590 
MARKETING HONEY 
that many a producer discovered lie was 
not a salesman. 
The question of selling at retail or in a 
small way will be discussed in detail fur¬ 
ther on. The problem of the beekeeper 
who has from 100 to 1,000 or more colo¬ 
nies will now be considered. These larger 
producers are usually not salesmen, and it 
therefore 'becomes necessary for them to 
dispose of their entire product to some 
large wholesaler, jobber, broker, or com¬ 
mission house. A beekeeper Avith a hun¬ 
dred colonies during normal times has no 
difficulty in gelling his entire product to 
the wholesale grocery and in some cases to 
the retail grocer. He may find it possible 
to sell to a dealer who handles dairy prod¬ 
ucts, for honey, butter, and milk, includ¬ 
ing ice cream, are often sold from the 
same counter. 
He may find it advisable to sell it in a 
retail way from his own door, provided he 
is located on some automobile highway, but 
this likewise will be discussed farther on. 
There are now large buyers of honey in 
nearly all the large cities of the United 
States. They will usually, during the sell¬ 
ing season at least, take honey at its mar¬ 
ket price in lots of a thousand pounds to 
a whole car load. Indeed they will some¬ 
times on a rising market buy ten cars. 
They will have their buyers located in 
various cities, and of course they will seek 
to get the honey at the lowest figure pos¬ 
sible. They are sometimes inclined to talk 
a “sluggish market” and “over-produc¬ 
tion;” in short, their policy is to “bear” 
the market. 
To offset this in some instances large 
producers are organized into exchanges 
thru which the products of its members are 
sold, because the individual beekeeper is 
sometimes at the mercy of the large buyer, 
and unless he is Avell informed Avith a 
knowledge of market conditions tliruout 
the United States he is liable to sell his 
honey at a sacrifice. He can protect him¬ 
self by taking one or more bee journals 
when he will be able to follow on their 
market pages general conditions relating 
to production and sale of honey and the 
price at which it is being sold in carlots in 
the various cities. The United States Bu¬ 
reau of Markets is sending out direct to 
beekeepers reports of sales for the various 
markets of the country. Information 
gleaned thru this source, thru the bee jour¬ 
nals and the local beekeeper societies and 
honey-producers’ exchanges where oi’gan- 
ized will usually give one a fairly accurate 
idea of prevailing conditions and whether 
he can afford to sell. 
On a rising market one can sometimes 
afford to hold his crop, but he should also 
remember it is Avise not to wait too long. 
Marketing in a car-load way usually begins 
to start in September. The price may rise 
during the months of October and Novem¬ 
ber. From the middle of November to 
about the first of December prices usually 
reach their maximum. Sometimes the mar¬ 
ket Avill hold strong after the holidays, but 
usually the demand is slow and irregular 
from that time on until the neAv crop is 
ready. 
During later years, however, it is encour¬ 
aging to note that the honey market in car- 
lots shows more and more an inclination to 
hold a general level tliruout the season. 
Producers should clearly understand 
that the amber or dark grades of honey 
usually bring in carlots from two to five 
cents less per pound than the light-colored 
or table honeys. It should generally be 
understood also that honeys of the North 
are usually superior in color and flavor to 
those of the South. As a general rule, the 
further one goes toward the equator, the 
darker will be the honey. There are some 
marked exceptions to this, hoAvever, as one 
Avill see by consulting the article, “Honey 
and Its Colors,” found elseAvhere in this 
work. 
Where possible one should always sell 
for cash. But before doing so it is neces¬ 
sary to knoAv the financial standing of the 
jobber or dealer making the offer. Many 
a beekeeper has sold his honey to a con¬ 
cern without a rating, only to find he has 
lost his honey and that the account is not 
collectable. Some of the representatives of 
these concerns are smooth, plausible talkers 
but are dishonest. They know enough 
about law to keep themselves safe from 
prosecution. No one should sell his honey 
to a stranger without inquiring first at the 
local bank of his standing. If he is not 
rated let him alone. If one cannot get 
satisfactory information from that source, 
