270 



sary in cold Northern climates, but not in 

 Kentucky, as he had wintered bees success- 

 fully as an experiment in hives made of 

 half inch plank. 



C. H. Dean said we all use and endorse 

 the Langslroth hive, at least the frames, and 

 that is the principle, no matter what the 

 outside may be. 



On motion, the President appointed the 

 following committee to select subjects for 

 discussion for the second day's session : W. 

 Williamson, R. M. Gano, J. F. Bean. 



Honey Show. 



On motion a committee was appointed to 

 take into consideration, and act upon the 

 communication of Dr. R. J. Spurr, Vice 

 President of the Agricultural and Mechani- 

 cal Association, of Fayette county, and by 

 special motion the President was to act as 

 chairman of the following committee : H. 

 C. Hersperger, W. Williamson, F. P. Scearce. 



The communication read as follows : 



Lexington, Ky., May 2, 1879. 

 Mr. W. Williamson, Sec. Dear Sir.— Yours of 

 April 30th is before me, and I answer that the present 

 Board of Directors for our fair have not felt that it 

 was their privilege to do any act in the way of giving 

 premiums that would be in any way, binding upon 

 their successors. A new Board will be elected on 

 Saturday, the 10th inst., and I do not hesitate to say 

 that they will meet the wishes of the Bee-keepers' 

 Association in a liberal spirit. I wish your meeting 

 would indicate what they want, and lay it before the 

 new Board. Very respectfully, fi. J. Spubk. 



On motion, convention adjourned to meet 

 on the following morning at 10 o'clock. 



SECOND DAY. 



Convention called to order. President 

 Hersperger in the Chair. 



Reports of committees being called for, 

 the following were received and read : 



We, your committee appointed to indicate the 

 wishes of this Association in regard to bee-keeping 

 interests, as suggested by Dr. K. J. Spurr, as Vice 

 President of the Agricultural and Mechanical Asso- 

 ciation, of Fayette Co., desire to have it fully recog- 

 nized at their next fair, by offering such premiums 

 as they may be pleased to offer, recommend the 

 following : Best display of honey. Best honey. 

 Best display of bee-keepers' supplies. 

 H. C. Hersperger, ) 

 W. Williamson, ■ Committee. 

 F. P. Scearce, ) 



On motion, it was unanimously decided 

 for this Association to add to the premium 

 for "best display of honey"— a silver 

 medal. 



Committee appointed to select suitable 

 questions for discussion, reported the follow- 

 ing : 



1. How to prevent swarming ? 



2. Which kind of bees are preferable in 

 Kentucky ? 



3. Best honey-producing plants ? 



4. What number of colonies will prove 

 profitable in one locality of Central 

 Kentucky ? 



5. Are any other safeguards necessary 

 against moth, than simply strengthening 

 the colonies with the best strains of bees ? 



W. WILLIAMSON, ) 



R. M. Gano, Committee. 



3. F. Bean, ) 



How to Prevent Swarming, 



Mr. White, of Indiana, said bees ought to 

 have plenty of room and ventilation ; as 

 colonies increase in strength give them 

 room. 



The President said that to beginners this 

 question is not of much importance, as they 

 nearly all want swarms, while it is the re- 

 verse with advanced bee-keepers. We rarely 

 have an abundant supply of honey and 

 swarms during the same season in Kentucky. 

 A good plan when the bees get the swarm- 

 ing fever is to net a new hive, take all the 

 brood frames, bees and all, put them in it 

 and remove it a few yards from the old 

 location ; the bees will imagine they have 

 accomplished their swarming, and go right 

 to work. 



General Gano said his experience covered 

 a number of years, but of late he has paid 

 more attention to bee culture than ever be- 

 fore, and knew of no better way to prevent 

 swarming than by removing queen-cells. 

 He does not approve of too much room and 

 has invariably failed with "palace hives." 



J. B. Williamson said : You are all aware 

 that we use the Langstroth hive exclusively; 

 and to prevent swarming we put a few 

 frames of empty comb in the center of the 

 brood-chamber, remove the queen-cells ; 

 keep the bees in a cool, shady place, and we 

 have no trouble. 



The President said, if you will follow the 

 plan just given you I am sure it will prevent 

 swarming, and consequently the first steps 

 he would take to prevent swarming, would 

 be to give them good shade. Keep them 

 cool, or if they get heated up, (for this is 

 what I call the swarming fever), if they get 

 the swarming fever, they are very hard to 

 control, unless put into a new hive, as I have 

 already suggested. Cutting out queen-cells 

 will only prevent swarming while you con- 

 tinue to cut them out. 



What Bees are Preferable in Kentucky. 



After a general discussion of fine points 

 it was unanimously admitted that a good 

 strain of pure Italians are the best. 



The Best Honey-Producing Plants. 



The Secretary said that Alsike clover was 

 one of the most profitable and best honey- 

 producing plants, although not much known 

 in Kentucky. If the experience and testi- 

 mony of prominent and progressive farmers 

 and apiarists in other States are worth any- 

 thing, it is a pronounced success; but all 

 flowers and plants produce honey to a cer- 

 tain extent — mignonette, turnip bloom, and 

 thousands of blossoms, trees and shrubs of 

 all kinds. Our great object should be to in- 

 duce farmers to sow such seeds as will 

 prove profitable as a farm product, and at 

 the same time produce the sweets of a good 

 honey crop. 



The President said, it is a very fortunate 

 provision of nature that in early spring the 

 plants that bloom being bitter and unfit for 

 producing honey for family use, the bees 

 use it all up in feeding their young, before 

 the flow of surplus honey is stored. 



How Many Colonies will prove Profita- 

 ble in One Locality in Kentucky? 



J. W. Rose said Kentucky is as capable of 

 supporting profitably as many colonies to 

 the square acre as any State in the Union. 



The President said that he could not fully 

 agree with Mr. Rose, as our country here is 

 principally composed of Blue Grass. In the 



