AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



821 



saving of stores,also,will soon pay for the 

 cost of the cellar. 



P. H. Elwood — About 30 years ago 

 Capt. Hetherington ina<le 500 hives, 

 with what is called a dead air-space, but 

 they did not prove satisfactory, and he 

 soon discarded thera. 



The Secretary then read an essay from 

 Dr. G. L. Tinker, entitled. Are We 

 Ready to Adopt a Standard for the 

 American Italian Bee ? 



W. E. Clark — It seems tome as if a 

 standard would be of but little value to 

 any except queen-breeders, and those 

 who exhibit bees at Fairs. The standard 

 bees with me are those that give me the 

 most honey. 



O. L. Hershiser — I think there is 

 great need for a standard, not only on 

 the Italian bees, but on all the various 

 races. At the Detroit Fair, last Fall, 

 some were ruled out because they had 

 more than three yellow bands, and it 

 gave some dissatisfaction. If there was 

 a standard established, we would have 

 something to guide us, the same as the 

 breeders of other stock have. 



E. BacoR — I have had queens from 

 many prominent queen-breeders, and 

 have never, as yet, received any that 

 produced more honey than my black and 

 hybrid bees. 



G. H. Knickerbocker — I think the 

 point that friend E. R. Root made in 

 Gleanings, some time ago, in regard to 

 there being some Cyprian blood in the 

 four and five-banded Italians, was well 

 taken. The first bees of this strain that 

 I had, originated in my yard, in 1886. 

 I had, at that time, a colony of Cyprians, 

 with the best imported queen that I ever 

 saw. I controlled the drones with one 

 of Alley's traps, but occasionally, -when 

 opening the hive, a few would escape. I 

 feel very confident that this queen 

 mated with one of these Cyprian drones, 

 and the result was four and five-banded 

 workers, and drones nearly all yellow. 

 Since that time, I have had queens from 

 at least two breeders, claiming to have 

 the yellowest stock extant, and, with the 

 exception of being a little more uniform 

 in their markings, I could see but little, 

 if any, difference. All have the glossy, 

 transparent yellow on the underside of 

 the abdomen, nearly the same as the 

 Cyprians ; they always cap their honey 

 with the same water-soaked appearance, 

 and do not enter sections as readily as 

 the darker strains of Italians. 



The Convention adjourned until 2 p.m. 



AFTERNOOJ^ SESSION. 



Convention called to order at 2 p.m. 

 The election of officers for the ensuing 

 year resulted as follows : P. H, Elwood, 



President ; I. L. Scofield, Vice-President; 

 G. H. Knickerbocker, Secretary ; Thos. 

 Pierce, Treasurer. 



President Elwood then delivered his 

 annual address, from which the follow- 

 ing is an extract : 



" An investigation into the causes that 

 promote the secretion of honey in 

 flowers, I believe, would be not only in- 

 teresting, but also profitable to us. 



"It is commonly believed that when a 

 bee-keeper sows and produces flowers, 

 he has gone as far as he can in provid- 

 ing forage for his bees. I believe this to 

 be a mistaken idea. When the subject 

 is fully understood, I think he will go a 

 step further, and seek to promote the 

 secretion of honey in the flowers. It is 

 now admitted that the primary purpose 

 of this secretion is to allure insects to 

 flowers, so that they may become ferti- 

 lized. 



" In the case of buckwheat, Mr. Quin by 

 observed that a full crop of honey was 

 usually followed by a good yield of grain, 

 and conversely, that a short crop of 

 honey was usually followed by a poor 

 yield of grain. 



" On a poor soil, or in a dry time, the 

 plant may have sufficient vigor to furnish 

 a fair amount of blossoms, but unless 

 the necessary food or moisture is sup- 

 plied at this time, the yield of honey and 

 seed will be light. There will be no need 

 of honey to secure a fertilization that 

 cannot be matured. 



"A study of this subject will convince 

 any one that bees are highly beneficial 

 and valuable to the fruit-grower and 

 general farmer. A perfect fertilization 

 is now held to be necessary to secure the 

 greatest vigor in future generations of 

 plants, while a fertilization- not perfect 

 is held to be a prolific cause of blasting, 

 even after seed and. fruit have formed. 



"Mr. Cheshire says: 'I had 200 

 apples, that had dropped during a gale, 

 gathered promiscuously, for a lecture 

 illustration, and the cause of falling in 

 every case but eight, was traceable to 

 imperfect fertilization.' 



" It has been suggested that the rem- 

 edy for short crops is the management 

 of a greater number of colonies with less 

 work ; or, in other words, out-apiaries 

 are suggested. I do not believe that, for 

 a majority of bee-keepers, the advice is 

 good. When a small business does not 

 pay, it is not usually advisable to extend 

 it. Some other business, with bee-keep- 

 ing, is advisable. 



" The objection to this is that it is 

 difficult to find any other occupation in 

 which the busy time does not come when 

 the apiarist is the busiest with his bees. 



