134 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



it does the work with the greatest satisfac- 

 tion, that is the smoker that is wanted. At 

 the same time, when it is asserted that such 

 and such a smoker has the strongest blast, it 

 is only by such tests as Mr. Corneil has taken 

 the trouble to make that the truth can be 

 known. I sincerely hope that Mr. Corneil 

 will repeat his experiments, and that he will 

 guard against every possible uncertainty. 

 It may seem unimportant, but I think the 

 smokers ought all to be new throughout. I 

 presume that Mr. Root would be glad to 

 furnish a new Crane made exactly the size 

 that is needed to compete fairly with the 

 others. — Ed.] 



How California Bee-Keepers Might Secure 

 Better Prices for Their Honey. 



" KAMBLEK." 



"Through wiMlom is a house buildert ; and by 

 understanding it is established." 



¥HILE the 

 questions 

 of the best 

 bees, the best 

 all purpose 

 hives and the 

 best bee pas- 

 turage are agi- 

 tating the best 

 thoughts of 

 the California 

 bee - keepers, 

 there is the still greater question of the most 

 profitable marketing of the product, which 

 not only interests California bee-keepers, 

 but all bee-keepers as well. The first 400 

 lbs. of honey obtained in California sold for 

 %lJ^Q to .$'2.00 per lb. This was comb honey 

 and obtained in not particularly fancy style, 

 the mere fact that it was comb honey and 

 of limited amount boomed the price. 



The rapid increase of bees, however, soon 

 enabled the producer to ship honey to the 

 eastern markets, and in V>TA the first full car 

 load was sent across the continent. 



The first shipments of honey resulted in 

 good profits to the producer. California 

 honey was a novelty to eastern people. The 

 amount was limited and the price had an up- 

 ward tendency. Larger shipments, however, 

 had a tendency to equalize the markets, 

 though up to the time of the introduction of 



the honey extractor, it is claimed that the 

 California comb honey shipments were 

 highly remunerative, and many of the older 

 bee-keepers regret that the extractor was 

 ever introduced, claiming that when extract- 

 ed honey was sold on the coast at 3 and 3)^ 

 cents per lb. that it in like manner deteri- 

 orated the price of comb honey. The ex- 

 tractor is, however, i^ the field to stay and 

 the distribution of our honey at a fair price 

 is the problem. 



The same problem of distribution and sale 

 at remunerative prices confronts the fruit 

 grower, and more intensely, from the fact 

 that the product is increasing rapidly every 

 year, and when shipped direct from the tree 

 or vine it is of a perishable, nature. The 

 distribution, like that of honey, has been 

 through commission houses. The results, 

 too, are not wholly satisfactory and new 

 methods are sought after. Along these lines 

 fruit and honey have a common interest, 

 and the plans that will benefit the fruit 

 grower will also benefit the honey producer. 



Fruits and honey have heretofore been 

 massed in large quantities in a few trade 

 centers from which distribution takes place 

 with all of its attendant good and many evils, 

 when applied particularly to honey. As the 

 production becomesgreater, radic 1 changes 

 in methods of distribution become a neces- 

 sity and several plans are outlined by fruit 

 growers. They consist mainly in sending 

 fruits in car lots to the large cities to be dis- 

 tributed direct to the consumer by salesmen 

 and in such a manner as to advertise the sec- 

 tion of country from which the fruit is ship- 

 ped. These plans if carried out in our large 

 trade centers would result in antagonizing 

 the commission men, and there might be a 

 rivalry that would defeat the end sought for. 

 A better plan, it seems to me, would be to 

 combine interests and ship car load lots of 

 fruits, nuts and honey to the smaller towns 

 that are not likely to be supplied and instead 

 of working from the center out and com- 

 peting with the commission men, work from 

 the circumference toward the center and 

 thus between the commission houses and 

 this plan the whole country would be cover- 

 ed. The mure of our products we could sell 

 to the outlying towns would so far relieve 

 the pressure upon the great centers of dis- 

 tribution and better prices would be sure to 

 follow. 



The success of this plan when applied to 

 the distribution of honey would necessitate 



