AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



217 



number required to attend (250) was so 

 high as to render the ofifer an insulc. 

 "When will our dull-minded people com- 

 prehend that railroads must be taken 

 out of the control of greedy monopoly 

 and Nationalized, and the people served 

 with transportation at cost, as in the 

 Postal Service ? Then we will all travel 

 long or short distances for the fraction 

 of one cent per mile ; and this can be 

 had, mind you, whenever the voters go 

 to the ballot box en masse and vote for 

 it ; for the united voice of an intelligent 

 people is the voice of God in all govern- 

 ments. 



Our former most excellent President, 

 J. P. West, was re-elected by a unani- 

 mous vote to fill that olHce for the year 

 1894. Mr. Danforth, of Red Wing, 

 was elected Secretary, and Ditus Day, 

 of Farmington, Treasurer. 



Mr. Theilmann read an interesting 

 essay, giving his experience at the 

 World's Fair. Wm. Urie read an essay 

 on the value of bees to horticulture, and 

 B. Taylor read one on how to increase 

 our white honey crop, and then find a 

 paying market for it. Also an essay 

 was read on the present condition and 

 future prospect for honey-production. 



In regard to finding a paying market, 

 the only hope held out was that of each 

 honey producer developing his own home 

 market, as the present practice of send- 

 ing nearly all our honey to the great 

 city markets had resulted in low prices, 

 even in the last three seasons of poor 

 crops. We must improve our practice 

 in this matter, if we would hope for 

 future prosperity ; for, what think you, 

 friend, would be oiir condition to-day, if 

 there had been full crops for the la?t 

 three seasons? 



Strong resolutions were passed for 

 making strong the law punishing adul- 

 terators ; and here let me say that our 

 association has the proof that one Hunt, 

 of California, used one carload of glu- 

 cose that he bought here, and then 

 bought 19 barrels from dealers in St. 

 Paul, to adulterate his California honey 

 that he had shipped to this city (St. 

 Paul). The officers of our society col- 

 lected a large number of specimens of 

 this so-called honey, and had it ana- 

 lyzed, and it contained 75 per cent, of 

 glucose, on an average. We must stamp 

 out this villainy, or our honey markets 

 will be ruined, as glucose can be bought 

 for less than 2 cents per pound ; besides, 

 the vile fraud so disgusts the purchasers 

 of extracted honey, that the confidence 

 of consumers will be entirely destroyed, 

 and our market for real honey spoiled. 

 We would send to California for this un- 



scrupulous sharper, but the law passed 

 two years ago to prevent adulterating 

 honey, only makes it a misdemeanor, and 

 we cannot bring him here for that grade 

 of crime. We will see to it that that 

 defect in the law is remedied. 



The present condition of the bees was 

 reported good. I send you herewith my 

 views in regard to the future of honey, 

 as expressed in an essay read at the con- 

 vention. 



I must not close this account of our 

 meeting without mentioning the fact 

 that the annual meeting of the State 

 Farmers' Alliance was held at the same 

 time, in the same building as the bee- 

 keepers' and horticulturists' meetings, 

 and that your humble servant is a mem- 

 ber of and a delegate to each of the 

 conventions of these worthy societies. 

 The Alliance was treated to a splendid 

 speech from that incomparable orator 

 and champion of the peoples' rights — 

 Ignatius Donnelly — who made "Rome 

 howl." S. M. Owen, editor of the Farm, 

 Stock and Hom,e, and others, made splen- 

 did speeches to a crowded and applaud- 

 ing audience. We had a lively time, 

 and all went home rejoicing that they 

 were there. 



Forestville, Minn. 



[The following is the essay referred 



to by Bro. Taylor, which he read at the 



bee-keepers' convention at Minneapolis : 



—Ed.] 



The Future of Honey. 



It was estimated a few years ago that 

 there were 700,000 colonies of bees in 

 the United States, owned by 35,000 

 people, of whom at least 30,000 pos- 

 sessed, on an average, not more than 3 

 colonies each, the remaining 5,000 be- 

 ing professionals. This estimate was 

 made some 15 or 20 years ago, and 

 there are good reasons for believing 

 that there are not one-half as many col- 

 onies in the United States at this date 

 as there were then. 



The real cause of this decline we will 

 not attempt to give, the fact and its in- 

 fluence on the present and future of the 

 honey trade being our present aim. It 

 is a strange contradiction that at the 

 very period in which it is claimed that 

 the art of honey production has made its 

 greatest advance, the apiarian interest 

 has lost ground in Southern Minnesota, 

 where bees do extremely well. We are 

 safe in saying there is not 40 per cent, 

 of the number of colonies that 1880 

 could show. We know of no apiary in 

 our acquaintance where there are as 

 many colonies kept as formerly, and 



