182 



TENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



the discussion, I was afraid when 

 Mr. York sat down it might pass with- 

 out discussion. This is the most im- 

 portant matter that has been brought 

 before this convention, because it con- 

 sists of a question of the life of the 

 association itself. Now, there has been 

 much said tonight about what ought 

 to be done, but nothing practical has 

 been suggested. I would like to sug- 

 gest a practical, plan, which might be 

 worked out. I think it could be worked 

 out, and should he worked out. I 

 have here in my hands a magazine 

 called, "The World's Work" for Octo- 

 ber, which describes what has been 

 acomplished by co-operation in Eng- 

 land by a few weavers, w^ho, 60 years 

 ago, . scraped together a few pounds 

 and started a small co-operative store. 

 After ■ working enthusiastically and 

 making of that great co-operative 

 question, almost a religious question, 

 they have succeeded, after 60 years, 

 in organizing a large businesis enter- 

 prise that is greater in its volume of 

 business than the Carnegie steel in- 

 dustry in your" country today. These 

 few weavers who started this co-op- 

 erative enterprise have succeeded in 

 accomplishing a work, which, in 1908, 

 did a business of $517,000,000 worth. 

 Now, let us have something practical 

 suggested at least for the committee 

 to work upon. My idea would be this: 

 the basis of the National, as suggest- 

 ed by Mr. York, should be the State 

 Association in conjunction with our 

 Provincial Association, because I am 

 gratified as a Canadian that you per- 

 mit us to join with j-ou in your Na- 

 tional Association, and you have 

 thereby practically made it an in- 

 ternational association. If some one 

 State would take this matter in 

 hand and organize a co-opera- 

 tive store, or a co-operative sell- 

 ing center, and place a man like 

 Mr. France, or someone whom he 

 might name or select, in charge of 

 this selling center, and have all the 

 bee-keepers in your State on your roll 

 and have your entire honey product 

 shipped to this selling center, and 

 have it classified according to its 

 quality, and there have it sold 

 throughout the State and wherever 

 you could find a market — have one 

 selling point to control the sale of that 

 honey. You would then have the 

 commencement of a selling organiza- 

 tion for your entire output of honey. 



I believe much could be accomplished 

 if you would make that an aim. It 

 may appear difficult to start such an 

 enterprise, but I believe it is possible; 

 I believe that the enterprising men of 

 New York State are capable of put- 

 ting it through. I believe that the/ 

 men before us to-night are capable 

 starting such an enterprise, and if yc 

 once started it and made it a succe^ 

 in one state, from there it would soon 

 spread. I do not think the task is as 

 great as has been accomplished by the 

 co-operative societies, both in Eng- 

 land and Scotland. The difficulties 

 they overcame are far greater than 

 selves to you in forming such a sell- 

 ing organizzation as would dispose of 

 your crops of honey. I believe there 

 is to be a move made in that direction 

 in Ontario during the coming year. 

 Otir Honey Crop Committee of Ontario, 

 while it is doing very good work 

 in giving the bee-keepers a suggestion 

 as to what price honey should sell at, 

 yet I wish to say it is not covering 

 the case entirely; it does not cover 

 the case of a man whom Mr. Her- 

 shiser has mentioned. We have hun- 

 dreds of men in Ontario, and away 

 back in the Counties, who are produc- 

 ing from 300 to 10,000' pounds of honey. 

 Those men are not reached by the 

 Honey Crop conimittee report, at least 

 they are not affected by it, and they 

 go into the towns nearest to them and 

 sell their honey for whatever they can 

 get for it. While the Honey Crop Com- 

 mittee has done good work among the 

 large producers it has failed to reach 

 the small producer, and it is the small 

 producer that makes the standard of 

 the price, and something should be done 

 to get in the honey from those men 

 that have it and can't sell it, and don't 

 know how to sell it. By having some 

 selling organization that would bring 

 their honey to a common centre and 

 sell it in a business like manner, I 

 think you would accomplish just what 

 you desire. The first thing to do is 

 to get yQur State organization in a 

 perfect condition, and then let your 

 National be based upon the pedestal 

 which your State organization would 

 constitute; then your National would 

 be a parliament, a legislative body 

 set up by your State organizations. 

 (Applause.) 



The president called for the paper 

 on "Selection in Breeding to Increase 



