472 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



July 24, 1902. 



better men and women of all who come under the society's 

 influence. 



THE SOCIAL SIDE. 



I feel that I speak the sentiment of every member when 

 I say that from year to year I look forward to our conven- 

 tions with a joyous anticipation. I am g'lad to be here to- 

 day, to meet with you and grasp the hand in a brotherly 

 f)rreeting. I rejoice to be able to give, as well as receive, 

 the enjoyments that come to us when we meet after months 

 of separation. I have labored with many of you for years 

 working- for the interests of each other, and today a blow 

 given to you would hurt me perhaps as much as you. 

 Because of longer acquaintance and closer intimacy in our 

 work, some of us seem bound by a closer bond of love and 

 sympathy ; and. brethren, to meet in these annual gather- 

 ings, to labor together for the common good and upbuilding 

 of all will knit us into a richer, nobler, and better life. Our 

 Association is not all hard business; there is a social side 

 that we do exceedingly well to cultivate, and I shall be 

 happy indeed if I may be able to help you all to a better 

 and more full social life. May I not be disappointed in 

 realizing in each countenance, and in every word and act, 

 that hearty good-will and enjoyment that is ours to have if 

 we but will it. 



SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. 



Our constitution says of this Association, " Its object 

 shall be the promotion of apiculture in all its interests." 

 That is short, but broad and comprehensive. As indicated 

 hereinbefore, we can not escape responsibilities to others, 

 nor can we honestly engage in our pursuit without helping 

 others. I know, brethren, that some of you will say this is 

 not sound doctrine, that there are too many in our ranks 

 now ; but a full investigation will prove to you that I state 

 no false doctrine when I say that apiculture is not overdone. 

 I will repeat and emphasize that an honest and intelligent 

 conduct of apiculture by not only those now in our ranks, 

 but by others who may see fit to enter the business, can 

 not, and will not of itself, injure us. 



However, admitting and believing the foregoing to be 

 true, it makes my heart sad to see many people rushing 

 into apiculture without a knowledge of the first principles 

 of scientific bee-keeping. I will plainly say it is not hon- 

 esty to self, nor to those already in the business, for any 

 one to put money and time into the bee and honey business 

 not knowing how properly to handle it to meet the require- 

 ments of the times and conditions. Look at the nice, 

 fancy honey in our markets, and you see the results of 

 science. Is it far amiss to say that science is Nature com- 

 prehended ? An intelligent application of the laws of 

 Nature in obtaining results is applied science. It is, then, 

 self-evident that one should, before becoming possessed of 

 much of a stock of bees, or entering the pursuit as a busi- 

 ness, have gained a reasonable knowledge of the science 

 of apiculture. Note, I do not say he shall be an expert in 

 the science, but have a reasonable knowledge of it — none 

 of us know it all. 



If, then, we are all students in this science, it becomes 

 one of the duties of this Association to make scientific 

 research, but especially to add to each other's knowledge 

 by an interchange of thought and experiences. By so 

 doing we become a mutual help, we spread knowledge, and 

 help each other to better produce and market, and that 

 which betters or puts the business on a higher plane helps 

 all. I do rejoice in the fact that the Colorado State Bee- 

 Keepers' Association has stood well up to her privileges 

 and duties in the line of science. There has been in our 

 annual meetings an intense interest by the members in 

 bringing out a true knowledge of the laws governing the 

 bee and its labors, the most scientific application obtain- 

 able. Except in rare cases the spirit of helpfulness has 

 been displayed, and in a degree not excelled by any similar 

 association. 



Remember, however, that having reached these heights, 

 to neglect our opportunity to push forward and protect our 

 increasing numbers and foster that which we have built up 

 will be a very great wrong to ourselves and to the pursuit 

 in general. This Association has not only fostered and 

 very materially aided in a spread of scientific knowledge, 

 but it has in no small degree protected its members and 

 others in their 



BUSINESS INTERESTS. 



This is shown by the obtaining of legislation favorable 

 to the industry ; by the obtaining, year by year, lower 

 prices on supplies used by us, and by advertising our prod- 

 uct, and in many ways fostering the industry. In this con- 



nection I will call your attention to the fact that after years 

 of effort we have at last obtained a show-case in which to 

 display apiarian products in the State House, where so 

 much is already on exhibition showing other resources of 

 the State, and it is now our duty to make a proper and cred- 

 itable display, of which we shall not be ashamed, and which 

 shall do justice to our rapidly growing industry. 



There was a time when apiculture in Colorado was but 

 an infant, when the product of the bee did not begin to 

 meet the home demand ; whjle to-day our home needs are 

 not only supplied, but a large export trade has sprung up to 

 take our surplus. Our people consume immense quantities 

 of honey that is not excelled in quality in any State, and 

 we send hundreds of tons to other States. And, brethren, 

 the very fact that we must export is a very, yeky great 

 reason why we must continue to work in harmony, co oper- 

 ate and unite in our efforts. Co-operation has been one of 

 the outgrowths of the work of this Association, and to re- 

 linquish this work in the least we can not afford, we must 

 go on. To stop or go back means a death-blow to the busi- 

 ness and financial interests of very many apiarists in Col- 

 orado. Yea, more than this, the pursuit in other States 

 would suffer injury with us. Cut off your hand, your foot, 

 or any member of your body, and you injure the whole 

 body. Let this Association, or the Colorado Honey-Pro- 

 ducers' Association, or any of the co-operative interests of 

 the State fail, and our business in Colorado, as well as out- 

 side interests, will surely suffer. 



There are many apiarists in the btate who have never 

 been to a single one of our conventions, yet much good 

 comes to such because of the work and influence of the 

 organization. The absent ones miss the social contact, the 

 side discussions that we have between sessions at hotels, 

 restaurants, and wherever two or more of us meet, but they 

 do reap something from the published reports, and in the 

 general moral influences that can not be enumerated. 

 There is not an apiarist of any consequence in the State 

 who has not received directly or indirectly more benefit 

 from our organized and co-operative work than the annual 

 membership fees. So closely connected and sympathetic 

 is the whole social compact as one body, that these in- 

 fluences are felt in many ways and places of which those 

 affected are entirely unconscious of the influence. Brethren, 

 let not your interest flag : be firm in j'our faith and interest 

 in your own and others' welfare. Be not deceived with the 

 selfish and greedy methods commonly practiced, they par- 

 take much of unwisdom and anarchy. Scorn all methods 

 and practices that tear down others, remembering that to 

 build up self at a sacrifice of others is a sin that will surely 

 react, it will prove a boomerang, coming back to bring you 

 sorrow. Let your motto be, "The greatest good to the 

 greatest number." This is wisdom in a nutshell. 



And to the general public a few words : We are glad 

 to have you with us — we be brethren. What I have said 

 to our bee-brethren applies to you ; we all have an influence 

 upon one another, we can not escape it, no matter how hard 

 we try. Are you a merchant ? Then if we prosper you 

 reap a benefit in our increased ability to purchase your 

 goods. Are your interests in railroads? We pay you 

 freights on supplies shipped in, on our products sent out, 

 and passenger traffic to and from these conventions, and in 

 other ways. If you are a farmer do not worry because our 

 bees feed upon your alfalfa ; they fertilize the bloom by 

 the distribution of pollen, thereby increasing your seed crop. 



And to the fruit-growers I also have a word : If it were 

 not for insects visiting the blossoms of nearly all kinds of 

 fruit, where would be your fruitage ? The bee is the most 

 important of all insects in transmitting pollen from bloom 

 to bloom for its fertilization, and you can not much better 

 do without the bee than can we do without your bloom. I 

 have a neighbor who has said that the honey my bees gath- 

 ered was so much stolen from my neighbors. Let me tell 

 you that it is a common belief that he who so charges me 

 with theft is himself a thief, and enjoys (or at least pos- 

 sesses) plunder. No, no, my friends : there is altogether 

 too much jealousy, too much selfishness, too much greed. 

 Jealousy and selfishness tend to poverty and ruin ; but a 

 spirit of good-will and kind liberality will come back to be 

 with us, but in a way that causes rejoicing and love, a 

 spirit of peace and joy. 



In conclusion, I want to say again to all, " We be 

 brethren.'' Our prosperity is yours, and yours is ours. We 

 can not afford to fight and antagonize ; we must harmonize. 

 If you believe otherwise, I will just point you to the former 

 condition of this country when inhabited by the selfish and 

 cruel Indian, contrasted with the present. Then, no prog- 

 ress, no love and happiness, nothing that helped up ; now. 



