568 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Sept. 9, 



GBORGB 'W. YORK, - Editor. 



PUBLISHT WEEKLV BV 



GEORGE W. YORK & COMPANY, 

 118 afiobigran St., - CHICAGO. ILL. 



$1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Sent Free. 

 [Bntered at the Post-Offlce at Chlcasro as Second-Class Mail-Matter. 



United States Bee-Keepers^ Union. 



Organized to Bdvance the pursuit of Apiculture; to promote the interests 



ot bee-keepers : to prote<t its mem hers ; lo prevent the adulteration 



ol honey; and to prosecute the uishonest honey-cooiniission men. 



Membership Fee— S1.00 Per Annum. 



lixeciitiX'G Cominitte-cy, 



Pbesident — George W. York. Vice-Phes. — W. Z. Hctchinson. 

 Secretart— Dk. a. B. Mason, Station B. Toledo, Ohio. 



Hctard of A>/reclor.s, 



E. R. Root. E. Whitcomb. E. T. Abbott. 



W. Z. Hutchinson. Dr. C. C. Miller. C. P. Dadant. 



Ge>nGriil Afanag-or ttnti Treasurer. 

 Eugene Secor, Forest City, Iowa. 



Vol. fflVIl, CHICAGO, ILL,, SEPT. 9, 1891. No, 36, 



Editorial Con)n)cr)i^. 



Tbe .California Bee-Keepers' Excbange 



has handled, during the present season, over .S5,0U0 worth o.f 

 supplies for its members, and at a reduced price. At present 

 the Exchange is the only factor that is holding up the price of 

 honey. Every bee-keeper should be found in the Exchange, 

 but such is the perversity of the bee-keeping character that a 

 good cause is seriously handicapt by so many refusing to 

 come in. This is what .Secretary J. H. Martin, of the Ex- 

 change, said recently in the Rural Californian. 



Your Help 'Wanted. — We believe that we have 

 the friendship and good-will of every one of our readers. 

 Therefore we come to you with this request. 



Every reader of the old American Bee Journal knows 

 that we are trying to publish just the very best bee-paper we 

 know how. But if we had twice our present number of sub- 

 scribers, we could, and would, do ever so much better for 

 you all. 



Now, would it be too much to ask that each and every 

 one of our readers send us at least 07it' nctf subscriber for the 

 last four months of 18117, at the 25-cent, trial-trip rate? We 

 really believe that nearly every oiie could, with but little 

 effort, send two or three names at that low rate. On page 

 570 we offer a list of premiums for doing this work. Extra 

 copies to be used as samples can be had for the asking. 



We know that our present readers fully understand the 

 true value of the American Bee .lournal, and they are the 

 ones that can best speak of Its merits, and most easily secure 

 the new subscribers. The only question Is, Will they do it? 

 If so, we feel certain that after a four-months' trial, we can 



hold the new ones as permanent and regular readers. We can 

 do that if they are at all interested in bee-keeping. N,iw, we 

 do not ask very much from any one of our present subscribers, 

 but all can see that if each sends in but one new bubscrlber 

 this month, our list will be clmtbled by Oct. 1. Then by get- 

 ting their renewal, and your own, for 1898, we will bo in a 

 splendid position to give you the best bee-literature possible. 

 Will i/ou help us do it ? 



* « » 



marketing- and the Coutmission-nian.— 

 The American Bee-Keeper has quite a good editorial on this J 

 subject in its August Issue. It reads as follows : | 



There is one subject that is at present receiving raarkt 

 attentiou by our fraternity and the apicultural press, over 

 which there is neither dispute nor contention, viz : "The 

 commission merchant." The way of the bee-keeper, generally, 

 during the recent unfavorable seasons, has been fraught with 

 anxiety, disappointments and discouragements; but when a 

 fellow has finally " corraled " a crop of honey, only to see it 

 devoured by some disreputable commission firm, the climax Is 

 reacht. The enthusiasm which had inspired his diligent 

 work, gives place to a nauseating disgust. 



There are but few commission houses that have estab- 

 lisht for themselves a good reputation among bee-keepers, 

 and even those that have in a measure done so, sometimes 

 employ business methods very unsatisfactory to the sh.pper. 

 Some system by which our product may be distributed 

 throughout the length and breadth of the land, avoiding the 

 present conditions of overstocking the large cities, and plac- 

 ing it before the consumer in a convenient retail package, 

 must necessarily precede any deserved measure of success in 

 the production of honey, especially in the liquid form. 



The one very Important thing bee-keepers need to 

 look out for now is the high-quotation commission firm. This 

 is nearly always done to get in a lot of shipments of honey, 

 which afterward are sold at a good deal less than the quota- 

 tions previously given. Of course, then the shipper is dis- 

 satisfied — and justly so. 



We would indeed be glad if we could say that more than 



12 cents per pound can be realized for best comb honey in the 



Chicago market now, but we can't doit. And there is neither 



sense nor justice in any firm here quoting a higher price than 



that just now. It may be that a little later on the price may 



be a trifle higher, but in view of the fair crop harvested we 



doubt If It will be any higher. Still, we hope we are wrong 



in this view. 



«-.-* 



Bufialo Convention Notes.— Monday, Aug. 

 23, found us ready to start for Buffalo — just as soon as Dr. 

 Miller should reach our office to go with us. He came about 

 1 p.m., and we soon started for the Nickel Plate railroad sta- 

 tion, to take the train leaving at 3:05 o'clock. 



Arriving, we found there Messrs. Abbott, of Missouri, 

 Bennett, of California, Highbarger, of Illinois, and E Whit- 

 comb and wife, of Nebraska. All, including Dr. Miller and 

 the writer, left at the same time, some in sleeping cars and 

 some in regular coaches. 



At Buffalo the next forenoon unfortunately our train was 

 nearly two hours late, so that the convention was begun be- 

 fore our company reacht the main hall of Galon's Business 

 College, corner of Main and Huron streets, where the meet- 

 ing was held. As we entered the room we were splendidly 

 welcomed by the 125 or more bee-keepers already gathered, 

 and after an introduction by Secretary Mason, we immediately 

 relieved Mr. Iloltermann, of Canada, who had been elected to 

 act as chairman until our arrival. 



We want to say right here that the low Grand Army rates 

 certainly secured a very representative gathering of bee- 

 keepers. They came from Maine to California, and from 

 Florida to Canada. While we had to endure the great crowd 

 of visitors in Buffalo, still we had the real pleasure of meeting 

 many bee-keepers who doubtless would not have been there 



