1018 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 1 



Somehow or other the impression seemed 

 to obtain that this organization would sup- 

 press the dealers in bee-keepers' supphes, 

 and a little discussion was raised over the 

 point as to whether it should undertake to 

 handle supplies as well as buy and sell hon- 

 ey of the bee-keepers. There was nothing 

 in Mr. Brown's remarks, nor in those of any 

 of the members back of the movement, that 

 to me indicated any thing of the kind, at 

 least for the present. The main thought 

 seemed to be that the new organization 

 should confine itself to the question of han- 

 dling honey, so that the bee-keepers could 

 secure a fair price. The character of the 

 men back of the enterprise is such that I do 

 not think that they will be unwise enough to 

 bite off more than they can chew, as the ex- 

 pression goes; in other words, cripple an or- 

 ganization at its very inception by making 

 an attempt to do more than it can really 

 carry out successfully. Mr. Brown seemed 

 to be strongly of the opinion that, for the 

 present at least, the exchange should devote 

 itself exclusively to the question of better- 

 ing conditions in getting honey from the 

 producer to the consumer. This will be a 

 big problem of itself, and will require the 

 best efforts of the organization to solve it. 



The impression seemed to prevail among 

 a few that the Root Co. would be hostile to 

 the new-born baby ; that it and the other 

 manufacturers of the country would be glad 

 to see it die a natural death. I do not see 

 any reason why the bee-keepers of the 

 country should not combine to protect them- 

 selves ; and if a manufacturing concern 

 should 'try to frustrate their efforts it would 

 only lose in the end. The Root Co. beheves 

 that the greatest good to the greatest num- 

 ber will be also the greatest good to the 

 supply interests. If prices keep on falling 

 the dealer eventually would have no orders. 



A COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL LEGISLATION. 



A committee of three was appointed to 

 look after national legislation, consisting of 

 H. S. Ferry, W. F. Marks, and C. P. 

 Dadant. Pure-food measures of very great 

 importance are coming up, and will come up 

 in Congress, and this committee will doubt- 

 less see to it that the interests of bee-keep- 

 ers are properly taken care of by seeing to 

 it that suitable memorials are presented at 

 the proper time and place. All these three 

 men, I happen to know, are very active, 

 capable, business men; and when the pure- 

 food question comes up again, as it surely 

 will, we may rest assured that something 

 will be doing. When they ask you to write 

 your Representative and Senator, do so at 

 once. 



BRANDING AND ADVERTISING HONEY. 



Following the reading of an excellent pa- 

 per by Mr. York on advertising and selling 

 honey, there was considerable discussion on 

 the question of branding honey— that is, 

 putting an Association brand of purity on 

 honey put out by its members. Mr. Brown, 

 of California, made a strong plea in favor of 



such brand, for he knew that much of the 

 honey sent out from California in square 

 cans was adulterated before it reached the 

 consumer, and as a legitimate result Cali- 

 fornia honey received a black eye at the 

 hands of the consumer. He drew attention 

 to the fact that in California the bee-keep- 

 ers have decided that their packages must 

 be sealed, after being graded by a grader 

 appointed by their special organization. If 

 the seal is broken when it reaches the con- 

 sumer, naturally enough he would have to 

 take his own chances as to the purity of the 

 goods; but if the seal was unbroken, then 

 the local association will be responsible for 

 the character of the honey under such seal. 



Dr. Miller and others were very firm in 

 the belief that the time had come for the 

 Association to adopt an official brand. Mr. 

 Benton indorsed this position, and then stat- 

 ed that, in his official capacity as apicultu- 

 ral expert in the Department of Agricul- 

 ture, he was planning to get out a " Farm- 

 ers' Bulletin," on the subject of honey and 

 its uses, the same to be issued free to the 

 general public. Possibly 50,000 of them 

 might be issued. A motion was carried, to 

 the effect that Mr. Benton be requested to 

 prepare such a bulletin as he had outlined, 

 and put it on the list of farmers' bulletins, 

 for free distribution. 



Mr. Abbott urged the importance of get- 

 ting out a very small leaflet— one that could 

 be issued at once; and he moved that it be 

 the sense of this meeting that the Board of 

 Directors of the National Association be re- 

 quested to prepare such a circular, and fur- 

 nish them free to anybody who will distrib- 

 ute them in any way he may see fit. The 

 motion was carried. 



Mr. Hershiser emphasized the importance 

 of advertising honey, and the methods of 

 producing the same, in the public schools. 

 He went on and told what had been done in 

 the schools of Buffalo; how he gave a series 

 of lectures before the schoolchildren, an ac- 

 count of which has already been given in 

 these columns. 



The discussion developed the fact that the 

 schools of the country were taking up nature 

 study, and especially bee-keeping; and the 

 Root Co. knows there is a general demand 

 for little circulars, books, and pamphlets, 

 which will give the teachers material which 

 they can lay before their pupils. 



Other suggestions were made along the 

 line of getting local bee-keepers to secure 

 the publication of articles on the general 

 subject of honey as a food, in the local pa- 

 pers. The discussion finally wound up with 

 the following resolution: 



Resolved, That the National Bee-keepers' Association 

 in convention assembled send its congratulations to the 

 Pure-food Congress for their labors in behalf of pure 

 food, in the hope that they may be successful in secur- 

 ing pure-food legislation. 



The motion was carried. A committee of 

 three was then appointed to present the 

 resolution to the Pure-food Congress, then 

 in session on the WoHd's Fairgrounds. 

 ( Continued. ) 



