March, 1920 



L K A N T N C R T N T$ E K C U Ti T U R 15 



139 



riiillips and Mr. Deiiiutli for the many help- 

 ful tricks of the trade they had received. 



Dr. Phillips and his corps of assistants 

 have done a world of good all over the 

 United States in propagating not only prac- 

 tical but scientific information on how to 

 keep bees better. Tliere is scarcely a large 

 Vicekeeper today wlio having hoard them 

 does not acknowledge that these lectures 

 have set tlieni right on many of the prob- 

 lems that once seemed obscure and difficult. 



The question of cellar temperature, as re- 

 ferred to elsewhere, has cleared up not only 

 the atmosphere in a bee-cellar, but in a 

 wider sense the whole atmosphere on the 

 general subject of beekeeping. As Dr. Phil- 

 lips and his associates have pointed out, the 

 vital thing in beekeeping is good wintering. 

 Good wintering means good colonies that 

 are ready for the adverse weather condi- 

 tions in the spring, and which will later be 

 ready to harvest the crop. 



At this pai'tieular meeting. President 

 Kohn was at his very best. He seldom rose 

 to his feet to introduce a speaker without 

 raising a ripple of laughter thruout the con- 

 vention hall. He was a good presiding of- 

 ficer, and he helped to make it possible for 

 the large attendance to give the closest at- 

 tention for three or four hours in the morn- 

 ing and for a like period in the afternoon. 



SINCE THE MEETING at Kansas City, or- 

 ganizing the new American Honey Produc- 

 ers' League, details 

 The New and the of which were 

 Old National. given on page 105 



of the February 

 Gleanings, we have received various com- 

 ments, which, on account of just going to 

 press, we are unable to give in this issue. 

 Some of the writers are very much pleased, 

 and feel that the movement heralds a new 

 era in oiganized Ijcekeeping, that will mean 

 not only a nation-wide concerted action on 

 the part of those interested but a stabilizing 

 of prices at a time when the honey market 

 may tip downward during the process of 

 the world 's reconstruction. 



Briefly, here are the criticisms that have 

 come to us. One is that the old "National" 

 name that has stood so long should not be 

 changed. Some years ago Dr. C. C. Miller 

 said, when the subject of reorganization 

 was up for consideration, "Whatever you 

 do, do not change the name." Another 

 criticism or protest comes from the East. 

 In fact, we have a letter from a corres- 

 pondent who says, after speaking of the 

 repeated failures of the National to reor- 

 ganize on co-operative lines, "Why should 

 I, as an Eastern beekeeper, belong to a so- 

 ciety that aims to sell Western honey at a 

 better price? * * * It is absurd on the 

 face of things to expect me to join an as- 

 sociation which will help chiefly the West- 

 ern beekeeper. ♦ * • Years ago the Na- 

 tional tried to get lower freight rates on 

 Western honey. I thought this a worthy 



move; but I recall that a lot of the beekeep- 

 ers in the East withdrew from the National 

 because the Association was hurting them. ' ' 

 Further on he asks if there is anything in 

 common between the Eastern beekeeper and 

 the Western, and then inquires whether, if 

 the new league is organized on the line pro- 

 ])osed, the Eastern markets would not be 

 tlooded with Western honey more than they 

 now are. 



Another criticism comes from a man who 

 has had a. large experience in organizing 

 exchanges that are a marked success. He 

 says that local co-operative exchanges are 

 perfectly feasible and practicable, but that 

 one organized on a national basis can not 

 succeed. 



Still another view is that the purpose of 

 the new league would be in contravention 

 of the Sherman anti-trust law, and thus be 

 illegal; but "one who was there" says that 

 a good lawyer said it is legal. This point 

 should be determined beyond any question 

 or doubt. 



Still another holds that the new league 

 will have diffioultj^ in getting financial sup- 

 port to put it thru, adding that it will take 

 from $50,000 to $100,000 to make even a 

 start. Time will tell. 



As to any or all of these allegations, 

 Gleanings disclaims any thought or inten- 

 tion of throwing cold water on the new 

 move, but feels that some of these state- 

 ments should have careful consideration. 

 Our columns are open for a full and candid 

 discussion. To the criticism that the new 

 National should not change its name, one 

 ' ' who was there ' ' told the editor that it was 

 decided to get out a wholly new charter un- 

 der a new name and thus avoid any legal 

 or other complications that might arise from 

 the use of the old name. Further, he said 

 there is a prejudice against the old Nation- 

 al that would be difficult to remove. That 

 the old National has tried several times to 

 reorganize, and fell down, no one who knows 

 anything about the situation will deny. But 

 tliat does not necessarily mean that all ef- 

 forts in the future will fail. 



Gleanings will welcome any plan that will 

 help to stabilize the honey market at a fair 

 price; and that is, we understand, the main 

 purpose of the new league. Fine! but let 

 there be no mistake made in launching the 

 now organization. We say this with a sin- 

 cere desire to help, not to pull down. 



In our last issue, in referring to the new 

 league editorially we stated that its gen- 

 eral plan "looked good," but added, "This 

 organization, good as it is, can not succeed 

 unless beekeepers get back of it in a sub- 

 stantial way with their dollars and their 

 moral support." That is the crux of the 

 whole situation. 



The suggestion has been made that the 

 several co-operative organizations in the 

 West could combine under one general head; 

 that is, one manager could act for all the 

 exchanges and co-operative bodies now in 

 existence. Perhaps this is the plan. 



