280 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



May 4, 1899. 



PUBLISHT WEEKLY BY 



Georqe W. York & Company, 



118 Michigan St., Chicago, III. 



ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. *'%^ SAMPLE COPY FREE. 



[Entered at the Post-OfBce at Chicago as Secoad-Class Mail Matter.) 



United Stales Bee-Keepers' Association. 



Organized to advance the pursuit of Apiculture ; to promote the interests 

 of bee-keepers ; to protect its members ; to prevent the adulteration of 

 honey ; and to prosecute the dishonest honey-commission men. 



-Afembersliip JPee — j^l.OO per Annxnn, 



Executive Committee— Pres., E. Whitcomb; Vice-Pres., C. A. Hatch; 



Secretary, Dr. A. B. Mason, Station B, Toledo, Ohio. 

 Board of Directors— E. R. Root; E. Whitcomb; E.T.Abbott; C. P. 



Dadant; W. Z. Hutchinson; Dr. C. C. Miller. 

 Gen'l Manager and Treasurer— Eugene Secor, Forest City, Iowa. 



Place and Date of Next iUeeting-s 



In Fr.^nklin Institute, 



IS South Tth Street, between Market and Chestnut Sts., Philadelphia, Pa. 



September 5, 6 and 7, 1899. Every bee-keeper is invited. 



VOL. 39. 



MAY 4, 1899. 



NO. 18. 



Note — The American Bee Journal adopts the Orthography of the follow- 

 ingr Rule, recommended by the joint action of the American Philolog- 

 ical Association and the'Philological Society of England: — Change 

 *'d" or "ed" final to "t" when so pronounced, except when the "e" af- 

 fects a preceding sound. 



See that All Colonies Have Stores is the advice given 

 in the Progressive Bee-Keeper by G. M. Doolittle, vrho pre- 

 fers for that purpose combs of sealed honey, and next to 

 that combs filled with feed, in either case these combs 

 placed in the center of the brood-nest to stimulate the queen 

 to greater laying. 



increasing: the Association's riembership.— Mr. Her- 

 man F. Moore, secretary of the Chicago Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation, sends us the following suggestions looking tovrard 

 an increase in the membership of the United States Bee- 

 Keepers' Association : 



Mr. George W. York, Editor American Bee Journal. 



Dear Sir: — I have a suggestion to make in regard to 

 the United States Bee-Keepers' Association. Is there any 

 reason why every bee-keepers' association in America 

 should not be affiliated with the national organization ? 

 Why can't we say to the Philadelphia association, "Join 

 us as a body, and your first year's dues will be only 50 cents 

 a member?" 



In the first place, we would get the addresses of all the 

 bee-keepers who are members of any bee-keepers' organiza- 

 tion, and interest them specifically in our work. In the 

 second place, we should no doubt largely add to our mem- 

 bership list, for it is quite an inducement to get in for half- 

 price. The local associations could vote the money out of 

 the treasury, and levy a tax on their members to pay it. 



There might be an association membership fee of $5.00 

 or $10 a year. Of course, certain benefits should be con- 

 ferred for the consideration of such membership. An asso- 



ciation should be entitled to one delegate to the annual 

 meeting of the United States Bee-Keepers' Association for 

 each 10 or 25 members of the local affiliated association. 



A prize of $10 might be given to the local association 

 sending in the largest list of new members. 



It seems as if considerable advance might be made 

 along the line mentioned, and perhaps more elaborated. I 

 hope this will be taken up and discust generally by bee- 

 keepers in the various journals. 



As to the proposed union of the two big associations, 

 let some one hunt up the names and addresses of all those 

 who are members of both (and I suppose favor amalgama- 

 tion), and let them correspond with each other regularly 

 until the desired result is brought about. 



Herman F. Moore. 



Some years ago an effort was made to get local bee- 

 keepers' organizations to affiliate with the National, but 

 only a very few of them seemed to think enough of the 

 matter to thus become affiliated. But perhaps circum- 

 stances are difi^erent now, and something might be accom- 

 plisht along the lines indicated by Mr. Moore. 



We would further suggest that Mr. Moore's ideas be 

 considered at the Philadelphia convention, next September, 

 as no definite action can be taken before that time. It 

 might be well, however, to discuss the subject in advance 

 of the meeting, so that various opinions might be thoroly 

 understood and be given due attention when the time comes 

 for final decision. 



Cuban Bee-Keeping is not very encouragingly spoken 

 of by " An American Tramp " in Gleanings. He says the 

 wages paid to bee-keepers are from $15 to $25 per month and 

 board. The houses in the country have been burned down, 

 and those in town are so filthy that no woman from a com- 

 fortable home in this country would be content to live in 

 them. Fleas are so bad that he says he had to wash him- 

 self with kerosene oil to get any rest, said oil costing 50 

 cents to $1.00 a gallon. Whisky and cigars are cheap, other 

 necessaries (?) high. 



We are inclined to agree with Editor Root in his views 

 as exprest in the following comment on the article by " An 

 American Tramp :" 



" I have concluded not to go to Cuba just yet. If I must 

 bathe myself in coal-oil at $1.00 per gallon to keep off fleas 

 I'll stay at home awhile longer. Seriously, one should think 

 twice before going to this land devastated by the hand of 

 war. Conditions will improve, no doubt, in the near future. 

 In the meantime the average bee-keeper better keep his 

 good dollars and invest them at home." 



The American Bee-Keeper for April contains this edi- 

 torial paragraph : 



" From a recent letter written by Mr. Craj'craft, of 

 Cuba, the following interesting notes were gleaned : There 

 are sis or eight apiaries of importance in the vicinity of 

 Havana, aggregating perhaps 1,600 to 1,800 colonies. There 

 is still some foul brood in that locality. The apiary for- 

 merly owned by Mr. Osburn is now in the hands of a Cuban. 

 A Mr. Ravelo, having about 400 colonies eight miles south 

 of Havana, had, on Feb. 10, taken something over 3,000 

 gallons of honey this season. It is Mr. Craycraft's opinion 

 that Cuba produces the finest grade of honej- in the world, 

 and that some enterprising person or firm is needed to bring 

 it before the world. Mr. Craycraft takes a very cheerful 

 view of Cuba's apicultural future." 



Spraying Fruit=Trees in Bloom — It is verj- encourag- 

 ing to see that fruit-men are beginning to understand more 

 fully that bees are their friends, and to deprecate the prac- 

 tice of spraying fruit-trees when in bloom. The following 

 appears in the National Stockman and Farmer, not in the 

 apicultural but in the horticultural department : 



A correspondent in Franklin, Pa., writes : " I tliiiik it 

 is unlawful to spray fruit-trees while they are in bloom with 

 poisonous mixtures of paris green, etc., and it would be well 

 to call attention to the matter in your valuable pager. Some 



