FEBRUARY 1, 1916 



97 



BEEKEEPING IN CALIFORNIA 



P. C. Chadwick, Redlands, Cal. 



meeting of the california state 

 beekeepers' association. 

 A meeting of the California 

 State Beekeepers' Association was 

 held at the Y. M. C. A. building in 

 Los Angeles, December 28, 29. 

 The question of whether it was the 

 regular annual meeting or a " called " meet- 

 ing remains undecided, there being a con- 

 flict of opinion on that point. This will be 

 anything but a full report; for to give a 

 full report with the feelings engendered 

 would offend some who are now prominent 

 in the work, tho to follow the usual course 

 and say all was peace and enthusiasm 

 would be handling the truth somewhat ruth- 

 lessly. To follow the undercurrents would 

 make a report bristling with things not 

 pertaining altogether to beekeeping. So 1 

 will confine my report to the proceedings 

 as nearly as possible as shown on the sur- 

 face, for the benefit of the great majority 

 of beekeepers who were not present. 



The meeting was called to order by Prof. 

 Willis Lynch. 



An invocation was offered by Mr. Albert 

 Miller, of the Y. M. C. A. 



After the address of welcome and re- 

 sponse, the business of the meeting was 

 called for. Here the first fire was drawn. 

 President-elect W. H. Allen took the ground 

 that no business could be presented, the 

 regular annual meeting having been held in 

 San Francisco in Augnist, and that no busi- 

 ness should now be transacted. The chair 

 ruled against this contention ; an appeal 

 was made to the house, the house sustaining 

 the chair. The program was then resumed. 



The secretary's report was read and ac- 

 cepted. 



Delegates from county clubs made re- 

 ports, county inspectors following. In- 

 spectors' reports were favorable, showing 

 disease well under control, improved con- 

 ditions prevailing in most sections. 



" Possibilities of foreign markets " by 

 Hon. S. S. Knabenshue (foraier consul- 

 general to Ireland and China), was then 

 heard. Mr. Knabenshue gave a fine talk. 



The different strains of resistant stock, 

 by Prof. Geo. A. Coleman, of the State 

 University, was then heard. The best part 

 of this was the announcement that the Uni- 

 versity had acquired the use of an island 

 several miles out in San Francisco Bay on 

 which the establishment of a bee hospital is 

 to be undertaken, the object being to study 

 disease, its cure, test disease-resisting 

 strains, and make a study in general of the 



bee with an idea of assisting the industry, 

 keeping careful records of all experiments, 

 and compiling valuable data for the future. 



Practical wax-rendering by T. 0. An- 

 drews was interesting and instructive. 



M. C. Richter gave a paper on marketing, 

 giving a volume of export figures, which 

 was altogether an instructive paper. 



The exhibit committee thru Prof. Willis 

 Lynch made a detailed report, which show- 

 ed that, outside of donations from Stanis- 

 laus County and the A. I. Root Co., the 

 exhibit might be better known as a private 

 exhibit of Prof. Lynch rather than an asso- 

 ciation affair. An indebtedness of nearly 

 $1100 was shown. There had been some 

 opposition to assuming this indebtedness, 

 a resolution having already been passed to 

 disclaim any expense of an exhibit. Prof. 

 Lynch presented his report in a manner 

 that showed that, to disclaim the expense 

 after the secretary had admitted that Prof. 

 Lynch had been told to go ahead with the 

 exhibit, meant the repudiation of debt by 

 the association. The report was finally ac- 

 cepted by a vote, after wliich Prof. Lynch, 

 in one of the fairest talks ever heard in an 

 association meeting, agreed to accept $212 

 as payment in full, this amount represent- 

 ing the actual cash paid out of his personal 

 funds into the exhibit, but not the expense 

 of travel, five months' time of his son in 

 charge of the exhibit, and numerous small- 

 er considerations. 



" The Western Honey Bee; Its Fraternal 

 Status and Its Financial Straits " was the 

 topic of the editor, J. D. Bixby. His re- 

 port, while showing the journal at a point 

 where it might be expected to pay its way 

 in the future, still showed an indebtedness 

 of $214 printers' bill and $199.90 editor's 

 salary. Inasmuch as the editor had ten- 

 dered a conditional resignation, making it 

 obligatory on the association to provide 

 funds to continue the paper or accept his 

 resignation, som.e way must be found to 

 finance the journal or cease its publication. 

 The Consolidated Honey-producers of Cal- 

 ifornia agreed to take the paper over and 

 assume all indebtedness. In the future the 

 State Association will not own or publish 

 a journal, but the Western Honey Bee will 

 remain the official organ of the association. 



The farewell address of President Lynch 

 virtually closed the business of the meeting; 

 and while many dangerous points had been 

 faced that seemed would cause a rupture, 

 all ended in harmony and good will, save, 

 to be sure, some mental reservations. 



