Page 22                  WISCONSIN BEEKEEPING                      March,
-1932 
 
 
    "Beekeeping does not seem to be 
 very attractive to the younger set, as 
 not a single one has started up in 
 twenty years in this county.  Clover 
 and honey plants look good in south 
 west Wisconsin.    No snow, and the 
 ground is frozen only 3 inches on 
 Feb. 8." 
    We are indebted to Mr. Jos. Garre, 
 of Aniwa, Wisconsin, for the follow- 
 ing interesting report of conditions in 
 Marathon County and that locality. 
 On February 8, Mr. Garr6 wrote as 
 follows: 
    "Another spring is not far distant 
 and then new life will begin in the 
 Apiary. During this time of the year 
 (February) we always make our plans 
 for the approaching bee season. We 
 check up on our stored supplies, re- 
 pair what needs repairing, order the 
 necessary new supplies and nail them 
 up, etc.  Every comb during extract- 
 ing time that shows too much drone 
 comb or is otherwise poor, is stored 
 separate and later on cut out, the 
 frames scraped   clean, renailed  and 
 wired and in the spring fitted with a 
 full sheet of foundation. As soon as 
 it gets warmer we also intend to paint 
 everyone of the honey supers. 
   "The prospect for a honey crop 
seems to be from   fair to good.   Al- 
though the new seedings of last spring 
were pretty well killed  during  the 
drought in August, we found that, the 
little white clover in our pastures was 
plentiful in the fall.  So if the sea- 
son should be halfway right we ought 
to get at least some clover honey 
and if the basswood trees and other 
nectar secreting plants will help along 
a little the bees may be able to gather 
a fair crop of honey.     Our Mother 
earth is at present well blanketed with 
snow. 
   "Our bees seem    to  be wintering 
fairly  well in   their new    quarter 
(cellar).  The temperature in it so 
far has not been below 48 degrees and 
not over 50 degrees Fahrenheit. 
 
 
    "On   account of the very      light 
 honey crop in the State our 14,000 
 pounds sold rapidly in a wholesale 
 and retail way at prices satisfactory for 
 the abnormal times.    At present we 
 have very little honey on hand. How- 
 ever, I know of some beemen in our 
 County who were hard pressed in the 
 fall and shipped out their entire small 
 crop at 5c per pound and besides that 
 paid the freight. A few honey deal- 
 ers, filling up the chain stores in the 
 fall tbruout Wisconsin, knocked the 
 Wisconsin beekeepers out of a good 
 many dollars by selling for unreason- 
 able prices. It was all labeled 'Wis- 
 consin Honey' too, so Wisconsin must 
 have had a big crop after all! How- 
 ever, the dealers must be credited with 
 selling a large amount of the States 
 honey crop but if they would supply 
 the chain stores with the understand- 
 ing only that they must sell again near 
 the prices the modern beekeepers in 
 these  regions  are  demanding   they 
 would do them    and all honey pro- 
 ducers a big justice.  Still, some of 
 our own    beekeepers are doing    the 
 same   thing.   Just   recently  some 
 local beekeepers with very little honey 
 on hand placed in two stores in our 
 nearest city a few 5 pound pails which 
 are offered for sale at the price of 
 4 7c per pail. How much did these 
 beekeepers get for their honey?   One 
 of the clerks said to me their com- 
 mission is 14c per pail. If these bee- 
 keepers could sell their entire crop at 
 the price mentioned to these stores, 
 all would be well. But, as long as the 
 honey sales to these stores, I feel, are 
 limited for them, the small gain of 
 sales will be offset by a badly hurt 
 retail trade at home. If I sell for 47c 
 a pail to the stores, I must also do so 
 at my home or most of my honey 
buyers will quit me and go to the 
stores and buy and hence the profit on 
my entire crop will be cut to a min- 
imum.    Considering   the  last years 
light honey crop in Wisconsin and