1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



213 



The Colorado State Bee-Keepers' Convention. 



KEI'ORTED BY T. L. THOMPSON. 

 (Continued from page 198.) 



The subject of organization was then discussed. 



Mr. Alford — We havi^ about four times as many bee-keep- 

 ers as we need. I have not sold any honey in Colorado for five 

 years. The marketing of honey is what we should attend to. 



H. Rauchfuss — We cannot afford to ship in small amounts. 

 We must combine, and educate bee-keepers to produce mar- 

 ketable honey. That is what our organization is here for. 

 But it does not fill the bill. How shall we do it? I don't 

 know — but it must be done. If the organization is a success, 

 bee-keepers will join. 



Mr. Devinny — Profit depends on putting the honey where 

 it belongs. A man in Texas wrote me for two carloads. I 

 thought surely I could get it for him, but couldn't find it in 

 Colorado, because it had already been promised elsewhere. 



Mr. Alford — There is no trouble in finding a market. We 

 have not too much honey, but we have bee-keepers enough. 



Mr. W. L. Porter read an essay entitled " Our Associa- 

 tion," most of which is here given : 



OUR ASSOCIATION. 



Organization means civilization. I do not think we have 

 any reason to be discouraged. Our society compares well with 

 any similar society of the country. But we might have better 

 attendance, and thereby achieve better results. To find the 

 combination is the problem. If we could combine, there is no 

 doubt but what we could obtain better prices. The retail 

 price of honey this winter is 15 cents, straight. Now the re- 

 tail dealer is willing to pay S3. 00 per case of 24: sections, 

 and still sell at that price. Allowing 25 cents for jobbing, 

 this would make the price we should obtain §2.75 per case. 

 Instead of that, §2.40 is about the average. This means 35 

 cents loss to each case. 



This is a good illustration of what goes on every year. 

 Many of us do not dream of what might be done if we had a 

 Union, and could all sell honey through it. But we have to 

 face the thing as it really is. We, the honey-producers, are 

 not united. The only remedy is to work towards educating 

 the indifferent fellows to an appreciation of the benefit of 

 fellowship. For our meetings to draw, we should have them 

 as social as possible. 



I have thought it would be well to give one of our meet- 

 ings — perhaps the evening session — to social culture and en- 

 tertainment. We might have a program interspersed with 

 music, essays, songs and speeches. This meeting might be 

 made so very interesting that we would go away feeling that 

 it alone amply repaid us for coming out. 



The subject of the busy bee is attracting great attention 

 in our public schools. Great stress is put on the teaching of 

 the science and natural history of the bee to the children. 

 Why not ask our professor at the Agricultural College to pre- 

 pare a popular lecture on the science of the bee, with special 

 drawings to illustrate, and then invite the teachers who are 

 interested to be present, and allow them to ask questions, and 

 give them the benefit of our many years of profound e.xperi- 

 ence ? 



We could also save, if we had more funds. I would sug- 

 gest that we make the admission to thesociety §1.00 for male, 

 and 50 cents for female, members. 



Our meetings should be a means of education by which we 

 may be kept abreast with the latest discoveries in our profes- 

 sion. It should be a financial aid. Through our society we 

 should be able to learn the demand and supply of honey, so 

 we can market to better advantage. 



On the supply business I will not say much. But in my 

 judgment it can be carried on better by local societies. There 

 are several reasons for this. In a locality it is very often the 

 case that some certain standard of goods has been introduced, 

 such as the Langstroth hive or the Dovetailed, and that 

 locality would have to buy of the house that produces that 

 particular kind. Then it is better to have the goods shipped 

 direct to that point in a car lot than to be shipped to another 



point and then reshipped, which would take extra time and 

 extra freight. Hence, wherever there is a locality with a 

 number of bee-keepers, let them come together and organize 

 and correspond with manufacturers and dealers for prices of 

 such goods as they may need, and favorable results will come. 



In the same way the honey can be disposed of. The peo- 

 ple of each locality can get together and arrange to ship one 

 or more cars of honej out. For instance, we may call Greeley 

 one point ; Fort Collins another, Longmont another, and so on. 



These societies will have a tendency to educate the peo- 

 ple in the benefits of association, and finally they will wish to 

 take one step higher, and so we will have them up to the State 

 meetings. 



I have thought it might do good to make the place of our 

 State meetings migratory. We could meet at Greeley, Fort 

 Collins, Longmont, and once in awhile in the famous Arkansas 

 Valley. In this way, as we push our ship around, a few bar- 

 nacles would catch on and perhaps would stick. In this way 

 we would become better acquainted with each other and see 

 more of our grand State, which is to be the banner honey 

 State of the Union. 



There might be an objection to this when we have an ax 

 to grind in the Legislature, and would want to be on the 

 ground to do it. W. L. Pokter. 



ORGANIZATION ANB MARKETING. 



The discussion on organization continued : 



R. H. Rhodes — The Secretary has the names of 143 bee- 

 keepers, while the usual membership is 25 or 80. Keep the 

 fee as it is (50 cents for male members, and 25 cents for fe- 

 male members). Increased membership brings increased 

 funds. 



Mr. Devinny — Members here should write to those from a 

 distance to stay with them during the session. 



L. Booth — There must be a State organization. Let our 

 Secretary and other ofBcers contract directly for supplies — let 

 the local organizations get their supplies through our Secre- 

 tary and Executive Committee. 



Pres. Aikin — We might imitate the Citrus Fruit Exchange 

 in California. There is a central office and a representative 

 in communication with all growers. He is also in communica- 

 tion with the principal markets. Orders come to him, and he 

 fills them from appropriate parts of the State. Supply and 

 demand do not always regulate prices, on account of "cor- 

 ners." Therefore, let us not organize for greed — to raise the 

 price especially, but to help those in debt to sell to the proper 

 quarters a,t fixed prices. Small lots at low prices should not 

 affect the market. We are to hold our produce for a short 

 time. As soon as the small lots are cleared off, consumers 

 must look to us for the rest of what they want. As a result 

 of advertising, firms all over the country have written me for 

 honey. I sold all my extracted at 7 cents. We haven't 

 enough honey. If we had more, so that merchants would 

 frequently call on us, the prices would be firmer. The pack- 

 age has something to do with it. Large packages are a detri- 

 ment. The grocer gets disgusted after buying one can. He 

 won't handle it in that shape. Extracted honey should Ije in 

 small packages in large crates. In that way it may be made 

 a staple article. I wrote to a commission firm about this. At 

 first they discouraged the idea, but finally said, " Try it." If 

 I can sell my honey that way, I can let it go for 1 to 3 cents 

 a pound less, as the work of transferring from large to small 

 packages would be saved. 



J. B. Adams — A Chicago firm wrote to me asking, "What 

 can we buy Colorad'o honey for ? It must be at such a price 

 as to compete with California honey." But in their second 

 letter they said, " We can sell all first-class Colorado honey 

 for a good price in competition with California honey." That 

 shows why the honey we ship should be first-class. We can't 

 produce enough to supply all the first-class honey wanted. 

 Since then I have received requests for o}4 carloads. They 

 all want it first-class. 



Mr. Alford — On commission ? 



Mr. Adams — No, sir. 



Mr. Alford — Sell iio?ic on commission. Sell it f. o. b. here. 

 My experience with selling on commission has been such that 

 I want no more of it. 



Mrs. Shute — It is possible that Chicago man Mr. Adams 

 referred to saw the Colorado honey at the World's Fair. A 

 Chicago newspaper said : " The public conceded the awards 

 to the Colorado honey." 



J. E. Lyon — Even if only two or four get together, it pays 

 to organize. Then we can first send a man ahead to sell, and 

 afterwards send the honey, at a cost of not more than a cent 

 a pound. I have shipped honey to Illinois in 500-pound lots. 

 It is always wanted. It is never necessary to undersell. 



