AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



671 



Swarm Controller." Experience has 

 taught the observing boe-keeper that it 

 is necessary to reduce and control the 

 amount of brood in th(^ colony just on the 

 eve of the honey-flow, and I find by the 

 use of the queen and swarm controller, 

 that we can hold a colony on comb- 

 honey more successfully than by any 

 other method yet tried, and by giving 

 the queen worker-comb in the controller, 

 we can reduce the drone progeny to a 

 very small per cent., and for extracting 

 it certainly is just the thing that we all 

 want. 



You have no brood in the comb, and but 

 very little pollen ; having the queen and . 

 brood in the center of the hive, we have 

 pure honey on each side, and no queen 

 to look after. But one colony out of 

 twelve attempted to swarm, and the bees 

 returned to the hive and went to work 

 in earnest. Average 76 pounds comb- 

 honey for the twelve thus handled. 



(r. H. ASHWORTH. 



The subject was discussed at some 

 length, and condensed by JSIr. E. F. 

 Quigley as follows: " As I understand 

 the opinion of the convention, it is 

 decided that too much metal in the hive 

 is undesirable, and that there is danger 

 of losing the queen by superseding if 

 restrictor is used too long. 



Question — What are the best methods 

 of handling bees for comb-honey, with 

 no increase ? 



By controlling queen-space, giving the 

 queen just as much room as required for 

 laying. 



Question — What effect will it have on 

 swarming to exclude all the drones from 

 the hive ? 



It will tend to discourage swarming. 



Convention adjourned until 1:30 p.m. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



The convention was called to order at 

 1:45 p.m. 



An essay on Economy in Bee-Keep- 

 ing, by S. Brantigam, was read by the 

 Secretary, as follows : 



Slconomy in ;Bee-K.eepiiig'. 



Why use economy in bee-keeping ? 

 Because economy bears interest, and a 

 person once knowing the value of it, 

 will never do without it. For economy 

 avoids all waste and extravagance, and 

 applies money to the best advantage. 

 To be economical, is to save unneces- 

 sary expense and waste. 



How, when and where to use economy, 

 is a question which must be considered 

 by the apiarist or bee-keeper. Use it at 

 the proper tinje by ordering your sup- 



plies in ample time, so that you may 

 have everything ready and handy when 

 your labor is wanted in the apiary. 



By using the best hive for all pur- 

 poses, by having young queens, by good 

 management in breeding up in the 

 Spring ; saving all the scraps of wax, 

 which will amount to quite a little bit 

 for the time it takes to save it ; doing 

 your work neatly and well ; using full 

 sheets of foundation at the proper time ; 

 having your section* neat, clean, and 

 well filled : taking good care of your 

 combs during the Winter, and by win- 

 tering your bees well, with the least 

 expense. 



'Also by having a work-shop, with suf- 

 ficient room to work in, located at the 

 most convenient place at the apiary, and 

 by using your own judgment, and not 

 the supply dealer's, for the supply 

 dealers want to dispose of anything they 

 have in the line of hives and fixtures ; 

 and a practical apiarist will never buy 

 what the supply dealer wants to force 

 on him, but will buy what he knows is 

 best — which he knows by experience. 



A rigid economy is demanded in bee- 

 keeping, as in most other occupations. 

 Nothing must be allowed to go to waste; 

 all fragments must be utilized ; such as 

 pieces of wax, comb, refuse honey, etc. 

 Time is also a very important item. 

 Another item that is often overlooked 

 by the owner of bees, is the kind of help 

 they employ in their apiary. If you 

 have more bees than you can manage 

 yourself, it will pay you well to hire a 

 man to take charge of your apiary ; one 

 who is well posted in bee-keeping, and 

 has had experience. 



A great many imagine that any person 

 can manage an apiary, and because they 

 can get them cheaper, they think they 

 are saving money by employing such, 

 but they will soon discover that an in- 

 experienced person is only a detriment 

 to them. 



A good, sober and industrious apiarist 

 will demand good wages and good treat- 

 ment ; for he knows what his labor is 

 worth, and if the owner of the apiary 

 knows what he is doing, he will never 

 put an inexperienced person in charge of 

 his apiary, because he will do more 

 harm than good. As to the details of 

 economy, each apiarist must be his own 

 judge. SiGEL Brantigam. 



The subject was discussed at some 

 length by Messrs. Conser, Leahy, Gar- 

 rett, Morton, and others. 



A selection, "Difficulty in Rhyming,"" 

 was read by W. S. Dorn Blaser, 



