50 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



Marcfi 



AMERICAN APICULTURE. 



1 



Specialization and Its Results.— Solving the Market 

 Problem, Etc. 



(Second Article.) 

 By J. E. Jolin«ou. 

 ^T^HE COMMISSION man or honey 

 dealer is between the devil and 

 the deep sea. He is expected 

 to get us a big price for our honey and 

 sell it quick on a market where the 

 supply and oft'erings are much greater 

 than the demand. Not only so, but 

 the supply is growing while demand is 

 not. The organizing of local associa- 

 tions is a good thing and will enable 

 bee-keepers to hold together and not 

 come in competition with each other; 

 and they might also do some advertis- 

 ing, but, if when they have succeeded 

 in getting the price where it reasonably 

 ought to be, nothing could be more dis- 

 couraging than to have this exchange 

 dump a carload of fine white honey 

 on that market at a reduced price. 



This is what some of the great spe- 

 cialists are already doing, and I know 

 whereof I speak. These specialists, 

 being joined together in a financial cor- 

 poration, will be able to do collectively 

 what they are now doing separately. 

 Being specialists, they have not time 

 to work up a trade, but will hunt up 

 the ones we have worked up, and 

 they can do this to a "frazzle." It is 

 not a question of raising the price of 

 honey with them, but to find a market 

 for all their honey so they can go on 

 epeeializlng. 



Our National Association is a grand 

 association; and the local organiza- 

 tions are its branches which give it 

 power; but a stock company is only for 

 the specialist, and will be the instru- 

 ment in the hands of the great for the 

 ruination of the small bee-keepers. 

 However, there are many more of the 

 small bee-keepers and it is through the 

 support of these that the bee-papers 

 are able to exist. Only for them the 

 National would be a slim aflfair. On 

 the ordinary man rests the success 

 of all enterprises; not only so but he 

 furni-shes the fleece for the corpora- 

 tions. 



I have given a diagnosis of our 

 diseased honey market and the cause 

 of the disease; now for the cure: 



It is easier to become sick than to be 

 cured. First, and surt\st remedy is, 

 KEEP LLoo BEES. If this remedy is 

 taken in large, and repeated doses, it 

 will never fail to cure even cases of a 

 chronic disorder. 



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1 



The second and most practical reme- 

 dy, is to advertise, and thereby caus« 

 a greater demand for honey. Thess 

 are the only two remedies, according 

 to the well-known rule that supply aac 

 demand governs prices. There art 

 great numbers of wealthy people wh( 

 have nearly everything on their tabl< 

 that is good to eat except honey. Thesi 

 people are worth looking after. Thej 

 are well educated in every way, ex 

 cept to the real value of honey as 

 daily food. They have read repeat 

 ly that comb honey is being man 

 factured, and syrup looks nice; thej 

 try some of that, don't like it, so the: 

 get along with butter for which the) 

 pay from 25 to 30 cents per pound fo* 

 good "creamery," that is guarantee! 

 to be the genuine production of thi 

 cow. 



Last year I wrote articles in ou 

 home and country papers explaininj 

 the value of honey as a food. I thei 

 wrote a leaflet "Facts about Hone; 

 and Bees." and had it printed. I pii 

 one in every case of honey and gav 

 copies to people who had not bougbi 

 honey. I also inclosed them in letters 



I sold one case of No. 1 honey to ; 

 prominent citizen of our town. I gav 

 a leaflet to his wife when I delivers 

 the honey and put one in the case. T 

 that family I sold last year seven case' 

 of comb honey and one gallon of e? 

 tracted. They got interested and h 

 bought two cases to take to a brothe 

 80 miles away. In two or three weeks 

 I got a letter from a lady who ha 

 been to visit that brother and sample 

 that honey. She wanted two cases o 

 that same kind of honey. And sc 

 from that one case and my leaflets 

 I now have three good customeK 

 This first man has already this yea 

 taken five eases and is going to tak 

 four cases to his brother and lad; 

 friend. 



They want the nicest and pay me 1 

 cents per pound, and don't grumble 

 bit. I am giving special attention t 

 this kind of customers, and I hav 

 several. I got them by advertising. 



Then there is another kind of cus 

 tomers. When they read these leal 

 lets they feel a gnawing in their stoiB 

 achs for honey but they want it cheaf 

 Some of these would rather pay 1 

 cents for a ten-ounce section than t 

 pay 15 cents for a 15 oz. section; so 

 let them have their way, but I alway 

 give them a few sections extra to mak 

 them still more satisfied: and thus 

 dispose of my No. 2 honey at nearl; 

 the same price. Some of these ar 



