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San Diego Convention. 



Tlie San Diego, California, Bee-keepers' 

 Association met in San Diego, Feb. 7, with a 

 good attendance. President Fox in the 

 chair, R. G. Balconi, Sec'J^ 



The minutes of last meeting were read 

 and approved. 



The committee appointed to apply for a 

 reduction of tax on bee property, reported 

 a reduction of 20 per cent. 



The next thing in order was the reading 

 of the 



president's annual adduess. 



Gentlemen:— The past year has been 

 the most disastrous to the honey producing 

 interest ever known in this section of tlie 

 country. In 1876, we produced and export- 

 ed in San Diego county over one and a 

 quarter million povuids of honey, while in 

 1877, we did not export any, but imported 

 considerable honey and sugar to feed our 

 bees, in spite of which, the number of colo- 

 nies has probably been reduced from 2.5,000 

 to less than 15,000. 



Several causes have combined to bring 

 about this result: 



First.— The past winter, 1876-7, was one 

 of the driest on record, and the small 

 amount of rain that fell was all after the 

 20th of January, and was of little benefit to 

 many of our lioney producing plants, cut- 

 ting off our early spring feed. 



iSeco7id. — The si>ring was unusally cold, 

 witii frosts and drying winds, so that many 

 of the flowers were blighted or did not con- 

 tain any honey, injuring our late spring 

 feed. 



Third.— The phenominal hot spell of 

 June, consisting of 5 consecutive days of 

 such intense heat as has seldom occurred 

 here, the thermometer ranging from 100° to 

 105°, and the relative humidity as low as 5 

 to 7 per cent, completed the mischeif, and 

 our most reliable summer feed was ruined. 

 After this, only a few summer and fall 

 flowers remained, and comparatively few 

 colonies aathered enough for their own 

 consumption. 



This unfortunate combination of events 

 is not likely to occur again for many years; 

 and we may feel reasonably sure, for some 

 time to come, that our country will retain 

 its old reputation as the best honey-pro- 

 ducing place in the United States. 



The outlook for the coming season is 

 unusually favorable. We have had abund- 

 ant rains, coming frequently in soft, light 

 showers; the ground is in splendid condi- 

 tion; the grain, of which an unusually large 

 breadth has been sown, is looking finely; 

 grass is very good, and the honey-producing 

 plants are in very thrifty and fine condition. 



As we shall probably have a good honey 

 season, we must look ahead and make 

 plans and calculations as to the best way of 

 securing and marketing our crop, for it is 

 only very foolish persons who go on from 

 year to year, doing the same under all 

 changes of circumstances. 



Three years ago, when many of our apia- 

 ries were first established, honey sold 

 readily at high prices, and we did not think 

 we could overstock the market with an 

 article so fine as our lioney was acknowl- 

 edged to be. 



But times have changed; there has been 

 a great increase in production in the eastern 

 states, and the quality has been much 

 improved; hard times .and general economy 

 have reduced prices, till we can, witii diffi- 

 culty, sell our comb honey at one-half 

 of former prices. 



Fashion has also changed. Eastern apia- 

 rists now generally put comb honey on the 

 market in small packages, protected with 

 glass, so that they secure a more ready sale 

 and higher prices than we can. Another 

 great drawback against us is exhorbitant 

 trans-continental railroad charges. 



With these difficulties to contend with, 

 we cannot place our best comb honey on 

 the eastern markets, in competition with 

 the local supplies, and realize enough to 

 make producing a jtaying business. 



To remodel all our hives and section 

 boxes; to pay a high price here for glass 

 and the freight on it east, and in other 

 respects conform to the eastern fashions, 

 would cost us more than we could afford, 

 especially during the coming season. 



As an evidence of tlie dis.advantage we 

 Labor under, in not conforming to the new 

 style of putting up comb in small packages, 

 I quote from tne report of the Michigan 

 Convention, in the Amekican Bee Jour- 

 nal for January, 1878: 



Mr. Fahenstock, of Toledo, said: " I sold beauti- 

 ful honey in wood sections for 13c., in glass boxes it 

 sold readily at 20c. per pound. 



Mr. T. G. Newman, of Chicago, said: " The larger 

 boxes of yore with many combs are rapidly going 

 out of demand, and now it is diflHcult to dispose of 

 those having more than 2 or 3 combs at any price.— 

 The objection to the Harbison sections are: 



1. Though readily divided by grocerymen, it 

 puzzles them to devise means to pack such combs 

 without side protection with other goods, and dehv- 

 er to their customers without seriously damaging 

 them. 



2. For the retail stores, not being protected from 

 dust and dirt, honey in tliese frames soon becomes 

 unattractive to customers. 



" Dr. Whiting, of Saginaw, said he had put up 

 his honey in cases, but sold for 17c.; when he saw 

 honey no better than his, put up in a difTerent case, 

 sold for 25c., he couldn't stand it." 



And a private letter to Mr. E. W. Morse, 

 our vice president, from Mr. Rufus Morgan, 

 of North Carolina, says of comb honey: 



" Comb honey gets to the retail trade so badly 

 broken up that but few care to deal in it, and it costs 

 HO much expense in handling, one break down will 

 disgust a dealer forever.'' 



In the report I submitted to the last 

 annual meeting of this Association, I took 

 strong ground in favor of our apiarists 

 going into the production of extracted or 

 strained honey, instead of comb, and I am 

 still more convinced of the advantage of 

 this change. My reasons then against comb 

 honey were: 



1. The greater freight charges, because 

 we were compelled to send by rail instead 

 of water, and pay high freight on a large 

 percentage of dead weight. 



2. The greater cost ot putting up. 



3. The difficulty of shipping, except in 

 car-loads, and the large amount of breakage. 



4. The great difficulty of distributing in 



