ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



95 



should produce extracted? (Same num- 

 ber— 15.) 



Mr. Whitney — Dr. Miller voted twice; 

 that is not fair. Circumstances alter 

 cases. I would like to produce extract- 

 ed honey, and I would like to produce 

 comb honey. I would not do as. Dr. 

 Miller did, vote both ways. 



Mr. Cavanagh — The conditions make 

 a great deal of difference, whether it 

 is practical to produce comb or ex- 

 tracted honey. You have to have a 

 pretty swift and steady flow to produce 

 comb honey advantageously. If you 

 have a slow flow it makes it unprofit- 

 able, as well as getting a poor quality. 



Dr. Miller — In all seriousness I would 

 say we ought to vote on both sides. 

 I do believe that extracted honey ought 

 to be furnished to the public, and so 

 do I believe that comb Iioney should. 

 The majority of people, perhaps, can- 

 not so well afford to have comb honey. 

 I believe that comb honey, in its purity 

 and perfection, is just a little better 

 than any extracted honey you can get. 

 I know it is a little dangerous to say 

 that here, but I don't believe you can 

 get quite the same quality when you 

 extract it as you can in the comb but 

 there is so little difference for a staple 

 article that I should say extracted 

 honey is what they should have, but 

 some are willing to pay the extra price 

 for comb honey and they ought to have 

 it, so if you ask a general question I 

 should say we ought to produce both. 



Mr. Whitney — I take back what I 

 said; I vote 'with you! 



Mr. Smith — I have been trying to find 

 out which I ought to eat, whether the 

 wax in the comb is of any benefit to 

 the system if taken into the system. 

 I have been trying to find out which 

 is the most wholesome as a whole, so 

 when the question is answered, we 

 should produce the honey that is the 

 most wholesome for the human family. 

 We should produce that which is best 

 for the people, and for that reason, if 

 there is no difference, if some people 

 require wax and some do not, then it 

 is a matter for the local physician to 

 prescribe. If there is no difference, or 

 if there is, I believe each person ought 

 to determine it for himself: I am prac- 

 tically on the fence. I don't know 

 whether to become a middleman or a 

 producer; I don't know whether i- 

 should not eat honey at 12 cts. a pound 

 or potatoes at 60 cts., or bacon at 28 



cents; I don't know what I can afford 

 to pay for honey to take the place of 

 those foods. 



Mr. Wilcox — One Doctor once said, 

 "Eat what your appetite craves, if it 

 agrees with you." 



Getting Rid of a Prolific Worker, * 



"What is the best method to get rid 

 of a prolific worker?" 



Pres. York — You might kill her. 



Strengthening Weak Colonies. 



"What is the best way to strengthen 

 weak colonies in the spring?" 



Mr. Taylor — Feed them. . 



Mr. Wilcox — The answer to that 

 question is very important if the mem- 

 bers do not already know; but if they 

 all know they cannot learn any more. 

 I think the most important point is to 

 supply them bountifully with food and 

 warmth, and they will take care of 

 themselves. 



Dr. Miller — I think that question may 

 be answered in this way. In actual 

 practice all of us have colonies that 

 are v/eaker tnan the others and we 

 want to strengthen them; I don't 

 strengthen them by feeding them; as a 

 rule we strengthen them by taking 

 something from the stronger colonies. 



Mr. Cavanagh — I would like to know 

 how many here have tried the Alexan- 

 der method for weak colonies. I think 

 a great deal of it. I would like a show 

 of hands on this. (Five raised hands.) 



Pres. York — How many succeeded? 

 (No one raised hand.) 



Mr. Wilcox — I don't think we under- 

 stand the plan alike. 



Dr. Miller — I don't know which way 

 to vote; I tried and succeeded, and I 

 tried and failed. 



Mr. Huffman — That plan of increas- 

 ing the colony when it is weak — Mr. 

 Byer, of Canada, this year at the Al- 

 bany Convention gave a very good idea 

 of it. Take the frames of brood, shake 

 the old bees and go to several colonies, 

 and shake the young bees in front of 

 weak colonies and they would accept 

 all of those young bees and become 

 workers, and you would have a strong 

 colony. 



I have tried the Alexander plan and 

 failed. Maybe I didn't know how. 



Mr. Bull — Mr. McEvoy gave a plan 

 of taking the brood all out and start- 

 ing a colony. ^ 



