THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



19 



Habits of Bees in the South. 



A correspondent' of the Washington 

 Gazette, who lias a very imaginative 

 and fertile brain, tries to explain and 

 account for a foolish story that lias 

 been again and again published in the 

 papers all over the country, about bees 

 losing their inclination to store honey, 

 when they are placed in the South 

 vi'here they experience but little of 

 VFinter. The story, so often told, is as 

 foolish as it is untrue, and the Gazette 

 correspondent will try in vain to ac- 

 count for that which is itself untrue, 

 as well as unreasonable. The intelli- 

 gent bee-keepers will be amused and 

 at the same time disgusted, at the 

 following, which is received as trutli 

 by thousands of persons who know 

 nothing more about bees, than that 

 they use their sting as a means of de- 

 fense, and that the honey they store 

 up is delicious. The item referred to 

 is as follows : 



The Reckless Bee.— An experi- 

 menter in Southern agriculture told 

 me the following liistory of Northern 

 bees in the South. He took a colony 

 of the little gratuitous honeymakers 

 down to Florida. The first year they 

 reveled, throve, and stored honey 

 nearly all the unvaried summer time. 

 But the second year a few of the more 

 reflective bees evidently turned the 

 thing over in their minds thus : " Tliis 

 country has no winter to provide 

 against ; what is the use of laying up 

 honey when the flowers blossom all 

 the year round V " These bees exerted 

 enougli influence among their friends 

 to keep a good many bees from laying 

 by any sweet merchandise the second 

 year of their exile. 



But the prudential instinct so strong 

 in the little insect, prevailed with the 

 majority. They evidently said to 

 themselves : " Perhaps this has been 

 an exceptional year. Next season 

 may bring cold and snow and dearth 

 of flowers." So there was quite a stock 

 of honey laid by on the second year, in 

 spite of a few strikers. But by the 

 third year the conviction had evident- 

 ly thoroughly penetrated the bee mind 

 that it was foolish to lay up in a land 

 of eternal blossom. They made just 

 enough to last from dav to day, aban- 

 doned themselves to living from hand 

 to mouth as recklessly as does any 

 tropic-born butterfly. 



i^May we ask you, dear reader, to 

 speak a good word for the Bee Jour- 

 nal to neighbors who keep bees, and 

 send on at least one «€«) subscription 

 with your own V Our premium, " Bees 

 and Honey," in cloth, will pay youfor 

 your trouble, besides having the satis- 

 faction of knowing that you have 

 aided the Bee Journal to a new 

 subscriber, and progressive apiculture 

 to another devotee. 



Local Convention Directory. 



1883. Time and Place oj Meeting. 



Jan. 0-11, Northeastern, at Syrncuse, N. Y. 



G. W. House. Fayetteville, N. Y. 



10, 1 1.— Indiana State, at Indianapolis. 



Dr. J. H. ORear, Pres. 



11, Nebraska State, at Walino, Neb. 



Geo. M. Hawlcy, Sec. 

 16,-N. W, 111. and S. W. Wis. at Freeport. 



J, Stewart, Sec. 



18, Chamnlain Valley, at Mirtdleburg, Vt. 



T. Brookins, Sec. 



19, 20.— Mahoning Valley, at Berlin Centre, O. 



L. Carson, Pres. 

 20.-S. W. Mich., at Ann Arbor, 



G. J. Pease, Sec, Ann Arbor. 

 Feb. 3.— Northern Ohio, at Norwalk, O. 

 8.— Maine State, at Dexter. 



Wm. Uoyt, Sec. 

 14, 15.— N. E. Ohio and N. W. Pa., at Andover 

 C. T. Leonard, Sec. 

 April 5.-Utah, at Salt Lake City. 



E. Stevenson, Sec. 

 17, 18,— Texas State, at McKinney, 



Wra. K, Howard, Sec. 

 May 1 1.— Iowa Central, at Winterset. 



J. E. Pryor, Sec. 

 — , -Texas State Convention, at McKinney. 

 Dr. W. R. Howard, Sec. 

 Oct. 17, l.S.-Northwestern, at ChicaEO, 111. 



Thomas G. Newman, Sec. 

 9, 10.— Northern Migh. at Sheridan, Mich. 



O. R. Goodno, Sec, Carson City, Mich. 

 Dec. 5-6, Michigan State, at Flint. 



U. D. Cutting. Sec, Clinton, Mich. 



tW In order to have this table complete. Secre- 

 taries are requested to forward full particulars of 

 time and place of future meetings.- Ed. 



Convention Notices. 



i^The Northeastern Bee-Keepers' 

 Association will hold their thirteenth 

 Annual Convention in the City Hall, 

 at Syracuse, N. Y., on the 9th, 10th 

 and 11th days of January, 1883. 



Business of great value to every 

 bee-keeper in the State will be brought 

 before the meeting. Every member 

 is requested to attend and bring their 

 friends, that all may be benefited by 

 the action there taken. 



The question drawer will be opened 

 each day, and questions answered and 

 discussed. All are invited to send 

 questions. Appropriate diplomas will 

 be awarded to successful exhibitors of 

 implements, etc. Let all attend. 



Geo. VV. House, Sec. 



^ The annual meeting of the 

 Champlain Valley Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation will be held at Middleburg, 

 Vt., on Thursday, January 18, 1883, at 

 10 a. m. T. Brookins, Sec. 



m" The Nebraska State Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association, will hold its annual 

 session in Wahoo, Saunders county, 

 Neb., commencing Thursday, Jan. 

 11th, 1883. Arrangements have been 

 made with the railroads to secure U4 

 fare for the round trip. The Saunders 

 county Bee- Keepers' Association will 

 furnish entertainment free to all 

 visiting apiarists. Bee-keepers from 

 neighboring States will be welcomed. 

 T. L. VonDorn, Fies. 



Geo. M. Hawley, Sec. 



t^ The Southeastern Michigan 

 Bee- Keepers' Association will hold 

 their annual meeting in the court- 

 house at Ann Arbor, Jan. 20, 1SS3. All 

 are invited. H. D. Cutting, Pres. 



G. J. Pease, Sec, Ann Arbor. 



O" The Texas State Bee-Keepers' 

 Association will hold its Fifth Annual 

 Convention at McKinney, Collin Co., 

 on Tuesday iind Wednesday, April 

 17th and 18th, 1883; at the residence of 

 Hon. W. H. Andrews. 



The following committees have been 

 appointed, and the programme arrang- 

 ed for the next meeting, by the execu- 

 tive committee; viz : on Resolutions; 

 Apiarian * Supplies and Exhiluts ; 

 Subjects for Discussion ; and Arrange- 

 ments, to receive and enterttiin those 

 in attendance from abroad. 



Programme. —President's Address. 

 Subject— State and National Conven- 

 tions. 



Subjects for general discussion : 



Esxays.— The "Coming Bee," W. H. 

 Andrews. Honey plants. Native 

 Horseinints, different varieties, Wm. 

 R. Howard. "Extracted vs. Comb 

 Honey," W. K. Marshall, D. D. 

 "Bee-Moth," W. H. Andrews. "The 

 Queen Bee, her nature and habits, 

 Wm. R. Howard. "The different 

 races of bees in America; their relative 

 value to apiculture," \V. K. Marshall, 



Other essays are promised, and a 

 general good time is anticipated. 

 Ample arrangeuieuts are made to ac- 

 commodate those from a distance. 

 Those wishing to place anything on 

 exhibition or correspond with the com- 

 mittee of arrangements, will be 

 promptly attended to, by addressing, 

 W. H. Andrews, President,McKinney, 

 Collin Co ,Texas. All other correspon- 

 dence to the Secretary. We would be 

 pleased to have any one propound 

 questions of interest for discussion, 

 as we have found great interest, as 

 well as valuable information gained 

 by the discussion of questions con- 

 tributed to our " Question Box." 



Wm. R. Howard, Sec. 



Kingston, Texas. 



i^° The Northeastern Ohio and 

 Northwestern Pennsylvania Bee- 

 Keepers' Association will meet at 

 Andover, Ohio, to hold their annual 

 convention, on the second Wednes- 

 day and Thursday of February, 1883. 

 C. T. Leonard, Sec. 



i^The annual meeting of the Ma- 

 honing Valley Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion will be held at Berlin Center, 

 Mahoning Co.,0.,iii the Town Hall on 

 Friday and Saturday the 19th and 20th 

 of January, 1883. All bee-keepers are 

 invited to attend and send essays, pa- 

 pers, implements, or any thing of in- 

 terest to the fraternity. A full at- 

 tendance is requested of all who are 

 interested. In fact, the meetings will 

 be so interesting that you cannot 

 afford to miss them. We expect a 

 lecturer from abroad on the evening 

 of the 19th. L. Carson, Pres. 



— The annual meeting of the 

 Northwestern Illinois and South- 

 western Wisconsin Bee-Keepers' As- 

 sociation will be held in Temperance 

 Hall, Freeport, Stephenson county, 

 111., on January 10 and 17, 1883. 



Jonathan Stewart, Sec. 



Rock City, 111. 



