American Hee Journal 



December, 1909. 



manufacture of bee-supplies in 1864, 

 which makes his firm the oldest in its 

 line in the United States. It has had a 

 phenomenal growth since being estab- 

 lished in Council Bluffs, having in- 

 creased its volume of business dur- 



work among the spring-time blossoms 

 is scarcely less valuable than their 

 honey product. So the fruit-growers 

 and bee-keepers should also be the best 

 of friends. In fact, one pursuit is so 

 intimately related to another that really 



Railroad Tracks and Lumber Yards of The Kretchmer Mfg. Co. 



ing 1908 and 1909, 109 percent over that 

 of 1907. 



The power used by the Kretchmer 

 Mfg. Co., is all electricity — 29 five- 

 horsepower motors. They are about 

 to install several new machines. One 

 machine, of their own invention, turns 

 out complete Hoft'man end-bars, the 

 blank piece of wood being put in at 

 one end of the machine, and comes out 

 at the other end a perfect Hoft'man end- 

 bar, and at a rapid rate. They make 

 the "Champion " bee-smoker, of which 

 15,000 were turned out the past year. 



Council Bluffs has 13 railroads, which 

 makes it such an exceptional shipping- 

 point. It is also in a great honey-pro- 

 ducing district, and being on several 

 of the transcontinental railroad lines, 

 makes it a sort of gateway to the far 

 West. And that part of our country, 

 through its tremendous irrigation pro- 

 jects, is rapidly being opened to the 

 growing of alfalfa and the coming of 

 many bee-keepers, which result is sure 

 to follow. 



Three of Mr. Kretchmer's sons, be- 

 sides a brother of his wife, are all em- 

 ployed in the business. Each is in 

 charge of a different department, which 

 thus keeps the management pretty much 

 in the family. No wonder the business 

 is such a success. .'\nd, what is best of 

 all, they deserve the large success they 

 are having. 



It was very encouraging to us to 

 come in personal touch with the manu- 

 facturers of bee-keepers' supplies again. 

 Some 4 years ago we made th^ rounds 

 among them, and felt that it was well 

 worth the doing. We think that Bee- 

 keepers ought to be in closer contact 

 with the bee-supply manufacturers and 

 dealers. Their interests are mutual. 

 Each needs the other in order to suc- 

 ceed. One cannot be independent of 

 the other. So if there is anything the 

 American Bee Journal can do to help 

 cultivate a better relation or under- 

 standing between the honey-producer 

 and manufacturers of bee-keepers' sup- 

 plies, it will be only too glad to do it. 

 We believe in encouraging everybody 

 connected in any way with bee-culture. 

 It is an ennobling industry. Bees are 

 so beneficial in so many ways. Their 



no man can say he is independent of 

 every other man. No one liveth unto 

 himself. Surely no normal man would 

 desire to do so. We all need to get 

 closer together, and thus gather in- 

 spiration and help from our fellows in 

 life's battle for existence and for suc- 

 cess. " In union there is strength " — 

 of course there is. There is power, 

 also. Let us all pull to,i;ethey, and thus 

 go on to the highest progress and ad- 

 vancement possible to man — not only 

 in beedom, but in every other depart- 

 ment of the world's endeavor. 



California Winter Bee-Institutes 



Institutes for bee-keepers under the 

 direction of the University of Califor- 

 nia are being arranged for at the fol- 

 lowing places : 



For Northern California, at Sacra- 

 mento Dec. 17th and 18th (jointly under 

 the auspices of the Northern Califor- 

 nia Bee-Keepers' Association). 



For the San Joaquin Valley, at Tu- 



for the usual institute in the Central 

 Coast Counties, but very likely a joint 

 meeting will be arranged for'with the 

 California Central Coast Bee-Keepers' 

 Association at some central point in 

 Monterey County, perhaps at Salinas. 



The following program will give 

 something of the plan and scope of 

 these institutes, slight variations being 

 made in the topics to be presented ac- 

 cording to local needs: 



First Afternoon, 1:30 p.m. 



Music, 



Address of Welcome. 



Response— Mr. Ralph Benton, of the Uni- 

 versity of California. 



" The Kind of a Location to Look For "— 

 Mr. Benton. 



"Equipping an Apiary "—Mr. M. C. Rich- 

 ter. of the University of California. 



First Evening. 8:00 p.m. 

 Music. 



" Problems in Bee-Breeding "—Mr. Benton 

 Metliodsof Queen-Rearing"— Mr. Richter 

 Second Morning. 



Question-Box. 



" Building Bees Up for the Harvest"— Mr 

 Benton. 



" The Marketing of Honey." 



" Moving Bees to Increase Returns' —Mr 

 Richter. 



Second Afternoon, 1:30 p.m. 



Question-Box. 



" Honey-YieldingPlants and How to Utilize 

 Them" — Mr. Richter. 



" Foul Brood and Other Diseases of Bees " 

 —Mr. Benton. 



"The Rendering of Beeswax '—Mr. Rich- 

 ter. 



" The Chemistry of Honey and the Making 

 of Vinegar"— Mr. Benton. 



Bee-keepers are requested to bring 

 samples of honey and beeswax to the 

 institute gatherings, and in this way 

 contribute to the institute exhibits, 

 Ralph Benton, 



In Charge of Aficidtui-e, 



University of California. 

 Berkelev, Calif. 



Apiary of Mr. Frye 



I am sending a view of my bee-yard. 

 I had, spring count, .j4 colonies, and in- 

 creased to ()7. I got a little over 1000 

 pounds of honey. This was a very 



.Apiarv of Orville F. Frve. of Dodgeville, Wis. 



lare Dec. 20th and 21st (jointly with the 

 Tulare Bee-Keepers' Association). 



For Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los An- 

 geles and Orange Counties, at Santa 

 Paula Dec. 22d and 23d. 



In the Riverside District, at Colton 

 Dec. 28th and 29th. 



Definite dates have not yet been set 



poor year for this locality. Some of 

 my neighbor bee-keepers did not get 

 more than 4 or -5 pounds to the colony. 

 I got about 60 pounds from a queen 

 that I got last year. I am selling my 

 honey now at 12^^ cents per pound for 

 the extracted, and 20 cents per pound 

 for the comb. I have mostlv alsike 



