Sundry Questions. 



San Diego, Cal., Jan. 1.5, 1878. 

 '•This winter lias, so far, brought an 

 abundance of rain, and our prospects are 

 good tor crops of all kinds. Probably one- 

 iialf our bees have died, out of about 2.5,000 

 colonies in this countj', a year ago. So that 

 I do not Ihiuk our production the coming 

 year will equal tiiat of 1870, when we 

 exported over one and a quarter million 

 pounds. 



1. What is about the average ]irice, good 

 comb honey has paid producers the past 

 season, and what for extracted honey ? 



2. What has been the freight and 

 charges, all told, from San Francisco to New 

 York? 



3. About what per cent, of breakage has 

 occurrt^d ? 



4. What is tiie freight, &c., on extracted 

 honey, in casks, via Panama, from San 

 Francisco to New Yf)rk; and has any break- 

 age or loss occurred? 



5. What is the best size of iiackage (cask) 

 to ship in?" CiiAS. J. Fox. 



1. The average price of comb-honey this 

 season ranged from 15 to 22c. for similar 

 quality to California honey— the style of 

 the package, to a large^extent determing the 

 price; extracted 7toloc.; the lightergrades, 

 such as Clover and Basswood, bringing the 

 highest prices. 



2. Freights are for comb-honey S>2..50 per 

 100 lbs; extracted, . 172.00. 



3. With comb-honey, when packed pro- 

 perly and well secured in cars, the loss from 

 breakage is trifling. 



4. In former years, contracts have been 

 made to transport honey from San Fran- 

 cisco to New York, via Panama, at I to Ijij'c 

 per lb. for extracted honey. 



5. In the East a wooden-bound white- 

 wood barrel is generally used for syrups and 

 molasses, holding 10'. to 20 gallons, which 

 when rinsed with melted parafhne wax, 

 makes an excellent package, and perhaps 

 tire effort now being made will get extracted 

 honey through at 4th class rates. 



Honey in singleboxes will selijbetter than 

 any other, and if shipped in crates as used 

 by friends Doolittle and Betsinger, 12 boxes 

 in aerate, either boxes orcrates glassed, will 

 doubtless find ready sale. Such will do 

 aAvay with the glass jars, and close the door 

 on adulteration generally. 



The cry is for honey in neat, cheap, and 

 convenient shape. Friends Hetherington & 

 Elwood were the first to adopt progressive 

 ideas about marketing honey, and their 

 brand of honey is now sought for and made 

 the standard of excellence. Tliis season 

 tlieir crops averaged about 21 cents, gross 

 weight — or nearly 36 cents, net weight. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Marketing Extracted Honey. 



Attention is turning to the best means of 

 marketing comb honey, all over the coun- 

 try. It is but a short time ago that honey 

 could be sold in any style of package, at 

 very good prices— now the tendency' is to- 

 wards small packages. The smaller and 

 more attractive the package, the more ready 

 the sale. 



This should give the producers of extract- 

 ed honey the "cue" to the situation. — 

 Heretofore, extracted honey has been put 

 upon the market in glass jars and cans; in 

 the former, while it shows to the best 

 advantage, it soon candies, and becomes 

 unattractive— and consumers pass it by for 

 comb honey. 



We have run our apiary thus far for ex- 

 tracted h(mey, but much of it candies on 

 our hands every year, which it is necessary 

 to liquify before it can be sold. It has been 

 our aim to try to educate people that in tliat 

 shape was the very best way to pui chase it; 

 and failing to liave many adopt our views, I 

 have concluded to go to the root of the 

 matter, and try to educate the rising gener- 

 ation, so that when they come to maturity 

 they will know the qualities of honey just 

 as we now know the qualities of butter and 

 cheese. 



To do this, it has been my idea to put 

 pure candied honey on the market in small, 

 cheap packages. Now, we have near us, 

 machinery for turning out small round 

 boxes from white birch wood, and of vari- 

 ous sizes, to hold from a thimble-full up to 

 a pound. For an experiment, we have 

 tried a size that holds 2 ounces. Coat the 

 inside with parrattine, fill with candied 

 honey, put on a pretty label, with a few 

 facts about honey, and ])ut on a ribbon for a 

 bail, and dozens of Iheni are readily dis- 

 posed of at any country store for 5 cts. each. 



They take their places beside oranges and 

 lemons. We don't know how long they will 

 liave a run, nor how many months in the 

 year. If the demand was suflicient, it could 

 be kept for sale tiie year round, by keeping 

 in a cool place during the hot months. And, 

 why wouldn't ice cold, candied honey go 

 with ice cream, or other ice cokl dishes, 

 drinks and relishes in warm weather? 



These wooden boxes are pretty, and can 

 be sold cheap. Our 2 ounce boxes cost.'ffl.SO 

 per gross. Labeling, packing and commis- 

 sion to dealer will be 214 cts., leaving 2}4 

 cents for your 2 ounces of honey, which 

 equals 24 cts. per lb. 



Should there be a call for it, boxes for 10 

 cts. up to 25 and .SO cts. could be furnished 

 at proportionately cheap rates. Candied 

 honey looks much more at home in such a 

 box, and can be eaten out of it more readily 

 than from glass. J. 11. Maktin. 



Hartford, N. Y. 



It^^We keep Prize Boxes and Crates in 

 stock at this office, and can supply orders, 

 without delay, lower than the lumber for a 

 small quantity can be bought for, in the 

 country. See prices on last page of cover. 



