THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



669 



THE OUTLOOK OF APICULTURE. 



Brotlieib of tlie apiary, ladies and 

 gentlemen : — 



The Constitution of our Association 

 makes it incumbent upon me to pre- 

 sent the annual address by virtue of 

 my office as President of the Society. 

 In casting about for a theme s\iitable 

 to this occasiori, I can find nothing I 

 deem more worthy than ■' The Out- 

 look of Apiculture." 



Before commencing a survey of the 

 present status of our art, I pause for 

 a moment to speak of an event whicli 

 is of deepest interest to us all. Need 

 I .say I refer to the presence among 

 us of our honored and revered friend 

 and benefactor, whose invention alone 

 made possible the mighty progress of 

 our art; whose rare gift as an experi- 

 mentalist, scholarly attainments and 

 surpassing gift as a writer, gave to us 

 the greatest work ever written on 

 apiculture ; whose grand character, 

 transparent ingenuousness, ehild-like- 

 simplicity, and retiring modesty, teach 

 us so graphically what the Christ 

 spirit can do for man ; whose great 

 heart ever moved by the broadest 

 charity, made him to bless, even those 

 whose' curses he bitterly felt. To 

 know such an one, to look iipon him, to 

 grasp his hand, to hear his words of 

 wisdom, bringing to us the treasures 

 of a mind stored with the richest 

 truths, and of a heart, too great to feel 

 malice ; and so large that it reaches 

 out to aid even the" least of us, all of 

 this is an experience which we Michi- 

 gan bee-keepers appreciate to-day. 

 How greatly we are honored, we can- 

 not now find words to express ; but in 

 all our future we shall remember this 

 event, as realizing to us, a hope which 

 we had never expected to see fulfilled. 



A few years ago the cynics of our 

 brotherhood told us that conventions 

 were the enemies of our art, that they 

 were worse than useless, and that to 

 stimulate the growth of apiculture 

 was to use the suicide's dagger. Now 

 it is rare indeed to find a man so nar- 

 row as to declaim against association. 

 While time has shown that with bee- 

 keeping, as with every other business, 

 increased supply brings a much greater 

 increase in demand, which is further 

 made potential for good, by bringing 

 the increased energy and intelligence 

 which numbers are sure to give. The 

 business that booms, is the one that 

 has among its patrons the talent, the 

 tact, the energy and the genius of the 

 country. Without conventions, we 

 could liot have inatigurated, and made 

 successful our splendid exhibitions, 

 which are sure to foster our art as few 

 otlier things can. Those States whose 

 conventions are ablest, and most fre- 

 <iuent, are ahead. It is always so, 

 with every art and at all times. 

 County and District societies should 

 send delegates to the State associa- 

 tion, and the State to tlie Inter-State 

 and National. Thus concerted action 

 will be made possible ; thus the 

 tliought and methods of the most pro- 

 gressive will become the propertv of 

 the many. To be sure, we have "our 

 excellent periodicals, but they are 

 only possible, as association inspirits 

 bee-keeping; and, good as it seems and 

 is to get the thoughts and methods of 



our able apiarists through the press, 

 it is not like personal intercourse, and 

 word of mouth. Conventions are a 

 powerful educator. No single bee- 

 keeper becomes abler and better pre- 

 pared to do his work well, without 

 benefiting the whole fraternity. 



We increase our art, only as success 

 shows it worthy. I may praise our 

 business with a voice that would do 

 honor to an auctioneer, yet that will 

 influence little unless my neighbors 

 see evidence that the almighty dollar 

 puts in an appearance. Those who are 

 energetic, willing to work, intelligent 

 and willing and eager to learn, observ- 

 ing, persevering and attentive to their 

 work, will rarely ever fail in apicul- 

 ture. Those who lack these qualities 

 will be left behind before they get far 

 enough to meet great loss ; so little 

 mischief is wrought even if some are 

 induced to adopt this business, and 

 because they lack the elements oif suc- 

 cess, fail. Usually they gain enough 

 added intelligence" to more than pay 

 for the time and capital expended. 



Another falacy, as I think, which 

 some few of our apiarists are loudly 

 proclaiming, is that apiculture is only 

 for the specialist, ^\hy, gejitlenieii, 

 oiir brothers in horticulture and agri- 

 culture are free to admit that they 

 owe more, in the way of real progress 

 and advancement to amateurs than 

 to specialists. 1 know that apiculture 

 is no excejition. Our honored guest 

 was an amateur when he conferred 

 the greatest boon upon our art. Long. 

 Demaree, Clute, and a host of others 

 of our best bee-keepers, are amateurs. 

 I am free to say that three-fourths of 

 the honey product of our State is pro- 

 duced by men with whom apiculture 

 is only an avfication. I can name a 

 score of bee-keepers, whom I know 

 personally, who are farmers, lawyers, 

 doctors, who keep hundreds of colonies 

 of bees, and many of whom, not only 

 get large returns of honey, but winter 

 each and every year with entire suc- 

 cess. When our specialists are all 

 equally successful, then they may cry 

 hold I "enough ! with more justice. 



Aji indication that the new recruits 

 in apiculture will exalt rather than 

 degrade the Viusiness, is seen in the 

 fact that many are calling for instruc- 

 tion in this line. Few studies at our 

 Agricultural College win more earnest 

 study and real enthusiasm than does 

 entomology, which embraces quite 

 thorough instruction in apiculture. 

 Last year we had a student from Eng- 

 land, and this year one from Texas, 

 who came especially for the bee-cul- 

 ture. The fact that Messrs. .Jones, 

 Ileddon and Clute have respectable 

 classes, shows that there is a call for 

 more knowledge. We can but wish 

 (iod-speed to all of these gentlemen in 

 their efforts. Special traniing is most 

 desirable to the would-be apiarist. To 

 be with such eflicient bee-keepers for 

 a season will give a vantage ground 

 that can hardly be appreciated till en- 

 joyed. The practical apiarist will be 

 more proficient if he has had the 

 science of entomology and physiology, 

 and other cognate studies, but if he 

 cannot because of age or circumstance 

 take so much time, let him by all 

 means study and work for a season 



with some good apiarist. Such a course 

 will never be regretted. 



The past season has shown that^we 

 can procure nearly as much honey in 

 small as larger sections. It would 

 also seem that with the proper ar- 

 rangement and care, we have no need 

 of separators. That there will ever 

 be call for sections smaller than ■l}4 

 Indies sipiare, sutticient to warrant 

 their adoption, at the added expense 

 in time and money which they de- 

 mand, I much doubt. I secured (]uite 

 an amount of honey the past season 

 in the small sections — halt-pound sec- 

 tions—but I found those who bought 

 it, thought these smaller sections in 

 no wise preferable to the common one- 

 poxmd section. It is reported that 

 Mr. Heddon is going to adopt the 

 smaller size exclusively another sea- 

 son. It may pay him to do so ; but 

 for the most of us, I think, we shall be 

 wise to adhere to the one and two- 

 pound sections. 



Another question in which we all 

 take a deep interest, is the ''New 

 Bees." I have had no experience with 

 the Cyprian bees, b\it I think more 

 aTid more of the Syrian. I find no 

 houble to handle them, and take my 

 large class of students, new to the 

 business, right into the apiary. Tliese 

 80 or 40 students daily manipulate the 

 bees, doing everything that the bee- 

 keeper ever needs to do, and rarely 

 ever get stung. I find that the'comb 

 lioney of tlie Syrians is excellent, that 

 the bees go readily into the sections. 

 We did not get all our sections so that 

 they could be crated without the use 

 of the separators; but I am not sui-e 

 but that it was more our fault than 

 the fault i)f the bees. They are very 

 prolific, breeding even when there is 

 no nectar to gather, and they often 

 gather when other bees are idle. I 

 have this fall secured from Mr. Frank 

 Benton, a Carniolan queen, and shall 

 try crossing tfie Carniolans with the 

 Syrians. Perhaps we can thus secure 

 a strain with the amiability of the 

 Carniolan, and the business of the 

 Syrians. 



Our exhibition the past autumn, 

 thanks to our able secretary. Messra. 

 Hutchinson, Hunt and others, was 

 very fine, and reflected great credit on 

 our Association and our State. These 

 shows can but do immense good. They 

 show what bee-keeping is, and develop 

 a market as nothing else can. I sug- 

 gest that we reappoint our committee, 

 and that we ask for still larger prem- 

 iums, a separate hall in a convenient 

 and accessible location, and that honey 

 in small packages be sold, all through 

 the fair. A neat little pail of honey 

 or comb section thus sold on the fair 

 ground, will influence the market all 

 over the State. 



" Pasturage for Bees " is another 

 subject that may well receive oiu- at- 

 tention. Though it may not be a 

 demonstrated fact, there can be hard- 

 ly any question but it will pay to plant 

 for bees. Every bee-keeper should 

 scatter motlierwort, catnip, ligwort, 

 spiderwort, sweet clover, and Rocky 

 Mountain bee plant seed in all the 

 waste places about the apiary. These 

 are harmless plants to the farmer, 

 and, as their presence adds to the 



