10 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



January 



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PUBLISHED MONTHLY AT 



1st Nat'l Bank Bldg., Hamilton, Illinois 



Entered as second class matter at the 

 Hamilton, Illinois. Post-office. 

 C. P. Dadant. Editor. 

 Dr. C. C. Miller. Associate Editor. 

 Franlc C. Pellett. Staff Correspondent. 



IMPORTANT NOTICE 



THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of this 

 Journal istLoo a year in the United States 

 of America and Mexico; i years. $2.25; 5 

 years. $3.00; in Canada. 10 cents extra, and in 

 all other countries in the Postal Union, 25 

 cents a year extra for postage. Sample 

 copy free. 



THE WRAPPER-LABEL DATE indi- 

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 of December, igiy. 



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Copyright: igi7 by C. P. Dadant. 



THE EDITOR*S VIEWPOINT 



Comb-Honey Rates in the South 



In the Southern Classification, com- 

 prising practically all the region south 

 of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi 

 rivers, there are no rates on comb 

 honey in carlots, while less than car- 

 load shipments go at double first class. 



Letters addressed to W. R. Rowe, of 

 the Classification Committee at Atlanta, 

 Ga., urging changes in the classifica- 

 tion so as to have it conform with 

 others, would have their effect in help- 

 ing get the change. 



The Honey Market 



What a contrast this year from the 

 same date in 1916! Extracted honey 

 was offered at this time last year at 

 ridiculously low prices both on the 

 coast and in the local markets. This 

 year extracted honey is at a premium 

 whether it be light or amber. Last sea- 

 son amber honey was offered on the 

 coast in carlots as low as 3>^ cents to 

 4 cents a pound, while this year not 

 a car can be had at present for less 

 than 7 cents to 1% cents per pound. 



Now what are the contributing 

 causes ? In our opinion, one of the 

 leading causes is the fact that Califor- 

 nia has a very short crop, and that the 

 intermountain States, where extracted 

 honey is produced, were also very short 

 of honey this season. For instance, 

 last year we were offered two carloads 

 of white alfalfa honey by beekeepers 

 in Idaho, and at a very low price. This 

 year, these same beekeepers wrote us 

 asking at what price we would furnish 

 them a carload of white clover honey 

 to supply their trade. The result of all 

 this has been that extracted honey is 

 now at a premium. One of he largest 

 bottlers recently made a statement that 

 he would pay an extra fancy price for 

 a carload of white honey, no matter 

 where it was secured. In fact, he felt 

 sure that a carload could not be had 

 anywhere. 

 The shortage of fruit is perhaps one 



of the greatest causes for the consump- 

 tion of honey, and in our locality, as 

 late as February, first class apples sold 

 as low as 50 cents per bushel. This 

 year there were no apples of any kind 

 stored, and those which are shipped in 

 are priced now at $1.50 to $2.00 per 

 bushel. 



The fact that there has been a tre- 

 mendous amount of honey exported 

 to the countries now at war is also a 

 reason of the shortage of the honey 

 supply and the high prices. Besides 

 this, the advertising campaign made for 

 Airline honey has brought the atten- 

 tion of consumers to the fact that 

 honey is a food and not a luxury. 



Although the middle West had per- 

 haps the largest crop in its history, the 

 fact that it was produced in a section 

 which is very thickly populated, pre- 

 vented the markets being flooded. In- 

 stead of white clover honey being 

 shipped to distant markets, it was for 

 the greater part consumed right where 

 it was produced. In our own city 

 there were a number of beekeepers 

 who produced large crops, but these 

 are now entirely sold out and grocers 

 are demanding more honey from other 

 sources. Although the middle West 

 had the largest crop in its history, it 

 was soon absorbed by the local market. 

 Our own crop of 125,000 pounds, two 

 thirds of which was white clover, is 

 very nearly all cleaned up, besides a 

 larger quantity which we have had to 

 buy to protect our customers, and we 

 have sold it all at good prices. Bee- 

 keepers who sold at a low price earlier 

 in the season are hardly to blame for 

 letting go, however, as they had 1915 to 

 look back to. 



There is no doubt that t'lis year's ex- 

 perience will cause a higher price for 

 extracted honey in 1917. Even though 

 there should be large crops throughout 

 the country, the fact that the markets 

 are cleaned up is bound to make 

 higher prices for next year. 



Regarding comb honey, the case is 

 entirely different. There seems to be 

 more comb honey on hand than the 

 markets can well take care of. It must 

 be remembered, however, that with the 

 scarcity of extracted honey, the de- 

 mand for comb honey is bound to 

 increase, and we hope that before the 

 new crop the comb-honey market will 

 be almost as clean as the extracted- 

 honey market. 



A New Bee Paper 



"The Beekeepers' Item " is the name 

 of the new bee paper designed espe- 

 cially for developing the interest of 

 beekeepers in the southwest. It is an 

 8-page monthly, and has a subscription 

 rate of 50 cents a year. 



The editor is Mr. Louis H. SchoU, 

 one of Texas' largest beekeepers, and 

 well known as a contributor to bee 

 publications. He will be remembered 

 as the champion and advocate of the 

 divisible brood-chamber hives which 

 he uses exclusively. He is also presi- 

 dent of the newly-formed Texas Honey- 

 Producers' Association. 



There is a fertile field for such a 

 paper in Texas and adjoining States, 

 serving the purposes for which Mr. 

 SchoU intends it. It will be devoted to 

 disseminating news items and encour- 

 aging neighborliness and cooperation 

 among the beekeepers of that great 

 section, and will have as well an edu- 

 cational value. No doubt also that it 

 will have no little influence in promot- 

 ing legislation. 



We wish the new paper and its able 

 editor success. He should have the 

 hearty support of all southwestern bee- 

 keepers. 



The National Meeting 



As announced in these columns, the 

 National Beekeepers' Association will 

 meet this year at Madison, Wis., on 

 Feb. 6, 7 and 8. Any one who has at- 

 tended the numerous State conven- 

 tions during the past two weeks, prob- 

 ably will have met the president. Prof. 

 Francis Jager, of Minnesota, and will 

 have become as enthusiastic as he in 

 regard to the coming National gath- 

 ering. 



The National seems to be coming 

 into its own again, and with such men 

 as Prof. Jager, F. E. Millen, N. E. 

 France and others who are now work- 

 ing hard to make it stronger than ever 

 there is no doubt that it will become 

 of inestimable value to the beekeepers. 

 The work planned by Prof, Jager 

 and his colleagues for the National 

 during the coming year is quite exten- 

 sive in its scope. Each topic will be 

 discussed in turn at the convention. 



The gathering together of data re- 



