84 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



had stinick my fancy. When I be- 

 came interested in something new, I 

 was terribly interested. Everything 

 else bcame secondary. The trouble 

 was that the next day might find me 

 all carried away witli some other new 

 thing. Everything was so interesting 

 to me— and is yet. As I came into my 

 teens I, at different times, wanted to 

 be a musician, a school teacher, a re- 

 porter, a machinist, a locomotive en- 

 gineer, an author, and I don't know 

 what all, but, in my twenty-tirst year 

 I finally concluded that I must choose 

 some one thing and stick to it. I chose 

 bee-keeping, but have wandered 

 fibout in tiiat quite a bit. I have pro- 

 duced extracted honey, comb honey, 

 leared queens, made apiarian exhib- 

 its at fairs, wrote for the apicultural 

 press, and wound lip by publishiiig a 

 bee journal. I think that I can do 

 more good in that line (but probably 

 not mal;e so much jnoney) than by es- 

 tablishing and managing out-apiaries; 

 and I do hope and work that 1 may 

 live to see the day when the finger 

 of uncertainty can no longer be point- 

 ed at apiculture; Avhen bee-keepers 

 nill compel success by keeping large 

 numbers of bees and scattering them 

 around in desirable locations. 



Bee-keepers, do j^ou realize the pos- 

 sibilities that are before you, and 

 realizing them, are yov. ready to make 

 the most of them? 



«^mtU^i«»^j<^ 



NEEDED CHANGES IN THE CONSTITUTION 

 OF THE N.\TIONAL ASSOCIATION. 



That the constitution of the Na- 

 tional Association of Bee-Keepers 

 needs some amendments there can be 

 no question. Had the constitution 

 been more definite upon some points, 

 all of tlie unpleasantness of the past 

 year would have been avoided. Had 

 parliamentary usages been strictly 

 followed, it is likely that it would 

 have been avoided as it is, but few of 



us are parliamentarians. If the con- 

 stitution says that Qertain acts shall 

 be performed in certain ways, dis- 

 putes will be avoided. Heretofore, 

 amendments have been gotten up by 

 some committee at the annual conven- 

 tion, submitted to the convention, ap- 

 proved by the convention, and then 

 voted upon at the Decemlier election. 

 The objection to this method is that 

 the Avork is done too hastily; and, per- 

 haps, by some who have given the 

 matter little, or no thought. At a con- 

 vention the air is full of liurrah boys; 

 and, even if the best men should be 

 placed upon that committee, it takes 

 tliem away from the convention, 

 which is a loss to all '^•onc-erned. 

 From several sources there has come 

 the suggestion that the board of direc- 

 tors, and the executive committee, 

 now take up this matter among them- 

 selves, and proceed, by correspond- 

 ence, to draft such amendments as 

 their experience suggests are needed, 

 and get them all in shape for presen- 

 tation at the convention that will be 

 held the coming autumn. In this way 

 all points can receive careful consid- 

 eration; and, if the matter is given 

 publicity through the journals, the of- 

 ficers can have the benefit that will 

 come from criticism by the great 

 mass of members. 



One of the most urgent of the need- 

 ed changes is some ruling regarding 

 nominations. The constitution is en- 

 tirely silent upon this point. Hereto- 

 fore it has been the almost inuversal 

 custom for us to vote foi" wliom we 

 pleased for directors or general man- 

 ager. The objection to this is that 

 the same men go in year after year. 

 There may come a time when we 

 may wish to vote some man out of 

 office, but we can't do it unless there- 

 is some way of knowing for whom 

 else to vote. Last 1 >(M'(Mnber there 

 was no election in two cases, simply 

 l)ecause there were so many candi- 



