July, 1917 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



503 



HONEY MARKETS 



So many different kinds of reports are 

 afloat that neither the buyer nor producer 

 of honey knows what the price is or should 

 be. That it is high is very certainly true, 

 as the reading of the quotations below will 

 show. That it may go higher is doubtful in 

 view of the fact that granulated sugar has 

 dropped in price within a month; so also has 

 wheat and some other staples. Honey is 

 likely to go up or fall with other food prices. 

 If Congress shuts off the food-speculator, all 

 prices may come down. 



As the food-speculator seems to be abroad 

 in the land, trying to corner the market on 

 general food staples, it is possible and even 

 probable that the same class of chaps are 

 trying to corner honey. At all events, there 

 is some evidence to show that some one has 

 been trying to "bear" the market at the 

 present time, claiming that the allies have 

 discovered a cheap substitute — molasses at 

 6 cents that will take the place of honey, 

 and that, therefore, the market on honey is 

 going down; but careful inquiry shows no 

 such product at this price on the market. 



If it is true that the food-speculators are 

 trying to corner honey along with other com- 

 modities, they will endeavor to "bear" the 

 market while they are buying; and then 

 when they have bought all the available 

 supply, both present and future, will boost 

 prices. They will be the fellows who will 

 rake in the shekels, and the beekeeper may 

 be berating himself because he was not in 

 the final roundup. 



No one knows yet what the crop of honey 

 is to be this year. In many of the clover 

 regions, owing to unfavorable weather honey 

 is not coming in, and thousands of colonies 

 at this writing (June 22) are or were on the 

 verge of starvation, and the beekeepers 

 waiting expectant for the shower of honey 

 which they hope will come. A recent report 

 from California shows that weather condi- 

 tions are unfavorable. 



The dry weather of last fall and the chilly 

 and backward weather of this spring would 

 indicate that the clover crop in some sec- 

 tions will be lighter than last year, which 

 fact would have a tendency to boost prices. 

 Over against this, frequent and copious rains, 

 as shown by the Government weather maps, 

 in the clover regions, would have a tendency 

 to prevent a rise above the present level. 



Orange and some sage has already sold as 

 high as 13 and 14 cents in California; but 

 some bottlers say that they cannot afford to 

 pay above 10 or 11 cents, as a 12 and 13 

 cent extracted would make extracted at re- 

 tail 30 or 35 cents against a comb honey of 

 the same quantity for 25 or 35 cents. It is 

 probable that the discriminating housewife 

 would not pay more for extracted than for 

 comb, quantity for quantity. 



NEW HONEY CROP AND MARKET REPORTS. 



We have the following special and late re- 

 ports of the new honey crop, date of June 20: 



Redland, Cal. — Crop less than one-half normal, 

 mostly choice white; buyers eager at 13 to 13% 

 cents; darker, 11 to 12 1/^ ; alfalfa districts prospects 

 much below normal ; crop mostly sold. A few are 

 holding for 15 cents. Hottest in 40 years, being 

 120 in the shade; plants badly injured; prospects 

 very poor. 



Los Angeles, Cal. — Honey secured is only 25 

 per cent of normal ; estimate, 40 per cent for season 

 in south; quality excellent; Isuyers very active, pay- 

 ing 13 to l^Ys to producers; white, better. A few 

 producers are holding for 15 cents. Retail market 

 unsettled, little used, not worth quoting. Extreme 

 heat burning flora and bees melting down ; also 

 great damage by fires. 



San Jose, Cal. — Very little new crop honey ready 

 for market. Season late owing to cold weather. 

 Light-amber mustard honey (canned) selling for 10 

 cents. Some holding for 12. Buyers offering from 

 8 to 12 cents according to grade; all demand is for 

 extracted. One-half crop or better in northern Cali- 

 fornia. 



Texas. — Two-fifths of crop is lost ; one-fifth of nor- 

 mal crop is now harvested; additional two-fifths will 

 be normal. Quality is normal. Tendency of buyers 

 to contract early for entire crop. Ten to 12 cents 

 is asked for extracted. Some are holding for 15 

 cents. Continued drouth may reduce normal yet to 

 harvest. 



Florida. — This state's honey crop is very light; 

 comb honey a failure due to freeze and dry weather. 

 Prospects for future crop good. Quality good. 

 Buyers offer one dollar F. 0. B. Sanford for crop. 

 Producers holding at 55 to $1.75 F. O. B. market. 



MARKETS BY CITIES 



NEW YORK. — Comb honey, old crop, is fairly 

 well cleaned up, with the exception of lower gi-ades, 

 of which there is still some in the market, but no 

 demand to speak of. As to No. 1, or fancy white, 

 there is some which has been carried over ; but the 

 demand is not as good as it formerly was, and hard 

 to find buyers at around 13 to 14 cts., and this in 

 a small way only. For extracted honey, the market 

 appears to be in a very unsettled condition, and all 

 kinds of prices are being quoted. Last year's crop 

 is practically cleaned up, and receipts from the 

 West Indies have been rather light of late; but it 

 appears that a good crop has been produced in the 

 southern states, and is now beginning to arrive quite 

 freely. The demand is fair, at prices varying from 

 90 cts. to $1.20 per gallon, according to quality. 



New York, June 18. Hildreth & Segelken. 



CHICAGO. — As yet, none of the yield of 1917 has 

 appeared on this market. There is no honey to be 

 had among the jobbers, and very little is left in the 

 hands of retailers; hence there is a probability of 

 higher prices on the new crop when it comes, and 

 we should have some by the time this appears in 

 print. We expect now to get 17 to 18 cts. per lb. 

 for the comb that will range from No. 1 to fancy, 

 and it may be that we can get a little more for a 

 time. Extracted is commanding at the present time 

 from 12 to 14, for the reason that there is practically 

 none offered in clover or the other white honey. 

 Amber grades are also absent, including buckwheat. 

 Beeswax is steady around 35 cts. per lb. 



Chicago, 111., June 18. R. A. Burnett & Co. 



LOS ANGELES. — All old crop of extracted was 

 cleaned up two months ago. Small stocks of comb 

 held over with price normal, but new crop of ex- 

 tracted prices are soaring to the skies. Some pro- 

 ducers are holding for 15 cts. in car lots for white 

 orange, some having sold at various prices ranging 

 to 1-iVo cts. f. o. b. Demand is active, crop limited. 

 Little sage is out yet. Too much variation in local 

 market to make quotations useful. 



Hot wind continues, bad tires in hills and lots of 

 bees melting down. 'This will affect honey produc- 

 tion seriously. Many beemen report "no more honey." 



Los Angeles, Cal., June 16. Geo. L. Emerson. 



PHILADELPHIA. — From our observation of our 

 honey market, under grades of comb are nearly if 

 not all sold. We have been entirely sold out of 

 sub grades for some time. There is some faucy old 

 comb on the market which is being held at around 

 18 cts. for well-filled combs. As to demand, there 

 is none in our market until early fall. As to new 



