332 



GLEANINGS IN 



EE CULTURE 



June, 1918 



of ways which we have experienceil this 

 year, then there is nothing for the beekeeper 

 to do but to dig in to make the biggest crop 

 of honey that he has ever had. 



We suggest to our readers tliat they 

 take steps to have one of these extension 

 men come to their communities. This can 

 be arranged through your County Agent. 

 There are only a dozen of them and they 

 cannot be in many places at one time, but 

 by taking the right steps in time something 

 can be done for your community. You will 

 be surprised at the results. The rnen who 

 are doing this work are well equipped, sur- 

 prisingly well. We have had opportunity to 

 meet some of them and we can commend 

 them to our readers. 



A meeting with one of these men present 

 offers a good opportunity to organize a coun- 

 ty bee club. Perhaps you do not see that 

 you need one, but you do. Clubs can do for 

 the members what the members individually 

 cannot do for themselves. Think it over. 



THE HONEY PEODUCEBS of western 

 United States are showing the way in many 

 things to honey pro- 

 Big Market- ducers everywhere, 

 ing Plans Just at this time, 



in the West, they are bus.y per- 



fecting the greatest 

 honey producers' organization on earth for 

 marketing their honey. The men engaged in 

 this big task are imbued with the proper 

 spirit of co-operation, they have business 

 vision, and they have big-business capacity. 

 They pui-pose to stand together in their com- 

 mon cause, and to end the day when the 

 Western honey producer stands alone in sin- 

 gle feebleness. 



We can give our readers no better idea of 

 this big movement than to reprint here the 

 notice sent out to beekeepers on Apr. 26, 

 from Denver, by Stuart L. Sweet, Field 

 Agent in Marketing of the Bur'eau of Mar- 

 kets, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. This notice 

 reads as follows: 



The Colorado Office of Markets, a branch of the 

 United States Bureau of Markets, and representing 

 the Extension Division of the Colorado Agricultural 

 College, called a meeting last August to discuss the 

 possibility of organizing the hone-y producers in the 

 Inter-Mountain districts. The territory embraced 

 nine Slates producing alfalfa white honey. 

 A tentative set of by-laws was submitted at this 

 meeting by Mr. C. E. Bassett, in charge of the Co- 

 operative Organization Projects of the United States 

 Bureau of Markets. Mr. Bassett has made a life 

 study of co-operative work, and will submit the 

 final plan of the by-laws for this Association early in 

 May. Those by-laws will be based upon those used 

 successfully by other co-operative organizations in the 

 United States. 



The short crop in the alfalfa white district last 

 season, with the attendant high prices, eliminated 

 the marketing difficulties whicch have prevailed in 

 past seasons. This year all indications point to- the 

 largest honey crop this district has ever produced, 

 and it is felt by many beekeepers that it will be dis- 

 tinctly to the interests of all concerned to have per 

 fected an organization which will be able to assist in 



the marketing and distribution of the 1918 honey 

 crop. 



It is requested that you read over the form attach- 

 ed below and if you are interested in joininsc thi.s or- 

 ganization please fill out the blank, as outlined. It 

 will be appreciated if you will call the attention of 

 your neighbor honey producers to this, and ask 

 them to sign. There is enclosed a franked and self- 

 addressed envelope, requiring no postage, for the re- 

 turn of this form to the Colorado Office of Markets, 

 not later than May 10. 



Thanking you for your co-operation in this work, 

 I remain, Stuart L. Sweet. 



Field Agent in Marketing. 



INTER-MOUNTAIN HONEY PRODUCERS' ASSOCIATION 

 MEMBERSHIP AGREEMENT. 



We, the undersigned, do hereby agree to become 

 members of the Inter-mountain Honey Producers' 

 Association and to market through the Association 

 the honey from the number of colonies set opposite 

 our names and to pay a membership fee of 10 cents 

 per colony, provided that in no case shall such member- 

 ship fee be less than $10. The agreement shall not 

 be binding upon the subscriber hereto until the honey 

 of at least 30,000 colonies has been pledged. [Tliere 

 follow blank lines for the names, addresses and num- 

 ber of colonies that the beekeepers signing may 

 have.] 



We wish this formative association every 

 success in bettering the market conditions of 

 the Western beekeepers. 



SK: 



.C«= 



EVEEY BEEKEEPiER knows that nectar 

 secretion is influenced by the character of 

 the soil. In estab- 

 Importance lishing out-apiaries 



of and even the home 



Soil Surveys. yard, it is worth 

 while to get infor- 

 mation on this point. This is especially true 

 where the nectar comes from a leguminous 

 plant, such as the clovers, when lime is of 

 great importance. Of course, those of our 

 readers who engage in farming also need 

 such information in crop growing. 



The Federal Department of Agriculture 

 publishes a series of soil surveys. In time, 

 probably, these surveys will cover the whole 

 country, except the parts where agriculture 

 cannot be practiced. A list of the surveys 

 which have already been made may be ob- 

 tained by writing to the Bureau of Soils, 

 Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. 

 C. This list explains how the surveys may 

 be obtained. 



Beekeepers are just beginning to find out 

 how handy it is tO have a Department of 

 Agriculture. Gleanings has referred many 

 times to the value of the daily weather maps. 

 Then there is a Bureau of Chemistry which 

 keeps its eyes open for honey adulteration, 

 and a Bureau of Markets which furnishes 

 the semi-monthly market reports which arc 

 reprinted in Gleanings. Of course, our read- 

 ers know that there is a beekeeping office 

 in the Bureau of Entomology. It would be 

 an interesting thing to know something of 

 all the offices which affect the beekeeper. 

 Perhaps Gleanings can dig all this up some 

 day. 



In the meantime, has your region had a 

 soil survey? Have you a copy? 



