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THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



apiary inspection has borne fruit. 

 Beekeeping methods have been im- 

 proved and lioney production in- 

 creased. This improvement in bee- 

 keeping practice has gone on stead- 

 ily for twenty-five years, and more; 

 production has gradually mounted 

 until now we have a condition ap- 

 proaching over-production. The 

 over-production of luxuries is an 

 easier matter than many of us 

 realize. Honey is a luxury and will 

 be for a long time to come, the 

 agitation to put honey in the neces- 

 sity class along with flour, pota- 

 toes, sugar, butter and eggs, sounds 

 nice, but the trouble with it is that 

 it will not work. Honey is like 

 oranges, folks do not want them 

 the year round. Oranges will like- 

 ly remain in the luxury class for 

 a good while. Do not gather the 

 idea that I am not in favor of 

 increasing the consuniption of honey 

 for that is just the burden of my 

 thought. The people are going to 

 have more and more luxuries and 

 it is our business to see that Mr. 

 Ford does not sell everybody in 

 America an automobile and thereby 

 force them to spread glucose on 

 their bread. What we want is to 

 see honey rated at least equal to 

 gasoline as an American luxury. 



The production of honey has in- 

 creased more rapidly than con- 

 sumption. We have cultivated the 

 bee more eagerly than the markets. 

 Our distributing system or lack of 

 it has chronic indigestion every 

 fall and winter. We honey producers 

 must take a directing hand in the 

 distribution of our product. When 

 the buyers cease to buy and con- 

 signments are the rule you may 

 know that there is a doctor of dis- 

 tributive ailments needed at once. 

 It may be inhuman but we would 

 prefer the consumer to have indiges- 

 tion from consuming too much 

 sweet than that our distributive 

 system get clogged with several 

 hundred thousand pounds of un- 

 assimilated honey. More people 

 who are eating less honey must be 

 enticed to eat more of the delect- 

 able sweet. If every city in this 

 country consumed or distributed as 

 much honey in proportion to popu- 

 lation as some cities do, our pro- 

 duction would be many years in 

 catching up with demand. And 

 again if all of our cities consumed 

 as little as do some, the most of 



the beekeeping specialists would have 

 to go into other business. 



Indications point to lower prices 

 on honey during the next ten years 

 and we already have higher prices 

 on supplies. Sugar is now 75 cents 

 a hundred lower than a year ago 

 with good prospects for another 

 drop in the price when the duty is 

 entirely removed. The syrup inter- 

 ests now have the advantage in pro- 

 fit without raising their prices, 

 while we beekeepers will have to 

 content ourselves with higher cost 

 of supplies. The only place where 

 we will profit will be in lower cost 

 of sugar, which is unimportant com- 

 pared with the advance in supplies. 

 Perhaps we can gain a little in 

 lower parcels post rates and lower 

 express rates? If we cannot gain 

 here, we are losers. 



The Colorado State Beekeepers' 

 Association has begun one impor- 

 tant work and wishes the coopera- 

 tion of the National and all affiliati- 

 ed associations. We have a rate 

 and transportation committee in- 

 structed to work for the following 

 things: 



The "loading in transit privilege." 

 The carrying of comb and extracted 

 honey sately by Parcels Post. 



The carrying of bees by Parcels Post 

 The transportation of carloads of bees 

 at the live stock rates now in effect. 



The adjustment of rates to do away 

 with discriminative rates now in effect 

 between different points on car and 

 less than car lots of honey and sup- 

 plies. 



Our committee has begun work 

 and we ask the appointment of a 

 live committee of this body to 

 work with us. We have asked the 

 same thing of every western bee- 

 keepers' association and hope for 

 response from a good proportion of 

 them at any rate. 



The western honey crop is the 

 most important single factor affect- 

 ing the eastern honey market. And 

 SQ the east is just as vitally con- 

 cerned with the proper distribution 

 of this crop as is the west — the sta- 

 bility of the market demands it. The 

 west is the producer and the east 

 the manufacturer. We ship our 

 honey out and ship in manufactured 

 articles. 



The argument that the west 

 should consume all its production 

 is as frtiitless as to insist that 

 the east should use all their manu- 

 factured articles at home. It may be 



