706 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Jfovember 10, 



UNITED STATES BEE-KEEPERS' UNION. 



Report of the 29th Annual Convention Held at 

 Omaha, Nebr., Sept. 13-15, 1898. 



DR. A. B. MASON, SEC. 



IContlaued from page 694.1 

 SECOND DAY— Forenoon Session. 



The forenoon session of the second day was called to order 

 by Pres. York at 9:30 o'clock. The members sang the " Con- 

 vention Song," after which Dr. Miller offered prayer. 



Pres. George W. York then delivered the following 



President's Annual Address. 



Fellow Bee-Kecpers and Friends : — 



Once more we meet In annual convention ; and once more 

 west of the great " Father of Waters." Much of importance 

 has transpired within the short year since last we assembled. 

 Another honey season has come and gone. The year's record 

 can soon be completed. Judging from reports received, in 

 many regions of our country the season has been a very poor 

 one; in a few localities it has been one of abundant yields of 

 honey. In view of this condition, It would seem that the rul- 

 ing price of honey should be higher than last year. Whether 

 or not it will be, will depend much upon those who have the 

 honey to sell. If like many who rusht their honey to the large 

 city markets last year, the price this year will not be high. 

 But if it is kept out of the large centers as much as possible, 

 and sold more in the local or home market?, there should be 

 no dilBculty experienced in securing a good price. 



But my address to-day is not intended to be an exhaustive 

 discussion of the proper methods of marketing honey — that 

 may Well be left to this convention, the members of which 

 have had much more experience in that line than have I. 



If we may judge from the general and almost overwhelm- 

 ing increase In the business of manufacturing bee keepers' 

 supplies, and the demand for them, this year, there has been 

 an unprecedentedly large growth the past year or two In the 

 Industry which we all have the honor to represent. It seems 

 that many of the apiarian manufactories have never had in 

 succession two such large seasons' business as the past two 

 have been. This of itself Indicates a development quite be- 

 yond the ordinary expectation. It means, I think, that those 

 who were in the business heretofore have been enlarging their 

 apiaries, and that many new recruits have come into our 

 ranks, to begin the business of honey-production. 



On account of the smailness of the bee itself many of our 

 new friends might he led to the conclusion that there is little 

 to be learned concerning its management, and not much 

 financial profit to be obtained. But not so. Some of the 

 wisest men of the centuries gone by have devoted much of 

 their lives to a study of the habits and management of the 

 little, busy bee. The apiarian galaxy of immortals includes 

 the names of Huber the blind, Dzierzon, Quinby and Lang- 

 stroth, who completed their labors and are now entered into 

 well-merited reward. Of the present time leaders who have 

 gained enviable notoriety, may be named, Doolittle, Miller, 

 the Dadants, Root and Cook. Of course there are many 

 others almost equally prominent, both of the past and of the 

 present, who might be included did time permit to name 

 them all. 



By patient and painstaking investigation much has been 

 discovered in relation to the usefulness of bees and their profit- 

 able care. But who shall say that the end of knowledge 

 concerning them has been reacht? Verily, there Is neither 

 beginning nor ending to the study of this wonderful Insect. 

 He who created it gave a most valuable gift to mankind. Not 

 alone for the delicious honey it stores for man's use, but as an 

 aid to the greatest success of the horticulturist the bee should 

 be most highly valued. This Is a feature of the bee's impor- 

 tant work that cannot be too frequently mentioned, or too 

 highly estimated. Often it has been very clearly shown that 

 had It not been for the multitudinous visits of bees during the 

 blossoming period, but little fruit would have resulted. Intel- 



ligent horticulturists of to-day encourage the keeping of bees 

 in close proximity to their fruit orchards and groves. 



Now, let me call your attention from a contemplation of 

 the bee and its lofty place in the economy of Nature, down to 

 a consideration ot this organization, which is maintained in 

 the interest of the producers of honey. It has noble and far- 

 reaching objects to carry out, which are suiiiciently important 

 to easily justify its existence. But what we need to do at this 

 convention, it seems to me, is to devise plans by which we 

 shall be able to cause the bee-keepers of this land to see the 

 need of their being active members in this organization. 

 While some good work has been done during the past 

 two years, there remains much that needs to be accomplisht, 

 and very soon. The question is, How can it be done? 



In the first place, I have contended all along that we 

 need a large membership. And that will mean a full treas- 

 ury — a consummation devoutly to be wisht. War is expensive. 

 It costs in cash and energy to fight the battles against wrong. 

 But it pays in the end. The one stupendous evil that needs 

 the aid of every bee-keeper in this land in order to its over- 

 throw, is the giant of adulteration. Not only the adulteration 

 of honey in the city markets, but the adulteration of almost 

 every food product known today. In order to a successful 

 suppression of this great evil, all organizations must unite, 

 and bring to bear upon those in authority all the inHuence pos- 

 sible, so that laws already enacted for the suppression of 

 adulteration shall be rigidly enforced ; and that new laws 

 shall be past where such are not now upon the statute books. 



Some one has said that the way to secure a national en- 

 actment against adulteration of food products is, first, to en- 

 force the State or local laws against this growing evil. I 

 think there is sound sense in this suggestion. In Illinois we 

 have a strong law against the adulteration of foods acd medi- 

 cines. But so far I have heard of no attempt at its enforce- 

 ment. Now, had we sufficient funds at our command, in the 

 treasury of the United States Bee-Keepers' Union, I should 

 suggest that we at once begin the prosecution of one of the 

 leading adulterators of honey in Chicago. Could a single 

 clear conviction be secured, with the subsequent heavy fines 

 and term of Imprisonment imposed, I have no doubt it would 

 have a most wholesome effect not only upon the price and 

 demand of pure honey in Chicago, but throughout the sur- 

 rounding country as well. And thus, no doubt, other States 

 might be encouraged to begin the enforcement or passage of 

 similar laws, the result of which would be appreciated by a 

 pure-food loving people — a people who are daily suffering 

 from the evil effects of the consumpticn of the deleterious and 

 disease-producing substances used in forming the miserable 

 compounds put upon the market to-day. 



Then, it seems to me that this Union should devise and 

 carry out some scheme by which the public may become better 

 acquainted with the merits of the product of the apiary. Too 

 few people are aware of the real value of honey as a food. Too 

 many look upon it as a medicine, and to be taken in homeo- 

 pathic doses. Outside of the overthrow of adulteration, I be- 

 lieve there is no other subject that equals in importance to 

 bee-keepers the widening of the demand, or the table use, of 

 honey. For years I have been satisfied that were the honey 

 product properly distributed the price realized by the pro- 

 ducer would be more satisfactory — more proportionate to the 

 cost of production. 



This, of course, will naturally lead to a discussion of co- 

 operation in marketing — a great subject .' It has been very 

 plainly hinted to me that I am one who opposed this Unloa 

 taking up that line of work. Fellow bee-keepers, co-opera- 

 tion in the marketing of honey means much more than most 

 of us have yet thought. If we seemingly are unable to secure 

 a large membership in our Union, when the fee is only $1.00 

 annually, how could we expect that very many would unite 

 and hold out in an agreement to dispose of their whole crops 

 of honey through this or any other organization ? The great 

 trouble would be, I fear, that just enough would remain out 

 to so weaken the effect of the Union's effort along the line of 

 co-operative marketing that failure would be the result. But 

 perhaps by a thorough system of grading, and the establish- 

 ment of a high standard of purity and quality of the product 

 put on the market through the Union, a demand could be de- 

 velopt sufficiently large so as to take all the best honey that 

 the Union could control or obtain. In that case, success could 

 be assured. 



But I am quite willing to leave this whole subject to the 

 wise counsels of the Union's membership — It Is too difficult for 

 one small brain to solve satisfactorily. 



In conclusion, I desire to express my sincere appreciation 

 of the confidence reposed in me, and of the honor conferred 

 upon me, by my re-election to the presidency of this Union at • 

 its meeting in Buffalo last year. With a full realization of 



