

88 



THIRD ANNUAL REPORT 



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insr postage on that, and the correspondence to keep peace and 

 harmony among our members and fellow men. 



While we were on our Western trip attending the Na- 

 tional Convention last August, we had opportunity to see — 

 those who were favored by that trip — the effect of coopera- 

 tion locally. We had had considerable correspondence in 

 that line — articles written in our bee-papers. To see and 

 investigate some of the workings of cooperation in Cali- 

 fornia, Colorado and Utah was a part of my privilege while 

 on that trip. I do hope the day is not far distant when we 

 not only will boast of our numbers and the good we have 

 done, but that the subjects of marketing honey, cooperation, 

 furnishing supplies to the various members, and this other 

 subject which we rather run to at length this afternoon, 

 the subject of marketing honey — creating a demand for our 

 product. There is in Colorado, a honey-producers' association, 

 backed by its members with a guarantee. Any purchaser get- 

 ing honey of that brand, with the stamp and seal of the Asso- 

 ciation, is guaranteed that it is pure, and that has created 

 a surprising demand. I thought to myself. Could we have a 

 stamp or a seal upon the honey of the members of the Na- 

 tional Association that the world over would know there was 

 no question about, what a door there would be open for us ! 

 I hope that day is not far off. 



There are conditions that favor this cooperation in Cali- 

 fornia, Colorado, Utah, New York; but when we come to 

 make it National, our interests, climatic conditions, the sea- 

 sons — we are so scattered that it will take a little time. 



There is another point I might mention that was brought 

 up this afternoon, as to telling the amount of honey we have, 

 or advertising it, if you please, what we have received each 

 year. I rather am of the opinion, as a business, we do not 

 boast on what we have. I think it has been tried several 

 times, to get from the subscribers of certain bee-papers a 

 statistical report, that we might know what the honey crop 

 was, and in part it has been a success, but largely a failure, 

 from the fact that when we have a poor crop we won't say 

 anything, and won't tell of it; and when we get a good crop 

 sometimes we are a little — not only anxious to tell it, but 

 some way it enlarges as it goes on, until the product seems 

 to be immense. To overcome that partially, I believe it is 

 possible through the National Association; it could bear the 

 expense. The membership ought to know at least twice dur- 

 ing the year what the bee-keepers of the whole United 

 States- are doing. We ought to know what States have 

 produced an immense crop and what parts have little or 

 nothing. We ought to know about what the price will be, 

 and instead of— as Mr. Muth and some others have men- 

 tioned — throwing an immense amount of honey upon one 

 market, as has been done in Chicago, while other cities have 

 gone without, we ought to have some equalizer, through, 

 perhaps, this National Association, so that we would know 

 better. I have tried over my own State, while inspecting 

 diseased bees, to check sending the surplus of honey on the 

 Chicago market. Other places have been suggested, where 



