THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



711 



Southern California Convention. 



The following is the annual address 

 delivered at the Southern California 

 District Bee-Keepers' Association in 

 Lios Angeles City, Oct. 19, 1882, by 

 Pres. J. E. Pleasants, who was re- 

 elected president of the association: 



Since last we met, another year has 

 crossed the bridge of time and passed 

 into the dark unknown. To some it 

 lias brought sorrow and to others joy. 

 We should come to these annual gath- 

 erings, like workers to a hive, each 

 one laden with the experience of an- 

 other year. For whatever adds to our 

 knowledge of the bees, and aids us in 

 manipulating them, thereby increas- 

 ing the quantity and quality of honey, 

 is of great, value. Therefore, an as- 

 sociation which brings the bee-keep- 

 ers together and imparts useful knowl- 

 edge, causing them to advance in their 

 avocation, is well worthy of encour- 

 agement; and those who are not wil- 

 ling to aid, should be classed as the 

 lazy, yawning drones of the hive. 



The bee season for 1882 cannot be 

 called a success, but it is not as bad 

 as it might have been. There has 

 been fully one-fourth of a crop, with a 

 fair increase of colonies, and the bees 

 are now in excellent condition. The 

 price of honey is better than it has 

 been for years. 



With " our mind's eye," let us take 

 a retrospect of the bee business. In 

 the year of 1875 we see a tidal wave, 

 as it were, approaching. In 1878 it 

 takes it to the highest point, where 

 for a while it holds it tottering, for it 

 is above its level. Then the wave re- 

 cedes and it takes it down to the lowest 

 depth, where it stiiys until 1880, when 

 it slowly, but surely, commenced com- 

 ing back to its true level. 



This tidal wave, when it was going 

 up, caused many mushrooms to en- 

 gage in the bee business. These mush- 

 rooms crowded into every available 

 place with a few colonies, expecting 

 to make a fortune in a year or two, by 

 increasing their bees at lightniiig 

 speed ; and they extracted, at the same 

 rate, wliat they called honey, but it 

 afterwards proved to be vinegar. 

 When they started, they thought of 

 /•evolutionizing the business ; and so 

 they did, by almost ruining the repu- 

 tation of Calift)rnia honey. 



The general supposition is that the 

 •drouth has injured the bee business. 

 I would say not as mucli as the unscru- 

 pulous mushrooms. They are not 

 worthy to handle 



" Creatures that by a rule in nature teach 

 The act of order to a peopled kingdom. " 



Fortunately, for the honey interest, 

 the mushrooms were so shaken up in 

 the tidal wave, that they abandoned 

 the l)usiness and " went to pastures 

 new." 



The apiarist well deserves to be 

 called a benefactor to all mankind, for 

 through his agency the bees utilize 

 millions upon millions of flowers 

 which would otlierwi.se waste their 

 sweetness in the mountain air. Let 

 usgird ourselves anew, for we have 

 ^ood reasons for renewed enthusiasm 

 in our calling. The future looks very 



promising. Let us pull every oar; 

 " there is land ahead." 



There are now no more fears of glut- 

 ting the honey market ; for the for- 

 eign demand is almost unlimited. We 

 have for years been knocking at these 

 foreign doors, but now that they are 

 opened, it rests with us whether they 

 shall remain so or not. We can here 

 produce honey which is tit for the 

 gods, and only such onght to be put 

 upon the market. 



There is a bright side to bee-keeping, 

 even in a bad year. At the beginning 

 of the winter our hopes are great ; we 

 expect plenty of rain and a large yield 

 of honey ; as the season advances, and 

 no rain comes, we let ourselves down 

 from a full crop to |, then to 3-4, then, 

 if we can save the bees ; by and by, 

 if we can save the combs, and at last 

 are well satislied to save the hives. 

 In the face of all the difficulties that 

 the bee-business has had to contend 

 with, I would say, that if it is properly 

 managed, it is one of the most inde- 

 pendent of pursuits. 



Apiculture is advancing with rapid 

 strides. The production of honey is 

 now one of the great industries of 

 California. The agricultural society 

 could, if it would, aid this industry. 

 It suffers neglect at their hands ; for 

 it is certainly worthy of a more prom- 

 inent position upon their premium 

 list, and I firmly believe we can get 

 such a position if we strive for it. 



I thank you for the honor of having 

 been twice elected president of this 

 association. To serve you faithfully, 

 has been my most earnest desire. How 

 far this has been accomplished, it is 

 for you to judge. I hope that the time 

 spent here will be agreeable and 

 profitable to all. 



Northern Ohio Convention. 



The Northern Ohio Bee-Keepers' 

 Association met in Norwalk, Ohio, 

 Saturday, Oct. 21st, and was called to 

 order at 10:30 a. m., with Samuel Fish, 

 of Milan, President, in the chair. 



The Secretary's report of the last 

 meeting was read and adopted. 



The President requested those pres- 

 ent, who were not members, to join 

 the Society, the gentlemen by signing 

 the constitution and by-laws and pay- 

 ing a fee of fifty cents, and the ladies 

 by signing the constitution and by- 

 laws. 



Eight new members were added: 

 J. S. Terrell, North Ridgeville, Lorain 

 county; O. J.Terrell, North Ridge- 

 ville, Lorain county ; T. S. Johnson, 

 Erie county : J. B. Darling, Ilartland; 

 E. Walker, Berlin Heights ; J. S. Til- 

 ton, Norwalk; Mrs. M.J.Campbell, 

 Steuben ; Mrs. \V. B. Harrison, Berlin 

 Heights. 



Mr. Fish said the season of 1882 had 

 opened favorably for bee-keepers, and 

 they were elated with hopes of ob- 

 taining large crops of honey, but it 

 soon changed to a most unfavorable 

 and unprofitable one. The cold and 

 wet weather, which continued many 

 weeks, not only prevented the bees 

 from gathering any surplus of honey, 

 but also from gathering sufficient for 

 their ow^ii use, and many were obliged 



to feed as late as the 10th of June, to 

 keep their bees from starving. 



He next took up the subject of win- 

 tering. He remarked thatLangstroth 

 had said " that the time would come 

 when bees would be wintered as suc- 

 cessfnlly as horses or cattle," and that 

 James Heddon, aprominent Michigan 

 bee-keeper, claims that he can. by his 

 system, winter with perfect success. 

 He advised all who had not prepared 

 their bees for winter, to do so as soon 

 as possible. Two things were to be 

 guarded against, dysentery and spring 

 dwindling. Some advised, as a pre- 

 caution against these two, so-called, 

 diseases, to remove all combs from 

 the hive, containing pollen. He had 

 not followed such advice, and had al- 

 ways wintered successfully. One very 

 important thing was to prevent an ex- 

 cess of moisture (the principal cause 

 of dysentery). This could be done by 

 regulating the temperature and using 

 absorbents. Absorbents remove the 

 moisture. 



Mr. Fish closed his remarks by giv- 

 ing a description of the house he uses 

 for wintering. It consists of two 

 rooms adjoining each other. One con- 

 tains bis bees, and the other a stove 

 to regulates the temperature. 



Mr. E. F. Waldron being called on, 

 said he did not depend on books, or 

 the experience of others, but on his 

 own experience. Three things were 

 necessary for successful wintering ; 

 warmth, dryness and good ventilation. 

 He prepared his bees for winter Oct. 

 20th ; did not think bees could cluster 

 in the small spaces contained between 

 two combs as used in summer, and 

 retain the proper degree of heat ; re- 

 moved a comb from the center of the 

 hive and left the space vacant for the 

 bees to cluster in ; used chaff cush- 

 ions above the cluster to absorb the 

 moisture. By the use of a tube he ad- 

 mitted the cold air into the hive in 

 such a way that it did not come di- 

 rectly ill contact with his bees. 



[When ^Ir. Waldron examines Ms 

 hives next spring he will probably find 

 one of two things to have happened. 

 His bees will either fill the space from 

 which he removed the comb, with a 

 new comb, or will all cluster on one 

 side of the space.— Secreta?-?/.] 



Mr. Bartow gave a description of his 

 method of protection. He encloses 

 the summer liiveina box three or four 

 inches larger each way, and fills the 

 space with leaves. Also packs leaves 

 over the cluster. Would wait until 

 after frost comes before he packed his 

 bees for winter, and would not remove 

 the packing until the weather became 

 quite warm. 



Mr. Boardman asked Mr. Fish how 

 he knew an excess of moisture caused 

 dysentery. Mr. Fish replied that with 

 moisture in excess bees died with 

 dysentery, without it they did not. 



S. F. Newman said that to winter 

 bees successfully several things must 

 be attended to at the proper time. 

 Each colony should have, as early as 

 the 1st of August, a young and pro- 

 lific queen, because young queens lay 

 much later than old ones, and thus the 

 colony is provided with a large stock 

 of yoimg bees ; a very important fac- 



