Jan. 30, 1902. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



69 



I Contributed Articles. 



No. 3. Apiculture as a Business. 



Producing' Not All ; Marketing' a Large Problem 



—Difference Between Selling at Home and 



the Foreign Trade Effect 



of Competition. 



BV R. C. AIKIN. 



In No. 4 I called attcmtion to sonic reasons why bee- 

 keepers fail in getting a crop and of making it pay, thns 

 causing financial failure and l)anl<ruptcy, and tlie direct and 

 indirect effect upon others. 1 now wish to show how, in 

 large measure, ito avoid these expensive failures. 



First and foremost, remember that there are many peo- 

 ple— ^bright and sharp people — who are giving time, money 

 and energy to discover short cuts, cheaper methods of pro- 

 duction, and in every way possible increase profits. When 

 they succeed in very materially lowering the cost of pro- 

 duction, whether it be 'by labor-saving devices, improved 

 stock, nietho.ds that get 3 pounds of honey where but 2 

 used to be gotten, better marketing schemes, it matters not 

 wliclher by all these combined, or how the product is cheap- 

 ened, they can and will make it hard for the less expe- 

 rienced. If one proposes to go into any business, he should 

 ask many questions, observe how others are accomplishing 

 results, and whether the results are satisfactory. Try as 

 hard as we may, and learn all we can from all sources, j-et 

 we will be behind — some other fellow outw'its us. 



Suppose some one wants to go into honey-production 

 at this place. Suppose he finds out just wdiat prices I get 

 at the honey-house, and the wdiolesale prices at wdiich I 

 .supply the stores. Knowing these things, is he ready yet 

 to produce, exoecting to sell his product upon this market? 

 No ; he has yet a large problem before him. He may be 

 my equal as an apiarist, get as good crops, pack just as well, 

 in every respect be my equal up to the point of having a 

 nice product to sell; he then finds I have the trade, and if 

 he gets it he has quite a job on hand. He must advertise, 

 push and work up a trade. 



So far I have been speaking of the local or home market. 

 The facts are that I am now producing much more honey 

 than our local market consumes, and in addition ship out 

 large quantities. If any other apiarist opens a producing 

 plant here he may in time divide my. home trade with me, 

 causing me to export more. 



One fact must not be lost sight of in a producing field 

 like this — the home consumption will not use the entire prod- 

 uct, we )iiHst export the surplus. And, to increase the home 

 consumption, we must lower prices if we are to sell the 

 greatest possible amount at home. I do not mean that this is 

 the only way to increase consumption, but that is one of 

 the things that must be done to reach the highest possible 

 home consumption, or outside, either. We may sell, say at 

 10 cents, and after having exhausted all other means a 2-cent 

 drop will further increase the consumption. Putting the price 

 on an equalitv with sweets of equal grade, or a little lower 

 will bring the product into favor and displace more or less 

 the other goods. 



The real truth of the matter is, the marketing of a 

 crop of honey is about as big a 10b as producing it. In pro- 

 ducing, we have but the bees and ourselves to deal with, but 

 in selling there is a multitude of people to please. One may 

 be well fitted to produce, an expert with insects, yet a fail- 

 ure in dealing with his own kind. There is no use denying 

 or ignoring the fact that to produce any kind of crop is 

 but little better than half the battle. Every prospective apia- 

 rist should not only consider the matter of producing, but 

 as well, how to market or get cash out of his product. 



The home market is nearly always the best ; it usually 

 nets the most money : so much is sold that w-e do not have 

 to supply a package for, nor are there any freights or middle- 

 men's commissions to come out. At home we know better 

 whom we are dealing with, less risks than when we ship, 

 unless there is a firm sticking to the cash-with-order rule. 



Successful home marketing is no easy matter; and away from 

 home is harder still. 



Some men can come into the field fully occupied, and, 

 because of superior ability, or an advantage in facilities, or 

 (ilherwisc, drive out competitors, nut only those without a 

 l)roi)er moral conscience will do so; there should alway> 

 be fairness in such things— in all things. There is, in this 

 vicinity, some territory thai would bear more stock, but the 

 near-by and desirable places arc already full. No one should 

 think of coming itUo or very near' to this town to engage 

 in honey-production except bv buying out some one already 

 established ; to do otherwise would be foolish, and an in- 

 iustice to others now here. To put more stock into terri- 

 tory now well-stocked would reduce the yield per colony. 

 It would mean that we must produce at a greater cost, and 

 to make up for this we must sell greater quantities or at 

 higher prices; but the rule is that it would be just the other 

 way. 



Bui let us see what else can be done: As I have said, 

 there is country tributary to this that will produce more 

 than is being taken from it— places that are not overstocked. 

 But to occupy these one must go into undesirable places to 

 live, or, living in the more desirable places, must have his 

 stock far from home and transport long distances, gomg 

 far to work, and having far to naul. Besides this, there are 

 the outside or general markets to contend with, the prodiict 

 must be largely exported— shipped to large centers of dis- 

 tribution, as Chicago, Kansas City, etc. 



Considering these outside markets, Kansas City is the 

 nearest to this point of the United States. Denver is not a 

 honey market in the sense that Chicago or Kansas City and 

 other Eastern cities are. The immediate vicinity of Denver 

 produces more than the city consumes, and so does the 

 country over much of which Denver is a distributmg cen- 

 ter. Denver cannot be a distributing center for any great 

 quantity of honey, although she does, and will, sell much 

 by car-load sent to Eastern markets. This being true of 

 Denver, the Colorado apiarist in any field that produces 

 more than the imincdiatL- home consumption, must look to 

 wholesale shipments by car-load to dispose of his surplus. 

 These car-load shipments mean competition with the produc- 

 ers in the country to which we ship, or who are nearer to the 

 consuming point; these near-by producers having the ad- 

 vantage by the amount of the difference in freight. 



Of course, there will be many readers to whom all Colo- 

 rado conditions do not apply, yet some of them will, and 

 I am trying to cover the whole field and make this reach 

 the greatest number of people. 



I would say, then, do not fail to look carefully at . all 

 the various things that you must confront when you 

 embark in the business. Let those who are in contempla- 

 tion count well the cost, and as well let those now in the 

 inisiness see if they cannot find where they can improve. 

 I write that, if possible, I may help those going into the bus- 

 iness to go in right, for an intelligent and successful apiarist 

 cannot begin to do the harm to self and others that is done 

 by the careless and blundering. 



I have already shown in previous articles that it takes 

 a real, practical apiarist to succeed in getting tne crops; and 

 now in this article I am endeavoring to show that you 

 need, and must have good marketing, or you fail. Consider 

 'ccell all these phases ere you jump. I will follow this with 

 more of the minute details of management. Larimer Co., Colo. 



Some Interesting Oiuesticns Answered. 



BV G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



A correspondent from Mohawk, N. Y., sends in the 

 following questions, asking that I answer them in the 

 .American Bee Journal, and requests if any reader of this 

 paper can throw any more light on the subject, that he will 

 also answer them after they appear in print. Thus answer- 

 ing would be something after the old question or "query" 

 department the American Bee Journal used to conduct, and 

 I hope to hear from others who may have different opinions 

 from mine. 



GETTING HONEY FROM C.\PPINGS. 



I. "What is the best way to remove honey from cap- 

 pings which will not run out ?'" 



In my opinion the best way is to throw the cappings 

 into the solar wax-extractor and allow "Old Sol" to look 

 in on them for two or three hours. Then cover up, and the 



