THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



43 



boxes weighing from eight to twenty-five 

 pounds; or in chunks cut from the top or 

 sides of hives after the bees had been 

 killed by the fumes of burning sulphur. 

 It is not even surprising that we should 

 still sell by weight, as it is easier for most 

 persons to follow those who have gone 

 before than to strike out in new paths 

 for themselves. But that the bee-keeper 

 who produces thousands of sections of 

 honey, all of an exact size, and nearl}- the 

 same weight, should sell by weight, while 

 the one who buys of him sells by count, 

 seems a little absurd. 



Eggs are sold by count when, often, 

 one will weigh twice as much as another. 

 We might with reason say that it would 

 be better if they were sold b}- weight; 

 were it not that thev are sold alike, by 

 the farmer, the wholesale merchant, and 

 retailer, by count, and will doubtless con- 

 tinue to be sold in the same way, for it is 

 less trouble. 



Suppose a farmer ships ten cases of eggs 

 to market, stenciled in this way : — 



• * 



": ^o doz. J 5 Ihs. net. \ 



i From A. B. C. 



'. \fIloM- Shflls. 



Fresh. { 



Now this farmer insists that his eggs 

 shall be sold by weight; as his hens are 

 of the best strain of Plymouth Rocks, 

 and his eggs are larger by far than those 

 sent to market by Mr. B. C. D., who 

 keeps nothing but Brown Leghorns. 

 Later, Mr. Jones, the groceryman, comes 

 to Mr. Smith, the commission merchant, 

 to buy eggs. 



"Good morning, Mr. Smith." 



"Good morning, Mr. Jones." 



"Anv fresh eggs to day ? " 



"Ves: ten cases just in from Scrable 

 hill. Let me show you." 



"Yellow shelled and fresh; just what I 

 want. How do you hold them ? " 



"Ten cents a pound. They are fine." 

 (Opens the case to show them. ) 



"Let's see; ten cents a pound. How 

 many dozen did you say there are in the 

 case, and how many pounds? " 



Mr. Jones proceeds to do a little sum 

 in arithmetic. He sells by the dozen. 



"Yes, 15 cts. per dozen. I'll take 

 them. " 



A somewhat awkward way of doing 

 business and made still more so should it 

 be necessary to buy at a lower figure, or 

 the numbers produce fractions. And yet, 

 that is exactly the way honey is sold; at 

 least, most of it, in our city markets. 



I do not know how many times whole- 

 .sale dealers have told me that the first 

 que.stion the buyer asks is: "How many 

 sections in a case, and how many pounds?" 

 Not, "Are the sections white, or sand- 

 papered," etc., but, "how many sections 

 and how many pounds ?" When the t)uy- 

 er finds out, he proceeds to figure it out; 

 not with paper and pencil, perhaps, but 

 in his head; that he may know w^hat the 

 price is per comb. 



Now, what is to be gained by the hon- 

 ey producer still clinging to the practice 

 of selling by weight ? Is it that he fears 

 his neighbor will produce a lighter comb 

 of honey and get as much as he does ? 

 Or is it that he may put the very heavy 

 with the very light, to even up and make 

 them average about what is supposed to 

 be wanted ? 



But most retail dealers want whatever 

 they buy not toazeragc about the same 

 in each ca.se, but to be alike as near as 

 possible; so there will be no culls. Oran- 

 ges should be the same size in the same 

 case. 



