110 



SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



Dr. Miller — Across the ocean they are 

 long way ahead of ours. Only this past 

 week I noticed the Austrians were con- 

 gratulating themselves that they had 

 reached the number of 10,000. Then 

 here is the united organization of prettj) 

 much all of those that use the German 

 language, in which I think there are 

 perhaps 30,000. They do it largely by 

 the fact that the smaller societies unite, 

 and if we consider it important to have 

 the Nat'onal Association what it ought 

 to be — if it grows to what it ought to 

 be — I believe it will be more than any- 

 thing else by associations like this join- 

 ing in a body. If we do not do it, the 

 National is going to remain always a 

 great deal smaller than it will if we do; 

 and so for the sake of having the Na- 

 tional encouraged and increased as it 

 ought to be, I should even vote to in- 

 crease the amount of money we pay into 

 the treasury here rather than to with- 

 draw from uniting with the National in 

 a body — if that is the only question — the 

 question of money — and it is necessary 

 to have a larger amount of mon^y. I 

 consider it of very, very great impor- 

 tance, that we do that very thing — unite 

 in a body. 



The motion was put and carried. 



On motion, it was voted not to join 

 the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion in a body, a very influential reason 

 being that if we join one State associa- 

 tion we ought to join several, as differ- 

 ent States are represented in the mem- 

 bership of the Chicago-Northwestern. 



How TO Construct Langstroth Hives. 



"How should the Langstroth hive be 

 constructed for general convenience and 

 durability among American bee-keep- 

 ers?" 



Mr. Taylor — A plain box, without any 

 cleats. 



Dr. Bohrer — I wrote that question. I 

 began the use of the Langstroth bee-hive 

 more than 40 years ago. I think in 1864 

 I used it first, and Mr. Langstroth him- 

 self used it at that time. I have seen 

 a good many changes, some very valu- 

 able improvements, and some so-called 

 improvements that in my opinion are 

 not valuable improvements at all ; at 

 least, they would not work well with 

 me, and in bringing up this question I 

 have no war to make with the gentlemen 

 who manufacture bee-hives. I believe 

 it to be the duty of bee-keepers, not only 

 as individuals but as an organization, to 

 make known to the manufacturers what 



their actual wants are, and ask them to 

 make their hives in accordance therewith ; 

 and I believe they will do it. As long 

 as we stand off and they go to work 

 and make a hive of this idea and that and 

 the other, you will have a whole lot of 

 different patterns, and no oiie will suit 

 but a few bee-keepers. I have never 

 seen a hive that pleased me any better, 

 that is, the construction of the frame, 

 than Mr. Langstroth's frame as he used 

 it 40 odd years ago. The bees in Kansas 

 would not glue the frames together, as 

 they do with what is known as the Hoff- 

 man frame. There are two valuable fea- 

 tures about the Hoffman frame — the 

 heavy top-bar and grooves. The frames 

 as constructed by Mr. Langstroth I liked 

 as well as anything at. that day and time, 

 but the grooved frame and heavy top- 

 bar were certainly improvements. The 

 Hoffman frame did not suit me at all. 

 I killed too many bees, even if there 

 wasn't too much propolis carried in. 

 I object to that, and I object to the so- 

 called improvement of the bottom-board 

 being made out of lumber hardly J4 

 inch thick, so that it will shrink and the 

 bees crawl out of the bottom. It is too 

 thin to ship bees in, and not safe to 

 handle bees in to move them from one 

 apiary to another, or even about the 

 farm. I say to manufacturers, Don't 

 make them that way. You are not bene- 

 fiting us as you might do with another 

 follower or division-board. I want it 

 made out of something not less than J^ 

 inch thick. I would not undertake to 

 ship a colony of bees with that kind of 

 a bottom-board. I have to go to work 

 and make new bottom-boards for those 

 hives. They are absolutely next to 

 worthless. I want to repeat that I am 

 not making war upon any manufacturer, 

 but when you manufacture a hive of that 

 kind you are not manufacturing what the 

 bee-keeper really wants — what he stands 

 in need of. 



And now on the production of comls 

 honey. I am not handling bees much 

 for comb honey. Men who do would 

 know more how to dispose of that fea- 

 ture of the subject than I do. My idea 

 is and has been for years, that I can 

 produce more honey and cheaper and 

 can sell it for less money, and in the 

 long run make more money, than the 

 man can who produces comb honey 

 alone, that is, by the use of an extract- 

 or. 



Mr. Sewell — ^The hive I use myself I 

 can make for about 25 cents. I mean 





