586 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



changed to fertile soil. Those who under- 

 stand how red clover takes so much of its 

 nourishment from the air. will not have so 

 much difficulty in believing this. This flat 

 pea belongs to the legutnmosw, as well as 

 clover. 



Cows fed on this plant give forth more 

 milk than when fed on clover, and we 

 hardly dare say how much more butter. 

 Some of the German friends count the in- 

 troduction of this plant equally important 

 with that of the potato. 



Railroad companies are planting it along 

 their embankments and deep cuts, so that 

 its long roots may prevent washing away 

 of the soil. 



Four tons of dry hay per acre are ob- 

 tained, three cuttings being made. The 

 first cutting takes away all chance for a 

 honey crop at that time. but. if we under- 

 stand it correctly, the bees have a rich 

 hai'vest on its blossoms after the first cut- 

 ting, and not until October is its yield of 

 nectar over. 



Of course we are only giving what is re- 

 ported, and it remains to be seen whether 

 the plant is of value in this country. A 

 somewhat serious drawback is the difficulty 

 of getting a start. It is very liable to kill 

 out during the first or second winter. 



As yet the price of seed is high — $3 or ^ 

 per pound. Bro. Root is quite enthusiastic 

 over it, and is sending out 5-cent samples 

 of the seed. 



IZZZZZZZZZZZZZZSZZZZZZZZZZZZZZXZZ] 



CONDUCTED BY 



MRS. JENNIE ATCHLEY. 



Beeville. Texas. 



The Texas State Convention. 



The 16th annual convention of the 

 Texas State Bee-Keepers' Association 

 met on April 4th and 5th, 1894, at the 

 residence of Wm. R. Graham, at Green- 

 ville, about 60 members being present. 



The convention opened with prayer 



by the President, Rev. Dr. Marshall. 

 The Secretary, Mr. E. J. Atchley, being 

 absent, Dr. Wm. Howard was chosen 

 Secretary pro tern. 



The President read his annual address 

 as follows : 



President ITIarsball's AddresM. 



In making the 16th annual report of 

 our Texas State Bee- Keepers' Associa- 

 tion, it is with pleasure we mark the 

 progress that has been made. There 

 were at the time of our organization but 

 few bee-keepers in this section, and 

 they were ignorant of many of the im- 

 provements and discoveries now in use. 

 The chief mover in our association, and 

 the prince of bee-keepers — Judge W. H. 

 Andrews — has passed away. Peace to 

 his ashes. The numbers have largely 

 increased, and a large establishment for 

 the manufacture of apiarian supplies 

 has been established, and operated by 

 our brother W. R. Graham, one of the 

 first members, and a prime mover of our 

 organization. We come together again 

 to renew our greeting, and drop a tear 

 of regret for those who are gone, and 

 come no more. 



The object of our meeting is to pro- 

 mote the interest of our beloved and 

 chosen industry, as well as to renew our 

 personal friendships. We come together 

 to give each other's discoveries and ex- 

 periences, and to gather from general 

 experience those facts that will make 

 our industry more successful, as well as 

 more profitable. 



The subjects that should claim our 

 attention are so numerous that I cannot 

 mention all of them. They may all be 

 summed up in the general questions of 

 what will reduce labor and increase 

 profit? 



,1. The first question would be, what 

 hive to use. This question will probably 

 never be settled. Different views will 

 probably always prevail on this subject. 

 And yet this is an important subject, 

 and one that lies at the foundation of 

 all success. The^ are a great many 

 hives that have air the elements of suc- 

 cess, and probably the success of each 

 of them is about equal. From my own 

 experience, for this climate, I much pre- 

 fer the shallow frame ; especially for 

 comb honey. The Langstroth frame, six 

 inches deep, is my preference. I would 

 prefer this size, with nine frames for the 

 brood-nest. The question will probably 

 only be settled by individual preference. 



2. The next question will be, what 

 bee to use. It has been very generally 

 decided, all things considered, that the 

 Italians, for all purposes, are the best. 



