682 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Some claim that a drop of formic 

 acid, which causes the sting in the 

 bee, is put into the honey to prevent 

 fermentation before the final sealing 

 up ; but I have never seen them at it, 

 and very much doubt if any one else 

 has. The sealing of honey is air- 

 tight, -while that of the brood, on the 

 contrary, is porous. 



BEES WILL NOT BE FORCED. 



If the bee-keepers could make honey 

 as some persons believe they can, 

 they might do a " land-office busi- 

 ness," as nature has failed to produce 

 any this season, except in some fa- 

 vored localities. They might use 

 their idle capital, which is invested in 

 sections, foundation, etc. Hives are 

 full and running over with worker 

 bees, why not set them to work filling 

 foundation with sugar syrup V This 

 has been tried and found wanting ; 

 bees will carry down syrup to support 

 themselves and families, and then 

 flatly tell their owners, if they want 

 any more stored, they will have to 

 look elsewhere for workers to do it, 

 for it is not their nature to be fed, but 

 to help themselves from the fields. 



Peoria,© Ills. 



Tie Comim Conyention— SnEestions. 



On page 684 may be found a pro- 

 gramme of the topics to be discussed 

 at the coming union cenvention in 

 Chicago, Ills., from Nov. 16 to IS, 

 1887. The following from Dr. C. C. 

 Miller, in Oleanings, in reference to 

 the convention, contains suggestions 

 which are both wise and timely, and 

 to them we invite attention : 



I believe bee-conventions are in- 

 creasing in popularity. Rightly con- 

 ducted, there is no reason they should 

 not. If I am not mistaken, in Ger- 

 many they have a society, if not so- 

 cieties, with something like 500 mem- 

 bers. Did any society in this coun- 

 try ever reach 200 members V Per- 

 haps we have something to learn from 

 our German brethren in this regard. 



For many who attend the larger 

 conventions, the attendant expense 

 makes it important that everything 

 should be planned to occupy the time 

 in the most profitable manner, and it 

 appears to me quite worth while to 

 spend considerable time in advance 

 in talking the matter over. As one of 

 the officers of the North American 

 society, I am quite anxious that our 

 next meeting should be successful ; 

 and as the same things may apply to 

 other societies, it is well to talk out 

 loud. 



Something has been said already 

 about having the North American a 

 representative society, but no definite 

 action has been taken in that direc- 

 tion as yet. « Perhaps it would be a 

 good idea for those who have thought 

 most about this matter, to tell us 

 specifically just what should be done. 



Going back to general principles, a 

 mistake is often made in appointing 

 the time— that is, the day of the 

 week. If members are expected from 



a distance, and a two-days' session is 

 to be held, Tuesday and Wednesday 

 are by no means as good days as are 

 Wednesday and Thursday, nor even as 

 Thursday and Friday. If the first 

 day is Tuesday, it is difficult for some 

 to be there on time ; and if it closes 

 on Friday it is also difficult for them 

 to get home in time ; but it seems 

 better, if there must be any break in 

 numbers, that it should be at the last 

 end rather than at the first. Besides, 

 if a member is present, and much in- 

 terested, he will perhaps make more 

 effort to remain than he would to get 

 there on time. 



One of the bad things about most 

 meetings that I have ever attended 

 is the being confined so many hours 

 in a room with perhaps little or no 

 ventilation, the attention kept con- 

 tinuously iixed for three or more 

 hours at a stretch. It is a little strange 

 that a set of men will get together 

 and warmly discuss the kind of ven- 

 tilation that is best for bees, and for- 

 get that ventilation is just as neces- 

 sary for the human family. If it is 

 difficult to properly ventilate the 

 room, the windows can at least be 

 opened during a 15-miuutes' recess, 

 when the members can be moving 

 about without danger of taking cold. 

 Neither is this recess a waste of time. 

 I believe more can be accomplished 

 in ijii hours after recess in the fore- 

 noon or afternoon than in 1% hours 

 without a recess. I know I am rap- 

 ping my own knuckles in saying this, 

 but that does not alter the facts. 



At what time should the election of 

 officers take place V For one, I do not 

 know. There seems objections to 

 electing officers for the North Ameri- 

 can before the place of next meeting 

 is decided ; because, if it should be 

 at the extreme South or North, it 

 might not be best to elect officers 

 from the opposite extreme who might 

 not be at the next meeting. 



It has been customary for the newly 

 elected officers to assume control dur- 

 ing the latter half of the convention. 

 There may be some good reasons for 

 this, but there are some against it. 

 A set of officers ought to be able to 

 make more uniform work to act con- 

 tinuously through the convention 

 than to begin at the middle of one 

 convention and stop at the middle of 

 the next. In other words, a change 

 of officers during a convention makes 

 more or less of a break. Considering 

 that I am an officer in the North 

 American, my suggestion may not 

 seem a very modest one ; but, in spite 

 of the immodesty, the principle looks 

 to me correct. I am quite willing, 

 however, to let the old custom con- 

 tinue during the next convention. 



On one point I feel a little hesi- 

 tancy about speaking, but I believe I 

 ouglit. It is quite common for a 

 number of persons to attend the ses- 

 sions of the conventions and pay no 

 membership fees. It is, in general, 

 those from no great distance. The 

 man who has been to the expense of 

 coming 100 or 1,000 miles, and perhaps 

 brings more to the convention than 

 he takes away, pays his full sh»re of 

 all expenses, while others who have 

 all the benefit of the discussions, and 



are at little or no expense in coming 

 or going, absorb the whole with not 

 even a "• thank you." Bee-keepers 

 are such a liberal set that their con- 

 ventions have been made even more 

 free than political conventions. Is it 

 right? It you will ask the Secretary 

 or Treasurer at any of our large meet- 

 ings, you may be surprised to find 

 how many dead-heads are present. I 

 do not know just what is the best 

 thing to do about it, but I think in 

 some way every man should pay his 

 fee on his first arrival. 



Mr. Boot, editor of Gleanings, adds 

 the following note : 



Thanks, friend M. I heartily en- 

 dorse every point you make ; and 

 most especially do I endorse that 

 matter of ventilating the room we 

 meet in. When the room is poorly 

 ventilated I get dull and blue, and am 

 very apt to make up my mind that I 

 will not come next time ; whereas, if 

 I can be near an open window I often 

 get real happy, and wonder why it is 

 1 ever stayed away from a single 

 national convention. On some ac- 

 counts I rather like our customary 

 way of changing officers in the mid- 

 dle of the meeting. We are enabled 

 to get somewhat acquainted with new 

 comers. This matter of each one 

 paying his share of expenses is a 

 difficult thing to manage, and I pre- 

 sume it always will be. Even in our 

 churches it is customary for a limited 

 number of the members to bear the 

 heaviest burdens, and they are often 

 those not very well off in this world's 

 goods either. 



We heartily endorse the remarks of 

 Bro. Root upon the ventilation of the 

 hall. We have suffered much from 

 being compelled to breathe impure 

 air. Mrs. L. Harrison, some four 

 years ago, wrote a scathing rebuke 

 on this subject, as well as about the 

 cruelty of not allowing a recess. Now, 

 as Dr. Miller will have full charge of 

 the coming convention, we shall ex- 

 pect him to remedy these defects. 



As to making the North American 

 Bee-Keepers' Society a representative 

 body, we are in full accord with the 

 suggestions made by Dr. Miller. By 

 referring to the list of topics as given 

 in the programme on page 684, it will 

 be discovered that one of the subjects 

 enumerated is : " The Objects and 

 Methods of a thorough Organization 

 of the Bee-Keepers of America." 



As that topic is committed to the 

 editor of the American Bee Jour- 

 nal, he will endeavor to present 

 something practical and timely ; and 

 would suggest that this topic be 

 presented early enough to allow of 

 perfecting the organization if it is 

 adopted by the convention. 



As remarked by Dr. Miller , " we 

 have something to learn from our 

 German brethren" in regard to or- 



