CO-OPERATIVE MARKETING 



265 



Blending. — If the bee-keeper has honey from several sources 

 so that his product varies greatly in quality and flavor he should 

 either blend the different kinds together as a whole so as always 

 to have his brand uniform, or he should use only his best honey 

 under his brand and dispose of the other stock on the general 

 market. Blended honey gives very good satisfaction, usually, 

 if the blend is always alike. This plan permits the bee-keeper 

 to dispose of all his product in his own trade and it brings better 

 prices. 



If one has poor quality honey of any kind he should not 

 take chances of spoiling his market 

 by using it unless it is his principal 

 source, in which event he can develop 

 a market which will come to demand 

 that particular product. 



Co-operative Marketing. — Where 

 the business of honey production is 

 highly developed, as in some sections 

 of the West, the co-operative plan 

 offers decided advantages. Many of 

 the bee-keepers are engaged in produc- 

 tion on such an extensive scale that 

 they find little time or inclination to bother with the selling 

 end of the business. If the cooperative association is in the 

 hands of competent managers the honey goes to the best markets 

 and the large volume of business transacted cuts the cost of 

 handling down to the lowest possible figure. 



The Colorado Honey Producers' Association is one of the 

 most successful of these cooperative associations. The individ- 

 ual member packs and marks his honey according to the associa- 

 tion rules and ships it to the Denver headquarters. If he has 

 a sufficient quantity to ship it out in carlots the manager of the 

 association or someone for him inspects the honey to see that 

 it is properly graded and it is shipped to market directly from 

 the apiary. The bee-keeper gets the full amount of cash resulting 



Fig. 122.— Trade-mark of the 

 Colorado Honey Producera Associ- 

 ation. 



