THE BEE-KEEPERS' 



KEVIKW. 



361 



is purely aminu-rcial. Hence arises a 

 difficultv. The bee-keeper, if he soils 

 his own product, enga^-es b.)th m m- 

 dustrv and trade. He must be both 

 producer and merchant. Few m^^'i ^''-^^ 

 well fitted for both occupations. One 

 man is a born trader, and if he were 

 engatjed in bee-keeping, he would grad- 

 ually work ..ut of it. or make it a side- 

 issue and engage in some sort of trade, 

 most likely the honey trade, bee-keep- 

 ers' supplies, and queen bees. It may 

 be noted that farmers sell their products 

 generally, and find little difficulty, but 

 their wheat, corn, wool and cattle have 

 a market price more or less stable, and 

 the market price agrees closely in dif- 

 ferent markets, cost of transportation 

 considered. It is different with honey. 

 This is not sufficiently liquid, if I may 

 use the expression, to seek its level m 

 the markets. It is not infrequent that 

 the price offered in one market is from 

 25 per cent, to 50 per cent, higher than 

 is paid in another where the price 

 ought to be just as high. 



GRADING KULKS AKK OBJIXTIONABLK. 



Bee-keepers are further hampered by 

 the set of artificial and impossible rules 

 now in vogue for the grading of honey 

 which seem framed for the purpose of 

 giving unfair purchasers of honey some- 

 thing about which they may complain 

 with some show of reason in order to 

 mulct the seller in a cent or two a 

 pound, in that he claims to see stain 

 on cappings of fancy honey, and more 

 than the prescribed amount on grade 

 No. 1. Strange to say, these rules en- 

 tirely ignore quality; and thin honey, 

 with an unpalatable tang, other things 

 being equal, marches fully abreast 

 vyith the rich, thick, well-ripened ar- 

 ticle. They strain at a gnat and swal- 

 low a camel. Every comb honey pro- 

 ducer knows that not one section in a 

 thousand can be found that will not 

 show some stain, and that a degree of 

 stain that does not disfigure the honey 

 is no detriment, but rather a guaranty 



of ripeness. I shall not discuss these 

 rules here, further than to say that 

 any set of rules made to govern the 

 grading of comb honey ought to insist 

 on high (piality for the higher grades. 

 Such a rule would at least have a ten- 

 dency to disseminate a knowledge of 

 the conditions necessary to the thorough 

 ripening of honey, as well as to put 

 honey under such conditions. I have 

 no doubt that in the end it would in- 

 crease the demand for honey and there- 

 by increase the ease with which honey 

 may be sold. 



SHAM. IHK PKODUCKK BKCOMK A 

 DKAMCK? 



Well, to return. We see that it is 

 conditions and not theories that con- 

 front the bee-keeper in his endeavors 

 to arrive at full fruition. In these con- 

 ditions may be found perhaps the 

 strongest argument in favor of organi- 

 zation of bee-keepers for the sale of 

 honey and the control of the honey mar- 

 ket. ' If theories could be realized such 

 an organization could secure the grad- 

 ing of honey on its merits by competent 

 men and keep the markets in different 

 parts on something like equality. But, 

 as things are, what shall our bee-keep- 

 er do? With his first good crop of 

 honey, altogether without experience 

 in selling it in quantities, and in so 

 far as dealers in honey are concerned, 

 alike unknowing and unknown, what 

 is he to do? It would be very natural 

 for him to turn for information and ad- 

 vice to the apicultural journals which 

 he takes, and even personally to seek 

 counsel and aid from their editors. 

 Are they honest? None honester. But 

 the more prominent ones are largely 

 engaged, themselves, in the purchase 

 and sale of honey, and it is a sound 

 principle of the common law that no 

 man may be judge in a case where his 

 personal interests are concerned. 

 Though one may easily, and perhaps 

 does generally, imagine it is not so 

 with himself, yet it remains true that 



