712 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



Nov. 9, 1899. 



PCBLISHT WEEKLY BY 



George W. York & Company, 



118 Michigan St., Chicago, III. 



ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. f^ffi SAMPLE COPY FREE. 



[Entered at the Post-Office at Chicago as Second-Class Mail Matter.] 



United Slates Bee-Keepers' Association. 



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

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

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



Aletntersblp Fee—91.00 per Aantun. 



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

 Secretary, Dr. A. iJ. 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. 



VOL. 39. XO\TMBER 9. 1899. NO. 45 



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

 ing 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. 



Running Bees by Books is the heading^ of an item in 

 Gleanings in Bee-Culture, which reads thus : 



Bee-keepers tell me that I run my bees too much by the 

 books ; but my crop is over 60 pounds per colony, spring- 

 count, and theirs from 25 down to nothing. 



L. L. Travis. 



A good book reinforced by a good bee-paper can hardly 

 fail to put one's yield above the average of his neighbors 

 who go bookless and paperless. Editor Root well says in 

 his comment on this item : "The proof of the pudding is 

 in the eating." 



The Chicago Bee-Keepers' Association held its semi- 

 annual meeting in the Briggs' House, Thursday, Nov. 2. 

 On account of the stormy weather there was not a very 

 large attendance. Rev. E. T. Abbott, of Missouri, was 

 present, and helpt to make it a profitable occasion. 



The editor of the American Bee Journal was elected 

 president, and Mrs. N. L. Stow as vice-president, and H. F. 

 Moore as secretary-treasurer, were both re-elected. A re- 

 port of the proceedings will be publisht later. 



Sweet Clover as a Honey-Plant.— Mr. H. R. Board- 

 man, of Huron Co., Ohio, says in Gleanings in Bee-Culture 

 for Oct. IS, in reference to sweet clover : " I think it is the 

 most, valuable honey-plant in the whole world when com- 

 pared acre for acre." We think so, too. Had it not been 

 for sweet clover in the region around Chicago this year 

 there would have been practically no surplus honey at all. 

 When it is known that it seldom fails to yield some nectar, 



and almost always produces richly, we believe bee-keepers 

 will sow it more than ever. The honey is all right after 

 one gets accustomed to using it, just like many another 

 honey, and if found desirable basswood or other flavored 

 honey can be added to it, thus forming a splendid article. 



United States Bee-Keepers' Association. — We have 

 received a neat little 4-page folder gotten up by General 

 Manager Secor in the interest of this association, vChich 

 ought to result in securing many members. It reads as 

 follo%vs : 



THE UNITED STATES BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



Was the natural outgrowth of a feeling among bee- 

 keepers that they would have to look after their own inter- 

 ests, defend their own rights, and protect their own good 

 name, or sufi'er the consequences. Other associations of 

 other industrial occupations suggested the power of or- • 

 ganized effort. 



It is a little strange that an industry as old as bee-keep- 

 ing is known to be, should be assailed, but in the compli- 

 cated arrangement of modern civilized society, there are so 

 many possible encroachments on the rights of others it is 

 difficult to satisfy the demands of over-jealous dispositions. 



Bees are " free commoners." They have no regard for 

 the usual barriers which restrain other domestic animals. 

 They forage where they will- without regard to individual 

 ownership or personal wishes. Well-informed people rec- 

 ognize their services as necessary to the complete fruitful- 

 ness of numerous flowers and fruits. But ignorance and 

 stupidity look with jealous eyes upon the insignificant toll 

 taken by the bee for her part in making the earth more 

 fruitful. 



Some persons have been found so devoid of reason and 

 sense that they purposely scatter poison to kill their best 

 friends, the bees. 



Others living in or near towns innocently imagine that 

 bees were made only to sting, and they would fain banish 

 every bee-keeper from the bounds of urban society. 



Others there are who purposely pervert the taste of the 

 multitude by the sale of vile mixtures called honej', which 

 never came in cotitact with a bee — that were never sipt 

 from fragrant flowers, nor stored in her waxen cells. They 

 are the corrupters of common honesty. The adulterators 

 need to be brought to justice. 



The enactment and enforcement of pure food laws is 

 not only desirable from every consideration of public morals 

 and health, but is especially to be desired by bee-keepers 

 who suffer from the unjust competition of cheap fraudulent 

 compounds. 



Experience has shown that there are persons engaged 

 in the commission business who live upon the credulitj- of 

 the consignors. This class needs to be watcht and reckoned 

 with occasionally. 



And then there are the advantages which acquaintance 

 brings to the members of fraternal associations. 



Improvement and education along- the lines of our in- 

 dustry, and a community of interest are some of the addi- 

 tional benefits to be derived from an association of bee- 

 keepers. 



Every person who believes there are reforms to be in- 

 augurated or present laws to enforce, rights to maintain, or 

 unjust prosecutions of bee-keepers to defend, is invited to 

 join this association. There ought to be a membership of 

 one thousand. 



We shall be glad of your influence and help. Send $1.00 

 to the undersigned, which will constitute you a member for 

 one year and entitle you to a vote at the annual election by 

 mail, and a copy of all reports issued. 



Eugene Secor, 

 General 3fa>iager and Treasurer. 



Forest City, Iowa. 



All who desire may send their dollars to the Bee Jour- 

 nal office if more convenient, and we will forward them to 

 Mr. Secor, who will then mail the receipts. 



Irregularities of Seasons.— Under the head of " Un- 

 certainties of Bee-Keeping,'" Harry Lathrop gives in Glean- 

 ing^s in Bee-Culture the results of 15 seasons in Wisconsin. 

 There was one total failure for every five years, one heavy 

 crop every three years, and seven medium crops. in IS jears. 

 The editor wisely thinks this is better than the average 

 locality will do. 



