proved this. The cheapest railroad 

 on this continent was the most trav- 

 eled, and he believed it was the only 

 one that had a quadruple track. Much 

 was said about keeping up the price 

 of honey. AVe would be better em- 

 ployed in bringing it down. Mer- 

 chants who try to do a big business 

 sell cheap, and sometimes run off 

 goods below cost to win custom. Mr. 

 Todd was right in taking the ground 

 that the best way to increase the con- 

 sumption of honey was to reduce the 

 cost, so that it would be as cheap as 

 sugar. Then it would be a necess'ary 

 of life, and would sell itself. We do 

 not advertise honey enough. Some 

 one has said he who does business 

 without advertising is like a man who 

 winks at a pretty girl in the dark. 

 He may know what he is doing, but 

 no one else does. People do not need 

 to be educated to eat honey any more 

 than to drink milk. Let tliem see the 

 tempting thing, and the appetite will 

 spring up for it soon enough. Show 

 the public the value of honey as food 

 and medicine, and it will be consumed 

 largely without fear. Patent medi- 

 cine venders understand their busi- 

 ness. They placard their nostrums 

 on all vacant fences, make tlie rocks 

 vocal, the result is people buy and 

 use the articles thus conspicuously 

 advertised. "Let your light " shine, 

 and people will avail themselves of 

 it, never fear. 



121) were discussed conjointly at some 

 length. 



Mr. Davis, of Vermont, was asked > 

 the cost of producing a pound of 

 honey, and replied that there was 

 nothing in it at less than 18 or 20 cents 

 a pound. He was in favor of produc- 

 ing a choice article, and keeping up 

 the price. 



The best surplus arrangement was 

 next discussed, and the discussion 

 glided into size of sections, with the 

 usual preference for the one-pound 

 section, as more easily marketable. 



The election of officers resulted as 

 follows: President, W. E. Clark, 

 Oriskany; Vice-President, C. G. 

 Dickinson, Oxford ; Secretary, George 

 H. Knickerbocker, Pine Plains ; Treas- 

 urer, J. H. Scolield, Chenango Bridge. 



Representatives were elected, on 

 nomination, for every county in the 

 State. 



The committee on resolutions re- 

 ported as follows : 



That this Association would record 

 its grateful appreciation of the action 

 of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture in establishing an aj)i- 

 cultural station at Aurora, Ills., in 

 charge of Mr. N. W. McLam, from 

 whose experiments much benefit is 

 expected l3y the bee-keepers of the 

 land. 



Besolvecl, That in token of said 

 appreciation, this Association will 

 henceforth adopt as its distinctive 

 badge, the national colors — red, white 

 and blue. 



Resolved, That this Association has 

 read with pleasure the public an 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



The President's address and a paper 

 by Rev. W. F. Clarke on the question, 

 " Does bee-keeping pay V" (See page 



11 ;" ICrtU WILLI l^LCanULC LilC ^IILILIL^ rtlL- 



,iir"fH ! nouncement made by Thurber, Why- 

 land & Co., that they will hereafter 

 put up no more comb honey in glass 

 jars, with glucose around it, which 

 they have heretofore done to the 

 detriment of the lioney industry, and 

 which has subjected them to severe 

 criticism by this Association, and the 

 bee-keepers at large. 



A paper was read from J. M. Shuck, 

 of Des Moines, Iowa, on "Reversing 

 hives, frames and sections ;" also one 

 entitled " Midnight musings of a New 

 York bee-keeper." The two were 

 made the basis of a long discussion on 

 the principle of reversing, in the 

 course of which the Heddon hive 

 received a large share of attention. 



THURSDAY MORNING. 



The amount of increase preferable 

 in connection with the production of 

 comb honey was the first order of the 

 day. It was agreed that the answer 

 to the question depended much on 

 location. 



An address by L. S. Newman, of 

 Peoria, N. Y., followed, on the " Pro- 

 duction of comb honey with and with- 

 out separators in wide and narrow 

 sections." 



On motion, it was decided to take a 

 vote on the use of separators. The 

 Association, by a rising vote, ex- 

 pressed its preference for separators. 



The committee on resolutions pre- 

 sented the following : 



Whereas, The best interests of 

 our calling require more thorough 

 work in creating a market for our 

 products ; and 



Whereas, We feel certain that, 

 with proper effort, the demand for 



honey for medicinal, manufacturing, 

 and general table purposes may and 

 should be greatly increased ; and 



Whereas, We believe that these 

 results can be best accomplished 

 through the efforts of those who are 

 thoroughly conversant with the best 

 interests of bee-keeping in all of its- 

 branches, and who are also acquainted 

 with and command the confidence of 

 bee-keepers generally by their un- 

 questioned honesty. , Therefore, be it 



Resolved, That we, the bee-keepers 

 of the State of New York, in conven- 

 tion assembled at the city of Roches- 

 ter, this 17th day of February, 1886, 

 do appoint L. C. Root as a persort 

 fully qualified to work for our interest 

 as above expressed, and that we here- 

 by instruct him to take such action 

 and make such investigations as ins 

 his judgment will result in our great- 

 est good. 



Resolved, That we invite each mem- 

 ber of the Association, as well as bee- 

 keepers generally throughout the 

 country, to aid him in his efforts, the 

 results of which he shall present to 

 this Association at its next annual 

 meeting to be held in Albany on Jan. 

 18-20, 1887. 



The resolutions were adopted, and 

 a committee of three appointed by 

 the President to co-operate with the 

 commissioner. 



On motion, it was agreed that the 

 necessary expenses connected with 

 the effort to improve the honey mar- 

 ket be raised by an assessment per 

 capita on the members of the Asso- 

 ciation. 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 



Is it advisable to rear drones irn 

 more than one hive i* Yes. 



Would it be beneficial to distribute 

 the pamphlet on " Honey as Food and 

 Medicine " more widely ? Yes. 



Do bees polish off the cappings with , 

 their " tother end V" Yes. 



Why does some honey granulate 

 quicker than others ? No answer. 



Which is the best hive for general 

 use y Your own. 



Which pays best, comb or extracted 

 honey V No answer. 



Is it advisable to use full sheets of 

 comb or strips in the brood-chamber ?• 

 Full sheets. 



Is it a good plan to clip the queen's 

 wing V One member responded "yes."^ 



Is it advisable to have a bee-space 

 between each tier of sections V A gen- 

 eral response in the affirmative. 



Is it desirable to have plenty of 

 brood in hives when they are taken 

 out of winter quarters V Yes. 



In wintering on the summer stand* 

 is it desirable to pack under the bot- 

 tom of the hive V Yes. 



Is there any good reason for setting 

 hives close to the ground ? No. 



For a double-walled hive, is a quar- 

 ter inch dead-air space enough V No. 



Which man seems to know the most 

 about bee-keeping, the expert or the 

 beginner V The beginner, every time. 



Are not tin separators on the whole 

 the best V Several novices, " no." 



The committee to consult with Mr. 

 L. C. Root and co-operate with him in 

 improving the honey market was- 

 nominated by the President as fol- 



