Jan. IS, 1903. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



39 



this to be sent out, while, as before intimated, not endors- 

 ing methods employed by certain firms to find out what the 

 crop of honey, yet the fact remains, that if they are goinj; 

 to do business in a business manner, they must in some 

 way at least have an idea as to the amount of honey in 

 sigfht. As loiigf as^we as bee-keepers do not provide them 

 with better plans for gaining information of the honey 

 crop, we should not be too emphatic in saying just what 

 they should do, or just what they shall not do. I venture 

 to say that if we could have the privilege of perusing so)iii- 

 of the letters sent to the wholesale firms by bee-keepers, in 

 answer to the query as to their crop of hone)', we would be 

 greatly surprised at the glowing accounts of big yields, etc. 

 We would not wonder that wholesale men sometimes jump 

 at conclusions. 



Some time in September of this year, speaking with 

 different wholesale men in Toronto, I was surprised to hear 

 them speak of bee-keepers coming to them and telling of 

 their big crops of honey. One man in particular, who had 

 a fair crop of honey this year, seemed to have visited nearly 

 every firm for the purpose of expanding himself. I did not 

 wonder that when I tried to assure them that there was not a 

 large crop of honey in Ontario this year, they shook their 

 heads in a knowing way, intimating that I had "an ax to 

 grind;" or I would not talk like that. 



In conclusion, while having treated this subject only in 

 a superficial way, yet I frankly admit that as conditions are 

 to-day I have no suggestions to offer, other than the very 

 simple ones that will readily occur to the mind of every one 

 without me taking the time to mention them. The only 

 logical solution of the problem of reporting and marketing 

 the honey crop is, that we want to change existing condi- 

 tions. While prices for honey, as for nearly all other prod- 

 ucts, must always be largely controlled by the laws of sup- 

 ply and demand, yet this is the case to a greater extent 

 with some things more than others. For instance, many 

 varieties of fruit are of a very perishable nature, and in the 

 event of a large crop there is not time for proper distribu- 

 tion. On the contrary, good honey will keep indefinitely, 

 and even if we have a fair crop no glutting of the markets 

 need take place if it be properly distributed. As it is to- 

 day, a fair crop in one locality will often overload the near- 

 est market, even should there be a comparative failure of 

 the crop in other sections. This will at once bring to our 

 minds the paramount issue before the bee-keepers of to-day 

 — commercial organization. In this age, when the combi- 

 nation spirit is so rampant in the land, that some one has 

 suggested that " ten mills make one trust, ten trusts make 

 one combine," should be added to our tables of weights and 

 measures, I feel that we should be very careful how we 

 move in this direction. I have nothing to offer along this 

 line, indeed, it would be presumption on my part to do so, 

 as we are shortly to listen to a report from a committee 

 appointed to look into this matter. Nevertheless, I feel 

 sure that anything that will better the conditions of the 

 bee-keepers, and at the same time not violate the principles 

 of the Golden Rule, will receive the hearty support of the 

 majority of the members of the Association. 



J. L. Byer. 



Mr. Craig — This subject was under discussion in the 

 Canadian Bee Journal last season, but no definite conclu- 

 sion was reached. Mr. Byer's paper has left the matter as 

 we all see it. So far as the journals go, they receive their 

 information from the very best sources. The directors have 

 faithfull)- given reports, and every member of this Associa- 

 tion, and every reader of the Canadian Bee Journal, from 

 the Atlantic to the Pacific, have been kept posted with ref- 

 erence to the condition of the honey crop. The trouble lies 

 with bee-keepers who think to save money by staying out 

 of the Association and not taking the Journal. We have 

 suffered from press reports ; we can't control these. The 

 report sent out by the Associated Press last season came 

 from the hands of manipulators. Postal cards were re- 

 ceived by the leading bee-men of Ontario, asking tlie 

 amount of honey they had. Some were foolish enough to 

 reply to these. They had no business to reply. If the 

 house which sent them out wanted honey, and asked for 

 quotations, well and good ; but by telling them our business 

 we leave ourselves at the mercy of these men. I can't offer 

 any remedy except a honey exchange. 



Mr. Sibbald said that he was a bee-keeper in summer, 

 and wholesaler in winter, so he had a chance to see both 

 sides. He pointed out that a dealer would not buy unless 

 he had an idea of the Province. It is important that some 

 one be ready to buy our honey, and to sell it we must give 

 the dealer some idea of the crop, so he can buy in a way to 



make a profit. But beekeepers do give some funny reports. 

 For instance, one man writes in that he has 250 pounds per 

 colony, and you afterwards find out he has two colonies. 

 Another reports 15,000 pounds of honey, but it turns out that 

 he has 300 colonies. If we had a honey exchange we could 

 get a fair price all around, and dealers would rather deal 

 with a corporation. The market situation here is about like 

 this : For two years the crop was practically a failure. 

 Some who had crops, sold at a fair figure, and the dealers 

 made well on it. This made the dealers keen, and when 

 better years came the bee-men made well, but dealers 

 loaded up too heavily. Next year they are going to be 

 wary ; there are more bees in the Province than ever be- 

 fore, and if a good crop comes, look out for a big drop in 

 the price. 



Mr. Couse — Buyers have a right to learn the supply. 

 Sellers want to learn the price. Our honey has to compete 

 with South American honey, Cuban honey, etc., which are 

 shipped to Toronto for manufacturing purposes, and buyers 

 need to be cautious. 



Mr. Dickenson — In the British market our honey does 

 not compete with these southern honeys. They are for 

 manufacturing purposes. Ours is solely a table honey. In 

 Liverpool our honey commands twice the price that Jamaica 

 honey does. 



Messrs. Couse, Holteriuann, Heise, Byer, Sibbald, and 

 others, pointed out that in Toronto our honey is in direct 

 competition with southern honeys. Large quantities are 

 used in manufacturing, and although superior as a table 

 honey it is no better for manufacturing than the others. It 

 is manifest then that so long as Canadian honey is crowded 

 into Toronto its price can not rise above that of the inferior 

 southern kinds. 



Mr. Dickenson insisted that we should ship to England, 

 where it is appreciated for table use. 



Mr. Evans — Manitoba and the Northwest is a good 

 place to ship. Send it candied in 10-pound pails. These 

 pails are very useful out there. But to save freight it is 

 almost necessary to ship in car-lots. 



Mr. Chrysler — Our extracted honey is not all good table 

 honey. It should be graded, and let No. 2 honey compete 

 with outsiders ; No. 1 will bring a good price. 



Mr. Holmes — What is the opinion of the convention 

 with reference to telling wholesalers how many pounds of 

 honey you have ? How would their question compare with 

 my asking how much money they have ? 



Mr. Evans — Don't report a big crop enthusiastically, 

 nor conceal the fact of a failure. 



Mr. Holtermann — The report of the best bee-men is not 

 a fair representation. Let the report be fair, and not in- 

 flated. 



Mr. Chrysler — Give the yield per colony, and compare 

 with last year's yield. 



(Coutiaued next week.) 



Contributed Articles. 



'vr^^'srvr-ffT'sr-gr'sf-si^ 



Getting Ready for the Next Season. 



BY G. M. DOOLITTLK. 



BY the time this reaches the readers of the American Bee 

 Journal, their bees will all be in winter quarters, and 

 they doubtless, as many another has done, well be ask- 

 ing themselves what next they can do to be best preparing 

 for another season. All who are truly bee-keepers will not 

 think of idling winter away, waiting for spring to come to 

 see what will turn up with the bees and their business, but 

 will be looking around immediately to see if it is possible to 

 be in better readiness than they were the year before, and 

 especially how they may be gaining more knowledge re- 

 garding their pursuit. 



I do not think there will be a dissenting voice when I 

 say that the all-important point is a thorough knowledge of 

 apiculture. And if this is so, there is no better time to gain 

 that knowledge than the long winter evenings which are 

 now before us. Get around the back volumes of the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal, and other bee papers and books, if you 

 have them, .and read them carefully and thoroughly, so as 

 to put what you learn in practice the next season, and thus 

 you will have just what you wish at your " fingers' end " in 



