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Translated from the Bienen Vater. 



The Austro-German Congress. 



KARL GATTER. 



As a delegate of the Vienna Bee- 

 Keepers' Society, it was my mission to 

 visit the Convention of German and 

 Austrian apiculturists at Prague, to 

 notice and examine in a scientific man- 

 ner the exhibition of apicultural objects 

 which was held in connection with said 

 Convention, to take part in the proceed- 

 ings and to write out a report. 



Theperegrinating-Convention of Ger- 

 man-Austrian Bee-Keepers, which is 

 annually attended by a large number of 

 apiculturists from various countries, 

 was this year held at Prague, Sept. 7-11. 



The international bee exhibition in 

 connection with the convention was 

 visited by large numbers of the citizens 

 of Prague ; and people from the country 

 came in throngs, from far and near, to 

 witness the progress made within the 

 province of bee-keeping and the results 

 of rational apiculture. 



Those who took part in this Congress 

 numbered about 600, among these were 

 many apicultural celebrities from other 

 and far-off countries. Prom America 

 came the Hon. Thomas G. Newman, as 

 a Representative of the National 

 Society of Apiculture in North America. 

 Prom Russia came States Senator 

 Butlerow, who brought from the Czar 

 of Russia and by his authority invested 

 Dr. Dzierzon with the order of St. 

 Anna, of St. Petersburg. Prom Italy 

 came Prof. Louis Ritter V. Sartori. 

 Besides these there were many other 

 notable persons both from Germany, 

 Austria, England and other European 

 countries. 



The opening of the international ex- 

 hibition of live bees, products of the 

 bees, bee-hives, bee implements, ma- 

 chines and mediums for instruction, 

 took place on Sept. 7th, and in the 

 presence of His Excellency the Vice Re- 

 gent, Baron Weber von Ebenhof. At 

 10 a.m. he arrived in his carriage, and 

 after being greeted by the committee of 

 arrangements, he was conducted to the 

 pavillion, near the entrance, to which 

 also all other distinguished personages 

 were conducted. After some music the 

 Secretary of the Bohemian Council of 

 Culture, Mr. Ferdinand Hiller, repre- 

 senting the President, Herr Ritter von 

 Komers, whose absence was caused by 

 sickness, thanked His Excellency, the 

 Vice Regent, for the high honor, which 



through his presence he was bestowing 

 upon the Society of German and Aus- 

 trian bee-keepers. The speaker wel- 

 comed the participants of the exhibi- 

 tion, which, he said, contained much 

 that was interesting, where the smallest 

 and most insignificant of objects would 

 serve its aim and end by a harmonious 

 conjunction with the entire whole. 



The special exhibitions of apiculture 

 are the faithful companions of the 

 Austro-German conventions, now hav- 

 ing existed through a quarter of a cen- 

 tury, we hope that our Prague exposi- 

 tion may be just as worthy and deserv- 

 ing of praise as its predecessors have 

 been, that the productions of an im- 

 proved practice and the achievement of 

 scientific researches, may be made sub- 

 servient to the progressive development 

 of apiculture, which is one of the most 

 poetical branches of rural economy. 

 The exhibition furnishes evidence of 

 what genuine German and Austrian 

 bee industries have created, and may it 

 produce upon all participants a 

 pleasant and lasting impression. 



After this German address, Herr 

 Secretary Hiller made an eloquent 

 speech in Bohemian, and amid great 

 enthusiasm and cheering, he proclaimed 

 the exhibition open. 



Before his Excellency, the Vice Re- 

 gent, left the pavillion, he signed his 

 name in the memorial book. After 

 that his Excellency, accompanied by 

 several members of the committee, 

 examined all the departments, be- 

 ginning with the apicultural products 

 in the lower story ; the rich collections 

 of various kinds of honey, the wines 

 and liquors produced from it, and other 

 specialties ; also, the exhibition of 

 honey cake, preserved fruits, confec- 

 fections and gingerbread-figures, pro- 

 ducts of wax, books upon apiculture, 

 periodicals and mediums of instruction. 

 His Excellency conversed in a friendly 

 manner with all the bee-keepers who 

 were introduced to him, and did not 

 disdain to test some of the ginger- 

 bread productions that were presented 

 to him. Then His Excellency examined 

 the apicultural implements, had their 

 purpose and manipulations explained to 

 him, and expressed his great satisfac- 

 tion to the inventors of these ingenious 

 and practical implements. Then His 

 Excellency inspected the bees; every 

 hive that exhibited anything interesting 

 was inspected from all sides, and the 

 occupants thereof watched in their 

 wonderful work. The Vice Regent de- 

 clined to use the wire mask which the 

 committee offered him for protection 

 against the stings of bees. The bees 

 seemed to be very amiable for during 



