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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Korthwestern Bee-Keepers' Society. 



The Northwestern Bee-Keepers' 

 Society met at Owsley's Hall, Chicago, 

 111., on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 1S84, at 10 

 a.m., Pres. C. C. Miller in the chair. 



The annual fee was reduced to .50 c. 



The Secretary's and Treasurer's re- 

 ports were read and adopted. 



The following became members : 



Geo. Asher, Naperville, 111. 



L. Adams, Mayfair, 111. 



Wm. Blake, Buchanan, Mich. 



S. N. Black, Clayton, 111. 



Geo. Bisehoff, Burlington. 111. 



T. S. Bull, Valparaiso, Ind. 



Wm. Burrus, Buchanan, Mich. 



H. D. Baker, Prairie Centre, 111. 



A. .J. Cook, Agricultural College. Mich 



T. W. Dougherty, Wyanet, 111. 



P. J. England, Pancy Prairie, 111. 



Jas. Forncrook, Watertown, Wis. 



H. W. Funk, Bloomington, 111. 



A. Fahnestock, La Porte, Ind. 

 Dwiglit Fnrness, Furnessville, Ind. 

 Cbas. H. Green. Berlin, Wis. 



S. E. Gernon, Waukesha, Wis. 

 I. E. Gere, Riceville, Wis. 

 J. A. Green, Dayton, 111. 

 Frank Gunderson, Alderly, Wis. 

 Mrs. C. H. Green, Berlin, Wis. 

 James Ileddon, Dowagiac, Mich. 

 W. Z. Hutchinson. Rogersville,Mich. 

 J. M. Hume. Macomb, 111. 

 Richard Hyde, Alderly, Wis. 

 J. Hendricks. Spring Grove, 111. 

 Mrs. L. Harrison, Peoria, 111. 

 Gottfried Harseim, Secor, III. 

 J. L. Harris. Wheeler, Ind. 

 Dr. J.B.Hawks, Arlington H'ts, 111. 



F. H. Hannah, Hinsdale, 111. 

 John Hodgson, Jr., Pewaukee, Wis. 

 Frank B. Hesse, Bartlett, 111. 



L. Highbarger, Adeline, 111. 

 Aug. Jensen, Channahon, 111. 

 Geo. W. Jones, West Bend, Wis. 

 R. Johnson, Valparaiso, Ind. 



G. B. Lewis, Watertown, Wis. 



W. C. Lyman, Downer's Grove, 111. 



J. G. Lucas, Kingston, 111. 



J. R. Lindley, Georgetown, 111. 



E. Lucas, Kirkland, 111. 



Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. 



James M. Marvin, St. Charles, 111. 



S. J. McKinney, Burlington, Iowa. 



Thos. G. Newman, Chicago, 111. 



B. F. Newcomb. Roger's Park, 111. 

 Oatman Bros.. Dundee, 111. 



H. W. Lee. Pecatonica, 111. 

 Helen C. Piatt, No. Manitou, Mich. 

 W. F. F. Petty. Pittsfield, 111. 

 Abraham Pontious. Akron, Ind. 

 J. Stewart, Rock City, 111. 

 Geo. Thompson, Geneva, 111. 



D. C. Spencer, M. D., Augusta, Wis. 

 Mrs. W. A. Smith, Chicago. 111. 



A. M. Strong. Naperville, 111. 



C. Schrier, Peotone, 111. 



Mrs. M. E. Spencer, Augusta, Wis. 

 J. O. Shearman, New Richmond, Mich 



E. F. Schaper, Chesterton, Ind. 

 Miss Sara Sbibley, Richmond. 111. 

 N. L. Stow, South Evanston, 111. 

 Jacob Schumm, La Porte, Ind. 

 Wm. T. Smith, La Porte, Ind. 

 Mrs. S.L. Thomas, Plattsmouth .Neb. 

 G. R. Tyrrell, La Porte, Ind. 



I. A. Travis, Lyons, Wis. 



T. L. Von Dorn, Omaha, Neb. 



Rev. Daniel Whitmer, So. Bend, Ind. 



Dr. J. A. Walker. Mason City, III. 



E. Whittlesey, Pecatonica, 111. 



L. C. Wemple. North Evanston, HI. 



Different Baces of Bees. 



The first topic discussed was the 

 different races of bees. 



Geo. Thompson: I prefer the Syr- 

 ians, or a cross between them and the 

 Italians. 



Prof. A. J. Cook : We have had 

 very conflicting reports regarding the 

 Syrians. Mr. Frank Benton, as, per- 

 haps, many of you are aware, says 

 that there is a difference in these 

 Eastern bees, depending upon the 

 locality from which they come; and 

 that oiily those bees which come jfrom 

 Syria should be called Syrians. This 

 may explain why there are so many 

 different opinions. Then, again, the 

 Syrians so closely resemble the Ital- 

 ians that many may have Italians 

 when they think that they have the 

 Syrians. At the College we find them 

 very gentle. I do not object, so much 

 as some, to a cross, and I think that 

 much may be gained by a judicious 

 crossing. We secured a Carniolan 

 queen, last year, with the intention of 

 crossing the Syrians with the Carnio- 

 lans, but the queen died, and we shall 

 have to try again. I do not think 

 that any one should condemn any 

 race of bees until he has tried them. 



James Ileddon : Is there any differ- 

 ence in the appearance of the Carnio- 

 lan and the German bees ? 



Prof. Cook: There is a slight dif- 

 ference. 



James Heddon : They very much 

 resemble the German race, do they 

 not V 



Prof. Cook : Very much, indeed. 



James Heddon : I think that there 

 are, perhaps, only two distinct races— 

 the black and "the yellow, and the 

 Carniolans are of the dark color. Be- 

 fore introducing a new strain of bees 

 into a large apiary, I should like to 

 know sometliing in regard to the bees, 

 otherwise much loss might result. 

 Such men as Prof. Cook, with an ex- 

 perimental apiary, are the ones to try 

 these new varieties. I am strongly 

 in favor of the German bee, it builds 

 such straight, white combs, and in 

 these days of cheap honey, we must 

 look out for every advantage, other- 

 wise we are " left." I almost wish, 

 sometimes, that I had never had a 

 yellow bee in my apiary. 



When to Put Bees in the Cellar. 



Upon taking a vote, it was decided 

 that Nov. 1 was too soon to put bees 

 into the cellar. 



James Marvin : I do not think that 

 Nov. 1 is too early. If left out, the 

 bees fly about, consume more honey, 

 and weak colonies are liable to be 

 robbed. I have kept bees in a cellar 

 six months, and had them come out 

 in fine condition. 



Prof. Cook : If one has no cellar. 

 and circumstances are such that he 

 cannot have one, what shall be done V 



Mr. Adams : I have a cellar built 

 above ground, the walls being double 

 and made of building paper. 



Dr. C. C. Miller : Perhaps it is not 

 in order, but I presume that Mr. Hed- 

 don is loaded to the brim upon the 

 snbject of wintering. 



James Ileddon : This question of 

 ■wintering is not one of cellars, venti- 

 lation, hives, pieces of laths, sticks. 



quilts and cushions over the combs — 

 what kills our bees is diarrhoea ; and 

 the question is, "What causes bee- 

 diarrhoea V" When that question is 

 settled, then these minor topics of 

 ventilation, protection, humidity, etc., 

 will be easily settled. 



Securing Statistics. 



Upon this subject Prof. Cook said : 

 I have been informed that, if the 

 proiter steps were taken, we could 

 secure statistics of the honey crop 

 through the medium of the crop cor- 

 respondents. 



After considerable discussion, Mr. 

 Von Dorn moved that the President 

 appoint a committee consisting of one 

 person from each State, coming xmder 

 the jurisdiction of the Northwestern 

 Bee-Keepers' Association, and that 

 this committee be empowered to take 

 the proper steps for securing the legis- 

 lation necessary to have honey in- 

 cluded in the crop correspondents' re- 

 port. The motion was carried. 



Mr. Black moved that this commit- 

 tee be empowered to make an effort- 

 to secure proper legislation upon the 

 subject of foul brood. Carried. 



Hoic a Cell is Filled ivith Honey. 



Dr. D. C. Spencer : In my observa- 

 tory hive one cell was built against 

 the" glass, and that afforded ai excel- 

 lent opportunity of seeing how bees 

 deposit honey in the cell. First, a 

 bee deposited a thin coating of honey 

 upon the base of the cell, making a- 

 sort of varnish, as it were, to the base 

 of the cell. The next bee that came 

 with honey, raised up the lower edge 

 of this film of honey and forced it» 

 honey beneath this film ; the next bee 

 did the same, and this film acted as a 

 kind of diaphragm, keeping the honey 

 in the cell. When the cell is full 

 enough to be sealed, the bees com- 

 mence contracting the opening with 

 wax, until there is only a small hole 

 left in the centre, when they appear 

 to take one little flake of wax and pat 

 it down over the opening. At any 

 time during the process of filling the 

 cell, the honey could be withdrawn 

 with a hypodermic syringe, and the 

 "diaphragm" left hanging in the 

 cell. 



Reversible Frames. 



-James Heddon : I have used, the 

 present season, two or three thousand 

 reversible frames, but it will require 

 at least another season to decide 

 many points in regard to them. Of 

 one thing I feel certain, and that is, 

 that one reversal will pay for the ex- 

 tra cost in the solid framefuls of 

 comb thus secured. This point is 

 settled ; reversal will induce the bees 

 to attach the combs to the bottom- 

 bars. Then there is the question of 

 reversal of sections ; if done at the 

 proper time, it secures their comple- 

 tion and attachment to the bottom- 

 bar, which is now the top-bar of the 

 sections. In the forepart of the sea- 

 son, the queen and bees are inclined 

 to fill the brood-combs with brood and 

 store the honey above in the sections ; 

 then if the brood-combs are reversed, 

 the bees will carry up the honey and 

 fill the combs with brood, thus secur- 



