52 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



at least as we used to, if we cannot do bet- 

 ter? Is it not much more necessary to take 

 a deeper interest in apieultural matters 

 today than years ago? And is it not time 

 that some of us were making a start in this 

 direction? In my conversations recently 

 with other beekeepers I found that even 

 the most common subjects of the day could 

 not be discussed because of the fact that 

 " the other fellow " did not any longer 

 subscribe for any of the bee journals, and 

 consequently had not read the subjects men- 

 tioned in any of them. This is a sad state 

 of aifairs and needs remedying. It is dif- 

 ficult in this age of wide-awakedness and 

 organized etfort to strive alone, each indi- 

 vidual for himself. It will not only prove 

 lonesome wandering but expensive in the 

 end. 



It is true that our more experienced 

 beekeepers have not fallen away from the 

 usual order of things, and many new ones 

 have embarked along the right lines. I am 

 not casting any reflection on any of them; 

 but I often boil over with enthusiasm when 

 I see the great things that could be aeeom- 

 13lished. At the same time, it is just as 

 often that there is a boiling over of just the 

 very opposite of enthusiasm. The posses- 

 sion of either of these will prompt out- 

 bursts of the above nature. 



It is also true that we have a larger num- 

 ber of county beekeepers' associations than 

 we have ever had before; but their effort is 

 too local in nature, and not far-reaching 

 enough. We need bigger organizations to 

 undertake gi'eater fields of work than we 

 now have; and it is to be hoped that the 

 coming year will bring us better results in 

 this direction. 



NEW SIZES OP BULK-COMB-HONEY PACKAGES. 



Texas has enjoyed a standard of various 

 sizes of packages for bulk comb honey for 

 many years. The regular two 60-lb. square 

 cans to a case, with eight-inch screw cap 

 openings to the can, headed the list. Next 

 in order came the case of ten 12-lb. fric- 

 tion-top pails, followed by ten 6-lb. pails to 

 a case, and another of twenty 3-lb. cans. 

 Before these became standard sizes for the 

 Texas product there was a large assortment 

 of other sizes, and much confusion. This 

 standardization of packages relieved the 

 situation, and resulted in a uniformity of 

 price lists made out in the order of pack- 

 ages as given above. 



During the last two years there has been 

 a demand for our bulk comb honey in the 

 regular sizes of syrup-pails, the 5 and 10 

 lb. friction-top pails. This demand has 

 increased to such an extent that these sizes 



have almost supplanted the standard honey 

 sizes. It was still necessary, however, to 

 carry all sizes in stock in order to be able 

 to fill orders for any of the older sizes as 

 well as the new. This created again the 

 same confusion that previously obtained — 

 too many different sizes of packages neces- 

 sitating the carrying in stock of a much 

 larger supply of cans than necessary. It 

 also brought about all sorts of combinations 

 of orders, and too frequently delay on ac- 

 count of one or the other size in stock be- 

 coming exhausted. 



An effort will be made by a number of 

 the foremost beekeepers and honey-dealers 

 to eliminate the unnecessary sizes for the 

 1916 season. It is a fact that the special 

 sizes of honey-pails of 12 lbs. and 6 lbs. 

 are higher in cost of manufacture in com- 

 parison to the 10-lb. and 5-lb. syrup-pails. 

 The former require a special size of tin in 

 their making, while the latter are a stand- 

 ard for syrups, made in enormous quanti- 

 ties; and if adopted for honey in place of 

 the former they can be obtained at much 

 less cost to the beekeeper. 



Recently I took the matter up with some 

 of our jobbers who handle enormous quan- 

 tities of honey. Their immediate answer 

 was in favor of the change. One of these 

 concerns preferred, however, before decid- 

 ing definitely, to investigate, and conse- 

 quently dictated a letter to a number of 

 their traveling honey-salesmen as follows: 



The following are some of the replies 

 • received : 



HONEY. 



Dear Sir: — With opening of next spring cam- 

 paign on honey, try to sell everything in 10-lb. and 

 5-lb. buckets, packed, say, 6/10 and 12/5 to the 

 case. 



Please advise on bottom of this letter if this will 

 be satisfactory to your trade. 



Sales Department. 



" The 6/10 and 12/5 are the best sellers ; vtfill 

 want a few 2/60's." 



" In my opinion the above will be much better 

 than the old pack." 



" Yes, they prefer it." 



" Yes, O. K." 



" This will be 0. K. I like it better." 



" Trade likes these sizes much better." 



" I think this will suit the majority of the trade, 

 but believe we should have some 3-lb. pails also." 



This information is exceedingly valuable. 

 It comes from men who know how to sell 

 honey, and who know the trade and what 

 it wants. The result will be that the hon- 

 ey-dealers will demand and the producers 

 will have to furnish in the new schedule of 

 sizes. These will undoubtedly be the two 

 60-lb. square cans to the case; six 10-lb. 

 friction-top, twelve 5-lb. friction-top pails, 

 and possibly the retaining of the twenty 

 3-lb. cans or the adoption of the smaller 

 2V^-lb. syrup size in their place also. 



