510 



XHE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Bee-Keeping on this Continent. 



In the Toronto Qlobe for Sept. 28, 

 we notice the following editorial arti- 

 cle on the recent North American 

 Bee-Keepers' Convention in that city: 



At the recent meeting there were 

 representatives from the extreme 

 points of the " sumiv South " and the 

 •'frozen North." Florida and Mani- 

 toba were in conclave over the ques- 

 tion of honey- prod iictidii. In the 

 bounty of nature, all over this broad 

 continent there flows, in greater or 

 less profusion, the luscious nectar of 

 flowers, which only awaits the labors 

 of the "busy bee," to be utilized for 

 the service of man. Although South- 

 ern bee-keepers have some advanta- 

 ges over their Northern brethren, 

 especially in the matter of wintering 

 bees, yet, strange to say, in the honey 

 yield the North excels the South. As 

 though Providence would infuse extra 

 sweetness into the lot of those who 

 are subjected to the rigors of our 

 northern winters, it is in these higher 

 latitudes that the largest crops of 

 honey are taken, and Canada, though 

 pictured by many in more southern 

 climes as a region of snow and ice, is 

 the banner country of the world as to 

 the production of honey. 



One has only to survey such an ex- 

 hibit of honev as was presented at the 

 Toronto Industrial Exhibition, to 

 realize the possibilities of bee-culture 

 in this and other countries. Tlie dis- 

 play which has been made comprised 

 about $30,000 wortli of honey. If every 

 county throughout Canada were made 

 to yieid say $10,000 worth of honey 

 annually, it is easy to see that an ad- 

 dition of one or two milliou dollars 

 would thus be made to the national 

 revenue. This is an exceedingly 

 modest and moderate calculation, be- 

 cause there is hardly a county in the 

 Dominion that is not capable of yield- 

 ing ten limes that amount of honey. 



It would appear from the statements 

 made at the recent Convention, that 

 what is needed in order to harvest the 

 vast honey crop which is going to 

 waste year after year in this and in 

 other countries, is a sufficient number 

 of properly qualitied bee-keepers. 

 Bee-keeping is like other occupations, 

 aptitude and education are essential 

 to success in it. Persons unfamiliar 

 with bee-keeping, will doubtless have 

 been astonished on reading the re- 

 ported proceedings of the recent Con- 

 vention, to find how many details 

 enter into the business, and what a 

 large amount of skill is needed in or- 

 der to its successful prosecution. 



The necessity of a thorough educa- 

 tion in bee-culture of tliose naturally 

 adaped to it was a prominent point 

 brought out at the recent convention, 

 and the best way and means of secur- 

 ing it were thoroughly discussed. As 

 the outcome of these discussions it 

 was resolved that the time has fully 

 come for the claims of bee-culture to 

 be recognized by its being taught in 

 all the agricultural colleges through- 

 out North America. The Michigan 

 Agricultural College is the only one 

 in the United States that has a profes- 



sor of apiculture. Prof. Cook, who 

 ably lills tliat office, was present at 

 the meeting wliich has just closed, 

 and added greatly to the interest of 

 the occasion. lie has, the present 

 year, a class of 40 students, and were 

 every other agricultural college on tlie 

 North American Continent to follow 

 the example set by Michigan, a large 

 amy of bee-keepers would be in train- 

 ing for this important rural industry. 

 It may be stated that instruction in 

 apiculture w'as contemplated by the 

 founders of the Ontario Agricultural 

 College in the original plan of tliat 

 institution. It was provided in the 

 programme of study that " there 

 should be a bird and bee department," 

 and without doubt it might be made 

 a very valuable and useful one. The 

 Ontario Bee-Keepers' Association, it 

 is understood, intend to urge this 

 matter on tlie attention of the Gov- 

 ernment, and wo trust it may be 

 found practicable to comply with 

 their wish, and thus make our Agri- 

 cultural College in this, .as it is in 

 most other respects, the peer of the 

 one in the adjacent State of Michigan. 



To the Bee-Keepers of Kentucky. 



We are requested to publish the fol- 

 lowing Circular, a copy of which Dr. 

 N. P. Allen will send to any one who 

 will till out the blanks and return to 

 him : 



We were appointed a oommittee by 

 the Kentucky Bee-Keepers Associa- 

 tion, which met at Louisville, August 

 29 and 30, to collect information in 

 regard to bee-culture and honey pro- 

 duction in Kentucky, the ultimate 

 object being the development of the 

 honey resources of the State, and the 

 best location for apiaries. — N. P. 

 Allen, W. C. Pelham, J. T. Conley. 



Every bee-keeper is requested by 

 the Conimittee to fill out the following 

 blanks, and forward the same to me 

 at Smith's Grove, Ky. 



N . P. Allen, Chaii-man Coin. 



Kind of Hives used and kind of 

 Bees 



No. of Colonies 



No. of Swarms 



No. lbs. Comb Honey 



No. lbs. Extracted Honey 



Price Comb Honey sold 



Price Extracted Honey Sold 



When Marketed 



Give name of Flowers from which 

 Crop of honey is gathered 



Fruit blossoms 



Black Locust 



Poplar 



White Clover 



Red Clover 



Linden 



Smart Weed 



Golden Rod 



Aster 



Other Sources 



Remarks 



Beginning of honey flow 



Length of honey flow 



Remarks 



Signature 

 Address. 



Seasonable Hints. 



Prof. A. J. Cook gives the following 

 on feeding and preparing bees for 

 winter, in the Bural New Yorker of 

 last week : 



The bees should now be prepared at 

 once for winter. If not already done, 

 we should see to it at once that every 

 colony has at least 30 lbs. of capped 

 stores. If to secure tliis we need to 

 feed, it is just as well to feed granula- 

 ted sugar syrup as to feed honey. If 

 feeding is necessary, let it be done at 

 once, so that the bees may get it 

 capped over before it is too cold to do 

 it. I have found by actual experi- 

 ment tliat bees do better when the 

 pollen is mostly excluded from the 

 hives, and so would advise that frames 

 containing much pollen be left out of 

 the hive. They will be very valuable 

 if returned when breedingcomniences 

 next spring. 



Let all see, too, that only as many 

 frames are left in the hive as the bees 

 will cover. Use a division-board, or 

 two division-boards, so as to make 

 the chamber for the bees only large 

 enough to contain these frames. All 

 these frames should be covered by a 

 piece of factory *',loth, and this by an 

 ample sack of chaff or dry sawdust, 

 which may come well down over the 

 division- boards. It may be thought 

 that repetition in these matters is the 

 order of the day ; but it is called for, 

 as neglect in these points is the rock 

 on which many— and some of them 

 our ablest bee-keepers — split. 



In working with our bees at this 

 season, after gathering is over, we 

 can hardly fail to observe two things- 

 first, the propensity of the bees to 

 rob ; and secondly, the even greater 

 tendency to sting. To prevent rob- 

 bing, we should liandle the bees no 

 more than is absolutely necessary ; 

 we should leave no honey where they 

 can get at It, and if we see that any 

 colony is being robbed, we should 

 close the entrance so that only one or 

 two bees can pass at a time. The last 

 precaution is also wise, as during the 

 cold nights of October less heat will 

 escape. 



Newspapers in America. 



1^" For seven years past Edwin 

 Alden & Bro., Cincinnati, Ohio, have 

 issued annually their Ammcaii News- 

 paper Catalogue, but never duplicated 

 it. 



To secure accuracy and reliability 

 they have corresponded directly and 

 through agents with every accessible 

 Editor, Publisher and Post-master in 

 the United States and Canadas. 



The number of newspapers and 

 magazines published in the United 

 States and the Canadas as herein cata- 

 logued is 13,273 (an increase over the 

 number last year of 1,115). Total, in 

 the United States, 12,607 ; in the Can- 

 adas, 666. 



