AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



75 



Nortliern Illinois Conyention. 



D. A. FULLEK. 



The annual Convention of the Northern 

 Illinois Bee-Keepers' Association was 

 called to order, in the Supervisors' Room 

 of the Court House, at Rockford, on 

 Dec. 16, 1890, at 10 a.m., by President 

 Herrick. 



The Minutes of the previous meeting 

 were read and approved. 



BEE ESCAPES. 



Mr. Whittlesey, of Seward, was called 

 upon, to give his experience with the 

 Dibbern Bee-Escapes. He said that in 

 some cases it had worked well ; in others, 

 it did not work at all, as it would take 

 several days. He was not satisfied and 

 did not think it a success. 



Mr. Stordock, of Durand, said that it 

 would certainly get the bees out of the 

 supers, but it did sometimes take several 

 days. 



President Herrick said that his experi- 

 ence was about the same as Mr. Whittle- 

 sey's. At times it worked well, at other 

 times it was too slow. 



D. A. Fuller, of Cherry Valley, said he 

 had made one, by using a super rim 4:% 

 inches inside, putting in a tight board, 

 down }i an inch, boring 2 two-inch holes, 

 and putting a wire cone in them. Plac- 

 ing them on in the evening, no matter 

 how many supers were piled on top, the 

 next morning the bees would all be out 

 of the supers. Sometimes there would 

 be quite a cluster of bees on the under 

 side of the escape. 



SQUARE TOP-BAES AND BURR-COMBS. 



On the question being asked as to 

 experience with square top-bars, Mr. 

 Sweezey, of Guilford, said that he had 

 used them two years, and he did not 

 think there were as many burr-combs on 

 them as on the others. 



Mr. Taylor, of Harlem, said that his 

 experience with them was that, if the 

 bee-space was over % of an inch above, 

 there would be just as much burr-combs. 

 He thought that the bee-space, over the 

 frames, had more to do with it, than the 

 shape of the top-bars of the frames. 



Mr. Whittlesey said that his experi- 

 ence was that the bee-space governed 

 the burr-combs, more than the shape of 

 the top-bars. 



The President said that he used square 

 top-bars, and he had no burr-combs in 

 the hives containing his new swarms, 

 but there were some on those containing 

 his old colonies. 



The Convention 



1 P.M. 



then adjourned until 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



Promptly, at 1 o'clock, the President's 

 gavel called to order, when he gave the 

 following : 



president's ADDRESS : 



Brother and Sister Bee-Keepers: 



Another year has passed since we last 

 met, to talk over the successes and 

 failures in our calling, and to give and 

 receive benefit from each other's experi- 

 ences. Now we have come together 

 again ; but under very different circum- 

 stances. Last year we had a very 

 bountiful crop of the nicest honey ; and, 

 although the price was low, we had a 

 handsome balance on the credit side of 

 our "Profit and Loss" account. 



This year, we have no honey of any 

 consequence, and the balance is largely 

 on the wrong side of the account. Yes, 

 and some of us are even sending for 

 honey produced by our more fortunate 

 brothers in Southern California, to feed 

 our bees, in order to prevent starvation 

 before Spring. 



Many bee-keepers call it a year of 

 failure — "utter failure." My friends, 

 shall ive call it an utter failure ? Have 

 we learned nothing by the past season's 

 experience ? Are we, as progressive 

 hee-keepers, not able to put that experi- 

 ence to good use ? True, our pocket 

 books remain empty, and the honey- 

 house is a rather lonesome place ; so 

 much so, that we do not take our friends 

 to visit it, as of yore. But may we not 

 reap a double harvest next year, in con- 

 sequence of not having reaped any this 

 year ? Do you think there will be as 

 many to compete with us next year ? 



I say most emphatically, this has not 

 been a year of failure. We need such a 

 year, once in a while. For what purpose, 

 do you ask ? Why, if for no other pur- 

 pose, to Mil off the drones ! 



Do you not know that we have drones 

 among bee-keepers, as well as among 

 bees ? Out of the hive, as well as in it ? 

 Let me describe them to you. They are 

 much like the drones in the hives. They 

 appear in the Spring following a good 

 honey season. They think there is "big 

 money in bees ; and they are going into 

 the business with a rush ; they come 

 about the same time of the year that the 

 other kind does ; and they are useful 

 too, in their way, to wide-awake bee- 

 keepers. They buy our surplus bees and 

 supplies. 



Like the other kind, they think the 

 honey season will last forever. And 



