THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



743 



ter was at least worth inquiring into, 

 and I believe in the final vote there 

 was not one who voted against mak- 

 ing such inquiry. Can we not get at 

 the truth in a dispassioned way i If 

 any one sees anything not desirable 

 or feasible in the legislation under 

 consideration, let him state his ob- 

 jections with all the force at his com- 

 mand, and let him state with equal 

 force whatever may favor the opposite 

 view. 



I have had no conference with the 

 other members of the committee, 

 but I shall be glad to see their views 

 publicly expressed, and even if their 

 views are diametrically opposed to my 

 own, I shall take it in the most kindly 

 manner. 



I want to thank Mr. James Heddon 

 forgiving his view on page 709. I 

 am looking for the views of Mr. X. 

 N. Betsinger, who expressed himself 

 as having decided convictions on the 

 subject, somewhat, I believe, on the 

 line of Mr. Heddon, although I did 

 not get his reasoning. 



When it comes to the matter of 

 legal enactments, our legal brethren 

 are the ones to whom we naturally 

 turn at least part of our inquiries. 

 Will they not help us out ? At the 

 time the matter was up in conven- 

 tion I am not sure there was any 

 lawyer present except Mr. R. L. Tay- 

 lor, of Lapeer, Mich. That gentle- 

 man, in his usual candid manner, 

 deprecated any hasty decision, and I 

 would very much like to see his views 

 in full. 



As to my own views, I have ex- 

 pressed myself as at present believing 

 that such legislation is both desirable 

 and feasible, yet 1 am quite open to 

 conviction, and it is altogether among 

 the possibilities that a year from now 

 I may have decided views against the 

 desirability or the feasibility of any 

 legislative action. 



I understand Mr. Heddon to claim 

 on page 709 (I am sorry I cannot lay 

 my hand on the previous number to 

 which he refers), that the prior occu- 

 pant has a natural exclusive right, 

 and that such exclusive possession 

 would result in the greatest good to 

 the greatest number. In this we are 

 very nearly if not altogether in ac- 

 cord, certainly I am in full accord 

 with him as to the last part of the 

 proposition. Just how he reconciles 

 the idea of " a natural exclusive 

 right " of the prior occupant, with 

 the " survival of the fittest," I do not 

 readily see. If I understand what is 

 usually meant by the " survival of 

 the fittest," it means a struggle for 

 existence ; and if I have " a natural 

 exclusive right" to the territory I 

 occupy, why should I be compelled 

 to make a struggle for existence in 

 that territory every time some inter- 

 loper should decide to settle down 

 beside me. Moreover, if the other 

 fellow should happen to be the one to 

 " survive," where would be my nat- 

 ural right V 



However much thought Mr. Hed- 

 don may have given to the matter of 

 rights as to "priority of location," I 

 cannot believe he has given much 

 thought to it with the possibility of 

 legislation in view, but it seems to 



me that without much thought upon 

 that branch of the subject, he has 

 hastily settled upon the conclusion 

 that because there was no legislation 

 there could be none, and in that view 

 of the case it is no doubt the proper 

 thing to consider, as he has done, 

 how best to make the struggle to 

 maintain those rights for which, if 

 all men were riglit-thinking, we would 

 never be obliged to make any struggle. 



I have merely touched upon the 

 subject, believing that its importance 

 demands much fuller mention, but 

 space forbids. I hope to hear, as I 

 before said, the views of others, and 

 just as much desire their views 

 whether they agree or disagree with 

 me. So long as I believe as I do now, 

 I will make the best fight I can, and 

 if vanquished I will thank the victor 

 for setting me right. 



Marengo, 5 His. 



For tlie American Bee JoumaL 



Tie Westerii Couyention, 



The Western Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation met in annual session in 

 Pythian Hall, at 10 a.m., in Kansas 

 City, Mo., on Oct. 27 and 28, 18S6. 

 After having an informal experience 

 meeting, which, of course, was prin- 

 cipally on bees and honey, the con- 

 vention adjourned until 1:30 p.m. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



At 1:30 the convention was called 

 to order by the President, Mr. E. M. 

 Hayhurst. The election of officers 

 was postponed until the next day. 

 The following discussion then took 

 place : 



" How has the drouth affected the 

 bee-business this season i*" It was 

 generally conceded that the bees 

 gathered little if any honey after the 

 middle of July in this vicinity. A. 

 A. Baldwin said that we would feel 

 the effects of this year's dry weather 

 more next year, as the white clover 

 had died out badly. Mr. Leahey did 

 not find the drouth very bad for his 

 bees. J. A. Nelson said the same, as 

 the honey season was about over be- 

 fore the very dry weather had com- 

 menced. B. F. DeTar said that the 

 bees were not much affected by the 

 dry weather. President Hayhurst 

 said the drouth was bad for queen- 

 rearing, but had not hindered the 

 gathering of honey very much. 



" What is honey-dew, and where 

 does it come from ?" 



Some said from insects, bark-lice, 

 aphides, etc. Mr. Hayhurst thought 

 that some came from punctures in 

 tree-bark on the hackberry or ash, 

 made by borers, as he had seen a 

 sweet substance that oozed out and 

 formed icicles in appearance during 

 the night, that tasted very much like 

 good grape-sugar, and the wasps, 

 yellow-jackets and bees worked on 

 it very much during the day. A. A. 

 Baldwin said it sometimes came out 

 on acorns that were punctured by 

 some insect. Mr. King had seen it 

 on the leaves, and it tasted sweet. 

 He said that it was not the kind made 

 by bugs that he had tasted. Mr. Con- 



ser had seen it higher up than any 

 other man, on the top leaves of every 

 thing, and had looked with a micro- 

 scope and could not lind any aphidie. 



" How can motlis be kept out of 

 honey in sections V" 



A. A. Baldwin — Fumigate the 

 honey with sulphur, which will kill 

 the worms and millers, but not the 

 eggs. When more eggs hatch, fumi- 

 gate again. The honey is not apt to 

 be bothered by moth-worms unless 

 there is some pollen in the combs. 



Some thought that the moth-eggs 

 were laid in the combs, or near the 

 hive entrance,and unintentionally car- 

 ried in by the bees; others, that the 

 bees got the eggs from the flowers 

 when gathering pollen ; and still 

 others, that the eggs were hatched 

 near the hives outside, and the worms 

 crawled in. 



The marketing of honey was much 

 discussed, but no definite conclusions 

 arrived at. How to get the sections 

 finished up and to prevent too much 

 increase at the same time, was dis- 

 cussed as follows : 



A. A. Baldwin would return the 

 swarms and keep the bees crowded as 

 much as possible. P. Baldwin would 

 get more honey from the old colony, 

 and the increase by natural swarm- 

 ing, keeping only the first swarms out. 

 Jno. Conser was of the same opinion. 



" What causes bees to mix up and 

 go into the wrong hives ?" 



The author of this question had his 

 hives about 3 feet apart, which was 

 considered too close ; the best dis- 

 tance apart for hives being about 8 

 feet each way, as that would also 

 allow room to use a scythe in cutting 

 the weeds and grass in the bee-yard. 



" Does ventilation retard swarm- 

 ing V" Mr. Leahey and Mr. Conser 

 said it did. A. A. Baldwin thought 

 it did, but it was too much extra 

 work. 



At 5 p.m. the convention adjourned 

 to meet again on the following day at 

 10 a.m. 



SECOND DAY. 



At 10 a.m. on Oct. 28 the conven- 

 tion was called to order by President 

 Hayhurst. The election of officers 

 being in order, the following were 

 elected by acclamation for the en- 

 suing year : President, E. M. Hay- 

 hurst, of Kansas City, Mo. ; Vice- 

 President, R. B. Leahey, of Higgins- 

 ville. Mo. ; Treasurer, J. H. Jones, of 

 Buckner, Mo. ; Secretary, Jas. A. 

 Nelson, of Wyandott, Kans. 



The President appointed L. W. 

 Baldwin and C. F. Lane a committee 

 to present topics for discussion, which 

 were presented and discussed as fol- 

 lows : 



JIAUKETING HONEY, 



" What is the best method of sus- 

 taining profitable prices for our pro- 

 ducts V" 



Mr. Leahey said that it was best to 

 educate the people in the use of 

 honey ; that it is a good thing to have 

 in the house to use as food and 

 medicine. 



Mr. Lane would induce manufac- 

 turers to use extracted honey, such as 

 confectioners, cracker factories, pork- 

 packing establishments, etc. 



