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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



May 19, 



marketing at home you become more independent of the mid- 

 dle-men, transportation companies, trusts and combines or 

 other agencies whose aim is to sit in ease and comfort, and at 

 the expense of the producer by getting a share of the profits. 

 You make a demand at home that brings to your pocket a por- 

 tion of the money that otherwise would be sent elsewhere for 

 other sweets that your honey takes the place of. In selling 

 at home you keep that much off the market elsewhere, avoid- 

 ing in-so-far a glut and deprest prices in general markets. 

 Your product being introduced into the homes of your neigh- 

 bor producers in other lines, educates the people to the use of 

 honey, and so makes a demand that will spread from locality 

 to locality, thus increasing the general demand. 



ORGANIZED METHODS. 



There are, however, many localities that produce more 

 than can be sold at home, hence must ship. The honey-pro- 

 ducer can no more succeed in individual shipping than can the 

 grower of a few cattle, hogs, sheep, poultry, eggs, or the many 

 kinds of grains or farm products. We must sell and ship by 

 organization, or through those agencies that are in a position 

 to find out, and whose business it is to know when, where and 

 how to get the product to the place of demand, to introduce 

 and make demand where there is none. 



The Colorado State Association was organized to aid its 

 members and our pursuit. It has already been a great help 

 to many apiarists, and is now at work to accomplish much 

 more; and If the apiarists of the State will come in at once 

 they will be surprised at what we can and will do. 



While much has been done by the Association, much more 

 that has been planned has failed for lack of a little help from 

 all interested. It was through the efforts of the Association 

 that we got a foul brood law. Part of the State that is the 

 most thickly populated with bees, and where the disease has 

 existed for years, through the aid of the law has been saved 

 from the ruin of its apiaries. 



We have now undertaken lo do more than ever before, by 

 taking hold of the marketing matter. This Association is still 

 looking after the matter of legislation, and propose to guard 

 the interests of the apiarists of the State along that line, but 

 the matter of marketing is a very vital matter just now, and 

 demands our attention. 



Fellow apiarists, it is impossible for us small producers, 

 shipping independently, to combat the many contingencies 

 that confront us. Even the largest producers in the State are 

 almost helpless in the general markets. So gigantic is the 

 matter of conducting commerce, transportation and distribu- 

 tion of products and manufactures, that any person or organi- 

 zation handling or shipping goods in less than car or train lots 

 is scarcely noticed. 



It would take almost volumes to elucidate these matters 

 in detail. The statements offered ought to show you the need 

 of doing something, and that quickly. Don't say it is no use 

 for you to become a member of the State Association because 

 you live so far away you cannot come to Denver to attend 

 meetings. It costs you just 50 cents for a year's membership. 

 There surely are 500 bee-keepers in the State who ought to 

 toe members, and if they were, we could do much more for 

 you. Just an advance of one cent per pound on 50 pounds of 

 honey pays the bill, and if you cannot attend you can vote by 

 proxy or written ballot. Ladies' membership only 25 cents. 



Friends, a few of us have for years kept the organization 

 alive, paid our annual dues, attended meetings at our own ex- 

 pense for car-fare and hotel bills, watcht over the interests of 

 bee-keepers at the cost of time, labor and money. Won't you 

 now send your name and fee and become members ? The fees 

 will help us in printing expenses, in hunting out adulterated 

 goods and having them analyzed — some such work having 

 already been done. There are postage and stationery bills to 

 pay. 



We are now hard at work trying to get the marketing 

 done by our own Association where all bee-keepers will have 

 an equal chance. We propose to fight adulteration and other 

 evils, and do you good. Help us by your means and your in- 

 fluence, and thereby help yourselves. 



Carefully read this and all matter which we send you, and 

 sign and return promptly such as is calculated to be so used. 

 Do not neglect the statistics. We want to know the resources. 

 of the State, and we want to put our honey in many markets. 

 Colorado honey sells wherever it is introduced. There is prob- 

 ably not a State in the Union that has better honey than ours, 

 and a little push in marketing will sell it wherever it goes. 



Your membership in this Association will get your re- 

 duced rates on supplies. We now have rates that will save 

 you much more than your membership fee, even tho you 

 buy but a very few goods. 



We propose to do something, and while we are helping 



the members of the Association we are helping all apiarists 

 more or less ; but you ought not to expect others to labor for 

 your good without helping some, nor can you get nearly so 

 much good outside the organization as if members. 



All moneys are accounted for at each annual meeting, and 

 each member has the privilege of examining the records, and 

 may know how the funds are used. Could we afford it — and 

 we could if all would support the Association — printed state- 

 ments would be sent out to all members so thatall might know 

 just what was being done; but as yet we have not had the 

 means to do this, hence only those In attendance at the annual 

 meetings hear or see the complete reports. 



Again I appeal to every bee-keeper in the State to 

 promptly send to our Secretary your membership. Write to 

 him anyway. Ask for information. Send names of every 

 bee-keeper you know of. Get others to join with you. Col- 

 orado is a big State, has lots of apiarists, much honey of fine 

 quality, and can, will, and must show what she can do. 



Later. — Since the foregoing was written another meet- 

 ing of the State Association has been held. At this meeting 

 there was a unanimous vote to sustain a marketing organiza- 

 tion. Now a little thought will convince all that a committee 

 of five or six members will not be able to organize a market- 

 ing concern without some of " the substantial " in the way of 

 capital, and since the State Association has not the funds in 

 the treasury, and the committee have no specific orders from 

 the Association to so use Association funds, nor as to the form 

 of the organization, nothing can be done in the way of carry- 

 ing out this work oflScially as a part of the State Association 

 work. The lime is ripe for something to be done, the Associa- 

 tion have unanimously voted to support a move of the kind, 

 bee-keepers all over the Stale have signified their desire for 

 something to be done at once, and their willingness to help, 

 we therefore expect to go ahead and get the matter started. 

 After the machinery is going the State Association can then 

 take up the matter at a later convention, and so make it offi- 

 cially the Association work. As it now stands the committee 

 only have delegated to them a limited power, and to act to the 

 full carrying out of the matter must do a considerable part of 

 it on their own responsibility. 



Now, friends, some capital is needed lo start this matter. 

 Let every member of the Association who will take a few dol- 

 lars of stock wriie me at once and tell me how much you wish 

 to put in. Also every Colorado apiarist who reads this write 

 me even if you are not a member of the Association ; tell me 

 how much you are willing to put in, either of cash or honey, 

 or both, lo start the thing. Our committee will soon have a 

 plan formulated upon which to begin operations, and a copy 

 will be forwarded to those wo wish to take slock. You are not 

 askt to pay a cent into the matter till you have seen the plan 

 in print, and I agree to send the plan to those who will send in 

 membership fees to the State Association, or lo others who 

 wish to take stock. Editor York cannot afford to print this, 

 nor I to send it out, without some compensation in some way, 

 so be sure when you write to put in at least one stamp. I do 

 not know what the editor will charge me for putting this in 

 the American Bee Journal, but I am going to risk it for the 

 good of the cause, and if I have a bill for advertising to pay — 

 it is really an advertisement for Colorado apiarists — I guess I 

 can pay the bill if the brethren will not help me out. 



Now, friends — those of you who read this and are not now 

 subscribers lo this paper — just send your subscription to Mr. 

 York, and while he has never said such a thing to me I feel 

 sure he will let me off without any pay for printing this, tho I 

 expect to compensate him for its publication. In sending sub- 

 scriptions say you do it in reply to this appeal. The honey 

 season is close at hand, and what is done in this marketing 

 matter must be done quickly, so be prompt in sending your 

 communications to me. R. C. Aikin, 



President of the Colorado State Bee-Keepers' Association. 



Loveland, Colo. 



Improving Bees — Foul Brood, Etc. 



BY C. A. BUNCH. 



The only practical way to improve the working or honey- 

 gathering qualities of our bees is to breed from colonies that 

 will store the most honey. If this is followed out we need not 

 go to the bother to measure their tongues. 



For this locality I believe it very essential to have a strain 

 of bees that will work well on red clover, for last season there 

 was scarcely any honey gathered about here in the month of 

 June except red clover honey, of which I took in the extracted 

 form to the amount of (JOO pounds, one colony storing some 



