32 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



January 



Crop Report and Market Condition 



Compiled by M. G. Dadant 



For our January report, which will likely be the last 

 one of any length for a few months, we asked the follow- 

 ing questions of reporters : 



1. Have you any honey left on hand unsold; if so, 

 how much and at what price are you holding it? 



2. How is the honey moving and what are the prices? 



3. In what shape did your bees go into winter quar- 

 ters? 



4. What is the outlook, pasturage, for next year? 



5. How many bees do you expect to have in 1919, 

 compared to 1918? Do you expect to make much in- 

 crease? 



HONEY ON HAND 



A striking characteristic of answers to this question 

 is that there is relatively little honey left in the hands of 

 the producers, and what is left is generally being held to 

 be sold out piecemeal to the local markets. Some of the 

 lots on hand and prices expected wholesale are as fol- 

 lows : 



1,500 pounds Connecticut extracted at 30 cents. 



One ton Kentucky at 25 cents. 



12 barrels Alabama at 25 cents. 



12,000 pounds Colorado at 23 cents. 



240 gallons Louisiana at 20 cents. 



18,000 pounds Michigan at 27 cents. 



12,000 pounds Colorado at 25 cents. 



5,000 pounds Colorado at 27 cents. 



75 cases Utah at $5.00. 



10,000 pounds California amber at 22 cents. 



1,200 pounds California white at 24 cents. 



It is evident from these reports that practically all 

 beekeepers were able to get satisfactory prices for their 

 honey. In fact, very probably the dealers are well 

 stocked up with honey and wondering just what the mar- 

 ket will do. 



The fact that the War Trade Board has removed the 

 restrictions on honey imports, lets in large quantities of 

 Cuban and West Indian honey which has been seeking a 

 market. 



This has had an especially bad effect, since it has been 

 very hard to export honey as yet, owing to the restric- 

 tions of the same War Trade Board. But we have just 

 received a wire (Dec. 19) from the Board in answer to 

 ours, stating that all restrictions on honey export are re- 

 moved December 20, and that after that date honey may 

 be shipped to Canada, Great Britain, France, Italy, or 

 their colonies without individual export license. 



MOVEMENT OF HONEY 



In the local markets honey is going very well, where 

 the beekeeper has any to furnish. In fact, the local mar- 

 kets are not being furnished to any extent except as 

 honey is sent in by the big bottlers. 



In the larger markets and with wholesalers the de- 

 mand seems to be slack. This is mostly due to the sign- 

 ing of the armistice; and also to the shipping in of West 

 Indian honey in competition with that of the States. 



Foreign markets are still bare of honey and the de- 

 mand good at high prices, so that in the course of a few 

 weeks, when shipping becomes easier, there should be 

 no trouble in getting satisfactory prices by means of 

 exporting. There is no doubt a feeling of uneasiness on 

 the part of the jobber as to just what the market will do, 

 but we do not see how prices can drop very much be- 

 fore the next crop comes in, as there is such a small 

 amount left in the hands of the producer. Our idea is 

 that the market will stiffen just as soon as shipping space 

 becomes a little more easily available. 



SHAPE OF BEES FOR WINTER 



In reading the reports coming in I have been struck 

 with the number stating that their bees went into winter 

 rather light in stores, especially in the eastern and cen- 

 tral States. This is due to the fact that the fall crop 

 was small in most localities, and to the difficulty of get- 

 ting sugar. In most cases there is combined with this a 

 shortage of bees in the hives, also due to the same cause. 

 This may mean rather severe losses during the winter. 

 Starvation will especially be a danger, since bees are 

 apt to use more honey in such a mild winter as we are 

 Having so far. 



The sugar restrictions are now removed, and it be- 

 hooves every beekeeper who has colonies lacking stores 

 to make the loss good either as early in spring as pos- 

 sible, or yet this winter by feeding sugar candy (prop- 

 erly made). 



Most reports indicate that bees went into winter 

 quarters in good shape, a few from the northwest also 

 indicating light colonies. 



PASTURAGE OUTLOOK 



Pasturage outlook is better than a year ago, a com- 

 parison of reports for the two years shows. It is early 

 to base conclusions on pasturage outlook now, espe- 

 cially in the western States. But the east and most of 

 the central States have had good fall rains, which has 

 put clover in fair to good condition to survive the winter. 



The prospects in California seem to be better than a 

 year ago. There have been a number of early fall rains 

 and the weather is seasonable, all tending to a better 

 outlook for the honey plants. 



It is in Texas, however, that prospects show the great- 

 est improvement over a year ago. Bountiful fall rains 

 have not only made good fall flows in many localities, 

 but they have started the vegetation throughout the 

 State and beekeepers are hoping for a return to normal 

 conditions after some of the worst seasons they have 

 ever experienced. One or two reporters state that it 

 will take two or three years to replace all the perennial 

 plants and shrubs which have been killed out by the 

 drought of the bad seasons. 



BEES IN 1919 



Practically all losses of the winter of 1917-18 have 

 been made good by increase during the past summer, ex- 

 cept in the State of Texas, where it will take another 

 summer to place them back to where they were before" 

 the bad years came, and this deals alone with the com- 

 mercial beekeepers. It will take much longer than this 

 to make up for the losses on the part of the smaller and 

 amateur beekeeper. 



The whole country over, there are, without doubt, 

 more bees than a year ago. 



Nearly all reports are to the effect that there will be 

 some increase made during the coming spring, this in- 

 crease ranging from just enough to make up losses, to 

 100 per cent, the most of the reporters stating that they 

 would make from 25 to 50 per cent increase. 



The largest beekeeper in the southwest expects to in- 

 crease his holdings from 7,000 to 10,000 colonies, while 

 another in the mountain States of the west will increase 

 from 5,000 to 7.000 colonies. The latter beekeeper, by 

 the way, raises his own queens, having a queen breeder 

 whom he pays at the rate of $8 a day to do the work. 



BEES AND QUEENS FOR NEXT YEAR 



With very few exceptions, beekeepers have very little 

 doubt but that they will be able to secure all the bees and 

 queens they will require. Several have made contracts 

 or placed orders in advance for their season's require- 

 ments. Many more are increasing solely by division, 

 while others do not expect to have to requeen till late 

 sumer, when the demand for queens is not so great. 



