

138 FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT 



of their absolute ignorance on the subject. But they look 

 upon our associations, the bee-associations, the dairymen's as- 

 sociations, the fruit men's associations, and anything com- 

 ing from those associations, and put forth in a formal manner, 

 as the act of those associations, and give full credence. 

 Witness the Dairymen's Association got through the law 

 establishing a pure food commission. I think I am correct 

 in saying there would be no such law on the statute book to- 

 dav unless the dairymen had talked it and worked for it. 

 Another thing, three or four associations were given appro- 

 priations 'by the Legislature two years ago. They give the 

 Illinois State Bee-Keeper's Association $2,000. They did 

 that because the association asked for it, and they took at 

 one hundred percent all the statements made by the asso- 

 ciation. Now, let us, along with the National, advertise in 

 such papers as seems best, "Buy your honey of members of 

 the National Bee Keepers' Association," or other associa- 

 tions, according to your judgment, and continue that year 

 after year, not at large perhaps, but somewhere every month 

 in the year for five years. After a while everybody who 

 reads the English language will know that there is honey 

 sold that is guaranteed by the name of the National Bee 

 Keepers' Association, and people will come to inquire for 

 honey under the brand and guarantee of the bee-keepers' 

 association. That has been done for ten years now in Ver- 

 mont. The Vermont Maple Sugar Makers' Association issues 

 a very fine report every year, and I have had the pleasure 

 of reading two or three of them, and one of their methods 

 was to go to the Legislature and get as stringent a law as 

 they could. Then they have adopted a brand which is issued 

 to all members of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers' Asso- 

 ciation. It is a general brand which is copyrighted or trade- 

 marked, which ever it is, and there is a blank for each mem- 

 ber to put in his own individual name and address, and there is 

 a penalty against any one using this except authorized parties. 

 It seems to me that is perfectly feasible, when you take into 

 consideration the public minds, and advertising would be a 

 way to spend some of our money. 



Mr. Becker — Those bee-keepers that are taking the bee- 

 papers and are paying annual fees here, claim to get a fair 

 price for their honey. Now, suppose we advertise, you have a 

 certain element to contend with that almost give their honey 

 away. You go through the country, and even in my section 

 of country, I can cite you 25 or 35 that have from 5 to 50 

 colonies of bees, and one of our own members of the Illinois' 

 Bee-Keepers' Association a few years ago sold her honey at 

 10 cents a pound, as fine white clover honey as ever was 

 put on the market. The storekeepers themselves said, ''We 

 would just as soon give her 12^ cents as 10 cents." The past 

 summer I knew of one case where a man sold 1,000 pounds 

 of honey at 8 cents a pound — ^fine white clover honey. I was 

 after the honey myself, but happened to be just one day too 

 late, and he wouldn't sell any quantity, but he wanted to sell 

 the entire lot at 8 cents a pound. Last year I bought 1,000 



