KriiiTniifni ^^Y 

 eepeps' 



eViecu'. 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL 



Devoted to tlqe Interests of Hoqey Producers. 



$1,00 A YEAR, 



W. Z.riOTCHir*SOfl, Editor & Ppop. 



VOL, VII 



FLINT, MICHIGAN, JAN, 10. 1894 



NO. I. 



Work at HVIicliigan's 



Experimental 



Apiary. 



B. L. TAYLOB, APIABIST. 



(Eead at Michigan Convention.) 



APIOULTUBAL WOKK AT EXPEfi-MENT STATIONS. 



TF I appear to 

 X any to go into 

 devious paths in 

 a brief treatment 

 of the topic as- 

 signed me it is 

 owing to the lati- 

 tude which the 

 topic itself gives 

 me. And first I 

 ask, do bee-keep- 

 ers want it ? that 

 is do they want 

 thf.t sort of work at the stations ? I am 

 sometimes in doubt about it. I judge some- 

 what from the course of my own feeling in 

 the matter. Before I became connected with 

 the work and began to study into it I was 

 not inclined to esteem it over highly but now 

 if I were to express my thoughts and feel- 

 ings freely you would no doubt think me on 

 ' the verge of the domain whose inhabitants 

 are called cranks. Such is the effect of con- 

 tact and acquaintance. Now while the great 

 body of bee-keepers has not the enthusiasm 

 which close contemplation begets yet if 

 , called upon they would vote pretty unanim- 

 ously in favor of the work. 



Then the question suggests itself why 

 would they vote for it ? 



Provision has been made by the general 

 government by which the agricultural col- 

 lege of each State is to receive annually a 

 certain sum of money to be devoted to the 

 support of an experiment station in the in- 

 terest of agriculture and kindred pursuits 

 generally. This sum was to be in the first 

 instance, as I understand it, .$1.0,000.00 and 

 after that to be inreased by the sum of 

 $1,000.00 each year until the amount of 

 §2.5,000.00 is reached which is then to remain 

 fixed at that point. That is, that is to be the 

 cou se of affairs unless the ideas of economy 

 of the present administration at Washington 

 req':;ire that this money be kept in the gen- 

 eral treasury. This is a considerable sum of 

 money and apiculture is equitably entitled 

 to all and more than it is now getting in this 

 State. 



N)w is it simply becpuse they are equita- 

 bly entitled to it that the bee-keepers would 

 claim a just share to be devoted to apicuU 

 tural work ? like a school boy unwilling that 

 his fellow should use his sled whether he 

 wants it himself or not. Or is it because 

 they feel it is not only their right but to their 

 advantage ? Have they such a lively faith in 

 the probable value of result ^ that they will 

 scrutinize and study them ? That bee-keep- 

 ers should have an active interest in these 

 matters is of the utmost importance if the 

 work s to go on. Those in authority are 

 generally quite ready to be directed by the 

 will of those they serve if they can learn cer- 

 tainly what that will is. 



