THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



47 



bee keepers are concerned. Of course 

 there are still a few bee keepers in the 

 province of Ontario, who are not mem- 

 bers of the Ontario association, and are 

 not informed of the committee's advices 

 as to prices. These still furnish good 

 picking for the middlemen, but the num- 

 ber of these is steadily decreasing as the 

 good offices of the association are be- 

 coming better known. 



Canadians are to be heartily con- 

 gratulated for having succeeded in rais- 

 ing the price of honey nearly, if not quite, 

 50 per cent, in the last few years, and in 

 maintaining some semblance of its ratio 

 of value to that of other commodites. 



don't consign honey to be sold on 

 commission. 



It seems to me to be a mistake to 

 consign honey to be sold on commission, 

 except in exceptional cases, such as 

 where the selling price is determined by 

 the owner of the goods. To consign 

 goods to a merchant of whose financial 

 standing and honesty you know nothing, 

 is sheer folly. The only interest a com- 

 mission merchant can honestly have in 

 goods consigned to him is a certain per- 

 centage of the selling price. It would 

 seem that his interests would stimulate 

 him to get the highest price possible to 

 obtain, but it does not always work out 

 that way. Many merchants are none 

 too flush with money, and the temptation 

 is often strong to cut prices in order to 

 realize the commissions, even if of less 

 amount. 1 believe it to be true that 

 honey sold on commission will seldom 

 yield as large returns as when it is sold 

 out right. When receiving quotations 

 from commission merchants, just remem- 

 ber that the experience of many has 

 taught that seldom have goods sold at 

 the prices quoted; that usually a small 

 portion is accounted for at quoted prices 

 and the balance at away below; that a 

 complaint that goods have been damaged 

 in transit, is frequently made without 

 foundation, by the commission merchant, 

 as a blind to account for their being 

 sacrificed; that complaints that goods 



are lacking in quality are likely to be 

 made, usually without foundation; that 

 when the commission and other charges 

 are taken out, disappointment will be 

 felt because the rich returns are away 

 below the market quotation. 



Don't consign to a middleman without 

 knowing of his standing from reliable 

 sources, and remember that the com- 

 mission merchant's anxiety to sell and 

 realize his commission quickly, is usually 

 greater than the inducement to hold for 

 the best market conditions. 



Suppose the commission merchant has 

 1 ,000 pounds of honey that will bring 

 9 cts. per pound, if not forced to sale. 

 The merchant's commission would then, 

 at 10 per cent., be $9.00. But, if he 

 wishes to realize without delay, he might 

 get an offer of 8 cts., and his commission 

 would then be S8.00; only $1.00 less, 

 while the consignor of the goods would 

 lose S9.00. 



If a commission merchant is well 

 stocked up with honey, and needs the 

 money, he has a ready means of raising 

 it by making a cut in the price. 



HOW THE FARMER BEE KEEPER INJURES 

 THE MARKET. 



The small producer who has a few 

 colonies of bees, kept as a side-line to 

 some other business, is frequently more 

 or less of a menace to the markets. He 

 usually knows nothing of the cost of pro- 

 duction, or whether his bees pay him for 

 the trouble. He knows still less of the 

 market value of honey, and considers 

 whatever he gets for it as so much clear 

 gain. The influence of this class of 

 bee keepers is exaggerated, because, if 

 the groceryman is able to purchase of 

 him for a "song," he is prone to quote 

 and insist upon that same starvation 

 price to other producers who proceed 

 with their apicultural operations on 

 business principles. This farmer-bee- 

 keeper goes to town with a small 

 quantity of honey along with his butter, 

 eggs, potatoes and beans, and sells for 

 "any old price" the store keeper chances 

 to name, which is usually just about 



