AUGUST 1, 1916 



659 



week. Tlie problem of marketing any product 

 is a large one, and especially in marketing 

 honey. In one community we find large sup- 

 plies practically unsalable, and a few hun- 

 dred miles away we find a keen demand. 

 Could not the beekeepers put on an adver- 

 tising campaign and sell their own honey? 

 Tt could be carried into buying supplies, and 

 every beekeeper would gain. Personally 1 

 should be glad to spend a great deal of my 

 spare time in preaching the cause, and would 

 not accept a cent. If each member paid $10 

 a year a great deal of advertising could be 

 done. I always feel that we are all one 

 family, and all are working for the good of 

 all. It is with just that feeling that I am 

 writing you. C. D. McLean. 



Windsor, Ont., Feb. 14. 



I heartilj' agree with our brotlier. Co- 

 operation has always been a distinguishing 

 feature of the human race. It is true in 

 every department of life. Look at the giant 

 trusts and monopolies that have sprung u]5 

 in recent years. They are composed of 

 many single units. Why not let the bee- 

 keepers organize? If they do organize, will 

 they stick? 



If there is a set of rules to be followed 

 by the members, how are they to be kept in 

 line with the rules? How is the new oriian- 



ization to avoid the fate of the National in 

 regard to the SL'Uing of honey? Thcs3 and 

 many other questions are going to be burn- 

 ing ones when the new organization ap- 

 pears. It will be national in its scope, and 

 it is going to be a difficult matter to har- 

 monize all the ditTerent sections of the 

 country so as to benefit all. 



Mr. O. S. Mullin, President of the Kan- 

 sas State Beekeepers' Association, writes 

 me, urging an organization of the beekeep- 

 ers. I agi'ee with him that the National 

 Beekeepers' Association had a great oppor- 

 tunity before it at one time, but failed to 

 grasp it. 



The Booster is trying to accomplish tlie 

 desired object, and I sincerely hope it will; 

 but, like all other projects, it has weak 

 points that will have to be overcome. I do 

 not wish to be understood as criticising; 

 but how many state vice-presidents do you 

 suppose would attend a meeting at Chicago, 

 or anywhei'e else for that matter? There 

 is work ahead for theBooster, and trials and 

 troubles; but I am for it all the time. 



Bordlonville, Ija. 



[See the following article by Wesley 

 Foster. — Ed.] 



THE NEW NATIONAL HONEY-PRODUCERS' ASSOCIATION 



BY WESLEY FOSTER 



The successful marketing of the honey 

 crop of the United States is not dejDendent 

 upon co-operative marketing associations, 

 except in a few districts. Co-operative 

 marketing, however, has been an important 

 influence in the moving of the honey crop, 

 and is bound to become more so. The honey- 

 producer who has a near-by market and 

 few honey-producing competitors needs lit- 

 tle help from co-operative associations. 



We have too few honey-distributing 

 agencies that know the honey proposition. 

 Individual beekeepers do not have the 

 means, time, nor ability to build a honey- 

 distributing business such as will aid the 

 honey-producers in a substantial way. 



The honey-producers of the West do not 

 require a high-priced market, but they want, 

 and should have, a stable market at a fair 

 price. They want a marketing agency that 

 will take their honey and advance to them 

 a part of the value of the crop and get the 

 remainder to them in a few weeks, or at 

 most a few months. 



The National Honey-producers' Associa- 

 tion is an organization capitalized at $50,- 

 000, and closely follows the organization 

 features of The Colorado Honey-producers' 

 Association and the Idaho Honey-produc- 



ers' Association. It is made up of special- 

 ist beekeepers who, however, do not depend 

 upon the Association to market all their 

 honey. It is so far something in the form 

 of a safety valve to help out in marketing 

 when marketing is difficult. So far. the 

 honey of non-members has been more largely 

 handled than that of members for the rea- 

 son that the members, doubtless, have better 

 means of disposing of honey than many 

 non-members. 



The National Honey-producers' Associa- 

 tion has its headquarters in Kansas City. 

 Missouri, where a honey-store is maintained 

 with a manager in charge. A salesman has 

 been kept on the road as is found profitable. 

 Sales direct to the retailers have been fea- 

 tured, while the jobbing of large lots is done 

 when stocks are heavy and an opportunity 

 offers. Honey has been handled in carlots 

 from California, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, 

 and Colorado. It is not desired that the 

 membership be large, for there is danger of 

 having more honey produced by our mem- 

 bership than can be successfully handled. 



The main features where we claim success 

 has attended our efforts are that we are 

 building substantially a honey trade among 

 the tliousands of retail grocers in the Kan- 



