September, 1909. 



American Vae Journal 



also no little question, I mean success- 

 ful marketing. 



Years ago the getting of the Colorado 

 product to market, when we had a sur- 

 plus to go out of the producing district, 

 was indeed a serious matter. Local and 

 all less car lots must be risked to the 

 rough handling usual to such shipments 

 knocked about here and there, and the 

 distance, if sent out of the State, was 

 great and rates high. We had but one 

 feasible way, and that was to ship by 

 car-load ; that meant that one must be 

 an extensive producer, or there must 

 be co-operation among ourselves. To 

 get a given number together, to get 

 them to agree on prices, terms, etc., 

 and to be all ready at one time was 

 almost impossible. We were hitcheil 

 to a stump, and there we were with 

 always enough balky mules to leave the 

 stump fast. 



The next alternative was to sell at 

 home and do the best we could, or take 

 the risk on less car lots and tricky 

 buyers. I do not mean there was none 

 on our side tricky, nor that all on the 

 buyers' side were tricky, but enough of 

 both to put the better of both at great 

 odds. 



.\fter years of struggle we hit on the 

 plan of a co-operative stock company, 

 liaving many strictly co-operative fea- 

 tures, but the business in the hands of 

 a manager with the advice of a board 

 of 7 directors. We then had the prob- 

 lem of establishing our association in 

 the business world and making a repu- 

 tation, as well as to learn how to deal, 

 how to clean, grade and pack our pro- 

 duct. The work of the association, to- 

 gether with its methods, is before the 

 business world, and it is not necessary 

 to detail those matters here. But somi- 

 of the developments and methods do 

 come right in here, especially the clean- 

 ing, grading and packing, that is a gen- 

 eral subject, and applicable wherever 

 honey is produced. Where every man 

 is a law unto himself there are as many 

 sets of grading rules as there are indi- 

 viduals concerned, .\v\i\ even when sev- 

 eral do combine and try to do the same 

 thing there will always appear the sev- 

 eral individualities in their product. 



It is essential, then, in preparing the 

 l)roduct for market, that there be an 

 effort to attain to uniformity as far as 

 possible. If one be an individual pro- 

 ducer and so situated that his product 

 goes direct to a customer who knows 

 the individuality of that particular pro- 

 ducer — in other words, if you sell direct 

 to a customer whom you know, and 

 above all who k>ioi,.s you, you can be 

 an independent grader; but if yoti sell 

 with others, and the product goes to 

 customers who do not know you or 

 your associates, then you cease to be 

 an independent producer, but you are a 

 Colorado- or a Colorado Honey-Pro- 

 ducers' Association producer — you 

 cease absolutely to be John Smith, and 

 are exactly what your associates are; 

 the company becomes as one person, 

 every bit of the product has to go on 

 the market either by direct inspection 

 and acceptance on the part of the pur- 

 chaser, or upon the reputation of the 

 association or middlemen. 



The Colorado Honey- Prmlucers' As- 

 sociation has gone through this very 

 experience, Colorado producers have 

 banded together, losing their individ- 



ciation, which in turn has established 

 its individuality and reputation in the 

 business world, and on the other side 

 educated its members up to more care- 

 ful and uniform grading, and so put 

 into practice a co-operative system of 

 marketing. As it now stands, any in- 

 dividal producer who can and will pre- 

 pare his product so as to be accepta- 

 ble to the Association, and puts his 

 goods there to be disposed of, has 

 practically the opportunity of a na- 

 tionally wide market for his honey, 

 although personally he may not be 

 known outside his own neighborhood. 

 This is not an advertisement for the 

 Association — it does not need it. for it 

 has fought the battle and won. An e.x- 

 amination of commercial agencies will 

 prove that to any one disposed to in- 

 quire. But it does concern producers 

 of Colorado and all districts- isolated — 

 communities in remote districts, and 

 all who have to market in the general 

 markets and come under general trade 

 conditions. The subject is a vital one 

 of common interest. 



The producer, then, must not think 

 he is simply//, and can "buck" the 

 world and grade and sell as he pleases ; 

 if he does, he will not please anybody, 

 and himself least of all. Put yourself 

 in touch with your fellows. Find out 

 what others are doing, compare notes, 

 get the grading rules, and in every way 

 try to get your product up just as good 

 as you can ; get it so it will fill the 

 standard which buyers are asking for 

 and expect in honest trade. I will not 

 try to give you any rule of my own, 

 but put before you a set of rules which 

 are the product of the wisdom of some 

 of our very best and most extensive 

 producers, worked out after much in- 

 dividual and collective experience. We 

 had a set of rules for several years, and 

 tested them perhaps more than any set 

 of rules in existence, then in the light 

 of this large experience revised and 

 improved them. These rules are not 

 the rules of The Colorado Honey-Pro- 

 ducers' .Association, but of The Coi.- 

 0R,\i)0 St.vte Bf.f.-Kff.pers' .\ssoc'i.\tion. 

 It is true these rules are used by the 

 former organization, and that a very 

 large percent of the producers who 

 figured in their working out are its 

 members, yet they were made and 

 adopted first and officially by the State 

 organization. 



I mf)St surely believe that successful 

 marketing, that will mean not only 

 success to the party immediately con- 

 cerned, but to all others interested, is 

 co-operatively carried out. 



The following are the 



New Comb Honey Grading Rules 



adopted by the Colorado State Bee- 

 Keepers' Association : 



NO. 1 WHITE 



.Sections to hi- well tilli'dand uvuiily capped 

 except the outside row. next to the wood; 

 honey white or slithtiy amber; comb and 

 capplnjfs wliite and not projectinK beyond 

 the W(}od; woo<l to be well cleaned; cases of 

 separatored honey to averaj^e 21 poiuuls net 

 per case of 24 sections, no section in this 

 lifade to wei^h less than liJ^ ounces. 



Cases of half-scparatorcd lioney to aver 

 aire not less than 22 pounds net per case of 

 24 sections. 



Cases of unseparatored honey to averat'e 

 not less than 21 pounds net per case of 24 

 sections. 



NO. 1 LIGHT AMBER 



Sections to he well tilled and e\enly cap- 

 ped, e.xcept the outside row. next to the 

 wood; honey white or litrht amber: comb 

 and cappinjjs from white to off color, but not 

 dark. Comb not projectinsr beyond the 

 wood, wood to be well cleaned. 



Cases of separatored honey to average 21 

 pounds net per case of 24 sections: no sec- 

 tion in this grade to weigli less than I3}4 

 ounces. 



Cases of half-separatored honey to aver- 

 age not less than 22 pounds net per case of 

 24 sections. 



Cases of unseparatored honey to average 

 not less than 21 pounds net per case of 24 

 sections. 



NO. 2 



Includes all white lioney and amber honey 

 not included in tlie above grades. .Sections 

 to be fairly well tilled and capped, no more 

 than 25 uncapped cells, exclusive of outside 

 row. permitted in this grade: wood to be 

 well cleaned. No section in this grade to 

 weigh less than 12 ounces. 



Cases of separatored honey to average not 

 less than iq pounds net. 



Cases of half-separatored honey to average 

 not less than 20 pounds net per case of 24 

 sections. 



Cases of unseparatored honey to average 

 not less than 21 pounds net per case of 24 

 sections. 



Removing .^nd Handmnc; Killed Supers. 



Comb honey should be taken off as soon 

 as completely capped, no more smoke than 

 necessary should be used, and the smoker 

 kept well tilled with fuel so no ashes will 

 blow out and spot the caopings. If finished 

 supers are stored in the honey-house, one or 

 several sheets of new paper should be used 

 between supers, to catch any possible drip 

 and keep out dust and ants. 



Nailing and Marking Cases. 



Cases should be well nailed with cement 

 coated nails, and glasses perfectly clean. If 

 edges of covers and bottoms project they 

 should be planed off; if this is not done 

 many boards will split in shipping. The 

 whitest, smoothest boards should be re- 

 served for the covers, and the others used 

 for bottoms. The paper tray in the bottom 

 sliould be evenly folded, and drip sticks se- 

 cured in their proper places by the use of a 

 little glue or thick honey on their underside. 

 Nail cover on firmly when case is filled. 



The mark of tlie grade of honey should be 

 put '\nto bol/i haiijholcs of the case; .V itaiids 

 for Xo, r white: one dash for AV. / tight amber, 

 hni dashes for No. 3. The marking of filled 

 cases should be done before they go to the 

 storage pile. 



Second-hand cases should only be used for 

 the casing of cull honey, never for the ship- 

 ping grades. 



Cleaning and Casing Honev. 



This work must be done in a well-lighted 

 place, and a large bench or table provided 

 for it. The shipping-cases to receive the 

 honey should be placed so as to face the 

 packer, and should be arranged so no propo- 

 lis from scraping will fly into them. It is 

 desirable to have several cases for each 

 grade on the bench, so that lioney of the 

 same shade and finish may go in the same 

 case. A dctinite place should always be 

 used for each grade to avoid errors in casing. 



An accurate spring scale should be handy 

 to weigh doubtful sections. 



The practice of piling honey on the bench 

 before casing is not recommended, as honey 

 is more subject to injury, and time is lost in 

 casing. It is desirable that the packer 

 should have a copy of the grading rules hung 

 up before him for ready reference, and 

 where this work is entrusted to others the 

 apiarist should provide specimen sections 

 representing the poorest of each respective 

 grade, and give strict orders that anything 

 inferior to these samples must go into the 

 next grade bi-low. 



The face of each case should be of uuiftirm 

 color and finish and truly represent the con- 

 tents of the case. 



CiLi. Honev is Composed of rm; 

 Following 



Honey in badly stained sections, caused 

 by leaky covers. 



Honey that shows signs of granulation. 



Sections that are leaking or where the 

 capiiings are injured. 



Sections that are fairly well capped, but 

 have more than 2s open cells. 



Sections that are capped, but weigh less 

 than 12 ounces. 



