268 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



ing towns come in and supply my home market at 2 cents per 

 pound less than my honey nets me when shipped to a distant 

 market, about all I can do is to leave the home market in their 

 hands. I suspect, however, that it would have been to my ad- 

 vantage to have paid more attention to developing my home 

 market for extracted honey. 



HOME VERSUS DISTANT MARKET. 



In deciding between a home and a distant market, there 

 are more things to be taken into consideration than are always 

 thought of. There is breakage in transportation, and tlie 

 greater the distance the greater the risk. If I can load my 

 honey into a car myself, and it goes to its destination without 

 change of cars, I do not feel very anxious about it. On this 

 account a car-load is safer than a small quantity, for a full car- 

 load may be sent almost any distance without re-shipping. If 

 re-shipped, it is not at all certain how it will be packed in a 

 car. I once sent a lot of honey to Cincinnati, and when it ar- 

 rived at its destination the sections were actually lying on their 

 sides ! I suppose the railroad hands who packed it in the car 

 at the last change, thought the glass was safest from breakage 

 if the case was put glass side down. The strangest part about 

 it was that I lost nothing by the breakage. The dogged per- 

 sistence of a German consignee obliged the railroad company to 

 pay all damage! for the consignee was that staunch German and 

 genial friend of beekeepers — the late C. F. Muth. 



There is less danger of breakage by freight than by ex- 

 press. Besides danger of breakage, there is risk of losing in 

 \'arious ways. You may not be able to collect pay for your 

 honey. If sent on commission, the price obtained may be less 

 than the published market report. You have no means general- 

 ly to know how correct the claims for breakage may he. In 

 fact, unless j-ou know your consignee to be a thoroughly honest 

 man, you are almost entirely at his mercy. 



PRICES IN HOME AND DISTANT MARKET. 



Taking all these things into consideration, together with 

 the cost of freight and shipping-cases, it must be a good price 



