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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



Crop and Market Report 



November 



Compiled by M. G. Dadant 



Since our last report other information on the crop has 

 come that would tend to show that it is better than an- 

 ticipated. According to the Government report it seems 

 to be a little better than last year. The fall producing 

 sections have reported very good honey crops in these lo- 

 calities, which has helped bring up the average. 

 HONEY PROSPECTS 

 A good fall crop usually indicates that the prospect for 

 the next year will be good and this seems to be the rule 

 over most parts of the country. Fall rains have tended to 

 balance up the earlier drought during summer, al hough 

 in many localities the clover still seems to be pretty well 

 burned out and not showing much on the hills. 

 DEMAND FOR HONEY 

 The demand for honey continues good and should, ,n 

 view of the shortage of sugar This demand should con- 

 tinue strong at least until after the holidays, as it is 

 doubtful whether the sugar shortage will be alleviated 

 until later on during the early spring months. 



We would suggest, however, that the parties who still 

 have honey to sell get rid of a bulk of their honey before 

 the first of the year, while prices and demand are strong. 

 The candy manufacturers and many other manufacturers 

 of sweets do not seem to be returning to honey as a 

 substitute yet. Evidently such large manufacturers were 

 well stocked ahead of time with supplies of sugar and are 

 not requiring such large quantities of honey. 



Of course, with the individual user the occasion is dif- 

 ferent. Many are buying honey because they cannot 

 procure sugar at all. In most localities, the effect of lack 

 of local advertising is seen. Many parties wishing sweets 

 are unable to get any and have not had honey placed be- 

 fore them in a sufficiently attractive manner to warrant 

 their buying to any extent. 



PRICES OF HONEY 

 In a wholesale way the prices of honey have gotten^ 

 little stiffer within the last month. Prices on the Pacinc 

 Coast as quoted by commission merchants, now range 

 from 1 to 2 cents per pound higher than during our last 

 report. These prices are guaranteed against decline un- 

 til November. ... . , u* 

 Although honey will remain in demand, we doubt 

 whether there will be a large increase in price, and be- 

 lieve that a price of 20c for white extracted honey is not 

 far below what is proper. In fact there are many lots 

 still waiting buyers and which are offered from 17 to jlVc 

 per pound f. o. b. shipping point, which would make about 

 20c per pound f. o. b. the larger markets of the country. 

 SUGAR SHORTAGE ACUTE 

 Beekeepers in many localities are confronted by a seri- 

 ous situation in being unable to secure sugar to feed 

 their bees. Since the lifting of the ban on sugar follow- 

 ing the close of the war, the country has used far more 

 sugar in a period of nine months than ever before in an 

 entire year. The coming of prohibition is making many 

 new demands for sweets of all kinds, which promises to 

 be permanent. While this unusual demand promises a 

 bright future for beekeeping, in that it tends _ to make 

 higher prices for honey permanent, it has made it next :o 

 impossible for beekeepers to secure needed supplies for 

 the coming winter. 



The United States Sugar Equalization Board, 111 Wall 

 Street, New York City, stood ready to supply the bee- 

 keepers, but were unable to do so, owing to the fact that 

 they distributed sugar only in car lots. 



An arrangement has recently been made whereby, for 

 all sugar used in territory east of a line between Pitts- 

 burg and Buffalo will be supplied with cane sugar, while 

 all territory west of that line will take beet sugar. Bee- 

 keepers who live in New York State should write to 

 George H. Rea, Extension Division, Cornell University, 

 Ithaca, and state the amount required to feed for winter 

 stores. Pennsylvania beekeepers should write to Prof. 

 J. G. Sanders. Bureau of Plant Industry. Harrisburg, in 

 'simiiar manner. In these two States arrangements have 

 been made to buy in car lots and distribute from con- 

 venient points. In Other Eastern States the best the bee- 



keepers can do is to organize and purchase car lots 

 through the United States Sugar Equalization Board, 

 Inc., Ill Wall Street, New York City. Beekeepers living 

 west of New York and Pennsylvania can only write 

 direct to the beet sugar refineries, a list of which fol- 

 lows : 



Mount Clemens, Sugar Co., Mt. Clemens, Mich. 

 Owosso Sugar Co., Owosso, Mich. 

 Michigan Sugar Co., Saginaw, Mich. 

 Minnesota Sugar Co., Chaska, Minn. 

 J. H. Laws & Co., Cincinnati, O. 

 D. A. White & Co., 216 Elm St., Cincinnati, O. 

 Ohio Sugar Co., Ottawa, O. 

 Toledo Sugar Co., Rossfield, O. 

 Continental Sugar Co., Toledo, O. 

 Utah-Idaho Sugar Co., Grant's Pass, Ore. 

 Amalgamated Beet Sugar Co.. Ogden, Utah. 

 People's Sugar Co., Salt Lake City, Utah. 

 Utah-Idaho Sugar Co., Salt Lake City, Utah. 

 Holly Sugar Co., Boston Building, Denver, Colo. 

 Pope, Charles, 332 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, 111. 

 Garden City Sugar and Land Co., Garden City, Kans. 

 Columbia Sugar Co., Bay City, Mich. 

 West Bay City Sugar Co., Bay City, Mich. 

 Michigan Sugar Co., Crosswell, Mich. 

 Continental Sugar Co., Detroit, Mich. 

 Holland-St. Louis Sugar Co., Holland Mich. 

 Western Sugar Refining Co., Marine City, Mich. 

 Sugar Refining Co., Menominee. Mich. 

 Chippewa Sugar Co.. 428 Grand St.. Milwaukee, Wis. 

 U. S. Refining Co.. 428 Grand St., Milwaukee, Wis. 

 Wisconsin Sugar Co., 428 Grand Ave., Milwaukee, Wis. 

 Sheridan Sugar Co., Sheridan, Wyo. 

 Alameda Sugar Co., 310 Samson St., San Francisco. Cal. 

 Spreckles Sugar Co., 60 California St.. San Francisco, 

 Cal. - 



Santa Anna Sugar Co., Santa Anna, Cal. 

 The 1919 crop of beet sugar is just now becoming 

 available. The beekeepers should save their bees at any 

 cost, since honey bids fair to remain high through the 

 coming year. Only granulated sugar should be fed for 

 winter stores, since no other sweet is safe for this pur- 

 pose. 



The sugar situation for beekeepers is critical over 

 much of New England, New York, Pennsylvania, the 

 Carolinas and Georgia. Through Ohio. Indiana. Illinois, 

 parts of Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan, similar condi- 

 tions prevail. 



The beekeeper who has honey on hand from colonies 

 free from American foulhrood should at once feed all 

 needy colonies and not risk being able to get sugar. This 

 season, of all times, it is important that all bees be given 

 special care in preparation for winter. Extra packing 

 will save stores as well as bees. 



Those who find their bees short of stores and are un- 

 able to buy sugar, should prepare them for winter under 

 the most favorable conditions and prepare to feed later 

 when sugar is available. Tf there be ten pounds of stores 

 in the hives, the bees south of the Ohio River and Ma- 

 son's and Dixon's line should be able to survive until 

 March 1. at which time there should be sugar available 

 for feeding. 



Cellar-wintered colonies should be left until as neir 

 snring as possible, if they cannot be fed before going 

 into winter quarters. Close watch should be kept that 

 no colonies be allowed to starv; for want of stores, and 

 when the feeding can no longer be postponed, they 

 should be fed according to the following directions: 



From Farmers' Bulletin No. 695, page 12, Department 

 of Agriculture : 



"Tf honey in combs is not available, the bees may be 

 fed extracted honey: but the usual practice is to feed a 

 thick sugar syrup made of 2 or2 1 / parts of sugar to 1 part 

 of water, by volume. To this svrup 1 ounce of tartaric 

 acid should be added for each 40 to 60 pounds of sugar 

 while the sugar is being heated to the boiling point to 

 dissolve the sugar crystals. The syrup should be boiled 

 15 minutes. The acid helps to invert the cane sugar, 

 thus retarding its granulation in the combs." 



