(&onvttuix0us. 



The North-Eastern Convention. 



Met at Syracuse, N. Y., March 11, 1879, at 

 2 p.m.— President L. C. Root in the chair. 



In the absence of Secretary Nellis of 

 Canajoharie, Mr. Porter of Syracuse, was 

 elected secretary, pro tern. 



The treasurer. R. Bacon of Verona, pre- 

 sented his annual report which was on 

 motion accepted. 



Pres. Root announced that the annual 

 dues of members (50 cents) could be paid to 

 the treasurer, and that any person could 

 become a member of the Association by 

 paying that sum. 



The President then delivered his annual 

 address, as follows, on 



Marketing; Honey. 



Brother Bee-Keepers:— The question 

 which impressess me at the present time, as 

 possessing most signal interest to bee- 

 keepers, is " how to dispose of our honey to 

 the best advantage ?" 



We have hitherto occupied our whole time 

 in our conventions in the endeavor to 

 develop the most satisfactory and profitable 

 methods of securing surplus honey, but we 

 are now confronted by the fact that unless 

 some marked improvement be made in its 

 sale, the supply will far exceed the demand; 

 in fact, it already does so, unless we dispose 

 of our products at ruinous prices. 



I spent a week in New York, recently, 

 and saw much to convince me that the con- 

 sideration most important to us as producers, 

 is how to realize reasonable returns for our 

 increasing production of honey. It behooves 

 us to carefully consider the conditions of 

 the honey trade, and while endeavoring to 

 determine the causes of this depression to 

 devise a suitable course of aetion. 



The present system of marketing large 

 quantities of honey, is to ship to large cities, 

 and leave it to be sold on commission. 

 Shrewd dealers, taking advantage of the 

 glutted market, buy our best honey at im- 

 rernunerative prices, and sell to retailers in 

 neighboring towns and cities at a good ad- 

 vance, where it is again sold to the consumer. 



Years ago when the supply of choice 

 honey was limited, and 5 lb. boxes of fine 

 quality brought 35 to 40 cents per pound, and 

 buckwheat sold for 25 to 28 cents, it was 

 sold readily in the market to which it was 

 shipped and was seldom resold to wholesale 

 dealers. 



Two questions are suggested by these 

 facts, viz : How can the demand for honey 

 be increased ? and, How can the present 

 system of selling be improved ? 



It is easily demonstrated that but a very 

 small proporation of the families throughout 

 the land is in the habit of using honey to 

 any extent, if at all, as an article of food. 

 By taking concerted measures to more 

 generally disseminate a knowledge of the 

 healthful qualities of honey, and its desira- 

 bility as an economical article of food, we 

 shall not only benefit the masses, but take a 



step decidedly to our own advantage as pro- 

 ducers. The little work by Mr. Thos. G. 

 Newman, entitled "Honey as Food and 

 Medicine," sets forth facts concerning the 

 uses of honey, that should be generally 

 diffused. 



A more appreciative understanding of the 

 wholesome qualities of pure honey would 

 ere long create a demand which the present 

 abominable adulteration of sugars and 

 syrups would greatly stimulate. Already 

 the reports by reliable chemists, of their 

 analyses of many brands of syrups, have 

 caused a distrust in the minds of consumers 

 which houest bee-keepers should take 

 advantage of, in recommending and furnish- 

 ing a superior quality of pure liquid honey. 



Those who have formed an opinion of 

 liquid honey from their acquaintance with 

 the old-time strained honey, procured by 

 squeezing up combs with all the impurities 

 they contain, naturally have a prejudice 

 against it and prefer to purchase instead the 

 more expensive article of white comb-honey 

 in glass ooxes. But when they are assured 

 that the same quality of honey is obtained 

 in a liquid state absolutely free from all im- 

 purities by the modern process of removing 

 it from the combs by centrifugal force, and 

 that this may be procured without paying 

 for wax, wood or glass, and at from 12 to 15 

 cents per pounds, the subject will be viewed 

 in quite a different light. 



1 am of the opinion that honey in a liquid 

 form is to become popular among the masses 

 in preference to comb-honey ; although the 

 latter will always retain its popularity with 

 a large class. The former can be furnished 

 at less cost to the consumer, and with less 

 labor to the producer, and when we prove its 

 desirability to them, I think I am warranted 

 in the assertion that the demand will in- 

 crease. We must place the real merits of 

 honey before the general public, and in 

 showing its value as food and medicine we 

 must honestly consider their interests in 

 inducing them to test its virtues. 



In regard to methods of selling— while I 

 appreciate that it is more agreeable to send 

 our honey to market in bulk, and receive 

 our returns in the same way, when it is 

 practicable to do so, yet I see the necessity 

 of taking the inconvenience of distributing 

 our honey more directly to the masses. 



It is unquestionable that a lucrative trade 

 may be established among the rural popula- 

 tion by taking the honey directly to their 

 doors and selling in small quantities. It 

 seems to me to be especially desirable to 

 establish a trade with numerous retail 

 dealers, selling direct to them, and avoiding 

 commissions as much as possible. 



In the present depressed condition of the 

 trade, bee-keepers must unite upon some 

 established rates for honey, else no producer 

 can be sure of a reasonable price. Mr. G. 

 M. Doolittle, who is well known as a pro- 

 ducer of fine honey, has given us some valu- 

 able ideas on this point of securing an 

 established rate for honey, the same as for 

 other farm products. 1 have recently had 

 personal experience on this point. J had 

 sold a quantity of choice honey in one of 

 our Central New York cities, and should 

 have built up a desirable trade, but that 

 some one, fearing that his honey would not 



