^ERICA.^ 



41st YEAR. 



CHICAGO, ILL,, OCTOBER 10, 1901. 



No, 41. 



\ * Editorial. ^ l 



Bee-Keeping in the West Indies is 



the title of a pamphlet of about SO pages, 

 issued in Auffust of this year by Mr. D. Mor- 

 ris, Commissioner of Agriculture for the West 

 Indies. It is written by Mr. W. K. Morrison, 

 who was engaged for the purpose of prepar- 

 ing the booklet, after visiting several of the 

 principal islands of the group. Mr. Morrison 

 was formerly connected with the I'nited 

 States Department of Agriculture, and is 

 specially fitted for such an undertaking. In 

 introducing the pamphlet, Mr. Morris says: 



'' After a careful study of the circumstances 

 Mr. Morrison is of opinion that the outlook 

 for bee-keeping in the West Indes is very 

 encouraging. At present, with the single 

 exception of Jamaica, a bee-keeping indus- 

 try can hardly be said to exist. At Urenada, 

 St. Vincent, Barbados and Antigua a few bee- 

 keepers were met with, but in the other 

 islands, as at St. Lucia and Dominica, with 

 an abundance of honey-bearing flowers to be 

 found all the year round, little or no atten- 

 tion has been devoted to bee-keeping." 



Mr. Morrison gives hints suited to bee-keep- 

 ing In the tropics, illustrations of the more 

 important implements required, a list of the 

 principal nectar-yielding flowers of that re- 

 gion, and a glossary of bee-terms. 



The hope is expressed that the pamphlet 

 ■• will serve the objects in view, and that a 

 bee-keeping industry of a thriving and per- 

 manent character will before long be estab- 

 lished in these islands." 



Cuba and Jamaica are foremost in bee- 

 keeping among the islands of the West Indies. 



The Honey Crop of 1901 in the 



I'nited .States seems to be a rather uncertain 

 iiuantity, if we may judge from the reports 

 that we hear from various parts of the land. 

 In view of this condition of honey affairs, we 

 requested Messrs. R. A. Burnett & Co. I whom 

 we regard as the largest wholesale dealers in 

 honey in Chicago), to furnish a statement for 

 publication, giving their honest opinion con- 

 cerning this very important subject. Here is 

 their response: 



Chicago, Sept. 27, ISCH. 

 Editor of Amekican Bee Jours.m,. — 



There seems to be unusually conflicting 

 accounts of the honey produced, and being 

 produced, in the season of 1901. We are just 

 in receipt of a special circular datecl at 

 Medina, Ohio, Sept. 2.i, entitled. " An Un- 

 mitigated Shame; More Monstrous Tales 

 About the Prices on Honey." Inasmuch as 

 this circular is to appear in the next issue of 

 Gleanings in Bee-Culture, we will not (|Uote 

 verbatim therefrom, but in the letter that 

 accompanies this the A. I. Koot Co. says: 



" We believe that when you know the facts 

 you will be governed accordingly." Now we 

 (luite agree with this statement — we certainly 

 desire at all times to be governed by the facts, 

 and all that we seek to know (and we judge 

 it to be the same with other people) is, that 

 we want to be sure we have the facts. 



It is probable, from most reliable informa- 

 tion that we get, that the Middle and Eastern 

 States have produced more honey than for 

 some seasons past, with the exception of 

 southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. 

 Those localities'suffered the most severely of 

 any during the dry time that was so long con- 

 tinued in those localities; but even there, 

 none of our correspondents claim they will 

 not have suflieient honey to winter the bees, 

 and it really looks to us as if there will be a 

 surplus from the autumn flowers which have 

 been profuse this autumn. 



The State of Texas has produced more 

 honey than California did in ordinary seasons 

 10 or \h years ago ; then, even Ohio has pro- 

 duced some honey ; Pennsylvania, New Vork, 

 and the New England States have had very 

 good yields. Even the conservative Mr. Doo- 

 little, of New York, admits that there has 

 been an abundant flow of honey in his 

 locality, and from sources that have not 

 given honey for many years past. There have 

 also been some unusually large yields per 

 colony in different parts of the country ; 

 while in locations not far from those favored 

 ones the yield has been light, thus showing 

 that atmospherical conditions were not always 

 the same over an entire State. 



Furthermore, the producers in the less 

 favored sections or localities early told of 

 their failure to get a crop, thus carrying the 

 idea to those who were more fortunate that 

 perhaps they had all the honey there was to 

 be had. This has tended to make holders of 

 the favored apiarists, resulting in the honey 

 being held off the market longer than usual, 

 as they naturally expected higher prices even 

 than prevailed last year, which season was 

 the nearest to falling below a sufficient sup- 

 ply of any year in the past fifteen. 



The Western States, especially Colorado, 

 Nevada, and Utah, are finding that there is 

 not the demand from the East that has ex- 

 isted for the past two years, and are begin- 

 ning to get anxious about marketing their 

 honey, in consequence of which the associa- 

 tions are making a broad canvass for a pos- 

 sible outlet at prices somewhat near those 

 obtained last year. 



If it is true that the newspapers of the 

 country have been telling that there has been 

 a great honey harvest secured this season, it 

 will result in benefiting the producers more 

 than anything else ; for, let the public get the 

 idea that honey is plentiful, good and cheap, 

 and they will call for it as they would not 

 otherwise do; for who amongst us does not 

 feel more inclined to purchase an article 

 when it is good and cheap, rather than when 

 it is scarce and dear ; We can see great help, 

 if this be true, that the information is broadly 

 circulated, that there has been an abundant 

 harvest of honey, for people must use more 

 of it this season than ever before it the crop 

 of 1901 is to be inurketed before the coming 

 crop of 190'i is due. 



We are of the opinion that prevailing prices 

 are not too high, and that honey will be used 

 freely, unless the in-ople begin to believe that 

 there has not been a good crop, but that it is 

 scarce and dear, us, the terms " short crop " 

 or "short yield " implies advanced prices to 

 the average mind : hence they look for a sub- 



stitute, which, once adopted, takes the place 

 of the article that was scarce, until the time 

 for another harvest. 



We do not seek by the foregoing to advise 

 people what to do with their property, but 

 give it as our opinion, which, when compared 

 with others, may enable those having honey 

 to sell to ascertain what are the facts. 

 Very truly yours, 



R. A. Burnett iV- Co. 



It will be noticed that Messrs. Burnett it 

 Co. refer to a circular appearing in Gleanings 

 in Bee-Culture. We have thought it best to 

 copy it, so that our readers may have the 

 advantage of both views. It is as follows: 



In our last issue I stated that there had 

 been gross exaggeration as to the honey crop 

 of the southern counties of California; but at 

 that time the inflation buyers claimed a maxi- 

 mum output of only 500 ears; but now they 

 have boosted it to 2000. As I have before 

 stated, there seems to be a combination which 

 has induced some of the daily papers to cir- 

 culate such rep9rts right and left. (In its 

 best years, indeed the very best, the entire 

 crop has not exceeded .500 cars, and this year 

 was only fair, with less than half the bees to 

 get the honey. ) These glib falsifiers even go 

 so far as to say, " This year's crop is esti- 

 mated at 2000 cars;" that while the prices 

 last year ruled at 8I4 cents, they are now 

 down to less than half that, and they will 

 probably have to go lower; and, as if to add 

 insult to injury, they further state that Hono- 

 lulu honey is being poured into California, 

 and from there it is being sent East. 



Such stories have a strong tendency to un- 

 settle the market ; and the animus back of it 

 all is very apparent. The Western "bears'" 

 are anxious, of course, to have the prices go 

 down. They know the crop is light; and 

 then when they get the producers under their 

 thumbs, they propose, no doubt, to scoop up 

 the honey at a low figure, and then hold it 

 until it advances. 



Moreover, the Eastern buyers are being 

 scared; and one man, whose honesty is above 

 reproach, wrote, asking for my private opin- 

 ion. He is a large buyer; and he says if 

 these stories are true he would not dare to 

 take on any more honey. But it is evident 

 that there are some other men in collusion 

 with the Western buyers who are anxious 

 that these inflated yarns shall be scattered, 

 because, forsooth, it will depress the Eastern 

 market as well. If, for example, there were 

 2(100 cars in California, and as much more of 

 Honolulu honey, it would be perfectly clear 

 that a large portion of it would have to go 

 East. But no one need be alarmed over the 

 matter. The facts are, I doubt whether .5t> 

 cars could be sci-aped up and sent eastwarti 

 from California, all told. The large baking 

 concerns have laid in (|uite a stock — probably 

 all they will rci|Uire; for when the price was 

 down they snapped up every burgain they 

 could get hold of; but now producers with 

 business heads on them are holding the rest 

 of the crop back. 



For some weeks back we have been having 

 men on the Pacific coast make a careful eon- 

 vass ; and it is very evident that the crop is 

 light in comparison with those of some of 

 the big years. I do not believe there is an 

 aggregation of responsible producers any- 

 where in California who would guarantee to- 



