432 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



knowing whether they wanted to beg, 

 buy or borrow it. 



8. Would it be safe for me, Mr. Edi- 

 tor, to meet Mr. Melbee on a dark night ? 



REPLIES AND COMMENTS. 



1. I don't know as I ought to reply to 

 this statement for it seems to be directed 

 to " Mr. Editor." Still, I will venture 

 to say that, knowing Dr. Miller as well 

 as I do, I don't believe he would stop 

 producing comb honey, and the whole- 

 saling of it, in order to take up the re- 

 tailing of extracted honey, direct to con- 

 sumers, at even 24 cents per pound. 

 The Doctor is not the style of man to go 

 into the honey-trade as indicated. He 

 would very much rather sit in his office 

 and prepare type-written articles for the 

 bee-papers — especially during the win- 

 ter months. At least I think so. Be- 

 sides, I have no wish, whatever, to stop 

 the production of comb honey by Dr. 

 Miller nor any one else. The more comb 

 honey there is produced, the less honey 

 there is in the general crop ; and, be- 

 sides, the less competition there is in ex- 

 tracted honey. 



2. I don't know as I would " every 

 time." Once in a while I relish a 

 change. But, in general, I prefer the 

 extracted honey when well ripened and 

 of good quality. And this is true with 

 consumers generally. And this, in part, 

 is why they are willing to pay a respect- 

 able price for it. And, also, why I ask 

 them to do so. I simply practice what 



1 preach, and why don't you. Doctor, do 

 the same ? 



3. My statement is the rule, and not 

 the exception. The gross weight of sec- 

 tion honey does not, as a rule, average 

 more than 14 ounces to the section, and 



2 ounces is none too much to deduct for 

 wood, wax and bee glue. When this 

 topic is under consideration, between 

 the soliciting agent and the consumer, it 

 does not pay to consider the fractions 

 of ounces. Such a course would not be 

 appreciated, and would be time thrown 

 away. 



4. This seems also to be directed to 

 "Mr. Editor." When I attended school 

 it was generally the rule that no pupil 

 should reply to questions not directed to 

 him or her. But, in this case, perhaps 

 the Doctor will excuse the writer if he 

 replies by saying, that the main reason 

 why he gets 24 cents per pound for ex- 

 tracted honey is simply because he asks 

 it. Now that is a fair and common- 

 sense answer to that question. And 

 why ? Because if you don't ask 24 

 cents you won't get it. At least that has 



been my experience, and for nearly a 

 lifetime. As I said, in answer to No. 2, 

 I " practice what I preach." And when 

 I ask 24 cents per pound I mean it. 

 That is, I don't have two prices — an 

 asking price and a selling price, nor one 

 price for the rich and another for the 

 poor, nor one price for white folks and 

 another for black folks — but everybody 

 is treated alike. 1 pay no attention to 

 prices on honey at groceries, as the price 

 should depend upon its quality, and con- 

 sumers are governed, as a rule, as to 

 quality, by the price that is put upon 

 the article to be sold by the party who 

 owns it. Now, Doctor, study this reply 

 thoroughly, and I think you will see 

 why it is some folks get better prices 

 for what they have to sell than others do. 



5. Nor is money my chief aim in life. 

 That is one reason I do not work at the 

 honey-trade all the time. A part of the 

 time I prefer to work in the apiary, and 

 to be at home with my family, even at 

 one-half the pay. In many respects it 

 is much more pleasant for me to work in 

 the apiary than at anything else. There 

 is much more to learn in the apiary than 

 in the sale of honey. The selling of 

 honey, from house to house, gets mo- 

 notonous after a time, and, in some re- 

 spects, is about as interesting as the life 

 of the parrot. The foregoing explains 

 somewhat why Melbee does not claim to 

 be a millionaire. 



6. Nor do I depend upon those who 

 read the bee-papers, and especially their 

 market reports, for the sale of my honey. 

 Nine out of ten persons are as ignorant 

 of honey prices at stores and in bee- 

 papers as I am of the retail and whole- 

 sale prices-on jewelry, and it is of course 

 for my interest to keep them so. 



7. Well, Doctor, I am somewhat ac- 

 quainted with those two gentlemen. 

 They are not only fond of nice honey, 

 but let me tell you they are shrewd 

 "chaps" — both of them. As they were 

 stopping at the World's Fair they 

 wanted, of course, to get some good 

 honey to eat on pancakes and hot bis- 

 cuits ! Of course they didn't care so 

 much for the appearance of the honey 

 as they did for quality, and especially 

 quantity ! And knowing you lived in the 

 country, they happened to think you 

 would be unsuspecting, and this was 

 why they sent you the order ? But I 

 had no idea. Doctor, that you would use 

 up a whole column to explain that trans- 

 action. 



8. I think you would be safe, Doctor, 

 unless Melbee should wish you to give 

 him an order for 24-cent honey and you 



