66 First Annual Report. 



claimed that comb would grow . If we would only keep the bees in this 

 hive, and put them in a warm cellar, the comb would grow, even in winter. 

 If it is a fair question, and you have no objection, Mr. Baldridge, I wish you 

 would tell us who this person was that made such assertions. 

 M. M. Baldridge— Dr. Cox. 



There was silence for a moment, then there went up such a shout of 

 laughter that the cooks from the hotel kitchen heard it, and peeped slyly in 

 at a side door to see what caused the merriment. 



ARE DI.VISION-BOARDS NECESSARY? 



E. T. Abbott — I have used them, but can see no advantage in their use. 



W. Z. Hutchinson — What better is a division-board than a comb? 



A. B. Mason — There is a space around the outside of a frame that 

 allows the heat to escape . 



W. Z. Hutchinson — True, but much depends upon the material of 

 which a division board is composed. If this room was cold, and we wished 

 to divide it into two apartments, with a view to warming one of them, a 

 division made of buffalo robes might be more desirable than one of cotton 

 cloth, even though the latter fitted the walls snugly, while around the edge 

 of the former was an open space of a few inches . 



President Miller — The thermometer should settle these matters. Very 

 carefully conducted experiments indicate that a comb, even with a space 

 around it, is better than a division-board of wood that fits the hive closely. 



J. A. Green — When closed-end frames are used they do away with the 

 space around the frames. 



J. H. Larrabee — I have tried experiments with a lamp and thermometer 

 in a hive, to decide which were preferable, combs or division-boards, and a 

 dry comb, or one full of honey, is as good as a division-board . 



E. T. Abbott— Space around the edge of a frame amounts to but little 

 in this matter. The bees between the combs on the outside of the cluster 

 keep in almost all of the heat ; the comb that is on the outside of the cluster 

 yet with which the bees are in contact, is a better non-conductor of heat than 

 an inch board. 



CONSOLIDATION OF THE NORTHWESTERN WITH THE ILLINOS STATE SOCIETY. 



It was thought desirable that the Northwestern Society should have the 

 benefit of the $500 granted by the State of Illinois to the Illinois State Bee- 

 Keepers' Association. The Northwestern has a good membership and 

 attendance, but no money to work with except what little comes in as fees . 

 The Illinois State Association is a new society, but has money to work with . 

 It was thought desirable for the two societies to be united and combine their 

 forces, hence it was decided by vote that the Northwestern be merged into 



