BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
The report of the Committee on scheme for the new Association was read, adopted, and the Committee discharged. The report reads : Your Committee would suggest that this Association shall resolve itself into a Honey Producer's Union for the purpose of gathering statistics of the wintering of bees and the honey crop throughout the United States.
Resolved, That the duties of the Secretary of this Association shall be the forwarding of suitable blanks to reporters, so that they shall report on the first day of May, June, July, August and September from every honey-prodcing State. No State to have more than six reporters, who shall fill out and send by return mail to the Secretary. He shall have printed and mailed to members and the reporters by the 1oth of each month. Resolved, That the Secretary keep account of his time involved in this work and report the same at the next Convention. He shall be empowered to draw upon the Treasurer for funds necessary to carry out the work.
Mr. Elwood said that Mr. Aspinwall had generously offered to pay any deficiency which might be caused by the carrying out of this plan.
A recess was then taken until two P. M.
**CLOSING SESSSION.**
The Committee on Resolutions submitted resolutions thanking the propriitor and attaches of Bagg's Hotel for courtesies extended ; _The Observer_, _Press_ and _Herald_ for their unusually accurate reports of the Convention ; to visiting apiarians for their attendance and attention paid, and to John Aspinwall for his generous offer to defray the deficiency caused bythe organization of the new Honey Producers' Union. Adopted. The convention then adjourned.
**Honey Plants in Texas.**
**Eduor Bee-Keepers' Magazine :**
Sir. -At your request I will make that honey-plant experiment report :
California white sage a failure ; shall try again. Sown too late in the spring.
Simpson, or figwort, furnishes honey all day ; spider plant furnishes honey only in the morning. Blooms a long time.
Alfalfa, or California clover, blooms a long time ; the bees worked on it very strong. I think it will some day be the wealth of Texas, as it is of California.
Bokhara bee clover furnishes a great deal of honey. Sow two years in succession, as the roots die after blooming.
D. Grossman.
_Ferrell, Tex., Dev. 2.5, 1887._
[Here is another model report--con-cise and to the point. Here is valuable information condensed into a few lines. Writers frequently forget that readers of a paper seldom care about what they (the writers) individually believe, and statements of that nature do not convince ; but if you give them _facts and truths_, the first thing you know they will believe as you do, and that is what you are after, isn't it?--Ed.]
I am very much pleased with your Magazine, and hope you will succeed.
J. F. Buckley.
_Utica, N. Y._
## 84 The Bee-KeeperS' MAGAZINE.
**Mehigan State Bee-KeeperS' Convention.**
**(Continued from page 52.)**
Mr. T. F. Bingham, of Abronia, Mich., then read an essay on, How to Improve Our Bees. To the casual observer, as also to the young student, this subject is one of almost iliimitable scope, presenting vast possibilities ; and while considered as in a certain sense parallel and analogous to the improvements realized by the breeders of thoroughbred horses, cattle and sheep, the almost certain realization of the enthusiastic bee-keeper's brightest dream lends a perpetual charm. Many presumably well-balanced and conservative bee-keepers have devoted much time, money and practical endeavor to the ever charming and paramount wish to enhance the practical economic value of the honey-bee. While the success so far unattained in no way narrows or circumscribes the field of enthusiastic vision, the practical results attained serve to modify in a certain sense the immediate hope of marked improvement. It would not be safe to say that no gain had as yet been made in the direction of color, disposition and industrial value of bees. Yet it is strictly safe to venture the assertion that, while we have many modifications and crosses of races, these modifications do not, in a practical sense, justify the hope or stimulate the belief that material and marked improvements are possible from the mixing of races of honey bees. If, as now seems probable, in the near future, those bee-keepers wishing to realize the best home market, and the surest return for their product, should adopt the plan of part comb and part extracted honey, little effort will, in the light of past successes, be bestowed upon experiments to improve any mixture of Italian bees, whose queen and workers will not allow of the rapid manipulation of the combs and hive without running. However much may have been hoped and dreamed in regard to the
## 1 The Bee-Keepers' Magazine.
prised to see my honey sell so fast. My honey was all gone before the new honey was coming in, and I had to do something in order to hold my trade, not having been able since to produce honey enough from my own bees to supply my home market ; so I have to buy honey to fill my orders until my new honey is ready the following season.
In buying honey I always make it a point to buy honey from my neighbor bee-keepers, providing that I can get it at some profit; of course the profit is small. They keep posted on the market price, and they expect to get nearly as much for their honey from me as I would get myself. But even so, if I get their honey at a small profit, it takes that honey off the market, and gives me a chance to bring mine on, with the prospect of better prices in the future.
I have often thought that if I had enough money, I would buy all the honey from my neighbor bee-keepers, and from farmers that produce little honey to sell. For instance, in Sagia-naw County I would start a honey house, and the producer of honey would bring his honey to me, and the retailer and consumer would look to me for their honey. But being a poor man, I will have to drop that idea and do the best I can ; but if such a live man could be found in every county throughout the country, with plenty of money and experience in the marketing of honey, I think that bee-keepers at large would get better prices for their honey.
Why, the farmer knows in the morning before he starts to the city with a load of wheat, what he is going to receive for his wheat, by seeing the prices in the daily market reports. He takes his wheat to the flour mills, gets his cash and returns home happy. The retail grocer, and the consumer, get their flour from the flour mills ; and if the producer of honey could bring his honey to the "honey man," as you would call him, why, the retail grocer and consumer would look to the honey man for their honey.
As to putting up honey in market-able shape, I have nothing new to offer to the experienced honey producer. It is from them that I have taken my lesson--by attending the bee conventions and reading different bee books. But to the inexperienced bee-keepers, I would say : Never let a section of honey go out without your name on the section ; or if it is extracted honey, always put up the nicest and best honey in glass packages, and put your name on it, on a nice label. By putting up honey in glass jars, the consumer can always see what he is buying, and, besides, the jar is of some use after the honey is consumed.
John Rey.
After its reading, Mr. Rey explained that he prepared it hurriedly, and neglected to mention that he went among the grocers and bought up wax at 25 cents per pound, melted it and molded it in small cakes, and then sold it back to the dealers for 30 cents per pound, the dealers retailing it for five cents a cake, eleven cakes weighing a pound.
A. I. Root--I wish to say for the encouragement of Mr. Rey that I have never seen finer displays of honey in stores than he has here in the groceries. I wish we could have them photographed.
T. F. Bingham--The best use that can be made of poor honey is to make it into vinegar. A pound of honey will make a gallon of vinegar. At about 45\({}^{\circ}\) to 50\({}^{\circ}\) of temperature will make vinegar.
The Committee on Exhibits reported the following :
Eden's comb-foundation fastener, Eastwood, Ont.
Betsinger's crate, with wire-cloth separators, and paste-board shipping boxes.
Bingham's smoker and honey knife.
W. Z. Hutchinson, case of very fine comb honey.
President Hilton, four samples of extracted honey -- basswood, maple, willow-herb and raspberry
H. D. Cutting, fine collection of extracted honey, all under the same treatment, one part being canded and the other not; also an entrance feeder.
Mr. Soper, sections, and VanDeusen's flat-bottom foundation.
Dr. L. C. Whiting, sample of very fine
your opinion, such an investigation should
honey vinegar.
Secotens and separators from the Berlin Fruit
Box Company.
Secretary's Report for 1886-87.
Dr. Tinker, sections, perforated zinc, and a
yteen cage.
Number colonies in spring
O. J. Hetherington, machine for putting
dall.
1,908
together four-piece sections.
* pounds wax.
372
* comb honey obtained 48,983
* acknowledg solar wax extractor, steam extractor,
* queens sold.
4,142
* colonies wintered in cellar.
475
* on sm'r stands 704
* in bee house.
47
* one member, with 250 colonies, sold
4,000 queens, but obtained no honey.
Received, That the thanks of this convention are hereby gratefully tendered the business men of Fast Saginaw for the generous and agreeable way in which they have minis
tered to our entertainment.
Resolved, That we heartily appreciate and hereby express our gratitude to the officials of this city for the hearty welcome extended, and for the hall provided us for our sessions.
Resolved, That we turn our thanks to the managers of the Sherman House, for the
bountiful way in which they have provided
for our physical wants, and for the reduction in rates granted.
Resolved, That our thanks are due, and
are hereby extended to resident bee-keepers,
for their successful efforts to render our sessions pleasant and profitable.
The following letter was read. It
was an answer to me asking whether
statistics of the bee-keeping industry
could not be collected by the authorities at Washington.
U. S. Department of Agriculture,
Washington, D. C., Nov. 26th, 1887.
George E. Hilton, Fremont, Mich., President
of Michigan Bee-Kepers' Association.
Sir:--Your letter of the 21st inst., addressed to the Commissioner of Agriculture,
has been referred to me for answer. Our
monthly reports are made up from information gathered from a corps of crop
correspondents in each agricultural county in the United States, and with such a wide range it is only
pracitable for us to report regularly upon the
leading farm products. We frequently make
outside investigations relative to the condition and extent of special rural industries,
and realizing the importance of bee-keeping,
would be glad to give it the attention it deserves. Our regular
correspondents, however, are ordinary farmers, and but few would
be able to give any information relative to the
present condition of apiculture. It would be
necessary to send directly to those interested
in or suggest where I might obtain, a list of
bee-keepers, comprising one or two names in
each county where the industry is of any
prominence, and also give the points, which in
The BEE-KEpers' MAGAZINE,
**acknowledge its two-fold service.** It does him a service while on its daily rounds in search of food for itself and young, and again by storing up for his benefit the liquid sweets which it does not need itself, and which ungathered vanish like the morning dew, like the Manna which the Israelites ate of. The ungathered portions melted "when the sun waxed hot."
What, then, is there to hinder these two vocations from going hand in hand since each is helpful to the other? They ought at least to be on friendly terms. Each furnishes inducements for the other to exist.
But, aside from these considerations of the healthful diversions and pleasing variety of mind, and returning again to the utilitarian side of the question, the horticultural will find it profitable to pursue the study practice of this delightful 'branch of Entomology. The habits and instincts of this "pattern of industry " are ever interesting and the businessquite as re-munerative as raising tender fruits in an "iron-clad climate." This pursuit once entered upon possesses charms of its own. No other stimulus is needed to follow it than the fascination of its own creations. A great deal has been said about bees injuring fruit -- some fruit-growers having charged that they puncture the ripe, grapes, suck the juice and destroy the crop. But from the physical structure of the bee this is said to be impossible by scientific entomologists. It has no jaws like the hornet ; it is made to suck, not to bite, and on close observation, and after repeated experiments, it has been found that where bees are discovered helping themselves to ripe fruit that the skins had been ruptured by the weather or from over-ripeness, or that hornets or wasps, or birds, had first been the depredators. After the skin has been broken from any cause, if there is a scarcity of honey, the bees, always anxious to be doing something, will endeavor to get a share of the plunder. Therefore, as to bees injuring fruit, I as their attorney, shall claim to the jury that the charge is not proven.
In dismissing this subject, which to the lover of fruits, flowers and bees is always a source of infinite delight, I cannot refrain from quoting a few lines from "The planting of the Apple Tree," by the venerable sylvan poet, our own Bryant, who saw so much of future hope and promise, as he sifted the soft mould about its tiny rootlets :
"What plant we in this apple tree? Swets for a hundred fowery springs? To load the May-winds' restless wings. When from the orchard row he pours Its fragrance at our open doors A world of blossom for the bee."
Geo. E. Hilton,
_Fremont, Mich._
**Give Proper Credit.**
Several bee papers have copied the report of the Chicago convention from the _American Bee Journal_ without giving any credit for it. As we paid the reporter for attending the sessions and writing out the proceedings, it is our private property, and any periodical which copies it should, in common honesty, give the _American Bee Journal_ proper credit for it. If it does not wish to do that, then let it send a reporter to the convention and get it in a legitimate way.
[Mr. Newman is entirely correct, but what else can we expect from a people of such piratical tendencies in the literary line. We do not hesitate to steal the emanations of foreign literary genius and why not use another's reports. For shame! It is high time some of our editors had a little honor instilled into their composition. There is one excuse, many of them were "'devils" when young and the ink still sticks to their moral nature, if it does not to their hands.--Ed.]
I could not think of keeping bees without the Magazine.
_Yan. 9, 1888._
**The Bee-Keepers' Magazine is _practical_.
_Yan. 7, 1888._
**GThe North American Bee-Keepers' Society.
The essay of Mr. D. A. Jones, Beeton, Ont., is as follows, and is on
Establishing Out Apiaries.
This is the question that has been assigned me by the Secretary, and it is one which is receiving considerable attention just now, as many engaged in apiculture are increasing their colonies until they have, frequently, more than they can afford to keep in one apiary. Then the questions arise: What should they do? Should they sell them off, or start ''out aparies?"
There are some localities where 500 colonies might be kept with success, and there are others where 100 would overstock them. I consider from 100 to 200 colonies as many as is profitable. to keep in the average apiary. In establishing out apiaries 50 colonies would make a start, but I would recommend 100, as no more trouble need be taken to manipulate them. These would contain 200 colonies in the fall, which might be divided again ; thus your apiaries, if you double your colonies, would double every year. But counting mishaps, sales and losses, perhaps we might more reasonably expect to double our colonies every two years. This, of course, depends largely upon the practice of the apiarist. One man is required at each out apiary during the season, which, in this country, varies from four to five months.
From my home apiary, I located one about 1% miles to the northwest; the next about four miles to the northeast ; next, seven miles to the northeast ; then one five miles north, one six miles northwest, and one ten miles northwest, with sometimes smaller ones between. From personal experience I am satisfied that in good localities from two to three miles apart is far enough to have them. I have had as good results from the closest apiaries as from those furthest apart, and that, too, when there were over 200 colonies in each.
If the locality were suitable, I should prefer to place them so that I could visit all the apiaries by driving the shortest possible distance ; that is, five or six apiaries might be placed around a central one, or in a way that one could drive or take them all in in one route. Mine, unfortunately, are not so placed, and it gives me five or ten miles of an extra drive to take them all in, but as the locations suited me better, I thought it would more than overbalance the extra cost of the journey to place them as I did.
Each apiary should have a practical man or woman in charge. I have frequently had students look after them, but it pays much better to have assistants with at least one year's experience, as the foreman cannot manage to go around to each apiary more than once per week, and sometimes scarcely that, especially if he has to give a day to each apiary, to instruct the one in charge. The assistant in charge has spare time enough on his hands to keep the yard in nice condition, besides preparing sections, putting them on, keeping the hives painted, and making new ones when required. I never expect him to do all the work during the honey-flow, but give him assistance in extracting. The more assistance that is required for this purpose, the better the apiary pays.
When extracting I use little boys and girls for carrying the combs to and from the hives to the extractor. Two of them, a little larger and a little practiced, do the uncapping and extracting. I have also had boys from ten to twelve years old that could put the combs back in the hives very well after they had been extracted. This class of labor, with us, is very cheap, and there is generally plenty of it in the neighborhood of every apiary that can be got when required, and the youngsters think it as good as a holiday to get an opportunity to work in the bee-yard.
With a good, practical foreman tovisit the yards, and see after them, as much can be realized from the ''out apiaries ''as from the ''home ''ones. Very often they bring in better returns, because they are selected on account of their fitness, while the home apiary may only be tolerated because of its being your "home," rather than the most favorable place for an apiary. Almost any number of apiaries may be managed in this way if the owner is thoroughly practical, and will devote his entire attention to the business, or if a good, reliable foreman and trust students can be secured, or better, those who have had, say, a year's experience.
I am satisfied that after one has mastered the business, and understands it thoroughly, if his surroundings are suitable, he is only fooling away his time with one apiary, as he can manage several without any more trouble than is required to manage one. He would require a suitable rig, so that in driving to each apiary he could take such supplies as he might require, and in returning could bring any honey that there might be on hand.
I have parties offering me the privilege of establishing apiaries on their premises without any charge. One man, where I had an apiary for over ten years, sold his place and moved away. He has asked me to come and establish one on his new place, free of charge, knowing as he does the benefit that the clovers, fruit trees and vines receive from the fertilization of the flowers by the bees. The highest that I have ever paid is $25 a year for beechouses or a cellar to winter in. All the ground that is required is a quarter to a half-acre to place the bees on. From $5 to $io a year is the usual rent, where a charge is made at all.
Even though a person has a sale for all the extra colonies of bees he can spare, it will pay him to have at least one or two out apiaries, because if in-crease is the principal object; the sale of bees will doubly repay the interest on capital invested. Any honey that they may stow away more than is required, can either be extracted, or the filled combs may be kept for future use, as it is desirable to have some such -combs on hand to save feeding colonies that are run more exclusively for honey. I believe that all such apiaries should be managed for both honey and in
At the Ville de Beauvias Exhibition, in 1879, he gained a gold medal, and and at the Amiens Exhibition, same year, two silver medals.
Mr. Todd returned to America in 188o, and joined the Philadelphia Bee-Keepers' Association in 1882, of which he was elected Vice President in 1884 and re-elected in 1885. He was also a member of the New York State Bee-Keepers' Association and Vice-President for Pennsylvania of the North Eastern Bee-Keepers' Association.
He made extensive displays of Bees, Hives and Honey at the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society's Fairs in Philadelphia in 1884-5-6-7, taking ii silver and bronze medals and numerous cash prizes and Diplomas. At the Burlington County Agricultural Fair, at Mount Holly, New Jersey, 1886, he was awarded a medal for honey manufactures.
In early life Mr. Todd was engaged in the dry goods business, afterwards representing the large firm of Pim Brothers & Co. as the manager of their branch house in London ; in 1873 he made a flying visit to the United States in their interest.
He first became interested in Apiculture in 187o, and from that time he pursued the study of the bee and its products with ardor, upon both scientific and practical lines. During his travels in France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Algeria, he became acquainted with most of the prominent bee masters of those countries, especially with M. George de Layens, the famous Frence apiculturist and author, between whom and himself a warm friendship existed and they were correspondents till quite lately.
He commenced bee-keeping for a livelihood at Bildah, in Algeria, in 1877 and about that time he first imported comb foundation and foundation machines from Mr. A. I. Root, into France and Algeria.
At the Paris Exhibition in 1878 he took the Large Diploma for Bees, Hives and Honey.
Kept bees in Rambouillet, a small village near Paris, in 1878-9.
At the Ville de Beauvias Exhibition, in 1879, he gained a gold medal, and and at the Amiens Exhibition, same year, two silver medals.
In 1886 Mr. Todd established an Exhibition Apiary in the Zoological Garden, Philadelphia, which has proved highly successful, thousands of visitors observing the bees at work in glass hives, and the general manipulations in practical bee-keeping. This is the only exhibition apiary in a public garden in the United States.
He died on February 11, 1888, at his home, 2122 North Front Street, Philadelphia, after a short illness, from Typhoid Pneumonia. He was buried with Masonic Rites, at Mount Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia, February 16.
**Catalogues Received.**
R, E. Smith, Apiarian Supplies--Tilbury Centre, Ont., Can.
Tho. Nebel & Son, Bees and Supplies--High Hill, Mo.
John W. Akin, horses--Scipio, Cayuga Co., N. Y.
The Russell & Morgan Printing Co., catalogue of playing cards Cincinnati, Ohio.
G. W. Marshall, Poultry and Bees--Davenport, Iowa.
Vaughan Seed Store, Seeds and Plants--Chicago, Ill.
Frank A. Eaton, Apiarian Supplies--Buffton, O.
C. Van Deusen & Son, Foundation, Sprout Brook, N. Y.
## 11 The Bee-Keepers' Magazine.
NEW BEE-KEEPERS'
TEXT BOOK,
**Cloth 81. Paper 75c. post-pald.**