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136 



SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



and could have been a manager of an 

 apiary if it had been necessary and a 

 duty that fell to her. I believe it to 

 be the duty of every bee-keeper through- 

 out the country to encourage the ladies 

 in every way to engage in the business. 

 Not to buy up a large number of colo- 

 nies to begin with, but take one colony, 

 study their habits carefully, read a bee- 

 paper and some of the standard works 

 on bee-keeping. Women are just as apt 

 at taking up information of that kind as 

 men are, and there is no reason why 

 hundreds and thousands of women that 

 have not a fair income could not add 

 materially to the little income that they 

 have in engaging in this industry. I am 

 sometimes asked by ladies, "Can I en- 

 gage in bee-keeping and make a living 

 out of it?" My reply would be, "It 

 depends upon circumstances. If you 

 study the habits of the bee, their stings 

 are not poisonous to you, you keep 

 enough of them — many farmers I think 

 would furnish the ground and allow you 

 to keep a good many colonies of bees 

 there — I think you could not only make 

 a living out of it but make money be- 

 sides." A great many people can not 

 engage in the industry of bee-keeping, 

 and cannot make money out of it, but 

 almost every farmer through the country 

 can if he will ; but they won't do it. They 

 have no taste for it. They do not like 

 bees, do not like their stings — they are 

 susceptible to the influence of their poi- 

 son; that class of people I advise to let 

 it alone, both men and women. But 

 there are many who can learn it; the 

 stings do not hurt them, and a good 

 many of them can make money out of 

 if it they will keep bees enough. Al- 

 most any farmer whom bee-stings do not 

 poison can keep a few colonies and 

 produce all the honey he needs at home. 



Defending Against Troublesome 

 Neighbors. 



"Should this Association defend its 

 members against troublesome neigh- 

 bors?" 



Mr. Wilcox — I should say absolutely 

 no, under any circumstances. ^ 



Pres. York — I might say that there 

 are no funds to do it with, any way; 

 and every bee-keeper ought to become a 

 member of the National. That is part 

 of its business. 



Mr. Horstmann — I asked that ques- 

 tion. This question has been pretty 

 well discussed this afternoon, not ex- 



actly talking on that question, but we 

 have been talking on those Hnes. I say 

 this Association should defend the mem- 

 bers. If the Association does not want 

 to defend its members against trouble- 

 some neighbors, I say what good is 

 the Association? What is the use in be- 

 longing to it, if the Association is not 

 going to be of some benefit to you? I 

 think that in a case similar to the one 

 that I spoke of here this afternoon, it 

 should be investigated by the executive 

 committee of this Association, and if 

 they find, after investigation, that the 

 bee-keeper is at fault he should have 

 no defense; and if they find that the 

 neighbors have been quarreling, and 

 they are only making trouble for the 

 bee-keeper for a little satisfaction, then 

 I say the Association should defend 

 that member. 



Mr. Wilcox — I want to say that we 

 have another association — the National 

 — and that is a part of its work, a lead- 

 ing portion of its business — and he 

 should apply to that, and this Associa- 

 tion, as an association, should not med- 

 dle with that work at all. If we at- 

 tempted it we should have to levy a 

 tax upon every member sufficient to pro- 

 vide an income for that purpose. It 

 would be quite a tax. 



Mr. Horstmann — Most of the mem- 

 bers of this Association are citizens of 

 Chicago, and I say that we should 

 stick together. If we could put it on 

 the National Association, all right; but 

 what is the use of our having an As- 

 sociation unless we can be of some use 

 to each other? I say there is no use of 

 it. It is all well enough to come down 

 here and have these talks on different 

 questions. We, of course, are benefited 

 by them. Some are benefited more than 

 others. But we should defend our 

 members in cases of the kind I have 

 spoken of here, I think. 



Pres. York — I would like to ask Mr. 

 Horstmann what he means by defend- 

 ing them, if we have no money in the 

 treasury to do it with? 



Mr. Horstmann — I did not ask the 

 Association to defend me. I fixed the 

 thing all up ; or I didn't myself, but had 

 a good friend that did it. The city would 

 have "fired" my bees off there if it had 

 not been for a good friend. 



Dr. Bohrer — If I may give a little 

 experience I had about 35 years ago, I 

 settled it very quickly. A man near me 

 had grape-vines. The juice was run- 



