our long stay we heard no one complain 

 of being stung, and the bee-keepers 

 seemed to be proud in no small degree, 

 that their wards behaved themselves so 

 well. After the Vice-Regent had 

 viewed all the exhibits, he expressed to 

 the committee his high appreciation of 

 the exhibition and took his departure. 



Then the numerous bee-keepers and 

 bee friends commenced to inspect each 

 exhibit, and to criticise every object one 

 after another from a scientific stand- 

 point. The exhibition was really so 

 copious, and the mass that was laid out 

 so interesting and fascinating, that even 

 those not bee-keepers felt themselves 

 attracted in a great degree by the 

 wonderful spectacle they were witness- 

 ing, and through it became eloquent 

 advocates of the noble art of bee-culture. 



The exhibited objects were divided 

 into four groups, as follows: 1. Live 

 bees ; 2. Honey, wax and similar 

 products; 3. Vacant bee-habitations, 

 apicultural implements and machines ; 

 4. Apicultural literature and educa- 

 tional mediums. 



It would carry us too far, should I 

 make mention of all ; let it suffice by 

 referring to what mostly attracted my 

 attention. The living bees were interest- 

 ing in various ways. Above all, the 

 Caucasian bees brought from their 

 home to Europe by the Russian Coun- 

 sellor of State, Butlerow, were worthy 

 of distinction, being exhibited here for 

 the first time. Although no opinion 

 can be expressed yet as to the practical 

 value of these bees, it is certain, as I 

 have convinced myself, that they justify 

 their reputation of being the gentlest 

 bees in existence. Cyprian bees were 

 there, of excellent beauty. 



It gave me great pleasure to meet 

 with Mr. Cori,from Brix, in the exposi- 

 tion rooms, for this man was the first 

 one who had received this race from 

 Count Kolowrat, for the purpose of 

 breeding from it, and who had taken 

 great pains in handling and manipula- 

 ing these bees, as his articles written for 

 a number of periodicals sufficiently 

 testify. 



The bees that were exhibited by the 

 Counsellor of the Consistory Stahala, 

 represented this race, through their 

 pretty coloring, in an excellent manner. 

 Mr. Gunther also exhibited handsome 

 Cyprian bees. 



Of the Italian race, the queens of 

 Father Dzierzon were admirable. Be- 

 sides these, there were handsome colo- 

 nies and queens brought hither by 

 Prof. Kheil in a leaf-hive ; by Mr. Tre- 

 montani in original log-hive ; by Prof. 

 Sartori, from Milan, and others. 



The second group embraced honey, 



wax and products prepared therefrom, 

 or mixed with the same. 



Honey-combs were especially an ob- 

 ject of interest. A picture put up by 

 Counsellor Stahala, excited the admira- 

 tion and attention of all visitors. 

 Combs built by Cyprian bees and filled 

 by the same, formed these words : 

 " Vivat Franciscus Josephus et 

 Rudolphus !" 



Among the glass globes that were to 

 be seen, one especially was very beauti- 

 ful, within which the honey combs 

 bailt formed the Bohemian Crown ; 

 others were in the shape of a heart, a 

 star, etc. 



Extracted honey was exhibited in 

 great abundance ; acacia, rape, linden, 

 white clover, fennel, and scorzonera 

 honey ; also honey from Italy, Havana, 

 America, Greece (Mount Hymettus), 

 and Palestine. 



Honey pastry, Honey pepper or gin- 

 gerbread, formed into whole mountains. 

 Especially palatable was a certain kind 

 of honey-bread, which has great simi- 

 larity with our "Keetzen" bread and 

 will soon become a great favorite. 



Fruits preserved in honey (such as 

 currants, pears, apricots, etc.), were 

 abundantly represented, and this use of 

 the honey will, with the increase of 

 honey-production, soon become more 

 general. 



Of honey beverages there were 

 several kinds of mead and honey wines, 

 also imitations of Malaga, tokayer, 

 sherry and Madeira wines, agriot, 

 cumin, vanilla liquors and nut beer 

 with honey, most of which were very 

 palatable. 



Wax could be seen in abundance and 

 of great beauty and purity. A great 

 deal of attention was attracted by a 

 bust of His Majesty the Emperor, 

 artistically executed from his own 

 model and from his own wax by a 

 member of our Society, Herr Reib- 

 stein, from Bubenc ; also a wax bee- 

 hive of a natural size, by Mr. Schultz ; 

 wax-candles, by Herr Prokopp, from 

 Friedland, and imitation fruits (plums 

 and pears), coated with wax. 



Here I will also make mention of 

 comb foundation, which is coming 

 more and more into general use. The 

 idea originated with the well-known 

 cabinet-maker Mehring, although he 

 did not follow the matter up ; the Swiss 

 citizens Peter Jakob and Blatt, then the 

 teacher Kunz, at Jagerndorf , Macner at 

 Pisek,Otto Schultz and others took hold 

 of and perfected this invention which 

 gradually ripened into great import- 

 ance, and which especially finds great 

 propagation through the presses of Mr. 

 Greve. 



