1907- ] 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



257 



for every bee-keeper in the state to 

 come in, to offer his wisdom, to help 



himself and others. This gathering to- 

 day is a palace of conference, an op- 

 portunity to compare notes, experi- 

 ences, plans, methods. If I offer 

 thoughts, describe my habits of pro- 

 cedure, you are here not alone to hear 

 of my way and follow, but to show 

 me my errors, and if possible, change 

 my wrong habits to the right. 



Then one place where we may im- 

 prove is by doing our own thinking. 

 Hear what others have to say, analyze 

 or digest their thoughts, cutting the 

 good from the bad, in a brotherly 

 spirit helping each other. Have more 

 confidence in each other, and enough 

 confidence in yourself to think reason- 

 ably on all subjects. When you differ 

 with a brother do it honestly and 

 openly from the standpoint of reason, 

 giving every man credit for being 

 honest in opinion and practice. Con- 

 demn wrong opinions — beliefs — but al- 

 ways concede the other man's rights 

 to differ, forbearing one another. 



Another point where improvement 

 can be made is in producing a better 

 grade of honey. In producing comb- 

 section or box-honey. The fact that 

 it must of necessity be left on the 

 hive to ripen at least until sealed; this 

 almost certainly insures a good article 

 so far as flavor and quality goes, 

 though it be ever so ungainly in ap- 

 pearance. It is in the matter of ap- 

 pearance, and of convenience that the 

 most improvement can be made in 

 this part of our product. Separators 

 or some method should always be 

 used to insure straight and fine ap- 

 pearance that appeals to the eye, and 

 in accomplishing this we also make 

 the honey more easy to handle with- 

 out damage and more easily retailed 

 as then it can go out by the piece. 



Besides separators, very strong 

 colonies must be used in producing 

 comb, this is one thing that is abso- 

 lutely necessary. To some extent the 

 lack of numbers may be overcome 

 by contracting the hive, but contrac- 

 tion usually sacrifices future useful- 

 ness of the colony, often its very life. 



^ But it is the production and hand- 

 ling of extracted that the greatest 

 oDpnrtunity opens for improvement. 

 Extracting is often done before the 

 honey is ripe, before the bees even 

 have considered it ready or safe to 

 seal. Thin raw honey is by no means 



relished by the consumer — it does not 

 taste like more. 



There is a prevailing idea that ex- 

 tracted honey must be water white 

 (clear) as its chief characteristic, this 

 with the idea that the producer gets 

 greater quantity with less labor and 

 expense has become a great evil. This 

 point must be guarded. Let the honey 

 remain to be ripened by the bees be- 

 fore extracting. If this is done the 

 product will be just as much, cost no 

 more labor, and when it goes to the 

 palate will compel the eater to call 

 for more. 



Another improvement can be made 

 in extracted by doing away with the 

 fad that it must be strictly clear and 

 thoroughly liquid. In the matter of 

 color, the great majority care not a 

 snap whether it is clear, amber or 

 dark so it has the fiavor and body, 

 and very many care not if it be can- 

 died just so it has these qualities. 

 Strive for fiavor, body and inexpens- 

 iveness of package yet convenient to 

 handle by all parties concerned. Add 

 to this, getting the product as direct 

 to the consumer as possible and very 

 much more will be consumed. People 

 as a body want quality in that which 

 they eat; looks in what they wear. 



Many other things might be added, 

 and some I meant to deal with, but 

 matters over which I have no control 

 have prevented in the preparation of 

 this paper, suffice this to start discus- 

 sion and let the members enlarge up- 

 on the subject. 



ELECTION OF OFFICERS. 



President: W. P. Collins, Boulder 



Vice-President: W. L. Porter, Den- 

 ver. 



Secretary: S. Francis, Erie. 



Treasurer: Mrs. R. H. Rhodes. 



Oliver Foster; Member of Execu- 

 tive Committee. 



Legislative Committee: To be con- 

 tinned for another year. 



Frank Rauchfuss, V. Devinney, M. 

 A. Gill, W. L. Porter, R. C. Aikin. 



Program Committee: H. Rauch- 

 fuss, M. A. Gill and Mr. Jouno. 



Exhibit Committee: F. Rauchfuss, 

 A. Elliott, M. A. Gill, Mr. Porter, 

 Mr. Pease. 



Committee to draft resolutions: 

 Mr. Francis, Mr. Booth and Mr. Fos- 

 ter. 



Motion made and carried that an 

 order be drawn on the treasurer for 

 these two prizes. 



