T44 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



President Hayhurst said that giv- 

 ing Leaflets, detailing the uses of 

 honey as food and medicine — one or 

 two with each pacitage of honey re- 

 tailed—would help very much to 

 educate the people in the use of 

 honey. 



Mr. Conser had sold about 800 

 pounds of extracted honey profitably 

 by taking a 20-gallon can in his wagon, 

 and filling the can about three-fourths 

 full of nice extracted honey ; then 

 putting in about 40 pounds of nice 

 comb honey cut from unfinished sec- 

 tions, such as were three-fourths full, 

 and up to those not quite finished, 

 then going around to the houses and 

 selling by weighing it out in any 

 quantity to suit the customers. As 

 to comb honey, if he could not get a 

 profitable price for it, he would take 

 It home and hold it for a higher price. 



P. Baldwin would hold his honey 

 for the higher prices, but thinks that 

 ■we could not get 2 or 3 cents per 

 pound more than others do in the 

 same market. 



Mr. Lane said that some of the com- 

 mission men seemed to make it a 

 point to run down the prices when it 

 was not necessary to do so. This opin- 

 ion was concurred in by many. 



L. W. Baldwin thinks that to co- 

 operate, find out the amount of the 

 honey crop in the whole country, and 

 work together accordingly, also to 

 give samples of honey and Leaflets at 

 each house— to work up a home mar- 

 ket in that way, would help very 

 much to sustain profitable prices. 



President Hayhurst said that it 

 would be well to advise honey pro- 

 ducers, through the bee-periodicals, 

 not to ship honey to commission 

 houses indiscriminately, as some 

 seem to be doing, but to send and get 

 prices first, and then ship to the best 

 market, or where they could realize 

 the best prices. 



REVERSING HIVES, FRAJIES, ETC. 



Jno. Conser— Reversing sections is 

 advisable to get the combs built out 

 full to tlie wood all around, and re- 

 versing brood-combs to get the honey 

 moved to the section-boxes ; but it 

 must be done at the right time and 

 properly, or it is bad practice. 



Mr. Leahey had tried reversing the 

 lower stories of hives, and found it a 

 bad practice, as those let alone did 

 very much better. His neiglibor bad 

 also tried it, and found it unprofitable. 



President Hayhurst reported that 

 Mr. Hill thought it was of no use ex- 

 cept to get combs built out to the 

 bottom-bars, which is not needed if 

 any one will properly use wired 

 frames filled with foundation, when 

 the combs will be completed to the 

 wood all around, not even leaving a 

 hole, and every comb as straight as a 

 board ; and, what is best of all, the 

 cells will be all worker size, so that 

 but few drones are reared, and in 

 some hives none are reared. 



Mr. Lane thought it valuable only 

 to get the combs in sections built well 

 to tlie wood, which is much easier 

 and quicker done by crowding the 

 bees properly. 



A vote was then taken which re- 

 sulted in a resolution being carried 



unanimously, that it is not practical 

 to reverse hives, frames, etc. 



The next subject was, " Our 

 Neighbors." 



Mr. Gates said that wasps and some 

 insects sting or break the skin of 

 grapes, but the honey-bees never do 

 either. The sting of the honey-bee 

 is used only in defense, and they can- 

 not bite a hole in a grape, as has been 

 demonstrated many times ; on the 

 other hand the honey-bees are a great 

 benefit to the fruit-grower in fertiliz- 

 ing the blossoms so that the fruit will 

 set properly, and the product be 

 abundant, as he had proven to his 

 own and his neighbors' satisfaction 

 in a field of buckwheat, which pro- 

 duced more than any other field with- 

 in 7 or 8 miles of his bees. 



Mr. Conser, who is a farmer and 

 fruit-raiser, said that the bees are a 

 benefit to all fruit crops, and will not 

 eat grapes until the grapes are broken 

 and begin to ferment. 



Mr. Leahey would keep his bees 

 where the neighbors are few, and 

 thus the trouble would be reduced to 

 the minimum. 



Mr. Gates said that we should de- 

 fend our bees. The mission of the 

 honey-bee is to gather up the sweets 

 that would otherwise be wasted. 

 They do not injure grapes in any 

 manner or form, and only eat those 

 that are not marketable, and of no 

 use to any one. 



A vote was then taken, and it was 

 unanimously thought that honey-bees 

 do not injure flowers or grapes. 



" Can the town council legally cause 

 the removal of bees to the outside of 

 the corporate limits of any town or 

 city y" 



L. W. Baldwin said that they had 

 tried it in Independence, Mo., and 

 had found no law to have them moved. 



Mr. Conser said that bees are a 

 nuisance only as flies are, and can be 

 kept out of houses by proper screens 

 on the windows and doors. 



WINTERING BEES. 



A. A. Baldwin said that the best 

 method is in the cellar, and is less 

 expensive, but he does not think that 

 it makes much difference. 



L. W. Baldwin — The best method 

 is cellar wintering. Colonies in the 

 cellar consume only from 3 to 4 

 pounds each, while those outside 

 packed on four sides and on top con- 

 sumed G pounds each ; and those 

 packed on two sides and on top, out- 

 of-doors, consumed 8 pounds each the 

 past winter. All wintered well. Those 

 in the cellar were ahead at swarming. 

 It is easier to carry bees into the 

 cellar than to pack them out-of-doors. 



Mr. Gates said that it would cost 

 §500 to build a cellar to properly win- 

 ter 200 colonies of bees, which should 

 be considered in the expense. He 

 had experimented some, and those 

 wintered on the summer stands 

 swarmed first, or before those win- 

 tered in the cellar. 



The hour of noon having arrived, 

 the convention adjourned till 1 :30 p.m. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



At 1:45 p.m. the convention was 

 called to order by the President, the 



other 15 minutes having been occu- 

 pied in examining a surplus arrange- 

 ment exhibited by Mr. G. W. Cook. 

 The subject of wintering bees was 

 then continued as follows : 



Mr, Thorne winters part of his bees 

 in the cellar and part of them out-of- 

 doors. He prefers out-of-doors, but 

 would rather have the cellar for 

 safety. 



Mr. Leahey has tried the cellar, but 

 the bees swarm out and spring 

 dwindle so much after they are put 

 out on the summer stands. If he had a 

 good cellar he thinks he would use 

 it, but he would not go to the expense 

 of building one expressly for the pur- 

 pose. He has a cellar 5 feet in the 

 ground and 1 foot above, cemented on 

 the bottom and sides all around, with 

 a tile pipe underground, and a pipe 

 up to the outside for ventilation. 



L. W. Baldwin has a cellar 19x25 

 feet, and 7 feet deep, that cost $250. 

 It is under his house, and larM 

 enough for 300 colonies. He could 

 put in 400, but he thinks it would be 

 too warm for so many in a mild win- 

 ter. He never has any trouble with 

 bees swarming out or deserting their 

 hives in the spring when put on the 

 summer stands. He says that the bees 

 will mix up somewhat when taken 

 out of the cellar if no landmarks, 

 such as trees, grape vines, etc, are not 

 in front of some of the hives. He has 

 tile laid underground 150 feet long to 

 bring a mild air into the cellar. 



Mr. Conser winters his bees both in 

 the cellar and out-of-doors, but he 

 prefers wintering them out-of-doors. 



A vote taken resulted in 7 for and 5 

 against wintering bees on the sum- 

 mer stands, the other members being 

 undecided, or not having any prefer- 

 ence. 



FOUL BROOD. 



L. W. Baldwin gave his experience 

 with it when he lived in New York 

 State several years ago. To cure by 

 the starvation plan is the only way he 

 knew of. Some of the very worst 

 cases he cured by burning hive and all. 



Mr. Lane had, a few years ago, in 

 his apiary in Wisconsin, what ap- 

 peared to be foul brood, and it cured 

 itself after he had ceased exchanging 

 corabs from one hive to another. 



A. A. Baldwin thinks it only affects 

 the larvse ; that if bees gather impure 

 water and feed the larvse with it, it 

 will cause foul brood he thinks. He 

 has burned some colonies, and others 

 cured themselves. 



It was moved and adopted that 

 vs'hen the convention adjourned it 

 should adjourn until the spring meet- 

 ing ; and that our next semi-annual 

 meeting be held in Kansas City, Mo. 

 Mr. Hayhurst and Mr. Otto were ap- 

 pointed a committee to secure a hall 

 and furnish a programme for that 

 meeting. 



A committee of ways and means was 

 appointed, on the suggestion of the 

 Secretary, which resulted in a motion 

 being carried that each member pay 

 into the treasury the sum of 50 cents. 



RENDERING WAX. 



Messrs. Otto, Hayhurst, and Conser 

 each explained how their solar wax- 



