274 MARKETING THE HONEY CROP 



of the one side gives a view of the contents (Fig. 132). This 

 package would be suited only to the highest class of trade be- 

 cause of the extra expense to produce it, but there is a trade 

 that would gladly pay a few cents extra for each section in 

 order to secure a fancy package that is dust and drip proof. 



The paper carton serves the same general purpose and is 

 much cheaper. Extracted honey also sells much better in 

 attractive packages, as any bee-keeper of experience has learned 

 by experience. The experiment has been tried of putting honey 

 in an ordinary Mason fruit jar with ordinary top and rubber 

 beside containers holding the same quantity and quality of honey 

 but of a clear white glass and nice fitting top and attractive label. 

 From six to ten times as many jars of the more attractive appear- 

 ing lot were sold as of the other, thus proving how far the 

 appeal to the eye will assist in making a sale. 



Retail Prices. — Many bee-keepers prefer to dump the whole 

 crop on the general market to sell for what it will bring rather 

 than to go to the trouble of developing the retail market. As a 

 rule extracted honey of good quality will not sell readily at 

 more than 7j^ to 8 cents per pound in large quantities at whole- 

 sale prices. At the same time extracted honey of similar quality 

 will bring from ten to fifteen cents per pound net at retail vsdth 

 an average of about twelve cents per pound perhaps. Unless 

 the producer has a very large business that occupies his time 

 fully he can well afford to spend considerable time in marketing 

 his product for the extra fifty per cent. Prices have been mate- 

 rially higher since the war period. 



The small apiary that produces from $1000 to $1200 per 

 year can thus be made to pay from $1500 to $1800 annually. 

 While to make the most of such a market will require that honey 

 be kept in stock to supply the trade throughout the entire year, 

 most of the additional work will be required during the months 

 when least is required in the apiary. There is the further 

 advantage that every man who develops his own market relieves 

 the general market to that extent and thus serves to steady prices 

 or even to advance them. 



