Vol. XVIII. 



JULY 15, 1890. 



No. 14. 



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SELLING HONEY. 



ANOTHER COMMISSION MAN'S EXPERIENCE ; GRAD- 

 ING ; THE PROPER SIZE OF PACKAGE ; 

 DARK HONEY NOT UNSALABLE. 



In Gleanings for June 15 I was surprised to 

 see that your correspondent, Chas. F. Muth, with 

 his experience in selling honey, advocates the use 

 of small-size (one dozen combs) shipping-crates. 

 We think they are the worst style of honey pack- 

 age that comes to market, and rarely see an in- 

 voice arrive in good order. They are undoubtedly 

 iDtended to be sold to family trade by the case, but 

 that is a failure; for families who seek to buy their 

 supplies in a wholesale way, although good econo- 

 mists naturally, are not liberal-miaded enough to 

 accord anybody much profit. Hence their " penny 

 wise pound foolish " way of oftentimes overstocking 

 themselves, and thereby satiating their appetite 

 for honey, and consequently they do not use near- 

 ly as much in a season as they would if bought 

 along as they wanted it by the combs, affording the 

 retailer or dispenser a small (due him) profit. 



The reason this small-size packing-case is so gen- 

 erally out of condition is, freight handlers, express 

 agents, etc , handle them so carelessly, pitching 

 them about (play-ball fashion), where, if double the 

 weight, they would not do so. 



The double-deck case is a mistake, and ought 

 never to be used. The flat and nearly square case 

 being too wide and too much like a flagstone to 

 handle, is not desirable. 



Our experience and observation is, that the best 

 packing-case for comb honey is a case holding from 

 25 to 30 combs one (tier) to be about 3i in. long and 

 10 in. wide, height of one comb. This size of pack- 

 ing-case can be loaded on the truck, and handled 

 by one man where the square flat case can not be. 



Although no honey should be trucked, freight- 

 handlers and uninterested humanity generally take 

 the easiest way, and it is difficult to always prevent 

 them ; hence we believe in packages that will best 

 stand their carelessness. 



Screwing on covers is a mistake, as screw-drivers 

 are not always at hand, while jack-knives are more 

 plentiful, and will open a nailed-on cover much 

 quicker and safer. 



Our advice is, put your comb honey up in thin 

 Ji-pound sections, being longer one way than the 

 other, and to make the most show for the amount 

 of honey. It is done in all articles of merchandise, 

 and is due the article itself. 



The best package for the honey-producer to put 

 his extracted honey in is60-lb. tin and 1.50-lb. pine fish- 

 kegs, being the cheapest, and answering every pur- 

 pose. The retailer prefers buying in bulk and sell- 

 ing in any amount his customers may want. The 

 bottler and peddler prefer to buy in bulk and put 

 up in their own peculiar or pet style of package. 

 So much for the style of package that honey should 

 be marketed in. 



But we should be very sorry if Mr. Muth's idea 

 about buckwheat or dark honey should prevail, for 

 the sale of dark honey is many times greater, es- 

 pecially here in the East, than clover or any light 

 honey, simply because it sells at a price that the 

 masses can pay. Of course, if clover or any light 

 honey could be sold at the same price as buck- 

 wheat, dark, or mixed honey, would be as much 

 sold; but I doubt whether much more, for the mass- 

 es are not connoisseurs or epicures generally, and 

 the dark honey is heavier bodied, goes further, and 

 generally does not have as rank a bee flavor as 

 light honey. 



Right here the thought suggests itself, that the 

 less different names given to honey the better, for 



