THE BEE-KE|EPERS' REVIEW 



375 



alright in theory but it is one of 

 those things that practical men do 

 not waste much time thinking 

 about. 



The organization of the National 

 directly or through an auxiliary to 

 direct the distribution of this ship- 

 ping crop is a worthy program — 

 it is the most important question 

 before the American beekeeper to- 

 day. We have the opportunity to 

 solve this problem. The National 

 needs to begin solving this matter 

 to preserve its own life and useful- 

 ness. It is a problem big enough to 

 command the attention of our 

 best workers. It is capable of solu- 

 tion because other industries have 

 organized themselves and solved 

 the question in large measure. If 

 the National does not attack this 

 question we shall have to turn to 

 some other means for accomplish- 

 ing the desired results. 



The first steps necessary have 

 been done, we have our National 



organ and have adopted grading 

 rules for comb honey that are a 

 very great advance over anything 

 that has been in use in this coun- 

 try. The sale of supplies and the 

 aiding in the sale of honey has been 

 tried out and found practicable as 

 well as profitable. All we need is 

 an extension and broadening of the 

 Avork already begun. If given the 

 right start this work will build it- 

 self and make for solving the Na- 

 tional's financial difficulties as 

 well. 



The matter of an organizer has 

 been suggested and is essential, 

 but first we want a definite pro- 

 gram for the organizers to work on. 

 We must have a point where this 

 organization touches the beekeeper 

 and the organizer together with our 

 National organ will supply this 

 requisit. It is not so necessary that 

 we have a large membership in 



(Continued on page 38 8) 



The Wintering of Bees in Idaho 



By JOvSEPH J. ANDERSON, Salem, Idaho 



Given at the National Convention at St. Louis, February 1914 



The class of beekeepers, or rather 

 keepers of bees, everywhere to be 

 found, who conduct their business 

 on the theory that bees work for 

 nothing and board themselves, are 

 the ones who find that the winter- 

 ing problem is a most worrisome 

 and vexatious one, and come to 

 the conclusion that Beekeeping is 

 a precarious business, misleading 

 and disappointing. 



Recently (January 10th) a neigh- 

 bor beekeeper informed the writer 

 that out of a hundred and thirty- 

 five colonies, he had lost already 

 from fifteen to twenty and that he 

 expected many more to die, the 

 result of starvation, and he had 

 taken no pains to give his bees any 

 protection until after Christmas. 

 "I guess I am too careless to keep 

 bees." he remarked, and I agreed 

 v/ith him. 



Just think of it: during the sum- 

 mer this individual had worked 

 these industrious little servants to 

 the utmost, robbed them of the 



fruits of their labor and then left 

 them to freeze and starve. What 

 would the law do to a man who 

 would serve his faithful horses in 

 such a manner? Surely before the 

 omnipotent judge one is as guilty 

 as the other. Saying nothing moral- 

 ly of the thing, such an individual 

 is recreant to his own material 

 interests, suffering the property 

 that yields him by far the greatest 

 returns — dollar for dollar invested 

 and time spent — of all his posses- 

 sions. 



In beekeeping, as in all other 

 lines of endeavor, the old rule holds 

 good. ''There is no excellence with- 

 out great labor." If an individual 

 will exercise the same quality of 

 painstaking care with bees that is 

 shown by the successful orchard- 

 ist, sheepman, cattleman or breeder 

 of horses, there is no reason why 

 his business should not be just as 

 safe as either of these, and with- 

 al as lucrative, and with far less 

 worry and expense. And the winter- 



