JANUARY 15, 1916 



BEEKEEPING IN THE SOUTHWEST 



Louis H. SchoU, New Braunfels, Texas 



B VALUES IN STORE FOR 1916. 



nk We are promised a lot of good 

 '1 things in Gleanings during the 

 M current year, with special numbers 

 ■ on special topics. Just such treats 

 ^ as the special numbers have prov- 

 en to be in the past are enjoyed by 

 the readers. This is shown by the appre- 

 ciation of them so heartily expressed in 

 favor of each special issue that has been 

 published. And we cannot but hope that 

 the forthcoming numbers will be better than 

 ever. Even those beekeepers who are more 

 successful in any one or all of the subjects 

 to be treated during this year, who are 

 progressive enough to realize that one never 

 gets too old to learn, welcome them. The 

 less experienced should not fail to get them. 

 « * « 



THE DAY OF THE SPECIALIST. 



Just as in many other lines of work and 

 business the day of the specialist beekeeper 

 is coming. It absolutelj' must come before 

 beekeeping will be put on a sound business 

 basis. The trouble at the present time is 

 that there are too many beekeepers of the 

 smaller type who are a detriment to the 

 industry. We have long heard of the great 

 harm they do in marketing their product at 

 ruinously low prices, and too often offering 

 honey of such inferior quality. Both of 

 these alone are detrimental. 



Some of our larger jiroducers have had to 

 suffer considerably as a consequence of the 

 operations of these " one-horse beekeepers," 

 as they are commonly termed. The lower 

 prices set by them affect the larger producer 

 quite materially when the difference of even 

 one cent a pound less on a large output 

 may mean a loss of the profits over cost of 

 production. A difference of two cents a 

 pound on an output of 50,000 pounds of 

 honey means a loss of the neat little sum of 

 $1000, otherwise a nice little income. Even 

 half that sum, occasioned by a difference of 

 only one cent a pound, may mean the loss 

 of what might have been the actual income 

 for the year. 



Here in Texas at the present time, as for 

 a number of years, we are handicapped by 

 those beekeepers who produce a lot of hon- 

 ey and lack the ability to market it proper- 

 ly. The result is that they keep the honey 

 on hand a long time. It gi-anulates more 

 or less, and they begin to offer it at a ridic- 

 ulously low price. Then it arrives in gran- 

 ulated condition and proves a drug on the 

 market, the dealer not buying any better 



honey until he has eventually gotten rid of 

 " the stuff' I have on hand." This state of 

 aft'airs is especially bad with a product like 

 bulk comb honey. 



But there is no reason why this should 

 give any ground for objection to the pro- 

 duction of this commodity, even for the 

 winter and following spring trade; for we 

 have certainly solved that problem. Even 

 at this time of the year we are filling orders 

 for bulk comb honey; and from the repeat 

 orders we get every week or so from a large 

 number of our customers we have proof 

 enough that it sells like " hot cakes." But 

 we are equipped to pack the beautiful white 

 comb honey in the containers and fill up 

 with properly heated extracted honey, as we 

 get orders for it. This enables us to get 

 out an absolutely fresh " pack " that ap- 

 peals to the customer, and of which there 

 is nothing nicer during the cold-weather 

 months. That is the reason for its ready 

 sale and the cause of the many repeated 

 orders. It is altogether a different product 

 from that sent out by too many of our bee- 

 keepers when they happen to get an order 

 which they fill with the partly granulated 

 old pack honey. 



This is only one illustration to show the 

 advantage the specialist has over the bee- 

 keeper who is not able to equip himself 

 properly to meet these demands. There are 

 quite a number of others.- I am rather 

 optimistic in the belief that the day is here 

 when the larger beekeepers will have to 

 equip themselves better, and when the num- 

 ber of smaller producing beekeepers will 

 begin to wane. Of course, this need not 

 necessarily include the small beekeeper who 

 keeps only a few colonies for his own use, 

 and gets perhaps a little honey to sell when 

 tiie crop is more favorable. 

 * * • 



GREAT NEED OF ORGANIZATION. 



Have the Texas beekeepers lost interest, 

 or why is it that there is so little stir among 

 them of late years'? There was a time when 

 we boasted of eight beekeepers' associations 

 of considerable size, whereas there is not 

 one good-sized beekeepers' association in 

 Texas today. My twelve years' connection 

 as secretary-treasurer of the Texas Bee- 

 keepers' Association and similar connec- 

 tions of late years gave me an opportunity 

 to keep in close touch with matters of this 

 kind. 



Why has this change come about? Is it 

 iu)t time that we wake up and begin to stir 



