184 



TENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



of brood from these best bees, and 

 put it into a colony of black bees, 

 keeping a careful record when the 

 last bees hatch, and when the last 

 bees disappear, of these bees that you 

 are testing-, you will surely know, 

 if in the working season, that you are 

 right. 



Proliflcness is all right, and all 

 breeding queens should be prolific, 

 but without the other traits to go 

 with it, it counts for nothing, and I 

 think we have . been misled by some 

 writers advocating it so strongly. 



We must watch our bees to learn 

 their range of flight. It will surprise 

 some to know that some colonies in 

 the same apiary fly less than half 

 the distance that other colonies do. 

 There are facts, and I will say that the 

 trait of long range in our yellow 

 bees is in this direction. I think 

 we, as a whole, have been led too 

 much by color alone, losing sight of 

 traits that great honey-producers 

 must have. I find that my best 

 colonies winter perfectly, and unless 

 they do, we should not use them as 

 breeders in this northern country, at 

 least. 



This trait of longevity is separate 

 from hardiness, and should not be 

 confounded with it. And if bees do 

 not show length of life in the work- 

 ing seasons over other colonies, we 

 vvill not know they possess this most 

 valuable trait. I bring this up to be 

 sure that you understand it. No race 

 of bees show the trait or character- 

 istic of hardiness like the black or 

 German bee, to m.y knowledge. But 

 there are too many poor colonies of 

 this race. So stick to the dark 

 Italians, every time, if your bread 

 and butter depends upon honey as a 

 business. 



The drone has been sadly neglected 

 and unless we select our drone-mothers 

 as persistently, and know thari: they 

 possess all the desirable traits of our 

 fiuee]) -mothers, we will never succeed 

 in producing the very best honey- 

 gatherers. 



GEO. B. HOWE. 

 Black River, N. Y. 



PRICE OF EXTRACTED HONEY. 



"How much should we get for ex- 

 tracted honey in a retail way?" 



Mr. Garabrant — We have had honey 

 in my section in the central part of 



New Jersey retail up to 25 cents a 

 bottle. 



Mr. Yates (Conn.) — That is about 

 what they sell for in Connecticut. We 

 get 25 cents a pound, retail, for pound 

 sections, too. 



Ml-. Horn — We get about the same 

 price in Massachusetts. 



Mr. Garabrant — I didn't speak of 

 comb honey; that varies from 20 to 

 25 cents per section. 



Mr. Coggshall — If a man buys a 

 bottle of milk he will return the bot- 

 tle; why do not bee-keepers follow 

 the same practice? 



Mr. Yates — The Board of Health 

 in our section won't allow that. 



GETTING INCREASE AND HONEY. 



"As a producer of extracted honey 

 how can I best make increase and 

 not affect my crop of honey?" 



Mr. Hershiser — I would suggest you 

 make the increase the year before. 



DARK HONEY FOR WINTER 

 STORES. 



"Are buckwheat, hearts -ease and 

 Spanish -needle safe for winter stores, 

 providing other conditions are favor- 

 able to successful wintering?" 



Mr. Latham — P^or several years in 

 Massachusetts my bees have wintered 

 on that food. I have counted on it 

 every j"ear, flllling up in the fall on 

 Spanish-needle and golden-rod and 

 aster, and I never had any trouble 

 wintering. 



The following Committee was ap- 

 pointed to take action on the mat- 

 ters suggested in the President's Ad- 

 dress: O. L. Hershiser (New York); 

 J. L. Byer (Canada); and James A. 

 Stone (Illinois). 



The convention then adjourned, to 

 meet "Wednesday, Oct. 13, 1910, at 9 

 o'clock a. m. 



SECOND DAY— FORENOON SES- 

 SION. 



At 9:30 a. m.. President York called 

 the convention to order, and, after Mr. 

 Selser had invoked the Divine Blessing, 

 said: "I am sure we are all gratified 

 at the spirit of harmony and good 

 fellowship that has prevailed through- 

 out the meeting thus far. So far as I 

 know there has not been an unkind. 

 I think we ought to be thankful for 



