AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



353 



"The big, shiny bee is perfectly artic- 

 ulated, molded and jointed together, 

 true to the busy little ' yellow-breeched 

 philosopher' of the fields after whom it 

 was fashioned. Wings, head, thorax 

 and abdomen can all be disjointed by the 

 simple surgery of thumb and finger, the 

 head may be trepanned,, displaying the 

 small brain and physiological machinery 

 within, thorax separated, and the ab- 

 domen disemboweled. Every organ 

 artery, vein, fold, sinew, tissue, has 

 been carefully reproduced in exact pro- 

 portion with a delicate fidelity half lost 

 sight of in so large a model. Dean 

 Charles S. Dolley intends that the pupils 

 of his department shall dissect this big 

 bee, and study it until they become ex- 

 perts in bee architecture." 



The annual election of officers for the 

 ensuing year was then held, and resulted 

 in the following choice : 



President — Dr. H. TownsQnd. 



Vice-President — Henry M. Twining. 



Secretary andTreas. — F. Hahman, Jr. 



Librarian — Miss Dora Davidson. 



After a vote of thanks to the retiring 

 officers, the Treasurer's report was read 

 and accepted, showing a balance of 

 $18.36 in the ti-easury. 



The Secretary then read his brief 

 history of the Association as follows : 



PHILADELPHIA bee-keepers' ASSOCIATION 



On the evening of Jan. 23, 1882, 

 there assembled at the residence of Dr. 

 H. Townsend, 1514 Vine Street, Phila- 

 delphia, eight gentlemen. They met in 

 response to a call issued for the purpose, 

 as the postal card convening the meet- 

 ing stated, of forming a bee-keepers' 

 association. From this humble begin- 

 ning, started just ten years ago this 

 evening, in this very room, there origi- 

 nated the "Philadelphia Bee-Keepers' 

 Association," one of the most solidly 

 established and prosperous bee-keepers' 

 associations in America. 



Although never counting over 60 

 members on its roll at any time, and its 

 influence and reputation never extend- 

 ing beyond Its own sphere, it has gone 

 on persistently with its regular monthly 

 meetings, through prosperity and ad- 

 versity ; ever steadfast, ever a credit to 

 its founders, an inexhaustible fund of 

 pleasure, and a vast educator of the 

 ladies and gentlemen comprised in its 

 membership. 



The Philadelphia Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation has never made a- great stir in 

 the bee-keeping world, and many of the 

 prominent apiarists of America may not 



even know of its existence ; but, never- 

 theless, it has accomplished more than 

 have the majority of bee-keepers' asso- 

 ciations of this country, its membership 

 has mostly been composed of ladies and 

 gentlemen whose desire for knowledge 

 and interest in the wonders and t(^ach- 

 ings of nature led them to the scientific 

 pursuit of apiculture, hence it has 

 mainly been an association of amateurs, 

 and not one of large honey-producers. 



The first thought of the inception of a 

 bee-keepers' association originated with 

 Dr. H. Townsend and Thos. F. Wittman, 

 who issued a call to the bee-keepers of 

 this city and vicinity to meet at 1514 

 Vine Street, on the evening of Jan. 23, 

 1882. 



The eight founders of the Association 

 were : Samuel T. Ramsey, Dr. H. Town- 

 send, Geo. L. Miller, Thos. T. Crosley, 

 Thos. C. Davidson, Thos. F. Wittman, 

 C. H. Beeler, Jr., and F. Hahman, Jr. 

 Of these members three are still with 

 the Association, viz. : Dr. H. Townsend, 

 T. C. Davidson and F. Hahman, Jr. ; 

 three have been removed by death, viz. : 

 Samuel T. Ramsey, Geo. H. Miller, and 

 Thos. T. Crosley ; while the remaining 

 two, Thos. F. Wittman and C. H. Beeler, 

 Jr., resigned from membership a few 

 months after the Association was started. 

 On Jan. 30, 1882, the second meeting 

 was held, when a Constitution and By- 

 Laws were adopted. 



Among the earnest workers who 

 joined the Association in the early part 

 of its existence were Mrs. M. L. Thomas 

 and ArUiur Todd. Mr. Todd was inde- 

 fatigable In his efforts to further the 

 interests of the Association, and much 

 of the success of the society was directly 

 due to his energy : through his sudden 

 death, on Feb. 11, 1888, the Associa- 

 tion sustained a great loss. 



Mrs. Thomas, who has also aided the 

 Association in a number of different 

 ways, is now a resident of New York 

 city, and was elected to honorary mem- 

 bership at the time of her removal to 

 that city. 



Of the good work accomplished by this 

 Association the greatest was, without 

 question, the bec-<^.xhibit at the Pennsyl- 

 vania Agricultural State Fair, in Sep- 

 tember, 1884. The exhibit made by 

 the Association and its members was a 

 grand success, and occupied a large tent 

 which was crowded with visitors daily. 

 A large number of colonies of bees in 

 observation hives was a source of wout 

 der to the public, and every conceivable 

 product derived from honey and wax 

 was exhibited. The wax exhibit was 

 undoubtedly the best and most complete 



