7o8 



GLEANINGS IK BEE CULTUKE. 



Sept. 



SELLING HONEY TOO LOW. 



MRS. CHADDOCK'S VIEWS. 



U. TTKDDOV says, page C94, "I am sorry to 

 read the low prices Mrs. C. tells lis site is 

 stalling- honey lor. I think such low prices 

 for comb honey are entirely unnecessary^ 

 and would, if lonff continued, drive ns all 

 out of the business. She is selling- at a price below 

 the cost of production, according to Mr. Doolittle, 

 and I think his flgui'es are about right." Well, Mi-s. 

 Chaddoek feels sorry too; she has several dollars' 

 worth of sorrow on liand. I always feel a sort of 

 llustration when the time comes to begin selling- 

 honey. T love the almighty dollar, and I want all of 

 them that I can get; and at the same time I have a 

 conscience that is always pricking- and prodding 

 me, and telling- nic that I am trying to sell things 

 for more than they are worth; and the only way 

 that I know of to do is to strike a kind of general 

 average between my conscience and my desires, 

 and then go ahead. He says such low prices are 

 unnecessary. Well, that is so for this year; but it 

 is not so every year. If there is a big honey-yield, 

 and half the farmers have a little honey to sell, 

 then low prices are a neceMity to mc. I am not go- 

 ing to ship a pound of honey if 1 can help it. I do 

 not want the bother of it, nor the loss; and If I can, 

 by any thing short of a miracle, tell what honey 

 ought to sell for here, I intend to sell for that. 



Last spring- opened up with a grand flourish. 

 Everybody's bees wintered well, and there was hon- 

 ey in the willows and maples, the apple-blossoms, 

 plant lice, and raspljerries. The bees bred right up 

 to the white-clover harvest, and were the strongest 

 that I ever saw them so early. The white-clover 

 yield was a ])i-incely one, and, right in the middle of 

 it, I began selling honey. In riding about the coun- 

 ty I took pains to inquire about other people's bees, 

 and they were all in good condition. Then T read 

 the honey markets as given in the American Bee 

 Jimrnal and Gleanings. Chicago market, for June 

 flth and 16th, was U to 1.5 cts., and selliuij slowly. St. 

 Louis market for the same dates read, "Choice 

 comb, 10 to 12 cents; extra fancy, of bright color, 

 and in No. I packages, ^i advance on above prices." 

 I looked at the matter from all directions. I knew 

 that sugar was selling at five cents, and butter at 

 six; eggs at seven, and strawberries that I used al- 

 waj'S to sell at 40 and 50 cts. were selling at 20 cts. 

 right along; and I could buy just as good lawn for 

 7 cts. as we paid 12J4 for ten years ago; and taking 

 all things together with the big honey-yield that 

 we were (joimj to have, I set the price at 10 and 12»4. 

 The cost of producing- a commodity does not fix the 

 price at which it ((iK.sf sell. A gi-eat plenty of any 

 thing brings down the price. But the great plenty 

 did not come. The white clover yielded splendidlj'; 

 but when it was gone, every thing stopped short. 

 Then I stopped selling at 10 cts., and I now sell only 

 at retail. 1 am going to let the farmers supply the 

 town markets with their flve-cent comb honej' for 

 awhile. I'm awfully scared, I tell you. May bo I've 

 injured the honey - l>usincss all over the United 

 States and Europe. I promise Mr. Heddon never to 

 do the like again unless I do not know any better. 

 Vermont, 111. Mahala B. Chaddock. 



You are touching quite an important mat- 

 ter, my good friend. Few things require 

 more wisdom in business than in deciding 



just when to drop prices. The merchant 

 wlio purchases goods that are not perisliable 

 has no trouble at all in deciding that, if he 

 buys an article for .S or 9 cts., and sells it for 

 10, he is all right •, but the bee-keeper or the 

 farmer who i)roduces his goods by tilling 

 the soil rarely knows exactly what they cost, 

 and it would not matter much if lie did. 

 Every thing is so uncertain in his business 

 that it is liis duty to lind the best market 

 he can. If he can get more money for his 

 produce by going to a large city— that is, 

 after all expenses are paid — by all means 

 let him do so; or if he (;;in get more mon- 

 t'.V by putting up his crop "in small neat 

 packages, and taking it fresh to people's 

 homes, by all means do that way ; but when 

 he is satished iieople won't pay what he 

 thinks he ought to have for his product, 

 then he must either improve the iippearance 

 and style of his packages, or drop the price. 

 I would not droj) the price until it seemed 

 to be the last resort, liaise the quality if 

 possible, so as to keeji the price uniform. 

 Where the prices have been established, and 

 the goods aie going off freely, I would pre- 

 fer to buy out some small producer lather 

 than let iiim injure the market; a.nd some- 

 times it pays better to buy out such produc- 

 er, even if you can't sell the stuff for what 

 yoii paid for it. But this would refer to 

 small lots, of course. If the farmers round 

 you have small lots of honey that they seem 

 disposed to run off at 5 cts. because they 

 don't care to bother with it, I would try to 

 Hnd out about it beforehand, and take it olf 

 from their hands. Perhaps you may be 

 obliged to sell it for 5 cts. per lb. yourself; 

 but it will hurt your trade very much less in 

 that way, because you can explain to your 

 customers the difference in quality, style of 

 package, etc. 



CHEAPEST OFFER EVER MADE, 



In order to introduce my stock more extensively 

 I will sell pedigreed Polaiid-China pigs, from prize- 

 winning stock, at only 6 cts. per pound, spring pigs. 

 Small pigs, not akin. $5 00 per pair. Sent at reduced 

 rates by American Express. Safe arrival and en- 

 tire satisfaction in every case guaranteed. Full 

 colonies of Italian bees in A. I. Root's Simplicity 

 hive, $4.50. Address N. A. KNAPP, 



18d Rochester, Lorain Co., Ohio. 



LARGEST BEE-HIVE AND SECTION FAC- 

 TORY IN THE WORLD. 



GREAT REDUCTION! 



T'litil Jtinuny!/ 1st, ire will st'll uf a discount. 

 Jf'ritc for rt'diircti jirlcrs. 



G. B. LEW^IS & CO., 



IStfdb "Waterto-wii, 'Wisconsin. 



XJiTnYxfati A partner to take a half-interest in 

 VV dllLcU.* a nice little apiary, and help me in- 

 troduce one of the best bee-hives ever invented. 

 Must be /io?if.s-f. industrious, and a good mechanic, 

 or a good apiarist. M. J. HARRIS, 



18d Clay City, Clay Co., Illlinois. 



ITALIAN QUEENS 



Of the best strains, warranted 

 purely mated, $1.00 each; 6, $5.00. 

 Satisfaction guaranteed. Circular and price list free. 



(HAS. D. DIITAL.L. 

 IStfdb Speiioerville, Mont. Co., Md. 



(jDEENS 



