58 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Januaey, 1917 



eases; and when it was remembered that 

 there were more bees in the southeastern 

 part of the United States than anywhere 

 else in the country it could be seen that the 

 field was large. It was very important 

 at this stage of the game that a knowledge 

 should be had of bee diseases among a class 

 who were not and could not be reached by 

 means of printed matter. 



CO-OPEBATION 



Prof. Francis Jager spoke on the sub- 

 ject of co-operation among 'beekeepers. 

 He has a plan which, in connection with the 

 National Beekeepers' Association, ought to 

 bring results. Among other tilings he said 

 that Dr. C. C. Miller was right when he said 

 in Chicago last February that the National 

 Beekeepers' Association was a valuable as- 

 set with immense possibilities to do good 

 to the beekeepers of the country. The Na- 

 tional was the only existing agency able to 

 pull the beekeeping industry out of the 

 rut. We might be able to deceive ourselves 

 that we were accomplishing wonderful 

 things; but the facts, however, proved just 

 the contrary. Honey today was the cheap- 

 est food on the market, altho the demand 

 for it had never been greater. We were 

 underselling each other, altho the demand 

 for honey was many times greater than the 

 supply. A nation-wide organization was 

 needed to bring order out of this chaos. 

 There were far-reaching problems which 

 only the National organization could at- 

 tempt to solve. For instance, obtaining 

 State and Government aid for the instruc- 

 tion and organization of beekeepers, to get 

 a correct census of the bee industry in 

 1920, to adjust the freight and express 

 rates on honey, to protect ourselves against 

 the substitutes for honey which are driving 

 us out of the American market under the 

 name of honey syrups, " better and cheaper 

 than honey " giuoose, honey adulterated 

 with five or more per cent water, etc. ; and 

 the item of supply and demand of over- 

 production was still a closed book to the 

 American honey-producer. The standards 

 of packing and shipping, the uniform con- 

 tainers for extracted honey, the imports 

 and exports of honey, the gathering of hon- 

 ey statistics by the government Bureau of 

 Crop Reports, and a judicial distribution 

 of the same, thereby fixing the right price 

 for honey, advertising of honey, also the 

 increase in the production and consump- 

 tion of honey, and innumerable other 

 matters, would, he said, be discussed at the 

 National beekeepers' meeting in Madison 

 next February. While many beekeepers 

 did not take much stock in what was 



being planned, they could not but admit 

 that something along the lines outlined 

 must be done soon and somewhere by some- 

 body. There was no doubt in his mind that 

 the National, once she would find herself, 

 would become the agency for the advance- 

 ment of beekeeping, and the day was not 

 far off when it would be considered an 

 honor and a privilege to be a member of it. 



" TIN LIZZIES " AND TRAILERS. 



At several of the conventions the value 

 of a small motor truck for cari*ying sup- 

 plies and men to the yards was empha- 

 sized. It was remarkable how many have 

 been using with satisfaction the little " tin 

 Lizzies," otherwise called the Fords. The 

 user of one said they might poke fun at 

 them all they might, but added, " They got 

 there." And, what was more, the cost of 

 maintainance and care was very low. He 

 said he used in connection with them trailers 

 with either two or four wheels, the latter 

 being preferred. One man went so far 

 as to say he had carried a ton of honey on 

 a trailer, a thousand pounds on the Lizzie 

 itself, and two men and three boys. 



Since the advent of cheap and service- 

 able automobiles the whole method of man- 

 aging outyards had been modified. Bees 

 were being kept at more remote points, 

 and not so many in a yard, avoiding over- 

 stocking. For this purpose the little Lizzie 

 with or without a trailer was reported a 

 great success. 



For a trailer some used, for want of 

 something better, an ordinary light spring 

 wagon with high wheels. Others felt that 

 it was a little better to use rubber-tired 

 machines, especially those with pneumatics. 

 It was considered advisable to use springs, 

 and straps to keep the springs from jump- 

 ing up too high. An ordinary light spring 

 wagon was not suited for a 20 or 25 mile 

 run over ordinary roads. At those speeds 

 when it struck a chuckhole something was 

 liable to happen. 



THE QUESTION-BOX 



At some of the conventions the question- 

 box was almost a joke because it was made 

 up of questions that a beginner would 

 naturally ask, and which are covered in 

 all the standard text-books. At other con- 

 ventions the question-box was certainly a 

 valuable and useful feature — an excellent 

 filling between the papers and the more 

 serious discussions. 



Some of the most helpful things we 

 have ever picked up at a convention can'' 

 thru the avenue of the question-box. It 

 transpires, then, that the question-box 



