The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1919-04-17
TO HITCH BOY
AND THE HONEY
bee TOGETHER
Liberty Bell Cooperative Bee
Club is Unique Plan of
Grassland
WOULD START m KENNEWICK
Former Valley Farmer Offers Plan
for Young People to Invest Saw
ings in Apiaries

4
ings in Apiaries
Believing that great natural re-
source is stored away in the flora of
the orchards and fields of the irrigat-
ed sections of the state, L. S. Cross
land, formerly a farmer in this val
ley, but now in the banking business
at Hatton, proposes to develop this
resource thru the agency of the honey
bee.
Mr.. Grassland has been here for
several days perfecting plans for the
organization of the Liberty Bell Co
Operative Bee club, which he hopes
may some day be nationwide in scope.
In his undertaking Mr.. Grassland pro-
poses to hitch together the enthusiasm
of the American youth with the in
dustry of the honey bee and thereby
meet the governments appeal for in
creased honey production in the
United States.
As planned the objects of the Lib
erty Bell club will be threefold: to
establish profitable, dividend paying
business, to stimulate patriotism and
thrift in the boys and girls and to pro-
vide an educational fund for the ben
of ambitious but needy students.
The club is to be organized under
the cooperative statute of the state
of Washington and the earnings are
to be distributed according to the pro-
visions of that statute. Out of the
earnings an initial dividend of 8 per,
cent is to be paid to the stockholders
and one-haH Of the net earnings
over and above this dividend is to be
paid into an educational fund. This
fund is to be administered by board
of five trustees, one to be appointed
by the governor of the state, one by
the state superintendent of public in
sruction, one each by the presidents
of the State University and the State
College, and one by the president of
the Liberty Bell club. This fund is to
be loaned to deserving and needy
young people who are desirous of at
tending some institution of higher
learning.
The capital stock is to be divided
into shares of the par value of $40
each and sold on easy payment plan
of one dollar per share down and one
dollar per share each month until the
stock subscription is paid for. To en-
courage the savings habit among the
young people who may wish to invest
their savings in the club, arrange
ments have been made thru the banks
to have issued to those who wish it
a unique little savings bank which is
the exact replica of the famous old
Liberty Bell. T
Mr.. Grassland proposes to start with
the first apiary at Kennewick and to
extend other units to every community
that will become actively interested
IN the club. From the standpoint of
an investment, Mr.. Grassland believes
the bee business offers great possibil-
lties. Government reports show that
there is demand for ten times as
much honey as there is now produced
IN the United States; that the aver
age production for all apiaries regard
less OF their management or care, is
about 80 pounds of honey for each
stand of bees. The initial investment
is small and the chief essential is the
care of the bees. To meet ehis es-
sential there will be put in charge of
tne clubs apiaries trained and ex-
perienced beeman whose work will be
supervised by the U. S. department
OF agriculture and the extension de-
partment of the State College.
He has fully outlined his PROPOSE
tlon to Director w. S. Thornber of the
State College, to officials of the de-
partment of agriculture, to superin-
tendents of various schools, to business
men of several communities and to
experienced beemen and on every hand
mas received the most encouraging
oilers OF support and cooperation.
IN putting forth his proposition Mr..
orossland quotes from the 1917 re-
port Of f. F. Phillips, apiculturalist,
OF the U. S. Bureau of Entomology,