GLEAIJINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



BEEKEEPING AMONG the ROCKIES 



THE HONEY MARKET. 



Local retailers are selling comb 

 honey at 10 to 20 cts. per section. 

 The higher price is secured for the 

 fancy and No. 1 gi'ades, and the 

 lower price for the cull honey, of 

 which the beekeepers have quite a 

 supply that is dumped upon the local mar- 

 ket. The culls bring from $1.50 to $2.25 

 per case, according to weight and amount of 

 finish, the weight running from nine ounces 

 up. The average weight is probably fifteen 

 to seventeen pounds per case, with the 

 weight of the case subtracted. 



There is a growing demand for comb 

 honey in bulk, and some beekeepers are 

 disposing of their cull comb honey in that 

 form. The 5-lb. and 10-lb. pails, and 5-gal- 

 lon cans are the favorite packages. This 

 bulk comb honey brings 10 to 11 cents per 

 pound according to package in which it is 

 packed. 



The market on extracted honey is good, 

 and the price is higher than one year ago. 

 Alfalfa extracted honey brings 7 cents in 

 small lots, and a little less where a carload 

 is taken. This is the price paid producers. 

 At some points where freight rates are 

 high, sales have been made on the basis of 

 6 to 6y2 cents per lb. The extracted honey 

 is very fine in color and body this year, and 

 the flavor is all that can be desired in alfalfa 

 and sweet-clover honey. 



The comb-honey market has been rather 

 slow, and sales have not been made as rap- 

 idly as the honey was prepared for ship- 

 ment by the beekeepers. Western-slope 

 comb honey has been sold for $2.20 and 

 $2.40 per case. Cars of eastern-slope honey 

 have brought from $2.75 to $3.00 for the 

 fancy grade so far. 



Honey-crop conditions have improved in 

 Colorado during the late flow, as this has 

 been good in some parts of the state that 

 had a poor summer honey-flow. During 

 September considerable honey was stored in 

 supers in the Arkansas Valley and portions 

 of the western slope in Colorado. The 

 comb-honey crop has not been sold; but 

 considering the crop in the East, sales have 

 been better than could be ordinarily expect- 

 ed. The middle West has taken large 

 amounts of honey, cities of 15,000 popula- 

 tion taking comb honey in car lots. Of 

 course, some of this honey is distributed in 

 surro-unding territory; but the fact that 

 honey has not increased in price as have 

 other foods has made a great difference in 

 demand. 



Wesley Foster, Boulder, Colorado 



The local sales of honey have been much 

 larger than common, partially owing to the 

 very large tourist trade. Parties visiting 

 Colorado by auto from states to the east 

 and south have bought honey freely to take 

 home with them. Our county produced at 

 least fifteen cars of honey, and half or more 

 of it has been shipped out, and there is not 

 to exceed five cars left at this date, Oct. 11. 



WHY RETAIL AT SO LOW A PRICE? 



Beekeepers are doing this more and more, 

 and the practice is to be encouraged ; but 

 many beekeepers do not consider that it is 

 advisable to charge a price high enough so 

 that one can get paid for the additional 

 work necessary. One beekeeper has been 

 putting extracted honey up in 10-lb. fric- 

 tion-top pails, hauling it by auto for a hun- 

 dred miles, and peddling it out from house 

 to house at 75 cents per pail. 



Another^ beekeeper advertises in his local 

 paper to sell extracted honey at five cents a 

 pound. 



Now, this first beekeeper who is selling 

 extracted honey at retail at 75 cts. for 10 

 lbs., has nice honey, and I have sold and 

 am selling in the same territory cases of 

 six 10-lb. pails to the grocers at $7.50 ; and 

 wholesale gxocers are charging the retail 

 grocers about $8.00 for six 10-pound pails. 

 It is not necessary, nor good business, to 

 retail honey at less than carlot prices. 



The retail gTocers are the ones who sell 

 the bulk of our honey crop ; and if it Avere 

 not for them we should have a hard time 

 selling our crop. If we retail honey, and 

 compete with them, let us hold up the price 

 any way ; and when we sell to retailers, sell 

 at a price sufficient to give a fair profit to 

 them and ourselves also. 



Suppose extracted honey is worth 7 cents 

 wholesale in 60-lb. cans. When retailed in 

 smaller packages it ought to bring not less 

 than the following prices : 



Six 10-lb. pails, $7.00; one for $1.60; 

 12 5-lb. pails, $7.40; one for 90 cts.; 24 

 2y2-lb. cans, $8.00; one for 35 cts.; 12 

 pints (glass), $2.40; one for 25 cts. 



Some Colorado dealers are selling for 

 more than these prices, and a few for less. 



Colonies slow about entering the supers, 

 and strong on clustering out, may be driven 

 into the supers by raising the hive from the 

 bottom-board with small blocks. This cools 

 off the lower part of the hive, gives venti- 

 lation, and forces the bees to seek the warm- 

 er part of the hive^ to store honey and build 

 comb. 



