44 



SIXTEENTH ANNUAL. REPORT OF THE 



grocer after grocer and find hardly any 

 honey on sale anywhere. We find the 

 housewife who used to buy a ten- 

 cent jar now buying fifteen and twen- 

 ty-five-cent jars. Then she says: 

 "Haven't you got it in tin cans? Have 

 you got it in 60-pound cans?" And 

 what does that mean? That honey 

 goes on the table every day. We have 

 been developing a honey appetite. 



A bee-keeper said: "I don't under- 

 stand how Mr. Root pays eight cents 

 for my honey and goes around after- 

 wards and sells 9-ounce jars for fif- 

 teen cents." 



If you stop and figure up how much 

 a page in the Ladies' Home Journal 

 and in Good Housekeeping costs, the 

 cost of sending out traveling men, 

 putting out window displays, showing 

 honey at the various fairs, you will 

 come to the couclusion that you will 

 have to double on your money to cover\ 

 advertising. So far on this advertis- 

 ing we have not been making money. 

 What are we doing it for? We are 

 doing it because we believe there is a 

 future for selling honey. 



We have competitors now. I talked 

 to the advertising expert of the Ladies' 

 Home Journal about a full page adver- 

 tisement and he said to me: "Mi'. 

 Root, you will advertise other people; 

 but you ought to court competitors. 

 If you have strong competitors it will 

 mean much for you." 



That is true. I feel today that 

 Gleanings is stronger for having a 

 strong competitor like the American 

 Bee Journal. It is better for the A. 

 I. Root Company to have competitors 

 around the country in bee supplies. 

 It means that other men will sell more 

 supplies. If we advertise rightly we 

 will sell our own product and advertise 

 the other fellow and the other fellow 

 will advertise our product. You will 

 advertise your honey and. advertise the 

 other fellow's product, but when you 

 get your trade name established it will 

 keep on selling. 



Mr. Henry Ford is not advertising 

 very much, is he? You will find the 

 - Overland is taking double pages in the 

 Saturday Evening Post. They are try- 

 ing to get their name in the minds of 

 everybody who wants an automobile. 

 You will notice that Willys-Knight is 

 establishing its trade name for a 

 special motor. Mr. Ford used to ad- 

 vertise quite extensively; he has 

 established a trade name; his appro- 



priation for advertising does not 

 amount to over 2 per cent. He has got 

 so well advertised he doesn't need to 

 advertise. His machine advertises it- 

 self. We might take a little sugges- 

 tion from that. 



When you put out honey, put out a 

 blend of three or four or five table 

 honeys; keep that blend and color al- 

 ways uniform; then advertise and 

 push it. If you have a trade name 

 established, the public knows some- 

 thing about it and moderate adver- 

 tising thereafter will keep it going. 



It is not everyone who can go into 

 the bottling business; it is not every- 

 one who can make a carpenter. The 

 qualities that make a honey producer 

 are not necessarily the qualities that 

 make a salesman. 



The average bee-keeper, unless he 

 ki>ows how to sell goods and buy glass- 

 y-Ware cheap enough, had better sell his 

 honey to the other fellow and get the 

 best price he can for it. 



President Baxter — Has any one any 

 questions to ask of Mr. Root? 



President Baxter — We will now ad- 

 journ the convention long enough to 

 have the picture taken. 



(After picture was taken.) 



President Baxter — The first thing, 

 before we take up anything further, I 

 want to announce the obituary com- 

 mittee on the death of Col. Mills; on 

 that committee I appoint C. P. Dadant, 

 S. E. Prather, James A. Stone, all 

 charter members, and well acquainted 

 with Mr. Mills. 



The next thing in order will be the 

 Question Box. 



The first question I have: 



Is European Foul Brood generally as 

 well scattered over the country as 

 American f 



Mr-. Kildow will answer that. 



Mr. Kildow — It is pretty hard to 

 tell that; some localities you get into, ■ 

 one time' are European, and the next, 

 American, but I think as a rule there 

 is more European than American; it 

 is more widely scattered. 



President Baxter — Any of the depu- 

 ties answer that? Mr. Pyles, what is 

 your observation? 



Mr. Pyles — Mr. President, it is a 

 hard matter for a deputy to tell; gen- 

 erally speaking, all over the state the 

 deputy does not know. 



