300 



Octobar, 1812. 



American l^ee Journal 



time, the middleman will insist on getting 

 enoiiBh comi^ensation for his services so he 

 and his family can Wsa. I'rm'ided lie eives h'ls 

 scrviifs at UasI as (/ii'afi/v as anyfyvdv else does. 



In regard to returns on money invested. 

 Mr. Foster's ideas are surely exaggerated 

 when he exiiects them to at least ecinal i-ire- 

 vailini; rates of interest on money. I can as- 

 sure him there are many owners of lo>va 

 high-priced land that would be willing to 

 give something for information of a sure 

 way to rent their farm land for cash to net 

 them in an excess of i percent on its mark- 

 etable value. 



Mr. Foster, in his off-hand way. says that 

 the labor required for caring for bees 

 amounts to $200 or $300 per colony. This 

 might apply to a few colonies, but in case of 

 a large number of colonies it looks like a 

 " watered " labor account, after the manner 

 of some of our great corporations issuing 

 watered stock as bonuses or melons, this 

 rolling and thinning out actual investment, 

 so as to properly cover up the enormous 

 profits. 



Now. Mr. Foster is a bee-keeper, and if he 

 keeps records he can give us the exact 

 hgures in his case. If he keeps no complete 

 accounts, his guess is of little value as 

 against actual records. With these few 

 comments. 1 will be pleased, on my part, to 

 close this unexpected controversy. It does 

 not appear to me that any actual general in- 

 formation of value can be secured by a lot 

 of statements unaccompanied by actual 

 facts, or by appeals to that time-tried preju- 

 dire against the "unholy profits" of the 

 middleman. Yours truly. 



Madrid. Iowa. G. W. Fehieisen. 



I gave my accounts in the June issue, 

 and Mr. Fehieisen has not given his. I 

 might say that a good western bee-man 

 can do the bee-work for 100 colonies 

 in about a month's time, but he will 

 work more tlian K hours to do it, and 

 perhaps 7 days in the week during the 

 swarming season. The whole family 

 generally help, so that as this addi- 

 tional help is not counted in, it is prt tty 

 hard to give exact figures. One dollar 

 for supplies for a hive is the general 

 estimate here in the West, where comb 

 honey is produced. My figures showed 

 only 83 cents per hive. If Mr. Fehiei- 

 sen will set down as full an accounting 

 as I have done in the June issue, I will 

 be glad to see it. My accounting for 

 100 colonies there shown is belter than 

 I have averaged for a .'i-year period. 



Mr. Fehieisen is not imbued with ihe 

 spirit of the co-operative movement; 

 he does not realize that this working 

 together of producers is broader than 

 parcels post, the marketing problem, 

 or the eliinination of the unnecessary 

 middlemen. The co-operative move- 

 ment is an expre.viijan of the growing 

 mind and heart of the people. Pro- 

 ducers are getting together in Iowa 

 under the leadership of Holden, and 

 are raising more and better corn — that 

 is one phase of the co-operative move- 

 ment. Western fruit men are getting 

 together in grading and packing 

 schools wliere they can learn to put up 

 a box of apples ; not one with a worm 

 in it. and every apple larger than 'ZU 

 or2'i inclies in diameter. An abso- 

 lutely honest pack is being put out in 

 a half dozen western States, fostered 

 by the fruit associations. This is an- 

 other phase of the co-operative spirit. 

 Producers in Europe have the parcels 

 post, and tlie demand for it here is an 

 expression of the co-operative spirit 

 which se''ks to have the utmost of elli- 

 ciency in production and distribution. 



Every successful co-operative asso- 

 ciation is proof that it is more econo- 

 mical than the competitive method. If 

 it were not, the co-operative association 

 could not last. The greatest benefit of 

 co-operation is that it makes the pro- 



ducers honest. If they ship with their 

 fellow members, each has to put up 

 honest goods. There is no chance of 

 beating the buyer, as is so often tried 

 by producers selling to dealers. 



I do not thinkthat producers are any 

 more honest than any other class of 

 men ; they are human, but the co-opera- 

 tive method of distribution tends to 

 make them honest. The members 

 soon catch the spirit of co-operation, 

 and they become better men. Co-op- 

 erative associations are in a limited 

 way doing the work of distribution 

 where direct dealing with the consumer 

 is impracticable. We probably never 

 will have a direct dealing in all lines 

 between producer and consumer. Dis- 

 tribution is in a sense a part of produc- 

 tion, and is the field for the activities 

 of the co-operative association. 



Mr. Fehieisen considers the middle- 

 man a permanent fixture, while I con- 

 sider him a temporary means to be 



the easiest to rear that I have ever 

 known, and nearly everything super- 

 seded, sometim'es twice during the 

 summer. Swarms were still issuing 

 Aug. 2.5 in some of the Arkansas valley 

 apiaries. Colorado is not alone in this 

 swarming proposition, as Idaho had a 

 like experi-nce. Not having any re- 

 ports from other western States at 

 hand, this is all that I can speak for, 

 but the season was such that Utah and 

 Wyoming probably resembled Colo- 

 rado and Idaho in the matter. 



THE HONEV CROP. 



Colorado very nearly made up her 

 loss in bees of the past winter in the 

 increase by swarming, and honey will 

 be shipped this year in about the same 

 amounts as in 1911. The Western Slope 

 will not have as much shipping of 

 honey as last year. The Arkansas val- 

 ley will have more comb lioney and a 

 great deal more extracted. Northern 



Desckii'Tion of Native and Improved Hives at the Common Schools in Manoua. 



Tunis— (See page 205^. 



employed until we have direct dealing 

 and co-operative distribution in suc- 

 cessful operation. If the middleman can 

 distribute goods as cheaply as it can be 

 done by direct and co operative effort, 

 the middleman will be with us for a 

 long time. That is the question. Mr. 

 Fehieisen thinks he can, while I believe 

 that the producers and consumers will 

 find greater profit to themselves to 

 take over distribution along more 

 economical lines. Sentiment will not 

 rule liere. Producers and consumers 

 will not allow an undue tax to be ex- 

 acted for the act of distribution when 

 they get wisdom enough to organize 

 and keep more economical systems in 

 operation. And 1 am satisfied that they 

 are learning. 



Swarming in tlie West 



The increase in bees has been large 

 this season. Swarming has been a 

 problem to tlie extracted-honey men 

 as well as the comb-honey producers. 

 The increase has been as high as 300 

 percent in some apiaries near Denver. 

 Many swarms were lost through lack 

 of hives to hold them. Queens were 



Colorado will have about the same as 

 last year, if not more. Reports from 

 northern Colorado are a trifle conflict- 

 ing. If I should write this 10 day^ 

 later I could give a more accurate re- 

 port. Idaho will ship more honey 

 from the southern and western portion, 

 and less from the eastern part if my 

 informers have had yields indicative of 

 the whole districts concerned. The 

 quality of the comb honey in northern 

 Colorado is below the average, our 

 crop near Boulder being a decided 

 yellow. 



the HONEV MARIkET. 



Comb honey buyers have bought the 

 most of the honev in Idaho and eastern 

 Oregon at $2.7.") for No. I and $2..")0 for 

 No. 2. This is considered a good price 

 when freight rates are noted. The 

 honey was contracted for about the 

 first of August. Idaho and eastern 

 Oregon have a whiter honey than that 

 of most of the Colorado districts, but 

 their grading methods are not as close 

 as those stipulated in the Colorado rules. 

 Quite a large amount of cull honey is 

 included in the No. 2 grades, and a 

 rather wide latitude is given to the No. 

 1 grades. The shipping-cases used are 



