Vol. XVBII. 



NOV. 15. lb\H). 



No. 22. 



TERMS:81.00Per Annum, IN Advance; 1 Tp ,,4-^J~.l-^ nT% rt/I I'-n 1 Q 'V Q ( Clubs to diflferentpostoflices, not less 

 2Copiesfor81.90; 3foi$2.75; 5for84.00; I -C/dt'tC/tyt/t'O/t't'Ct/ l/rO ^ O / t> . | than 90 ct " ~ 



PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY BY 



10 or more, Ifi cts. eaoh. Single num 

 ber. 5 cts. Additions to clubs may be I 



Z^^:nTt^TsIfo'^.o^^.lV:'''''^'"'\A. I. ROOT, MEDINA, OHIO 



each. Sent postpaid, in the 

 U. S. and Canadas. To all other coun- 



1 tries of the Universal Postal Union, 18 

 cts per year extra. To all countries 



L NOT of the U. P. U., 42 cts. per year extra. 



COMMISSION MEN. 



.SEI-LIXG HOXEY ON COMMISSION. 



I think we should all try to build up our own 

 home market, and we can do so by persever- 

 ance : but persons handling several hundred 

 colonies of bees, and with no taste for peddling 

 honey, oft(Mi find more of it on their hands than 

 they can dispose of in tlic home market. Then 

 it is that we are thankful for honest and trusty 

 commission merchants. 



In the first place, I think people do not under- 

 stand how to deal with commission men. as was 

 the case when we began selling honey. The 

 man who has honey or other farm produce for 

 sale, more than he can wi'll dispose of at home, 

 should go to one or more of the grocerymen in 

 his nearest large town, and get the names and 

 address of several commission men. and ask 

 this grocer whether his dealings with such and 

 such a man hav<> lieen fair and houoiabl.-, and 

 note it down: then select the man he tliinks he 

 can trust, and send to him for his circular giv- 

 hig daily prices of farm produce. 



Possibly the producer has friends living in 

 the city who could make inciuiries for him, for 

 a trusty commission merchant. That business 

 is like all others — some very honorable men are 

 engaged in it, and some very dishonorable ones 

 as well. Then write to the man. telling him 

 that you have honey to sell, and that, if he 

 wishes to handle it for you. you will S(>nd him 

 some. Send as soon as jjossible afti'r his reply, 

 biff, not before. Yet. one ne(>d not be in too big 

 a rush, as w(> have found by much experiimce 

 that the ai)iarist has plenty of time to sell liis 

 honey during fall and winter, and we always 

 get just as good prices during the early winter 

 months as in the fall months: yet I would sell 

 as fast a>< I could conveniently gi't at it after the 

 first of Si'ptimibei'. as honey sidls most rapidly 

 in October and November. 



We always try to shii) the first of the week, 

 not iater than tlu' middle, that the honev may 



arrive at its destination the same week. The 

 apiarist should accompany the honey to the 

 cars if possible, and help load it on. spreading 

 out i)aper to set it on, and see that it is piled in 

 with the ends of the section to the end of the 

 cai", the piles of cases not too high. The pile 

 against the end of the car may be higher than 

 the outside, and glass always inward, to avoid 

 breakage. 



Sometimes we can get a through car, so that 

 it will not have to be changed from one car to 

 another, which is often the cause of broken 

 honey. Sometimes we can send it in a refriger- 

 ator car, which is a through car. and we could 

 never see that the cold injured the honey. vS(muI 

 the bill of lading in tlie letter to the commission 

 merchant, telling him how much per pound you 

 ask for the honey. Sometimes we may name 

 the price too high, and he can not sell: in that 

 case lie may hold yours and sell for others \\ho 

 have not named so high a price: but generally 

 he will not hold it long, as he wishes his goods 

 to move off. and he will either sell or notify you 

 the price is too high, so you can write him 

 again, lowering it. Of course, you keep your- 

 self posted on the honey mark(>t. He has no 

 right to sell at a lower jirice until you give di- 

 rections. If the apiarist names no price, the 

 commission man. if he is honest, and wishes 

 your patronage, will do just as well by you as 

 if you named your own price: but if he is not 

 honest, it gives him a chance to cheat you if 

 you leave the i)rice with him. as I know they 

 do sometimes sell at a better price tiian they 

 leijort to the a|)iarist. If he is slow in writing 

 you. write him again, and ask him how soon he 

 will he sold out. and can handle more. Insist 

 on having i)ay for as many i)oun(ls as are sent, 

 fractions included. exce|)t. if the fractions result 

 in less than ."> cents, it is usual to throw that in. 

 Vet if the returns fall short ."> or 10 ll)S. on sev- 

 eral hundred. I should say nothing about it: 

 but if it fell short much inore I would instruct 

 the commission man not to do so again, as it is 

 not rnlable— at least, this is what our most 



