the honey crop of Missouri. Most re- 

 ports are good on increase and good 

 condition of the bees at present for 

 winter quarters, and. with Providence 

 smiling upon us, we feel that Missouri 

 will take her place among the great 

 honey-producing States. At present, 

 we report about one-fifth crop of honey, 

 and 75 per cent, increase in colonies. 

 Paul L. Viallon, for Louisiana, writes: 



1 had made preparations to assist the 

 National Convention of Bee-Keepers, 

 at Cincinnati, and, as stated before, in- 

 tended to write an essay to be read. 

 But, as luck will have it sometimes, I 

 have been confined in my room for over 



2 weeks, suffering from a neuralgic 

 pain in the head, caused by a catarrh, 

 and, though still suffering, I thought of 

 informing you of the cause of my ab- 

 sence, &c. Having to give up the idea 

 of having the pleasure of meeting so 

 many friends, I have also to regret not 

 having been able to gather my notes 

 and write the essay promised. With all 

 the wishes of a great success, I am in 

 the hope to meet you all at the next 

 meeting. 



II. L. Jeffrey, for Connecticut. So 

 far as I can learn from all the bee-keep- 

 ers I have seen throughout the State, I 

 cannot report more than half a crop of 

 honey, though a fair per cent, of in- 

 crease by natural swarming. A very 

 few of the practical Italian bee-keeper, 

 who have made a practice of suppress- 

 ing increase, have received a good' sur- 

 plus in box and extracted honey. A 

 kind of foul-brood is showing itself 

 epidemically. 



Adjourned till 1:30 p. m. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



The Convention proceeded to the 

 selection of a committee of five, to 

 nominate officers for the ensuing year 

 with the following result : W. William- 

 son, Kentucky ; Chas. F. Muth, Ohio ; 

 Dr. Ehrick Parmly, New York ; A. I. 

 Root, Ohio; Dr. J. P. H. Brown, 

 Georgia. The committee were in- 

 structed to report to-morrow morning. 



The Secretary read a letter from Prof. 

 A. J. Cook, of Mighigan Agricultural 

 College, regretting his inability to have 

 his essay on '■ The Tongues of Different 

 Races of Bees," ready for use in this 

 Convention. He is particularly desir- 

 ous to make an accurate and exhaustive 

 examination, and give a report that 

 may be wholly reliable ; to do this, he 

 will require more time, but when satis- 

 fied with the prognosis, will publish 

 the conclusion reached in the Bee 

 Journal. 



Individual reports for the season were 

 now called for; only 37 responded in 



detail. Of those responding, but few 

 reported an average yield. Six reported 

 no honey ; fourteen had secured very 

 little ; seven reared and sold queens, but 

 had obtained no honey ; forty-four had 

 made bee-keeping profitable the past 

 season, while eighteen had not suc- 

 ceeded so well. Very many failed to 

 respond to the call. 

 The following paper was then read on 



Honey-ProducinK Plants, Trees and Shrub* 

 of Kentucky. 



There is no subjectof more importance to 

 the bee-keeper, nor is there one that gives 

 him more pleasure than the study of honey- 

 producing flowers. No matter whether they 

 bloom in the garden, the field or the forest, 

 or perchance along the roadsides, if our bees 

 gather honey from them, they at once be- 

 come an object of interest and investigation. 

 The question of bee forage is one that every 

 one engaged in bee-keeping should investi- 

 gate, for upon the amount and duration of 

 honey-producing plants in the vicinity of 

 the apiary depends the success or failure of 

 the enterprise. 



We do not deem it necessary or important 

 to mention all the flowers that bees work 

 upon, as there is scarcely any flower that 

 blooms in this latitude that does not afford 

 either honey or pollen to some extent ; but 

 we shall confine ourselves to such as we con- 

 sider the most valuable for honey produc- 

 tion, that are native to Kentucky, and also 

 to such as we believe are worthy of cultiva- 

 tion for bee pasturage. 



First, then, we have the elm, the elder, 

 the hazel and the willow, that bloom in Feb- 

 ruary, and in warm winters in January. 

 They afford mostly pollen, and but little 

 honey. Next in order come the maples— the 

 red, the silver-leaf and the sugar maples. 

 They are valuable in stimulating early 

 brood-rearing, furnishing an abundance of 



Eollen, the staff of life to the honey bee, as 

 read is to man. In March the wild plum 

 and red-bud or Judas-tree, bloom in rich 

 profusion, and the hum of the little worker 

 is music to our ears as they gather in the 

 rich stores at their command. As the sea- 

 son advances to the last of March and 1st of 

 April, the peach begins to open its honey- 

 laden flowers, and, as it were, to invite the 

 busy bee to a rich feast of fat things. Then 

 the strawberry begins to blossom, and the 

 cherry opens its snow-white flowers. The 

 pear and apple come in quick succession, 

 and the busy hum of the little bee fills the 

 ears and heart of the bee-keeper with ecsta- 

 cy and delight, as well as pleasant thoughts 

 that feeding time is over, and the bees are 

 preparing, by raising brood in abundance, 

 for the golden harvest just ahead. The 

 black locust, blackberry and raspberry be- 

 gin to bloom the first of May, and our bees 

 gather an abundance of honey from them, 

 of rich, delicious flavor, though but little of 

 if is ever taken, as it is consumed by the 

 bees in rearing brood. The poplar begins 

 to bloom about the middle of May, and af- 

 fords more honey than any forest tree with 

 which we are acquainted. Its cups of golden 

 nectar often run over, and our bees gather 

 honey so rapidly that we are astonished at 



