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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Oct. 29, 



want to keep the enemy away, and keep the good work going 

 on. What is grander in this life than to engage good men and 

 women to hold up this work of ours? The enemy may be 

 marching in upon us while we rest, aud snatching up what 

 good remains, while we know but little about it. Ood bless 

 you. A. I. Root. 



The Secretary then read a paper written by Prof. A. J. 

 Cook, of Claremont, Calif., entitled 



A National Bee.Keepers' Exchange. 



Knowing as I do the objection in the minds of some of the 

 wisest and best of our bee-keepers, to the presenting of papers 

 at our meetings, I will send only a few words on what seems 

 to me one of the most important questions that confront the 

 bee-keepers of the United States. 



It need hardly be said that one of the most important char- 

 acteristics of the highest civilization which marks the close of 

 the nineteenth century, is the fact of organization. Those 

 trades and professions where all the members can organize 

 and act together, not only make much more rapid progress 

 than do others less fortunate, but the general intelligence and 

 pecuniary success is much more marked. The lawyers, doc- 

 tors, and many of the trades people have become so thoroughly 

 organized that even the price they fix upon their service is 

 known and indeed established by all the members of their 

 profession, and thus they have it in their power absolutely to 

 fix their own price upon any service which they may render. 

 Not to pay this price is to go without service, for all act 

 together, and no honorable man will cut the stipulated price 

 of the profession. 



I had occasion not long since to inquire regarding the 

 professional service of the California physician. I wrote to 

 practitioners in several towns and found, as I expected to, 

 that the rates charged for counsel, for ofBce visits, for visits 

 in the town, or visits in the country, were almost identical. 

 It need not be said that this is greatly to the advantage of 

 any trade or profession. 



I recently had occasion, in the city of San Diego, to en- 

 gage a livery to go 12 miles from the city. 1 was to leave 

 about two o'clock and must return that evening. The road 

 was somewhat mountainous. The charge was S3. 50. I com- 

 plained of the amount, when the proprietor told me that I 

 must take two horses. It was too hard for one unless I had 

 the whole day for the journey, and he said the livery people 

 of the city had fixed upon §3.50 as the proper amount to 

 charge for a team. We see the livery men of San Diego are 

 united. We also see that this is better for them, as well as 

 for their horses. 



One of the great reasons why the manual labor pursuits 

 have been so slow to advance ; why the laborers in this field 

 have had nothing to say as to prices of their service; and 

 why success, especially in the agricultural field, has been so 

 uncertain, has been the fact that organization, from the na- 

 ture of the case is almost impossible. The farmer (and by this 

 I include bee-keeper, horticulturist, etc.) is isolated. Associa- 

 tion becomes difScult, and thus there is more or less sus- 

 picion, lack of confidence, so we see why associated effort is 

 almost impossible. The fact, too, that success in agriculture, 

 especially where people are willing to work long and hard, 

 and practice the utmost economy, does not always require 

 education, at least of a broad sort. This is another reason 

 why association becomes more difficult. 



I believe that we are all agreed that no laborer is more 

 worthy or more deserving of appreciation than he who works 

 in the agricultural field. If this is true, as we become more 

 civilized, and have more of the spiritof Him " who went about 

 doing good, and of whose life there was no guile," there will 

 be no tendency to look down upon the agriculturist. Such 

 terms of opprobrium as "hay-seed," "mudsill," will not be 

 heard, and the farmer will be regarded as one of the noble 

 men of the world. The thing that will bring this about will 

 be thorough organization. To-day the farmer has nothing to 

 say in regard to the price of his products. When he goes to 

 market either to buy or sell, the other party always fixes the 

 price. The merchant or doctor must live, and fixes his price 

 accordingly. From association he is able to do this. The 

 farmer must sell, and so takes what he can get. The amount 

 he receives for his wares may come far from paying expenses, 

 yet he must sell all the same, and does sell, though he sees 

 debt and hunger staring him in the face. This is all wrong, 

 and there is a crying need for reform. 



I have already stated that because of isolation, and often 

 because of lack of culture and knowledge of the world, the 

 agriculturist is suspicious. He lacks confidence in others, and 

 though he himself would not cheat another, or even think of 

 doing so, yet he is apt to feel that every other man's hand is 



against him. This fact stands strongly in the way of asso- 

 ciation among the agriculturists, yet association is the one 

 thing desirable. It is bound to come. " Ever the right comes 

 uppermost," and it is certainly right that the man who tolls 

 often from five o'clock in the morning till nine in the evening, 

 at honest, noble toil — toil which is at the root of all prosperity 

 — should be recognized as worthy of all respect aud of the best 

 of success. I believe that the one thing necessary to merited 

 success and just recognition is thorough organization. To 

 secure such organization there must be more general educa- 

 tion. I believe that this education is rapidly coming to the 

 farming class of our country. The education may not come 

 from the school or college, but it is as surely coming. The 

 agricultural paper is being read as never before. Farmers' 

 clubs and institutes are carrying the college or university to 

 the farmer. I believe that through these agencies our rural 

 population will soon lose their suspicion and distrust, and will 

 soon be educated to a point where they can work together, 

 and be placed more on a level with those who labor in the 

 village or city. 



Is it not true that there is more of culture and general 

 intelligence among the bee-keeping class than among any of 

 the other manual laborers in the country, if we except, per- 



Pi-ijf. A. J. Couk, Claremont, Cnllf. 



haps, the horticulturist? If I am correct in this view, then it 

 is true that there is no better place for general organization 

 to commence among the farming class than among the bee- 

 keepers. The work and most gratifying success of the Bee- 

 Keepers' Union proves that this point is well taken. Every 

 bee-keeper, worthy of the name, reads one or more bee-papers. 

 He usually also reads the books treating of bees aud apicul- 

 ture. The intelligence which comes from this wider reading 

 makes the bee-associations more interesting and valuable. It 

 will also make it possible for bee-keepers to organize and form 

 exchanges. Have we not, then, as bee-keepers, a duty to per- 

 form ? The duty to show the value of organization, and also 

 help forward our own success ? 



The gratifying success of the Citrus Fruit Exchange of 

 Southern California shows clearly that such movements can 

 be made of tremendous advantage to the pomologist. There 

 is now on foot a movement to bring the deciduous fruits also 

 into this organization. To show the need of this, I have only 

 to state that the raisin crop of the San Joaquin Valley was 

 marketed last year at a loss of one-half million of dollars. The 

 raisin men have recently formed an exchange, and are already 

 offered a price just double that of last year. We owe a debt 

 of gratitude to the pomologists of Southern California. They 

 prove that an exchange is practical and exceedingly desirable. 

 Many fruit-growers, a few years since, saw bankruptcy star- 

 ing them in the face. Through the Exchange, these same 

 people are now prosperous. The honey-producer, of California 

 at least, has no fears as to producing honey. Could he be 

 sure of a good price for his output, he would have no ques- 



