The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-08-19
BEE RAISING IN SOUTH TEXAS
THE RECENT MEETING OF THE
APIARIsTs AT BEEvILl.E.
Address by Mr.. f. j. AtchIey Giving
Pointers ON the New ana Growing
Coast Country Industry.

Beeville, Texas. August 1s.--The ffth
annual session of the South Texas Bee
keepers association is q thing of the past
and another interesting chapter in the his
tory OF Bookkeeping in South Texas has
been completed.
The delegates began arriving overland
and by rail Tuesday and by Q o'clock
Wednesday morning about fifty OF them
had assembled at the Atchey beekeeping
colony, two miles north of town, and an
nounced ready for the work OF the oc-
cason.
The meeting was called to order by n.
j. Atchley, and G.. w. Huffstedler acted as
secretary. The regular order Of business
was taken up and occupied the attention
of the meeting until after noon yesterday.
when the session was closed by the cleo
ton of the following officers for the en-
suing year: President, NJ. NJ. Faust of
Floresville; vice president, q. j. Atchley
of Beeville; secretary. G. w Huffstedler
of Beeville Floresville was selected as
the next place OF meeting and the time set
for the middle of August, 1900.
After the session had adjourned the
delegates were photographed In group.
A large number of them went down to the
coast last evening, whore they will remain
several days All of them say the meet
ing was the most successful, best at
tended and productive of more good than
any meeting of the beekeepers ever held In
the State.
Many interesting talks on the various
phases of bee raising and agriculture were
made, and several papers containing much
valuable information were read Among
the latter was the following from the pen
of Mr.. o. ]. Atchley, one OF the most
noted apiarists in the United States. The
subject assigned TO Mr.. Atchley was,
Southwest Texas as a Field for Apincul-
ture."
Ladies and Gentlemen OF the South Texas
Beekeepers' Association: The duty OF ad-
dressing you on the subject OF Southwest
Texas as a profitable field for agriculture
has been assigned to me, and, while | am
thoroughly familiar with this country.
which Is tributary to the Pacific coast,
from Ell Paso to Galveston ] can not help /
but feel my lack of ability to do so i'm
poriant subject Justice l feel that it
would have been better for you and better
for me could the subject have been han
died by a more competent person. How
ever. / shall do my best in making plain
the facts as they really exist.
Twenty-Five years experience In Texas,
and a good portion of that time in South
west Texas. has enabled me to clearly
demonstrate, to my own mind at least,
that Southwest Texas. when properly peo-
pied with the little industrious insects and
the right class of apiarists. will be one of
The best honey producing sections of the
United States, If not OF the world.
Unlike many other great DECREASING sec
tons, California, for instance, Southwest
Texas does not have TO depend upon
weeds or ANNALS for her honey supply for
here We have country thickly covered
with hardy growth of trees and shrub
berry, such as the mesquite. catsclaw, Wee
satche. waheeah, black and white chapar-
ral anaqua and many others. which bloom
and flourish in the springtime, whether the
season be wet or dry. And If the apiarists
are up 10 their business ms they should be,
they can always reap harvest OF honey
n the early spring, and then, II II rains, ,
hey still have an even chance with the )
that have to depend solely on
heir ANIMALS TO get another harvest In the .
! am fully convinced that II people who
understand agriculture would locate and !,
establish their apiares near any OF our
Southwest Texas mountains and rivers
hey would find that such enterprises
would pay better than anything else re-
Iuiring the same amount of capital aud {
abor.
There are many places in Texas that c
i've bountiful crops OF honey, but find
hat none OF them furnish honey that will s
ompare with that produced in this sec
ion. The honey gathered here is very
ich and OF the finest flavor and Is becom
ng 80 well known among the honey con- 4,
umers of the world that the demand is
ar in excess of the supply. | could today |,
ell fifty cars OF Southwest Texas honey =
o. b. the cars at BeevilIe for a fancy
rice,
This section is the natural home OF the
oney bee. Our winters are very mild as
rule, and some winters our bees gather v
heir supply OF food almost every day; thus a
hey do not have TO draw on the supply n
tored away the previous summer, as they q
o in most localities.