84 



THE AMERICAN APICULTUEIST. 



LIGHT WEIGHT PACKAGES OF 

 HONEY. 



A WARNING TO BROTHER PRATT. 



To THE Editor of the api : 



I saw some time ago in the col- 

 umns of the Api that Mr. Pratt notices 

 a growing demand in Boston for light 

 weight sections of comb honey, and in- 

 timating his intention of producing some 

 next season, to which I wish to enter 

 my protest, because he will thereby be 

 furnishing the cliil? to the retailer of 

 those light-weight sections to beat down 

 the price of <?//comb honey. 



To illustrate : ist, a section 4;f X44-X 

 \% equal one pound comb honey. 



2nd, a section 4^ X 4^ X 13- to i| equal 

 I pound or 12 oz. 



Take a case of 24 one-pound sections 

 weighing 24 lbs. at 18 cts.,cost $4.32, re- 

 tails at 25 cts. a package profit $1.68 

 to retailers or nearly 39 % on cost ! 



2nd take a case of 2 24 sections 

 weighing 18 lbs. at iScts., $3.24, retails 

 at 20 cts. package, profit ^1.50 to the 

 retailer of mnre than 48 % on cost. 



The shrewd buyer for the large gro- 

 cery houses of Boston purchases these 

 light weight packages of honey first of 

 the season, who artistically display them 

 in the windows of their stores at 20 cts. 

 package ; the public buys them fancy- 

 ing they are getting one ]:)Ound, and 

 that establishes the price, that a pack- 

 age of honey 42- X 4l must be sold at 

 20 cts. retail. 



In the meantime the honest weight 

 pound package of comb honey lies in 

 the commission merchant's care, until 

 he is tired of having it round, or the 

 oioner is tired of waiting for his money, 

 or some of th^^ many conditions come 

 round right to let that ^•shrewd buyer" 

 clean up the round lot left at 12^ cts. 

 per pound or less. 'J'hen pass by those 

 show windows, and see your honey dis- 

 played temptingly, with a card calling 

 attention of the public to the lovv price 

 and guarantee of one pound Jionesi 

 weight for only 18 or 20 cts. 



This did not happen this last season, 

 because there was not honey enough to 

 go half way round, but you let a good 



season come and it will be repeated as 

 it has been in other years. 



Getting a '"trade mark" for all bee- 

 keepers' use is nonsense. It reminds me 

 of a friend in the liquor trade who ad- 

 vertises the best old Gibson's wliiskeys 

 for sale and for every barrel of old Gib, 

 he buys he has ten ba rels of ''40 rod 

 sure death,'" and sells it all out of the 

 trade mark "Gibson's" barrel ; that is the 

 way it would be with trade mark honey. 

 If we could have a U. S. law, making a 

 standard size section for one-pound size 

 of honey, one-half pound, two pounds 

 also if you like, and a penalty for coun- 

 terfeiting that package equal to same 

 for making counterfeit money, it would 

 be well for the honey trade. Why not 

 have a bounty at 2 cts. per pound for 

 the sugar after the honey has granulat- 

 ed ? Novice. 



INTERESTING LETTERS FROM SUB- 

 SCRIBERS OF THE APICULTURIST. 



THE VALUE OF TIIH DRONE AND QUEEN 



TRAP AS USED IN THE Al'IARY OF 



FRIEND KANZLKR. 



Friend Alley : My subscription to 

 the valuable American Apiculturist 

 rims out with the August number, 1890. 

 Therefore please find enclosed a money 

 order for $1.75, subscription for another 

 16 months, /. e. until ist of January, 

 1892, and 75 cents for a queen, daugh- 

 ter of the $100 queen. I improve this 

 opportunity to tell you that your queen- 

 trap is a very great invention to the 

 beekeepers, for it saves labor and time 

 in finding and catching young queens. 

 I have used it since 1886 and sometimes 

 did not cut out the queen-cells, but I 

 caught the young queens by the trap 

 and put back the second swarms ; in 

 one after-swarm I caught this season 

 seven queens ; three were dead (killed in 

 the trap by the others) and four alive. 

 VVm. F. Kanzler, Fiilda, Ind. 



LOOKS LIKE A LUMP OF GOLD. 



Henry Alley : Ihe queen you sent 

 me in September, 1890, came to hand 

 in good condition. She looks Hke a 

 lump of gold, and she has got as nice a 



