May 25, 1899. 



AMERICAN EEE JOURNAL 



325 



Wood from five miles away, while at Mr. Hutchinson's (page 

 241) none of the queens mismated when the undesired blood 

 was put back three miles. " Locality "" again— but there's 

 a locality called •' The Noddle," that oft has an atom or so 

 to do in "some of these matters where doctors disagree. 



COGIT.^TOK. 



Report of the Chicag-o Bee-Keepers' Convention. 



BY HERMAN F. MOORE. 



The third quarterly meeting of the Chicago Bee-Keep- 

 •ers' Association was held March 1, 1899. The printed pro- 

 gram had been mailed to about 150 bee-keepers in and near 

 Cook County, the resulting attendance being the 50 without 

 the hundred. Total paid membership is now 50, making 

 our association of half a j-ear's life the largest city bee-keep- 

 ers' association in America, if I am correctly informed. 



The meeting was a great success, as any one might 

 readily infer from an inspection of the printed program. 

 Four seasonable topics were discust. Dr. C. C. Miller was 

 present, and helpt in his characteristic way to make the 

 meeting interesting and profitable to all who attended. 



Pres. C. Beers opened the session with an address on 

 the aims and objects of our association, pointing out clearl)' 

 and concisely the pathway to success in our chosen pursuit. 



A committee composed of George \V. York, Mrs. Fannie 

 Horstmann and H. M. Arnd. was appointed by the president 

 to draw up resolutions expressing the sense of our associa- 

 tion on the Pure Food Law then before the Illinois legisla- 

 ture, and also the Foul Brood Law, and a resolution endors- 

 ing the aims and objects of the United States Bee-Keepers" 

 Association. This committee reported a set of resolutions 

 in the afternoon, which were adopted without change, after 

 some discussion, as follows : 



RESOLUTION ON THE PURE FOOD LAW. 



Whereas, It is well known to the public that honey in 

 liquid form, as well as nearly every kind and character of 

 food, is adulterated, and yet labeled " pure •," and 



Whereas, Manj' of the adulterants so used are un- 

 healthy and injurious to the human body ; and 



Whereas, Most, if not all, of the said articles so adul- 

 terated are fraudulently sold under false labels and false 

 representations; therefore, be it 



Resolved, That the Chicago Bee-Keepers' Association 

 does recommend and urge the passage of the Pure Food 

 Law about to be brought before the legislature of Illinois ; 



Resolved, That copies of these resolutions be forwarded 

 to Gov. Tanner and our representatives in senate and 

 house, and that ever3' bee-keeper in Cook County by letter 

 or personal call urge their representatives to vote for the 

 passage of the Pure Food Bill. 



George W. York, \ 



Henry M. Arnd, !- Coimnittee. 



Fannie Horstmann, ) 



resolutions on foul brood. 



WherE.'VS, The contagious bee-disease commonly 

 known as foul brood is destroying the honey-bees in por- 

 tions of the State, and is gradually spreading ; and 



Whereas, This, like all contagious diseases, should 

 and must be supprest by prompt and vigorous means before 

 the honey-bee. one of the most important factors in success- 

 ful agriculture, and the great apicultural industry of this 

 State is ruined ; therefore, be it 



Resolved. That the Chicago Bee-Keepers' Association 

 recommends and urges the passage of the law for the sup- 

 pression of foul brood among beeS in this State, which has 

 been introduced in the Illinois legislature by Representative 

 Kumler, of Sang-amon County ; and known as House Bill 

 No. 103. 



Resolved, That copies of this resolution be forwarded 

 to Gov. Tanner and our representatives in senate and house. 



and that every bee-keeper in Cook County, by letter or per- 

 sonal call, urge their reprentatives to vote for the passage 

 of the Foul Brood Bill. 



George W. York, \ 



Henry M. Arnd, '■ Coimnittee. 



Fannie Horstmann, ) 



resolutions on the united states bee-keepers' asso- 

 CIATION. 



Whereas, The bee-keepers of the United States have a 

 common interest in the pursuit of apiculture, and the bene- 

 fits and profits arising therefrom : and. 



Whereas, A society called the United States Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association has been organized, having now about 500 

 members, and national in character ; and. 



Whereas, The objects of the said association as set 

 forth in its constitution are : " To promote the interests of 

 bee-keepers; to protect its members ; to prevent the adul- 

 teration of honey, and to prosecute dishonest commission 

 men ;'" and. 



Whereas, To carry into full effect these various objects 

 of the said organization will require much money ; there- 

 fore, be it 



Resolved. That the Chicago Bee-Keepers' Association 

 in convention assembled does hereby express the fullest 

 confidence in the ability and aims of the officers and direc- 

 tors of the said United States Bee-Keepers' Association, they 

 being eminent in the pursuit of bee-keeping, and well 

 known all over our land for their integrity and enthusiasm 

 in their chosen pursuit : and, be it 



Resolved. That each and every member of our Chicago 

 Bee-Keepers" Association, and every bee-keeper in Cook 

 Co., 111., be, and are hereby advised and urged to join the 

 United States Bee-Keepers' Association, and pay the annual 

 dues to Hon. Eugene Secor, of Forest City, Iowa, general 

 manager and treasurer of the association named. 

 George W. York, \ 

 Henry M. Arnd, '• Committee. 



Fannie Horstmann, j 



The first subject— "How I Handle My Bees in Early 

 Spring," was to have been opened by Dr. A. B. Mason, of 

 Ohio, but his paper, which here follows, failed to arrive in 

 time for the meeting by about 12 hours : 



How I Handle My Bees in Early Spring. 



To the Chicago Bee-Keepers' Association : — 



Your secretary has taken the unwarranted liberty of 

 giving me an invitation to attend this meeting of your asso- 

 ciation, and whether I can be with you or not, to give you a 

 paper on "How I Handle My Bees in Early Spring," and 

 saying that I may aid you " in bringing out some new 

 ideas." 



To the first part of his request I should be most happy 

 to respond by being with you, but distance sometimes does 

 more than "'lend enchantment," and in this instance pre- 

 vents my enjoying the pleasure and profit I am sure would 

 be mine'if I could be with you. and I shall have to content 

 myself with the hope tha't I may aid you in bringing out 

 something that may be of use to some of you who may have 

 had but little experience in our truly fascinating, and oft- 

 times profitable, pursuit. 



I am glad your secretary didn't ask me to give the best 

 method of caring for bees in the early spring, because I'm 

 sure I should be "called down" by some for not being 

 on the right track, that is, the way they do, but I can tell 

 how / do, and your most cranky member can't make me 

 lose any sleep over what he may say, for I'll not hear it. 



I like to begin to " handle my bees in the early spring," 

 along about the last of the September or first of the October 

 previous to putting them out of the cellar in March or April, 

 and altho it has been a long time since I began my "early 

 spring " handling in any other way, I have not forgotten 

 how I used to fool away my time and damage the bees with 

 my spring foolishness. 



Perhaps you'll say I can't begin my early spring work 

 in September or October, but I can and do, and I begin in 

 this way : 



Before the first killing frosts come in the fall, while 

 some honev is still being gathered, and as soon as possible 

 after removing the surplus, I thoroly examine every colony 

 for three purposes— to learn as to the exact condition of the 

 colony as regards bees, brood and stores ; and as I use an 

 8-frame Langstroth hive, with a tight bottom-board in sum- 

 mer and no bottom-board in winter, I proceed as follows : 



I take a hive-body with a loose bottom-board, and set it 



