104 



SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



filled as before. I think his gain in 

 quantity is greater than the loss. 



Mr. Hershisher: I think there is, un- 

 doubtedly, a gain in quantity, but I 

 don't think that gain in quantity is 

 sufficient to compensate for the loss 

 in quality. Up to the present time we 

 have a statement being made by a per- 

 son "who makes it on theory only. 



The President: I think we want to 

 bear in mind that the writer is a 

 skilled bee-keeper and will produce 

 good results in either way; while your 

 argument that we should warn people 

 against promiscuously doing that sort 

 of thing is right. 



'Mr. Hershisher: I think it 'is pernici- 

 ous to teach this doctrine. I am in- 

 terested in piroducing an article that is 

 as good as the bees can make it. I 

 don't believe my chances for selling 

 my honey for a good price are any- 

 where near as good if I allow this kind 

 of honey to be put on the market. We 

 should teach the doctrine of getting 

 the honey as good as possible. 



The President: Are there any arti- 

 ficial processes still in the "A. B. C," 

 Mr. Root? 



Mr. Root: These are all out. 

 Rev. Mr. Cleaver: It would be quite 

 an advantage to me in understanding 

 the argument if I could know whether 

 those who rise to speak produce buck- 

 wheat honey in their sections. I rather 

 think that enters into the argument 

 very materially. When buckwheat 

 honey is ready to seal I think but few 

 of you could tell the difference at that 

 time if it was extracted or sealed and 

 left in the hive for two or three weeks. 

 Last year I tested it. I extracted one 

 60 pound can and there were not half 

 a dozen cells sealed in all I extracted 

 for that; in the other can which I ex- 

 tracted every cell was sealed and had 

 been ripe for some time, and yet the 

 men I gave it to couldn't tell any dif- 

 ference in flavor or thickness. When 

 you take it off unsealed you cannot 

 drip it from the combs as other honey. 

 You shake the bees and the honey does 

 not fly out as in others. 



Mr. Hershisher: In mine it does. 

 Mr. Selser: I throw out the chal- 

 lenge to Mr. Cleaver on that and if I 

 can't tell him the difference I will give 

 him the cap. I should like to have it 

 go out from this convention before the 

 United States that we do wrong in evap- 

 orating honey In tanks instead of let- 

 ting the bees do it in the ordinary and 

 natural way. I thoroughly coincide 



with Mr. Hershisher. 



The President: While Mr. Alexan- 

 der's article is correct in detail, I 

 think the sentiment here is against that 

 practice. 



Mr. Holterman: I admire many of 

 Mr. Alexander's writings; I think he 

 has sent out a large number of very 

 valuable articles; but I think he is en- 

 tirely wrong upon this question of tak- 

 ing out honey in the condition in which 

 he speaks of. He can't do it and man- 

 age the way he says he does. I can 

 prove to everyone in this room he can't. 

 A man who has a stock of bees with 

 the large worker force he speaks of, 

 and has one extracting super upon the 

 hive, can't extract before the honey is 

 capped, and have that honey all in the 

 condition where it is just ready to seal. 

 If you take anything like a good buck- 

 wheat flow we all know that a stock 

 like that, can, in one week's time, fill a 

 12 frame super. Where Mr. Alexander 

 makes his mistake is, he only uses one 

 extracting super. If he would use two 

 or three he would not be able to say 

 that he could get nearly twice the 

 amount of honey by extracting it be- 

 fore it is capped. 



The President: He saves the elabo- 

 ration of the capping, and that is 

 thrown into honey. 



Mr. Holterman: And you tell me 

 that it does not take anything like 

 the amount of pounds of honey to pro- 

 duce a pound of wax that they gener- 

 ally say it does? 



The President: I think eight pounds 

 will do it, but it is a saving neverthe- 

 less to have honey taken off without 

 capping. 



Mr. Hutchinson: How about the in- 

 voluntary secretion of wax? 



The President: I scarcely believe in 

 that. 



Mr. Hershisher: I move that it is the 

 sense of the convention that the 

 throwing of unripe honey upon the 

 market, or taking off honey before it 

 is capped, in other words, curing it 

 artificially, is a detriment to the bee- 

 keepers of this country. (Motion sec- 

 onded). 



The President put the motion which, 

 on a vote having been taken, Avas de- 

 clared' carried. 



Mr. Pratt: Where does Mr. Alex- 

 ander market his honey? I under- 

 stand the brewers would just as soon 

 have sour honey as sweet. In fact, 

 brewers prefer it a little sour, because 

 it hastens the beer; and there is a 



