1898. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



245 



the table or bench board, we now carefully place over it (and 

 out against the guide-strip at the end which evens the foun- 

 dation) the board having the saw-kerfs through it, when we are 

 ready for the knife. 



For a knife I prefer an old table-knife, such as our grand- 

 mothers used — one that has been worn till it is very thin, 

 when the edge is made very sharp on an oil-stone. 



Now to prevent the wax sticking to the knife was a prob- 

 lem on which I workt a long time. 1 was told by some to have 

 the knife hot by keeping it in hot water; others advised the 

 use of weak lye, honey, etc., all of which did not please me. 

 Having a rag moistened with kerosene close by, and passing 

 the knife over it before each stroke so as to moisten it with 

 the oil, workt the best of any of these, and this plan was used 

 until one day when I was in a great hurry I drew the knife 

 through the foundation as quickly as possible, without both- 

 ering with any oil, when lo, and behold, the whole sticking 

 matter was solved, for the friction caused by the rapid motion 

 of the knife through the wax melted it to a sufficient extent 

 so it did not stick to the knife at all. 



To be sure I was right, I quickly drew the knife to the 

 middle of the pile and stopt, allowing a few seconds to pass 

 before I tried to go on again, when I found the knife was 

 fastened and could not well be moved except by tearing the 

 foundation. A later trial of several quick strokes with the 

 knife and then suddenly putting it to the tongue showed that 

 it was almost too hot to be borne without pain. I now have 

 no more fussing with hot water, kerosene-oil, or anything of 

 the kind, but draw the knife through the foundation just as 

 rapidly as possible, when the cut edge of the foundation is left 

 as smooth and shiny as though it had been melted in two. It 

 is best not to bear down too hard in cultiug, usiug two or three 

 light strokes to cut through a pile of eight or ten sheets, 

 rather than trying to cut through the whole at one stroke. 



FASTENING FOUNDATION IN SECTIONS. 



As to fastening into sections, I fornaerly used the brush or 

 spoon plan of so applying melted wax that was spread on the 

 foundation and the section at the same time, and in cooling it 

 adhered to botb. But of late I have used the heated-plate 

 plan, by way of the " Daisy" foundation fastener, and I am 

 satisfied there is nothing better. Onondaga Co., N. Y. 



Proceedings of the Colorado State Convention. 



REPORTED BY F. L. THOMPSON. 



The ISth annual convention of the Colorado State Bee- 

 Keepers' Association was held in Denver, Jan. 17 and IS, 

 1898. 



REPORT ON HONEY ANALYSES. 



The Committee on Honey Analyses made their report. 

 Three samples of honey, two put up by a Denver firm, and 

 one by a St. Joseph firm, had been purchast In the market, 

 packt in the presence of two of the members, and sent to the 

 State chemist, who analyzed them, and found that the Denver 

 samples contained a considerable percentage of cane sugar 

 syrup, and the St. Joseph sample was probably a solution of 

 glucose with a piece of comb honey added. As a certain bee- 

 keeper- -a member of the Denver Bee- Keepers' Association — 

 had stoutly asserted that the Denver firm was not guilty of 

 the charge of adulteration, the Executive Committee, at a 

 special meeting, decided to purchase a new set of samples and 

 have them analyzed by another chemist. Accordingly the 

 committee went together to the same business house where 

 the previous samples had been purchast, secured another lot 

 of honey put up tiy the same parties, and had them packt up 

 ready for shipping by the clerk who sold them. The parcel 

 was sent by express to an Eastern honey expert, who analyzed 

 them with practically the same results as the State chemist 

 had found. The agreement of the two analyses was consid- 

 ered sufficient evidence by the committee. 



ROOM FOR HOLDING MEETINGS. 



The committee on securing a room in the Capitol — E. 

 Milleson — made the following report : "As a committee ap- 

 pointed to secure a room for the meetings of the State Bee- 



Associations, I desire to report that the Capitol building still 

 remains under the supervision of the superintendent of the 

 building, and he is disposed to do the best he can in furnishing 

 a meeting-place for the bee-keepers of the State ; but we 

 hardly see the way cleared for a room for our exclusive use." 



LAW ON SPRAYING FRUIT- TREES. 



The committee on securing a spraying law — P. L. Thomp- 

 son — reported that a law had been formed, and adopted by the 

 last legislature, so that it is now in force. It is to be found in 

 Section 15, page 65, of the Session Laws of Colorado for 

 1897, and reads as follows : 



"It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to spray 

 fruit-trees while in bloom, with any substance injurious to 

 bees. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall 

 on conviction before any Justice of the Peace be liable to a 

 fine of not less than $5 or more than .$50. . . .The proceedings 

 of the State Bee-Keepers' Annual Convention shall be filed 

 with the Secretary of the Board of Horticulture, who shall 

 edit it and file with the Secretary of State, who shall cause 

 the same to be publisht annually with the report of the Board 

 of Horticulture." 



E. Milleson, who is the fruit inspector of Arapahoe 

 county, said he thought there would be a revolution in spray- 

 ing materials, by the use of insecticides harmless to bees, and 

 also said that the poisons now used were so largely adulterated 

 as to not even harm the larvas. 



S. M. Carlzen stated that a few of the horticulturists on 

 the western slope, whose names he could not give, were mak- 

 ing efforts to repeal the spraying law. This was confirmed by 

 a letter from a western-slope bee-inspector, not read before 

 the Association, which will appear later in this account of the 

 proceedings. 



SAMPLES OF HONEY-COMBS. 



Pres. R. C. Aikin exhibited three sections containing septa 

 of honey-combs, the rest of the comb and the honey having 

 been removed, all built in the same super. One had been part 

 natural comb, and part comb built on extra-thin foundation. 

 The natural septum lookt much lighter on account of the 

 color of the wax, but the difference in thicknesses was small. 

 But chewing showed a difference in quality, that of natural 

 comb being more brittle. Another section contained a septum 

 resulting from the use of deep-cell foundation. In eating, no 

 difference could be perceived between it and ordinary founda- 

 tion. The third section had contained very heavy brood foun- 

 dation. This had been much thinned, and the wax used in 

 building up the side-walls, also some deposited where the cell- 

 wall joins the base. 



H. Eauchfuss also exhibited a septum of comb from deep- 

 cell foundation, and some flnisht sections in which deep-cell 

 foundation, ordinary foundation, and Given rolled foundation 

 had been used. Altho the Given rolled foundation was clumsy, 

 the septum after completion was not so thick as that of comb 

 from the deep-cell foundation. The latter was commenced 

 sooner, but not fiuisht sooner than the other. 



SUNFLOWERS FOR SHADING HIVES. 



Mr. Varian recommended the Russian sunflower as fur- 

 nishing shade to the hives just when wanted, and not sooner. 

 As the seeds stand the frost, they could be planted in the fall. 

 They will grow on poor soil. About six should be planted 

 about a foot from the hive, on the south side. 



Pres. Aikin then read his annual address as follows : 



President's Annual Address. 



Fellow Bec-Kccpers and Friends : — It is a pleasure to me 

 to be with you. A little over one year ago I thought likely I 

 should never meet with you again, much less to serve you as 

 president of this association. I am intensely interested in our 

 pursuit, and as well in the welfare of each of you, financially, 

 morally and spiritually. 



I wonder how many of you are here because you love your 

 neighbors. I think we may say that most of us are here 

 through one or both of two general motives — love of self and 

 love for others. I trust that not one Is here through selfish- 

 ness only ; at least I hope not. Personally, I feel sure that 

 these annual gatherings cost me more In labor and thought 

 than all i can get out of them as a money consideration. 



While it is true that we may get value received on a money 

 basis, there are other ways in which we may get well paid. It 

 is a pleasure to me to see your faces, to shake the hand, to 

 talk of each other's welfare, and to try to help each other. 

 Brethren, try to get all you can that will benefit you finan- 

 cially and morally, but let your getting be of that kind that 

 worketh both ways, charitable and full of love. "Give and it 

 shall be given unto you ; prest down, and shaken together 



