1920 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



395 



Crop and Market Report 



Compiled by M. G. Dadant 



For our November report we asked our correspondents 

 to answer the following questions: 1. How is your crop 

 selling? 2. What are you asking, wholesale and retail? 

 3. What are the best offers from jobbers? 4. Do you an- 

 ticipate any trouble in disposing of your crop, and what 

 price will you hoi I for? 



HOW IS THE CROP SELLING? 



The reports coming in this month have been the most 

 remarkable, we believe, of any time since this department 

 was started. They are remarkable from the fact that 

 practically all reports coming from east of the Missouri 

 river and north of the Ohio river are identical, and claim 

 the crop is moving very fast, with a large amount of the 

 honey sold. For this season of the year we think this is 

 extremely propitious. 



Usually honey does not begin to sell until cold weather 

 arrives, and this section has not yet had any very cold 

 snaps. In fact, in Illinois we have not had any extra 

 hard frosts, and in some localities tomatoes are still 

 green and growing (Oct. 21). 



In the Southeast the crop has been short; at least it so 

 appears from all reports coming in. The honey is mov- 

 ing slowly in this region, and there is very little demand 

 outside for this honey. 



The Texas crop is practically disposed of and as the 

 movement is still good, they anticipate no trouble in dis- 

 posing of the balance of the crop. 



In New Mexico most of the crop is sold. 



In Colorado the crop is moving slowly in large lots, but 

 the local demand seems to be good. The movement in 

 Montana and Idaho is very slow, as practically all honey 

 there is shipped out in car lots. The same is true of 

 Nevada and Utah, with possibly a little better movement 

 of California honey. 



PRICES ASKED 



Throughout the New England States the price is at 

 least as high as last year, beekeepers asking from 2Sc to 

 40c for their honey. In New York we have reports of a 

 few lots selling as low as 18c, but practically all are hold- 

 ing for 20c or above, and anticipating no trouble in get- 

 ting this. One report from Ohio asks 25c and states that 

 probably the price will have to be reduced some in 

 order to sell the honey. Practically all reports from the 

 Central West, including the States of Indiana, Minne- 

 sota, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa, report good sale 

 and the prices holding up to about a minimum of 20c for 

 extracted and $7 per case for comb honey. 



This same condition is true of Kansas, Nebraska and 

 Missouri. In the Southwestern States the price asked 

 ranges from 17c to 20c, according to grade. In Texas the 

 price asked is a minimum of 16c for amber and 18c for 

 white. 



In Colorado 20c for extracted and $7 to $8 for comb 

 seem to be about what it is desired to realize by the bee- 

 keeper, although many expect that they will have to take 

 considerably less to move the crop. Montana reports 

 asking $7 for comb and 20c for extracted honey, as does 

 Utah. However, there is no movement at this price, and 

 there seems to be a disposition to cut considerably. 



The California Association is asking from 16^c to 20c 

 for their crop, according to grade. 



OFFERS MADE 



The lowest price made for any eastern honey is 16c per 

 pound for a lot of New York honey, which was not ac- 

 cepted. Illinois reports offers of 17c and Iowa as low as 

 ISc to 18c, none of which were accepted. 



Kansas and other Western States offer prices ranging 

 from 17c upwards, but in all cases prices on large lots 

 were below what the producer desired and he is holding 

 to sell locally if possible. 



In the Southeast, offers have ranged around 13c to 15c, 

 with but very few oflfers from the large jobbers. In 

 Texas, offers are made at about 14c per pound, but are not 

 considered by the Texas beekeepers, who are having 



no trouble in disposing of their whole crop through the 

 Association at much better prices. 



It is in the inter-mountain territory and in California 

 that the lowest offers are being made, these being on a 

 basis from lie for amber to 13c for white honey. Several 

 cars have been sold in Utah at from 12c to 14c and the 

 same is true in California. 



DISPOSITION OF CROP 



There will be no trouble in beekeepers disposing of their 

 crop any place east of the Missouri River and north of 

 the Ohio. Practically every report indicates that this 

 year's crop will move readily and that the demand lo- 

 cally will absorb all of the crop before the holidays. 



The condition is very unsettled in the Southeast, even 

 though the crop is small, and also in the Inter-mountain 

 States and in California and the Pacific Coast States. 



Practically all the trouble is caused by carload lots 

 which it is desired to move at once. The large jobbers 

 and bottlers of honey seem to be off the market, and this 

 is probably due to the fact that the large wholesale 

 grocers are only buying as fast as they need it. We be- 

 lieve that the demand from these will increase with the 

 advent of cold weather. Heretofore usually honey has 

 been sold as early as August and September and deliv- 

 ered in advance of any sale on the part of the whole- 

 salers. Of course, this year, with a question as to what 

 prices will do, the wholesalers hold off until they abso- 

 lutely need the honey. 



Reports from one of the large commission brokers in 

 Chicago, state that one of the main causes for a lack of 

 demand for honey is the wide range in price, even from 

 the same locality. We have found this true in our own 

 reports. Two reporters living in the same section have 

 stated that their honey was worth in one instance 12c 

 per pound, in the other 17c. This, of course, is due to a 

 lack of co-operation on the part of the beekeepers out- 

 side of the different exchanges who are selling their 

 goods at a very low price. Of course, this is due in part 

 to the fact that beekeepers are unable to borrow on 

 their crop and hold for a better price, as they have done 

 heretofore. We know of several cars of honey having 

 been sold for from lie to 12c for the amber and as low as 

 13J^c for best grade sweet clover honey. There is no 

 reason for such a price, inasmuch as the price of sugar 

 is not yet this low. However, as long as there are bee- 

 keepers who are willing to accept such a low price, there 

 will always be buyers. The lower the price, the less 

 ready the buyers will be to accept, thinking probably 

 that there is to be a crash in the honey market and that 

 prices will go still lower. 



Two points we would like to emphasize in this connec- 

 tion. One of these is that the beekeepers in the East and 

 Central West should do everything to dispose not only of 

 their own crop, but of as much more honey as they can, 

 so as to clear up the market and maintain a living price. 

 The other is that the Western beemen should get to- 

 gether and try to hold for a reasonable figure. There is 

 no reason for one beekeeper to sell a carload of white 

 clover honey at 13c per pound when another not many 

 miles away is holding for 18c, and getting it. The fact is 

 that honey is in good local demand in the East and Cen- 

 tral West, at about 30c in 10-pound cans. There is a large 

 discrepancy somewhere, but this cannot be cleared up 

 unless there is some disposition on the part of the pro- 

 ducers to hold for a fair price. 



Naturally we cannot expect the price of honey to hold 

 indefinitely at the high figure obtained last year, but 

 whether it does hold at a fair price or drops to a below- 

 production cost depends on the beekeepers themselves 

 more than on the wholesalers and jobbers. The whole- 

 salers and jobbers are going to buy as cheaply as possi- 

 ble, and if the beekeepers do not set a price, they will. 



Export figures show that only 27,000 pounds of honey 

 were shipped during August to all foreign countries. This 

 is very low, indeed, but we may look for a better de- 

 mand from foreign countries later on. 



