AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



755 



It has been suggested that unless a 

 good price be asked, it will not be 

 secured. And there is more truth than 

 poetry in that hint. Though if the price 

 asked be too high, there will also be less 

 sales, and consequently less money ob- 

 tained but more honey left on the pro- 

 ducer's hands. It seems to me that 

 comb honey, in most home markets, 

 should bring not less than 20 cents per 

 single section, or 6 sections for $1.00. 

 Extracted honey should retail, per single 

 pound, at 15 cents, or 8 pounds for 

 $1.00. These prices certainly are not 

 high, and yet probably large enough to 

 sufficiently reward any reasonable pro- 

 ducer in a fair honey season. 



There is much in education in this 

 matter of the price of honey, as well as 

 to its constant use in the family. By 

 starting out rightly, a better price can 

 be secured and maintained, and also 

 more sales be made, while if there is a 

 wrong beginning, it will be well nigh 

 impossible to correct it later on. By all 

 means study the consumer's ability to 

 pay, supply a pure article of honey, put 

 up in an attractive form, and there will 

 be little trouble about future orders 

 after the first purchase is made and used. 



I think that bee-keepers who have a 

 home market well worked up often 

 make a very great mistake when they 

 allow themselves to get out of honey for 

 sale at any time of the year; for if a 

 regular customer can get no more honey 

 from the producer who has been supply- 

 ing him, he will likely apply to the 

 grocery store, where he may be supplied 

 with a mixed article at a less price, and 

 also correspondingly inferior in quality, 

 though it may, after a time, give partial 

 satisfaction. The result will be that the 

 next time the honest producer wishes to 

 sell that customer more honey, he will be 

 expected to furnish it at very near " store 

 prices," for a superior article. To avoid 

 such an unfortunate condition of things, 

 I would always have honey on hand, 

 even if it be necessary to get it from a 

 bee-keeper at a distance, but always 

 being assured of his honesty and re- 

 liability. 



I am sure that the home market for 

 honey has undreamed of possibilities for 

 successful development, and the wide- 

 awake, progressive twentieth century 

 honey-producers will find in it a verit- 

 able gold-mine in exchange for their 

 pure, golden honey — nectar fit for the 

 gods, and hungry humanity's best food 

 and medicine. George W. York. 



Mr. York's essay was then discussed 

 as follows : 



R. F. Holtermann— I should like to 

 haye this convention discuss one subject, 

 and that is, whether a producer should 

 ever get out of honey, or whether he 

 should buy from other producers to fill 

 the demand he may have. 



F. H. Richardson — No sir-ree ! I would 

 not do that. I would sell only my own 

 honey. I would not sell any that was 

 not mine and say it was. 



Mr. York— You would not have to do 

 that. All we have to do is to guarantee 

 the honey to be pure honey. I don't 

 have to produce the honey myself. We 

 don't have to do that. 



C. P. Dadant— We have found that we 

 have had to handle honey that was not 

 our own. When the crop was short we 

 found that it was very easy to sell honey 

 that was not our own, by putting our 

 label on it. We tell them it is not our 

 own honey, but when they see our label 

 on it they take it as soon as they would 

 our own. If they would not see our 

 label on it, they would think we had 

 "manufactured" it. If we tell them 

 that we will guarantee it, it is all right. 

 It is sufficient for them if we will guar- 

 antee it. 



Pres. Abbott— I have been compelled 

 to sell Dadant's honey. 



Dr. Miller — I think it is a good thing 

 in two respects. When a bee-keeper has 

 more honey than he needs, and one has 

 less than he needs and buys it, then it is 

 a good thing. There is one thing that I 

 want to speak about right here, and that 

 is in regard to the price of honey. Some 

 sell it for 20 cents a section. The sup- 

 ply and demand is going to rule. In one 

 place the price is 15 cents, and in 

 another place 20 cents. We may as well 

 give up if we attempt to fix any price on 

 honey. We will do harm rather than 

 good. 



Mr. York— My essay reads that most 

 home markets should not bring less than 

 20 cents. 



Dr. F. L. Peiro— Mr. Richardson tells 

 me something which is entirely new to 

 me, and that is the fact that a man can 

 lie without saying anything. In Chicago 

 we do a good deal of lying, and I am 

 going to find out just how he does that 

 fine-haired thing ! 



Pres. Abbott — I have had a little ex- 

 perience in this honey-selling business. 

 I have lived in St. Joseph for ten years. 

 The first four or five I did a good deal 

 by way of selling my own honey, but I 

 have seldom had honey enough to supply 

 the demand when I have pushed the 

 business. For the last two or three 

 years I have tried not to sell rather than 

 sell. During that time I have been able 



