1898. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



441 



a change for the better. Basswoods were never more prom- 

 ising than this year ; and by the way the bees are roaring on 

 the trees, and tumbling in at the entrances, it begins to make 

 it look as if we might get our usual quota of honey. But the 

 season has been so peculiar that we do not propose to count 

 our chickens before they are hatcht. But as I sit here I can 

 see great droves of bees flying past the window and over fac- 

 tory buildings; and our men in the yards tell us that it begins 

 to look like business now. 



In the last few days we have received some very encour- 

 aging reports. In some cases clover seemed to be the source, 

 and others basswood. Rains have been frequent, and copious 

 at times ; and altho clover has been out some six weeks, 

 there are still vast areas of it on the hills and pasture lands. 

 Perhaps we shall have a second crop. An Immense quantity 

 of clover will go to seed this year, and this augurs well for 

 next season's clover. 



I have deferred the writing of this till the very last min- 

 ute, so that I might be able to present to you as exact an idea 

 of the situation as possible. Taking everything into consid- 

 eration, honey ought not to sell as low as it did last season ; 

 for I am morally sure that there will be less of It; and do not 

 be in a hurry to rush It off to the commislon men, even if you 

 do get a little crop. As the output will be limited, prices 

 should rule higher. 



White clover, at least in the northern and middle States, 

 is the main dependence for honey ; and even tho basswood 

 may yield well, it is confined mainly to particular localities, 

 and would not, therefore, greatly affect the general market. 



No doubt Mr. Root is right in saying that the prices of 

 honey this year should rule higher than last year. But will 

 they? So far as we have noticed, the prices quoted by commis- 

 sion men are about the same as in 1897. We fear it will be 

 a very difficult matter to raise prices. It is easy enough to 

 come down, but when you try to raise prices it is a different 

 matter. 



Perhaps in the local or home markets it will be easier to 

 get the price of honey up a little this year, and if bee-keepers 

 will just hold back their honey a little from the city markets, 

 it may help to raise the prices there, too. 



Xlie United States Bee-Keepers' Union 



continues to grow. We have received a number of new mem- 

 berships lately, and so has Secretary Mason, If we may judge 

 from the following, dated June 30 : 



Editor York: — On the 25th I received a llstof 17 names 

 (with $17) from J. Webster Johnson, Secretary of the Salt 

 River Valley Honey-Producers' Association, of Arizona, with 

 the request that they be placed on the list of members of the 

 United States Bee-Keepers' Union. Perhaps you'll remember 

 that last year Mr. Johnson sent a list of 24 names of members 

 of that Association. He writes now that some have already 

 sent in their names, and others will send theirs later. 



I don't know but we now have a thousand or more mem- 

 bers, but I think as Editor Hill, of the American Bee-Keeper, 

 writes me — that " we ought to have ten thousand." 



A. B. Mason. 



General-Manager Secor, writing us also June 30, said : 



" We shall have a very respectable membership to report 

 at the close of the year." 



We have been hoping all the past year that in some way 

 bee-keepers might become sufficiently interested in their own 

 welfare to help roll up a membership of 1,000 by the time of 

 the annual meeting at Omaha. It could be done so quickly 

 and easily, If only the many who are abundantly able to send 

 n their dues of .$1.00 would only do so. Dues may be sent 

 to the office of the American Bee Journal, to the Secretary, 

 Dr. A. B. Mason, Sta. B, Toledo, Ohio, or to the General- 

 Manager, Eugene Secor, Forest City, Iowa. 



Now, we trust that every reader of the Bee Journal who 

 can possibly spare the dollar, and who desires to have a part 

 in an organization establisht solely in the interest of bee- 

 keepers, will at once forward that dollar to one of the three 

 places mentioned above, and receive a receipt therefor. 



If any one, before becoming a member, desires to see a 

 copy of the Union's constitution, write to Mr. Secor for it. He 



will be glad to send out any number of free copies, and then 

 receive the membership fees as fast as the malls can carry 

 them to him. 



Why not roll up that 1,000 membership by the tjme of 

 the Omaha meeting? Then our presidential successor could 

 feel that a responsibility more than ten times greater rested 

 upon his shoulders than came upon ours when we accepted 

 the office at the Lincoln convention, nearly two years ago. 

 ^-•-^ 



Special Premiums at Omaba Exposition. 

 — The following special premiums are offered in advertising 

 by the Nebraska Farmer in the Apiary Department of the- 

 Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition : 



1. Best, largest and most complete display of apiary 

 goods and supplies $10' 



2. Best and largest display covering the greatest num- 

 ber of varieties of comb honey, quality and market- 

 able shape to be taken into consideration 5 



8. Best and largest display covering the greatest num- 

 ber of varieties of extracted honey, quality and 

 marketable shape to be taken into consideration. . . 5 



4. Largest and best display of designs of beeswax work 3 



5. Largest and best display in unrefined beeswax. .. . 2 



6. Largest and best display of bees and queens 3 



7. Largest and best display of honey-producing 

 plants, mounted and with their botanical and com- 

 mon names attacht 2 



8. To the person giving the best exhibition on Trans- 

 Mississippi Honey-Day of handling bees and ex- 

 tracting honey ij 



9. To the State making the best display of honey, 

 supplies, bees and queens on Trans-Mississippi 

 Honey-Day 5 



10. To the person making the best display of honey, 

 supplies, bees and queens on Trans-Misslsslppl 

 Honey-Day 5 



11. Best and largest display of culinary products, 



in which honey is used instead of sugar 3 



The above special premiums are opened to the world, and 

 will not in any manner Interfere with the awards to be given 

 by the Exposition. 



The bee-papers of the United States and Canada are re- 

 quested to copy the above list of premiums. 



Mr. Geo. W. Brodbeck, of California, is shown in Glean- 

 ings for July 1, in a fine half-toue engraving. Rambler has 

 been visiting him, and writes about Mr. B. and his apiary. 



The Leahy Mfg. Co. report business still good. For 

 nearly six months previous to June 23 they had run their 

 factory day and night. 



Mr. E. C. Campbell, of Ontario, Canada, gave us a short 

 call last week, when in Chicago visiting his son. Mr. Camp- 

 bell has been for years Secretary of the Haldimand Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association, and quite an extensive bee-keeper. He is a 

 publisher of a newspaper where he lives. 



Mr. A. I. Root is planning to take a trip through Yellow- 

 stone Park on his bicycle some time this month or next. He 

 wants to get some others to go with him lest he become lone- 

 some. Perhaps he fears getting lost if all alone! But when 

 " A. I." is lost anywhere he'll be a good deal older than he is 

 now. He has been around this country too long not to know 

 "where he is at," no matter in what corner he finds himself. 



Mr. O. O. Popplbton, now in Brevard Co., Fla., wrote us 

 as follows July 2 : 



" I moved about two-thirds of my apiary up to this place, 

 some 30 miles north of Stuart, Dade Co., early in June, to ob- 

 tain the small amount of honey given by the black mangrove 



