1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



693 



been so eager for trade, and have tried so hard to over-reach 

 the others engaged in a similar business, that they have 

 sought for direct communication with the consumer. Many 

 times in so doing they have ignored the rights of those en- 

 gaged in the sale of their own goods. More than one dealer 

 has bought early in large quantities, and before the season 

 was out found that the firm from whom he secured his goods, 

 owing to dull trade, was offering the same goods in small 

 quantities for less than he had paid for them by the carload. 

 This seems to me to be unjust and unfair competition, and is 

 a disregard of the rights of the dealer by the very class of 

 people who should be the most interested in his prosperity. A 

 local dealer creates a demand and sells goods where a distant 

 factory could never find a market, and it is not just for them 

 to try to take the trade after another, by his energy and push, 

 has created the demand. 



In the second place, the dealer has a right to the pay for 

 the goods he furnishes at the time he furnishes them. There 

 is no greater curse to modern society than the miscellaneous 

 credit system. Credit may be a good thing, but I am honest 

 in the opinion that it would be a blessing to all if no man or 

 woman could get anything for consumption before it was paid 

 for. I do not mean to say that no man should eat who is not 

 able to pay for what he eats, as there are many people who 

 are proper subjects of charity, but I would like to see the 

 time come when a man would shrink just as much from ask- 



Rev. Emerson T. Abbott, St. Joseph, Mo. 



ing one to trust him for goods as he would from appealing to 

 him for charity. A good motto to adopt, especially for young 

 people, is, " Pay as you go ; if you cannot pay, don't go." 



WHAT DOES THE SUPPLY-DEALER OWE TO THE HONEY-PKODUCER ? 



He owes to him to fill his orders promptly, and to furnish 

 him the best goods he possibly can for the money. He owes it 

 to him to deal fairly with him, and to tell him the truth 

 at all times. He owes it to him not to try to force 

 articles on him for which he has no use, and which can 

 in no way add to his success. The supply-dealer who does 

 this either by per.sonal appeal, or by a flaming and misleading 

 " ad." in a paper, commits a grievous wrong for which he will 

 be held morally accountable, just as much as he would if he 

 secured money or property under false pretenses, which would 

 be recognized as such by the laws of the land. One is just as 

 much lying as the other, and just as criminal, morally speak- 

 ing. 



Lastly, the supply-dealer and honey-producer owe to each 

 other mutual respect, confidence and forbearance. The call- 

 ing of one is equally as honest and honorable as that of the 

 other, and, as business is now conducted, each needs the other. 

 Their interests are identical, and there should be no strife or 

 clashing between them. In a world where there is plenty of 

 room for all, each should be willing to give to the other all the 

 room he needs. Thus laboring together, all can go through 

 the world happy, contented, and without class strife or mutual 

 denunciation. Emkkson T. Abbott. 



Mr. Abbott said : " I want to get credit for all the mean- 

 ness I do ;" and some one answered, "You will get it." 



J. ^. Stewart — I like the ideas just given by Mr. Abbott, 

 very much. I think we could not get along without men who 

 are willing to invest their money in goods. We must do things 

 in the correct way, and should try to control the prices of our 

 products. Let us fight to the last to accomplish this. 



A Member — We are very apt to look at things just on one 

 side, when we should study all sides. 



A Member — I feel that there is a lot of thinking going on 

 here ; we might get it to the surface if a resolution were 

 offered, that we might dispense entirely with the commission 

 merchant and supply-dealer. 



E. Kretchmer, Red Oak, Iowa — I think that the commis- 

 sion man could not be properly classed with the dealer. The 

 commission man is simply my agent to sell my goods, and if I 

 employ a man that I do not know, it is my fault if I have any 

 trouble about it. Every one should know whether the firm 

 with whom they deal is reliable or not. 



Mr. DeLong — I am a honey-producer myself. I think I 

 claim the ground that I am producing something, and I don't 

 ship any honey to commission men. My plan is to keep the 

 commission man off entirely. I have dealt with supply-dealers. 

 I produced 450 pounds of honey this year from a single col- 

 ony. I used a 10-frame, four-story hive. In 1891 I pro- 

 duced the same quantity. 



A Member — How did you know the number of pounds? 



Mr. DeLong — I weighed the honey. I would not deal 

 with a commission man if it were possible to avoid it. 



Dr. Miller — Let me give you an illustration. I wanted 

 some feeders. I went to a planing mill and had them cut out, 

 and I put them together myself. I found that I did not have 

 as good a feeder, then, and the part that 1 did get cost me 

 more than the whole thing would if I had gotten them of a 

 supply-dealer. 



A Member — Take the matter of sections : How much do 

 suppose I can get sections for? I can get them for $2. .50 

 per thousand. 



Dr. Miller — The idea of expense comes in. I must have 

 sections of the nicest kind, and my shipping-cases must be the 

 best I can get, and so I go to the expense of getting the high- 

 est-priced articles. Mr Secor thinks he must have sections 

 and cases that cost a little more than mine, and Mr. Abbott 

 gets goods that cost still more. We go so far with this mat- 

 ter that our products finally cost too much. 



Mr. York — I wish to suggest that we have a recess of 15 

 minutes, to give the people a chance to join the society. We 

 have as many here as there were at the meeting at Toronto 

 last year, and yet only about 35 paid their dues at that meet- 

 ing. I am sure there were over 100 bee-keepers in attend- 

 ance at the last convention. We had at Toronto 50 members, 

 but they were not quite all present. 



The Secretary — There were 34 members who paid their 

 dues at Toronto, and two absent. There were also 14 lady 

 members, three life members, and two honorary members 

 present. We have lost several members by death, and I move 

 that an obituary committee of three be appointed. 



The Secretary's motion was seconded and carried, and 

 Messrs. Secor, Lang, and Abbott were appointed as said com- 

 mittee. 



President Root — We want to get better acquainted, and 

 we want to know more about you, so we will have a recess of 

 15 minutes. 



(Continued on page 705.) 



Cotjtributed /Vrticles> 



Marketing Honey — Some Excellent Suggestions 



BY MRS. L. HARRISON. 



I've been very much interested of late in reading in the 

 American Bee Journal what different writers have to say 

 about marketing honey. Years ago, honey-producers com- 

 plained that farmers and those who kept only a few colonies 

 of bees, destroyed the market by lowering it, and now the 

 tables are turned. 



During the last fortnight there has been shipped from 

 Michigan to this city fancy honey — the whitest comb, in the 

 smoothest and whitest sections, in shipping-cases to match, 

 holding 12 pounds. Grocers told the writer that they pur- 

 chased this honey at the commission house for 15 cents per 

 I pound. The producer will probably realize 10 cents per 



