SEMI-TROPIC CALIFORNIA. 
173 
duced for export this season 257,800 
pounds of honey, nearly all extracted or 
strained. TllB number of stands of bees, 
as estimated October 1, is 3,055. 
Ventura county, by a report from Ii. 
Tonehton, Secretary Bee-keepers’ Associa¬ 
tion. lmd last, spring 70 bee-keopers, about 
4,000 stands of bees, and lias produced for 
export, 700,000 pounds of extracted honey. 
The number of stands at present is esti¬ 
mated at. 7.000. 
San Bernardino county, by report from 
ocean freights am cheap though slow, and 
llm saving is of itself a good profit to 
prod uoers. 
It is a mistake to overload I be market of 
San Francisco while there are so many 
others, for it causes low prices and general 
disappointment, The growth of our in¬ 
dustry baa been greater than the demand, 
mid every one interested should do oil he 
can to make more markets, and increase 
the consumption of honey. A good deal 
has been dom* iu this way. Two rears 
M. Segurft, Secretary Bee-keepers' Assoriu- 1 'undo direct slnpmciijs to Europe to 
(ion, Inis now alxint, 6,001) stands of bees, 
and has produced about 850,000 pounds 
extracted ami 100,000 pounds comb honey, 
Los Angelos county has not made a re- nml other shipments, the prica 
port of the condition of business for the Francisco would have fallen far lo 
present year, nor have I I he figures to- did, a **d wuuM liuvi; ln-rn uomi 
tul export. I regret this, ns it is One of -More care and consideration of t 
the amount of over 156,000 lbs. Although 
it. did not bring ns good a price ns I 
expected, yet I learned that but for this 
in Sail 
Frunt'isCO would have fallen far lower than 
nominal. 
several months. The reverse of this has 
occurred this season. Producers have 
generally been disposed to hold on, and 
instead of a decline in price as the sea¬ 
son advanced there has been an improve¬ 
ment. I learned during the pn*' week from 
several points in the Eastern States that the 
crop there is much smaller thau was ex 
peet'd. prices have advanced, and will 
probably continue to advance. 
Another of the evils we have to complain 
of is an unjust ayalem of tare Dealers in 
California lmve arbitrarily increased the 
tare on comb honey, far above ihe weight 
of the package, although ill Eastern States 
tin- actual weight of the ease alone is de¬ 
ducted, ns it ought to hi*, and it is tlio 
habit to ndd to the actual weight of the 
1 barrel a number of pounds for aoukage. so 
our best counties, mol for want of it I 
can not, give totals for Southern California 
as I wished to do. I inclose letters from 
N. Levering, Secretary Bee-keepers' Asso¬ 
ciation, and also letters from the other sec¬ 
retaries mentioned above, which, if read, 
will be found to be very interesting. The 
totals from four counties show that there 
nro at present over 41,COO stands of la cs, 
and that the product the prasent year 
is nbonl 2,315,000 pounds of lioncy, or 
1,157 tons. The return from Loti Angeles 
county would very much increase these 
figures, 
An industry that has grown in so short 
a time to such large proportions, naturally 
is not so well conducted as one that hits 
been of slower growth. Thus wo see a 
good many different kinds of hives in use, 
dilferent methods! of handling bees, of 
taking out honey, of packing, shipping, 
and marketing it, and a good deal of com¬ 
plaint among dealers, of the poor condi¬ 
tion it is received in for market, and among 
producers, of iiiiiiiinuiil'iiilivo prices. 
I leave the question of management of 
the apiary lo others more able t him I am 
to discuss it; bill, having had considera¬ 
ble experience in marketing, will mention 
a few points that may lie studied with pro- 
lit. For foreign shipment, a well-made, 
iron-hooped barrel, holding not over 15 lo 
20 gallons, is the safest, strongest, most 
easily handled, and most economical 
package. Now I'm cans, holding 60 to 
100 lbs,, ami well boxed, are very good, 
the inter- called. This is not dime with syrup, 
eats ol producers should bo given by the vinegar, liquors, or other liquid . ami it is 
railroads and other public carrier's, ami not just to do it with hum's The honey 
this can best bo obtained by unity of action pin urges are more costly iu proportion t. 
on our part. " 
lines should 
For instance, the through the value of the contents limn any of the 
be willing to guaranty other articles mentioned. A retail dealer 
through curs, for it is destructive to cotub can sell an empty honey barrel for mine 
honey to have it transferred from one car than the value of tin soakage, and *.• lose 
to another en route, and 
reason why liquid homy in barrels or 
cases should be charged higher freights 
thau syrupsor other liquids. Some of the 
Steamship agents refuse to take liquid 
honey on the excuse that it will injur*- iron 
ship* by leakage — a very frivolous t-xmise, 
when acids ami other articles ol commune 
much more dangerous arc trumqmrtod. If 
the railroads encourage the shipment of 
honey by reasonable clung* s mul careful 
handling, they will have -i larger share of 
file business,and aid in building up au im¬ 
portant, industry. V 11 <I these matters con- 
eeru every one of us, even if we sell our 
honey at our owudoor, forth** huge market* 
regulate the price of tins smaller ones, ami 
it is well known that m the long run all 
expenses of transportation eonm out of the 
producer, not the consumer. 
Another great drawback in our business 
is dishonesty and curelewness on the part 
of commission men. I have been told in 
Sun Francisco liy several commission firms, 
that they did not euro to handle hpuoy; 
they could not make anything on it, and 
that sales were slow. 
Yet firms in the Eastern States nud in 
I can see no | iluthiug, while under the present system 
the producer pays for an expensive pack¬ 
age, obtains nothing for it nud is charged 
unjustly for fioakage. 
The*® are some uf the evils ami injustices 
of the present condition of our Lade, and 
to remedy them require* united and 
i-ui-in st co-operation on our part. I should 
ho glad to see this eoiivi-iitioii take sonic 
action in a business-like way against these 
and other evils which will uo doubt occur 
tu others present, always remembering 
that unity is strength, ami that public 
ea friers and wholesale dealers who would 
pay no attention to the complaints of in¬ 
dividuals, have n wholesome respect for 
lIn- energetic action of nti organized ns* 
! Donation. 
I have not indulged in the usual olo 
qiieiirn in regard lo the " little busy bee,” 
i etc , for I believe in practical and useful 
talk mid nctiou, nud having mud© these 
suggestions to the convention, I hope lo 
; ,„e (."Uiuiiltees appointed nud action tnk* u 
tin these and other subject* that will bud 
to systematize our trade,and make honey, 
as it should be, a staple article, always 
sure of a market at current rales, and pro- 
| ducePt and dealers iu it treated with tli© 
„ - Europe arc desirous of the trade, semi out 
but more cosily, ami not bo acceptable to f eiraulors soliciting it, ami arc enterprising -mm respect nml con-id* i itiou as with 
iu seeking markets. Thurbor A On., of I other lending staple 
New York, one of the largest firms in the j 
world, have made special efforts to imoiirc 
and control the honey trade, and have 
established its an agent in London, Mr 
liogo, a limit well posted hi hOfley, and 
eiiterpriniiig and uctivu. II oor California 
dealers would show more enterprise iu 
lip oiling markets and disposing ol honey i 
promptly, tiny would find it profitable. 
Another uvil is llm too Midden placing 
mi the market of unr crop. It conns iu 
mostly in two or three of tint summer 
months, while the retail demand is not nl 
its best (ill winter, Tlnir. I ho effort of the 
pio.lnceis to put llmir crop oLi the imol.et 
as suoii as made, results in low pi loos, for 
llm European buyers. Small cans, of 
course, suit the Arizona ami Ollier retail 
trade. It. is a mistake to put good limmy 
in old tin cans. The loss by leakage, 
breakage, nml iimitlraolive appearance, 
nmru limn makes up for tin- saving in filial 
coal. As to comb honey, the Eastern 
dealers inform me Unit small packages 
sell better I him large one*, though 1 know 
many think otherwise. At all events, they 
should be strong, neat, and well packed. 
A great deal of honey loses, not only 
iir vveight| but in price, by being badly 
packed, 
la regard to shipment, our railroad 
fi eighlK are so high thill vve can scarcely 
ship overland in competition with Eastern 
producers urnl realize any profit, but 
Ora January, 1881, issue -our Christ - 
iiiih number— will be a double number of 
sixty-firtir pages, and will contain all tli© 
illustrations of the last year. It will b© a 
giiiml illustrated edition of Southern 
California. Every subscriber who has 
paid his Hubscriptiou will be entitled to a 
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who arc not 
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tbo wholesale denier =. have to hold it for, t ■*! 
