690 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



Nov. 2, 1899. 



Mrs. Selser. 



package, indeed. The 

 one-pound size retails 

 for 25 cents, and the 

 half-pound for 15 cents. 

 Selser's honey is in great 

 demand in the cities of 

 Philadelphia and New 

 York. Camden, and all 

 the towns between. 

 Grocers handle it exclu- 

 sively, it being- deliv- 

 ered to them by three 

 large and elegantly 

 painted and lettered 

 honey- wagons, which 

 are kept going con- 

 stantly from Sept. 15 

 until the following May. 



The honey for the 

 season's trade is all bot- 

 tled in one month — Aug- 

 ust — it requiring 2 4 

 hands to do the work, 

 but Mrs. Selser herself 

 does all the labeling. 

 Mr. S. savs she can label 



as many bottles in a day as any three other girls, and do it 

 better. There's a helpmeet that's worth her weight in — 

 well, gold is too common to express it, so we'll let Mr. Sel- 

 ser fix her value. 



Mr. Selser bottles only the finest white clover honey 

 for his best grocery trade, and by adhering strictly to this 

 rule he has built up an enormous demand, taking about 

 40,000 pounds a year to supply it. Quite a lot of honey to 

 bottle, isn't it ? 



All the honey bought by Mr. Selser is carefully ana- 

 lyzed before using. And he is fixt to do that work, too, as he 

 owns a polariscope costing S250, a delicate balance or scales 

 worth $75, and all the paraphernalia of a complete chemical 

 laboratory. You couldn't fool Mr. Selser on honey. He's 

 an expert at analyzing it, and can spot any adulteration 

 every time. 



We are glad that Mr. Selser is succeeding in the honey- 

 selling business. He deserves all the success with which he 

 is meeting. But what he is doing in Philadelphia, it seems 

 to us, could be done in almost any large city. Of course, it 

 requires lots of energy, continual pushing, familiarity with 

 bees and honey, and above and beyond all the finest grade 

 of extracted honey. With the right man, the right meth- 

 ods, and the right honey, we believe success is certain al- 

 most anywhere. The Editor. 



Report of the Proceeding's of the 30th Annual 

 Convention of the United States Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association, Held at Philadelphia, 

 Pa., Sept. 5, 6 and 7, 1899. 



BY DR. A. B. M.\SON, SEC. 

 [Coutiuued from pa^e 677.] 



Dr. Mason — Figures such as Mr. Root has been giving 

 us are not uninteresting, as he has intimated. I doubt not 

 many bee-keepers have often wanted something approxi- 

 mately correct on this verj' subject, and these statistics are 

 full of interest and meaning, and will give us something to 

 go by when we want to talk to men in authority, such as 

 legislators and other officials, and will help us to speak of 

 the importance of our industry with some degree of accu- 

 racy. 



The Secretary's Report. 



Mr. President : — Aside from the ordinary work of the 

 secretary, I have but little to report. When one of our 

 members gets into trouble with his neighbors, conimission 

 men, or with " the powers that be " he generally applies to 

 our General Manager for advice and help, but occasionally 

 one writes to the Secretary, instead, and where I have 



thought I could be of service and accomplish what the Gen- 

 eral Manager might, I have not bothered him with the mat- 

 ter, but occasionally I have to pass the correspondence on 

 to him and advise the complainant accordingly. 



During the past year there have been two complaints 

 about commission men made to me. one of which was satis- 

 factorily adjusted, and the other is still unsettled, but there 

 is hope of its being adjusted. 



Complaint was made to me of probable trouble with a 

 neighbor who claimed that the bee-keeper's bees were a 

 great annoyance to him. I referred the matter to General 

 Manager Secor, and I believe the trouble was averted. , 



During the time since our convention at Omaha last I 

 year, I have written 192 letters and 114 postal cards regard- .. 

 ing matters relating to the Association, at an expense for 

 postage and stationery of $7.41 ; express charges and tele- 

 gram, 60 cents ; printing programs, $5 ; total paid out, $13.01. 



I received for membership fees since last financial re- 

 port to General Manager, Dec. 1, 1898, to Sept. 5, 1899, S18 ; 

 for programs and postage, 40 cents ; total received, $18.40. 

 Balance in the hands of the Secretarj', $5.39. 



Owing to the kindness and generosity of our friends, 

 the members of the Philadelphia IJee-Keepers' Association, 

 we have this nice hall, our beautiful badges, this fine piano 

 and good music all free of charge, and you can all testify as. 

 to the thoro and generous manner in which our " inner 

 man " has been provided for; and having had much corres- 

 pondence with Mr. Hahman in making arrangements for 

 this convention, I wish to congratulate the Philadelphiai 

 association on having so active and efficient a secretary' to 

 represent and care for its interests ; and I wish also in the 

 name of this Association, to thank Mr. W. A. Selser and 

 Mr. W. E. Flower for efficient services rendered in making- 

 this convention a pleasant and profitable one. 



A. B. M.\soN, Sec: 



Mr. Selser — From every hair of my head to the soles of 

 my feet I am interested in bee-keeping, and I want to cau- 

 tion every honey-producer to be z'ciy careful about sending 

 honey to commission men. They can very rightly say that 

 honey has dropt in price. When you get quotations from 

 them, and they say the price has dropt, don't be in a hurrj^ 

 to send your honey to them, altho they might be honest. 



E. R. Root — You see by the Secretary's report that this- 

 Association stands ready to look after the interests of its. 

 members, and to defend them in their rights ; Dr. Mason 

 puts in his " bluster," and that settles it. 



Dr. Mason — I don't like the way "Ernest " talks about 

 my bluster. I don't bluster when trying to help our mem- 

 bers when they get into trouble. I trj' to write in a brief but 

 firm manner. I dont threaten. I have one case on hand 

 now to settle, and the party has promist to settle. 



Mr. Niver — Referring to Mr. Root's figures, I would 

 like to carry it a little further. The average is S33' ^ for 

 each bee-keeper. I advise that we all go out of the busi- 

 ness ; some bee-keepers may have only one hive. 



Mr. Selser — Out of 35 bee-keepers I am the only one 

 who sells honey in Philadelphia. 



Mr. Poppleton — I judge that this statement going out 

 will give an erroneous idea. If the statement can be sep- 

 arated, I think it would be 

 a good plan. 



Mr. Root — These figures 

 I got from the books. I was 

 figuring on bee-keepers and 

 farmers. The only accurate 

 figures are regarding the 

 sections. 



Mr. Abbott — I sold ten 

 carloads of goods, and I 

 judge that not half the 

 goods went to bee-keepers. 

 Bee - keepers are scattered 

 all over the United States. 



The convention then 

 adjourned until 1:30 p.m. 



SECOND DAY. — After- 

 noon Session. 



The afternoon session 

 was called to order bj' Pres. 

 Whitcomb. 



As a preface to a paper 

 written by Vice-Pres. C. A. 

 Hatch, of Wisconsin, and 

 read by Mr. York, Dr. Mason 

 read the following letter : 



Margaretta Selser. 



