AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



815 



whence she was sent out. Such a feat 

 would be a physical impossibility, out of 

 the range of human power, yet nothing 

 less would suffice to prove that bees send 

 out scouts. 



A question like this cannot be taken 

 on " faith." It is a question suscepti- 

 ble of proof, or no question at all. Let 

 us have the proof or nothing. 



Christiansburg, Ky. 



Price Of Honey in California, 



C. N. WILSON. 



Some months sinceit was reported that 

 the President of the State Farmers' 

 Alliance had advised all the bee-keepers 

 of California to hold their honey for 

 higher prices, and it is presumed that 

 all members of the Alliance complied 

 with the request. At that time consider- 

 able honey was disposed of at 6 cents 

 per pound for extracted, and 12 X cents 

 for comb-honey, on the LoS Angles 

 market. 



As soon as the buyers understood that 

 such instructions were issued, they with- 

 drew all offers, and have not put in an 

 appearance, since, nor are they likely to 

 come into the field in competition with 

 one another under the present aspect of 

 business. 



Honey, like other commodities, is regu- 

 lated in price by the supply and demand 

 mainly, but certain conditions of trade 

 may affect the price for a time. If the 

 yield of honey for the season is large, 

 the dealer and speculator presumes that 

 the price will be low ; that if he handles 

 large lots at a very small profit and 

 makes quick sales he can do a good 

 paying business, and he accordingly 

 embarks in the trade. On the other 

 hand, if the yield for the season is small, 

 the dealer and speculator turn to some 

 other product that offers a fair return of 

 profits for the investment of time and 

 money. The result is that the honey 

 product is neglected ; there is no demand 

 to speak of, and the price goes down 

 and down, until there is not enough in 

 the business of bee-keeping to justify the 

 investment. 



There is no calling or business that is 

 subject to as many vicissitudes as that of 

 bee-keeping. First, the climatic condi- 

 tions must be just right to insure suc- 

 cess ; then the surroundings of the 

 apiary as to bee-pasturage must be good; 

 then the care and handling of the bees 

 must be timely and done with a knowl- 

 edge of the wants and instincts of the bee. 



A mistake made in the early part of 

 the season cannot be remedied during 

 the whole year. Sickness may attack 

 the apiary and oven knowledge is not 

 always sufficient on such occasions. 



But supposing all conditions have 

 conspired to bring a bountiful crop of 

 honey, then comes the task of market- 

 ing it at a profit, and just there most 

 bee-keepers make a great mistake. They 

 are at the mercy of the commission men 

 before they know it, and their necessi- 

 ties compel them to let their product go 

 at such figures as others may offer. 



They come in competition with a set 

 of sharpers who adulterate honey with 

 glucose that costs but little to manufac- 

 ture, and is not subject to climatic 

 conditions or very great difficulties in its 

 production. While it is true that nearly 

 every State in the Union has some law 

 in reference to the adulterations of food 

 that would protect the honey producer if 

 enforced, it is very seldom that law is 

 invoked for protection against it, which 

 decreases the demand for strictly pure 

 honey, and tends to reduce the quantity 

 consumed, and so regulates, to some 

 extent, the demand for honey. 

 • It has been suggested that the Gov- 

 ernment ought to pay the same premium 

 per pound for honey produced in- the 

 United States that it does for sugar. 

 But it does not appear probable that the 

 bee-keepers will accomplish much in that 

 direction while they are too weak to 

 enforce the law as to the adulteration of 

 honey with glucose. 



The remedy for low prices is to put 

 honey upon the market at a fair price, 

 so that it becomes an article of daily use, 

 just like sugar ; guarantee its purity; 

 bring the producer and consumer as 

 close together as possible, and never 

 overload the local markets with the 

 article. Seek distant markets where 

 little or no honey is produced, and prices 

 will be better. 



Hardly any business has perpetual 

 prosperity, but to the patient, painstak- 

 ing, industrious bee-keeper, who keeps 

 right on, year after year, the prosper- 

 ous and profitable years cover over the 

 years of adversity, and give a generous 

 margin of profit over all losses. Even if 

 honey should remain at the present low 

 prices, the improved methods of hand- 

 ling bees, and the recently invented 

 appliances to facilitate the production 

 of honey, make it possible to produce the 

 article at lower rates than heretofore, 

 and lower prices will tend to popularize 

 the product so that the workingman may 

 readily take home a pound of honey 



