THE AMERICAJS BEE JUURNAL. 



119 



be glaring falsehoods. In shipments 

 of honey, covering a period of twelve 

 years, I have never succeeded in a 

 single histdnce in gettins the prices 

 appearing in the market reports. I 

 have known commission houses to 

 make returns of all prices under quo- 

 tations as low as to bring the con- 

 signor in debt $1.90 on a shipment of 

 nearly 8,000 pounds of extracted 

 honey, which sold for $8.10 above the 

 freight and commission, and bill 

 rendered for melting, having candied, 

 $10. 



If there is no way to secure better 

 prices, and with some degree of cer- 

 tainty, send us some still, enthusiastic 

 brother, and he can become the king 

 bee-keeper upon a small investment. 



San Bernardino, o« Calif. 



For tbe Amencan Bee JouniaL 



Tlie Nebraska State Convention, ' 



The Nebraska State Bee-Keepers' 

 Association metT in Lincoln, Nebr., 

 on Jan. 12, 1887. The convention was 

 called to order by Vice-President J. 

 G. Hodges. 



Owing to the slow arrival of mem- 

 bers, the regular order of business 

 was postponed until the next day, 

 and the meeting then listened to an 

 essay by Mr. A. D. Keller, on " Win- 

 tering Bees," which was followed by 

 a discussion. 



Mr. Muir said he had found it to 

 pay to ship honey to city markets to 

 be sold on commission. 



The members present were re- 

 quested to make to the Secretary a 

 special report of their success and 

 failures for 1886. 



SECOND DAY. 



Called to order by the Vice-Presi- 

 dent at 9 a.m. The finance commit- 

 tee, having reported favorably the re- 

 ports of the Secretary and Treasurer 

 were read and accepted. 



The committee on foul brood, ap- 

 pointed at the last meeting, reported 

 that Mr. Henry, of Filmore county, 

 whose bees were thought to have foul 

 brood, had destroyed his bees by fire. 



After the enrollment of members, 

 Prof. Bessy, professor of botany at 

 the State University, delivered an ad- 

 dress, showing how bee-keepers and 

 botanists could work to each other's 

 mutual benefit ; and extended an in- 

 vitation to the members to visit the 

 University, which was accepted and 

 appreciated. 



Mr. E. Kretchmer, of Coburgh, 

 Iowa, gave an instructive address on 

 the past and present apiculture in the 

 West. 



President W. F. Wright's resigna- 

 tion having been offered by letter and 

 accepted, Mr. R. R. Ryan, of Brad- 

 shaWj was elected president of the 

 association. The remainder of the 

 day was spent in discussing the fol- 

 lowing subjects : The solar wax-ex- 

 tractor and wax rendering; best 

 method of increase ; what time in the 

 year is it best to exchange queens ; 

 ■what strain of bees is the best for 

 business ; and the best method of 

 creating a honey market. 



TniKD DAY. 



Called to order by President Ryan 

 at 9:30 a.m. 



The session was devoted to special 

 business, and cdusiderable wrangling 

 and personal feelings cropped out by 

 some member, who was modestly 

 rebuked. 



The association then adjourned to 

 meet in Lincoln on Jan. 11, 1888, for 

 their next meeting, and then pro- 

 ceeded in a body to visit the State 

 tfniversity. 



H. N. Pattekson, Sec. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Leiislalion for Bee-Keepers. 



W. J. CULLINAN. 



This subject is one of considerable 

 importance. However, I am of the 

 opinion that it would not be feasible 

 to secure such legislation, from the 

 fact that it would be impossible. As 

 well ask Congress to give to some cer- 

 tain man in each of the counties of 

 the different States of the Union, say 

 the pioneer sheep-raiser of each re- 

 spective county, the whole, sole-right 

 to that county as a territory in which 

 to rear sheep. It would certainly be 

 very agreeable to the one securing the 

 set-ofi, as he would have a good local 

 demand for his wool and mutton. 

 But would not the thousands " left 

 out in the cold " by such a law soon 

 "rise in their might" in opposition 

 to such unjust legislation ? And yet 

 the passage of such a law could, in 

 my opinion, be as easily obtained as 

 the passage of one giving to certain 

 bee-keepers an exclusive right to the 

 territory which they happened to 

 occupy. 



Were one greedy enough to wish it, 

 it would certainly be very " desir- 

 able " to have a township or two set 

 off to him as his exclusive territory 

 in which to pursue his chosen occupa- 

 tion ; you might then go just a step 

 further and say that no one else 

 should sell honey within the same 

 territory ; another step and say that 

 no one living within its limits should 

 purchase honey outside that territory 

 — in iact, it would be difficult to draw 

 the line, when once well started, as to 

 where to stop "legislating." And 

 about the time one got everything 

 " fixed up " to suit his select exclusive 

 ideas, the thousands of bee-keepers 

 who did not happen to be among the 

 pioneers of their localities, would 

 raise such a howl with their congress- 

 men, I think, that it would soon be- 

 come altogether "• feasible " as well as 

 extremely " desirable " to have that 

 law rescinded. 



For years Congress has been en- 

 deavoring by appropriate legislation 

 to check the great cattle companies of 

 the West from monopolizing large 

 areas of that vast domain to the ex- 

 clusion of actual settlers. Every 

 honest-minded man will uphold the 

 Government in the course it is pur- 

 suing. And now should we bee- 

 keepers, who are supposed to possess 

 in a somewhat unusual degree the 

 noble traits of honesty and fair- 



dealing, as well as a brotherly regard 

 for members of the craft, ask Con- 

 gress to foster and sustain that which 

 it has long been trying to quash, viz : 

 monopolies ? For a bee- monopolist, 

 while he might not be as big a man, 

 would come under the same head and 

 be in every way as bad a man as the 

 sheep-monopolist, the cattle-monopo- 

 list and the land-monopolist. And 

 so, I say, away with the idea of 

 monopolies of every kind and class ! 



Let every one keep bees who wishes 

 to ; and make them pay if he knows 

 how. And when the crop is short- 

 ened by over-stocking, and the prices 

 lowered by over-production, the weak- 

 kneed and wavering will forsake the 

 Held to those who have an abiding 

 faith in the pursuit, and the per- 

 severance to stay with it. 



Mt. Sterling,*© Ills. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Tlie Honey-Proilncers' Association. 



.T. V. CALDWELL. 



Mr. Baldridge's article, on page 85, 

 needs, in my judgment, a brief an- 

 swer. He says that the Elgin factory- 

 men meet each week to control and 

 fix the price on butter. But it seems 

 to me in this he must be mistaken. 

 In the general market, the law of 

 supply and demand must be the rul- 

 ing power. He says that for Monday, 

 Dec. 20, 1886, the price of butter, as 

 fixed by the factory men, was SOJ^ 

 cents. Very well ; this price was no 

 noubt for the finest grades. Now 

 suppose they had put the price at 40 

 cents, does Mr. B. think that they 

 could do so and still hold their trade V 

 I have to-day a price-current from a 

 Chicago commission firm, and I notice 

 that creamery butter is quoted at 28 

 to 30 cents per pound, and that, too, 

 with no mention of Elgin butter ; and 

 I have no doubt but what good butter 

 shipped from any point brings that 

 price, thus showing conclusively that 

 the market will bear that figure 

 whether it should chance to be made 

 in Elgin or Rockford, or any town in 

 the country. 



But again, butter is one of the 

 necessities in every family in the 

 land, while the finest honey is relished 

 by comparatively few. Honey is a 

 luxury, and in my opinion it will con- 

 tinue so to be, and we may just as 

 well face this fact one time as 

 another. My experience in my own 

 market confirms me in this. When 

 it sold in years past at 18 to 20 cents 

 per pound, a certain amount was con- 

 sumed, while now with nice comb 

 honey selling at 11 cents I cannot see 

 that the demand has increased a par- 

 ticle. When a man enters a store his 

 inquiry is for staple articles— butter, 

 sugar, coffee, etc. If he chances to 

 see the honey he may say " That looks 

 nice, don't it V" and that usually 

 ends it. . . 



Now in this matter I do not wish 

 to discourage any real practical sug- 

 gestions. If a society can be formed 

 to distribute our product evenly 

 throughout the country ; to keep us 



