126 



THE AMERIOAN APIGULTURIST. 



show as much comb surface as possible 

 and be made of clean, white lumber. 

 With these conditions observed, the apia- 

 rist can dispose of a yood deal of honey 

 at a fair price in what migiit be consid- 

 ered by many a most unpromising mar- 

 ket. 



I have but little faith in combinations 

 to control the price of honey. Time and 

 an increased production will do mucli to- 

 wards giving stability to the marlsct, but 

 at present beekeepers are so widely sepa- 

 rated from each other and local conditions 

 exert such a powerful influence on the 

 price asked by producers that I consider 

 all such combinations as those advocated 

 so vigorously througli the bee journals by 

 many of our leading apiarists as visionary 

 in the highest degree. 



Audubon, loica. 



KUMBER FIVE. 



Dr. C. C. Miller. 



Just how to winter without loss, how to 

 secure workers for the harvest, how to 

 prevent increase, how to improve our 

 stoclv and various other problems that 

 arise, are studiously discussed and thought 

 over, showing their great importance. If, 

 however, such a state of aftairs should sud- 

 denly come about that tiie only market 

 quotation for honey would be "no sale," 

 our deep interest in the subjects I have 

 mentioned would, I am afraid, diminish 

 very rapidly. On the otiier hand, if old 

 prices siiould return and honey should be 

 iu brisk demand at double present prices, 

 how our interest would awaken as to ev- 

 erything connected with bee-culture. So 

 the matter ot selling honey is evidently not 

 one of secondai'y importance. There is lit- 

 tle chance to say anything new at>out it 

 and its supreme importance is perhaps the 

 pnly excuse for saying anijthing about it. 



It is all very well to talk about honey 

 being a natural sweet and so much health- 

 ier than the bedruggeil and bedoctored 

 stufl' thrown upon the market in the shape 

 of syrup, sugar drips, etc., and perhaps we 

 ought to say more tlian we do, but after 

 all it does not seem to make much impres- 

 sion on the pul)lic mind. They go right 

 on buying the bad stufi", and letting tlie 

 honey severely alone. Why 'i periiaps habit 

 has something to do with it. Trice surely 

 ought to, and also quality ; and yet, some- 

 how, drop(iing the price does not seem to 

 create a proportionate demand. If a mer- 

 chant sell 1000 pounds iu a given tiuje at a 



given price, would he sell double tiie quan- 

 tity at half the price? Periiaps, and perhaps 

 not. Undoubtedly, however, price has 

 something to do with it. As to quality 

 we may be suiprised to find how many 

 there are who say they prefer the syrups 

 ot commerce, poisoned though tiiey may 

 be, to honey. There is "no disputing 

 about tastes," but is it a matter entirely 

 beyond our control? AVhether honey be m 

 in the comb or extracted, you know very \ 

 well that there is a vast difference in the 

 quality of different lots. One sample is 

 rich, oily, leaving no unpleasant after 

 taste. Another has a sharp, sour twang, 

 and one is hardly culpable for considering 

 it inferior to a pure sweet from cane sugar, 

 flavorless thongli it be. I, 'i"^ 'lot now 

 talking about honey from dinerent sources 

 but about the difference of honey from the 

 same source. Now, if a customer meets 

 with a specimen of imperfectly ripened 

 honey, it is not at all unlikely that he will 

 form his judgment more or less of all 

 honey, from the sample set before him, 

 and if 1 sell tlve lots of good honey and 

 then one of poor the last sample does much 

 to make the customer think all future lots 

 will be of the same quality. In short, I 

 strongly suspect that in any market if 

 never any but the very best were sold the 

 taste for it would be perceptibly in- 

 creased. The question then arises, can 

 we make all our honey of ffrst quality? I 

 am not sure, but I think we can at least 

 make some improvement on the past. It 

 is hardly worth while here to discuss the 

 means of producing perfectly ripened 

 honey, but if we have any that is not up 

 to grade what is to be done with it? It 

 is certainly not wise to encourage tiie uu- 

 educatetl itlea tliat "honey is honey, "and 

 try to sell all at the same price. The fair 

 ami honest way is, represent it as it is, 

 and let the customer know just wliat to ex- 

 pect. I suspect that many of those who 

 ship to other than liome markets make a 

 practice of iloiiig what I have too much 

 done, send ott'that which would bring the 

 highest price and put tlie rest on the home 

 market. This brings us right clown to 

 considering what is to l)e done to l)etter 

 the home market, and I can liardly do any 

 better than to say that what I have writ- 

 ten above applies. Let the customer al- 

 ways expect honey of the very best (jual- 

 ity and do your utmost to cause no 

 disappointment in that expectation. If 

 any iioiiey that is not up to the mark 

 shouUl be on iiand, it may be. a question 

 whether it should be put on the market 

 at all, if any use can be made of it that 

 shall not involve an utter sacritice of its 

 value. 

 McDcngo, III. 



