AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



617 



in bed, and the Doctor says I can't leave it 

 for many days yet. 



Very respectfully yours, , 

 R. L. Taylor. 

 Lapeer, Mich., Nov. 4, 1893. 



Well, Bro. Taylor, you've almost got us 

 on our saying that we had published all 

 your reports, but you see we said "We 

 believe that we have published every report," 

 etc. Of course, you now have shown that we 

 were in error about that, and we want to 

 thank you for it. You will find the missing 

 report on page 632 of this number of the 

 Bee Journal. 



You say that the lieview employs you to 

 write your reports, and pays you for it. 

 May we ask how it comes that you can sell 

 those reports to any one, when the State 

 pays you for them and your other work in 

 connection with the experiment apiary ? 

 We think that those reports belong to the 

 State (the public), as you are now a salaried 

 public officer. May be we are wrong about 

 it, but we don't believe you have any 

 authority to sell the results of the experi- 

 ments that you are employed to make for 

 the benefit of the State, any more than did 

 Mr. Larrabee when he was conducting ex- 

 pei'iments at the Michigan Agricultural 

 College a yea^ or two ago. 



No, Bro. Taylor, we don't want anybody 

 to attempt to boom the Bee Journal pub- 

 licly at a convention, no matter what may 

 be its meritorious characteristics. We don't 

 consider that it would be fair to the other 

 bee-papers, and if we can't succeed fairly in 

 publishing the Bee Journal, we believe we 

 oughtn't to succeed at all. Again, we don't 

 see how it would help the Bee Journal 

 any to be thus advertised among perhaps 

 the ardent friends of the other bee-papers. 

 We believe they, too, would think it un- 

 fair. Of course, this may be another 

 "misconception" on our part, but that's 

 just the way we look at it. 



Say, Bro. Taylor, the " Chicago climate " 

 was all right before the convention, and is 

 yet for aught we know. We think perhaps 

 one of the causes of your illness must have 

 been the result of that big effort yourself 

 and others made to "tangle up" Pres. 

 Miller on the question of grading honey. 

 It's a wonder the Doctor hasn't been sick. 



But, all jocularity aside, we were sorry 

 to learn of Bro. Taylor's sickness, and hope 

 that long before this is read he will be 

 quite himself again — and ready to go on 

 with those interesting apiarian experiments. 



JVIai-keting' tlie Honey Crop. — 



Last week we promised to give something 

 more about selling honey, and will now 

 attempt to describe the way in which the 

 bee-keeper we referred to on page 584 man- 

 aged to dispose of his crop of some 1,700 

 pounds of nearly all extracted honey, for 

 about S400. Before giving his method, let 

 us say right here that we believe in com- 

 mission men to a certain extent — that is, to 

 handle such part of a whole crop that the 

 producer is not able to market himself. 

 But they are in no danger of soon finding 

 their occupation gone, especially as bee- 

 keepers are slow to adopt the method em- 

 ployed by the bee-keeper mentioned above. 



Now for the plan : Bro. Melbee, as we 

 shall call him for convenience, lives less 

 than 200 miles from Chicago, in a small 

 town. He of course does his own selling, 

 and so far in an extensive experience cov- 

 ering nearly 20 years, he has not sold a 

 pound of honey for less than 24 cents. He 

 puts it only into 5-pound tin pails, and sells 

 that amount for $1.20, besides 10 cents ad- 

 ditional for the pail, for which he always 

 pays the buyer 10 cents if it is returned. 



Mr. Melbee keeps his honey until the fall 

 and winter, and then does his own canvass- 

 ing for orders. He works at it only four 

 hours each week-day — from 8 a.m. to 12 m., 

 seldom ever in the afternoon. He aims to 

 reach the housekeeper in her kitchen, and 

 if possible, in case of children in the family, 

 he sees that they get a liberal taste of 

 honey, when he is sure to make a sale. 

 Nearly all children like honey, you know. 



He generally leaves a small sample, but 

 if an order is given at once, he agrees to 

 deliver it within the following week. Of 

 course all are anxiously waiting for the 

 honey when it comes, and it is then eaten 

 with a relish. 



Mr. M. gives each family to understand 

 that 10 pounds is the limit that he can sup- 

 ply them, in any one year, hence they do 

 not get sick of it as they might were they 

 to purchase 50 pounds all at one time. He 

 has now nearly 1,000 families that he is 

 annually supplying in his own and neigh- 

 boring towns, and finds that he must pur- 

 chase honey in order to meet the wants of 

 his customers, his own crop being far too 

 small. 



Some customers Mr. Melbee has supplied 

 for over 18 years, at one time getting $1.60 

 for a 5-pound pail of honey, and never less 

 than f 1.20. He says that now he has reached 

 the bottom price. He considers 10 orders 

 for 5-pound pails of honey an average fore- 

 noon's work. He last year had an assis- 

 tant whom he paid 10 cents a pound as a 

 commission for selling, and the assistant 

 made $900 out of the job. 



Now, why cannot almost any bee-keeper 

 do as Mr. M. has done ? 'Tis said that 

 "what man has done, man can do." You 

 may not be able to secure 24 cents a pound 

 for your extracted honey, but there would 

 be no trouble in getting at least 15 cents 

 per pound, and often 18 cents. 



Think about these things, friends, and 

 see whether you cannot realize more money 

 from your honey crop hereafter. 



