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wholesale. When the crop is small it nearly 

 all goes at retail. When larger, only a 

 fourth to a third goes at retail. We have 

 always peddled most of our farm products, 

 and honey sales have been made mainly in 

 connection with the sales of other produce. 

 When we sell at wholesale it is usually 

 direct to the retail merchant, not to a mid- 

 dleman. 



It has always been one of our principles 

 to sell to the nearest buyer who will pay the 

 market price. Tliis is sometimes our near- 

 est neighbor. Thus we save time, transpor- 

 tation, and risk of lost jDayment, since we 

 know the reliable buyers. This also relieves 

 the larger markets, and gives better distri- 

 bution. We have always tried to give a 

 buyer what he wants or needs, sometimes 

 refusing to sell when we knew it would not 

 suit, or that it would give dissatisfaction 

 later, and probably result in the loss of a 

 custom.er. I cannot recall losing any of our 

 customers because of dissatisfaction. 



I am known as a " dear man," not as a 

 " cut rate." Sales at retail are made at the 

 best or average retail price for the quality ; 

 at wholesale at the best market price. Prices 

 are usually set by the local markets, but 

 sometimes by the larger city quotations in 

 the palmers. In this way we are on good 

 terms with the stores and business men in 

 town, and we can sell as we like. Because 

 of lack of time I have never made a regular 

 business of peddling honey in the large 

 town where the large jjart of my wholesale 

 sales are made. I believe a good tlioro 

 peddling of honey once a year at least 

 would increase the honey sales as a whole 

 for the stores. I have started a good many 

 customers by an occasional sale. 



I have a few regular customers in town 

 who take honey when supplied with other 

 produce. I have never had trouble in whole- 

 saling my honey, both comb and extracted, 

 at the stores, and usually at prices higher 

 than the New York quotations. I could sell 

 more if I tried. To start a new wholesale 

 customer who is in doubt, or does not want 

 to buy, if reliable I leave honey for sale on 

 trial. I have never had any returned. I 

 always sell for cash at the stores except in 

 a few cases where the honey is delivered by 

 others. 



I have never advertised honey. Why 

 should I when I cannot supply the present 

 demand? However, I have always been 

 ready to talk about bees and honey, and 

 give any interesting facts about them. This 

 may not have increased sales, but it has 

 been at least the means of getting most of 

 the storekeepers to take better care of their 

 honey, and keep it on display. 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



My oldest record of sales is dated 1898, 

 when the crop was about 1000 pounds. 

 Since then the crop has varied from 400 to 

 2700 pounds. I know the average price per 

 pound of that first crop was much less than 

 of late years. I still have many of the same 

 customers, both wholesale and retail. Some 

 of them come back voluntarily, or send 

 orders. A good many I keep after, by a 

 notice of the new crop, or inquiry of some 

 kind as to what they want. Many I call 

 upon when the new crop is ready. I get 

 advance orders from the storekeepers vphen 

 T can; but most of them are regular cus- 

 tomers, and their demand is about regular. 

 The rest of the orders are taken by chance. 

 I have one retail route that I go over once 

 in the early fall, and twice if time permits. 

 This trip runs from 100 to 200 lbs. for the 

 day's work. On this trip I am often able to 

 dispose of the odd sections that do not case 

 up well with the main lot. At first the 

 customers on this trip took mainly comb 

 honey; but the last season and the one be- 

 fore they took nearly all extracted, in jars. 

 The demand changes — due, principally, to 

 the more attractive appearance of the jars 

 and the more convenient form for using a 

 little and saving the rest for later use. 



I have always had some good customers 

 for such poorly filled and poorly capped 

 sections that are loo heavy to use profitably 

 as baits. These ai'e sold by weight at the 

 wholesale price. Price tells here. It is 

 seldom necessary to change customers for 

 this grade often, and but little trouble to 

 find a new one. In this Avay hurting the 

 store trade with second-grade goods is 

 avoided. 



T have nearly always sold my good sec- 

 tion honey by the box, always at retail. I 

 consider it less apt to make the public criti- 

 cal on this point. However, I always grade 

 carefully, and vary the ])rice to fit the grade, 

 especially to the wholesale trade. Thus a 

 lighter section ma^' sell, in a short season, 

 for the same price as a better weight when 

 the sections run heavy. 



Enough dark honey is bottled to supply 

 the demand in that form. The rest is sold 

 in 2 X 4 quart tin cans. ■ Because dark honey 

 is cheaper, it always finds some sale, mostly 

 to neighbors. A few prefer the flavor of 

 the dark honey. I have also a considerable 

 demand for two-quart cans of white honey. 

 Many of these are sent by parcel post. 



Sometimes it hardly pays to retail from 

 the standpoint of profit alone ; but the hon- 

 ey must be sold. Retailing relieves the 

 wholesale trade, and usually stimulates and 

 creates a demand for honey. 



My principal honey-flow is from the 



