73 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



bees to crowd her out, and thus reduce 

 the amount of brood compared with the 

 number of nurse bees. In order to be 

 effective, the young queens must be in- 

 troduced early in the Spring, before 

 there are any preparations for swarm- 

 ing. It is difficult to rear queens so 

 early in the season, and expensive to get 

 them from the South. 



Quite a number of bee-keepers have 

 succeeded to their satisfaction, in pre- 

 venting after-swarming, also in prevent- 

 ing increase, while but very few have 

 succeeded in preventing swarming. 

 Probably the only certain method that 

 has been used to any extent in this 

 country, is that of removing the queens 

 just at the opening of the swarming 

 season, leaving the colonies queenless 

 about three weeks. Of course, queen- 

 cells must be cut out at least twice dur- 

 ing this interval. Although a few good 

 men practice this method, I never could 

 bring myself to adopt it — there is too 

 much labor. 



I have said nothing in regard to mak- 

 ing increase artificially, because, unless 

 there is a desire for unusual increase, or 

 to leave the apiary unattended, I think 

 natural increase is preferable. One 

 difficulty in dividing bees to forestall 

 swarming, is that all colonies are not 

 ready for division at the same time. 

 There is danger of waiting too long or 

 of dividing too soon. 



The man who is producing honey as a 

 business, will find it to his advantage to 

 allow each colony to swarm once, if it 

 will (and no more), then make the most 

 out of a swarm. Whether the swarm 

 and old colony shall be again merged 

 into one, depends upon the desirability 

 of increase. 



This was followed by interesting re- 

 marks by Mr. Abner Brown, of Lansing, 

 a practical bee-keeper of long experience. 



The Committee on Exhibits made the 

 following report : 



Jacob Moore, Ionia, 1 bee-hive. 



Mrs. M. E. Thoma8, Ronald, 1 can honey. 



C. H. Ford, Ronald, 1 crate comb-honey. 



Abner Brown, Lansing-. 1 bee-feeder, 11 

 vials of honej', from different sections of the 

 United States. 



H. M. Lewis, Ionia, 1 case extracted-honey. 



Harmon Smith, Ionia, novice honej'-extract- 

 or, family favorite honey-scale, 10 bee-papers, 

 2 shipping-cases for extracted-honey, 4 dozen 

 cans of extracted-honey. Dr. Tinker's sections 

 and zinc. Van Deusen's foundation. Root's 

 foundation, Dadant's foundation, 3 samples 

 of sage honey and cases. 



H. B. Webber, Ionia, 1 Clark and 1 Bingham 

 smoker. 



The election of officers resulted as 

 follows : - 



President, A. N. Hall, Ionia. 



Secretary and Treasurer, Harmon 

 Smith, Ionia. 



On motion of Harmon Smith, the fol- 

 lowing resolutions were adopted : 



Resolved, That w^e do most respect- 

 fully petition the Honorable Legislature 

 of Michigan to incorporate in their 

 appropriation for the forthcoming 

 World's Columbian Exposition, at Chi- 

 cago, such sum for the purpose, and as 

 shall be adequate to give the bee-keep- 

 ing interest of the State its due and 

 proper representation in said Exposition. 



Resolved, That it is our opinion that 

 the bee and honey exhibit of North 

 America should be grouped together, 

 each State and Province by itself, so as 

 to make one grand " sweet " show. 



Resolved, That our thanks are due to 

 W. Z, Hutchinson, editor of the Revieiv, 

 for his instructive address, and to Abner 

 Brown, of Lansing ; to the press, for its 

 kindly notices ; to the ladies for their 

 music ; to the W. C. T. U. for the use of 

 their rooms, with a blessing for their 

 cause ; to our exhibitors for their efforts 

 in making a display at this meeting. 



The reports of those present show 

 that the Winter and Spring losses are 

 about 5 per cent., and the present pros- 

 pects good. 



The convention then adjourned to 

 meet in this city on Sept. 15 next. 



The attendance was the largest known 

 in the history of the society, and the in- 

 creased interest is very encouraging to 

 those concerned in its success. 



Ionia, Mich. 



Detecting" Adulteration in Wax. 



We detect adulteration by the smell, 

 and by chewing the wax. Beeswax and 

 tallow will make very fair chewing-gum. 

 But wax alone will crumble all to bits, 

 and cannot be chewed — at least very 

 long. 



The addition of paraffine has some- 

 what the same effect ; and even a very 

 little parafifine makes the wa^ melt at 

 a much lower temperature, so that it is 

 entirely unfit for foundation. 



If the sample in question should, with 

 very mild heat, become soft and mushy, 

 you may suspect paraffine. 



Beeswax, however, is tough and 

 leathery, and easily rolled at a tempera- 

 ture where paraffine would have no 

 toughness at all. — Oleanings. 



