1907 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



385 



after one or two seasons' experience with 

 some extensive bee-keeper, disregard the ad- 

 vice to go slow, because, after that much 

 study, he ought to be ready to forge ahead. 

 This is all right for the man with assurance 

 and great will-power; but is it not true that 

 some beginners might go too fast, spurred 

 on by the natural enthusiasm following pre- 

 vious success in a small way? It would 

 seem safer, in the end, to make a steady 

 healthy growth, rather than to jump ahead 

 by leaps and bounds. Harry Lathrop has 

 well said that many could succeed if they 

 kept only such a number of colonies as they 

 could handle themselves; that, after that 

 number had been passed, the question be- 

 came one of handling men rather than of 

 handling bees. 



Mr. Alexander points out the advantages 

 of having but one occupation, and calls at- 

 tention to the fact that, by so doing, the cap- 

 ital to be put into ])usiness is vindivided, as 

 are also the time, thought, and energy. 

 But Mr. Doolittle names several different 

 lines of business which do not conflict so far 

 as the time and enex'gy ai'e concerned. By 

 far the great majority of our readers com- 

 bine bee-keeping with something else — farm- 

 ing, gardening, poultry-raising, fruit-grow- 

 ing, etc.; but it is certainly folly to keep on 

 with some line which can not be attended to 

 properly because of a lack either of capital, 

 tiQie, or energy, or, in other words, have 

 no iron in the fire that can not be kept hot. 

 The whole question depends upon the cix*- 

 cumstances connected with each individual 

 case. 



ARE OUR HONEY QUOTATIONS RELIABLE ? 



HOW ONE BEE-KEEPER W^AS JUGGLED OUT 



OF A FAIR PRICE ON HIS HONEY. 



A CORRESPONDENT intimates that the quo- 

 tations made by some of our commission 

 men and honey merchants are not reliable. 

 Some cases are cited showing that the actual 

 conditions of one market were falsified in or- 

 der to bear down the market. We are afraid 

 there is some truth in what he says. 



Very recently we learned of a case where 

 a Southern producer shipped a large consign- 

 ment of honey to one of our large cities. 

 At the time of making the shipment he noti- 

 fied one commission house that such consign- 

 ment was on the way, and that he would ne- 

 gotiate for its disposal in person. As the 

 shipment was a large one it now appears 

 that this house immediately notified all the 

 honey- buyers of that city, and that they con- 

 spired to depress the market temporarily. 

 Well, when our Southern producer put in an 

 appearance in the city he went to Mr. Com- 

 missionman and was immediately told that 

 the "market was greatly depressed," and 

 that he could offer him only so and so. He 

 was very sorry {'!), but it was the very best 

 he could do. The Mr. Southern Honey-Pro- 

 ducer then went to the other buyers in the 

 city, and they, of course, told him the same 

 story. Very reluctantly he went back to the 

 first commission man and turned over his 

 shipment, which was large. Did these fel- 



lows afterward divide up the shipment at 

 the reduced price ? We don't know. 



Mr. Southern Honey-Producer did not sus- 

 pect at the time that there was an agreement 

 to hold him up; but he learned afterward 

 that the market was a good deal higher than 

 it had been quoted to him, and that this very 

 same honey was disposed of at a great ad- 

 vance over the figure he obtained. But un- 

 fortunately during all this time he was inno- 

 cent of what was going on. 



He sent another shipment to the same city 

 (still ignorant of what had been going on), 

 went around to all the buyers, and was told 

 the same story. He went back to commis- 

 sion man No. 1, and stated that he could not 

 afford to sell at the prices offered, and added 

 that he would go to another city, but he did 

 not say to whom nor where. He did so, 

 and disposed of his crop at a fair price. He 

 then went back to the first city and was un- 

 wise enough to tell his commission man that 

 Mr. So and So, of blank city, had paid him a 

 great deal better price, but he added that he 

 had some more honey that he was going to sell 

 to Mr. So and So again. Here he made his mis- 

 take. Listen. When the next shipment was 

 sent to city No. 3, commission man No. 3, the 

 one who paid the better price, immediately 

 told our honey-producer that he paid him too 

 much on the former shipment, and that he 

 could not afford to pay him any such price 

 again. Well, he went ai'ound to the other 

 buyers, only to hear the same old story. The 

 poor man was up against it, and was finally 

 compelled to unload. 



Subsequent developments seemed to make 

 it appear that the commission man in the 

 first city used the long-distance phone and 

 told the commission man in the second city 

 that the Southern honey-producer who was 

 coming to see him had a shipment of honey 

 that he must unload, and not to offer more 

 than a certain price which he had offered. 

 Of course he obeyed instructions. If Mr. 

 Honey-Producer had sold on sample before 

 the buyers had him at their mercy he would 

 have saved nearly a thousand dollars. 



Perhaps we have not given the facts exact- 

 ly as they occurred; but the general outline 

 is correct. We have no disposition to cen- 

 sure anybody, for we believe the majority of 

 commssion men are reliable; but if this sort 

 of thing is to continue against the producer, 

 we may be constrained some day to give the 

 full facts, with names and all. Perhaps the 

 readers may think we ought to do so in this 

 case; but if the parties concerned see this, 

 and the shoe fits, a word to the wise will be 

 sufficient. The honey market is even now 

 altogether too low, and Gleanings can not 

 consistently allow such practices to go on 

 without turning on the lime-light. 



Moral. Don t send a shipment to a city 

 without first getting quotations on it from a 

 reliable house; otherwise you will be at the 

 mercy of the city buyers, who may conspire 

 against you. Again, don't tell any buyer or 

 commission house to whom you are selling 

 or have sold; and, least of all, to whom you 

 propose selling. 



