218 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



■wheat. No cheese or butter associa- 

 tion could fix the price of dairy pro- 

 ducts. Tbe law of supply and de- 

 mand will ultimately control these 

 matters, in spite of all our devices. 

 All we can do is to cheapen the pro- 

 duction of honey by adopting the best 

 labor-saving devices in our apiaries; 

 ofEer only a lirst-class article for sale, 

 and so get the best price going ; 

 spread information concerning the 

 value of honey as food and medicine ; 

 set ourselves to develop a local mar- 

 ket, by exciting a home demand; and, 

 above all, avail ourselves of that 

 British mart, which, through the en- 

 terprise of the Ontario Government, 

 and the labors of our commissioners 

 has been proved to be readily accessi- 

 ble to us. 



Another matter of special interest 

 to us is the rights of bee-keepers as 

 involved in the recent suit of Mcin- 

 tosh vs. Harrison. This case went 

 against the bee-keeper. His bees were 

 declared a nuisance, and the court 

 granted an injunction against their 

 being kept in close proximity to the 

 blacksmith shop of his neighbor. This 

 lawsuit undeniably grew out of a 

 quarrel between neighbors. The bees 

 Bad been kept near the blacksmith 

 shop for years, and would have been 

 kept there still, withoutobjection, but 

 for an unhappy dispute about a pig- 

 pen. It would have paid Harrison to 

 have cleaned out the pig-pen himself, 

 and sprinkled plenty of deodorizing 

 matter around it, rather than go to 

 law. An expense of about $1,000 has 

 been incurred by the litigants— $300 

 for the plaintiff, and $700 for the de- 

 fendant. The plaintiff has got what 

 he wanted at a high cost, and is prob- 

 ably as sorry as the defendant that 

 the matter ever went into court. This 

 case decides nothing as to bee-keep- 

 ing in general. Bees may be a nui- 

 sance kept close to a blacksmith shop, 

 where sweaty horses are apt to get a 

 sting now and then, but this does not 

 prove that they are a nuisance every- 

 where within corporation limits. 



It is thought by some that we must 

 have special legislation to define the 

 rights of bee-keepers. If so, the 

 sooner it is attended to the better. 

 But, perhaps it might be as well to 

 " let sleepingdogs lie." The common- 

 sense and good-feeling of the general 

 public may be counted on to put up 

 with a little temporary annoyance, 

 rather than injure one of the rising 

 industries of our country— that to 

 which we are indebted for the most 

 luscious condiment that can tickle a 

 human palate. People, in general, 

 are forbearing. AVitness the extent 

 to which thedog nuisance is tolerated, 

 though " dogs delight to bark and 

 bite," kill a great many valuable 

 sheep, and occasionally cause the 

 death of human beings by that terrible 

 disease, hydrophobia. My voice is 

 not for war over the Harrison suit. 

 It would never have been instituted, 

 but as the result of ill-feeling, which 

 ought not to have come into existence. 

 Priority of location is another mat- 

 ter which is attracting much atten- 

 tion among bee-keepers. It is pro- 

 posed by some to pass a law securing 

 to the first comer as a bee-keeper into 



a neighborhood, the exclusive owner- 

 ship of the bee-forage within certain 

 limits. As well might you give the 

 first village store-keeper exclusive 

 right of trade until the population 

 reaches a certain number, and so on 

 with the first blacksmith, the first 

 shoemaker, and tbe first preacher. 

 One man may want the whole loaf to 

 himself, and another feel that half a 

 loaf is better than no bread. They 

 must " catch as catch can," and settle 

 the matter as best they may. We 

 now have too much legislation, and 

 consequently too much litigation. It 

 is good foy the lawyers, but bad for 

 the common people. We do want 

 more legislation of a higher kind. 

 The golden rule and the law of love 

 have only to be carried out to end all 

 tbe faction fights between capital and 

 labor, and this is amply sufticient to 

 regulate the relations and locations 

 of bee-keepers ; otherwise we must 

 bow to that inexorable law of nature 

 which provides for the " survival of 

 the fittest." 



A long and interesting discussion 

 followed, mainly in regard to the best 

 means of securing the British market 

 for our surplus honey product. The 

 following resolutions were then 

 passed : 



Besolved, That this association is of 

 the opinion that in order to render 

 permanent the good results of last 

 year's honey-exhibit in England, it is 

 desirable that Canadian bee-keepers 

 co-operate in making as large a con- 

 signment as possible the coming year; 

 and that the Ontario Bee-Keepers' 

 Association be requested to appoint a 

 commissioner to go ahead of the con- 

 signment and make sales, it being 

 understood that the Government grant 

 be a guarantee fund for the one com- 

 missioner as it was for the four last 

 year, and that after deducting such 

 expenses as the grant does not cover, 

 there be a dividend, share and share 

 alike among the consignors ; also, in 

 case this is done, the members of this 

 association engage, season permitting, 

 to supply at least 10,000 pounds of 

 honey, all such honey to be duly in- 

 spected before acceptance for ship- 

 ment. 



Besolved, That we consider the di- 

 rectors of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' 

 Association are in duty bound to lay 

 before tbe bee-keepers of this country 

 a financial statement relative to tbe 

 Canadian honey-exhibit in England 

 last year. 



Besolved, That the Secretary be 

 directed to send a copy of the fore- 

 going resolutions to the President of 

 the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion, and that the President of this 

 association and Mr. R.F. Holtermann 

 represent this association at the meet- 

 ing of directors, that may be called to 

 consider this matter. 



Besolved, That agricultural societies 

 be respectfully requested to appoint 

 no parties as judges of honey and 

 apiarian supplies except those who 

 have had experience as bee-keepers. 



Mr. R. F. Holtermann then read a 

 brief essay on " Manipulation and 

 Mutilation," pointing out the evils of 

 a too frequent disturbance of the 



brood-nest. The essay was discussed 

 at some length. 



The thanks of the convention were, 

 on motion, voted to the Mayor and 

 corporation for the use of tlie Council 

 Chamber ; also to tbe President for 

 his address, and to Mr. R. F. Holter- 

 mann for his essay. 



The convention then adjourned to 

 meet on Thursday, Sept. 1, 1887, in 

 Guelph, at 10 a.m. 



Guelph,Ont. 



Local Convention Directory. 



1887. Time and place of Meeting. 



Apr. 9.— Union, at Dexter, Iowa. 



J. E. Pryor. Sec, Dexter, Iowa. 



Apr. 12.— Stark County, at Canton. Ohio. 



Mark Thomson, Sec, Canton, O. 



Apr. 14.— Eastern Indiana, at Richmond, Ind. 



M, G. Reynolds, Sec, WilliamaburK, Ind. 



Apr. 16.— Marshall County, at Marshalltown, Iowa. 

 J. W. Sanders, Sec. L.eGrand, Iowa. 



Apr. 20.— Wabash County, at N. Manchester, Ind. 

 Aaron Singer, Sec, Wabash, Ind. 



Apr. 20.— Southern Illinois, at Benton. Ills. 



f. U. Kennedy, Sec, DuQuoin, Ills. 



Apr. 26.— Central Michigan, at Lansing, Mich. 



J. Ashworth, Pres., Lansing, Mich. 



Apr. 26.— DesMolnes Co., at Burlington, Iowa. 



John Nau, Sec, Middletown, Iowa. 



May 5.— Sheboygan County, atHingfaam,Wis. 

 Mattie B. Thomas, Sec, Sheboygan Falls, Wis. 



May 24.-N. W. Ills. & S. W. Wis., at Rockton, Ills. 

 D. A. Fuller, Sec. Cherry Valley, Ills. 



^F" In order to have this table complete. Secre- 

 taries are requested to forward full particulars of 

 time and place of future meetings.— ED. 



Disastrous Weather for Bees— E. 

 F. Smith, Smyrna,© N. Y., on March 

 24, 1887, says : 



My bees are in bad condition, and 

 have had no flights since the first 

 week in November — 142 days. March 

 has been colder than February. We 

 had a regular blizzard from the north- 

 west on March 22, and there is a great 

 depth of snow. Unless we have a 

 change soon, there will be very few 

 bees left in this region ; some have 

 already lost all, and others one-half 

 or more. 



Two Colonies in a Hive.— W. 



Mason, Fillmore,tolnd., on March 28, 

 1887, writes : 



On page 59 I promised to report my 

 experience in wintering two or more 

 colonies in one hive. Now that win- 

 ter is past I can say that I see no 

 benefit in the plan for wintering. I 

 do not think they will make as good a 

 showing as single colonies; yet my 

 test was not a fair one. The last of 

 January we had a few warm days 

 with the temperature up to 60° above 

 zero in the bee- house; the bees be- 

 came excited, leaving the hives and 

 getting down on the floor, thus leav- 

 ing several colonies weak. I was 

 away from home at the time, but re- 

 turned the day it became cooler ; see- 



I 



