THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



127 



hundred colonics. The other apiary is two 

 miles iind a half distant. All the colonies 

 seemed to be in good wintering condition. Mr. 

 G. uses the Laugstroth hive. I am satislicd 

 that if there arc any i)Ure Italian bees in this 

 country, Mr. Grimm has them; and if Mr. Vic- 

 tim and-others who are so afraid of being vie- 

 timizcd wouhl purchase a queen of Mr. G., with 

 his guarantee of purity, 1 would Avager a red 

 appic tliat he or they would get wh at they want. 

 I stayed with 3ilr. G. two days and left for home, 

 taking with me several of his beautiful queens 

 for my own apiary in Ohio. 



S. Sanford. 

 LiHA, Ohio, Oct. 29, 18G7. 



Kentucky Bee-Keepers' Association. 



Lexington, Ky., Nov. 25, 1867. 

 Editor Bee Journal: — Pursuant to a call 

 issued some time ago, quite a number of bee- 

 iiccpers met at the Court-house, in this city, on 

 the 20th instant, and organized a Kentucky 

 Bee Keepers' Association. Inclosed you will 

 tind an account of the proceedings. 



D. Burbank, 



MEETING OF BEE KEEPERS. 



Lexington, Nov. 20, 1867. 



Pursuant to notice previously given through 

 the papers, quite a large number of bee keepers 

 from various parts of the State met at the Court- 

 house in this city, and on motion, R. T. Dil- 

 lard, D. D., was called to the Chair, and J. W. 

 Reynolds appointed Secretary. 



Mr. I). Burbank, in a few pertinent remarks, 

 stated the object of the meeting to be for the 

 purpose of organizing an association of all in- 

 terested in bee culture, and consulting as to the 

 best means of encouraging and advancing this 

 important interest. 



Mr. Burbank moved the appointment of a 

 committee to arrange business for the considera- 

 tion of the convention, which motion was adop- 

 ted. 



Dr. John Dillard, Messrs. R. A. Broadhurst, 

 Wade, Egbert, Burbank, and Brown were ap- 

 pointed said committee. 



R. A. Broadhurst, Principal of the Female 

 Orphan School at Midway, addressed the con- 

 vention on the importance and profitableness 

 of bee keeping, fortif3'iug his conclusions by ex- 

 amples under his own experience; demonstrat- 

 ing beyond doubt that a farmer cannot lay out 

 the small capital required to commence the 

 business in anj' manner to secure as certain and 

 lucrative return. He described his apiary on 

 the plan he pursued, and imparted a great 

 amount of valuable information concerning the 

 subject. 



We do not pretend to give auj'-thing like a 

 full and accurate report of the speaker's instruc- 

 tive and entertaining remarks. From his cx- 

 l)erience with the common and Italian bees>, he 

 regarded the latter as most profitable. 



Dr. John Dillard said he commenced keeping 

 bees about five j'ears ago, with nine swarms of 

 bees, using the common hives. By a short ex- 

 perience, after losing numerous swarms, he 

 adopted the Langstroth hive, and he is con- 



•vinced that it is thi hive best adapted for beo 

 keepers here and elsewhere. He has carefully 

 o])served the Italian bees, their habits, &c., and 

 is fully satisfied that they are by far the most 

 profitable. They commence working earlier in 

 the season and continue later. He has observed 

 that they work better on the second crop of red 

 clover than tlie common bees. 



Capt. N. Craig, of Scott, addressed the meet- 

 ing at length, lie has been a practical bee 

 keeper for fifty years, and approves of Lang- 

 stroth's system of bee-keeping; thinks the Italian 

 the most profitable bee. It is a longer lived 

 and a better worker. He thinks yellow pine 

 the best material for making hives; thinks the 

 frames in the interior should be of white pine 

 or yellow poplar. In regard to moths, the 

 best remedy is cleanliness of hives. He pre- 

 fers the Langstroth movable comb hive to any 

 other that he has used ! Thinks buckwheat good 

 bee pasture. 



The Rev. Dr. Dillard made some remarks as 

 to the pleasure and profits of bee-keeping. Has 

 been a bee-keeper for fifty years. Thinks 

 Langstroth' s the best hive. Said persons in 

 the highest ranks in Prussia and other coun- 

 tries in Europe devote much attention to bee- 

 keeping. 



The committee to arrange business for the 

 convention reported the following officers for a 

 permanent organization of a Kentucky Bee 

 Keepers' Association: Dr. John Dillard, of 

 Fayette, President; R. A. Broadhurst, of Mid- 

 way, S. F. Drane, of Eminence, William J. 

 Moore, of Danville, N. A. Rapier, of New Ha- 

 ven, D. L. Adair, of Hawesville, and Cyrus 

 Simmons, of Bowling Green, Vice Presidents; 

 Wesley Spencer, Secretary, and D. Burbank, 

 Treasurer. 



The committee also reported various subjects 

 for discussion, only one -of which Avas consid- 

 ered for want of time, viz: the best mode of 

 wintering bees. 



Dr. John Dillard gave his experience; was of 

 opinion that tlie most important matter was to 

 prevent dampness, has used straw in the tops of 

 his hives to absorb the moisture from the respi- 

 ration of the bees, and keep them warm, but 

 thinks corn cobs, being non-conductors of heat 

 and great absorbants of moisture, thg best thing 

 he has tried; he removes the honey boards and 

 caps, and packs the vacant space above the 

 frames with cobs. 



S. C. Brown corroborated the remarks of Dr. 

 Dillard, and spoke at length upon the advan- 

 tages and disadvantages of wintering bees in 

 dark cellars or buildings, or burying them, &c. 



David Butcher preferred wintering bees on 

 their summer stands. His plan is to place over 

 the hives large boxes and fill the space between 

 the hives and the inside of the boxes with saw 

 dust. 



Dr. George S. Savage moved that when this 

 meeting adjourn, it be to meet at this place on 

 the second Tuesday of December, at 11 o'clock 

 A. M. Agreed to. 



D. Burbank moved the appointment of a com- 

 mittee to draft a constitution for the association 

 and report at the next meeting. Adopted. 



The chair appointed as the committee D. Bur- 



