194 EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL EEPOET OF THE 



situation, organization. And it is with that thought in mind that for 

 two or three years I have been associated with bee-keeping organizations. 

 What I have to say this morning I have committed to writing, not 

 because I have not been accustomed to speaking without manu- 

 script, but because I have thought by reading from the written or 

 printed page I could more definitely and more concisely say to you 

 what I have in mind. 



Organization is the watch-word and the slogan of the time. All 

 industries are organized for more efficiency and greater production. All 

 of those employed in industries are organized to safeguard the rights 

 and interests of the members. Those who employ are organized to 

 watch over the interests of those who have made investments or who 

 control production. Even the farmer for long years negligent of his 

 interests, for long years furnishing the material at less than cost for 

 the profit of the rest of mankind, is beginning to realize slowly but 

 surely, that organization is essential for him, or agriculture must 

 cease. 



With organization dominating, all industry, all commerce, and all 

 social activity, is it not logical that bee-keepers should be organized, 

 and if they are to be organized as seems the irresistable answer to the 

 query, what shall be the purposes and aims of the organization, what 

 shall be its methods and in what manner shall it be constituted? 



The purposes, business and methods of this organization, and the 

 way it is constituted must appeal to all classes of bee-keepers, and 

 here as I will show a httle later is the difficulty with the proposition. 

 All these classes must feel that the organization gives them the worth 

 of the money and more than they pay to it in dues. If our plan does 

 not appeal to all classes of bee-keepers, and if all classes do not feel that 

 they can be certain of getting the worth of their money from membership 

 in the organization they will not join. As I said a moment ago the 

 difficulty heretofore with all the organizations that have been attempted 

 has been that their methods and their purposes did not appeal to all 

 classes of bee-keepers. • i 



Roughly speaking we have two classes of bee-keepers. One, and 

 this of course is by all means the most numerous class, are those who 

 are engaged in agriculture in a small way as an experiment or diver- 

 sion, keeping a few colonies in the attic or in their back yard. Very 

 many of these are kept on the let-alone plan. Their owners have very 

 little information as to bee behavior, no experience or knowledge in 

 manipulation, and many of them have no disposition to study books and 

 current literature or inform themselves as to the way to answer problems 

 which arise. There are many in this class also who spasmodically 

 take an interest in learning something about bees either because their 

 bees have \\dntered poorly, have produced an unusually large quantity 

 of hone}^ or have been wiped out by disease. Many more of this number 

 really desire to learn the habits and characteristics of bees. These 

 subscribe for magazines, buy books and attend bee meetings. 



The other class is composed of those bee-keepers who either are 

 or design to be producers of honey commercially who from experience 

 or study are familiar with bee behavior, and understand and practice 

 the various manipulations for ^winter care, swarm control, disease, 



