774 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



December, 1919 



clined to ' ' bear ' ' the market at every op- 

 portunity. ' ' 



Adams & Myers of Eansomville, N. Y., 

 write: "Eegardiug honey quotations we 

 rely on the quotations recommended by the 

 Western New York Honey Producers' As- 

 sociation 's committee. This committee is 

 composed of five members who gather all 

 the data they can regarding crop and mar- 

 ket conditions and determine a fair mini- 

 mum price based on their information. ' ' 



"Aksolutely impossible to paj' any such price!" 



Morley Pettit gives this view: "One 

 could scarcely rely on the accuracy of both 

 the wholesalers ' and producers ' quotations 

 in Canada this year. There has been a 

 sharp contest, wholesalers determined to 

 bring down prices, met by an equal deter- 

 mination on the part of producers to hold 

 to last year 's standards. The producers who 

 have held steady are winning out, but many 

 faint-hearted ones, while loudly protesting 

 that prices were not high when compared 



"I've got about three minutes more." 



with other food products, have made sure of 

 selling their own crops by retailing at whole- 

 sale prices." 



"How Do the Honey-buyers Approach 

 You"? 



"Every old way they can," says N. E. 

 Miller out in Utah. T. W. Burleson says, 

 "thru letters." F. W. Lesser 's observa- 

 tion is: "Buyers of honey, as good buyers 

 of all commodities, usually (Jepr^sg the mar- 

 ket when buying." 



W. E. Elam says: "The buyers generally 

 ask me to quote them a price. I usually re- 

 frain from quoting prices, but I suggest a 

 price that I would probably accept if I do 

 not get a better offer in the meantime. This 

 usually brings a telegraphic offer, which I 

 close if suitable. If not high enough, I 

 ■write that I will close when all quotations 

 are in. I do not ship honey on consign- 

 ment. ' ' 



Mr. Holtermann writes: "Honey-buyers 

 do not often approach me. Being willing to 

 take a fair market price and seeking to sup- 

 ply an article as represented, there is no dif- 

 ficulty in disposing of our crop. ' ' 



Morley Pettit says this: "Let the bee- 

 keeper not wait to be approached, but put 

 his product before the public — either the 

 wholesale buyers, the retailers, or the con- 

 sumer, as he may select." 



' ' Honey-buyers, ' ' says E. F. Atwater, 

 "usually try to approach me with circular 

 letters; more rarely in person; and occa- 

 sionally with absurd offers which are any- 

 thing but complimentary in their assump- 



"Nothing doins; at that price" — and 



tion of ignorance on the part of the pro- 

 ducers. ' ' 



J. E. Crane reports that "honey-buyers 

 rarely meet me, but I receive their cards or 

 requests for honey." 



Edward Hassinger says: "Honey-buyers 

 ask for sample and lowest quotation." 



"How Do You Try to Get a Fair Price"? 



' ' Governed by U. S. market reports, ' ' is 

 N. E. France's rule. "Bv holding," says 

 N. E. Miller. T. W. Burleson says: "I 

 take the quotations from the bee journals 

 and Government bulletins and local condi- 

 tions into account in arriving at a fair 

 price." F. W. Lesser 's procedure is thus 

 stated: "I try to get fair prices by judg- 

 ing the crop and by the prices paid in the 

 West, which set the prices for the East." 



W. E. Elam says: "Most buyers come 

 back with an offer of about half of what I 

 quote. Due to this I usually offer to only 

 two or three dealers regularly who have 

 paid me reasonable prices in the past. I feel 

 cut the others occasionally to see if they 

 have changed their methods — usually they 

 have not." 



