1426 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 15 



figures, and I do not think I can do Ijetter 

 than give the amount I produced, and price 

 I received for my 1905 crop. It is as follows: 

 8520 lbs. No. 1 clover extracted, at 8 cts., 

 $681.60; 4920 lbs. No. 1 raspberry extracted 

 at 7i, $369; 2880 lbs. No. 2 clover and rasp- 

 berry at 7, $201.60; 2000 lbs. buckwheat ex- 

 tracted, at 6, $120; 2317 lbs. No. 1 and fancy 

 comb honey, at 15, $374.55; making a total 

 of $1746.75 from 300 colonies, spring count, 

 and an inci'ease of 150 colonies. 



You will notice this crop is not large for 

 so many bees; but by the system of selling I 

 am about to describe, in connection with a 

 superior article of honey to sell, the x-esults 

 are fairly satisfactory. By cutting out com- 

 mission men, and middlemen to a certain ex- 

 tent, I figure I have saved about 25 per cent 

 on this crop. This system of selling was first 

 published in the Review for Oct., 1904. It is 

 as follows: 



THB "easy "OR COMMISSION MBTHOD OF SELLING 

 HONEY. 



Let US first consider the commission method of dis- 

 posing of our honey. This might be termed the easy 

 method. All we have to do is to can or crate, if comb 

 honey; nail on the tags (the commission man furnishes 

 them), deliver to the depot, and our part of the work 

 is done; then, some time, we will receive a check. 

 Easy, isn't it!" Let us figure a little. It is estimated, 

 and I have never seen it contradicted, that if comb 

 honey sold through the commission man brings 14 

 cents a pound, the freight, cartage, and commission 

 will bring the net price down to about 10 cents for the 

 bee-keeper. Now, we have some customers who will 

 give us a cent a pound more than the regular quota- 

 tions for our honey on board the cars here. We do not 

 suppose our No. 1 comb honey is very much better 

 than the commission house. No. 1, but these people 

 say they know what ours is, and are willing to pay the 

 difference. Now, it is not a very difficult matter, with 

 these figures before us, to figure a nice profit by sell- 

 ing it ourselves. The difference between 10 and 15 cts., 

 or 50 per cent on the deal, is worth looking after. 

 There is, however, a class of bee-keepers who will 

 always patronize the commission man. They do not 

 care to go to the trouble of looking up customers. 

 They would rather take less, and have some one else 

 do the work; so the commission man is here to stay. 

 and fills a niche we can ill afford to dispense with. 

 The above might betermed the low-price easy method. 



THE METHOD WHBBEBY BBE-KEEPEBsIgET THB BEST 

 PRICE. 



The second method of disposing of one's honey, di- 

 rect to the consumer, is available with only the few 

 that are located near the large cities, or otherwise 

 favorably located, where honey brings a good price. 

 They must have a little tact, and ability as salesmen, 

 then put up their honey in small packages for home 

 or grocery trade. 



These bee-keepers realize the top of the market for 

 their honey. They may be called the favored few who 

 get the best price for their honey. 



CUTTING OUT ONfi MIDDLEMAN AND IMPROVING THE 

 GENERAL MARKET. 



The great majority come on the last list. They are, 

 perhaps, a long way from market. After they have 

 taken pains to produce a crop of fine honey, and if it 

 is the best grade of extracted honey for table use, it is 

 put in 60-pound cans; if dark in color, or " off " in fla- 

 vor, so It must go to the baker, perhaps barrels are 

 best. If it is comb honey, case it up early, and be 

 honest m gradmg. If there is any Question in your 

 mind about a section grading No. 1, put it in No. 2. 

 Make each grade a little better than your competitor's. 

 Don't think for a minute that you will not get paid for 

 It. You see, we are going to try to tell you how you 

 can get a good price for your honey, and, at the same 

 time, build up a reputation that will never leave you. 



Once a customer always a customer" should be 

 your motto in all your honey deals. Produce a good 

 article, put it up in good shape for the market, then 

 last, but not least, ask a good price for it. Of course, 

 if you get your price too high it may sell slow — 



perhaps so slow that you will have to lower the 

 price before it will move; but before you lower 

 the price do a little hustling. We will suppose you 

 have been letting some one else sell your honey for 

 you in the past, but have decided to change for the 

 better-price method You are not acquainted with 

 the honey trade, and you will need the addresses of 

 the manufacturing druggists, the honey-bottlers, and 

 then there is the baker. Your local druggist can 

 likely furnish you the addresses of the druggists, and 

 your grocer those of the bakers, and the bee journals 

 reach probably all of the bottlers, and most of the 

 bakers and druggists, so a little notice there will like- 

 ly bring you orders. 



DON'T CHARGE FOR SAMPLES. 



You will need some sample mailing-blocks, as most 

 of them buy extracted honey by sample. A sample 

 block and postage will cost you about 10 cts., each 

 sample you send out, and there will be a temptation 

 to charge for this sample. Don't do it. You want to 

 place a sample in every dealer's hands who is inter- 

 ested enough to ask for it. The few that order sam- 

 ples out of curiosity will not amount to over 5 per 

 cent, so this element is not worth considering. 



Instead of charging for our samples we figure to get 

 our pay out of the advance price we receive for our 

 honey. We have been making a little mental calcula- 

 tion, and have come to the conclusion that we received 

 about $15 each for the samples sent out last year, 

 above what would have been received had we sold our 

 honey through a commission house at the market 

 quotations. 



CAUTIONS TO BE OBSERVED IN SHIPPING. 



We will suppose the orders are beginning to come 

 in. A few of the small orders will be accompanied by 

 money to pay for the honey. Then there are others 

 that you know by reputation, that you will ship to 

 without money in advance. The probabilities are 

 these known dealers will simply say ship so and so, 

 depending on their good name as sufficient security. 

 Thus far every thing has worked lovely, but you will 

 probably receive orders from parties that are perfect 

 strangers; some of them will furnish references. 



Just a word now in looking up these references. Do 

 not fail to enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope, 

 and leave margin enough below your inquiry for their 

 reply. If, after looking them up, you conclude they 

 are all right financially, you can ship them. But if 

 you have any doubt of their integrity, or if they do 

 not furnish reference, the better way will be to ship 

 C. O. D. Then there are others who prefer to pay on 

 delivery; so it will be well to describe this method of 

 shipping goods. It might be added that this plan is 

 used very extensively in the commercial world. Gen- 

 erally it is as follows: The railroad company that we 

 ship over furnishes us blank bills of lading. Under 

 the head of " marks, consignee, etc.," we write " to 

 order of E. D. Townsend, St. Paul, Minn., notify Paul 

 Jones, 304 Short Street." Now, after the railroad 

 agent signs it we make out our bill for the honey, pin 

 this shipping receipt to it, then take it to our banker, 

 and have him draw on Paul Jones for the amount. 

 As the honey is shipped to ourselves, Jones can not 

 get it without this shipping receipt; and as he has to 

 pay the bill for the honey before he can get the re- 

 ceipt, we are perfectly safe. All the risk we run is 

 the possibility of his not taking the honey, and caus- 

 ing loss in freight unless we can find a customer for 

 it there. If there is no bank at one or the other end 

 of the route, there is always an express agent where 

 there is a railroad depot, and he will do your collect- 

 ing the same as the bank. Whichever way we ship 

 when sending our bill to Mr. Jones, we tell him 

 through which bank or express company of his city 

 we have drawn on him. I might add that, in all the 

 honey we ever shipped in this way, there never was a 

 lot refused. You see, there is no object in anybody 

 ordering honey unless he wants it; and, if we always 

 sell by sample, we have no trouble about the quality 

 of honey. The fact is, we have had such good luck 

 shipping this way that we never hesitate whenever 

 requested to do so, without any money in advance, as 

 some require. 



In conclusion let us repeat, produce a good article; 

 have your white honey ready for the market not later 

 than August 15; be honest in your grading and weights; 

 don't try to deceive your best friend, your customer, 

 by trying to work in a few sections of No. 2 with No. 1. 

 It might be tolerated once, if it were a small ship- 

 ment; but next time, when you offer him more, he 

 will quite likely offer you a No. 2 price for what you 

 call No. 1. 

 Remus, Mich. 



