592 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Sept. 15 



.7/ 



5' 





••v^ 



C. A. BLACK S DESIGN FOR A POST-CARD. 



tion's name to stand back of that honey, 

 which it would not, if the producer or bottler 

 were merely a member of the Association. 

 The consumers want one company or some 

 individaul of responsibility back of what 

 they buy. I have known plumbers and 

 tradesmen, dealers, etc., to go together and 

 advertise as a body, with the names of each 

 appearing at the bottom of the advertise- 

 ment; an I from my observation this plan is 

 noteflfective. As I said above, the consumer 

 prefers to have one man or firm who will 

 make definite statements com-erning the 

 product, and who will stand behind every 

 such statement w^th a guarantee. 



The grocers would call on the wholesalers, 

 and the wholesalers would have to open up 

 dealings with the nearest members of the 

 Association, or with (he ones who had the 

 honey put up in the manner that the whole- 

 salers' trade demanded. The diversity of 

 packages, kinds of honey, and inability of 

 the wholesaler to get honey of even grade 

 and style of package is the greatest draw- 

 back to this method. I think twenty thou- 

 sand dollars would be very largely thrown 

 away unless there were a strong marketing 

 company organized that would unify the ef- 

 forts of individuals in the National Associ- 

 ation or out of it. 



Popular articles about bees in the maga- 

 zines, articles on the healthfulness of honey 

 in the daily papers, on the method of pro- 

 ducing honey, and its freedom from adul- 

 teration in the grocery papers, all help to 

 advertise honey. I know that the grocery 



papers are glad to get articles descriptive of 

 methods of production and preparation for 

 market of any product that is sold in the 

 stores. The sugar, coffee, cocoa, and the 

 other manufactures, keep the grocery papers 

 supplied with interesting descriptions of 

 methods of production, which interests gro- 

 cers, and they sell more of the goods if they 

 can talk intelligently about them. 



The furnishing of the grocery papers with 

 descriptive material will be still more effec- 

 tive if augmented with advertising definite 

 grades and kinds of comb and bottled hon- 

 ey in the advertising columns. The goods 

 so advertised must be obtainable through 

 the grocer's regular channel of supply, the 

 wholesaler, to make this advertising effec- 

 tive. Advertising is not really effective un- 

 less the jiroduct can be easily secured. If 

 one is close enough to be reached by tele- 

 phone his chvmces of getting good results 

 are better. 



TRAVELING MEN TO SELL AND ADVERTISE 

 HONEY. 



Perhaps the most effective manner of ad- 

 vertising that will reach the wholesaler and 

 retailer is by means of traveling men who 

 thoroughly understand the product as well 

 as the markets and the relation of honey to 

 other sweets. Bee-keepers themselves are 

 better equipped so far as the knowledge of 

 honey is concerned; but few have had ex- 

 perience enough to be able to convince a 

 man that he could profitably handle honey 

 when he is not inclined to consider honey 

 as a good thing for him to keep in stock. 



