ILLIXOIS STATE BBE-KBEPBRS' ASSOCIATION 



147 



until tomorrow vvbat can be done to- 

 day." 



MRS. S.' WILBUR FREY. 

 Sand Lake, Michigan. 



Pres. York — This paper is now be- 

 fore you for discussion. I think it is 

 an opportunity for the ladies; if they 

 have anything- to say, now is their 

 chance. How many ladies here keep 

 bees? Raise your hands. 



(In response to this request five 

 ladies raised their hands.) 



Pres. York — How many think that 

 - bee-keeping Is a good business for 

 women ? 



(In response to this- a number of 

 hands were raised.) 



Mr. 'Stone (Illinois) — It said in the 

 paper that comb honey paid better 

 than extracted. I would like to see 

 how many think so. 



(The raise of 'hands s'howed that 

 the convention was nearly unanimous 

 for extracted honey.) 



Mr. McEVoy (Canada) — I think you 

 can get more out of your bees by 

 running for both, as you can get ex- 

 tracted honey from some colonies 

 that wSll produce no comb honey at 

 all. 



Pres. York — The next paper is en- 

 titled "Bee-Keeping as a Business,'' 

 by W. B. Cavanagh of Hebron, Ind. 



This paper was read by Mr. France, 

 a& follows: 



"BEE-KEEPING AS A BUSINESS." 



There is some important feature em- 

 ibodied in every line of b.usiness which 

 attracts the man engaged therein. 

 Through this law we are able to 

 judge, and fwith a fair degree of ac- 

 cura<3y, the calibre and character of 

 the man, by the business he repre- 

 sents. 



What, then, lis the "bee-keeper's char- 

 acter, and what has caused toim to 

 ' engage in bee-keeping? The business 

 is no get-rich-quick scheme; neither 

 is it a life of ease; sa there must be 

 attached to it other attractions be- 

 yond mere monetary profit. Is it not 

 due to the bee-fever germ which suc- 

 cessfully thrives only in the lover of 

 Nature? This question I. will leave 

 for each member of the convention to 

 decide, while I mention some other 

 features of our craft. 



First, iDee-keeping is a business 

 baseid on Nature's bountiful store; the 

 flowers wliose nectar secretion is in- 



fluenced by rain, sunshine and atmos- 

 pheric conditions. No wonder, then, 

 that our 'business claims the class of 

 men and women who prefer hard 

 w'ork, attended by health and peace 

 of mind, in preference to business and 

 professional life in cities. No wonder 

 that bee-keepers as a class are honest, 

 industrious and persistent. Their bus- 

 iness requires and demands it. The 

 life is free from temptations of graft, 

 and near- lies, so common in other 

 commercial pursuits. The profession 

 draws one into close study and rela- 

 tionship with Nature, demanding the 

 deepest study and closest observation 

 for real success. 



A good bus'iness must develop every 

 quality of man that is worth develop- 

 ing, and I believe that if bee-keeping 

 fails in this, then the man is not liv- 

 ing up to the possibilities of the busi- 

 ness. 



The bee-keeper must be able to 

 keep in harmony with his neighbors 

 when Ms bees are acting the reverse. 

 He must work, watch and wait during 

 a greater part of the season, content 

 to have the external appearance of 

 the 'hives remain unchanged, yet 

 realizing that there will be a certain 

 reward in profits later. He must be 

 capable of quick decision in minor 

 matters and of sound judgment in all 

 decisions. Mechanical ability lis de- 

 manded in extensive operations in ev- 

 ery line of equipment; the ability to 

 handle and select hired help, to laj- 

 out work economically, to avoid un- 

 necessary labor, and to reduce operat- 

 ing expense by combining operations 

 in the apiary. 



Then there is a purely commercial 

 side to bee-keeping — the buying and 

 selling of bees and the marketing of 

 the products. All taken together, and 

 successfully conducted, combine to de- 

 velop one into a fully rounded char- 

 acter, and a well-balanced business 

 man as well. 



Is bee-keeping financially profit- 

 able? Yes; I consider it so, if a good 

 bee-keeper and a good location get to- 

 gether. Farmers cannot grow corn 

 on the Sahara desert, neither can a 

 bee-keeper produce honey where flow- 

 ers do not yield it. As a bee will 

 seek a nectar-laden flower, so will a 

 true bee-keeper seek out a location 

 where Nature's sources permit of 

 profitable apiculture. A man who has 



