428 



GLEANING-S IN BEE CULTURE 



June, 1917 



honey, said he did not know, but at once 

 sent a cablegram of inquiry to his partner in 

 London, and received the following answer: 

 " Honey not sold as rations, but purchas- 

 ed in a small way by the soldiers from the 

 canteen committee." 



But it is apparent, tho, that honey is be- 

 ing used in a large way by the soldiers in 

 baked goods that are supplied to them; and 

 they are also ,buying it direct from the can- 

 teens. 



All of these facts are interesting to the 

 beekeeper. Whether honey will continue 

 to advance is a question. The recent action 

 of Uncle Sam in curtailing the activities of 

 the food speculators will have, and has al- 

 ready had, a tendency to reduce prices. 

 This may or may not have some effect on 

 the price of honey. 



There is a iDossibility that there will be 

 an embargo on honey for foreign shipments; 

 but this is hardly probable, as the European 

 governments are not going to shut off honey 

 any more than they would wheat, peas, and 

 beans. They must have some form of car- 

 bohydrate; and when sugar (a carbohy- 

 drate) cannot be had at any price, honey 

 (another carbohydrate) will necessarily 

 have to take its place. 



Professor Jager, president of the Na- 

 tional Beekeepers' Association, born in Aus- 

 tria, but every inch an American in sym- 

 pathy, states that the Austrian soldiers use 

 sugar on their long marches. He says he 

 has knoAvn them to go 45 miles a day with 

 a single pound of sugai', and with no other 

 form of food. Physicians know that big- 

 game hunters can take longer hikes on a 

 pound of carbohydrate (sugar, molasses, or 

 honey) than they can upon wheat or meat. 

 Sugar or honey will furnish more and im- 

 mediate energy to worn-out soldiers than 

 perhaps anything else. But whether honey 

 takes the place of sugar as the direct food 

 of soldiers we do not know; but we see no 

 reason why it should not be so used. 



Some beekeepers, misled by the knowledge 

 of abnormally high jirices, will refuse to sell 

 their product at any price. History re- 

 peats itself. There is always danger in 

 this. Some years ago there were inflation 

 prices on honey. Large numbers of bee- 

 keepers held for more. Finally the market 

 took a tumble from which it took years to 

 recover. Now that prices are taking a 

 healthy upward growth, nothing should be 

 done to disturb this by ovei'boosting the 

 market to a point at which the public re- 

 fuses to buy and turns to the cheap glucose 

 syrups as a substitute. 



In the foregoing we have endeavored to 

 state facts and opinions, so far as we have 

 been able to get them, without fear or favor. 



All we can say is that honej' has already 

 reached a high level in price. What that 

 price actually is today, or what it will be 

 for the crop yet to be harvested, will de- 

 pend on the grade of honey and the locality. 

 Where there are numerous buyers, prices 

 will be firm, and will range all the way 

 from 7 to 11 cents on extracted — possibly 

 higher. The intelligent jDrodueer will not 

 be misled by abnormally high prices, nor 

 will he be in haste to contract early in the 

 season at low prices. Some reputable buy- 

 ers are putting up a guarantee to pay, say, 8 

 cents, and as much more as the market will 

 bear at the time the honey is ready to har- 

 vest. That form of contract should be to 

 the mutual advantage of both producer and 

 buyer. It combines good will, honesty, and 

 honor. 



Beekeejiers are warne«I against contract- 

 ing with speculators. In some eases, we 

 are reliably informed, honey has been con- 

 tracted for at 6 cents, and sold by the specu- 

 lator at practically double that figure. 

 Gleanings feels that the producer should 

 get all the market will allow, less a reason- 

 able profit to the legitimate middleman. 



What beekeepers most earnestly desire is 

 stability in the markets — not fancy prices 

 that are temporarily inflated only to fall to 

 a low level, nor yet low prices to start on 

 that have a tendency to depress all the 

 markets. 



RIGHT NOW IS NONE too early to learn 

 fully and meet practically the very serious 



situation -o o n- 

 THE HONEY- 

 CONTAINER 

 SITUATION 



fronting honey- 

 producers a n d 

 honey - packers 

 because of the 

 very great scarcity of the usual containers. 

 What is the situation and what is the best 

 remedy ? 



First, let us consider the tin-can situation. 

 On the call of the Department of Commerce^ 

 there came together at Washington on May 

 1 representatives of the tin-plate manufac- 

 turers and the tin-can manufaciurers, the 

 National Canners' Association, and the Na- 

 tional Wholesale Grocers' Association, to 

 consider means of conserving the supply of 

 tin-plate and cans so as to insure ample 

 facilities for the packing of the perishable 

 crop of 1917. As a result of that meeting 

 seven of the foremost tin-plate and tin-can 

 manufacturers and leading representatives 

 of canners' and grocers' associations were 

 appointed a " committee on the conserva- 

 tion of tin-plate." That committee, on the 

 suggestions of both the Department of Agri- 

 culture and the Department of Commerce, 



