AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



431 



^-^ — -^— >A^*^A^Ai 



Notes on tie Los Angeles Convention. 



Written for the A.merican Bee Journal 

 BY PROF. A. J. COOK. 



"What is more significant than the fact 

 that the Los Angeles County Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association holds meetings every 

 month ? And has a very good attend- 

 ance, if I may judge by the last meeting, 

 when it w^as my good fortune to be 

 present. Where else in the United 

 States are monthly bee-keepers' meet- 

 ings held ? Even many annual State 

 meetings languish for want of attend- 

 ance. 



CALIFOKNIA HONEY PROSPECTS. 



At the last meeting of the above Asso- 

 ciation, the prospects for this season 

 were discussed. As yet there have been 

 only about 11 or 12 inches of rain. It 

 was thought by most that 15 inches 

 were required for a good crop. The 

 fruit men are getting anxious at the 

 slight rain-fall to date, but of course 

 there is yet plenty of time for the four or 

 five inches yet required. Besides the 

 abundant rain, absence of the north 

 winds is also requisite. Some years the 

 cold north winds seem to dry up the nec- 

 tar, though in localities the winds rarely 

 do harm ; and, again, in some places the 

 crop has been excellent with less than 

 10 inches of rain. Most of the bee- 

 keepers present seemed cheerful. 



THE COST OF BEES. 



The price of bees was also discussed. 

 This ranges from .$1.00 per colony, 

 where the bees are in old boxes, etc., to 

 .$2.50 or $3.00, where they are in good 

 hives. 



POLLENIZATION OF FLOWERS. 



The matter of pollenization was fully 

 discussed. The methods to determine 

 the importance of bees were explained, 

 and several expressed a determination 

 to examine the question by careful ex- 

 periments. It was also resolved unani- 



mously to memorialize the State Board 

 of Regents, who have the experiment 

 station in charge, to establish a branch 

 station in apiculture in Southern Califor- 

 nia. 



MARKETING THE HONEY CROP. 



The last question considered was that 

 of marketing. It was stated that the 

 Fruit Exchange, adopted by the citrus 

 fruit growers of Southern California^ 

 was giving fairly good satisfaction, ancj 

 the writer was appointed to find out just 

 the method practiced by the fruit men, 

 what its advantages are, and whether » 

 similar association or union with the 

 fruit men was desirable on the part of 

 bee-men ; and was asked to give a re- 

 port at the earliest moment. 



Claremont, Calif. 



Selling Extraclel Honey at Retail. 



m 

 Written for the American Bee Journal 



BY H. M. MELBEE. 



( Which the ^^ H. M." stow's for Himny Jfan.) 



On page 209 Dr. Miller appears again 

 with some more remarks on the sale of 

 extracted honey at retail. The Doctor 

 says : 



1. If you will show me, Mr. Editor, 

 how to sell extracted honey at 24 cents 

 per pound, then I will stop producing 

 comb honey. 



2. If two dishes of honey were side by 

 side upon the table, one extracted and 

 the other comb, the honey itself being 

 exactly the same, I'd take the extracted 

 every time. 



3. Mr. Melbee has made some mistake 

 in his figures when he talks about a cus- 

 tomer only getting only 5i of a pound of 

 honey when he supposes he is getting a 

 pound. 



4. The question remains unanswered 

 as to how so much more than usual 

 prices can be obtained for extracted 

 honey. Can you tell, Mr. Editor, why 

 people who can buy such honey at gro- 

 ceries for 12 or 15 cents a pound, are 

 willing to pay 24 cents for it ? 



5. Money is not my chief aim in life. 

 I don't think I can make more money 

 keeping bees than at some other occupa- 

 tion, but think I can have a more pleas- 

 ant life of it. 



6. I do not depend for the sale of my 

 honey upon those who regularly read 

 the bee-papers. 



7. I sent a thousand pounds of comb 

 honey to Chicago at the request of 

 Messrs. Stone and Hambangh, without 



