Central Kentucky Convention. 



The fourth semi-annual convention of 

 the Central Kentucky Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation, took place in Lexington, on Tues- 

 day, Oct. 7th. Convention called to order 

 at 10 a.m., President H. C. Hersperger, of 

 Jessamine, in the chair ; calling of roll dis- 

 pensed with ; treasurer's report received 

 and filed ; minutes of the last meeting read 

 and approved. This being the regular time 

 for election of officers, on motion of C. H. 

 Bean, Sr., seconded by J. W. Egbert, it was 

 unanimously resolved that the following 

 present officers hold over until the first 

 Tuesday, in May next. 



President— H. C. Hersperger, Jessamine Co. 



Secretary— W. Williamson, Lexington. 



Treasurer— J. M. Holman, Fayette Co. 



Vice Presidents— J. W.Rose, Fayette county ; John 

 F. Bean, Montgomery ; J. W. Egbert, Mercer ; Thos. 

 A. Hutchcraf t, Bourbon ; Thos. S. Williams, Wood- 

 ford ; Dr. Jasper, Jessamine; W. B. Herring, Scott. 



The President said it is customary for a 

 retiring President to deliver an address, but 

 as by the resolution just passed, he would 

 not be permitted to retire until the May 

 meeting, he would promise his address then, 

 for really he had neglected through a press 

 of business and poor health to prepare any 

 formal address. He said in fact I did not 

 expect to be with you to-day. He arrived 

 in the city yesterday, on his way to Balti- 

 more, had friends in Cincinnati waiting for 

 him, and telegraphed he would meet them 

 Tuesday instead of Monday night. The 

 Secretary had persuaded him to stay over 

 and he had done so. " But my heart is more 

 on my journey to the home of my youth." 

 He then said " but in regard to bee-keeping 

 I can only give you my experience for the 

 past six years, as follows, giving the aver- 

 age amount of honey per colony : In 1874, 

 83 lbs.; 1875, 60 lbs.; 1876, 66 lbs.; 1877,6(5 

 lbs.; 1878, 66 lbs.; 1879, 15 lbs.; total average 

 per colony for 6 years 59>£ lbs. Average 

 price for 6 years 20 5-6c. per pound. Aver- 

 age yield per colony $12 35-100c. This is 

 more than we can do with sheep. Can we 

 do as well with any other farm product ? 

 In what other vocation can we make as 

 much money considering the amount in- 

 vested ? True, this year the honey crop 

 has been almost a failure, but some years 

 our wheat, corn, and other crops fail, but do 

 we stop ? No we go on just as we should in 

 bee-culture. 



On motion the President appointed a com- 

 mittee to propose questions for general dis- 

 cussion. The following were read and ap- 

 proved : 



1. The best method of managing natural 

 swarms. 



2. The best method of artificial swarming. 



3. Are drones from an unfertile queen 

 capable of fertilizing queens ? Or, are 

 drones of fertile workers ? 



4. The best method of wintering ? 



5. The best spring management to pro- 

 duce the greatest amount of honey. 



John F. Bean, of Montgomery, then read 



the following essay, particularly for the 

 benefit of farmers who keep bees, and not 

 for the progressive bee-keepers, as no such 

 warning is necessary : 



Hints to Bee-Keepers. 



Thee years ago I determined to make bee- 

 keeping a speciality, and have made it a 

 careful study. I have carefully noted the 

 wants of the bee-keeper, the ups and downs, 

 the prevailing ignorance, and the wholesale 

 swindling by patent bee-hive men. I desire 

 particularly to call your attention to this 

 bee-hive swindle. For two or three years 

 past, our country has been over-run by pat- 

 ent bee-hive men. They have been among 

 us like the western grasshopper, trying to 

 devour everything in sight. The beginner 

 and the ignorant have been duped by these 

 wily tongue gentry, and hundreds of dollars 

 have been taken from the country, for bee- 

 hives and fixtures that were worthless. 



Kentucky is twenty-five years behind in 

 bee-culture. Her people are many of them 

 entirely ignorant of all the modern improve- 

 ments, and here is where they are caught. 

 Many of them are desirous of making an 

 improvement, and in looking out for a hive 

 to begin with, most invariably choose the 

 most complicated. 



There is onlyone way to stop this swindle 

 and overcome the prevailing ignorance. It 

 is well known that where bee periodicals 

 circulate, the patent vendor vacates: the two 

 cannot live together. Let it be our aim to 

 encourage their circulation. 1 do not wish 

 to convey the idea that I oppose patents. It 

 is to the swindlers I allude, men who are 

 claiming patents where none exists. 



I might mention many things, but space 

 forbids, I will simply say this, that every 

 good feature about the hive is free from 

 patents ; when the Langstroth patent ex- 

 pired, and the patent on Clark's bevel edge 

 frame, the whole thing went overboard. All 

 the patent features I have seen since then 

 only lessens the value of the hive. A sim- 

 ple box with movable frames to lift out at 

 the top, with necessary arrangement for sur- 

 plus honey, is the best hive. Remember 

 success depends entirely upon you, not 

 upon a hive ; choose whatever frame you 

 like, Langstroth, Quinby, American or Gal- 

 lup, and never have but one size. Don't 

 allow anyone to persuade you to use the 

 drop-bottom slide-frame back-door things 

 with moth traps, draws and glass, you don't 

 want it ; let it alone if you want to avoid 

 trouble. 



I desire also to call your attention to the 

 condition of the bees at this time. Having 

 examined a great many colonies in different 

 portions of our county, I find many, (per- 

 haps two-thirds) have not stores enough to 

 last two months. I am satisfied half of the 

 bees in Kentucky will die this winter if not 

 fed. Now is the time for feeding. I would 

 urge gentlemen from different counties to 

 write a few bee notes urging bee-keepers 

 to attend to them at once. A few sugges- 

 tions in your county paper may save many 

 bees. The failure of the honey crop 

 throughout the United States this season and 

 the mortality among the bees in the North 

 and West last winter, combined with the 

 losses that are sure to follow before spring, 



