Mar. 9, 1899. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



149 



How to Improve the Conditions of the Local Honey 

 Market. 



It is with considerable hesitation and a feeling- that I 

 am tackling^ one of the labors of Hercules that I attempt to 

 jot down on paper a few thoug-hts on this important subject. 



Of course, it might reasonably be inferred that an ex- 

 perience in producing honey and building- up a home coun- 

 try-market for the same, covering a period of 18 years, 

 might well give rise to some ideas on the subject that would 

 be of value to other bee-keepers, yet I feel that there is a 

 great difference between marketing honey and writing 

 articles on the same, and however much or little I may con- 

 vince you that I know about the former, I am certain that 

 when I am done you will be unanimously of the opinion 

 that the latter is out of my line of business. However, if I 

 should happen to stumble on some point that would excite 

 ■discussion, I should feel that I have accomplisht the prin- 

 cipal object of a paper of this character. 



The first and most important point to be considered in 

 building up and keeping a home market is the quality of 

 the honey. Under no circumstances do I attempt to sell 

 anj'thing but well-ripened honey. It should also be of the 

 best color possible. Of course, we shall have to dispose of 

 some dark honey, but our customers should have a fair 

 ■opportunity of sampling it, and it should be sold at a lower 

 price than the whiter goods. I leave as much as possible of 

 the dark honey in the brood-nest, but even then I have two 

 or three thousand pounds of it to dispose of in an ordinary 

 season. I find that my customers prefer it at the lower 

 price, and as they understand exactly what they are g-etting 

 there is no cause for complaint. In making my fall sales I 

 usually have the amber, white, and dark hone^- in the same 

 load, which gives customers a fair opportunity of seeing- the 

 ■difference in quality as well as price, and govern themselves 

 accordingly. 



In this, as in all matters pertaining to the marketing of 

 honey, absolute honesty is the best policy. One price to all 

 should be the rule. If one for the sake of closing out a load 

 quickly is tempted to cut the price in the hope that his 

 ■other customers will not know it. he would better resist the 

 temptation, for such information ti'avels very rapidly, and 

 it will not be very long before some one, perhaps several 

 miles distant, will say, " I understand you sold it for such a 

 price to so and so, and I don't want to pav anv more than 

 he does." 



A reputation for honest and square dealing will also 

 help us to deal with those who are unduly suspicious of 

 adulteration in honey. There are still ".some ignorant 

 enough to suppose that granulation of honey is positive 

 proof of the presence of sugar or some other "foreign sub- 

 stance therein. I label it all " Pure Honey," and on the 

 label are directions as to what to do if it granulates. It is 

 also necessary to supplement this with extensive verbal ex- 

 planations in many cases, and how much of it is believed 

 depends largely on the amount of confidence placed in the 

 salesman. I have found it profitable in many cases to leave 

 a copy of a honey-leaflet, which explains clearly the subject 

 of granulation, and explodes some of the popular myths in 

 regard to adulteration. But most important of all is to be- 

 come acquainted with our customers, and to win their con- 

 fidence that thej- may be more ready to accept our explana- 

 tions of these matters. 



In regard to the size of the package, I use cases of 12, 

 20, and 24 pounds each for comb honey, and about uniformly 

 use 2S-pound pails for extracted honey. 



In working up new territory it is well to have some 

 smaller package, varying from three pounds to 25. With a 

 small packag-e a new customer may be secured who could 

 not be induced to purchase 25 pound.^s at first : but after the 

 trial trip I usually follow this up with the uniform size — 25 

 pounds. I find it better to break a package occasionally, or 

 weigh out wliatever may be wanted, than to carry small 

 packages ; for very many take the large packages -^vithout 

 objection who would take the smaller ones instead if thev 

 had the opportunity ; this would make it necessary to cover 

 the same territory too frequently. As I dispose 'of six or 

 seven thousand pounds in this way in an ordinary season. I 

 find it desirable to sell it in as large packages as possible. 



It is not always desirable, however, to sell all that you 

 can to one individual. There are those who can be induced 

 to take two 2S-pound pails at the same time. Some people 

 will thereby become so tired of honey that they will not buy 

 any at all the next season, but will tell you that they have 

 some of your last year's sale still on hand. I would rather 

 make a smaller sale and meet a hungry customer the follow- 

 ing season. However, the cases in which one is in danger 



of selling more than can be satisfactorily consumed are 

 comparatively rare. 



In regard to prices, this will depend of course largely on 

 local competition. In general I think we should get not 

 less than 12 cents a pound for white comb honey, and 8 

 cents a pound for white extracted ; and generally I have no 

 difficulty in g-etting these prices. 



There is one kind of competition however which I would 

 like to hear discust at this meeting. Afterlong years spent 

 in building up a home market, we are commencing- to reap 

 the fruits of our labor, and have secured a long- list of regu- 

 lar customers who are looking to us to supply them yearly 

 with hone^-, when along comes some fresh young competi- 

 tor, whom you yourself, perhaps in a moment of mistaken 

 benevolence, have started in the business, who, for the pur- 

 pose of securing your customers, offers it to them at a 

 slightU- lower price thati you have been receiving. Is this 

 legitimate competition ? If not, how is it to be met ? Some 

 of the editors of our bee-papers would say, " Get them to 

 subscribe for a good bee-paper :" but I've tried that, and I 

 find that it makes an already unscrupulous competitor a 

 more powerful and eff^ective one. I can't help but believe 

 that if we should induCe all the small honey-producers 

 about us to subscribe for bee-papers, it would result in still 

 lower prices. As a question of business policy, can we 

 afford to do it ? 



I have now, I think, sufficiently indicated some of the 

 conditions of a local market, both favorable and unfavor- 

 able. If I have not fully answered the question " how to 

 improve them." I hope I have at least sug-gested something 

 worth}' of your consideration, and that the discussion fol- 

 lowing maj- serve to supplement and correct the deficiencies 

 of this paper. B. W. Peck. 



Mr. Tubbs thought that it was not best to try to induce 

 our neighbors to go into the bee-business, or subscribe for 

 bee-papers. The majority however thought that there was 

 room for more good bee-keepers — alwaj-s room at the top — 

 and that every bee-keeper should be a reader of bee-litera- 

 ture. 



It was thought that many of those who injure the mar- 

 ket do so inadvertent!}', or from a lack of understanding the 

 conditions of the market ; and that this condition might be 

 alleviated if there was more fraternizing among bee-keep- 

 ers, more visiting back and forth, g-etting- better acquainted 

 with our neighboring- bee-keepers, and, through discussion, 

 arrive at a better general understanding of the conditions 

 of the market, and how to meet them. 



SECOND DAY— Morning Session. 



'• Profitable use of comb foundation." Messrs. Tubbs, 

 Sutton and Reynolds used starters in the sections. Objected 

 to full sheets on account of "fishbone." All present used 

 full si'.eets in the brood-frames, except Mr. Silzli, who used 

 starters in both sections and brood-frames. 



"Preparing bees for winter." The first preparation 

 was to see that they had a good queen in the fall and plenty 

 of good hone}'. Nearly all present practiced out-door win- 

 tering-. Nearly all used double-wall or chafl:' hives. Chaff, 

 straw or forest leaves was the packing generally used. Mr. 

 Silzli used paper with excellent results: 



" How to prevent robbing." Leave no honey exposed 

 during a dearth of honey, and keep good queens in your 

 colonies. Mr. Sutton said he believed that robbing never 

 occurred in a colony that had a first-class queen. 



"Making the Association more useful." Mr. Spitler 

 thought that our meetings were very good, but if a larger 

 attendance could be .secured greater good to a greater 

 number would result. He thought it would be advisable for 

 the Association to offer some premiura^-a bee-paper he 

 thought would be a very good and appropriate premium to 

 oft'er as an inducement to attend the conventions. 



The following- officers were elected for the coming year : 

 President. Geo. Spitler, of Pennsylvania: Vice-President, 

 B. W. Peck, of Ohio ; Secretary and Treasurer, Ed JoUey, 

 of Franklin, Pa. 



Andover, Ohio, was chosen as the next place of meeting. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



Mr. Sutton exhibited his new extension swarming-pole. 

 This pole was made to use an ordinary swarming-box. or 

 any other swarming device. By means of a cord within the 

 pole, its length could be instantly extended from 12 to 22 

 feet, or any intermediate length desired. 



It was originally designed to have some bee-keeper of 

 long experience give a sort of reminiscence. In the ab- 

 sence of such a paper it was decided to hold a regular old 



