THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



25 



In regard to the market I would say, 

 if tlie National Bee-Keepers' Society 

 would place a man in every large mar- 

 ket to sell the members' produce, thus 

 controlling the price, and take it out 

 of the hands of commission men, I 

 would join it and help support it, for 

 it is so very unsatisfactory to deal 

 with those who care nothing for your 

 goods, so long as they get ahead of 

 their competitors, and get their com- 

 mission. 



Nora Springs, 5 Iowa. 



For tbe American Bee Journal. 



U. S. Honey-Proilucers' Association. 



SAMUEL RAU. 



The idea of a United States Honey- 

 Producers' Association, as advanced 

 by M. M. Baldridge, meets, in the 

 main, my hearty approval, and if not 

 too late, I second the motion for im- 

 mediate action. Something of this 

 kind is certainly the " one thing need- 

 ful " for our pursuit just now. We 

 need more thorough organization for 

 our own protection. "With very few 

 exceptions, all the other pursuits are 

 organized, from the doctors who stand 

 by the cradle of our infancy, to the 

 funeral directors who make the last 

 grab at us as we go down to that 

 bourne from whence no traveler e'er 

 returns. This organization could 

 gather statistics of the honey-yields 

 in the different sections of our coun- 

 try, and Bx prices accordingly. There 

 would be, as a matter of course, some 

 obstacles to overcome, but " where 

 there is a will there is a way," and 

 they can be surmounted. 



The nail manufacturers, makers of 

 stove castings, the tile men, manu- 

 facturers of stamped tin-ware, and 

 many others that I could mention, 

 regulate the prices of their produc- 

 tions quite successfully in this way, 

 and why cannot we do the same V 

 Then this organization would be the 

 proper authority to give market quo- 

 tations and reports. Leaving honey 

 on commission is practiced some in 

 this locality, and I gave it a trial last 

 fall, but it was not successful with 

 me. I went to a reliable party in a 

 neighboring town, who was engaged 

 in the drug and grocery business, and 

 proposed to furnish him good honey 

 in neat cases ; he was to sell it at not 

 exceeding 20 cents a pound, and pay 

 me 15 cents per pound for what he 

 sold. He accepted my proposition, 

 and I furnished him the honey. But 

 a fence-corner bee-keeper, who had a 

 few colonies of bees, and kept a 

 jewelery store, placed a few pounds 

 of honey in his show-window and 

 labeled it " 16 cents per pound." His 

 honey was inferior to mine, but result- 

 ed in the demoralization of the honey- 

 trade in that town ; and after leaving 

 my honey on sale three months, only 

 one pound of it was sold. So I de- 

 parted for more inviting tields. 



It seems to be the little birds that 

 spoil the grapes. Those who have a 

 few colonies of bees in a fence-corner 

 behind the pig-pen, bring their honey 

 to market in a slovenly condition, sell 



at other people's prices, and thus ruin 

 the market. I refer to the home 

 trade. We should be able to produce 

 finer honey, and sooner or later, teach 

 every one to distinguish between su- 

 perior and inferior grades. I see no 

 good reason why I should sell my fine- 

 bred and well-developed horse tor the 

 same price that McCracken sold his 

 ring-boned and spavined nag up at 

 Cobtown ; neither will I sell first-class 

 honey for what some one sold third- 

 class. 



I hope to see immediate action taken 

 in this matter. In a multitude of 

 counsel there is wisdom. 



Columbiana, (^ Ohio. 



ror tbe American Bee JoumaL 



Uniform Price for Honey. 



B. H. STANDISH. 



I have been so busy producing 

 honey and trying to make a living out 

 of it, that I never have taken time to 

 write an article for publication, and I 

 only do so now because a subject of 

 vital importance to me has been 

 broached. In looking about, it is not 

 difficult to find other occupations in 

 which men, with no more capital or 

 tact, are more sure of fair pay for 

 services, than bee-keepers ; but I can- 

 not enter any of those occupations. I 

 have spent a long and expensive ap- 

 prenticeship in this. I find my capital 

 invested in a business for which there 

 is seldom a buyer. If such should 

 come to me, I would have to study up 

 some other business before it would 

 be justice to my family to embark in 

 it. I am in it, and like many others, 

 I am forced to stay in it, as a doctor 

 is forced to stay in his profession. 

 Therefore I wish to help to correct its 

 evils. 



A man in Iowa says that he is glad 

 that honey is being sold at 10 cents 

 per pound. Perhaps the bee-keepers 

 of that State can sell their honey 

 without loss at that price this year. 

 But how will it be next year '{ Unless 

 producers do something about it, 

 prices will be about the same then — 

 at least not much higher— though the 

 crop be one-fourth of the present crop. 

 It has been my experience that every 

 other year, on an average, brings 

 either a light crop or a failure. Now 

 if we sell the full crops at the cost of 

 production, how are we to pay for the 

 family crust out of the average ? 



I intend to have the commission 

 merchants with whom I deal, sign an 

 express contract, or I will not send 

 them honey next year. This contract 

 must have the following three points 

 in it: 1. I am to fix the price at 

 which tlie honey may be sold. 2. They 

 must accept my weights. 3. If the 

 honey is not sold I am at the expira- 

 tion of 60 or 90 days, I am to have the 

 privilege of transferring it, by paying 

 freight and cartage. 



Now, what I want is an Estimating 

 Committee for the Mississippi valley ; 

 one for the Atlantic coast ; and one 

 for the Pacific coast, composed of 

 prominent and active bee-keepers 

 who are to estimate the size of the 



crop before shipping-time next year, 

 and to lix a proper price for the same ; 

 issuing printed circulars to me, and 

 to every other honey-producer in the 

 land, with tbe above contract, or its 

 equivalent, to be sent by producers to 

 all commission men for signature, 

 before shipments are made to them. 

 This established price should be 

 printed in all bee-papers instead of 

 the present tricky system. Bee-keep- 

 ers can be reached through the bee- 

 papers, for probably nine-tenths of all 

 prominent producers take them. 

 These producers in nearly all cases 

 would adopt the common price of the 

 Estimating Committee. 



Commission men then would be re- 

 strained from underbidding one 

 another. Also those who are dis- 

 honest would be prevented, by the 

 terms of the written contract, from 

 making false returns. Prices in the 

 large centres of trade would be fixed— 

 by producers, not by sellers. Prices 

 in small towns are largely inHuenced 

 by prices in commercial centres. We 

 could then have something to say 

 about the prices in our home market. 



Let me illustrate the influence of 

 the present commission system on our 

 home markets by the following : 



I produce honey enough to supply 

 our little village, and I usually have 

 done so, after a few smaller producers 

 have sold out. This year I placed 

 some honey in a grocery on sale. A 

 traveling commission man saw it, and 

 the following conversation between 

 him and the groceryman followed : 

 " What do you pay for that honey ?" 

 I pay 14 cents per pound." " Well, I 

 will sell you honey and warrant it 

 just as good in every particular at 10 

 cents per pound. You see it is put 

 into our hands on commission, and it 

 does not make any difference to us at 

 what price we sell it. We get our 

 commission just the same." The 

 grocer ordered a year's supply, and 

 when it came it was as nice as was 

 ever sold ; but how much will mv 

 brother bee-keepers down near Bock- 

 ford get for it V It needs no argu- 

 ment, but experience, to convince 

 bee-keepers that not only their efforts 

 to bolster up the market, but also the 

 efforts of honorable commission men 

 are paralyzed by the unscrupulous, 

 who receive honey without firm in- 

 structions as to its sale. 



Now is the time to appoint an Es- 

 timating Committee for next year. 

 The working expenses of this com- 

 mittee need not exceed 10 cents per 

 each producer. What do others tbmk 

 about it ? 



Evansville,9 Wis. 



ConventioD Notices. 



tW The Annual Convention of the Vermont 

 Bee-Keepers' Association will be held at the Van 

 Ness House, Burlinnton.Vt., on Janunry 13 and 14, 

 :8S7. K. H. HOLMKS. Sec, Shoreham, Vt. 



^^ The Northeastern Michigan Bee-Keepers' 

 Association will hold its fifth annual meetinK on 

 Wednesday, Feb. li, ih.s7, in the Common Council 

 Rooms, at Bay City, Mich. 



W. Z. HDTCHINSON, Sec. 



f3Br The eleventh annnal meetlne of the N. W. 

 niB. & 3. W. Wis. Bee-Keepers' Association will be 

 held in the OrHOd Army Hall in Itocbford. Ills., 

 on the third Tuesday in January. 1x87. There 

 will be a two days* session. J. Stewart. Stc. 



