20 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Jan. 8, 1903. 



avoid the payment of local rates to Denver, except by the 

 organization of branch associations. This is not always 

 practical, and it also entails a great expense. If it is an- 

 nounced that arrangements can be made at any point in 

 the State to consign cars of honey through to tinal destina- 

 tion without having to stop and unload for inspection in 

 Denver, we believe that the Association would immediately 

 enjoy a phenomenal and substantial growth. Here is a 

 local case for illustration : 



Boulder is 29 miles from Denver. It is too far to haul a 

 large crop of honey by wagon, and the car-rate is f3S. This 

 makes the ware-rooms of the Association partially out of 

 reach of the Boulder honey-producer. What, then, is the 

 remedy ? At the close of the honey season each member of 

 the Association at Boulder can report his number of cases 

 of honey to the Manager, and that he is ready to deliver at 

 the car. When the Manager sees a market for his honey 

 he can call for it to be delivered on a certain day, and if 

 there is no one among the Boulder members proficient 

 enough in the art of grading and loading, he can send some 

 one who has had this training to inspect and receive the 

 honey. The car can then be consigned directly from Boul- 

 der to the Eastern market, and the local charges to Denver 

 avoided. 



The plan is feasible for any railway station in this or 

 any other contiguous State, and places the Association at 

 the service of every bee-keeper in the State, no matter 

 where he may be located. 



The Election of the National, which was held in 

 December, seems to be very unsatisfactory. Not as to its 

 result (for at this writing no one knows who is elected), but 

 as to the manner in which the ballot was prepared ; also no 

 amendments were submitted, though such were proposed at 

 the Denver convention. In view of these irregularities, 

 Mr. France writes us as follows for publication : 



Editor American Bbb Journai, — 



Z)^ar ^jV.-— I feel thatthe lately issued ballot for offi- 

 cers of the National Bee-Keepers' Association is unfair. 

 For the good of the Association I ask that a new ballot be 

 ordered, said ballot to name all candidates for each office, 

 so that each member can take his choice. Also, the said 

 ballot to provide for voting on the proposed amendments to 

 the Constitution. Yours truly. 



Grant Co., Wis., Dec. 31. N. E. France. 



We are glad that Mr. France, who was a candidate for 

 the office of General Manager, has sent us the above let- 

 ter, which he informs us he has also sent to all members of 

 the Board of Directors, for if he is ever elected to any office 

 he will want to get it in a fair manner. 



Here is an exact reproduction of the ballot submitted to 

 the membership so far as the wording is concerned : 



BALLOT : to be used by members of 

 National Bee-Keepers' Association in 

 December, 1902. 



For General Manager for 1903, to suc- 

 ceed Eugene Secor, who wishes to 

 retire, 

 (N. E. France, of Wisconsin, has been reg^u- 

 larlj and properly nominated, and is be- 

 lieved to be worthy of your support.) 



(Write uams voted for) 



For 3 Directors to succeed Thos. G. 

 Newman, G. M. Doolittle and W. F. 

 Marks. 



(Write 3 names below! 



Sign your name and mail AT ONCE. 



We can not conceive who could possibly get up 

 such a ballot. If any candidates are to be named, surely 



a// should be given. ISut it was unnecessary to name any 

 on the ballot. None have ever been so named before. It 

 has every appearance of being a scheme to defeat Mr. Ab- 

 bott for the position of General Manager, who, with Mr. 

 France, was also nominated for that office, in the American 

 Bee Journal. Three or four candidates for directors were 

 also nominated. 



We have refrained from expressing publicly our per- 

 sonal opinion on the General Managership muddle hereto- 

 fore, but we think it is now time for us to have our little 

 say, which is this : 



In our opinion, Mr. Abbott, when elected General 

 Manager by the Board of Directors last summer, should 

 have been allowed to serve to the end of the year 1902 ; 

 then, if he showed, during that time, that he was unable to 

 fill the office, another man could have been elected to suc- 

 ceed him. Had those in charge taken this view of the mat- 

 ter, a lot of trouble could have been avoided, as well as a 

 half year of wasted time. Now let the membership settle it. 



Of course, a new election must now he held, a fair and 

 straight ballot sent out, including the amendments to the 

 Constitution proposed at the Denver convention by Mr. Ab- 

 bott. True, a lot of time and the Association's money have 

 been wasted, but tiow is the time to straighten things up, 

 and put an end to a lot of foolishness and mismanagement. 

 The Association has done, and can still do, much good for 

 bee-keeping; but unless all fussing and splitting of hairs 

 among its officiary are ended for good, it may as well sus- 

 pend operations. But we believe it has a greater future 

 than its past has been, and that very soon all difficulties 

 will be satisfactorily adjusted. As its new Secretary we 

 shall do all in our power to have the National Bee-Keepers' 

 Association do the work for which it is organized, and we 

 believe the bee-keepers will help when they are satisfied 

 that all is well with it and its management. 



\ * The Weekly Budget. ^ 



G. M. DooLiTTi,E has had a break made in his life by 

 the death of an invalid sister. Notwithstanding a very 

 busy life, he has for the past two years found time almost 

 daily to give her the ministrations of a loving brother. 



Editor Leahy, who was present at the Chicago con- 

 vention, thus speaks of it in the Progressive Bee-Keeper : 



" The Chicago-Northwestern Bee-Keepers' Association, 

 which held its convention Dec. 3-4, was the best convention 

 we have had the pleasure of attending for a long time. 

 Besides the social features many interesting subjects were 

 discussed with profit, we think, to all." 



The Apiary of Mr. E. H. Beardsi,Ey is shown on 

 the first page this week. Here is what he says of it : 



The view is taken from the south side of the yard look- 

 ing north. The building on the left is my shop (12x20 feet, 

 and 12 feet high), where I do all my work, but the honey 

 (when I have any) I carry into the house. The large build- 

 ing is the residence occupied by myself and wife, and a 

 daughter and her family. 



I brought my bees here April 6, 1900, about 45 colonies. 

 I lost three or four colonies, but my crop for the season was 

 5500 salable sections, and some I cut out and sold as chunk 

 honey ; also quite a lot of bait-sections. 



The next spring I found I had foul brood in the yard, 

 and nearly all the colonies were affected. 1 shook them 

 from the combs and gave them full sheets of comb founda- 

 tion, and doubled them two to three, and sometimes three 

 to one. Some stuck, ai:d some swarmed out and went into 



