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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



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For ttie American Bee Journal 



Michigan State Convention. 



\V. Z. HUTCHINSON. 



SECOND DAY. 



The meeting was called to order at 

 9 a. m. by President Cook, and then 

 the Convention proceeded to discuss 

 the '• Selling of Iloney." 



C. F. Muth said that he had induced 

 many manufacturers of tobacco, of 

 cakes and cookies, of pickles, as well 

 as packers of pork, to use honey m 

 place of other sweets. If we keep oir 

 honey pure, there will be no troidile 

 in disposhig of it. He exhibited some 

 excellent cookies or buns, in the man- 

 nfacture of whicli, honey was used. 



A. D. Benham : A confectioner in 

 our town took my entire crop of 1,000 

 pounds of extracted honey to use in 

 making cookies. He also had samples 

 wliich were very much like tliose 

 brought by Mr. Muth. 



B. Salisbury spoke of the benefits of 

 honey in pulmonary diseases. 



Rev. L. L. Langstroth had a dear 

 friend that was apparently near 

 death's d(wr from consumption, who 

 ■was restored to health by small but 

 frequent doses of honey. He con- 

 sidered basswood honey the best for 

 lung diseases. 



" Is Bee-Keepiug Healthful ?" was 

 next discussed. 



Dr. Mason said, no ; bee-keeping is 

 not healthful. My hands, at times 

 hang almost helpless from the eftects 

 of bee poison. Almost every fall I 

 am nearly disabled from the effects of 

 the poison. If I keep away from the 

 bees I am all right. 



C. F. Muth: Get better-natured bees. 



Dr. Mason : My bees are as good- 

 natured as most bees, but bees delight 

 in stinging me. While at Mr. Muth's 

 apiary I was stung three times, but 

 Mr. Muth knew nothing about it. 



Rev. L. L. Langstroth : When I 

 commenced bee-keeping, a sting 

 caused much swelling, but in time 

 this trouble passed away. Several 

 years passed, during which I handled 

 no bees, and when I again attempted 

 it, I found myself more susceptible to 

 the poison than ever, but by continu- 

 ing to work with the bees, disregard- 

 ing the stings, my former indifference 

 returned. 



D. A. .Jones : AVhenahive is opened 

 every frame should be moved along a 

 little, and the whole hive disturbed 

 before the first frame is lifted out, 

 this disorganizes the whole of the 

 bees, and starts them to eating honey, 

 and the danger from stings is lessened. 



M. H. Hunt : Honey is an excellent 

 remedy, and is always handy. 



Mr. Sheldon : Bee stings have cured 

 rheumatism for me. 



Dr. Mason : Bee stings never helped 

 mv rheumatism. 



D. A. Jones : I have cured rheuma- 

 tism and neuralgia, for the time being, 



with bee stings, but the next day it 

 returned. Bv singing the hairs from 

 tlie l)ack of the hand and wrist, many 

 stings will be prevented. The bees 

 catch ttieir feet mthe liairs, if left on, 

 become irritated and sting. 



Dr. llulison : Chloroform is an ex- 

 cellent remedy for stings. 



Mr. Millard : I am afflicted with 

 eruptions and boils, caused by bee 

 poison. 



Your humble servant (W. Z. H.) 

 had in his mind tlie case of Mr. James 

 Heddon, who suffers so much from 

 the effect of bee poison as to be al- 

 most entirely prevented from hand- 

 ling bees, but, as many others wanted 

 to talk, he said nothing. 



" Exhibitions at the State Fair," 

 was then discussed. Secretary Cut- 

 ting gave a detailed report of his 

 meeting the officers of the State Agri- 

 cultural Society, inducing them to in- 

 crease the premium list and put up a 

 building expressly for the apiarian 

 department. lie then read the follow- 

 ing upon tlie importance of making 

 exliibits at Fairs : 



Exliibitions properly conducted are 

 educational institutions. I think it is 

 conceded that to create a demand for 

 anything is to bring it befi)re the pub 

 lie in some form where the masses can 

 be educated to its uses, and I know of 

 no place where anything can be 

 brought before the public, and its 

 uses explained, as well as at State 

 and County Fairs. 



"Where can you place honey to reach 

 the eye of the consumer as well as at 

 large exhibitions ? Honey placed on 

 exliibition at fairs, is seen by thou- 

 sands every day ; and when put up 

 attractively, to please the eye, it 

 creates a demand. 



How often the exhibitor liears this 

 remark : " I did not think of buying 

 honey when I came liere, but it looks 

 so nice that I must take some home." 

 If you put honey in a box, and put up 

 notices all around, saying that you 

 have honey for sale, and I dare say 

 you will not sell a box a day ; while 

 the exhibitor opposite, who has a 

 large exhibit, put up in an attractive 

 manner, will sell large quantities 

 every day. 



You must be ready to explain 

 away all existing prejudice, for you 

 will find such every hour in the day, 

 that seems foolish to you, because you 

 have been educated to know better. 

 I well remember one little incident 

 that happened at our last State Fair. 

 A party of ladies came along, when 

 one asked the question : " AVhat is 

 that machine for? ^nd the answer 

 was, to make comb foundation for 

 the bees to work on— at tlie same 

 time showing them a fine specimen. 

 The lady turned to the party she was 

 witli, and exclaimed : " There, didn't 

 I tell you that honey was adulterated, 

 for here is the very machine to'make 

 the comb, and there is the machine to 

 fill it " (referring to an extractor). It 

 took no small arnount of talk to break 

 down the prejudice. 



To the supply dealer exhibitions are 

 a fine thing. Bee-keepers know tliat 

 there will be placed on exhibition a 

 large collection of implements and 

 supplies of all kinds, and they go to 



the fair to see what is new and what 

 they can learn, and if you have a good 

 line of supplies you will get many an 

 order that you would not have in any 

 other way. 



Men get different ideas from what 

 they read and what they see. You 

 may describe an article, and the party 

 you wish to reach does not get your 

 idea of it, but the moment he " sees 

 tiie article " it is different ; he does 

 not hesitate to buy it. You must 

 bring your goods before the consumer 

 if you expect to dispose of them. 



Another important feature that is 

 left out at our exhibitions, is lady 

 bee-keepers. A few lady bee-keeper's 

 would help exhibitions greatly. They 

 can arrange an exhibit much more 

 tastefully than men, and the lady 

 visitors will stop and talk witli lady 

 exhibitors much sooner than with 

 men. Any woman can exert a great 

 moral influence and render our exliibi- 

 tions much more attractive. 



I would earnestly appeal to every 

 bee-keeper to come out next fall at 

 our State Fair and make a grand ex- 

 hibition. Do not hold back because 

 you have not much to show ; every 

 one helps. Last year one man came 

 with a single bee hive and received 

 the firist premium. 



The Agricultural Society does not 

 want to see one man fill the building, 

 but it wants all to come. A building 

 will be provided large enough to ac- 

 commodate all. In no other way can 

 you make the sale of honey so great 

 as to make a fine exhibit at fairs all 

 over the land. So I will say again : 

 " Come one and all ; bring what you 

 can, and let ns show our Mother Coun- 

 try that we, too, can have a great bee 

 and honey show." 



A. J. Cook : When I went to the 

 State Fair, the President did not wait 

 forme to come through the yard, but 

 came out to meet me, and said that 

 he was proud of the exhibit in the 

 apiarian department. 



D. A. Jones said that lioney-shows 

 increased its sale wonderfully. Two 

 thousand two-ounce packages of honey 

 were sold at 5 cents each, at our fair. 

 These packages gave people a taste, 

 inducing the'm to buy larger packages. 

 One dealer bought them to give as 

 Christmas advertisement. Honey- 

 producers should not neglect this 

 great educator of the people. 



M. H. Hunt : I sold all my honey at 

 the fair. Sir. Hutchinson sold some, 

 and might have sold all of it if he had 

 not held it above market price. 



S. T. Pettit : Candied honey should 

 be exhibited at fairs. Most bee-keep- 

 ers exhibit their honey in the liquid 

 form ; purchasers carry it home in 

 that form, and when it crystalizes 

 they think something must be wrong, 

 and fear that it is adulterated. 



To revise the State Fair premium 

 list, and urge its adoption by the offi- 

 cers of the Agricultural Society, the 

 following were appointed as a com- 

 mittee : H. D. Cutting, D. A. Jones, 

 Dr. Mason, Dr. Kazartee and C. F. 

 Muth. 



The President's address was then 

 read Iiy Prof. Cook, and was enthusi- 

 astically received. It was as follows ; 



