1898 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



73 



convention of the North American Bee-Keepers' Association, 

 this matter was dlscust pro and con. That discussion was 

 what prompted me to make the trials. This question was also 

 freely discust at the Nebraska bee-keepers' convention held 

 in Omaha two years ago, In which discussion both sides were 

 presented. 



To be sure, stock may be starved until they will eat any- 

 thing that will answer for roughage, but I suppose we are all 

 talking about stock that is kept in an intelligent manner. A 

 week or two ago I took a cow out of the barn and picketed 

 her in a place where there was dead grass and also a lot of 

 fresh, green, young sweet clover. She ate the dead grass all 

 right, but wouldn't touch the sweet clover. 



The white variety of sweet clover is excellent for bees, 

 but they don't seem to care much for the yellow variety here. 

 Yours truly, Louis R. Lighton. 



Douglas Co., Nebr., Jan. 14. 



We believe It would be a good thing to have a few more 

 testimonials on this subject, from those who have had actual 

 experience with sweet clover as a fodder plant. Perhaps Mr. 

 Wm. Stolley, of Hall Co., Nebr., can give some new light on 

 this matter. He has had large experience with sweet clover 

 for hay, and doubtless can tell how to educate stock so that 

 they will eat it the same as the other clovers. 



California Bee-Keepers' Exchange.— Ex- 

 Secretary John H. Martin sends us the following report of the 

 late meeting of the Exchange : 



At 2 p.m. Jan. 11, the Bee-Keepers' Exchange was called 

 to order by Vice-Pres. C. H. Clayton. The Secretary read the 

 minutes of the last annual meeting, and the minutes of all of 

 the meetings of the Board of Directors and Executive Commit- 

 tee, which were approved. 



Mr. Clayton reported upon the financial condition of the 

 Exchange, which showed favorable progress when we consider 

 that the first season was a failure in honey-production, and 

 this season the markets have not demanded honey as in former 

 years. 



The present Board of Directors will hold over until 

 another year, or until a special meeting is called. 



The present Board of Directors met with VIce-Pres. Clay- 

 ton in the chair. J. H. Martin, who has served as Secretary, 

 owing to poor health and the fact that he never felt himself 

 qualified to handle the honey proposition, desired to retire 

 from the office, whereupon C. H. Clayton was elected Secre- 

 tary and Manager. R. Touchton was elected Vice-President, 

 and J. H. Martin one of the Executive Committee. The Board 

 then adjourned. 



*-"-¥■ 



Something: About marketing Honey.— Mr. 



Wm. A. Selser is a bee-keeper who has also had much experi- 

 ence as a honey-dealer in Philadelphia, Pa. He has kindly 

 written the following advice, which he feels ought to be 

 heeded by at least the more extensive bee-keepers, if they 

 wish to realize the most from their honey crops : 



-- The late arrivals of California honey has demoralized our 

 market. As fancy white comb honey as I have ever seen is 

 selling at 10 cents a pound. I have urged the bee-men for 

 years to ship their honey to the city markets early in the fall. 

 All honey should be marketed before Thanksgiving. History 

 repeats itself every year, and I am getting letters every day 

 from Eastern bee-keepers who want to sell their crop at any 

 reasonable offer. The result is, they can't compete with Cali- 

 fornia, and they will carry their crop over or sell it through 

 a commission house at a few cents a pound. 



The reasons are obvious. Commencing in August the 

 California Exchange and shippers offer through the brokers 

 (of which each Eastern city has an immense overstock) their 

 honey in car lots. The wholesale grocers, the bakers and 

 dealers take hold, and car lots are arriving continually till 

 about Dec. 1, when these buyers all get filled up. Then Cali- 

 fornia realizes the outlet in this direction is closed, and then 

 the damage begins by their shipping car lots to these brokers 

 and commission men, drawing on them for half the value of 

 shipment, and the receivers paying the freight. These brokers 

 and commission men finding the car-lot buyers filled up, after 

 holding It a few weeks and being out of the money they have 

 advanced, they sell it out In small lots to the retailers at any 

 reasonable offer. 



C-L I have again and again insisted on the bee-men selling 

 their honey in September, October and November, before such 



conditions of affairs begin. Yet every year after Jan. 1 bee- 

 men wake up to the fact that they have a big crop of honey 

 on hand, without any prospect of selling it. 



I do not sell honey on commission. I have a number of 

 apiaries under control that produce for me all the honey I can 

 sell, and in giving the above facts I have no interest except 

 for the good of the honey-producer. Wm. A. Selser. 



Mk. John Bagshaw, of Ontario, Canada, wrote us Jan. 

 24: 



"Keep at the dishonest commission men and adulterators. 

 We are all with you." 



Mr. C. Theilmann, of Wabasha Co., Minn., writing us 

 Jan. 24, said : 



"The weather is fine, but no sleighing. Bees are seem- 

 ingly wintering well." 



Mr. John H. Martin (Rambler), of LosAugeles Co., 

 Calif,, writing us Jan. 22, said : 



1ID " We are having continued dry weather, and the pros- 

 pects are not flattering for a flow of honey diiriug the prcient 

 year." 



Mr. Luthee S. Hildreth, senior member of the firm of 

 New York honey-dealers — Hildreth Bros. & Segelken — died 

 Jan. IT. We are informed by Mr. Henry Segelken the busi- 

 ness will be continued as heretofore under the same firm 

 name, and without change of capital. 



Miss Grace Pringle— daughter of the late Allen Pringle, 

 of Selby, Out. — in a letter written us Jan. 24, said : 



" Mother and I are making arrangements ; to leave the 

 farm in March. I have given the most, or, in fact, all my 

 bees out on shares." 



Rev. L. J. Templin, of San Diego Co., Calif., writing us 

 Jan. 10, said : 



"This is the first day this winter that my bees have not 

 been able to fly and gather both neciar and pollen. Their 

 sources of supply are orange, lemon, pepper and eucalyptus 

 trees." 



Rose Kennicott, of Delta Co., Colo., when sending us her 

 membership fee for the United States Bee-Keepers' Union, 

 wrote : 



"I have made a success of bee-keeping, managing 250 

 colonies with no other knowledge than that I have gotten 

 from always doing what the American Bee Journal advises." 



Mr. a. W. Hart, of Stephenson Co., HI., was the victim 

 of Jieartless and almost ftwrtful errors on our part, wuich ap- 

 peared on page 45, where we printed his name H-u-r-t instead 

 of H-a-r-t. We also put him in Will county In place of Steph- 

 enson. We beg his pardon, and trust that we will not soon 

 have the " Hart " to " Hurt " him again; nor to move him 

 from one county to^another. 



Catalogues for 1S9S have been received from the fol- 

 lowing, who patronize the advertising columns of the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal : 



Interstate Manufacturing Co., Hudson, Wis.— Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Supplies. 



P. A. Crowell, Granger, Minn. — Queens, Bees, and Bee- 

 Keepers' Supplies. 



R. H. Schmidt & Co., Sheboygan, Wis.— Bee-Keeper's 

 Supplies. 

 The A. I. Root Co., Medina, Ohio.— Bee-Keepers' Supplies. 



Mr. Albert Vought, a bee-keeper In Eist Carroll Co., 

 La., writing Jan. 15, reported the arrival of a fine Spound 

 boy who fully intended to make his permanent abode with 

 them. Mr. L. W. Trumbull, of this (Cook) county, called re- 

 cently, and he also informed us that a son had come to 

 brighten their home. _ We sincerely congratulate these fellow 



