The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-02-18
BEE MEN IN COUNCIL.
Annual Meeting of the Eastern lows
and Western Illinois Association.
Topics OF Discussion.

The fourth annual convention of the
Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois Bee
Keepers association is assembled al Dav-
export. and there is a large attendance
from Rock Island county President |
V. McCagg presided and the roll cal
shows thirty members present. The fol-
lowing report of Yesterdays discussions
taken from the Gazette, win be OF interes
to bee keepers here, whether belonging
to the association or not:
The secretary read letter from Mr
| Leonard Plammersmitb, of Amana, Iowa
stating that he had used u reversible hive
and manipulated ii with a hiver instead
of the Trainer of ten years ago, but pre-
fcrred the common ten frame Langstratt
hive. This caused quite discussion a.
a similar hive was lately patented by MIR
Heddon, prominent bee-keeper, as a
| new invention of great merit.
Mr.. Adams thought the style OF hive
was of little consequence as il was the
bees and not the hive chat gathered thu
honey. Mr.. Cast said that Il number OF
prominent apisrists were using Mr.. He'd
don's reversible hive and spoke very IA
vorably of it. He said that he liked i
and yet he didn't like it. BE liked it be
cause by reversing it the bees could bt
made to store all the honey in the surplus
arrangements, and he didn't like it FOL
the same reason, and consequently
woul have none in the broad chamber t.
winter on, making il necessary TO fec
sugar syrup, and he did not approve o
that, because il would require ahou
twenty five pounds OF sugar TO each hive
thus making the beekeeper sugar con
sumner, and putting just that amount PEE
stand of honey more upon the market
which would have tendency to glnt thu
market. Besides he thought none but at
expert could give them the required at
tention as thee would require feedin!
every time a honey drought occurred Il
keep up breeding and none but an exper
would know just when to feed. or care t,
bother with feeding them.
Mr. Earheart thought the price OF hi
hive was au objection TO begin with
Mr. Gest said that the reversible hiv
required as much work and he though
possibly even more than the ordinar,
hive, but he said lie thought the plan o
management was very good, and hefn
tended TO use some this year aud civ
them fair trial.
Mr.. Coos thought that the reversing o
the hive was objsclional to the bees, be
cause, he said, lie had accidently re
versed some sections in "A case one lin
and the bees put no honey in there, Will
they filled those next to them NIGEL 8
showing that they disliked to have III
cells turned upside down, as is the case
reversing. as the cells naturally slar
slightly upwards when by reversing the
would slant slightly downward. Mr.
Donaldson said the nearer We keI
to nature the better for the bees. II
was not in favor OF the reversibl
hive because it was not uatuTa
Mr.. Adams said he thought Ii
breeding OF our bees was of more imp0r
lance then the hive. H said it was al
ways the strongest swarm that gaiherei
the most honey. regardless OF the kind {
hive. and what he wanted was to bree
from those that showed the least swarm
ing tendency, as they were always Ii
strongest. Those that swarmcd Us 500
as they became strong, always gathere
less honey than those that did not swarm
; He thought it good plan to exchan!
the queen with his neighbor and have h
i neighbor state just what he thought {
his bees and he would tell his neighbi
Just what he thought In this way tn,
could find out most important points al
D then be able to select the most valu
I bic to breed from. When he spoke
neighbors he said he did not mean on
those that lived in his immediate neig
borhood, hut all that he had any dealing
with, no matter how far off they lived.