The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-04-23
Thr Oiroinia State Sournal
WEDNESDAY EVEG, APRIL 20, 1878.
r,c,s for Zee Keepers.

oil bees develop peaceluthesS vi ulSpoSlI'oh,
as we know wrong management deyelopes
the opposite,' was pretty thoroughly dis
cussed.
DIR. Bohrer, of Iowa, thought they had
fixed habits.
DR.. Lucas, of Peoria, ILL.,, thought they
could be tanned and taught to recognize
their keeper by the scent.
Mrs. Upper, of Iowa, suggested that it
would require constant teaching, owing
to the frequent renewal of the bees, and
believed that they recognized kind treat
ment and would resent careless handling.
She thought they would become accustom.
ed to handling, and that frequent opening
of the hives makes them more tractable.
Mr.. Benedict, of Ohio, said that damp
weather made bees irritable.
Mr.. Hoagland, Of Pennsylvania, thought
that the moving of bees to new place
had tendency to tame or ''cow" them.
Mr.. McFetridge, OF Iowa, disagreed.
Mr.. Homer, of Minnesota, believed that
bees could be domesticated and that they
would become accustomed to setting be-
side q walk where there was constant
passing, and DR.. Hamlin, of Tennessee,
gave similar experience.
Vice-President Clarke agreed with Mrs.
Topper. lie thought the black bees
were more easily aroused than the Italian.
Mr.. Hoagland would join Mr.. Clarke
in the wish for bees that had no stings,
but considered their being furnished with
stings as wise arrangement to save
them from extinction, as affording them
means for defence.
Other parties engaged IN the discussion
on both sides of the question. .r..r
:" Is bee keeping desirable on all farms
and all suburban houses ?"
DR.. Bohrer thought that in most sections
the question could be answered Affirmative
ly. In some localities, unless honey plants
are cultivated, it would not prove remune-
rative. There were few such places.
A. j. Pope, indiana. 1t might be over
done.
1. z. Smith, Ohio. All farmers could
keep bees with profit. He kept his bees
as his hired men, to work all the time, and
he made it point to furnish work for
them. What was lacking in natural for
age he supplied by planting honey crops.
Alske clover could be made very valuable
by cutting the first crop at different times.
1t was very valuable also as forage crop.
Made good hay.
s. L. Moore, Indiana. Every one living
near orchards and having the ordinary va
rieties of vegetation, could keep more or
less bees with profit.
DR.. Bohrer understood the question to
be, whether extensive bee keeping could be
profitable everywhere. The answer would
have to be conditional.
Hon. M. L. Dunlap, of Illinois, did not
so understand it. As one of the committee
that reported it, he understood it to be
whether it could be recommended for fam
Nv IN ,la In ~, oil
Anywhere in the northwest, bee keeping
can be made a desirable object. 1t is
not the honey alone that gives bee keeping
its. value, but it affords that open air exer-
else that all American women so much
need. We consider this stock country
but there are few who have the patience,
knowledge and industry to make it a sue
cess. So with bee keeping, but it was a
delightful and profitable pursuit as a fami.
ly recreation and resource not that thou.
sands of pounds can be raised by every one,
bat all can have a supply. When we teach
all to manage them, and make them inter-
ested, we give them something to attract
them, something that will keep. our boys
from the towns and their vices. We find
few farms for sale now, because the tastes
of the people are becoming more elevated
and homes are made more attractive than
formerly, by the addition of such things as
make them pleasant. We have the flowers
but if they are trampled out, they must be
raised, protected and made accessible. 1t
was success even in Chicago, the suburbs
ofwhich produce abundance of white clover.
Mrs. Upper, of Iowa met farmer and
his wife coming out of Des Moines. He
had received $l2 for four loads of corn,
while she had $25, the proceeds of three
hives of bees. Women could make it sue
cessful whether men could or not. It will
pay in suburban homes, and even on the
house tops of cities.
j. w. Hosmer, of Minnesota. 1t was
as profitable as to raise milk and butter,
and considered 1t an argument against keep
ing cows to say that everybody did not
make it profitable, as it was against bees
to say everybody could not manage them
successfully. Not one family in a thousand
in Chicago had honey, and not one in hum
bred even see it once year.
Mr.. Dunlap. All things are to be sup
piled. You cannot over do it any more
than fruit growing. 1t has been predicted
for years that fruit would find no sale, but
he saw to-day apples selling at SO per bar
rel. When honey becomes common, tons
will be used where pounds are now, and
Ito CCiuulOil uSt Will heep IL dt u leIluQcla-
tive price.
DR.. George l.. Lucas, of Illinois, said
honey was not hanging on every bush and
tree. but those who would go to bee keep
ing in earnest and persevere would be well
paid. Few in the country had supply of
honey, nor would they buy enough to sup
ply all they could use, but if they raised it
themselves there was no telling how much
they could consume. Was not afraid that
the business would be overdone.
Mr.. G. w. Zimmerman. There seems
tosbe but one opinion among us on this
subject.
Mr.. Pope. of Indiana, moved that the
question be declared answered in the
affirmative. Adopted.
Mr.. Quinby's question was, "The cause
of the mortality among bees last winter,
and can it be remedied in the future"
This question was discussed by Messrs.
Zimmerman, Hoagland, Hosmer, DR..
Lucas, S. f. Moon, j. u. Smith, DR.. Ham
lin, Mrs. Upper, Pope, N. @. Mitchell,
Huffman, Benedict, Shipley, Southworth,
Kellum, Prentice, and President Clarke,
and there were as many causes assigned as
there were speakers.
On Thursday, General Adair read a
paper son the ultimate capacity of colony
of bees for the production of honev.D GThis