THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



commission and risk of damage or leak- 

 age in transit. 



I have a class of customers who pay 

 me 17 cenls apiece for sections that aver- 

 age less than a pound. This trade was 

 secured without any effort on my part; 

 and is among a wealthy class of people 

 who are able and willing to pay more 

 than the general market price for the 

 best. Some years ago a wealthy, city 

 friend of the people where I was board- 

 ing, was making them a short visit. 

 There was some extra nice, white clover, 

 comb honey, that I had produced, on the 

 table, and he thought it was the best hon- 

 ey he had ever tasted. He was very 

 fond of honey, and, before leaving, he 

 came over to the home-yard and seemed 

 to take a great interest in all matters re- 

 lating to the pursuit. I lost about three 

 hours, at a very busy time, explaining 

 things to him. Just as he was leaving 

 he said that, later, he should send for 

 about fifty pounds of the best I had. 

 .\bout three weeks afterwards I was sur- 

 prised to receive an order from him for 

 over 300 pounds. He had been explain- 

 ing to his friends what fine honey I pro- 

 duced, and had got a number of them to 

 send with him. Since then, relatives 

 and Iriends of these peoi)le, some of them 

 in other cities, have become regular cus- 

 tomers. At that time honey was higher, 

 and 17 cents a section was the regular 

 price, and none of these people have 

 since said anything about paying less. 

 Their only concern seems to be to get 

 the best honey direct from the apiary. 

 Some of them even do not want any 

 foundation to be used in the sections. I 

 gratify them in this so far as possible, 

 by using only .starters with a number of 

 colonies. Some of these people take 

 part dark honey, and pay the same price 

 for it; and I am acquainted with .some 

 farmers who get three or four cents a 

 dozen above the market ])rice for eggs, 

 and a like amount per pound for butter, 

 from wealthy residents in cities, and I be- 

 lieve that there are many wealthy fami- 

 lies in all large cities who would not 



mind paying a few cents more per pound 

 for honey, than what it could be bought 

 for in the city market, if they could be 

 sure of getting the very best. I have no 

 doubt that a most profitable trade could 

 be worked up among such a class in most 

 any large city; but their attention would 

 have to be called to the matter in the 

 right way. I have for a number years 

 had a desire to try and work up such a 

 trade, but I have had so much other 

 work to do that it has not been possible 

 for uie to try it. 



Southern Minn., May 29, 1899. 

 CUBA. 



It is a Good Honey Country, but it has 

 Decided Drawbacks. 



.\.\RON SNYDER. 



EDITOR Re- 

 view: I wish 

 to say a little 

 about Cuba; not 

 only about her 

 honey resources, 

 but about some 

 of the difficul- 

 ties and unpleas- 

 ant things with 

 which a stranger 

 will have to con- 

 tend. .\lmost every one who writes is 

 too much inclined to give only the bright 

 side. I think that this is unwise, unfair, 

 and misleading; and may cause disap- 

 j)ointments and misfortune. If I should 

 sim])ly say that CuV)a is the best honey- 

 country in the world ( which is true) and 

 then say nothing about the dark side, it 

 might induce some fellow here to break 

 up his bu.siness, take his money and go 

 to Cuba, and there he would find every- 

 thing, except the honey, so much differ- 

 ent from what he expected that he would 

 become homesick and discouraged. 



