338 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



October 



supplies, the contract signed by the 

 members accords, among other priv- 

 ileges, that of buying supplies 

 through the Association and deterr- 

 ing payment until crops are sold in 

 the fall of the same season. 



This is quite an advantage, in it- 

 self, but the actual saving through 

 quantity buying has been great. Be- 

 fore the organization of the associa- 

 tion, producers purchased from Pa- 

 cific Coast and Colorado dealers, 

 paying retail catalog prices and local 

 freight to destination. The associa- 

 tion, through assembling of orders, 

 is now able to buy at jobbers' list, 

 and goods are shipped in car lots, 

 taking a reduced freight rate. As 

 some of the individual orders of 

 members runs as high as $1,000, it 

 can be realized what jobbers' list 

 prices, ranging from 20 to 33 1-3 per 

 cent below retail, means in money 

 saving. 



Higher Prices 



Before the new plan was adopted 

 extracted honey was selling as low- 

 as 5 cents in the Northwest, while 

 comb sold as low as $2.25 per case. 

 This was, partly at least, because 

 competition between producers 

 forced the price down. Elimination 

 of this competition between mem- 

 bers resulted in the association se- 

 curing for the entire crop in 1915, the 

 first season, $2.75 per case for No. 1, 

 and $2.50 for No. 2; whereas, indi- 

 vidual producers in the district sold 

 as low as $2.50 and $2.25. One large 

 individual producer succeeded in get- 

 ting $2.65 and $2.41). In the same 

 season a producer of extracted car- 

 ried over a full car, which he was 

 unable to move. In the spring of 1916 

 he commissioned the association to 

 sell it for him and they did so within 

 one week, securing one-quarter cent 

 per pound higher than the price he 

 had set. 



In the meantime the association's 

 work for improving production and 

 pack was progressing, and in 1917 a 

 new grade of comb honey, "Fancy," 

 was added. In that season cars were 

 sold as high as $3.50, $3.25 and $3 for 

 the three grades — fancy, No. 1 and 

 No. 2. Others sold at $3.25, $3 and 

 $2.75. Individual producers sold at 

 around $3, — $2.75 for two grades. 



One coast buyer bought a car 

 from the association in July at $3.15, 

 $275 net, i. o. 1). Caldwell, Idaho, and 

 the following month paid an individ- 

 ual producer $3 and $2.60, besides 

 charging him 10 cents per case brok- 

 erage for selling to themselves. 



In the same season extracted was 

 sold, first cars, at 12j/i cents, thence 

 on up to 15 cents, by the association. 

 Individuals sold large lots at 10 cents, 

 and some as low as 8 cents. An 

 association member agreed to sell 

 one car through the association at 

 8 cents, but the association advised 

 holding it, and later got 12}^ cents 

 for it. 



The present season the price 

 ule calls for 18 cents i 

 and S4.50-$4.25-$4.00 for comb. These 

 ii e minimum prices, and the a 

 tion actually refused $5.00-$4.SO for 

 10 cars and later got $5.50-$5.00 

 then a deal has been closed at $6.00- 



$5.50, which will take up the balance 

 of the comb. Individual producers 

 began selling at the association's 

 schedule of $4.50-$4.00, but have asked 

 higher prices since they learned the 

 association was getting them. 



Equally fine have been extracted 

 sales. With a minimum of 18 cents, 

 tli< association actually refused in 

 cents for its entire crop, and is now- 

 selling in 5-gallon cans at 22j/> cents. 

 Individual producers started selling 

 at 18 cents, but in this case, also, 

 have raised their prices. 



"If this association had not been in 

 existence this season," says its sec- 

 retary, P. S. Farrell, "coast jobbers 

 would have made a killing on our 

 honey this season, because only one 

 or two producers were really posted 

 on market conditions." One great 

 secret of the association's success is 

 that, handling so large a crop, it can 

 well afford to investigate the na- 

 tional honey market thoroughly. 

 Low Operating Cost 



Not the least of this association's 

 financial triumphs is its low operat- 

 ing cost. It withholds only 5 per 

 cent on gross sales, and has never 

 yet needed the entire amount for ex- 

 penses. In 1915 it operated for only 

 five-thirteenths of its commission, re- 

 paying to the producers the remain- 

 ing eight-thirteenths. In 1916. due to 

 a partial crop failure, expenses were 

 higher, approximating 4 per cent. 

 In 1917 they were 3 1 /l per cent. 



The association now has 146 mem- 

 bers, located in the Boise and Pay- 

 ette Valleys in Idaho, and in the 

 Malheur River Valley in Oregon 



The members are grouped into 

 seven districts, and each district 

 elects a Director to the Board of Di- 

 rectors. There are fifteen loading 

 points from which honey is shipped, 

 but cars of supplies are unloaded at 

 two points — Caldwell, Idaho, and On- 

 tario, Ore., reshipment being made- 

 direct to members. 



Among the interesting provisions 

 in the membership contract are the 

 following: 



1. That members must ship their 

 entire crops through the association 

 for 5 years from date of contract. 



2. 'fhe selling prices shall be fixed 

 by the directors, following public 

 discussion, and the association shall 

 obtain higher prices when possible. 



3. That the association can refuse 

 to accept honej from a member 

 which is not properly graded and 

 packed according to the association's 

 grading rules. 



4. That if a member fails to sell 

 through the association, the asso- 

 ciation can take possession of his 

 crop, and retain for selling it, in ad- 

 dition lo the 5 per cent, any addi- 

 tional amount to cover the extra ex- 



e of this procedure. 



5. That a member who actually 

 sells any honey outside shall pay to 

 the association, in lieu oi liquidated 

 damages, 5 per cent of the gross of 

 such sales. 



It is. of course, true that fl 



i such an organization depends 

 largely on tin- business ability of ii^ 

 officers and secretary, yet that such 



d to he more tb 

 dinarily good business men is not 



indicated by the records. Such asso- 

 ciations have had notable successes 

 right from the start, in at least three 

 Slates, which indicates that practi- 

 cally any average American com- 

 munity should be able to command 

 the services of a manager ami offi- 

 cers. of sufficient ability to insure the 

 success of such an undertaking. 



The Production of Wax by 

 Honey Bees 



By D. A. Davis 



THE subject of Wax Production 

 by the Honey Bee is one upon 

 which theories are numerous. 

 Some of the well-established facts 

 about this subject are: 



1. That a new swarm or shaken 

 swarm of bees will make wax and 

 build comb immediately after enter- 

 ing the new box or hive, if this box 

 or hive does not already contain 

 combs. 



2. That the wax is secreted by the 

 wax glands, wdiich lie in pairs, usual- 

 ly four pairs, on the ventral interior 

 side of the abdomen of the worker- 

 bee. The wax being secreted oozes 

 out through the minute perforations 

 of the wax plates, which cover the 

 separate wax glands. Upon coming 

 in contact with the air the liquid 

 wax hardens into a pearly white 

 scale. (1) gives a good description 

 of the wax organs and their func- 

 tions. 



"As is well known, wax is pro- 

 duced by the worker-lu-es only. The 

 location oi the wax-secreting sur- 

 faces, or wax plates, may be readily 

 determined by an examination of the 

 ventral surface of a bee's abdomen. 

 By stretching the abdomen some- 

 what it will be seen that each of the 

 last four visible sternal or ventral 

 plates is divided into two regions, a 

 posterior projecting edge which is 

 distinctly hairy, and a smooth an- 

 terior half which is usually covered 

 by the next preceding plate. This 

 anterior region is divided by a me- 

 dian ridge into two distinct irregu- 

 larly oval areas, which thus lie on 

 either side of the mid-ventral line. 

 rhese areas an- the wax plates, and 

 upon them the wax-scales are 

 formed. Each one of the last four 

 Sternal plates bears two wax plates. 

 making eight in all. (See big. 1.) 



"flu- glands which secrete the wax 

 lie i.n the floor of the abdomen im- 

 mediately above and in contact witli 

 the wax plate-., and their secretion 

 di pi isited upon the external sur- 

 of flu- plates. Upon coming 

 in contact with flu- air the fluid wax 

 hardens, forming a covering over the 

 entire outer surface of the plate, 

 which gradually inci thick- 



ness with fhe addition "I W a ■ 

 through flu- pores. In thi^ waj the 

 wax-scales are produced, and since 

 they are molded upon the sui fai < - 

 of the eight wax plates, they cor- 

 Cl) Casteel Ph. If, 1). I:. 1912— The 

 Manipulation of the Wax Scales of 

 i niey Bee. 



