ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



169 



The 3 cents added is for section, 

 foundation, setting up, cleaning, cas- 

 ing, etc., and refers, of course, to comb 

 honey. 



If the crop was extracted instead of 

 comb honey and we got 40 lbs. per 

 colony the cost would be, without fig- 

 uring cost of extracting or tins to put 

 the honey in, 8 cents per lb., and if the 

 crops was 100 lbs. it would have cost, 

 aside from cost of extracting and tins, 

 3 1-6 cents per lb. Extracting and tins 

 would cost 2 to 4 cents per lb. addi- 

 tional, depending upon circumstances. 



Under the head of distribution, the 

 two points to be considered are selling 

 and delivering, and thej are so inti- 

 mately related to each other that it is 

 usually best to consider the'm together. 



One may keep his selling expense 

 down to a 2 cent stamp if he merely 

 wishes to ship his product to a whole- 

 saler or a commission house. 



The other extreme in selling is go- 

 ing direct to the consumer and deliv- 

 ering the goods direct to the consumer. 



Between^ these two extremes per- 

 haps lies the best course for most of 

 us. If one can find retail gorcers al- 

 ready equipped with the means for 

 distributing goods we can perhaps put 

 our crop into the hands of the con- 

 sumer more economically through 

 them than we can in any other way. 



If it is certain that we can dispose 

 of our crop to the best advantage 

 through retail grocers, then by all 

 means make use of this legitimate 

 means of distribution. 



If one is not in position to solicit 

 business through retail grocers him- 

 self, then he can still make use of the 

 services of the commission man. 



But before deciding definitely that 

 we want to market our crop through 

 retailers or through wholesalers it 

 would be well perhaps to consider a 

 few facts. 



There are millions of people in this 

 country and it is a fact that these 

 millions of people use about one-sixth 

 as much honey per head of population 

 as do the peoples of Europe. Now, 

 mind you, the consumer in Europe has 

 about one-fifth as much money to buy 

 honey with as we have here. Yet they 

 buy six times as much honey as we do 

 per head. On the other hand, it is said 

 that we use several times as much 

 sugar per head as does our European 

 cousin. It is not that we have not a 

 liking for sweets, but it is, instead, 



that we use the sugar instead of the 

 honey. The sugar is cheaper and less 

 healthful than the honey, that our 

 European cousin buys at a consider- 

 ably higher cost per pound, even 

 though he has not nearly as much 

 money with which to buy as we have. 

 Now, whose fault is it that we do 

 not sell more honey to the consumer 

 in this country? 



The Singer Sewing Machine com- 

 pany probably maintains the largest 

 and most complete selling organization 

 in the world. Its problem was quite 

 similar to ours. There were millions 

 of people who they thought needed 

 sewing machines. To sell millions of 

 sewing machines it was necessary to 

 convince their customers that they 

 needed sewing machines and they 

 found that direct personal appeal and 

 demonstration was the most practical, 

 therefore most economical and most 

 logical method of distribution for 

 them. Their problem was first to edu- 

 cate the consumer to the need of or 

 desirability of a sewing machine and 

 in particular to the need of a Singer 

 sewing machine. Our problem is first 

 to educate the consumer to the need 

 of the use of honey and then in par- 

 ticular of our own brand of honey. 



Another m6ans of educating the 

 public to the use of honey and in par- 

 ticular our brand of honey is through 

 printed publicity through using news- 

 paper or magazine space or by direct 

 appeal by mail. But here again the 

 object is to educate the consumer to 

 the use of honey and especially to the 

 use of our particular brand of honey. 



Possibly it might be best to use this 

 direct to the consumer appeal in con- 

 nection with sales through retail 

 dealers. 



But in any case the well managed 

 sales department of any up-to-date 

 business sees to it that the consumer 

 is educated to the use of the goods 

 produced and is educated to ask for 

 that particular concern's make or 

 brand, no matter how the distribution 

 is effected, whether through the 

 wholesaler, through the retailer, or di- 

 rect to the consumer. 



The International Harvester com- 

 pany is an example of very effective 

 work through, and in connection with 

 the retail dealer. Chances are if you 

 want to buy a binder, you will sooner 

 or later have the merits of a binder 

 explained to you personally by a rep- 



