444 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 15. 



6 to 8 cents. So I said if I must sell to Denver 

 or Chicago at 6 or 7 cents less freights and com- 

 missions, I would let the people at home have 

 it just as cheaply as some commission man. I 

 then advertised that I would sell from the 

 honey-house in any amount at 6 cents if pur- 

 chaser brought his vessel; but if I furnished 

 the vessel I would charge its cost extra. You 

 see, the poor family that could not buy 50 

 pounds could get 5 or 10 pounds at the same 

 rate as the more wealthy. I sold the crop out 

 in a very little while, it going about as fast as I 

 could extract and get it ready. 



I suppose many would tell me that I was 

 ruining prices by putting the price so low. Let 

 me explain that. If I had been staying there 

 right along I could have sold the crop during 

 the year at about 8 cents. The reason I say 8 

 cents is because sugar can be had at about 6 

 cents, and makes a very good syrup; and if I 

 get too much above the price of sugar I should 

 lose the trade of all but those who will pay 

 more for the honey because they like honey 

 better than sugar syrup; but to those who 

 must economize, the cheaper sweet would take 

 the preference. In order to get as much as pos- 

 sible into the poorer families, and to insure 

 sale, I put the p'rice at only 6 cents, which was 

 better than 7 cents in the city markets, because 

 it was net price. In fair to good seasons there 

 is much more honey produced in my locality 

 than the local trade will take. I have sold 

 quite a little to peddlers who go to the moun- 

 tains, and to localities where there is no irriga- 

 tion. The question practically is, whether I 

 shall sell in the home market as cheaply as in 

 the cities. If I make the local price about a 

 retailer's commission above what the honey 

 would bring at wholesale I have not damaged 

 myself, and have marketed more of the crop at 

 home than I could have done at higher prices. 

 If the local demand is greater than the produc- 

 tion, and honey is shipped in to supply the 

 deficit, then it is proper tbat our local product 

 be sold at the price the foreign goods must 

 bring to pay first cost, freights, and commis- 

 sions. As my locality does not import any 

 honey, but, on the other hand, I must export 

 my surplus over local demand, it is but just 

 and right that I put the price to the local trade 

 just enough above wholesale to pay me for 

 dealing it out. This will increase the local 

 demand, and in so far relieve the pressure on 

 city markets. 



That our local markets are not properly 

 worked, I am sure. We must " introduce" our 

 goods; and, when once we have a trade, keep it 

 supplied. Remember that the dealer who gets 

 the business is the one who keeps the goods 

 wanted, and at reasonable prices. Will not 

 some of our men of means take up the matter 

 of packing honey and establish houses in all 

 producing districts to handle the surplus prod- 



uct in those fields? We must have something 

 of this kind, regular standard packages, and 

 our goods put before the people in a systematic 

 way, or we must be content to sell locally, and 

 raise or lower the price as we may have a small 

 or large crop. These are my conclusions after 

 studying the problem for several years. 

 Loveland, Col. 



[I question whether we could get the general 

 public to look with very much favor on a pack- 

 age of extracted honey that is candied— one 

 that must be brought to a liquid condition be- 

 fore it is consumed. However that may be, I 

 think you are exactly right in urging the im- 

 portance of a uniform package; and if some 

 organization does take hold of it, the A. I. Root 

 Co. will. If there is a demand for it. we will 

 place on sale at our various branch offices and 

 depots fruit-caus of a standard size, in car lots; 

 but before we can go into any enterprise as gi- 

 gantic as this, we must have the assurance that 

 bee-keepers generally would accept the stand- 

 ard can used by all fruit-men. In the mean 

 time we solicit the opinions of the brethren. 

 The standard fruit-can package in question is 

 the one described in our last issue, page 409. It 

 has no patent fastening or screw-top, but is 

 simply a common fruit-can that is sealed by 

 soldering. For this reason it should be put on 

 the market considerably below the cost of or- 

 dinary self-sealing packages of equal capacity. 

 We are at present writing for prices.— Ed.] 



HOME-MADE VS. FACTORY-MADE FOUNDA- 

 TION. ^ 



SECTION-PKESSK-. KTC; THE EDITOR'S STATE- 

 MENTS CRITICISED. 



By F. L. Thompson. 



On page 318 a footnote says, speaking of the 

 Rietsche press, " At present prices of founda- 

 tion, no bee-keeper could afford to make his 

 own, especially if he could turn out only 150 

 sheets an hour." 



Beeswax in Cleveland and Cincinnati is quot- 

 ed highest at 25 cents a pound in that issue of 

 Gleanings. Suppose one makes his founda- 

 tion as thin as 8 L. sheets to the pound. This 

 grade, when bought, costs 42 cents a pound in 

 quantity. By making one's own foundation, 

 17 cents a pound is saved, and 1.50 sheets of 

 foundation an hour means 18K pounds per hour 

 worked, or $3.14^ per hour, or about S35.00 per 

 day saved— say $20.00 net, so as to take account 

 of the fuel, lubricant, interest on value of all 

 articles used, etc. If I could do one quarter as 

 well, and save ?,5.00 a day, I should feel as if I 

 were making money. And yet, " no bee-keeper 

 could afford to make his own I " Mr. Editor, 

 you could not have been thinking of the bee- 

 keeper, but of the big supply-dealer, when you 

 wrote those words. What is "altogether too 

 slow " for the latter is extremely fast for the 

 former. Consider, too. that the press (or, rather, 

 mold) is very easily worked, does good work, 

 and turns even small portions of wax to ac- 

 count. (It has been improved of late). It is 



