22 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



Jan. 12. 1899. 



Proceeding's of the Colorado State Bee-Keepers' 

 Convention. 



(CONTRIBUTED BY THE SECRETARV.) 



The 19th annual convention of the 'Colorado State Bee- 

 Keepers' Association was held in Denver, Nov. 30 and Dec. 

 1 and 2, 1898. 



On the morning- of the first day the convention ad- 

 journed to the horticultural rooms to hear addresses made 

 before the Horticultural Association, then in session, by 

 Pres. Alston Ellis and Prof. C. P. Gillette, both of the State 

 Agricultural College. 



Prof. Gillette's subject was, '■ Spraying to Destroy In- 

 sects Injurious to Fruit ;" and in the course of his address 

 he referred to the spraying law, adding that it did no good 

 whatever to spray during bloom, hut that it was better to 

 wait several days or a week after the blossoms fall. 



The first event of the afternoon session was a paper by 

 Ben Honnett, on 



The Bee-Industry of Colorado. 



It seems almost like going into the speculations of 

 fairyland to review the bee-industry. There is nothing 

 more fascinating than bee-culture, to my mind (I might ex- 

 cept prospecting), from the fact that you may trace the 

 progress of a colony of bees from the time of swarming to 

 its continued succession, and until the result in honey is re- 

 moved for storag^e or sale. One becomes in a manner per- 

 sonally acquaintedwith each and every colony, noting their 

 individual peculiarities as they progress. The most critical 

 observer will note the fact that success in bee-culture means 

 unceasing care and watchfulness. 



The location of an apiary is of paramount importance. 

 The hives should be raised from the ground, a few inches 

 being- sufficient to allow air to circulate and prevent damp- 

 ness. As to the position of the hive - east, west, north or 

 south of the entrance — it is a matter of taste, and plan's no 

 important part. The main point is to have the hive fairly 

 sheltered, that is, the hive to have some shade during the 

 hottest part of the day. The ideal location should be one 

 or two hives under each apple tree in an orchard (or any 

 other kind of tree). The feeding-ground should be near an 

 alfalfa field, and where sweet clover abounds, our main de- 

 pendence being on these plants, and on fruit-blossoms. 

 Very little sweet clover is planted for bee-forage, and this 

 is lookt upon with disfavor by the farmers of Colorado. So 

 far as it claims to be a honey-plant, I believe there is none 

 superior. I would rather have an acre of sweet clover for 

 hone}' purposes than two acres of anj' other kind of forage. 



The habitat of the bee is wherever nectar is to be found, 

 be it much or little. I met bees on the top of Cottonwood 

 Mountain in 1884. when there was no known apiary within 

 60 miles of the place. The main apiaries are located in the 

 St. Vrain, Big- Thompson, Cache La Poudre, Boulder Val- 

 ley, Arkansas Valley, Arapahoe and Jefferson counties, and 

 in Mesa, Delta, and a few other counties across the range. 

 There are other isolated localities where apiaries exist, but 

 the above-mentioned furnish most, if not all, of the market- 

 able honey. 



Those who make a specialty of the business are as a 

 rule wide-awake, intelligent and progressive, catering to 

 the wants of the markets without sacrifice or detriment to 

 the continuance of a well-reg-ulated apiary. 



I would rig-ht here sound a warning note to the inex- 

 perienced, to be careful how they follow the advice of some 

 individuals whose names appear semi-occasionally in the 

 press, recommending semi-invalids to engage in the bee- 

 business, as being light, profitable and healthy. I know of 

 many who have found the bee-business both lighf and un- 

 profitable, and not so very healthy. It takes persons with 

 their five senses about them to conduct an apiary success- 

 fully, altho all must begin sometime ; but it should be on a 

 small scale, and then only in connection with some other 

 pursuit. 



The result of this season's honey-business is far from 

 satisfactory. In very few cases was there a full crop, some 

 reporting half a crop, some one-fourth of a crop, and a few 



no return of surplus. The different localities give various 

 reasons for the shortage. In this section (this side of the 

 range) in May we had frequent showers and cool weather, 

 which interfered materially with the bees flying ; then fol- 

 lowed severe drouth, which affected the secretion of nectar 

 to such an extent that some of our bee-keepers put their 

 apiaries in winter condition several months before they did 

 last year, there being no late flow. The same trouble ex- 

 isted to a certain extent across the range. Cold nights and 

 rains early in the .season produced the same results in many 

 localities. 



The quality of the honey crop of 1898 is exceptionally 

 fine. The product of the State for the year 1898 will ap- 

 proximate 700,000 pounds. The demand for Colorado honey 

 far exceeds the supply. Denver, in proportion to popula- 

 tion, consumes more honey than any city in the United 

 States. 



Altho some have not realized their expectations, never- 

 theless we must not lag or fall out of the ranks. The future 

 looks bright. The price of honey is fair, and we hope that 

 the next season will meet us again as of yore, ready to as- 

 sume those responsiliilities which fall to our lot in uphold- 

 ing the good name of the Colorado bee-keepers. 



Ben Honnett. 



SWEET CI.OVER — FOR AND AGAINST. 



Mrs. Washburne — How do you reconcile the advantages 

 of sweet clover as a source of honey with its disadvantages 

 in the field, to the fjirmer ? 



Mr. Honnett — Agricultural stations are disseminating 

 the idea that alfalfa should be cut early, and it is done to 

 some extent. We must have a permanent .source of honey. 

 Sweet clover is carried by ditches to all parts of the farm. 

 On the other hand, it has destructive effects on grain crops. 

 It has so man}' seeds. Above Arvada is an 80-acre tract 

 containing some wlieat, in which sweet clover is a terrible 

 detriment. Millers object to the sweet clover seed. Stock 

 will not eat it except when it is young, and then is when we 

 don't want them to eat it. There are some threats of legis- 

 lation to put sweet clover among weeds. 



F. Rauchfuss— Such a law could not very well be car- 

 ried as long- as the agricultural stations recommend it for 

 renovating soils and for hay, especially in Utah. 



D. Moon — I kept sowing it until I had four or five acres. 

 It does not hurt the first season, and does not bloom then. 

 The next season it goes to seed. My stock sometimes eat it 

 oft' entirely. I had it on heavy clay five years, then raised 

 the finest crop of corn I ever saw on that land. Some sea- 

 sons the bees don't get much honey from it. 



Mr. Adams — I have had 20 years' experience with sweet 

 clover, and fed tons of sweet clover hay. 



Mr. Honnett — I said that stock would eat it when j-oung. 



Mr. Adams — I don't know how young it has to be to be 

 eight feet high, but I have seen that height all eaten off. 

 Why should not the wagon-roads be utilized by growing 

 sweet clover ? I know of a large pasture of sweet clover 

 that never gets higher than 6 inches to ZYz feet, as thfere 

 are enough cattle to eat it all. I have never known stock to 

 have the hooven by eating it, tho they do in the East. As 

 for its injuring grain, that depends on the farmer himself. 

 It won't get high enough the first year, and after that it 

 only does injury if the farmer doesn't plow properly. But 

 it does not harm our crops, iff don't consider it a weed. 

 It cannot be beaten as a green manure. It is better than 

 alfalfa. 



Mr. Honnett — I stated that I would rather have one acre 

 of .sweet clover than two acres of any other honey-producing 

 plant. 



E. H. Rhodes — I question the amount of the sweet clover 

 honey product. We never have any distinctively sweet 

 clover honey in ovir locality. But it is the best kind of a 

 fertilizer, and makes one of the best fall pasttires. I am 

 acquainted with a cattle man who sowed a patch of wet 

 land to sweet clover. He never had any pasture equal to it. 

 It grew 14 feet high. It is a marvel of feed — if only taken 

 care of. It is one of the best adjuncts to a stock farm. 

 Another cattle-man says, "Give me sweet clover more than 

 all other weeds." There is nothing better for preparing- 

 the land for potatoes. Put on a log-chain and a four-horse 

 team to plow it up. 



L. Booth — I believe the bees do get a good deal of honey 

 from it. 



Pres. Aikin — A year ag-o about one-fourth or one-third 

 of mj' crop of honej' was from sweet clover. The past sea- 

 son it was. about two-thirds from sweet clover. I believe it 

 is a good honey-plant. 



