126 FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT 



keepers take a journal where the poultry men do not take 

 a poultry paper. 



Mr. Whitney — I know a bee-supply man who has a large 

 sign out by the side of the railroad advertising bee-keeper's 

 supplies and honey, and he doesn't take a journal, and I have 

 talked to him more than a little to get him to subscribe for 

 some of the journals. 



Dr. MilUer — I would like to ask those bee-keepers who 

 take only one bee-paper to rise. (7 rose.) How many take 

 only two? (2.) How many take only three? (16.) How 

 man take only four? (5.) How many take more than four? 

 (6.) I am very glad to have the opportunity of asking those 

 questions. I want to follow the advice of Mr. Abbott, and 

 urge that those who do not take a bee-paper, that did not 

 rise, to take a bee-paper. lYou will like it; it will do you 

 good. 



Pres. York — I would like to ask Mr. France to say 

 what he found in Wisconsin, where he had made a pretty 

 thorough canvass of bee-keepers, as to the proportion of 

 them that take a bee-paper. 



Mr. France — A .few years ago, I don't remember the 

 year, I was going to make a very thorough report while 

 inspecting bees over the State. I beheve Wisconsin will 

 average up to any other State as a honey-producing State; 

 it will average as well in its proportion of those who are 

 readers of bee-papers. When I had finished that season, I 

 am sorry to say I found only one in twenty who was a 

 reader of the bee-papers. That looks pretty tough for my 

 own State, but I believe if you take the subscription lists 

 you will find it will average up with the other States. It is 

 just the same with the farmers' institute. Wherever the 

 farmers' institutes were frequently held we found better 

 farmers; and invariably wherever I find a home that takes 

 a bee-paper I find a better bee-keeper. 



Mr. Abbott — I want to say further, I know scores of 

 people who have from 10 to 15, 20 to 100 colonies, who do 

 not take any bee-paper at all. I have a way of finding out 

 because I am taking subscriptions on the basis of new sub- 

 scribers only for the American Bee Journal, and you would 

 be surprised to know the information that comes to me along 

 that line. People come to me and say, "I want to take 

 that club offer of yours;" and I say, "Why, you can't take 

 that; you get the American Bee Journal right along; that 

 is for new subscribers." They say, "No, I don't. I don't 

 take it at all." Some of them say they never have taken it; 

 and some of them say, "I never have heard of it; what kind 

 of a paper is it?" And they don't all live in Missouri, either. 

 [Laughter.] 



A NATIONAL HONEY EXCHANGE. 



"Is there any movement on foot regarding a honey ex- 

 change or any method whereby the National Association can 

 market its members' honey?" 



Pres. York — There was a movement started in St. Louis 



