AUGUST 1, 191() 



655 



CO-OPERATION IN SELLING HONEY 



THE UPS AND DOWNS OF THE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION 



BY J. EDGAR ROSS 



[There are a number of local co-operative honey associations in this country — The Colorado, The 

 Imperial Valley (California), The 'Western New York, etc. We regret that we cannot give the full outline 

 of the plan of the Colorado Honey-producers' Association, as this, we believe, is the oldest and most successful 

 organization of the kind in the country. However, several illustrations of their store and warehouse were 

 given in connection with Wesley Foster's article, Feb. 15th issue for last year, page 153. The histories of 

 three of the other associations in this country are given herewith, together with the very interesting plan of 

 or^r friends across the sea in New Zealand. Think of government inspection of honey 1 — Ed.] 



It was about nine years ago that a few of 

 Imperial Valley's pioneer beekeepers got 

 together and formed an organization that 

 finally led to the incoriooration, on June 9, 

 1908, of The Imperial Valley Beekeepers' 

 Association. 



The organization was born of necessity, 

 as most co-operative organizations are; but 

 in this case the necessity was unusually 

 acute. Beekeeping in the mountain districts 

 of California is a precarious occupation, 

 and there are very few of the mountain 

 beekeepers who ever attain affluence. About 

 once in five years they harvest a bumper 

 crop of very fine honey. But in most cases 

 it requires all the proceeds, even when the 

 price is a good one, to square up the old 

 scores resulting from poor seasons. The 

 beekeeper who can fight foul brood thru 

 about four seasons, two of which may yield 

 a moderate surplus, and feed thru two sea- 

 sons of total failure, may bring thru a fair 

 percentage of his colonies to gather the next 

 bumper crop. 



Imperial Valley recruited her pioneer 

 beekeepers from the mountain sections of 

 the state. Some drove in with a team of 

 burros; others came in immigrant cars paid 

 for with borrowed money. But not one 

 drove in an automobile, nor even a Ford. 

 The climatic conditions and honey-flow were 

 so different in the low hot valley that differ- 

 ent methods of management were necessary. 

 That alone was sufficient to bring the bee- 

 keepers together for the purpose of com- 

 paring notes. But still more imperative 

 was the necessity of finding a market for 

 the crops of honey that came as regularly 

 as the seasons, and getting cases in which 

 to ship it. 



There were no local honey-buyers, and no 

 one who sold cases. Local freight rates to 

 Los Angeles are prohibitive, so everything 

 had to be handled in carload lots. This was 

 too heavy a burden for any one of the early 

 pioneers, so they were really forced to pool 

 their interests. 



The " gentlemen's agreement " plan under 

 which they at first worked had some disad- 



vantages. These they thought to eliminate 

 by organizing a corporation and issuing 

 capital stock at ten dollars a share. At first 

 one of the members attended to the business 

 of the corporation, which was of a very 

 simple nature. When a carload of eases 

 arrived each stockholder was notified to 

 come and take from the car the number he 

 had ordered. When a carload of honey v/as 

 sold, each producer was notified to bring in 

 his pro rata for shipment. But this plan 

 also had its disadvantages; and as the bee- 

 keepers became more prosperous they felt 

 able to afford better service. 



The next step was to build a warehouse 

 and employ a manager at a regular salary. 

 To raise the additional capital needed, each 

 stockholder bought enough additional shares 

 of stock to represent an investment of 

 twenty-five cents per colony for all of the 

 bees he owned. A suitable building-site was 

 leased from the railroad company, and a 

 warehouse of ample capacity was erected 

 where the freight cars could be shunted to 

 one door and wagons driven up to the other. 



To this warehouse the beekeepers could 

 bring their honey at any time, set their price 

 upon it, and, if they saw fit, take away a 

 load of cases or other supplies which were 

 charged to their account. When a carload 

 was sold the proceeds were prorated among 

 those who had offered their honey at the 

 price secured; and after deducting twenty 

 cents a case for handling the honey, and 

 any charge that might be standing against 

 each shipper, the checks were mailed to the 

 individual stockholders. This plan relieved 

 the producers of all the work and worry 

 incident to the finding of a market, making 

 up a carload, and shipping. There was no 

 warehouse charge, no matter how long the 

 honey was held. The charge of twenty cents 

 a case on tlie honey sold, and a small profit 

 made on cases and other supplies was ample 

 to keep up the expense of the association 

 and accumulate a small surplus. The ar- 

 rangement was ideal, and the corporation 

 was ready for tlie next step in its co-opera- 

 tive evolution. 



