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INTERNATIONAL. 



ileport of the Business, Spceelics 

 and Discussions. 



Written for tlir. Amerlenn Bee Journal 



The tweaty-first annual convention 

 "if the International American Bee- 

 Association was convened in Grand 

 Army Hall, Keokuk, Iowa, on Oct. 29, 

 1890, at I0;30 a.m. 



Hon. R. L. Taylor, of Lapeer, Mich., 

 -President of the Association, called the 

 •Convention to order, and C. P. Dadant 

 of Hamilton, Ills., occupied the Secre- 

 tary's desk. 



Dr. C. C. Miller, of Marengo, Ills., 

 formally opened the morning session 

 with an invocation of the divine bless- 

 ing, after whicli occurred the reception 

 of new members, and the payment of 

 <lues. 



Then followed the Address of Wel- 

 come by 



SIAYOK JOHN E. CRAIG, 



who said he was not present to deliver 

 a formal address, but as the chief 

 ■executive officer of the city, to extend 

 a cordial welcome to the Convention 

 and the delegates composing it. He 

 welcomed the Canadian friends as 

 (heartily as the American citizens. 

 Americans exhibited a cardinal pride 

 in referring to the grandeur and great- 

 ness of this country, whenever an 

 ■opportunity oiiered. 



Mr. Craig then alluded to the scen- 

 ■ery in the heart of the Republic, and 

 isaid it equalled that of Swizerland. He 

 promised that the people of Keokuk 

 would be found hospitable, and that 

 they would courteously try to make it 

 pleasant for all while here. He thought 

 that it was the part of wisdom to hold 

 this International Convention west of 

 the Mississippi river, as it would widen 

 the field of labor, and would direct 

 attention anew to the bee-industi-y. 



Mr. Craig concluded by saying that 

 there was nothing so laborious as the 

 bee, whicli was an illustration of God's 

 handiwork that is followed by the 

 American people, and especially those 

 of Keokuk. 



The response to the address of 

 Welcome by the Mayor was, by request 

 of the President, made by Mr. Thomas 

 ■G. Newman, who said : 



Mr. President. Ladies and Gentlemen : 



On behalf of the International Ameri- 

 ■itan Bee-Association I would say that 

 we accept the welcome so cordially 

 made to us by Mayor Craig. We can 

 well afibrd to plant ourselves in this 

 fair city, and indulge in a substantial 

 time of enjoyment for the next three 

 <lay8. The two great Saints of the 

 < alendar .sits one at the North and the 



other at the South of this cit}-. and this 

 is " the Gate City" — the gate between 

 these Saints — St. Louis and St. Paul. 

 It is also one of the gates to the great 

 West, with its blooming fields and its 

 treasures of hidden wealth, as well as 

 to the vast honey fields of Colorado 

 and California. Now, as I'epresenta- 

 tives of the industry of apiculture, 

 from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans, 

 and from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of 

 Mexico, we are met here to discuss the 

 present status and the future prospects 

 of the pursuit, and with much pleasure 

 we witness the cordial welcome of this 

 beautiful city to its visitors, and wish 

 for it a glorious future. 



The President announced, as the 

 first topic on the programme. -Fifty 

 Years' Progress in Apiculture," and 

 called upon Mr. Thomas G. Newman 

 to address the Convention on that 

 subject, which he did. as follows : 



Fifty Years' Progress in Apiculture. 



Of the Grecian poet, Pinder. it is said 

 tliat the pluses were very shy with him 

 until a honey-bee alighted upon his lips ; 

 after that, his soul was filled with the 

 most beautiful tlmughts. and his voice 

 poured forth the sweetest of ))oetry. 



In order to give the merest outline of 

 the sub.iect assigned to me, and make 

 that •• simple history" interesting to 

 you, I fear I shall need not only the bee 

 to touch my tongue, but must have the 

 Muse herself to plant a rapturous kiss 

 upon my lips, for we learn that in Greek 

 Mythology, the Muse was ••on(^of the 

 nine goddesses who presided over poetry, 

 painting, music, rhetoric, and the liberal 

 arts in general"' — then I may speak 

 words which may interest you. 



In order to be able to determine what 

 has been the progress of Bee-Keeping 

 during the past 50 years, it will be neces- 

 sary to ascertain where the ancients left 

 it, at the date mentioned for my com- 

 parison to be made. 



In "the misty ages of the past," super- 

 stition held sway over everything, and 

 the bees were not exempt. The ancients 

 saw Apiculture only in its crude state. 

 They had seen its great possibilities, as 

 it were, only '"through a glass, darkly." 



In the time of Abraham and Samson, 

 they had this "treasure in earthen ves- 

 sels" — and, in fact, in Palestine and the 

 East, to-day. they still keep their bees 

 " in earthen vessels !" 



Greek and Roman Sages and Poets 

 caught only a glimpse of apicultural 

 possibilities, and then the World was 

 enveloped in the gloom of " the dark 

 ages !" Then ignorance and superstition 

 reigned supreme until the days of Huber 

 and Bevan. of Dzierzon and Berlepseh, 

 who cleared away much of the rubbish, 

 letting the daylight in upon the pursuit. 

 That is just where we find apiculture 

 .50 years ago — plodding in the darkness, 

 but with a small light ahead ; it was but 

 a dim, tallow rushlight, we grant you, 

 which then shoue — when compared with 

 the refulgent rays of the bright orb 



which now shines upon the science of 

 Apiculture, in the closing years of the 

 19th century. 



As all the ■■ wants" were felt, they 

 were fully sii]iplied. 



IMTUOVKl) IIIVKS. 



The (irst apicultural "want" in 

 America was a simple and practical hive 

 — and .iust then Nature produced that 

 intelle(/tual giant, whose name is ever 

 honored by American.s — the Rev. L. L. 

 Laugstrotli — and he gave us the hive 

 that had long been needed, with Its 

 movable-frames and surplus receptacles 

 — revealing the mysteries of the bee- 

 economy, revolutionizing the methods 

 iH'fore jiracticed.and sending old theories 

 til oblivion I 



IMl'ROVED BEES. 



A better race of bees was also needed, 

 and Nature again produced " the men 

 for the times," who supplanted the 

 native black bees witli the yellow race. 

 Here a brief history will be in point : 



In 1858, Al|iiue bees were introduced 

 into Germany. Madame de Padua, of 

 Mira. Italy, wrote to the Ri^v. Dr. Dzier- 

 zon. who resided in Lower Silesia, for a 

 model of his bee-hive, and she sent him 

 a colony of the yellow bees, which were 

 the first seen in that part of Europe. 



In 185(5, Jlr. Samuel Wagner, then of 

 York, Pa., attempted to import a few 

 colonies of Italian bees, but they all 

 perished on the voyage. In 1860, 

 Messrs. Wagner, Langstroth and Colvin 

 succeeded in importing the yellow bees, 

 from Dr. Dzierzon's apiary. 



In 1859, Messrs. S. B. Parsons, of 

 New York, and P. J. Mahan. of Pennsyl- 

 vania, were the first to land Italian bees 

 in North America. 



Then importers grew in numbers, and 

 queen-bees from Italy, Cyprus, Carniola, 

 vSyria and Palestine followed in rapid 

 succession, and Messrs. D. A. Jones and 

 Frank Benton searched all over the 

 Eastern Hemisphere for other races of 

 bees, in order to improve our stock and 

 produce our ideal bee — Aph Amcricnna, 

 which, by a liberal translation, means 

 " the Bee of America." By careful 

 selection and breeding for some years, 

 many have now produced their ideal bee. 

 and I am tree to say that now Apis 

 Amcriea^iu is liere in all its glory ! 



In deciding upon the merits of our 

 ■idcnl bee, five points are essential, and 

 may be enumerated thus : 



The queen must be proUftc in order to 

 have the hive full of bees at the proper 

 time to gatlier the harvest of honey. 



The bees must be induatrious, to let 

 nothing escape their vigorous search 

 while gathering the nectar. 



They must be docile, to allow the 

 apiarist to manipulate them and the hive 

 with ease, in order to be protitable. 



They must be hanhj. to endure the 

 rapid changes in this very trying climate. 



They must be beautiful, in order to 

 secure the admiration of the fanciers of 

 fine stock. 



These five points are all essential 

 characteristics of Apia Americana .' 

 " Our ideal bee " will be present at the 

 very moment when the slumbering 

 flower, under the penetrating dew, 

 awakes to consciousness, and unfolds its 



