THE AMERICA!^ BEE JOURNAL. 



89 



A. I. Root said that this discussion 

 was one of the finest features of the 

 convention. As the introducer of the 

 one-pound paclcage, he well remem- 

 bered the opposition it encountered 

 from dealers and others, but that was 

 overcome. In managing a general 

 store, he had found 10-cent packages 

 and articles very salable and prolit- 

 able, even at small margin ; and there 

 was no reason why the 10 cent honey 

 package should not be equally popular. 



J. A. Abbott, of England, said the 

 sales there were in proportion of 

 1,000 one-pound to 300 two-pound 

 boxes. 



DEPRESSION IN THE HONEY MARKET. 



L. C. Root said :- In early days 

 when the five to ten-pound boxes 

 were in use, the honey was well 

 sealed and of better character than 

 that produced by the new methods. 

 But they could not be divided without 

 waste and trouble. When the single 

 comb came into use consumers were 

 willing to pay for glass on each sec- 

 tion. Then bee-keepers got enthusi- 

 astic about extracting honey by cen- 

 trifugal force. But gradually the 

 price of tlie latter went down because 

 of inferior quality and adulteration. 

 Honey handled in large cities by un- 

 skilled persons has hurt the market, 

 and we have failed to secure the at- 

 tendance and co-operation of dealers 

 at our meetings. The cost of produc- 

 tion must be reduced and better pack- 

 ages devised. Liquid honey must be 

 shipped in sealed packages ; combs 

 perfectly capped and sealed. 



J. W. Porter laid the chief cause 

 of depression in general, as well as 

 that in the honey market, to limited 

 coinage, sustaiuing his point with 

 many financial and historical facts. 



R. Bacon said our people were not 

 educated in honey-eating ; not one in 

 twenty uses it. If every person would 

 consume but a pound a year, the de- 

 mand could not be supplied. Strikes 

 were making a great difference in our 

 sales ; the thousands out of work 

 have no money to buy honey or any- 

 thing else. 



RELATIVE VALUE OF EXTRACTED 

 HONEY. 



An essay by Dadant & Son was 

 read. As compared with comb honey, 

 the extracted takes the lead for use 

 as a syrup on cakes, etc., and is more 

 in general use than the comb. The 

 beauty of the latter has kept up the 

 price. Where dark honey abounds 

 the extracted is more used. Would 

 rather produce extracted at 6 cents 

 than comb honey at 12 cents. 



BEE-KEEPING IN THE FUTURE. 



An essay by A. E. Manum was 

 read. Fifteen years ago one ton of 

 honey was a large shipment for a bee- 

 keeper ; now a carload is not noticed. 

 Fifteen years ago the price was 30 

 cents a pound ; now it is 15 cents, and 

 likely to go still lower. But as an off- 

 set, we have an increase of consump- 

 tion and a lessening of the cost of 

 production. 



We must become specialists; one 

 devote himself to comb, another to 

 extracted,another to brood-rearing. In 



this way failure will be reduced to a 

 minimum, and the future will depend 

 upon the amount of brain power 

 exerted. 



L. C. Root said that economy was 

 the word for the hour, even though 

 the most economical people of the 

 world are refused a place on this con- 

 tinent. Bee-keepers are restive be- 

 cause they have to sell low. Luck is 

 a good word when p is put before it. 



VENTILATING BBE-CELLARS. 



L. C. Root said that pure air was a 

 necessity, but if let in through tubes 

 it produced disturbance. He pre- 

 ferred to withdraw the impure air, 

 and did it by pipes attached to the 

 stove-pipe. The colder air will press 

 in whether there are ventilators or 

 not. 



R. Bacon's first ventilators were of 

 plank nailed together, which brought 

 in air from the outside. Next he used 

 pipes carried under ground 100 feet. 

 Now he makes his walls as tight as 

 possible, and has closed up the sub- 

 earth air-pipes, using a 5-inch pipe 

 to conduct the impure air off. He 

 finds a strong pressure of air in this 

 pipe. He keeps the temperature at 

 about 40'^ ; hives are set close, with 

 inch holes in the bottom-board. He 

 has 80 hives in a space of 10x17 feet. 



Mr. Adams, of Troy, has lost many 

 bees, and does not use cellars any 

 more. Has lately built a house cost- 

 ing $.300. The room above is only 

 clap- boarded ; that below is of brick, 

 plastered ; heats with a stove, and 

 bees are wintering well. Put them in 

 Nov. 13, and has not had over a quart 

 of dead ones. Bees need more venti- 

 lation than they now get. He gives 

 one-inch holes to hives. The proper 

 temperature is 50-', which will drop to 

 40-3 at night. 



OUTLOOK OF BEE-KEEPING. 



L. C. Root— The trouble with our 

 business is wider-consumption,' not 

 ouer-production. In the future honey 

 can and will compete successfully 

 with all other sweets. 



J. H. Martin read some census 

 statistics showing the annual produc- 

 tion of butter to be 107,873,000 pounds; 

 maple sugar, 9,272,000 ; eggs, 3,000,000, 

 and honey. 1,149.000 pounds — a mere 

 taste if fiilly distributed. If the pro- 

 ducers of each county would combine 

 and put their products on the home 

 market, there would be none left for 

 export. 



F. L. Smith said : We are behind 

 the times. When I was at Toronto, 

 three years ago, I saw over fifty tons 

 of honey on exhibition. Who has 

 seen two tons at any of our State or 

 county fairs V (" Twenty pounds at 

 the Utica Sate Fair," remarked L. C. 

 Root.) Let us stop talking about low 

 prices, educate the people and edu- 

 cate ourselves. 



BEES IN LAW. 



A member said that his neighbor, a 

 retired banker, had brought a law- 

 suit iigainst him for not removing his 

 bees. The distance was 85 feet. The 

 neighbor on the other side (distant 75 

 feet) was not troubled. He has 145 

 colonies, but the banker claims that 

 one colony is as bad as one hundred. 



Mr. West had hives in a neighbor's 

 mowing field, and he used to mow 

 around the hives, until the neighbor 

 himself brought his team after sun- 

 down and cut it. He also helped his 

 neighbor put up the hay. 



L. C. Root would avoid all litigation 

 if possible. Would show objectors 

 the necessity of the business, and 

 would rent their land if it could be 

 had. 



F. L. Smith once had a similar 

 troubl* with a neighbor ; but the 

 neighbor had a daughter and he had 

 a son, and they settled the whole 

 thing so satisfactory that he and his 

 neighbor had been good friends ever 

 since. 



The report of the committee on ex- 

 hibits was severely criticized because 

 it passed over all patented articles, 

 and the meeting sent it back to the 

 committee for correction. 



The ofTicers for the ensuing year 

 are : President, W. E. Clark, of Oris- 

 kany ; Vice-President, Ira Barber, of 

 De Kalb Junction ; Secretary, Geo. H. 

 Knickerbocker, of Pine Plains ; Treas- 

 urer, I. L. Scofield, Chenango Bridge. 



Adjourned to meet at Utica, in 1888. 



Colorailo State Conveiitioii. 



The State association met at Den- 

 ver on Jan. 17, 1887. 



The society was reorganized, a new 

 constitution and by-laws adopted, and 

 the Secretary ordered to take steps 

 for incorporation. 



On the Secretary's list there are 

 over 200 bee-keepers who own 3,500 

 colonies of bees. He thinks there are 

 over 6,000 colonies in the State, owned 

 by 500 bee-keepers. Two Greeley 

 men have 150, and sell over 12.000 

 pounds of honey annually. 



The following officers were elected : 

 President, Dr. D. W. King, Boulder ; 

 Vice-President, at large, E. Millison, 

 Denver'; Secretary, S. C. W. Shiff, 

 Denver; Treasurer, William Davis, 

 Denver. 



County Vice-Presidents: W. L. 

 Porter, Weld ; V. De Vinney. Jeffer- 

 son ; W. K. Sinton, El Paso ; C. C. 

 Lounsbury, Larimer; G. AV. Swink, 

 Bent; D. S. Grimes, Arapahoe; W. 

 E. Pabor, Mesa; E. J. Post, Huer- 

 fano ; Miss Matie Sternberg, Boulder. 



There was considerable discussion 

 over the enemies of bees. Toads were 

 considered the worst. The President 

 said he had experimented with them ; 

 he had taken the toads and marked 

 them so that he should know them if 

 they returned. These toads were 

 carried across a creek 1,000 feet away 

 and 15 feet wide, yet in a short time 

 they had returned. It was best to 

 have the hive a few inches above the 

 ground, with a sloping board, so that 

 they could get up to it on returning 

 home at times when they could not 

 fly well. 



Adjourned to March 3, 1887. 



tW The next meeting of the Hardin County 

 Bee-Keep*T8' Association wtl) be held In Eldora, 

 Iowa, on Keb. 1-2. 1H87, at G. VV. Ward's office, at 

 10 a.m. Our ni»)nthly meetiDKs are very Interest- 

 ing, and we hope for a larjfe attendance. 



J. w. Buchanan, Sec. 



