beat any class that I ever met with, they 

 are so cordial, and all seem so anxious to 

 help those who are but learners yet. I 

 would not have missed this treat for a good 

 deal." For one, I can say that these meet- 

 ings have been among the most enjoyable 

 of my life, and I hope to be able to attend 

 many more of them. Let each one go home 

 resolved to do his or her best to make each 

 meeting as enjoyable as it can be, and make 

 an effort to be present. Long live and 

 flourish " the Western Illinois and Eastern 

 Iowa Bee-Keepers' Society." 



President L. H. Scudder then delivered 

 the following essay on 



Handling and Marketing Honey. 



Permit me to offer for your consideration 

 a few remarks on handling and marketing 

 honey. Much has been written on this im- 

 portant topic and much more can be said to 

 aid us in gaining a just reward for our labor. 

 As you are principally experienced bee- 

 keepers, you understand how to have your 

 honey put un to attract the attention of the 

 consumer. Lest there be some here who are 

 novices still, 1 will briefly mention a few 

 essentials in the production of honey to 

 command the highest market price. 



Fashion to-day is decidedly in favor of 

 comb honey in small, tight, clean sections, 

 weighing from one to two pounds each. 

 The combs should be straight enough to be 

 glassed on both sides, not that all persons 

 prefer buying glass at honey price, but 

 many do, therefore it will be best to suit all, 

 besides good straight combs bear shipping 

 much better than crooked ones. The crate 



? referred at present is what is called the 

 rize Crate, large enough to hold from 12 to 

 24 sections. 



Extracted honey sells well in small pack- 

 ages ; glass jars do very well, but I prefer 

 tin buckets as used by Dadant & Son. They 

 sell thousands of them annually of various 

 sizes ranging from 2% to 25 lbs. each. 



I omitted to mention in the proper place 

 that to insure straight combs you must use 

 tin separators. 



Now a few words in regard to shipping 

 honey. Mv advice would be : Do not ship 

 a pound until your home market is entirely 

 exhausted. Cultivate your home market to 

 the utmost extent, and by all means, keep it 

 fully supplied at all times with the choicest 

 of your products; even if you are compelled 

 to leave it with your grocers to sell on com- 

 mission. This you can do successfully, as 

 there will be no difficulty in placing your 

 product on the market in a neat and attrac- 

 tive condition, having done all the handling 

 yourself. Then, too, being personally ac- 

 quainted with nearly all of your customers 

 you can furnish each one with just what 

 they desire. After you have done all you 

 possibly can at home, you will probably be 

 compelled to seek a distant market, and 

 here is where your trouble will commence. 

 You are well aware that your success will 

 depend on placing your honey on the mar- 

 ket in good shape, therefore you will put it 

 in as nice packages as possible. To insure 

 careful handling, label each package in 

 plain letters, " HONEY-THIS SIDE UP 

 WITH CARE." and then as a further pre- 



caution superintend the packing in the car. 

 Now you feel certain that it will be all right; 

 but let me remind you not to be over confi- 

 dent, "there's many a slip 'twix cup and lip." 

 Unless your consignee is a careful man and 

 understands handling honey, there is a 

 strong probability that he will leave it to the 

 tender mercies of the " baggage smashers " 

 to be unloaded. Then do not be surprised 

 if in the course of a few days you receive 

 notice that the honey arrived in a badly 

 damaged condition ; all your care has gone 

 for nought. Provoking, is it not ? I know 

 just how one feels under such circum- 

 stances, and I have resolved that hereafter 

 I will go myself and see that it is properly 

 handled, for I know of no worse commodity 

 to dispose of than a broken, leaking, sticky, 

 mass of honey. Here let me say that unless 

 you have witnessed the reckless manner in 

 which railroad men handle goods, you 

 would hardly credit the statement, that I 

 have seen them take shipping crates filled 

 with honey, glassed and labelled as above 

 mentioned, and after piling them 8 or 10 

 high, run the truck up and tip them over on 

 it with the glassed side down, and after 

 wheeling some distance dump it off regard- 

 less of consequences. You will readily 

 conclude that a company that would allow 

 such a useless waste of property should pay 

 for all the damage done, and so they should, 

 but will they ? I answer No, unless com- 

 pelled by the courts. 



We will now offer a few remarks on mar- 

 keting this surplus which you could not dis- 

 pose of at home. When you reach your 

 destination, see that your honey is carefully 

 unloaded and stored. Then take samples 

 and go to the best groceries in the place and 

 take your orders. Do not be in a hurry. 

 You may work all day without making a 

 sale. Do not be discouraged; you are a new 

 man and they all want to feel of your pulse. 

 After working one or two days you will be 

 tolerably well posted as to the supply and 

 demand. By that time you have probably 

 made one or two good sales ; what 1 mean by 

 good sales, is, selling a fair quantity at a 

 good price. Now you have made a grand 

 stride towards success and you must use it. 

 You must still work on the most popular 

 establishments. It is true they will select 

 mainly from your choicest stock, but never 

 mind that; you must bear in mind all the 

 time that a rivalry exists between these 

 parties. If you make a good sale to Mr. A., 

 when you call on Mr. B. if he seems a little 

 off, you might casually mention the fact 

 that Mr. A. took so much at such a price, 

 and the trade will assume a new phase at 

 once. He will then, in all probability, order 

 more than Mr. A. You will find that one 

 sale helps to make another in nearly every 

 instance. There is another very important 

 matter that you must not overlook : Be 

 careful at all times, if you are not making 

 a sale, not to let your countenance tell it. If 

 you do, the "sharks" will get you, sure. 

 After you get the larger establishments sup- 

 plied gradually work on down with the 

 smaller ones, and you will soon have your 

 honey worked off and the money in your 

 pocket. 



In this way you have been your own com- 

 mission man, and you may rest assured that 



