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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Nov. 9, 



Kentucky State Convention. 



SECOND DAY. 



The committee on nominations re- 

 commended the following, who were 

 elected by ballot : 



President -Dr. N. P. Allen. 



Secretary— Wm. Williamson. 



Treasurer— I. B. Nail. 



First Vice President— Dr. L. E. Brown. 



County Vice Presidents— Dr. Dlllard. Fayette; 

 H. H. Littel. Jefferson; Thos. Snyder. Logan; s. 

 Collins. Spencer; Dr. Keene. Woodford; Key^ L. 

 Johnson, Boone; W. P. Pelham, Mason; Mr Bar- 

 tleson. Wayne; Dr. J. R. Larue, Bath : 1. N. Green. 

 Barren; Alex. Sayers. Nelson; .las. Erwln. Allen; 

 L. T. Mobberly. Hardin; J. D. Davis. Cumberland. 



Dr. Allen, in taking the chair, after 

 reelection, returned thanks and asked 

 the Society to aid him in the work. 

 He thought the people should be edu- 

 cated, and that there ought to be a 

 society in every county. In this way 

 only would people take an interest in 

 bee-keeping. He said this State Soci- 

 ety had grown out of a small begin- 

 ning at his residence, several years 

 ago. He said men had learned to keep 

 bees and produce honey simply by the 

 interest taken in the Society. He 

 hoped every Vice President would or- 

 ganize a local society in his county. 



The following, by Dr. J. P. H. 

 Brown, of Georgia, was read on 



Marketing Honey. 

 Whether the production of an arti- 

 cle is profitable or not, depends alto- 

 gether upon the demand for it. The 

 demand for an article is generally gov- 

 erned by its utility : how far it admin- 

 isters to the health, comfort and 

 pleasure of the purchaser, and the ex- 

 tent it pampers to the fashion of soci- 

 ety. The sale of an article is gener- 

 ally based upon its character, appear- 

 ance or representation. 



The successful and wide-awake mer- 

 chant grades his goods and puts them 

 up in the most attractive form to 

 please his customers. His salesmen 

 also possess a knowledge of the quali- 

 ties of the goods, and are able to rep- 

 resent to the customer the merits of 

 the article offered for sale. Thanks 

 to our apicultural literature and bee- 

 keepers' societies, our honey pro- 

 ducers are generally learning how (as 

 well as the necessity) to put up their 

 product in a convenient and neat 

 shape, observing all the conditions to 

 have it clean and inviting in appear- 

 ance. With many persons, this latter 

 condition has more influence than 

 prime quality. 



In this short paper, we have no time 

 to refer to all the particulars necessary 

 to be observed in marketing honey, 

 but shall only offer a few suggestions 

 for the seller to think over, enlarge 

 upon and modify to his particular 

 case. 



We believe there are but few places 

 where honey cannot find a market. 

 Illustration : Dr. J., located in a 

 small village in Middle Georgia, had 

 been keeping bees for several years, 

 more for pleasure than profit, but this 

 season he concluded to run for profit, 

 and he found his dozen colonies of 

 bees paid him more money than did 2 

 acres in cotton. Before this he thought 

 he could find no market for his honey, 

 but after he put it up in nice shape 

 and offered it for sale, he had no 

 trouble to sell it at a fair price. Hence 

 we believe it is always possible to 

 build up and increase home markets. 

 Such markets, as a general thing, are 

 always the best— they save freights 

 and commissions. 



It often becomes necessary to con- 

 sign our honey to commission mer- 

 chants, or to ship to distant markets, 

 etc. When this course is required, it 

 should be put up in the best possible 

 manner. If shipped in wooden vessels, 

 they should not be larger than from 

 10 to 20 gallon kegs, and should be 

 made out of the best material, so they 

 will not leak. A barrel that will hold 

 water may not hold honey, and hence 

 such test is no guarantee of security. 

 We prefer from J to 5-gallon square 



tin cans, with tops and bottoms well 

 soldered on. The top has a hole and 

 collar to admit of an inch cork. If 

 necessary, this cork can be secured in 

 with a coat of plaster of Paris on top, 

 within the collar. When honey ar- 

 rives in a leaky condition witli every- 

 thing smeared up, it generally goes to 

 the cellar or back part of the store, to 

 remain unsold ; but when it is put up 

 in convenient packages that are clean 

 and nice, it is apt to be kept in front 

 where people can see it. Commission 

 merchants are often not as much to 

 blame for low prices and slow sales as 

 the slovenly, careless shipper. 



It must not be supposed that every 

 grocery merchant is suitable to sell 

 honey. There must be a natural fit- 

 ness for such business. Those who 

 push their business by a judicious ap- 

 plication of printer's ink, and have a 

 fancy business in the retail line, are 

 the ones to select, particularily if 

 backed by a reputation for honesty 

 and reliability. It is best for the bee- 

 keepers of a neighborhood to center 

 upon the same man, so as to offer him 

 sufficient inducement to build up and 

 extend the trade. By this course, pri- 

 ces can better be sustained and the 

 market enlarged. 



In many of the large cities there are 

 merchants who make the handling of 

 honey a specialty. Most of these men 

 are reliable, and always pay the mar- 

 ket price. 



Atlanta, Ga. 



Dr. L. E. Brown stated that he saw 

 Dr. Drane's shipments. The barrels 

 were coated with wax on the inside, 

 and the extracted honey allowed to 

 stand before barreling. 



Mr. Demaree said it was not nec- 

 essary to wax the barrel, as soft wood 

 barrels could be used. His plan was 

 to allow his honey to stand in hot 

 weather at least one week, when the 

 honey is drawn from bottom. He pre- 

 fers 100-lb. casks, or small glass jars 

 for local trade. At first he could not 

 sell extracted honey, but now cannot 

 supply the trade. 



The report of the committee on sup- 

 plies was received and read as fol- 

 lows : 



Tour committee have examined the supplies on 

 exhibition, and desire to especially call attention 

 to them; 



Wm. Hamilton, Louisville. Ky.. has observatory 

 nuclei of Cyprian bees and queens; foundation ma- 

 chine; « cases of nice honey in 1 and l!lb. sec- 

 tions; Isham sections glassed, and one-piece sec- 



"br. A. W. Kaye. of Pewee Valley, Ky.. 1 and 2-lh 

 unbiassed dove-tailed sections of honey, brood 

 frames, frames for sections, and one-piece sec- 

 Mr. A. Schneider. Louisville, Ky., a beautiful dis- 

 play of extracted honey. 



Mr L. T. Mobberly. of Long Grove, Ky.. exhibi- 

 ted a bottle of extracted honey from the narrow 

 leaf or water oak, extracted late in September. 



A display of foundation by Charles Dadant & Son, 

 Hamilton, III. „ _ 



The American Bee Jochnal. B'l-Keepen 

 Manazine. Bet-Keepers' Guide, and Bee. Keepers 

 Instructor were on the table for free distribution. 

 Your committee recommend that a vote of 

 thanks be tendered to the able editor of the Farm- 

 ers' Home Journal for reporting and giving notices 

 of this meeting. 



Your committee recommend that all the mem- 

 bers be requested to make a display of honey, 

 bees, supplies, etc., at the next meeting of the 

 Convention. A. Schneider. Louis Hofstetter, L. 

 T. Mobberly, H. H. Littell, Committee. 



ADULTERATION. 



Mr. Littell said it should be the duty 

 of members to use their influence to 

 get a law prohibiting adulteration of 

 honey, butter, etc. There is a law in 

 this State, but it is not enforced, and 

 needs amendment. 



Mr. Cook moved that the President 

 appoint a committee to prepare a bill 

 covering the ground. 



Mr. Williamson said there was al- 

 ready a law in Kentucky making a 

 penalty of $50 for first offense, and 

 $100 for second offense. It was only 

 necessary for members of this society 

 to see that it is enforced. 



Messrs. Demaree, Mobberly and 

 Hofstetter thought there were so 

 many difficulties in the way of exe- 

 cuting the law that it would remain a 

 dead letter, and that honey would sell 

 on its own merits, and the name of 

 the producer would be the best pro- 

 tection honey could have. 



The resolution was adopted and the 

 President appointed G. W. Demaree, 

 Chairman, W. Williamson and I. B. 

 Nail. 



Mr. Hofstetter moved that this as- 

 sociation offer a prize of $25 to any 



person who shall give satisfactory ev- 

 idence that he has succeeded in ferti- 

 lizing queens in confinement. Adop- 

 ted. 



Mr. G. W. Demaree read the fol- 

 lowing on 



The Several Eaces of the Honey Bee-Their 

 Relative Merits, Etc. 

 The honey bee has been in a state 

 of domestication for thousands of 

 years, and vet but little was known of 

 the several races or varieties of this 

 highly-prized insect until the past few 

 years. This is not surprising to some 

 of us who have lived to see the mighty 

 revolution that has taken place in the 

 way of increase of knowledge and im- 

 provements in all the affairs of men. 

 It would seem that knowledge has 

 been accumulating for ages to burst 

 forth in these days like a new crea- 

 tion. 



Of the honey bee {Apis melifica), 

 there appears to be but the one species. 

 This is proven by the fact that when 

 the several races or varieties of the 

 species come in contact, hybridization 

 is the result, and the hybrid queens 

 are not only capable of producing pro- 

 geny, but are exceedingly prolific. 



While there is but the one species, 

 this is divided into two distinct fami- 

 lies or races, viz : the yellow, or light- 

 colored race, and the black, or dark- 

 colored race. To what extent these 

 two branches (the yellow and the 

 black) of the great family of the honey 

 bee has been effected by hybridization 

 in the past, is a problem to be solved 

 by long and careful experimenting, as 

 there is no history of the races of the 

 past upon which to base a conclusion. 

 The German, or common black bee, 

 is considered the great representative 

 of the dark races of bees. In a state 

 of nature, it is, perhaps, the purest (m 

 the sense of unmixed blood) race of 

 bees in the world. No amount of skill 

 will make them " sport," or show the 

 outcropping of mixture of blood. It 

 has been more generally cultivated in 

 the past— if bees kept in " skeps," 

 gums and boxes can be said to have 

 been cultivated, than any other race 

 of bees. This, however, is no evi- 

 dence of the superiority of the race, 

 but was owing to the energy and civi- 

 lization of the people who occupied the 

 countries inhabited by these bees. 



Although worthy of cultivation in 

 ttie absence of the superior races, the 

 common black bee is inferior in many 

 respects. They lack robustness of 

 constitution, and therefore succumb 

 to adversity. They fail to protect 

 their comb against the ravages of the 

 bee moth, when the least weak or dis- 

 couraged, and at all times and under 

 all circumstances they are fidgety and 

 irritable in temperament. There is 

 set down to their account one valua- 

 ble trait, and that is they produce 

 whiter comb honey than the superior 

 races do. This is owing to the fact, 

 that in capping the honey cells, they 

 lay on the wax more unsparingly, and 

 the surface is whiter thereby, in the 

 same way that a thick coat ot white 

 paint gives a whiter surface than a 

 thinner one. 



The Italian bee was first introduced 

 into this country about the year I860, 

 and though sold at first at fabulous 

 prices, gained in favor rapidly, and 

 has spread its influence throughout 

 our vast domain. The Italian belongs 

 to the yellow race of bees. To the 

 beauty and docility of this race of bees 

 we are indebted for the advanced state 

 of bee science more than to any other 

 cause, except the inventive genius of 

 the immortal Langstroth. The pure 

 Italian bee has all the traits ot per- 

 fection, superior length of tongue, is 

 industrious, gentle, beautiful, power- 

 ful for strength and full of courage. 

 Previous to the importation of the 

 Italian, it was thought that the bee 

 moths would finally exterminate the 

 honey bees in this country. But time 

 and experience has shown that the 

 fault was with the native bees rather 

 than the increase of the bee moths. 

 The Italian is abundantly proof against 

 the bee moth, and has conquered a 

 lasting peace between the apiarist and 

 his once formidable enemy. 



The Cyprian bee was imported di- 

 rectly to this country from the Island 

 of Cyprus, in the summer of 1880, by 

 Mr. D. A. Jones, of Canada, than 

 whom no apiarist has done more for 

 the bee-keeping interest, as an im- 

 porter and breeder of bees. The 

 Cyprians belong to the yellow race. 

 Whatever may be said to the contrary, 

 they differ but little in appearance 

 from the Italians, and what has been 

 said of the latter race may truthfully 

 be said of the Cyprians, except that 

 they are not so quiet and pleasant to 

 handle. Judging from my experience 

 with these bees, I cannot but think 

 that their fighting proclivities have 

 been sadly exaggerated. I have han- 

 dled them in my own apiary, and in the 

 apiary of mv friend, Dr. Rogers, of 

 Shelbyville,"Ky., who breeds from im- 

 ported stock, and being a great ad- 

 mirer of the Cyprians, keeps no other 

 bees; and I say emphatically, that I 

 can " handle them " without annoy- 

 ance. 



The Palestine or Syrian bees were 

 imported from the vicinity of Jerusa- 

 lem, Bethlehem and Mount Lebanon 

 by Mr. Jones in the spring and sum- 

 mer of 1880. Mr. Jones, in his enthu- 

 siasm as an importer of valuable races 

 of bees, visited the "Bible Land" in 

 person, and selected these bees from 

 the several places named. They be- 

 long to the yellow race, and resemble 

 the Italians and Cyprians very much, 

 though it is said that they are smaller 

 in size. The queens are exceedingly 

 prolific, and are likely to be great 

 swarmers. Of their working qualities 

 I am unable to speak from experience, 

 though I doubt not but that they have 

 many good qualities. 



The coming bee will certainly be a 

 cross between the Italian, Cyprian and 

 Syrian bees. This must be so, as the 

 legitimate result of the causes now at 

 work. The Cyprians have been intro- 

 duced in Italy', and are being bred in 

 the same apiaries with the Italians in 

 their native home. While the Syrian 

 bees have been taken to the island of 

 Cyprus, and all three of the races are 

 being bred together all over this coun- 

 try. Who will be able to separate 

 them V The gentleness and industry 

 of the Italian, the robustness of the 

 Cyprian, joined to the prolific, swift- 

 winged Syrian will give us the " com- 

 ing bee," which will be the pride of 

 the American apiarist. 

 Christiansburg, Ky. 



REPORTS OF VICE PRESIDENTS. 



J. D. Davis, Cumberland Co., re- 

 ported a heavy loss of bees last winter, 

 a good honey crop this season, a large 

 increase of colonies, and rich fall har- 

 vest. Bees are in good condition for 

 winter. . 



I. N. Greer, Barren Co., reported a 

 flourishing county association ; a short 

 crop of honey, but bees in good condi- 

 lion for winter. 



James Erwin, Allen Co., reported 

 that the poor season last year, to- 

 gether with the unprecedentedly cold 

 weather, was so disastrous in its re- 

 sults as to cool the ardor of tyros in 

 bee-culture. Probably three-fourths 

 of the bees in his section perished. 

 His loss was comparatively nothing, 

 as he had sold off most of his bees last 

 fall. The honev harvest in this local- 

 ity has been verv moderate. We are 

 having a rich fall harvest. Bees will 

 go into winter quarters in excellent 

 condition. His bees increased to 

 double the number he had in the 

 spring, and gave an average of 30 lbs. 

 per colony. 



Mr. Williamson offered the follow- 

 ing : 



Resolved. That in order to educate the youth of 

 our State and the country at large in the science 

 of bee-culture, that we recommend to the Presi- 

 dent and board of directors of the *tate Agricul- 

 tural and Mechanical College, a department in api- 

 culture, and that an apiary be established at the 

 college grounds in Lexington; that lectures be 

 given, and practical lessons in apiculture be given 

 to the students; that a committee ne appointed to 

 confer with the President and directors of our 

 State college. 



The resolution was adopted, and the 

 following committee appointed : Wm. 

 Williamson, G. W. Demaree and Dr. 

 L. E. Brown. 



Mr. Williamson offered the follow- 

 ing, which was adopted ; 



