MARKETING HONEY 
591 
he should write the publishers of one or 
more of the bee journals. It will take only 
a few T t|ays to get a report, and it may save 
for the producer his entire crop of honey. 
A great deal of honey is now shipped in 
carlots, a draft being attached to the bill 
of lading. The producer may feel that it 
is perfectly safe to ship in this way, and 
usually it is, as the money must be paid to 
the bank before the honey is delivered. If 
the concern is not reliable or dishonest it 
may seek a consignment in this way with 
the deliberate intention to reject the car, 
thus placing the producer at a great dis¬ 
advantage and making him feel he will 
have to accept the terms offered in order to 
dispose of the honey. If he does not ac¬ 
cept such terms it may be necessary for 
him to make a trip clear across the conti¬ 
nent, in the meantime paying demurrage 
to the railroad company while he is seeking 
a new customer. 
Taking everything into consideration 
the producer should deal only with well- 
known responsible concerns that can fur¬ 
nish good references as well as satisfactory 
rating in either Dun’s or Bradstreet’s com¬ 
mercial agency. In the case of a new com¬ 
pany, it will be well to learn what the bee 
journals think of them. 
It is sometimes not practicable to sell for 
cash. Perhaps no offering can be secured. 
In that event honey may sometimes be dis¬ 
posed of to good advantage to reliable 
commission houses. 
SENDING HONEY TO COMMISSION HOUSES. 
While commission houses thruout big 
cities are aids to beekeepers in disposing 
of their honey, yet a word of caution 
should be entered against being in too great 
haste to lump off one’s honey to these 
places. One may argue that he would not 
have time to dispose of his product in 
small amounts; but many a beekeeper has 
found to his sorrow the mistake he made 
in contributing to the flood of honey at a 
certain commission house. The consequence 
is, that at that place honey is a “glut on 
the market.” 
But it very often happens that one can 
get a higher price by sending to these com¬ 
mission men. The general trade looks to 
them for supply, and they make it their 
business to find a market. 
The temptations in the commission busi¬ 
ness are very great; and if the broker is 
not honest he may take advantage of the 
producer. Commission men charge all the 
way from 5 to 10 per cent commission; 
and in addition to this the shipper is re¬ 
quired to stand freight, drayage, and all 
breakage. 
Most commission houses will make ad¬ 
vances in cash on receiving the honey; and 
a few of them will make payments as fast 
as it is sold; but a majority make no re¬ 
mittance until all the honey is sold, and 
sometimes not even then until the beekeep¬ 
er writes complaining, and inquiring re¬ 
garding his honey or his money. 
At the time of making shipment, send 
bill of lading to the commission house, and 
name price below which the honey must not 
be sold. A commission house has no right 
to sell at a lower figure until it is given 
instructions. Before the honey is packed 
it should be carefully weighed so that one 
will know exactly how much honey he has 
sent. Large shipments should not be sent 
at first. If in. any case honey is sent, and 
the commission house fails to make returns, 
or refuses to do so, it is a criminal act. 
Such a house has no right to appropriate 
one’s honey without rendering some sort 
of returns. Never take a note in payment 
from an irresponsible firm or individual, 
for legally a note is a settlement. 
SELLING HONEY IN A RETAIL WAY. 
The beekeeper with four or five colonies 
of bees will have no difficulty in selling his 
honey to his neighbors. It soon becomes 
known that he has a few hives of bees, 
and the people in the vicinity, feeling that 
they can buy “real honey,” will go to the 
neighbor and pay good prices, furnishing 
their own utensils. If the honey is of first 
quality there is no trouble about selling 
from the doorway the entire crop. 
When one has from fifty to a hundred 
colonies his problem is not so easy. If lie 
is not a salesman, he should dispose of his 
honey in a wholesale way to his local gro¬ 
cer. If he is located in the country on a 
main highway where automobiles are pass¬ 
ing to and fro, he may be able to sell his 
entire crop from the roadside the same as 
ordinary farm products are sold. He 
should be careful to consult the market to 
