1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



15 



combine, who produce what the world needs, 

 and will die without, and so compel justice in 

 trade? The others all agree that we do not 

 ^et our fair sliare of the world's goods. But as 

 the carver at the table reserves the largest, fat- 

 test slice for his own plate, so they, still in the 

 face of acknowledged injustice, fix the price at 

 the lowest possible tigui-e, simply because ihey 

 •can; or. in railroad parlance, " charge all that 

 the traffic will bear." 



The orange-growers of Southern California 

 faced this problem. They organized as the 

 Citrus Fruit Exchange only two years ago; yet 

 only last year they controlled the market and 

 shipment of over one-half of the eight thousand 

 carloads of oranges shipped from Southern Cal- 

 ifornia. They have largely reduced the ex- 

 pense of packing and shipping, have been able 

 to grade the fruit more perfectly; and as 

 " nothing succeeds like success," they are more 

 and more winning the respect of all classes, 

 and especially the growers; and, unless they 

 commit some most unfortunate blunder, will 

 soon draw all producers into the Exchange. 

 Thus organized they can not only pack and 

 ship at the lowest expense, but they will wield 

 a power that will compel reasonable freight 

 rates, and, best of all, ihey will restore to the 

 throne, in trade, the great and equitable law 

 of supply and demand. The markets will not 

 longer be manipulated, and the charge be reg- 

 ulated by the endurance of the traffic, but reg- 

 ulated by the just laws of trade, to the benefit 

 of both producer and consumer. The avarice 

 of the tradesman shall no longer fix the prices, 

 but the producer shall have a word as to what 

 price his products shall command in the mar- 

 ket. Already the fruit interests are brighten- 

 ing; already the orange-grower is cheered by 

 the hope of living prices; already the whole 

 fraternity is seeing a brighter, better future. 



The plan of the Citrus Association or Ex- 

 change is something like the following: A cen- 

 tral office, at Los Angeles, controlled by general 

 •officers, elected by all the stockholders, accord- 

 ing to amount of stock, looks after all the gen- 

 eral business. This management is in daily 

 communication wit.h all the markets supplied, 

 in the East: arrange with responsible business 

 firms that do business in all available markets, 

 and receive all orders for fruits. As the mar- 

 kets are worked up before time of shipment, 

 the orders come in liberally, and are supplied 

 in proportion to amount of fruit, by the local 

 branches of the Exchange. Each locality has 

 its branch, and, upon receiving an order from 

 the general manager, orders from each individ- 

 ual, as the quantity and ripeness of the fruit 

 ■suggests. The vantage ground is just here; 

 markets are worked up, and new ones estab- 

 lished before the fruit season opens; and that 

 by persons directly interested in the marketing 

 of the fruit at good prices. Shipping is done 



by a single body, and so no market is glutted. 

 Cars of fruit go direct to all markets, and not 

 to some one large market like Chicago, to be 

 reshipped. The growers can pack at very 

 much less expense, and have voice as to price. 

 They are not at the mercy of myriads of buy- 

 ers, often commission men, without means or 

 responsibility. The freight rates are also more 

 sure to be justly ri'gulated by an influential as- 

 sociation than ihi'v could be by mere individual 

 effort. 'I'he thousands of dollars of rebate on 

 freight will also go to the producers and not to 

 the commission men, as was the case under the 

 old regime. The grading is done by interested 

 experts, and so is better performed, and con- 

 stantly builds up rather than interferes with 

 the ma''ket. In fact, the whole scheme is a 

 business arrangement, and is rapidly growing 

 in favor, as it must certainly do, commanding 

 the respect of the producer and also of the gen- 

 eral business public. Even bankers, and other 

 men of business sense, speak of the Exchange 

 as the salvation of the fruit interests of L'alifor- 

 nia, and this at two years of age. If the mere 

 plantlet gains such respect, what will be the 

 result when the plant is mature and has fully 

 fruited ? 



Bee-keepers are as great sufferers as were the 

 fruit-men, and have precisely the same griev- 

 ance. Very unjust discrimination is made by 

 the railroad against honey. The best extracted 

 honey, which should never sell below six cents 

 per pound, commands now only three cents in 

 the market; and the bee-keeper whose circum- 

 stances compel immediate sale can get no more. 

 He has no option, and is wholly at the mercy 

 of the buyer; and often, very often, fails of all 

 profit; and frequently, trusting his goods to 

 unprincipled commission men, loses every thing. 

 The bee-keepers have resolved to organize a 

 Honey Exchange similar to the Fruit Ex- 

 change. A committee of able, wide-awake 

 men, is appointed to put the scheme on foot. 

 The bee-keepers everywhere are promising to 

 become patrons, and show their faith, by the 

 promise to be responsible for all necessary ex- 

 penditure. 



The probable scheme will be to organize an 

 association much like the Citrus Fruit Ex- 

 change. A general manager will devote his 

 entire energies to the development of the mar- 

 ket, and the honey of California will nearly or 

 quite all be marketed through the central Ex- 

 change, and sold directly to large reliable deal- 

 ers in the East, and at a living price insisted 

 on by the Exchange. If the bee-keepers hold 

 together they can have much to say in regard 

 to fixing prices; and may so influence freight 

 rates that the unjust and unreasonable charges 

 shall be greatly reduced. It is proposed to 

 have one or more local organizations in each 

 county, to determine the magnitude of the 

 drop, and to attend to the grading and ship- 



