THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



725 



^oxxcspomUnu. 



TWg mark O indicates that the apiarist Is 

 located near tne center or the state named : 

 6 north of the center; 9 south; O east; 

 *0 west; and thl8f< northeast: ~o northwest: 

 t>> southeast ; and ? southwest of the center 

 of the State mentioned. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Tk Britisli Bee-Keepers' Association. 



THOS. W3I,. COWAN. 



The British Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion was founded in 1874, for the pur- 

 pose of encouragement, improvement 

 and advancement of bee-culture, par- 

 ticularly as a means of bettering the 

 condition of cottagers and the agri- 

 cultural laboring classes. The Asso- 

 ciation consists of President and 

 Vice-Presidents (these are honorary 

 titles), Secretary, Tre;isurer, and 

 members. 



The management of the Associa- 

 tion is in the hands of the Chairman, 

 Vice-Chairman,and thirteen members 

 of the Committee, who are all elected 

 annually by ballot, the member re- 

 ceiving the highest number of votes 

 being elected Chairman. Besides these 

 are elected annually au Auditor, 

 Treasurer. Analyst and Librarian. 

 The Secretary is permanently ap- 

 pointed, as are also three experts. 



The property of the Association is 

 vested in trustees, viz : the President, 

 Treasurer, Chairman, and one mem- 

 ber of the Committee. There are 

 four sub-committees, of which the 

 chairOaan is an ex-officio member. 

 These committees are Finance, Coun- 

 ty Associations, Education and Ex- 

 hibitions. The Educational Commit- 

 tee is also the Examining Board. 



The Committee meets for ordinary 

 business once a month ; the sub-com- 

 mittees once a month or oftener, if 

 required. Quarterly meetings are 

 held at which the delegates of the 

 county branches meet the committee 

 for discussing county business. The 

 Association has at present 42 county 

 branches, afliliated to it, and numbers 

 upwards of 10,000 members. Each 

 county association has a secretary, 

 committee, and also a president. The 

 presidents of county associations are 

 vice-presidents of the Central Society. 



Most of the counties are also divided 

 into districts superintended by a dis- 

 trict secretary and local advisors. The 

 conditions and privileges of affiliation 

 are stated on pages 7 and 8 of the 

 report. When a county association is 

 about to be formed, the Central So- 

 ciety sends experts who give lectures 

 in the different towns, and endeavor 

 to create an interest in the subject. 

 A bee-tent, in which manipulations 

 take place, is also sent to the various 

 agricultural and horticultural shows. 

 A gentleman of position is selected 

 as secretary, and the Lord Lieuten- 

 ant of the county is asked to become 

 its president. All the nobility and 

 gentry in the neighborhood are en- 



listed, and are asked to become sub- 

 scribers. In this way the Central 

 Society numbers amongst its vice- 

 presidents several members of the 

 Royal Family, and some of the prin- 

 cipal aristocracy in the land. 



When the conditions required by 

 the Central Society are fulhlled, the 

 Branch is taken into affiliation, and 

 sends two delegates to the quarterly 

 meetings in London. A sheet of 

 " Instruction " to secretaries of coun 

 ty associations (Document No. 1) i.s 

 sent to each secretary; also No. 2. 

 relating to the rules and regulations 

 for exhibitions. 



Each Branch must send annual re- 

 ports and balance sheets in prescribed 

 form for binding up, and should it 

 infringe any of the conditions, or fail 

 to send its balance sheet, it is struck 

 off the list of Branches. 



The Central Society and all of its 

 branches have bee-tents which are 

 sent to the various shows in the dis- 

 tricts, and any county not having a 

 tent is supplied with one by the Cen- 

 tral Society. All shows are held un- 

 der the rules laid down in sheet No. 2. 



When the bee-tent is about to visit 

 a district, notices in the form of No. 3 

 are sent out, announcing the public 

 manipulation with bees, etc. 



At all shows a large! number of cir- 

 culars (No. 4 and No. 5) are given 

 away to those interested. No. 4 gives 

 instructions to beginners, and is en- 

 titled, " How to Commence Bee- 

 Keeping." No. 5, " Honey as Food," 

 is distributed in large quantities, so 

 as to educate the puolic as to the ad- 

 vantages of honev, and creating a 

 market for the product. The sugges 

 tions for forming local and county 

 associations are given on sheet No. 6 

 These are to be affiliated to the Cen- 

 tral Society. 



One of the principal features of the 

 British Bee-Keepers' Association is 

 the examination for experts. These 

 are of three classes, and have to pass 

 an examination before they can hope 

 for employment as such. Sheet No. 

 7 explains the different grades of ex- 

 perts, and what is required of thera, 

 with syllabus of subjects of examiiia 

 tion. Candidates for the third-class 

 certiQcates are examined in their own 

 county, the Central Society sending 

 an examiner who also acts as judgi- 

 at the show at which the examination 

 is held. 



Each candidate is furnished with 

 circular No. .S, giving him instruc 

 tions as to what is required of him. 

 The examiner is furnished with Expert 

 Examination paper No. 9. signed by 

 the chairman of the Examining 

 Birard, and after accepting the ap- 

 pointment, is responsible for conduct 

 iugthe examination. After the ex- 

 amination he has to send No. 9. with 

 his awards, to the Examining Board, 

 and if the candidate has passed, he 

 gives him the provisional certitioate 

 No. 10, which is later exchanged for 

 Parchment Certificate No. 11, duly 

 signed and sealed. 



After a candidate has passed a 

 third das'- "— i.i.aion.he may try 

 fai ii atc.oud-class one. These are also 

 held in some district in the county. 

 A centre is chosen, and a superin- 



tendent—a gentleman of integrity— is 

 also chosen. On the appointed day, 

 the superintendent and secretary 

 meet the candidates.and in their pres- 

 ence open the sealed packet which 

 contaius No. 12, instructions to the 

 superintendent, and 13 and 14 con- 

 tiiiniug questions to be answered. 

 The candidates are placed in a row at 

 a table, and question papers 13 and 14 

 are given to them alternately, three 

 hours being allowed for writing the 

 answers. 



The superintendent reads over the 

 rules at starting. At. the end of one 

 hour the answers to the Orst ten ques- 

 tions are collected ; the second hour 

 the next ten, and the third hour the 

 remainder; and they are there, in the 

 the presence of the candidates, placed 

 in a packet together with the signed 

 certiticate of the superintendent, 

 sealed, and at once forwarded to the 

 secretary of the Central Society, who 

 transmits them to the chairman of 

 the Examining Board. The papers 

 are examined by members of the 

 Board, who make awards, the results 

 being published in the British Bee 

 Journal. The Board then awards the 

 certificates No. 11. 



After passing a second-class exami- 

 nation, candidates can apply for the 

 first-class examination. This is al- 

 ways held in London, and is much 

 more severe than either of the pre- 

 ceding ones. It is held in the pres- 

 ence of the Examining Board, and the 

 candidate is required to have a good, 

 practical, as well as a scientiHc 

 knowledge of bee-keeping. He is re- 

 quired to answer satisfactorily the 

 questions given on sheet No. 15, and 

 also to give an ex tempore lecture on 

 any subject connected with bees and 

 bee keeping, designated by the ex- 

 aminers. 



Candidates having third-class cer- 

 tificates may try for a first class one 

 without the second. First-class can- 

 didates having passed, receive cer- 

 tificate No. 11. 



Many of the counties appoint only 

 second or third class experts, whose 

 iluties are to visit the apiaries of 

 members free of cost, and make a re- 

 port on County Experts' Visiting- 

 sheet No. 16. The first-class experts 

 are sent out on lecturing tours. 



The Central Society holds exhibi- 

 tions in London (Sche..,ile No 17), 

 and in connection wiih the Royal 

 Agricultural Society (Schedule No. 

 18), which goes from one large city to 

 another. It also holds shows vvith 

 other agricultural societies (Schedule 

 No. 19), but these are for stimulating 

 the county societies that are not very 

 strong. 



All articles sent to Exhibitions 

 TQUst have no name on, or destination 

 mark, until after they are judged, and 

 the cases must have labels attached 

 (No. 20). with name on the reverse 

 side. When goods are returned, the 

 label is reversed. 



Every thing must be staged by a 

 certain time, and if not ready, is 

 placed under the stage and excluded 

 from competition. 



A ticket of membership (No. 21) 

 entitles a member to all the privileges, 



