THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



363 



ly advertised. The result is butter that 

 has doubled in value, while 'honey, the 

 richest food of the two, has fallen to less 

 than half Its former value! 



ORGANIZATION AGAINST ORGANIZATION. 



If the bee keepers would organize and 

 work for better prices they would surely 

 succeed. Time was when the individual 

 was in competition with an individual, 

 but not so now. It is organization against 

 organization. It seems the only way to 

 succeed in these days of combinations. 

 As an illustration of this, we will cite a 

 case that came under our observation 

 last winter. The large shippers and dis- 

 tributors of milk in this city had a meet- 

 ing and raised the price of milk. Very 

 soon after this the dairy men's associa- 

 tion convened and demanded that they 

 receive for their products one-third of 

 the retail price of milk: if not, they 

 would start milk depots of their own in 

 this city. They got what they wanted, 

 and we think they acted right. 



Under existing conditions it is im- 

 possible for a single product of honey to 

 get a fancy price. The product is 

 dumped in on the commission mian who 

 takes what he can get for it. There is 

 no life to the trade. No advertising of 

 special brands, which would fix a price 

 for fancy goods. No name of noted 

 producers that would guide the public, 

 but we have demonstrated to our own 

 satisfaction that all this could be changed. 



At the present time we receive for 

 honey at least 25 per cent, m.ore than 

 the market prices. Eight or nine grocers 

 sell our product, and they will not handle 

 any other at any price. Every section 

 or can has our personal guarantee. Sup- 

 pose eight or nine hundred grocers were 

 induced to handle a special brand, well- 

 advertised and guaranteed to be pure. 

 The trade of the city would be revolu- 

 tionized. Any other city would be the 

 same. These days people eat what they 

 are told to by the advertisements they 

 read. We have a friend who until 

 recently was in the baking business. He 

 spent as high as S5,000 a year advertis- 



ing his bread. He built up a large busi- 

 ness and grew wealthy. Others who 

 never advertised probably made as good 

 or better bread than my friend, but their 

 business will always remain small. 



One morning as we came to our office we 

 purchased five cents worth of chewing 

 gum. Not that we wanted to use the vile 

 stuff, but to see what it brought per 

 pound. The five little pieces weighed 

 just one ounce, which shows that we paid 

 at the rate of 80 cents per pound. Why 

 do people pay such a price for a delusive 

 poisonous sweet, instead of using honey 

 to satisfy the appetite for the sweet. 

 Just because it is advertised and the 

 honey is not. 



Alexander, in his book, says that the 

 benefits of organization among the bee 

 keepers for better prices would be great, 

 "but it seems that there is none in our 

 ranks capable of forming us together" or 

 words to that effect. Now, we do not 

 wish to harshly criticise the writers in 

 the bee journals, but it seems to us that 

 there is much written of a scientific 

 nature that is of no particular interest or 

 benefit to the great army of bee keepers. 

 Doolittle says there was a time when he 

 gave one pound of his honey for one 

 pound of butter, but now he has to give 

 two of honey for one of butter, and be 

 wonders why these things are so. One 

 reason is that the men who have ele- 

 vated the price of butter do not seem to 

 care whether the cow is a Reflex Animal 

 or not, neither do they spend their time 

 delving into her physicological attributes, 

 nor waste pages discussing the subject 

 whether her kick would kill or cure a 

 rheumatic. 



Glucose is the arch enemy of honey, so 

 is Oleo of butter. The producers of 

 butter have educated the public to know 

 that there is a wide difference between 

 Oleo and butter, and have compelled the 

 producers of Oleo to sell it for just what 

 it is. They have said that Oleo is not 

 butter, and also that cows cannot be fed 

 on slop and brewery swill and produce 

 the rich life laden milk and butter that 



