1882 



(JLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



381 



the subject. Up to date we have received answers 

 from all except ttie two last-named places. We give 

 them in full lielow, an-l hope tLat the information 

 they contain will be of interest and value to our 

 readers. It has cost us some time and trouble, but 

 we will feel well repaid if it throws any more light 

 on such an important subject : — 



St. Louis. May ~'ti, 1883. 



Your favor of the 26lh inst. received and carefully 

 noted. We render you with great jileasurc, as near- 

 ly HS possible, the desired information. 



There is really no difference in value per lb. of 

 honey in jiaekages of 3(10 to 500 lbs. and packages 

 holding 50, 100, and ]7.'> llis , when there is a good de- 

 mand. When the article moves slowly, dealers pre- 

 fer it in the lesser packages, and frequently pay !4 

 to Uc. per lb. premnim for them. 



In 10 and .5 ll>. wooden packages and 3i4 and 1J4 lb. 

 tin packages and 1 and 3 lb. ghiss jars, the honey is 

 generally held and sold at a higher price (from V4 to 

 ]c. more per lb.), but it sells slowly, dealers prefer- 

 ring to buy the larger packages and put it up in such 

 lesser packages as suits their trade best. We would 

 not advise sending packages containing less than 3 

 gallons of extracted honey (30 lbs.), and to send 

 small quantities in tin cans, the 3-gallon can pre- 

 ferred. 



Comb h(mcy sells best in 1 and 2 lb. packages; V.i 

 lb. packages are not wanted, and generally sell at 

 from 1 to I'.ic. less per lb. than the 1 and 3 lb. pack- 

 ages. 



All barrels and kegs should i)ethoroughly cleansed, 

 hoops tightened, and weighed before filling, and the 

 " tare " distinctly marked or branded on the head. 

 Unclean packages, with no tare marked on them, 

 are not easily placed. Frequently, sale of such is 

 only effected subject to emptying packages and 

 thereby determining the tare, while the tare marked 

 on nice clean packages, from reputable shippers, is 

 hardly ever questioned. The tare should also be dis- 

 tinctly marked on the outside of comb honey. 



E.xtracted honey sells most readily in cold weather, 

 though the sale does not suffer in warm weather. 

 We have sold some new extracted honey in barrels, 

 irom Arkansas, ntQ\i c. per lb. New comb, 1 bo.\, 

 from same State, at 31c. per lb. Beeswax scarce at 

 24 to 25c. per lb. K. C. Gkf.fr & Co., 



Pe7- Sichieferdccker. 



' Chicago, June 3, 1883. 



The difference in the price of honey put up in bar- 

 rels, and that in kegs ot .")() to 175 lbs., is little, if any, 

 for the general market. That put up in tin pails of 

 from 10 to U.t lbs. weight, and in 1 to 3 lb. glass jars, 

 sells at from H to 1 cent more per lb. th£i.n the bar- 

 rels and kegs — not mf)re than enough to cover the 

 difference in cost of packnge. 



There is a difference of from 1 to 3 cents per lb. 

 between 1, 1'^, and 3 lb. packages of comb honey. 



There are demands for all sizes of packages con- 

 taining extracted honey, whilefor comb honey there 

 is a profitablo demand only for that which is put up 

 in single-comb sections holding from 1 to 3 lbs. each. 



The apiaries of the North report excellent pros- 

 pects for the honey-gathering. 



H. A. Burnett. 



New York, June 2, 1882. 

 We are often asked. What is the difference in price 

 per lb. between extracted honey put up in barrels of 

 about 300 to 500 lbs., and that in spruce kegs of .50, 

 100, and 175 lbs.? also, what is the difference in price 

 per lb. between l,l'/4,and2 lb. sections? To these 

 questions we reply as follows: — 



1. Our wholesale trade will pay no difference in 

 the price, owing to the fact that the bulk of extract- 

 ed honey is used for manufacturing purposes, al- 

 though we often find dealers who will take .50, 100, 

 and 175 lb. packages in preference to larger ones, at 

 the same price, as they find them more convenient 

 to handle. Honey put up in 1}4, 2',2, 5, and 10 lb. tin 

 pails rarely find ready purchasers, because extract- 

 ed honey will granulate, and in this condition finds 

 very slow sale. We therefore advise bee-keepers to 

 pack their extracted honey for this market either in 

 tlrkins holding from 1.50 to 175 lbs., or in small bar- 

 rels of about 300 lbs. net. In these packages they 

 are most salable for the general trade. By this meth- 

 od recular dealers can always place their gooils be- 

 fore the viiblie, looking fresh, clear, and transparent. 



2. Comb honey put up in 1-lb. sections, no glass, 

 finds readier sale than 2-lb. sections, besides bring- 

 ing 2c. per lb. higher price, as long as they remain on 



the market. As soon as gone, however, the 2-lb. 

 packages sell fully as nvell as the 1-lb. sections did. 

 By 3-lb. sections we mean that the section should be 

 well tllle<l and glassed, and should not weigh over 2 

 lbs. gross. Sections weighing l'/4 lbs. gross will not 

 sell any better than the 2-lb. sections. We think, as 

 a general rule, that a section measuring 5x5?i inches 

 mcikes a very desirable package, and would hud very 

 ready sale. 



We would advise all bee-keepers to pay more at- 

 tention to the grading ot comb honey and the glu- 

 ing of the glass to the sections, as often, when show- 

 ing up the honey to customers, the glass drops off 

 completely. ^This is very often the cause of losing 

 the sale entirely, or of having to make an allowance 

 in price on account of the defect. Fault is some- 

 times fouml with prices obtained for honey because 

 some lots have sold for one or two cents per pound 

 more than others. This difference is mostly due to 

 the mistake the bee-keeper makes in grading, and 

 fastening the glass to sections. We could mention 

 several bee-keepers who pay special attention to 

 grading comb honej' for market, alwaysmakiug two 

 separate grades of white honey, the result of which 

 is the highest market price for each grade. We 

 notice that parties who complain of prices put up 

 two grades of white honey in one crate, and the re- 

 sult is that their honey sells at the price of the in- 

 ferior grade only. In a great many cases they also 

 pack mixed grades in the same crate with the best 

 white honey. Mixed honey does not, as a rule, sell 

 for any better price than a good article of buck- 

 wheat, alfhough it has the preference at the same 

 figure. Mixed honey should therefore always be 

 packed by itself, and graded as such. 



In addition to care in grading, in order to obtain 

 full market prices, it is necessary to have a neat and 

 attractive crate for shipping purposes. Such a crate 

 should contain 2f 1-lb. sections, and weigh from 22 to 

 24 lbs , or 12 2-lb. sections, weighing the same. 

 H. K. & F. B. Thurber & Co., 



Per J. M. 3IvCaia. 



Boston, May 27, 1883. 



ll'iney in kegs and half-barrels sells from Vi to 1 

 cent higher per lb. than in barrels, and in cans from 

 5 to 10 lbs. weight, and lighter, from i4 to 1 cent high- 

 er than that in kegs and half-barrels. Tins aud glass 

 jars (10 lb. tins) sell best. 



One-pound packages of comb honey sell at from 3 

 to 4 cents higher than Hi and 3 11). packages. More 

 1-lb. packages should be produced. Half-lb. pack- 

 ages are also wanted at 2 to 4 cents per lb. more than 

 1 lb., and 4 to 8 cents more than 2 lb. Glassed sec- 

 tions are not wanted. 



The first new white comb honey in 1 and 2 lb. sec- 

 tions will bring a good price here. 



Chock Eit & Blake. 



CiiEVELAND, Ohio, May 26, 1883. 



Your favor of the 25th is at hand. We take much 

 pleasure in answering your several questions, and 

 also add a few thoughts which bear on the subject. 



The price of honey put up in barrels of 300 lbs. is 

 about one cent less than that put up in 50-lb. kegs, 

 or about 10 cents per lb. The price of 50-lb. kegs is 

 about the same as 50 to (30 lb. tin cans, say ten cents. 

 The 30, 25, 10, 5, and 3'/4 lb. tin cans and pails bring 

 about one cent more, say 13 cents. We give these 

 prices merely as a basis, la order to show about the 

 difference. 



The demand for honey in full barrels is very un- 

 certain. It is bought only by manufacturers and 

 lurge dealers, and such are lew and far between. 

 The .50-lb. packages are usually bought by small 

 druggists, and are therefore in lietter demand. The 

 30, 25, and 10 lb. packages generally go in the same 

 direction. The packages of 5 lbs. and less are taken 

 by the grocery dealers, and are sold direct to families 

 for talile use. This trade, of course, takes the larg- 

 est quantity, and can be better depended upon for 

 constant demand. In our opinion it will not be 

 many years before this latter trade will be fullv de- 

 veloped, although it hns taken years to wear off the 

 prejudice against strained and extracted honey, es- 

 peciallv where candied. The press, the great molder 

 of i)ublic opinion, is one medium through which this 

 prejudice can be overcome; but the chief means 

 lies in the hands of bee-keepers and dealers them- 

 selves, by being honest, putting up only the best 

 qualities, and strictly pure honey, with a warrant 

 of purity over the producer's name. 



In comb honey there is usually a difference of 1 to 

 3 cents per lb. in favor of the one-pound sections, 

 quality, appearance, and condition being equal; be- 



