THE IRRIGA TION A GE. 



a small proportion of the fruit grown will 

 be marketed in the old way. The com- 

 mission men will be obliged to search for 

 other occupations. 



BeetYin One of tne substantial signs of 



the East the times is the widespread 

 interest manifested in the growth of sugar 

 beets, especially throughout the states 

 east of the Mississippi river. Through 

 the able efforts of the Secretary of Agri- 

 culture beet seeds were distributed among 

 the farmers in practically every locality 

 where there was any expectation of rea- 

 sonable success and the reports concerning 

 yields and percentages of saccharine mat- 

 ter and comparative purity are now being 

 compiled and tabulated for publication. 

 Until the full returns are at hand it is im- 

 possible to predicate definite conclusions 

 but from the meager information now ob- 

 tainable it would appear that these exper- 

 imental efforts have confirmed the expec- 

 tations of the projectors and that the cul- 

 tivation of the beet is commercially profit- 

 able. A number of beet sugar factories 

 are projected and undoubtedly some of 

 them will be erected and placed in opera- 

 tion in time for next season's crop. The pro- 

 gressive tendency of the period is to supply, 

 to the greatest possible limit, the demand 

 for domestic production and one of the 

 widest fields for the practice of this self- 

 evident economy is within the domain of 

 the sugar baron. The generous attention , 

 accorded this subject in the Eastern states 

 can but have a salutary effect upon its de- 

 velopment in the West, where climatic 

 conditions are much more favorable to- 

 ward the ripening of the beets and the se- 

 cretion of the saccharine properties, and 

 the anticipated result will be a decided 

 acceleration of the sugar beet industry in 

 the Arid Eegion. With its manifold nat- 

 ural advantages this region will, and in 

 fact already is, strongly attracting both 

 the growers and the manufacturers. 



resentatives and the character of its con- 

 tents, than in the agricultural and horti- 

 cultural press. Within the past thirty 

 years even those which were thought in 

 the earlier days to be the best possible, 

 have introduced improvements of great 

 importance, and have kept well abreast the 

 times in every respect. They have been, 

 and are a vast power for good. They dis- 

 seminate information which affects the 

 material and social Avelfare of the largest 

 single class of our population, and are 

 now commanding and liberally compensat- 

 ing a high order of talent. 



In no department of journal- 

 ism has there been a greater 

 advance, both as to the number of its rep- 



Steady 

 Progress 



BEE KEEPERS MEETING. 

 The Northwestern Bee Keepers Society 

 held its first session in five years, at the 

 Briggs House, Chicago, about the middle 

 of November. 



A reorganization was accomplished by 

 electing as president Dr. C. C. Miller, of 

 Marengo. 111. George W. York, editor of 

 the Bee Journal, Chicago, was made sec- 

 retary and treasurer. 



A resolution was adopted asking the 

 United States Beekeepers' union to re- 

 quest congress to pass a bill the object of 

 which should be to prevent the adultera- 

 tion of honey. 



Among the beekeepers was E. Whit- 

 comb of Friend, Neb., whose facial resem- 

 blance to Mark Hanna brought him at all 

 times a respectful hearing as well as many 

 jests from his brother beekeepers. Mr. 

 Whitcomb is commissioner of apiculture 

 for the Trans-Mississippi exposition at 

 Omaha, and his business in Chicago was 

 to induce Illinois beekeepers to make an 

 exhibit there. Other well-known bee men 

 were James A. Stone of Bradford, 111 ; 

 John Nou of Marshalltown, Iowa ; Dr. H. 

 Besse of Delaware, O.; E. F. Schaper of 

 Chesterton, Ind. ; M. M. Baldridge of St. 

 Charles, 111. ; George Thompson of Genoa, 

 111. ; Miss Mathilda Candler of Cassville, 

 Wis. ; James A. Green of Ottawa, 111. 



Advise to girls Keep your powder dry 

 if you are gunning for a husband. 



