738 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



Nov. 23, 1899. 



hive, and quite iiearlj' representing- the rim one inch deep 

 recommended by some of the writers of a decade or so ago. 

 But I adopted the plan of " upward ventilation," as it was 

 then termed, altho I now look at it as practically no venti- 

 lation at all, in the sense of a draft of air, unless we can 

 call it ventilation which we enjoy when sleeping- under our 

 warm comforters on a cold winter's night. 



Soon after I commenced to use this upward-ventilation 

 plan, as it was termed, there came a series of winters in 

 which the bos-hive men lost all the bees they had, while I 

 met with scarcely any loss, and the bees in the woods 

 seemed to be as numerous as ever. This set me to studying 

 again, and bj- looking at the bees in their natural home in 

 the hollow tree, I found that the hollow was composed of 

 partly decayed wood, especially above the combs. Thus, in 

 winter, the moisture from the bees passes into the decayed 

 wood which surrounds them, and is expelled each summer 

 by the heat. In this we had something pointing toward 

 the porous covering which many of our best apiarists have 

 used for years with such good success, and also toward the 

 chaff hives used of late years with equally good success. 

 With these chaff hives, and the slow change of air taking 

 place thru the chaff or sawdust cushions, we have some- 

 thing even better than the home Nature provided for the 

 bee ; and with hives so arranged there need be very little 

 provision for ventilation at the bottom, for, should the en- 

 trance become obstructed with snow, ice, or dead bees, so 

 that all air is cut off' from the bottom, the bees can secure 

 all the ventilation they require thru the chaff sides and 

 cushion from above, thus passing nicely along- until a 

 warm spell occurs, when they can clear their doorway. 



After years of experience with chaff hives, used in con- 

 nection with sawdust cushions over the top of the brood- 

 chamber, I have become convinced that there is nothing 

 better along the line of hives for wintering bees on the 

 summer stands than this, and I would hereby ask every 

 reader of the American Bee Journal who is at all skeptical 

 on this point to prepare ten colonies in chaff hives with 

 sawdust cushions as above, taking ten others as nearly like 

 them as possible (except that they be left in ordinary hives 

 with lower ventilation), and see if all skepticism does not 

 vanish at the end of three or four j'ears. I even use these 

 chaff hives with sawdust cushions to quite an extent for 

 cellar-wintering, and think that they have an advantage 

 even there. 



In connection with ventilation thru porous covering, 

 some think that, as all the moisture is carried off, the bees 

 need water given them to keep them in a healthy condi- 

 tion ; but I feel that such is wholly unnecessary, for the 

 reason that I believe it a bad plan for the bees to breed 

 much if anj' before the middle of March to the middle of 

 April, according to the season and the locality, and bees 

 need no water in the winter season except for breeding 

 purposes. Colonies which commence breeding to any great 

 extent earlier than this are not as good, as a rule, on the 

 first of June as those of the same strength as to. number of 

 bees that do not commence to rear brood before the first of 

 April. 



To avoid too early brood-rearing it is a great help 

 where they are packt in chaff along this line ; for the sun's 

 rays will not arouse the bees to activity, such activity caus- 

 ing brood-rearing every time it shines on them for a little 

 while during the middle of the day when the air is cool 

 otherwise. This early breeding causes a much greater con- 

 sumption of honey and a far greater loss of bees without a 

 corresponding benefit. When it comes steady warm weather 

 two bees are reared for one old one lost, while in early 

 spring or late winter two old bees are lost to where one 

 young bee is reared; hence anything that causes early 

 breeding becomes a loss to us both in bees and in stores. 



Only as we look after all of these items which have a 

 direct bearing on our pursuit, can we expect to become the 

 most efficient in our calling in life. 



Onondaga Co., N. Y. 



" The Hum of the Bees in the Apple-Tree Bloom " is 

 the name of the new bee-keeper's song — words by Hon. 

 Eugene Secor and music by Dr. C. C. Miller. This is 

 thought by some to be the best bee-song yet written by Mr. 

 Secor and Dr. Miller. It is, indeed, a " hummer." We can 

 furnish a single copy of it postpaid, for 10 cents, or 3 copies 

 for 25 cents. Or, we will mail a half-dozen copies of it for 

 sending us one neiv yearly subscription to the American 

 Bee Journal at $1.00. 



Report of the Proceeding's of the 30th Annual 

 Convention of the United States Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association, Held at Philadelphia, 

 Pa., Sept. 5, 6 and 7, 1899. 



BY DK. A. B. MASON, SEC. 



[Coatiaued from page 726.1 



Mr. G. M. Doolittle, of New York, then delivered the 

 following address on 



The Possibilities of Bee-Keeping. 



There are some who think we have arrived at all the 

 possibilities of bee-keeping, but I do not think so. I am 

 going to prepare what I have to say by reading to you out 

 of God's Holy Word. I will read from the book of Revela- 

 tion, the 1st chapter, from the 9th to the 19th verse ; also 

 from the 3rd chapter, 7th to 13th verse. I am not going to 

 preach a sermon to you to-night, but as something to guide 

 our thoughts I desire to take a text of three words found in 

 the 8th verse of the 3rd chapter — " A little strength." 



As John goes back in thought he sees the Son of Man 

 stilling the waves, healing the sick and raising the dead. 

 He now sees more power in Him than when on earth, and as 

 he sees the power he hears Him saying, " Behold. I have set 

 before thee an open door because thou hast a little strength." 

 Of course, this was meant in a spiritual sense, but I do not 

 think I shall be much out of place if I apply it to bee-keep- 

 ing. All powi-r covaes, from Cod, and we could not keep 

 bees without that power. 



I am reminded of a Scotch girl. There was a high 

 mountainous pass where occasionally a man went down. 

 This girl was imprest to build a bridge over it. She went 

 out among the people, and the result was that a bridge was 

 built. The people were so rejoiced that they wanted to 

 name it after her; but she said, " No ! If you must name it, 

 call it 'God and Us.' God gave the power and we carried 

 out His purpose." In this nation, whence comes all this 

 power ? We see railroads and electric cars going in all 

 directions ; the telegraph, telephone, etc. Whence came 

 the power that brought these about ? Does such power 

 come to heathen nations? No.' it comes from God to 

 Christian nations. 



Now, bring it down to the bee; if we have " a little 

 strength " to grasp that idea, " God with us," there is set 

 before us " an open door," and we can accomplish much 

 with the bee. If I have a little strength the promise is to 

 me. Do I wish to be a Dr. Miller, Mason, Root, Hutchin- 

 son, Elwood? The "little strength," with "the open 

 door," may enable me to equ^l if not excel them. 



There is a story of a little boy who saw some apples, 

 but they were out of his reach. A little further on he saw 

 a larger boy, but he could not quite reach them ; so the 

 smaller boy climbed upon his shoulders, and then he could 

 reach them. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try- 

 again." A large block of granite was put up for sale one 

 day. Michael Angelo was at the sale. He thought he 

 would buy it. It sold for an enormous sum, but Angelo 

 took it. Some one askt him, "Why did you pay so much ?" 

 His reply was, " I saw an angel in the block, and I am going 

 to liberate it." He did so, and became famous for " the 

 angel " in statuary. 



Have you tried to understand your locality, and failed? 

 If you do not understand your locality you fail of the best 

 success. When you see your bees coming in with pollen in 

 the spring, follow the bees. Then when a load of honey 

 comes in follow it to its source. The bee-keeper must fol- 

 low his pursuit to perfection. I told the following story at 

 the National convention in Canada : 



Henry Clay wanted the presidency. He came to an old 

 friend and said to him, " Are you going to help me now ?" 

 The answer was, " No ; you failed >iie once." 



Clay saw he was not going to make anything by that, 

 so he said, "John, do you remember the old days ?" John 

 said, "Yes." " Do you remember the old gun?" "Yes." 

 (It was an old flintlock.) " Did the gun ever fail you, 

 John ?" " Yes, it failed me once when I needed it most." 

 " What did you do? Throw it away?" " No, I pickt the 



