452 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



By all means, let the trade-mark 

 theory be dropped, unless they could use 

 it in the Union — that beinji a much 

 smaller body. 



Boscobel, Wis. 



[Do not be alarmed, Brother Rice. 

 That "trade-mark" proposition was 

 very absurd; but it will never be adopted 

 by the Union as Ions as the present 

 Manager has anything to say about it. 

 Such a feature would be its death-blow. 

 —Ed,] 



-^•-'^ 



Illinois Conyention— Wliere to lie Heltl, 



GEO. F. ROBBINS. 



Dr. Miller (page 374) thinks that the 

 meetings of the State Association should 

 be held at Chicago, but admits that "the 

 wish may be father to the thought." 

 From the first I naturally wanted the 

 Convention at Springfield, but I acknowl- 

 edged to myself that it might suit the 

 majority better to go to Chicago. When 

 I got into the Convention I found the 

 prevailing thought was, as I understood 

 it, that the meetings should all beheld 

 at Springfield. 



The second article, I believe, of the 

 Constitution provides that "its princi- 

 pal place of business shall be at Spring- 

 field." Just what that means I cannot 

 understand, unless it is that the meet- 

 ings of the association shall be held 

 there. I confess that I think that, in 

 justice to all, the different meetings 

 should be held in different places, 

 although there is some reason why it 

 should be a fixture at the capital. 



As between Springfield and Chicago I 

 can give three good arguments in favor 

 of the former. The first is, it seems 

 that the bee-keepers are pretty evenly 

 distributed over the State. I was in- 

 clined to think that the majority of 

 of them were in the northern half, but 

 some of the brethren at the Convention 

 nearly convinced me that Springfield 

 was about the center of gravity, with 

 the preponderance, if anything, in favor 

 of the south. 



The second argument is, our proposed 

 union with the vague thing — existing as 

 yet only as an idea — known as the 

 Farmers' Club. That idea, I believe, 

 contemplates regular annual meetings at 

 Springfield, which would, of course, 

 locate the Bee-Keepers' Association 

 there with it. 



The third argument is a negative one. 

 Chicago would very likely draw a larger 



number, but, as Mr. Heddon intimates, 

 a large proportion of them would come 

 from adjoining States. Well, Chicago, 

 has a Bee-Keepers' Convention about 

 every year anyway, and probably has 

 more attendants from Michigan than 

 Southern Illinois. But we must remem- 

 ber the prime object in the organization 

 of a State Association, was to further 

 the interests of the apiarists of the State 

 with regard to an exhibit at the World's 

 Fair. The best place to act in this mat- 

 ter is at the capital. 



Besides, while the presence of Mr. 

 Heddon, and others from sister States, 

 would be a great acquisition, and we 

 would heartily welcome them, they 

 could not be specially interested in our 

 cause, and in that respect they would 

 add nothing to its value. On looking 

 over the above I see it is not altogether 

 a negative argument after all. But I 

 have done. If there is any other side, 

 let us have it. 



Mechanicsburg, Ills. 



Incniialing Ponltry Im in Bee-HiTes. 



ARTHUR T. GOLDSBOROUGH. 



Five or six months ago I wrote to yo u 

 that I believed the warmth from a colony 

 of bees might be used to incubate poultry 

 eggs, and after experimenting would 

 'give you the results. Although I made 

 my inner case nearly a year ago, I have 

 had no time to test it. 



I shall now give you my ideas about it, 

 and perhaps some of your readers might 

 wish to test the possibilities of this new 

 incubator. The main trouble will be to 

 get the required heat, and I greatly fear 

 that, except during the Summer months, 

 the natural warmth of the colony would 

 not be sufficient to hatch eggs. Perhaps 

 some of the gentlemen who have tested 

 this point, might tell us what amount of 

 heat would be available from a full col- 

 ony of bees, and if it did not reach 100^ 

 there would be no use of further inves- 

 tigation. 



If you do not wish to use a surplus- 

 case over the eggs, the following would 

 be a quickly-made egg-holding case or 

 chamber. Get a half dovetail body, and 

 saw it in the middle. This" would give 

 you a frame 20K inches long, 13^ 

 inches wide, and 2 inches deep, capable 

 of holding 50 eggs. Tack onto the bot- 

 tom of this frame a thin wire-cloth, and 

 it is ready for the eggs. You could use 

 anything you pleased for a cover. A 

 thin board, enameled cloth, canvas, or a 



