August, 1916. 



American Hee Journal 



always a few spots where wax is needed, 

 to repair or lengthen cells, and we 

 have never seen wax thrown away in 

 greater quantity than is thrown away 

 accidentally in a hive where the swarm 

 has to build all the combs. What do 

 our extractedhoney producers say 

 about this ? 



Bees voluntarily secrete wax when a 

 gap is made accidentally in the middle 

 of the brood-chamber. At such a time 

 they also use particles of wax taken 

 from other combs, with very evident 

 aim at economy, and the comb then 

 built often has more or less the appear- 

 ance of old comb. To witness this 

 peculiarity it is only necessary to re- 

 move a comb from the center of a 

 strong and wealthy colony in early 

 spring, replacing it with a frame con- 

 taining only a narrow guide, or starter. 

 — Editor.] 



Advertisng Honey 



BY A. F. BONNEY. 



FROM observations on Mr. Gano's 

 article in the March American Bee 

 Journal, I am fully convinced that 

 the solution of the advertising problem 

 for honey producers is in personal, 

 local, and individual advertising. I do 

 not believe our product, honey, can be 

 advertised profitably in violation of 

 established rules. 



With all due deference to Mr. Gano's 

 position in the advertising world, I am 

 compelled to differ with him from start 

 to finish. He is ignorant of both the 

 honey and orange business. As proof, 

 he says in his article (March, 1916) that 

 he could not tell his wife whether the 

 bees put the honey in the wood frame 

 or if man put it in, and lays great stress 

 on the claim that with only advertising 

 to help them the orange growers ex- 

 pected to "double the orange shipment 

 from California in the next five years." 

 Were he posted, he would have known 

 the following sad, sad tale: 



Washington, D C. March 6.— A tariff on 

 citrus fruit was suggested to President Wil- 

 son today by Representatives Kettner, Ra- 

 ker. Randall and Cliurch of California, wtio 

 told him that citrus fruit growers in their 

 State were losinu money because growers in 

 Italy and Sicily were dumping their products 

 in the United States as a result of the war. 



I have before me a letter from Cali- 

 fornia, which says in part: 



"There are approximately 12,000 cit- 

 rus fruit growers in the State of Cali- 

 fornia. The annual crop amounts to 

 between 40,000 and 50,000 cars, and the 

 total value of the crop ranges from 

 $15,000,000 to $25,000,000 f. o. b. Cali- 

 fornia." 



It is from Mr. Arbuthnot, secretary 

 and manager of the La Verne Orange 

 and Lemon Growers' Association. As 

 an advertising proposition there can be 

 no comparison between the citrus fruits 

 and honey because the production of 

 oranges in the United States is practi- 



cally limited to Florida and the south 

 half of California. Honey is produced 

 in every State in the Union, in Canada 

 and Alaska. There are 12,000 orange 

 growers, and they nearly all belong to 

 their association. 



Dr. C. C. Miller once guessed for me 

 that there were in the United States 

 about 200 persons who depended wholly 

 upon honey for a living. As to the 

 number who produce as much as 1000 

 pounds ($100 worth) annually, it is a 

 wild guess. The number who belong 

 to any organization pertaining to api- 

 culture is almost negligible. The citrus 

 fruit growers of California spend $350,- 



000 annually to sell $25,000,000 worth of 

 oranges. 



How much could the honey producers 

 of the United States be persuaded to 

 spend to sell $25,000,000 to $50,000,000 

 worth of honey? $10,000? I doubt it, 

 judging from my own 'case, for with $25 



1 can do more for myself than any 

 advertising firm can. I can sell more 

 honey and get better prices. 



Packing oranges calls for one box 

 which is made of the cheapest native 

 lumber for each 100, 150 or 200 oranges, 

 according to size. The quality of Sun- 

 kist oranges is supposed to be the 



tainers. 



Honey must have tumblers, cases or 

 cans. 



The California people hive made a 

 name for oranges, navels, Sunkist. As 

 to these oranges being better than 

 other navels I have my doubts, for I 

 have taken the tissue paper wrappers 

 from some mighty poor fruit, but or- 

 anges are so similar that they may be 

 called "all alike" and not miss it 

 much. 



Honey is everything from the finest 

 Bonney honey to bitter and even pois- 

 onous kinds; therefore, it will be prac- 

 tically impossible to have a name of a 

 National advertising character. Some 

 individual may invent a name and even 

 copyright it as " Airline " honey, or Mr. 

 Mason's "Sweet Clover Brand," Mr. 

 Roth's "Quality Honey," or Mr. Has- 

 singer's " Bee Line Honey," as they are 

 doing, which is my idea of personal, 

 local advertising. 



This article is intended to help. There 

 is, I know, a way to advertise honey 

 nationally. Just get together $100,000 

 and turn it over to some big advertis- 

 ing firm and let them tell the people of 

 the world that honey is a mighty good 

 thing to eat. That is all there is to it. 



"^—I 



-I m 



APIARY OF W, C. AXKLTON. Al GRAETTINGER. IOWA, WHICH PAYS ITS 

 OWNER AN AVERAGE OF TEN DOLLARS PER COLONY PER YEAR 



same, but that is an ad writer's dream. 

 Honey calls for expensive containers 

 from 6-ounce glass jars to 60-pound 

 tin cans. Comb honey particularly is 

 expensive to produce and ship, in time, 

 sections, foundation and shipping cases. 

 Orange producers have practically no 

 local market; honey producers have. 



In regard to the Orange Producers' 

 Association saving their members on 

 supplies, they only have to buy "lum- 

 ber and nails." Cheap Mexican labor 

 does the rest. 



The honey season is long. 



Oranges smell better than they taste. 



Honey tastes better than it smells. 



Oranges may be eaten out of hand at 

 any time and place. 



Honey is practically restricted to the 

 table. 



Oranges require no special con- 



Will it pay? I— er — I don't know, nor 

 does the big advertising firm. Millions 

 of dollars are sunk each year in the 

 United States in advertising schemes. 



The trouble with beekeepers is that 

 not 10 percent of them care to adver- 

 tise, and of that number not one in a 

 hundred can write an ad, but there is a 

 rule to help them, and that is "boil it 

 down." Do not tell your customers 

 that honey, the most delightful sweet 

 in the world, is good for boils, colds 

 and constipation. If you can afford it, 

 use "Facts About Honey," with which 

 to keep in touch with your customers, 

 otherwise use a postal card with your 

 name, address and price list, and send 

 these to bankers, farmers and others 

 within a reasonable distance of your 

 home. Do this every year if you would 

 succeed. 



Buck Grove, Iowa. 



