292 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 





Union Bee-Keepers' Association. 



The Union Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion met at the rooms of the Moody 

 House, in Eminence, Ky., on the 27th 

 day of April, President Dr. L. E. 

 Brown in tlie chair. 



After the transaction of the usual 

 business of the Association, an invi- 

 tation was given to any person present 

 to become a member of the Associa- 

 tion, and several names were added 

 to the list. On motion, J. H. Reed, 

 of Indiana, was made an honorary 

 member of our Association. The 

 President then delivered his annual 

 address. He said the outlook for the 

 future prosperity of the bee-keeper is 

 not so bright at this time as it was 

 before the severe frosts. Much of the 

 early resources for honey was cut off. 

 Nevertheless, the future is before us 

 and an abundant white clover bloom 

 may yet cause the bee-keeper to for- 

 get the late disaster. 



Dr. E. Drane then addressed the 

 Convention on the subject, "Are we 

 profiting any one by our meetings V" 

 The speaker took the grounds that no 

 good had resulted from the foolish 

 fashion of advising everybody to keep 

 bees. He thouglit that bee-culture 

 will pay only in the hands of those 

 who are fitted for the occupation. 

 None others should be advised to un- 

 dertake it. 



G. W. Demaree said he approved of 

 every word of the speaker; yet, he 

 could see much good resulting from 

 our meetings. They are a pleasure to 

 all of us. besides they educate the 

 people, giving them a proper under- 

 standing of the products of the apiary. 

 Our Association has contributed much 

 to our good local honey market. 



Mr. J. H. Reed, of New Orleans, 

 Ind., said that the last speaker had 

 demonstrated that it is possible to ed- 

 ucate the consumers, as in the cases 

 named. 



Dr. Drane e.xplained that while he 

 thought it time lost to attempt to edu- 

 cate people to keep bees intelligently, 

 he admitted that if you can induce a 

 fellow to taste of honey, that will ed- 

 ucate, for " honey is good." 



Elder W. J. Mason being in the 

 room, said if he was allowed to speak, 

 he would like to say that he was quite 

 an old man. and that he had handled 

 bees for 40 years in the State of Mis- ' 

 souri : he was satisfied that there was 

 no hive as good to keep bees in as the 

 common box hives with boxes on 

 them. He knew that bees all died in 

 Missouri in " patent gums." 



The Secretary had a case of one- 

 pound sections in the room, all 

 primed ready for the bees. 



President Brown arose aud drew 

 out one of the sections and lield it up, 

 with the thin foinidation looking as 

 natural as the handiwork of the bee, 

 and explained its use ; that tons of 

 honey were being produced and sold 

 for the cash— sent across the Ocean, 



everywhere — the result of improve- 

 ments over the old box hive system. 



G. \V. Demaree said that his old 

 friend was 40 years behind the times ; 

 that bees are always uncertain pro- 

 perty in any kind of hive when not in 

 the care of an intelligent bee-keeper, 

 but are as easily reared and as certain 

 in their life tenure as other beings 

 created when properly managed. An 

 old gentleman, Mr. Wooldridge, arose 

 to inquire of the Association, "how 

 they keep the moths from taking their 

 bees V" 



Mr. Reed, of Indiana, said "keep 

 them out with Italian bees. They 

 are proof against the bee moth. 



W. T. (Stewart said, " keep your 

 bees strong and in a healthy condi- 

 tion, and they will take care of them- 

 selves. 



Elder Mason insisted that there was 

 a wide difference between the systems 

 {as he heard it here) of bee-keeping in 

 this State and in the State of 

 Missouri. 



Dr. Drane said that he had no doubt 

 but our improved system of bee-keep- 

 ing is essentially different to what it 

 was in Missouri 40 years ago, or any- 

 where else. But intelligent, progres- 

 sive bee-keepers in Missouri keep 

 bees now^ — just like intelligent, pro- 

 gressive bee-keepers keep them in 

 Kentucky or elsewhere. 



The question box furnished the fol- 

 lowing questions : What is the value 

 of a colony of bees in a box hive in 

 April ? 



Dr. Drane said the queen is worth, 

 at that time of year, $2 ; bees, ?2 ; 10 

 lbs. of honey in bad shape, for feed- 

 ing, $1 ; less SI for transferring, the 

 colony is worth $4. 



Mr. Reed, of Indiana, said that he 

 had not been in tlie habit of buying 

 box hives, and believed the queen and 

 bees to be worth nothing while in a 

 box hive. 



Mr. Demaree thought that a queen 

 in a box hive was most likely to be a 

 " scrub," and lie would have no use 

 for her but a short time, and would 

 say that 51 was enough for her. 



What is the value<»of a good colony 

 of bees in a movable frame hive in 

 April y 



Dr. Drane said $10 ; if extra fine 

 Italians, $12. 



Mr. Demaree thouglit that a skillful 

 bee-keeper can safely pay §10 for a 

 good colony of bees in April, but he 

 did not believe it will pay a novice to 

 buy bees at that price. 



President Brown said he gave §2.5 

 for his first colony of Italian bees, and 

 he had realized $5.00 from the invest- 

 ment. 



The Convention then adjourned to 

 meet after dinner at Stewart's gal- 

 lery. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



Convention called to order by the 

 President, and the Association pro- 

 ceeded to elect their officers for the 

 ensuing year. 



Dr. E. Drane was elected Presi- 

 dent ; Dr. Wm. M. Rogers, of Slielby- 

 ville. Vice President for Shelbv 

 County ; W. T. Stewart Vice Presi- 

 dent for Henry County ; G. W. Ashby 

 Vice President for Jefferson County ; 



G. W. Demaree, Christiansburg, Sec- 

 retary, and Dr. L. E. Brown, Treas- 

 urer. 



Dr. Drane then took the chair and 

 said he was " pumped dry ;" would 

 only thank the Association for the 

 honors conferred on him. 



The discussion of the forenoon was 

 resumed. 



At what actual cost can a pound of 

 honey be produced, in good marketa- 

 ble shape V 



Mr. Demaree thought it as easy to 

 answer the question as it is for the 

 former to answer what it costs him to 

 produce a pound of beef or pork. Of 

 course locality had much to do with 

 it, but he believed that he could pro- 

 duce it at an actual cost of 5 cts. per 

 pound. It would take a high order of 

 skill to do it. Honey is, therefore, 

 worth at least 20 cts. per pound. 



President Drane thought it could 

 not be done. 



W. T. Stewart thought he could 

 produce honey at an actual cost of 5 

 cents per pound. 



Mr. Reed gives his attention to 

 queen-rearing, and was not prepared 

 to say what could be done. 



Mr. Ashby was not prepared to 

 decide. 



The following resolution was then 

 adopted : 



liesolved. That this Association 

 tenders its thanks to W. T. Stewart, 

 Dr. E. Drane, and the ladies, for the 

 princely manner in which they enter- 

 tained members of the Convention; 

 and to the editors of the American 

 Bee Journal, Bee-Keepers'' Instruc- 

 tor and California A2:)iculturist for sam- 

 ple copies of their valuable papers ; 

 and to Mr. Holland for his presence 

 in the interest of the Louisville Daily 

 Commercial, and the Henry County 

 Constitutionalist, and that copies of 

 these proceedings be forwarded for 

 publication to the Farmers' Home 

 Journal, American IJee Journal, 

 and lice- Keepers' Instructor. 



Tlie Convention then adjourned to 

 meet at Shelbyville, Ky., on the 5th 

 day of October, 1882. 



E. Drane, Pres. 



G. W. Demaree, Hec. 



Read at the Meeting of the Georgia State Agricul- 

 tural Convention, in Aujiusta, Ga. 



Bee-Keeping for Profit. 



J. p. H. BROWN. 



I shall not consume your time by 

 dwelling upon the natural history of 

 the honey bee. and upon the wonder- 

 ful economy of tlie hive, but will i)ro- 

 ceed at once to consider the subject 

 of bee-culture as a source of profit. 



From the fact that the hive bee has 

 been a subject of deep study by the 

 learned in every age. and that apicul- 

 ture has been successfully conducted 

 by the ancients, it may sound strange 

 to vou when I tell you that it has only 

 been within the last 40 years that bee- 

 culture has been developed into a 

 science by correct observations of the 

 natural history of this insect, by in- 

 creased knowledge of its proper mode 

 of management, and by the introduc- 

 tion of the movable frame hive, the 



