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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Feh. 7, 



of the cellar, and described their methods. To finish up the 

 subject, Mr. R. H. Smith, of St. Thomas, read an essay on the 

 advantages of wintering bees on the summer stands, cased in 

 ckaff-packed hives, with directions how to do it in the best 

 manner. 



MARKETING THE HONEY. 



Mr. F. A. Gemmill read an essay on "Experiences in 

 Marketing Honey," urging the greatest care in putting the 

 finished product in the best possible condition, so as to be at- 

 tractive to customers. Discussion on this and one or two 

 other essays was laid over, and the opportunity did not re- 

 turn. Generally speaking, the time to discuss a subject is 

 when it is fresh. After some delay, the points have some- 

 what faded. Alas ! for the essay that is read just before ad- 

 journment for dinner or supper ! 



DOMINION EXPERIMENT APIARV. 



The Dominion Government has started a small experi- 

 mental apiary in charge of Prof. Fletcher, with a practical 

 assistant. It has only been in operation one season, and the 

 Professor gave some details of what had been done in experi- 

 menting with comb foundation. The work was incomplete, 

 but so far as it had gone it emphasized the importance of 

 using the best quality of beeswax, and not making foundation 

 for sections lighter than seven feet to the pound. A vote of 

 thanks was passed to the Dominion Government for the in- 

 terest shown by it in bee-keeping, and to Prof. Fletcher for 

 his presence and address. 



EDUCATION — HONEY-BEE CONCERT. 



Mr. Allen Pringle read an essay on •' Education," which 

 discussed the general subject without special application to 

 bee-keeping, more than to any other occupation. It contained 

 some original and practical ideas, in regard to which there 

 was naturally some difference of opinion. 



Mr. P. A. GemmilTs " Honey-IJee Concert" came off in 

 due course. It was not so great a success as it deserved to be, 

 owing to the inclemency of the weather, but a pleasant even- 

 ing was spent in music, song, hearing addresses, and seeing 

 magic lantern pictures. Mr. R. McKnight gave an address 

 on features of bee-life not generally known. C. C. James, 

 Esq., Deputy Minister of Agriculture, spoke at some length 

 on the value of skill in the various branches of rural industry, 

 with a special application to bee-keeping. The magic lantern 

 part of the entertainment, given by Mr. R. F. Holtermann, 

 would have been more pleasing but for a deficiency of light in 

 showing the pictures on the sheet. Many of them were too 

 dim and indistinct to be seen clearly. 



THE OFFICERS — BUSINESS WIND-UP. 



The election of officers resulted in the appointment of Mr. 

 J. B. Hall as President, an honor tendered him before, but de- 

 clined by him until now; Mr. J. K. Darling, Vice-President; 

 and a Board of 13 Directors — one for each district into which 

 the Province is divided by the Agriculture and Arts Act. 



The new President had a brief taste of office while the 

 business was being wound up. Mr. Holtermann proposed the 

 adoption of a score-card for judging honey by points in the 

 same way as poultry is judged at exhibitions, which was 

 adopted. 



A resolution of thanks was proposed to the members of 

 Parliament, who had voted in favor of the Pure Honey Bill. 

 It was objected that this was unusual, and that if the branch 

 of the House that favored the Bill was to be thanked, the Sen- 

 ate which rejected it should be censured. But these views did 

 not prevail, and the resolution carried. 



It was decided to hold a special meeting of the Associa- 

 tion at Toronto in September, when the North American 

 society meets there, and on the completion of business ad- 

 journment was made to that date. 



The Board of Directors met when the public meeting had 

 adjourned, and transacted several items of business. Mr. 

 Wm. Couse was reappointed Secretary ; Martin Emigh, Treas- 

 urer ; Mr. McEvoy Foul Brood Inspector; and Mr. F. A. Gem- 

 mill, Sub-Inspector. The sum of .S200 was set apart for affil- 

 iated societies, no one to receive more than S20 ; the Canadian 

 Bee Journal was selected as the premium to members for the 

 year; .$25 was appropriated for prizes at the Toronto Indus- 

 trial, and a like sum for the Western Fair. The President, 

 Vice-President and Secretary were appointed as the Executive 

 Committee, and Brantford was chosen as the place of the next 

 annual meeting. 



A moderate Int'rcase of colonies in one season, will, in 

 the long run, prove to be the easiest, safest, and cheapest mode of 

 managing bees. — Lnnt/siruth. 



jSotes ^ Con)n}cr)is^ 



CONDUCTED BY 



Rev. Emerson T. Abbott, St. Josepb, ATo. 



Too Good to Keep. — "A report of four columns in 

 the papers gave the discussion, while not an essay was printed, 

 although some good ones were read." Extract from " Stray 

 Straws," about the Marengo, 111., Horticultural meeting. 



"Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of 

 Askelon ; lest the daughters of the Philistines (believers in 

 essays) rejoice." 



Right in the Doctor's own city, in a society of which he is 

 no doubt a member, and in whose deliberations he no doubt 

 took part, they had essays ! "Good oues," too! Who would 

 have thought it ! That was a very grave mistake, not to take 

 up all the time with apple and berry "talk;" but, then, we 

 all be very frail mortals and will "make mistakes." 



Not a Oood Plan. — The following from an old bee- 

 paper is worthy of some further attention : " It may be, 

 however that in the very mild winters of Colorado it is warm 

 enough for them to find the food above, especially if on a 

 warm day you pound or kick the hive to rouse them up thor- 

 oughly." 



Owing to the continued cooling of the earth and the 

 lateral pressure that has been going on for some time, on 

 account of said cooling, the elevation of the Rockies has 

 greatly Increased, and the climate has changed very much 

 since the above was written, as the mercury has been known 

 to hover around 20- below not long since in this land of 

 " mild winters." Then, if the weather were ever so mild, 

 they surely must have had the worst kind of luck those days 

 in wintering their bees, if they practiced "pounding and 

 kicking " the hives in order to wake up the bees and make 

 them eat. If they had ever known about my sugar candy, 

 they might have saved all that trouble, and the bees, too, I 

 opine. The less the bees are stirred up In January and Feb- 

 ruary, the more bees there will be to stir up when March 

 comes. 



Another One. — The program of the Ontario Bee- 

 Keepers' Association made provision for nine lectures and 

 essays, and among the names of those who were to read essays 

 was found the name of the editor of the Review. How is 

 that. Friend H.? Will you inflict such punishment on those 

 people who may come a long wiy, and at a great cost? But, 

 to be serious, that essay is sure to have something of value in 

 it, and here Is a very strong argument for essays. Friend 

 Hutchinson is not much of a talker, but he drives a tremen- 

 dous pen, and when he sits down to write an essay on any 

 subject pertaining to bees. It is sure to be as full of meat as a 

 cocoauut Is of milk. Do you see the point ? Score one for 

 essays. Next. 



So Have 'We. — "Our cheese as well as our honey was 

 the best at the World's Fair." "Ontario has a climate as well 

 as the Bora for producing the best." " The linden, the clover, 

 the thistle, the raspberry, the maple, the willow, the sumac, 

 the buckwheat, the golden-rod, and numerous other plants 

 yield abundantly." — Allen Pringle, on page 26. 



What is the matter with our good friends over the line, 

 anyway ? Do they not know that all those things grow in this 

 poor, benighted country ? and that only one of them — clover — 

 furnishes real, all-around flrst-class honey ? Of this we have 

 as much as they. As for climate — well, I always thought that 

 the dry, high altitudes furnished the best honey, and I am 

 inclined to think so yet. Then, again, do they not know that 

 we have sweet clover and alfalfa over here in this great 

 country of ours ? When it comes to competing with either of 

 these, none of the plants mentioned above are "in it." Why, 

 I saw 2500 pounds of alfalfa honey, which was shipped to 

 this city a short time ago, that was the equal of any honey at 

 the World's Fair, and I am sure that it was superior to any 

 honey there which was not gathered from the same source, if 

 flavor, body and color are the things that count in comb honey. 

 I do not think the United States need to go out of the honey- 

 business simply because some other country (if she did) took 

 more premiums at the World's Fair. They"can have the pre- 

 miums, but as long as alfalfa and sweet clover grow, and we 

 have the fertile lands and favorable climate of the great West, 

 we will go on producing as good honey as there is In the 

 world, just the same. 



Now, Friend Pringle, you had your say, and I had mine ; 

 and so we are even. 



