94 



GLEAICTNGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 



will show where I have erred in my conclusions on 

 this plan of peddling honey. The point is, can we 

 increase the consumption of honey more by ped- 

 dling than by leaving it at the groceries? I do not 

 wish the mistake made, that, because we get a fair 

 sale by peddling honey at a price lower than our 

 brother bee-keepers who are already selling low 

 enough, that this policy will be wise in the long 

 run. Our rivals in the business will be compelled 

 to come down also; and when the price gets so low 

 that you can not undersell, peddling will fail to 

 relieve us of the problem of disposing of our hon- 

 ey. J. B. COLTON. 



Waverly, la. 



WILL HONEY EVEK BECOME A 

 STAPLE? 



SHALL. WE ORGANIZE TO KEEP UP PRICES ? 



T HAVE disposed of much the largest share of 

 /a? my fifth and largest crop of honey; and al- 

 ]ll though I have not been in the business nearly 

 "*■ so long as Heddon or Dadant, I have neverthe- 

 less followed it long enough, and at just the 

 right time, to suffer from the most sweeping de- 

 cline in prices that any natural product has per- 

 haps ever known. 



The year 1883 was a good one in this locality, and 

 honey wholesaled at 20 and 35 cts. per lb. 1 do not 

 like to tell what I have obtained for the bulk of my 

 comb honey this year. Every year since the first 

 one, I have been laboring to develop a market at 

 aud near home, and I think I have obtained a pretty 

 fair idea how nearly honey is likely to become a 

 great staple. T am certain of two things; viz., that 

 honey will never become a universal staple, and 

 that lower prices do greatly increase consumption. 

 I can give items of experience which go far to dem- 

 onstrate these propositions. It is a matter of con- 

 tinual surprise and wonder to me that the majority 

 of folks do not like honey. Not one out of ten 

 whom I tackle on the subject cares any thing for 

 it. I eat over half the honey used in our house; 

 and I find among many of my best customers, that 

 about one of the family is all who takes it. I have 

 pretty much learned whom it is worth while to 

 approach around home. 



Springfield takes the largest share of my honey. 



I tried an experiment this year, which has taught 

 me much of the lesson I have been steadily learn- 

 ing for four years. With a large crop, overstocked 

 markets, and low prices ; with more honey than mon- 

 ey, I resolved to try how near I could make the for- 

 mer take the place of the latter. I had some building 

 to do, and I canvassed the city with a view to trad- 

 ing honey for materials, so far as I could. I would 

 patronize him who would patronize me. I found 

 just one lumber-dealer in the place who would 

 ti'ade that way. He would have— how much do you 

 suppose? Three pounds! After visiting half a 

 dozen paint-shops I found one man who would 

 do somewhat better. He ordered enough to pay 

 for paints and brush. I canvassed the hardware- 

 stores, without avail. Dry-goods stores and shoe- 

 stores were tried unsuccessfully. I sold lOH lbs. to 

 one hatter. Almost the unvarying note was, " We 

 do not like honey." It looks like small business at 

 the start, and it turned out so small that I shall not 

 work very much in that line. 



As I had a few apples and potatoes to sell, I re- 



solved to try the women at their homes. I had had 

 some experience in selling fruit and vegetables 

 some years before, and I had learned that that was 

 the way to make trucking profitable. Women like 

 to have living necessaries brought to their doors. 

 There were fruit and vegetable wagons on every 

 street, while I, almost alone, ofi'ered honey. Yet I 

 could make six sales of either one of the other 

 products to one of honey. They never interfered 

 with a honey sale either. In the light of my expe- 

 rience, how Mr. France succeeds so well in ped- 

 dling honey is a riddle to me. Yet I say, that lower 

 prices will greatly increase consumption. The vol- 

 ume of business has vastly grown around here, and 

 I believe it will continue to grow. That this 

 growth is largely due to the fact that the business 

 has been worked up, is no doubt true; but I know 

 very well that a great deal that has been sold this 

 year would have remained unsold at higher prices. 

 For example, Mr. W. sells comb honey at 13^4 to 15 

 cents, and a number of customers, somewhat like 

 one he mentioned, a day laborer, buy considerable 

 at the former price, who purchased but little when it 

 cost more. In 1882 Mr. W. sold about 100 lbs. forme at 

 33 to 35 cts. In 1883 the price fell to 15 cts., and he 

 sold about 350 lbs. The next two yeai-s the crop 

 was short, with prices higher and sales less. In 

 1885 he retailed at 18 cts., and sold perhaps 250 lbs. 

 for me. This year he has sold lower than ever be- 

 fore; and what is the result? He has already dis- 

 posed of over 400 lbs., about 130 lbs. being extract- 

 ed, and I am to deliver him about 1.50 lbs. of the two 

 kinds this week. 



Said Mr. W. to me, " I can see that it cuts into the 

 syrup trade like every thing." 



You see, at such prices honey becomes a com- 

 petitor with other commodities. Four years ago, 

 only a few of the principal stores offered honey 

 for sale; but now the stock in trade of none but a 

 few suburban grocers is complete without it. 



Prices will not continue to decline as they have 

 been doing. We shall reach rock-bottom pretty 

 soon. I am very willing that honey should be put 

 within the reach of the poorest. We owe this to 

 humanity. A honey-pool is a chimera. One hun- 

 di-ed manufacturers of an article may combine and 

 control the market; but tens of thousands of hog- 

 raisers or honey-producers can not. But if they 

 could, I do not want them to do so. I am opposed 

 to great or petty monopolies, as all such combina- 

 tions tend to become. We should, instead of try- 

 ing to keep up the price of honey, do our best to 

 make our industry profitable by producing at the 

 lowest possible cost. Geo. F. Bobbins, 93—61. 



Mechanicsburg, 111., Jan. 10, 1887. 



FEEDEES. 



HOW TO MAKE THEM. 



u 



N times of peace prepare for war," is an old 



saying. While I hope we in this country 



^i may never be called upon to prepare for 



''• another war with swords and musketry, 



yet there is always i?i this life a need of a 



warfare, and a preparation for the same, if we 



would be successful in the undertakings of life; and 



as in battle the army is most likely to be successful 



which has been thoroughly prepared in "times of 



peace," so the person who uses his leisure hours In 



getting prepared for the "heat and burden " of the 



