The Bulletin. 25 



Several bee-keepers have suggested that a State bee-keepers' asso- 

 ciation should be organized. If there is a large enough number of 

 bee-keepers who are deeply enough interested to actually go down in 

 their pockets to pay dues, to buy tickets, pay hotel bills, etc., to the 

 extent of a few dollars each year, so as to maintain such an organiza- 

 tion and attend its meetings, then there can be no doubt that it 

 could succeed and could eventually be a powerful factor in develop- 

 ing a large and profitable honey industry. But it is to be remem- 

 bered that no matter where a meeting is held, it would be a long 

 distance from some of the members, and some plan of holding the 

 meetings in different places from year to year would be necessary. 

 We give in the last pages of this Bulletin a list of all bee-keepers 

 in the State known to us who have fifty or more colonies of bees. 

 If there is a real sentiment for a State bee-keepers' association these 

 bee-keepers will be able to find it out among themselves. The writer 

 stands ready to assist and encourage in any reasonable way, will 

 give further lists of bee-keepers known to us, etc., but we cannot 

 undertake to work up the sentiment and bring the organization into 

 being; that is for the bee-keepers themselves. So many efforts at 

 organization either fail utterly or are only partially successful that 

 our bee-keepers should think carefully before attempting to form an 

 organization. There is plenty of good work for such an organiza- 

 tion to do, provided it has two essentials — numbers and enthusiasm — 

 the real enthusiasm that is willing to pay something in cash even 

 without hope of actually getting it back again, but for the purpose of 

 furthering a worthy industry in the State. 



LEADING BEE-KEEPERS OF THE STATE. 



We give below a list of all the bee-keepers of whom we have 

 record who have as many as fifty or more colonies of bees. There 

 are no doubt a good many others, for, as was pointed out in the be- 

 ginning of this Bulletin, our records must be far from complete; 

 but we feel that this list should be of some interest and use. Records 

 of all the rest of the 360 bee-keepers (all having ten colonies or more) 

 who have furnished information to us are in this office, available for 

 any proper use, but it does not seem desirable to publish them all 

 here. 



