

G77 



INTERNATIONAL. 



Report of llie Blorth American 

 Bee-Keepers' Convention. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



BY W. Z. HUTCHINSON. 



The North American Bee-Keepers' 

 Society convened its Nineteenth An- 

 nual Convention on Oct. .3, 1888, in 

 the Representative Hall, at the State 

 House in Columbus, Ohio. 



The meeting was called to order at 

 11 a.m., with President A. B. Mason 

 in the chair. As no programme had 

 been prepared, a committee was ap- 

 pointed to prepare one. The follow- 

 ing members then paid their dues : 



J. S. Barb, BristolviUe, O. 



J. A. Bityard, Atuens, 0. 



E. M. Bennett, South Charlestown, O. 



Dr. H. Besae, Delaware, 0. 



J. H. Boyden, Saline, Mich. 



J no. Calvert, Medina, O. 



Asher M. Coe, Coe Ridae, O. 



E. H. Collins, Mattsville, Ind. 



Prof. A. J. Cook, Agricultural Coll., Mich. 



J. Y. Detwiler, New Smyrna, Fla. 



W. J. Dixon, Monday, O. 



G. M. Dooiittle, Borodino, N. T. 



Frank A. Eaton, BmfftoQ. 0. 



Henry Hastinas, Kenton, O. 



B. Heipliry, Utica, O. 



K. F. Holtermann, Brantford, Ont. 



Marcus Holtz, Tiffin. O. 



W. Z. Hutchinson, Flint, Mich. 



C\ E. Joues, Delaware, O. 



D. B. Lovett, Crestline, O. 

 David Lucas, Jewett, O. 



Dr. A. B. Mason, Auburndale, 0. 

 N. W. McLain, Hinsdale, Ills. 

 J. J. McWhorter, South Lyons, Mich. 

 Dr. C. C. Miller, Marenno, Ills. 



F. Minnick, Bessemer, Wis. 

 J. F. Moore, Kockaway, O. 



S. R. Morris, Bloominnsburg, 0. 

 Adam Rickenbacher, Gahanna, 0. . 



A. 1. Root, Medina, O. 



E. R. Root, Medina, O. 



K. R. Ryan, Bradshaw, Nebr. 



Jno. Short, Mollne, Mich. 



J. H. Smith, Kenton, O. 



R. L. Taylor. Lapeer, Mich. 



Dr. G. L. Tinker, New Philadelphia, 0. 



Samuel Utz, Kenton, 0. 



P. S. Van Rensseler, La Cairne, O. 



G. W. Webster, Lake Helen, Fla. 



B. Wells, Fostoria, O. 



Roht. B. Woodward, Somerset, O. 

 S. P. Yoder, East Lewistown, O. 



LIFE MEMBER. 



Thomas G. Newman, Chicago, Ills. 



LADY JtEJtBERS. 



Miss Dema Bennett. Bedford, O. 



Mrs. Prof. Cook, Agricultural Coll., Mich. 



Mrs. M. George, Bowling Green, O. 



Mrs. D. B. Lovett, Crestline, O. 



Mrs. A. B. Mason, Auburndale, O. 



Mrs. Mary MiPherson, Ohio. 



Mis. E. li. Palmer, Exeter, Mich. 



Miss Kate Perkins, Flushing, O. 



Mr.«. E. R. Root, Medina. 0. 



Mrs. M. Stover, R )Scoe, O. 



Mrs. Catherine Springer, Fostoria, 0. 



Miss Mary Statelar, Somerford, O. 



Miss Sarah Statelar, Somerford, O. 



After the members had paid their 

 dues, the remainder of the forenoon 

 was employed in what might be called 



An Experience Meeting^. 



Miss Dema Bennett had received 

 many reports, and nearly all reported 

 failure. A few had reported getting 

 100 pounds per colon}- from pepperage. 



Dr. Tinker reported almost no honey 

 from white clover. The greatest yield 

 had been from yellow poplar. The 

 honey from this source is dark, and 

 many mistake it for honey-dew. 



Prof. Cook stated that he had re- 

 ceived some heart's-ease honey from 

 Iowa. When first received it was very 

 strong in flavor. No one would want 

 it upon the table. In three or four 

 weeks the strong flavor had passed 

 away. 



R. L. Taylor said — My story is like 

 that of the other members. My crop 

 is about 5 pounds of surplus per col- 

 ony. My bees are in two apiaries nine 

 miles apart. All the white honey was 

 secured in one locality, and all the fall 

 honey in the other. In the northern 

 part of the county the fall flow was 

 bountiful. If I had moved my bees 20 

 miles I might have secured from 25,000 

 to 40,000 pounds of surplus. This 

 honey that was secured in the north- 

 ern part of the county was almost as 

 white as my clover honey. I think it 

 came from asters and button-ball. The 

 flavor is good ; it reminds me of fine 

 maple syrup. 



R. F. Holtermann reported that bees 

 wintered poorly in Canada. Clover 

 and linden yielded but lightly. But 

 very little comb honey had been taken, 

 and the extracted would all be oft' the 

 nuirkets in October. The fall flow had 

 been fair. In localities the flow from 

 thistle had been good. 



Mrs. Mary McPherson made her 

 living by keeping bees, poultry, etc. 

 She had learned the business under 

 protest. Her husband had told her 

 that she might sometime be left to 

 support herself and children. His 

 words had proved true. Last season 

 she was left a widow. From 32 colo- 

 nics she had secured 800 pounds of 

 comb honey. She did all the work, 

 besides caring for her poultry and 

 doing her house-work. She was up in 

 the mcu-ning as soon as it was light 

 enough to see, and she said she would 

 like to have a private settlement with 

 the man who said bee-keeping was 

 nice and easj' work — ^just suited to 

 ladies. 



J. y. Detwiler rehearsed the troubles 

 that had befallen the bee-keepers of 

 Florida. The frost of 1886 had in- 

 jured the mangrove. It had recovered 

 in a measure, and was beginning to 

 yield. This year he had 1,200 pounds 

 from 40 colonies. Large black ants 



give much trouble. They work at 

 night, and sometimes destroy full col- 

 onies. Mr. Detwiler preferred to keep 

 bees in the North, even with the risks 

 of wintering, to keeping them in 

 Florida ; but he liked the climate of 

 Florida, his home is there, and he 

 should stay. 



The convention then adjourned until 

 2 p.m. 



AFTERNOON SESSIOIV. 



The afternoon session was called to 

 order at 2 p.m. by President Mason. 



Reunion Song:. 



We naturally feel a little pride in 

 the fact that when we need poetrj', 

 songs or music it is not necessary to 

 leave our ranks in search of the talent 

 necessary for their manufacture. The 

 afternoon session was opened by sing- 

 ing " The Bee-Keepers' Reunion Song" 

 — the words by Eugene Secor, and the 

 music by Dr. C. C. Miller. Many of 

 the members joined in the singing, 

 and all were pleased with the senti- 

 ments expressed, as well as with the 

 music. 



After the singing the convention 

 took up for discussion this subject : 



Xlie Uest Age of Bees to Go into 

 Winter Quarters. 



Dr. G. L. Tinker preferred young 

 bees ; those that had had one flight. 

 He would put the bees in as early as 

 Nov. 10, as they are then likely to be- 

 come quiet and remain so. As an ex- 

 periment he hail taken some of the 

 bees out of the cellar, and allowed 

 them to fly, then returned them to the 

 cellar, and as a result they became 

 restless and wintered very poorly. 



Dr. C. C. Miller — I suppose that if 

 we should try to find out what class of 

 the human family suftered most in a 

 severe winter, we would learn that it 

 was the old folks and the children. I 

 do not know as I disagree with Dr. 

 Tinker. I am not sure, however, that 

 I want very young bees. In the fall 

 we have all ages of bees in the hives. 

 Some of them will die within a week, 

 others in two weeks, others in a month, 

 and so on. If it were possible, I be- 

 lieve it would be an advantage to have 

 sifted out all the bees that would die 

 before spring. 



R. L. Taylor — I would like to ask at 

 what time the Doctor would have the 

 queen stop laying ? 



Dr. C:. C. Miller — We have but little 

 control over this. We might prolong 

 breeding by feeding. 



R. L. Taylor — One year I fed the 

 bees in th(^ fall. October was warm, 

 there was brood in the hives early in 

 November, and the young bees cer- 

 tainly did no harm, as the bees win- 

 tered unusually well. 



