Oct. '), 1902. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



645 



The Denver Convention. I 



^ 



1^ Report of the Proceeding's of the Thirty-third Annual Con- 9^- 



^ vention of the National Bee-Keepers' Association, T'- 



held in Denver, Colo., on Wednesday. Thurs- ^i 



day and Friday, Sept. 3. 4 and 5, 1902. ^ 



iCouliuued fruni pa^je t,M.) 



SECOND DAY— Thursday, Skpt. 4. 



At 9:35 a.m., Pres. Hutchinson called 

 the convention to order, and delivered 

 the President's annual address on 



The Future of Bee-Keeping. 



Fellow Bee-Keepers :— Has there 

 ever crossed your mind the thought 

 that modern bee-culture has advanced 

 by distinct stages ? When Father 

 Langstroth's invention laid bare the 

 secrets of the hive, allowing man to 

 turn one more page in the book of 

 Nature, then began what might be 

 called the mechanical stage. In this 

 were brought forth hives, smokers, 

 sections, comti foundation, and the 

 honey-extractor. Minor mechanical 

 improvements, like the bee escape, the 

 queen and drone trap, the solar wax- 

 extractor, the wax-press, perhaps an 

 uncapping machine, may be occasion- 

 ally added to our list of implements, 

 but the fundamental, mechanical im- 

 provements were made long years ago. 



Next came the methodical stage, 

 when, with the aid of mechanical in- 

 ventions, were developed methods and 

 systems of management. Bee-keepers 

 learned to control increase, to rear, 

 ship and introduce queens, to secure 

 the largest amount of the best honey 

 in the most marketable shape — learned 

 the numerous operations that come 

 under the head of manipulation. Some 

 of our present methods will certainly 

 be improved upon, but it is doubtful if 

 future bee-keepers will secure their 

 crops with much less labor than we 

 now bestow upon ours. Our hives, 

 implements and methods leave little 

 room for improvement. 



In another respect bee-keeping is not 

 now what it was years ago. The in- 

 vention of- improved hives and imple- 

 ments, allowing the adoption of more 

 profitable methods, but calling for 

 greater skill, has gradually led bee- 

 keeping from mixed husbandry to that 

 of specialty. Of course, there are, and 

 probably always will be, people whose 

 tastes impel them to keep a few bees, 

 but the great mass of people have 

 found it more profitable to buy their 

 honey, the same as they have learned 

 that it does not pay them to make their 

 own cheese. 



Bee-keeping has become a distinct 

 branch of agriculture, and is largely 

 in the hands of specialists. These 

 specialists have implements and meth- 

 ods that answer well their purpose, 

 and the natural question is, "What 

 next ?" What will be the next stage ? 

 What will be the future of bee-keep- 

 ing ? 



The answer is not far to seek. The 

 history of kindred industries will be 

 the history of bee-keeping. First came 



discovery, invention and development : 

 next came specialty, and now comes 

 OUCANIZATION and co-opekation. 



Most emphatically is this an age of 

 organization. An industry without 

 organization is practically helpless— at 

 the mercy of all other organizations. 

 Organization saved the citrus fruit in- 

 dustry of California. But we need not 

 go that far for an illustration. Right 

 here, in this good State of Colorado, 

 with its fields watered from the eternal 

 hills, and robed in the royal purple of 

 alfalfa, bee-keeping would have lan- 



ii\ /. iirTi-iiixsox. 



guished, and been robbed of its com- 

 mercial charm, had not organization 

 come to the rescue. 



Organization has already- done much 

 for bee-keeping. It has fostered a 

 fraternal spirit, helped to scatter api- 

 cultural wisdom from ocean to ocean, 

 protected its members from unjust per- 

 secution, and secured favorable legis- 

 lation. But the dear old Association, 

 of which we are all so proud, is even 

 now but the nucleus of what it is des- 

 tined eventually to become. 



Perhaps the next great work of this 

 organization will be the timely gather- 

 ing of statistics regarding the prospec- 

 tive harvest, and the reporting of the 

 supply and demand in different locali- 

 ties, thus preventing glutted markets 

 and unprofitable sales. From this the 

 good work will goon until, if the Asso- 

 ciation does not actually control the 

 bulk of the sales, it will be a potent 

 factor in the regulation of prices. 



Honey may never be higher in price 



than it is now, but it will be produced 

 at less cost. The continued develop- 

 ment of .spr. ialty and of organization 

 will lessen the cost of proiluction. The 

 number of bees will be increased, but 

 not the number of bcc-kct-pers. They 

 will " keep more bees." Few bee-keep- 

 ers will be content with simply the 

 home apiary. There will be an out- 

 apiary for each day in the week. With 

 this style of bee-keeping organiz'ation 

 will be an easy matter. 



Commercial bee-keeping of the future 

 will be in the hands of specialists. In 

 the hands of men who have carefully 

 selected and thoroughly understand 

 their respective localities. Of men 

 who keep enough bees to employ fully 

 their hands, their brains, and their 

 capital. And among the.se men there 

 will be complete organization and co- 

 operation. 



As a foundation for the more perfect 

 organization of the future, let us cher- 

 ish and foster the dear old Association 

 of which we are now members. Let us 

 pay our dues promptly. Let us en- 

 courage others to join. Let us lay 

 aside self and selfishness. And of the 

 talents that we possess let us give that 

 which will the most quickly and surely 

 help to Vjuild up, to strengthen, and to 

 broaden its scope. Let us rest not un- 

 til every bee-keeper, from ocean to 

 ocean, has rallied under its banner, 

 and all can cooperate as the members 

 of one great family. 



W. Z. Hutchinson. 



Pres. Hutchinson — I don't know as 

 it is customary to discuss the Presi- 

 dent's address, but I would like to hear 

 it discussed. I think it is a subject 

 worthy of discussion. 



R. C. Aikin — I think I shall not say 

 very much relative to this subject, ex- 

 cept on one particular phase of it — 

 organization. I believe that there are 

 many bee-keepers, both East and West, 

 because of some things I have said in 

 print, and because of my remarks in 

 convention and in private conversa- 

 tion, have their eye upon me to learn 

 something about organization, and I 

 look upon this subject as one of no 

 mean importance. Every one of you 

 who are today reading the papers and 

 observing the trend of business affairs, 

 understand that organization and co- 

 operation to an extensive degree are 

 being practiced ; the great railroad 

 concerns, the manufacturing concerns, 

 and many others, have talcen an in- 

 terest in one another, and in relation 

 to one another are uniting under what 

 is known as trusts or combines. The 

 foundation or idea in all these is the 

 correct, is the proper thing. Two large 

 manufacturing concerns will go to- 

 gether because the two concerns united 

 under one management can be handled 

 more cheaply and more successfully 

 t'nan as two organizations. So it is we 

 are combining and co-operating, and 

 with bee keepers it is the same thing. 

 And let me give another thoug'nt here : 

 All mankind are dependent more or 

 less upon one another : and in these 

 days the disposition is for me to pro- 

 duce one thing, and a neighbor to pro- 

 duce another thing, and soon all along 

 the line, each having his special line 

 of producton, becoming an expert in 

 that one thing ; and as specialties in- 

 crease we become more and more 

 dependent. That is the way it is that 



