Tmn mTmMmivmm mwM jQ.'i»Ri«i?EiLr. 



155 



Throiiiih wliat Channel Slionld tbe 

 Prodiu-tK of the Apiary be Con- 

 veyed to the consumer? 



Mr. Beldi'.ii sold the most of his pro- 

 duct to a shipper, for cash. He thought 

 it paid him better than to retail it. 



T. F. Shepard, one year, took his 

 lioney to New York city, and sold it at 

 35 cents per pound, while at home, 

 owing to the market being glutted, he 

 could only have realized 10 and 12 

 cents for it. 



Mr. Sutton had always been able to 

 sell in the home market. 



M. E. Mason — Some people look 

 upon the middleman as a monster, 

 when the fact is, without him it would 

 be hard to get along. He had been in 

 the business a long time, and has 

 never yet seen a time when a large 

 crop was general over the country. 

 Now the middleman makes it his busi- 

 ness to find where the crop is short. 

 While the small producer could not 

 afford to ship his honey, the middle- 

 man buys the surplus and ships it at 

 less expense than could the small pro- 

 ducer to where it is wanted, and by so 

 doing helps to keep up the price in 

 the home market. 



Mr. Sutton — Many must sell at 

 home. The large producer should 

 look up a market for his honey. 



Mr. Mason said that the past season 

 a fair honey crop was produced in his 

 vicinity, and honey was sold in Jefler- 

 son at 10 cents ; he went and bought a 

 lot of it. The price was put to 12 

 cents ; he bought it. Then the price 

 'went to 16 cents ; he bought what he 

 wanted at the price. So by stepping 

 in and buying he made money, as did 

 the producer. Had he not bought, he 

 thinks the price would have been low 

 through the season. 



C. H. Coon has been engaged in 

 sliipjting' poultry the past 20 years, 

 and lias always sold through commis- 

 sion houses, and has never lost a dollar 

 imtil this fall. Always find out whether 

 the liouse you ship to is "solid," and 

 also before you ship an article, be it 

 honey or anything else, find out 

 whether there is a demand for it. Do 

 not crowd the market. When honey 

 is wanted, ship it ; not before. He al- 

 ways grades his honey and keeps the 

 best back, has made it a point to place 

 some with the grocer where he trades. 



Mr. McLane marketed about 2,000 

 pounds at 15 and 16 cents whole.sale, 

 when his neighbors sold at 10 and 12 

 cents. He took orders from sample, 

 and sold 48 cases in a very short time, 

 at the same terms at which tliey (the 

 dealers) bought their other goods. His 

 second shiiiraent was one-half larger. 

 Now he could not supply the demand. 



I« it Best to Fill the Seclloua with 

 Foundation, or only Use Starters 1 



Mr. N. T. Phelps always uses full 

 sheets in sections, because it is better 



fastened on the sides ; combs stick to 

 the wood better. He never uses 

 starters unless he is short of founda- 

 tion, when he invariably finds the 

 combs not very well fastened in the 

 sections. 



Mr. Bartlett first used a V-shaped 

 starter, but he believes that it is more 

 profitable to use full sheets. When he 

 used starters only, he was troubled 

 with queens in the sections, which he 

 attributed to the drone-combs being 

 built there by the bees at the bottom of 

 the starters. He had many sections 

 spoiled then, but none now since using 

 full sheets. 



A vote was taken as to starters and 

 full sheets, two-thirds being in favor 

 of full sheets in sections. 



Is modern Ree-Keeptng Snffloleutly 



Iteniuiierative to Warrant tlio^e 



\vho Aspire to tlie Iiuxuries 



ol' lille. to Engage In it 



as a Special jPnrsult? 



Mr. Phelps — It depends upon what 

 are called luxuries. 



I doubt about its being feasible, as 

 we find people in the United States. 

 If expenses were not too great, a per- 

 son might make a living at the busi- 

 ness. 



Mr. Barrett — It depends upon the 

 range which we have for the bees to 

 gather honey in. If one could have 

 the whole field within a radius of 

 three miles, it miglit do, but as things 

 are, if a neighbor would see me . get- 

 ting lots of monej', " getting rich," as 

 they say, the business would soon be 

 overdone. As we find the circum- 

 stances, it will not pay to make a 

 specialty of the bee-business, but as it 

 is, the bees have paid better than any 

 other branch of farming. I have in- 

 duced neighboi's to sow Alsike clover, 

 which is a good yielder of honey, and 

 makes most excellent hay. The trouble 

 in bee-keeping is, to have forage 

 enough for the bees. 



AVIiat is the Best Method ot Feeding 

 Bees in the Spring? 



Mr. Mason — Feed the " Good " 

 candy over the cluster on top of the 

 frames under the cushion ; keep the 

 bees warm. 



Mr. Shepard — Feed syrup at the 

 entrance. 



Mr. Freeman — Feed syrup in a com- 

 mon quart fruit-can. Tie a thin cloth 

 over the mouth of the can, and invert 

 it over the cluster. 



Mr. Reynolds — I like feeding on top 

 of the frames best, because the bees do 

 not become so excited as they do when 

 fed at the entrance, consequently less 

 bees are lost by flights off in the cold 

 air. 



The convention adjourned to meet 

 in Franklin, in January, 1889. This 

 last meeting, somc^ of the oldest mem- 

 bers say, was one of the best and most 

 full of life ever held. 



IOWA. 



Report of the Nashua Convcn. 

 tioii or Bee-Keepers. 



Written for the American Bee JouT^nal 



The Nashua Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion held its second annual meeting at 

 Nashua, Iowa, on Feb. 18, 1888. The 

 convention was called to order at 10- 

 a.m., with Prcs. Tracy in the chair. 



The forenoon session was devoted 

 to the discussion of topics of general 

 interest. Alsike clover was highly 

 recommended as a honey-plant, and 

 one member who had practical experi- 

 ence with it, said that it was superior 

 to other clovers for pasture and hay. 



In the afternoon the following ofii- 

 cers were elected : President, Thos. 

 Tracy,of Nashua ; Vice-President, Geo. 

 H. Potter, of Ionia ; and Secretaiy, H. 

 L. Rouse, of Ionia. 



The following questions and answers- 

 were then given : 



Should bees be taken out of the cel- 

 lar for a cleansing flight ? No. 



What amount of ventilation is best ? 

 Some preferred very little, and others 

 preferred considerable. 



Is shade desirable during the sea- 

 son ? Yes ; but natui'al shade is the- 

 best, and shade boards come next. 



How large an entrance should the 

 colony be given in early spring ? One- 

 fourth by 1 inch. 



When is the best time to put bees ia 

 the cellar ? The majority favored 

 putting them in early in November j. 

 but better too early than too late. 



Thirteen members reported that they 

 were wintering 818 colonies, and that 

 they obtained no honey in 1887. 



Pi^sident Tracy said : " Sometimes 

 my bees become uneasy towards 

 spring, and when I would take a pan- 

 ful of snow, and throw a spoonful in 

 at the hive-entrance of each colony, 

 thej' would become quiet." He win- 

 ters his bees in the cellar. About two- 

 thirds of the bees represented by the. 

 members are being wintered in the 

 cellar, and the balance in chaff hives. 



The convention adjourned to meet 

 in Nashua, on May 19, 1888, at 10 a.m. 

 H. L. Rouse, Sec. 



CO!VVE]^TIOI\ WOXICES. 



C^^" The Cortland Union Bee-Keepers' Associatiott 

 wiU hold its spring meeting on May 8, 1 8H8, at Cort- 

 land, N. y., at 10 a.m. All bee-keepera are invited. 

 W. H. BEACH. Sue. 



8^* The Des Moines County Bee-Keepers' Associ- 

 ation will hold its ne.vt meeting on April 24, ins-i, at 

 Burlington, Iowa. JOHN NAP, Sec 



E^* The Hardin County Bee-Keepers' Associa^ 

 tion will meet at the Court House in BIdora, towa,, 

 on the second Saturday in each month, at nooa 

 (12 o'clock), until further notice. 



J. W. BUCHANAN, Sec. 



J3ff~ The ne.xt regular meeting of the Sus- 

 quehanna County Bee-Keepers' Associatioa 

 will be held at New Miltord, Pa., on Saturday, 

 May 5, 1888. H. M. Seeley, Sec. 



