1S97 



GI<RANINGS IN BEE Cri/rrRlv 



my iiioiK'v on Ihi.' purchase, while they all 

 the time claimed there was no use to try any 

 more to sell honey in "such places;" but I'll 

 admit the fact that not all ])et)]ile are sales- 

 men. 



AUhouL;h we sell lari;e (luantities of honey, 

 both comb and extracted, each season, we 

 never sell honey to dealers, but altogether to 

 the consumer, giving them fresh honey, and 

 so good that they will not keep it long enovigh 

 to candy. 



We put up no smaller packages than one 

 dollar's worth, as it does not pay to deliver a 

 less cpiantity at the close margin at which 

 honey may be sold these times. 



It has always seemed a mystery to me how 

 it comes, that, in nearly every ca.se, we are 

 able to purchase honey of the same quality 

 from commission merchants of the large cities 

 at a less price than we can buy direct from 

 the producer. Perhaps bee-keepers ship to 

 cities in the hope of getting the best prices; 

 but after waiting long and getting anxious for 

 returns, they advise their dealers to close out 

 at once to the best advantage, which is sure 

 to be to any other person's advantage more 

 than to that of the owner of the honey. 



Now let every one who cai: find any thing 

 like a fair home market go to work and sup- 

 ply this and keep it up, which plan will be 

 found to give, in the outcome, the best and 

 mo-st permanent satisfaction as well as profit. 



Holliday's Cove, \V. Va. 



[I believe I have already said — at all events 

 I will say it now — that Mr. Buchanan has 

 probably sold more honey, in a retail way, 

 and has done more in the way of developing 

 local markets, than any other bee-keeper in 

 the United States. He annually produces 

 large crops of honey, and not only sells his 

 own, but sells for a good many others. 



Mr. Bvichanan's experience with regard to 

 candied honey, and replacing the same with 

 liquid, will probably not work satisfactorily 

 with him; but Mr. Chalon Fowls, of Oberlin, 

 O., has worked on this plan for years, and 

 considers it profitable. 



I was struck particularly with one paragraph 

 where Mr. Buchanan says he has often bought 

 bee-keepers' crops of honey, and sold it right 

 around their homes, and doubled his money, 

 while they, the bee-keepers, had all along 

 claimed that there was no use of trying to sell 

 honey in their markets. Granting that Mr. 

 Buchanan is a natural salesman, and knows 

 the art of selling, this does not explain how- 

 he should be able to double on his money, 

 unless, at least, those bee-keepers who com- 

 plain of their home markets have made no 

 effort to develop them. Perhaps they are not 

 read up — or at least have not read the series 

 of valuable articles that liiive been running in 

 Gleanings and the other l)ee-journalsef late. 

 Understand, I do not question Mr. B.'s right 

 to dotible on his money. It is his privilege 

 and right, if the other fellows won't post up 

 and do something. 



Mr. Buchanan calls attention to another 

 significant fact; namely, that in nearly every 

 case he has been able to buy honey of a given 



quality from commission merchants in the 

 large cities r/ica/){-r ihRW he could buy the same 

 honey direct from the producer. This is too 

 true. It can be explained only on the ground 

 that so much honey is sent to "the cities that it 

 gluts the markets; and the consequence is, 

 the bee-keeper is glad to get any thing if he 

 can only get soiiu't/iinfi\ Too often he is de- 

 ceived l)y quotations that are above the mar- 

 ket. Big promises for immediate returns at 

 glittering figures allure him. Why will not 

 bee-keepers learn to be careful ? Nine-tenths 

 of the producers know the art of securing 

 honey; but I almost believe that nine-tenths 

 of them do not know the art of selling-. Why, 

 we are to-day having the finest qualities of 

 comb and extracted honey offered to us at 

 prices that are ridiculously low. Sometimes 

 we buy, and sometimes we do not. We very 

 much dislike to be lugged into the "general 

 swim " with those who are trying to buy 

 closely, at the expense of the hard-working 

 bee-keeper. It is too bad, but need not be if 

 producers would not be so fast to lump their 

 honey off in large lots for the sake of getting 

 a " big pile " all in one lump. — Ed.] 



GOOD CROPS AND GOOD PRICES. 



The Advantage of Selling around Home. 



BY DAN WHITE. 



I notice in last issue, July lo, comments 

 about our large crop of honey. Some are 

 afraid of a glut in the market, ruinous prices, 

 etc. Now, if I can say a word of encourage- 

 ment I will gladly do so. My this season's 

 crop is about 7C)00 pounds, mostly extracted, 

 and I expect to market every pound of it at 

 fair prices. You know good help to work 

 among bees is hard to find ; consequently 

 about four weeks' good hard labor by myself 

 alone has secured this honey. I have no one 

 to .settle with for labor but myself. Now, is 

 it good policy for me to sit down and wait for 

 people to come and buy my honey, or put it 

 in large packages and throw it on the market ? 

 I believe I can now well afford to do some 

 hu.stling around, and sell this honey. Don't 

 you see I .shall do this myself? and when I 

 get through, my expense account will not eat 

 up a large share of my honey crop. I can 

 now report one day's labor, (iOO lbs. honey 

 sold, nearly all for cash, and in the mean time 

 I have found where I can place about <)()() lbs. 

 more just by driving around with the honey. 



Let me give my price: >S cts. per pound, in 

 a small way; |7.tM) for lUO lbs. I have al- 

 ready filled and taken several orders for 100 

 lbs. in a family — some of them farmers too. 

 Don't be afraid to go out among the farmers, 

 and especially the laborers in villages and 

 cities. I have told you before that four fani- 

 ilies out of five hardly know what honey is. 

 Now, sir, we have lots of honey, and let's 

 hunt these people out and tickle their palates 

 with some good honey. We shall not only 

 get rid of this crop, but we are making a mar- 

 ket for future crops of honey. 



I could hardly give the "time to say what 



