132 THE BEE-KEEPERS" REVIEW 



discussed. The idea of tlie bee-keej^ers succeedint^- in their chosen 

 occupation zi'ithont an association, seems iifterly absurd to me; and if 

 we fail to give our occupation the time and attention i^iven to other 

 industries of far less importance, it is soon noticed by an ever scru- 

 tinizing public. Then, to succeed, we must follow suit. The ad- 

 vantages to be derived from these associations are manyfold. The 

 frequent coming together of men whose thoughts are running in the 

 same channel, and a comparison of these thoughts, brought out 

 by friendly discussions, enable a member to take advantage of all 

 new discoveries made by the brightest members in the special call- 

 ing, making it exceedingly difficult for the man who attempts to 

 pursue the same occupation with but one brain, as it might be 

 termed, and imless he is in the possession of a giant intellect will 

 only be able to succeed fairly well. 



THE FIEI.B IN OKI.AHOMA. 



With over fi\e hundred l)ee-keepers in ( )klaht)ma and lots of 

 honey going to waste in nearly e\ery county in the state, no grander 

 field could exist for an association of our chosen calling if we but 

 take hold and each do his part. It pains me to see some Oklahoma 

 bee-keepers standing aloof from the National .\ssociation and crit- 

 icising its action. It is our duty to coincide with that body and 

 work in harmony with it; in fact, become a part of it, and if the 

 new constitution does not suit us, put ourselves in a position to 

 help change it until it does. With over four thousand members in 

 the National organization, having representatives from forty-five 

 states, we have the grandest foundation laid for one of the most 

 elTective associations, or corporations if you please to call it. that 

 ever existed, ^^'e have it in our power to sa\' what shall constitute 

 the price of well ripened honey in every market in the United 

 .States, if not in the world. Now do not throw up your hands in 

 holy horror and shout, "trust, graft," or anything of the kind. Am- 

 erican bee-keepers are not composed of that kind of material that 

 oppressive trusts are made of, as this will l)e a trust that can be 

 trusted. One of its ])rincipal objects will be to increase the quantity 

 of that which is now wasted, and bring about a general use of that 

 which is but little used among the masses of the people, and thus 

 prove conducive to the general health of all. At the present time 

 not one in five hundred of the inhabitants of the nation has ever 

 tasted of that God-given sweet, hidden in the flowers of every state, 

 county and township, and only to be secured through the medium 

 of the busy bee. \\'ith butter selling in most of oui country mar- 

 kets at from ?0c to ."iOc per pound, much of it stronger than the 

 strongest argument we have heretofore made, we have honey, (na- 

 ture's pre-digested sweet) to take its place at from He to 10c per 

 pound. 



