Dkck.mukr. 1919 



G L K A N 1 N G S IN BEE C U L T U R E 



773 



or other imblications. They are compelled 

 to get quotations from interested sources, 

 and I have seen a good many instances 

 where they were absolutely incorrect. Whole- 

 salers when they have a light stock may con- 

 sciously or unconsciously seek to depress the 

 market, and when they are overloaded they 

 may keep the price in the paper up in order 

 to try to get the beekeeper to ask a price 

 at which he cannot sell and on account of 

 quotations will not sell. Last winter in 

 Toronto and other places the market quo- 

 tations ran along 25c per pound, and yet 

 many beekeepers could not sell at 20c per 

 pound." 



S. H. Burton says: "We rely somewhat 

 on the quotations printed in the bee journals 

 and find them fairly accurate. But owing 

 to their being monthly publications we do 

 not like to depend entirely on this source of 

 information for up-to-the-minute prices. ' ' 



Morley Pettit sizes up the market quota- 

 tions in the bee journals in this way: "Al- 

 tho there is much conflicting information 

 from these different sources, it enables the 



he samples, and llieu- 



wide-awake beekeeper to form a fair idea of 

 market conditions. We do not absolutely 

 rely on any of the quotations given, but al- 

 low for the 'thought behind' in the different 

 ones who quote. We follow with the keen- 

 est interest editorial notes and comments in 

 the Western Honey Bee; for California is 

 first on the market, and prices received there 

 give a fair forecast of what we may ex- 

 pect." 



Several express no opinion as to the quo- 

 tations printed in the bee journals. 



Do You Believe the Government Quotations 



Are Accurate? the Wholesalers'? 



the Producers'? 



"No, but best we have," says N. E. 

 France of Platteville, Wis. N. E. Miller says 

 about the Government quotations being ac- 

 curate, "sometimes"; but as to the whole- 

 salers' and producers' quotations, he says: 

 "No, I should say not." J. E. Crane says: 

 ' ' We do not consider the Government re- 

 ports very accurate, but they help to give 

 us a general idea of conditions. ' ' Edward 

 Hassinger says: "At the present time I 

 believe these quotation? are accurate. ' ' F. 



W. Lesser expresses this oi)inion: " Ctov- 

 einment quotations I believe to be juggled 

 by reporters. In one market white clover is 

 reported as selling for less than Southern 

 amber, and this repeatedly; wholesaler's 

 quotations the same; producers' more ac- 

 curate." T. W. Burleson says: "As to 

 Government quotation accuracy, yes, in a 

 large measure; they have a fine system for 

 gathering reports and I would rely upon 



the argument begins. 



them; the wholesalers' — no; the producers' 

 — not always. ' ' 



E. F. Atwatei- writes: "I believe and 

 hope that the Government quotations are 

 more reliable than those of either dealers 

 or producers as a general proposition, for 

 they are probably less influenced by self-in- 

 terest. ' ' 



F. Eric Milieu's opinion is: "I certainly 

 believe the Government quotations are as 

 accurate as possible, as there is aVjsolutely 



no reason for them to distort the facts. As 

 regards the wholesalers ' and producers ' 

 quotations, these may be a little off one way 

 or the other, depending on the view-point of 

 the two parties, but I believe they are gen- 

 erally very near the price one wishes to sell 

 for and the other wishes to secure." 



S. H. Burton writes: "I do not believe 

 the Government quotations are accurate and 

 have invariably found them below what we 

 have been able to secure in our local mar- 

 kets. I also believe the wholesalers are in- 



