The Sixteenth Annual Convention of the North American Bee-Keepers’ Society met at Detroit, Mich., on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 1885 at 10 a.m., President L. C. Root in the chair. Quite a large number of bee-keepers were present from 10 States and Canada; all were very enthusiastic, and as “sweet as honey.” 

Pres. Root called the meeting to order at 2 p.m. and announced that the first business would be the address of welcome by Hon. Edwin Willetts, President of the Michigan Agricultural College. President Willetts, on arising, was greeted with enthusiastic applause. His address was as follows: 

Yours is no insignificant industry. You represent 3,000,000 colonies of bees, with an annual product of surplus honey of 100,000,000 pounds. Under the impulse of this and kindred associations. the product is increasing ' annually. The cheap sugar of today has no perceptible influence upon the demand or the price of the commodity. As the country increases in wealth and luxury, the demand grows with its growth and increases with the means to gratify the appetite.

The best minds in the field of science have contributed to the more successful promotion of the industry. Aristotle, Virgil, Columella, Pliny, Swammerdam, Ray, Latreille, and a host of others, ancient and modern—not to forget Langstroth, Cook, Quinby, Root, and others of our day—have studied, observed, experimented and written about bees and their habits, till we know how best to rear them, and how best to utilize their harvest of sweetness.

A carefully-prepared estimate reveals the fact that in North America (the territory covered by this Society) there are 300,000 persons who keep bees.

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html