THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



777 



A munber of apiarists reported a 

 home market for all tlieir honey. Kx- 

 tractins when tlie combs are two- 

 thiriis sealed was considered prefer- 

 able to Dadanfs plan ot waiting un- 

 til the honey season is over. One- 

 pound sections were the smallest ex- 

 hibited or recommended. Samples of 

 honey produced without separators 

 were entirely satisfactory. Honey- 

 boards are but little used by any of 

 our members. 



Jlr. Vouugman told all about bees 

 evaporating nectar on the wing. His 

 proofs were satisfactory. That Ital- 

 ian bees are best for this country was 

 <;onceded by all. Mr. Youngraan de- 

 scribed his plan of securing good 

 queen cells ; but as it was published 

 last year, we will not reproduce it. 



A good display of apicultural litera- 

 ture, tools for use in the bee-yard, 

 wired foundation In frames, one and 

 two piece sections, shipping and re- 

 tailing crates and honey in large and 

 small sections, etc., added to the in- 

 terest of the occasion. 



Hy request of F. A. Palmer, the 

 next annual picnic will be held at his 

 residence on the last Thursday iu 

 May, 1S8-5. 



The following were elected as of- 

 ficers for the coming year : President, 

 S. J. Youngman ; Secretary, F. A. 

 Palmer ; Treasurer, Mr. McBride ; 

 first Vice President, L. L. Bissell ; 

 second "\^ice-President, Edwin Hunt ; 

 third, Mrs. A. M. Sanders; fourth, 

 J. H. Robertson ; tiftli, L. S. Benham. 



A vote of thanks was tendered Mr. 

 J. E. Gault for the free use of his 

 hall, after whicU the Convention was 

 adjourned. 



In regard to the picnic of this Asso- 

 «iation, held at Ionia, Mich., on June 

 19, 1881, 1 append the following : At 

 the last Convention previous to the 

 one above reported, a motion was 

 carried that a beekeepers' basket 

 picnic be held during the summer 

 of 1881 at the residence of some active 

 bee-keeper. Miss Bellamy, of Ionia, 

 Mich., being the first to invite the 

 picnic, her request was granted, and a 

 oall was i.ssued. 



On the morning of the day selected, 

 several teams were in readiness to 

 convey people from the trains to the 

 grounds. Arriving there, we found 

 Miss Bellamy, smoker in hand, busy 

 with her bees, giving all an oppor- 

 tunity to study hermefhodsaud profit 

 toy her experience. Not a few of us 

 ■who had made a success iu bee-keep- 

 ing were anxious to know how she 

 was able to report at our last Conven- 

 tion better results than any other 

 person present. 



The day was pleasant, though very 

 warm ; but before noon 30 or 40 bee- 

 keepers might have been seen in 

 busy groups among the bees, or under 

 the shady trees, while others were 

 seated in "the spacious parlors, all in- 

 tent upon the one object of discussing 

 the mysteries of bee keeping. The 

 hour of noon arriving. " a go as you 

 please " dinner was in order. Hot 

 tea and coffee was served at the 

 family table, with other refreshments, 

 to all who desired them ; while others 

 literally carried out the spirit of the 



picnic, by basketing under the lofty 

 shade-trees. 



After dinner, all being seated on 

 the grass, a semi-formal meeting was 

 held, and resulted in a vote of thanks 

 to Miss Bellamy and her friends, and 

 in receiving several new members 

 into the Association. 



At 2:30 p m., those coming by rail 

 were obliged to leave for home, being 

 pleased with the people whom we had 

 met. and with the success of our first 

 picnic. F. A. Palmer, iSec. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Working Against Nature. 



Dli. G. L. TINKEK. 



All experience has shown that in 

 any direction the greatest success 

 with bees is to be attained by con- 

 forming as nearly as possible to their 

 instinct and nature. As a rule, there 

 is probably no exception to it, yet we 

 find methods recommended every now 

 and then which are not in accordance 

 with the natural impulses and habits 

 of the bees. Such methods may be 

 moderately successful under certain 

 conditions, but there are other condi- 

 tions sure to arise out of which 

 trouble and, perchance, disease may 

 come. 



One of these instances is recorded 

 iu a communication in the ]5ee Jour- 

 nal, by Mr. C. Mitchell, in which he 

 says : " I would like to say. in justice 

 to Mr. Ileddon, that I think that the 

 very dry season had a good deal to do 

 with the strange intercourse of some 

 of my swarms, after working on his 

 plan, in trying to rob, and not being 

 properly recognized as strangers.^' 

 Mr. Ileddon will understand the need 

 to perform all work with bees in ac- 

 cordance with their instinct, and has 

 often reverted to this fact. U'hy he 

 should recommend his plan of control- 

 ling after -swarms in view of the other 

 facts which he has set forth, I am at 

 a loss to determine ; for it is plainly 

 contrary to nature, and in the practice 

 above quoted, does not appear to have 

 been a safe procedure. 



No doubt, in the near future, it will 

 be necessary for many bee-keepers to 

 control increase insome wav ; but that 

 plan should be the most natural as 

 well as the most profitable one, which 

 I venture to suggest his is not. If 

 primary swarming does not tend to 

 lessen the yield of surplus comb 

 honey, as alledged by Mr. Ileddon, 

 and held by myself and many others; 

 and again, if " the largest "yields on 

 record have come from colonies 

 which cast not only one, but two and 

 three swarms " as further alledged, it 

 does not appear that there is any need 

 to be in a great hurry to mix up and 

 double up'colonies where increase is 

 not desired. Mr. Ileddon's logic is 

 opposed to br)th his theory and prac- 

 tice. If the largest yields on record 

 have come from different practice 

 than that which he so fully recom- 

 mends, why mix up colonies by mov- 

 ing the old one about the new one to 

 drain it of its bees, prevent it from 

 making any surplus, and run the risk 

 of causing wholesale robbing ? We 



should sav, if a "readily-movable" 

 hive is to be commended for this pur- 

 pose specially, it is not so invaluable 

 as it might be. 



Mr. Ileddon's plan of controlling 

 increase, no doubt contemplates ob- 

 taining the most surplus; but if we 

 are to believe him, the largest surplus 

 is obtained where swarming is al- 

 lowed strictly in accordance with the 

 instinct of the bees. Yet the limit 

 to swarming should be to the pre- 

 vention of all after-swarms ; for the 

 chances of a protracted yield of sur- 

 plus are few and far between. My 

 course has been to cut out queen- 

 cells and return after-swarms, or to 

 cut out all the queen-cells but one, 

 and I doubt if there is a better plan, 

 whether we consider the amount of 

 surplus to be gained as the conven- 

 ience of the bee-keeper. 



As to the increase : It occurs to me 

 that if colonies are to be doubled up, 

 the proper time to do it is in the fall 

 or after the season's operations are 

 completed. With right management 

 there is every reason to believe that it 

 may be done not only with success in 

 wintering, but with advantage and 

 profit during the following season. 

 My experience in doubling up weak 

 colonies in the fall, justifies me in 

 thinking that the uniting of full colo- 

 nies late in the season will prove the 

 most promising method of reducing 

 undesirable increase. 



New Philadelphia,o+ Ohio. 



For the American Bee Journal 



Progressive Bee-Keepers' Convention 



The bee-keepers of McDonough and 

 adjoining counties met in Bushnell, 

 111., on Nov. 20, 1881. The meeting 

 was called to order by Mr. J. G. Nor- 

 ton, who announced its object. Mr. 

 A. W. Fisk, of Bushnell, was ap- 

 pointed chairman. A committee of 

 three was then selected on permanent 

 organization ; after a few minutes 

 they presented the following names 

 for office, to be voted on by the Asso- 

 ciation. President, A. W. Fisk ; Vice- 

 President, Samual H. Moss; Treas- 

 urer, Miss Cora Castle ; Secretary, J. 

 G. Norton. A constitution and by- 

 laws were then adopted, and after a 

 short discussion it was decided to 

 adopt as a name, " The Progressive 

 BeeKeepers Association of Western 

 Illinois." 



The annual dues were placed at 25 

 cents per member; ladies to be ad- 

 mitted free. The convention then 

 adjourned to meet at 6 p. m. 



The convention was called to order 

 at 6 p.m. with President A. W. Fisk 

 in the chair. Samuel II. Moss gave 

 his report for the season. He said 

 that he commenced the season with 

 90 colonies, increased them to 130, and 

 then doubled them back to 120. He 

 had taken 2,200 pounds of comb 

 honey, and 1,000 pounds of extracted. 

 His increase of colonies was obtained 

 by natural swarming. He packs the 

 upper stories of the hives with chaff, 

 and leaves upper passages. 



AVMntering bees was discussed to 

 considerable length. J. M. Hume 



