--:W: 



192 



TENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



One Story 10-Frame Bee-Hive, 



K. D $ 1 . 50 



Brood -Frames, per 1000 19.00 



4 % One-Piece Sections, per 1000. 5.50 



Shipping-Cases, without glass, 50. 9.00 

 Thin Surplus Foundation, 100 



pounds 53.00 



This shows that the bee-keepers 

 now get nearly 20 per cent less for 

 their honey than they did 23 years 

 ago, while the requirements of the 

 trade are much more exacting than 

 they were then; and that the bee- 

 supplies used now cost 25 per cent 

 more. In the 23 years, the population 

 of the countrj' has nearly doubled 

 and the necessaries of life, food, cloth- 

 ing, etc., have greatly advanced; in 

 fact the purchasing power of a dollar 

 is reduced to nearly one-half. 



In the business world we find many 

 changes. Most of the important arti- 

 cles are now under the control of 

 gigantic trusts, which dictate prices. 

 All lines of business are organized, 

 even the retail grocers — but not the 

 tiller of the soil and the bee-keeper. 

 Although in some sectionis of the 

 country a start has been made in an 

 encouraging manner, much needs to 

 be done yet. 



Co-operaton among bee-keepers in 

 this country- has, if I am correctly in- 

 formed, been only attempted in the 

 "West. Unfortunately, the flrst at- 



tempts were not successful, which de- • 

 layed the movement, but now several 

 organizations seem to be in success- 

 ful operation. 



In the writer's opinion the best field 

 for co-operation is where many large 

 apiaries ^.are in close proximity to each 

 other, and where the market for their 

 product has to be found in distant 

 territory, to be shipped there in car- 

 load lots. In such a locality it should 

 not be very difficult to get together a 

 number of progressive bee-keepers to 

 form a local organization, draw up a 

 constitution and by-laws, and sub- 

 scribe sufficient capital to make a 

 mod'est start; adopt suitable grading 

 rules, uniform shipping-cases, and se- 

 lect a competent person as a manager, 

 one in whom all have) confidence, and 

 who is willing to devote the necessary 

 time for the proper performance of 

 his duties — of course for a reasonable 

 compensation. The memiber® should 

 resolve right at the start to stand to- 

 gether, even if outside parties try to 

 break up the organization by tem- 

 porarily offering attractive prices. 



They should resolve to build up a 

 reputation on the quality of their out- 

 put by grading and' packing their comb 

 honey in such a uniform and neat 

 manner that it will be a pleasure to 

 their manager to pass on their grad- 

 ing. 



Such matters as warehouses for 

 storage of honey, the supplying of 

 honey in small lots to near-by trade, 

 and the furnishing of bee- supplies to 

 members', would better be worked out 

 after a success has been made with 

 the carload shipping. 



An effort should be made to work 

 harmoniously with other co-operative 

 associations. 



One thing must not be lost sight of, 

 namely, the only co-operative associa- 

 tions of producers that have attained 

 success are those that put out uniform 

 packages of strictly graded goods of 

 high quality; that keep closely in- 

 formed about crop conditions of their 

 community, andi carefully watch the 

 movement of the same at the various 

 centers of distribution, thereby secur- 

 ing right prices for the crops of their 

 members. 



Organization in an exclusive ex- 

 tracted-honey locality, is a compara- 

 tively simple proposition, as the grad- 

 ing and packing requirements are 

 easily compliedi with; also the hauling, 

 storage and loading in cars are simple 

 matters. 



That co-operative marketing of 

 honey is profitable even , in densely 

 populated localities, where there is a 

 near-by market for all that is pro- 

 duced, has been demonstrated in Eu- 

 rope. 



The aims of the management of 

 every co-operative association should 

 be to build up a reputation for the 

 quality of their goods, secure a good 

 price for them, treat all members 

 (large or sinall) in> a strictly impar- 

 tial manner, and distribute the profits, 

 after first setting aside a reasonable 

 dividend on the shares of stock sold 

 on the basis of the amount of honey 

 disponed of through the association. 



It is the writer's opinion that the 

 Board of (Directors should be elected 

 by the direct vote of all the members, > 

 without previous nomination. Thereby 

 a true expression of the members is ^ 

 secured as to whom they want for 

 their directors. That this can be done 

 in a satisfaxjtory manner is demon- 



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