THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



nishing us with complete and com- 

 prehensive market reports. 



How can all this be effected? 

 Let us discuss the question. Wher- 

 ever we find system, how was it 

 perfected? Not by the inexperi- 

 enced or the novice : but by the 

 masters of their respective lines of 

 business, the smaller fish abiding 

 by their action. So in apiculture, 

 we should give less attention to the 

 whims and fancied discoveries and 

 the pictured theories of the novice, 

 and should select one or two hun- 

 dred of the masters of apiculttire to 

 inaugurate a system of grading 

 and marketing, let them decide 

 what styles and sizes of brood- 

 frames and section-boxes should be 

 adopted and use these and no oth- 

 ers. The smaller beekeepers will 

 fall into line to a man. 



Our ^^ North American Society" 

 could be used to good advantage 

 in this respect by electing members 

 thereof who are the acknowledged 

 leaders in their respective districts. 



If those who have had the 

 longest and largest experience can- 

 not decide these questions, who 

 can? 



I know of but one way in which 

 we can obtain reliable statistics. 

 Organize a state association in 

 each and every state. Elect a 

 vice-president from each county in 

 the state, who is well posted in 

 regard to the beekeeping in his 

 respective county, and require him 

 to fill out such blanks as are 

 furnished by the association and 

 report at a given time to the 

 secretary, who in turn shall report 

 at once to the secretary of our 



national society who shall cause 

 the same to be published at once. 



This would secure accurate re- 

 ports and cost but little, as each 

 association would bear its own 

 expenses. Such information would 

 be very valuable, and I believe it 

 is the only way in which the desired 

 result can be accomplished. 



Were I an " editor" I should 

 make market reports a specialty. 

 I would allow all necessary space 

 and give much time to the subject. 

 There are reliable beekeepers close 

 by all our principal cities who, for 

 a reasonable compensation, would 

 study the market and give accurate 

 reports. We want to know the 

 movements and amount of sales, 

 the shape and condition in which it 

 is placed on the market, whether it 

 is scattered about or well concen- 

 trated, and the actual buying and 

 selling prices. Any one of our 

 journals can double its subscrip- 

 tion list by giving this subject 

 proper treatment and study. 



Why are so many beekeepers 

 manufacturing or selling supplies? 

 It must be a better business finan- 

 cially than apiculture is, or else 

 so many would not be engaging in 

 the business. The expenses for 

 postage, stationery and advertis- 

 ing, besides the time spent in 

 attending to correspondence and 

 delivery of goods, must require a 

 good margin on the articles sold to 

 be remunerative to the proprietor. 

 All these profits can be saved to 

 the buyer by inaugurating a system 

 for purchasing our necessary sup- 

 plies. 



In buying our glass, for instance, 



