188 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar 1 



3. Aggressive selling methods. 



You might have the very finest honey ; but 

 if it is not put up attractively it will not sell 

 You might have a poor article put up in a 

 showy, gaudy, labeled package, but no one 

 will buy a second time. Again, you may have 

 a fine article of heavy body and fine flavor, 

 put up in the right kind of package ; but if 

 you leave it at home, what good will it do ? 

 Be up to date ; be aggressive ; talk honey 

 everywhere you go. I built up an enormous 

 trade in the fall of 1894 with a well-ripened 

 crop of hone)' from dry-weather vine and fall 

 flowers. I controlled at that time a large por- 

 tion of the drug trade in Evansville, and prob- 

 ably half of the grocery trade. I bought 5 

 bbls. of Root's No. 25 1-lb jars and one gross 

 each of the 5-oz. and 8 oz. square flint Muth 

 jars, and 5 gross of 1-lb. and 3 gross of 2-lb. 

 Muth jars, all at one time. I had every kind 

 of package to please the most fastidious. I 

 sold both the 1-lb. square and round jars at 

 $2.00 per dozen, to retail at 20 cts. The 5 bbls. 

 of Root's No. 25 jars were gone in a jiffy, 

 while I have nearly all the 5 and 8 oz. jars yet. 

 These I use at fairs to give away as samples. 

 I often sold a dozen of the round jars to house- 

 wives who wanted a set for jelly, etc., but 

 never sold more than one or two of the square 

 jars at one time to any lady. They are con- 

 sidered worthless when empty, although my 

 wife likes them for small pickles and catsup. 

 I use the No. 50 label, costing $1.75 per 1000 

 for both round and square 1-lb. jars. This label 



FIG. 2. — FILLING THE JARS, AND CAPPING. 



is showy, and will not soil easily in fly-time. I 

 find the 2-lb. square jar an easy seller to par- 

 ties who mix their own cough medicine every 

 winter. 



I have now dwelt at length on the merits of 

 various packages, as I think it a very impor- 

 tant item to help sell our honey. I forgot to 

 say my worst-selling package was the tin lard- 

 bucket, Mr. R. C. Aikin notwithstanding. 

 They may be all right to sell to old customers; 

 but the main objection is that people can not 

 see the contents unless it is opened. To get 

 new customers to buy your honey, invest 5. cts. 

 in a "glass show-case." As honey is not a 

 staple, instruct the grocer to place conspicu- 

 ously, and you will have the pleasure of sell- 

 ing both " show-case " and honey at the same 

 time. 



HOW TO LIQUEFY ; HOW TO WASH THE BOT- 

 TLES. 



We will now proceed to the process of bot- 

 tling. Have your honey liquefied, if candied, 

 holding the same at 150° for two or three 

 hours. By using a gasoline-stove you can reg- 

 ulate to a degree, almost. Be sure not to over- 

 heat it. It will stand 170 to 180 for a short 

 time, but I prefer not to risk losing the aroma 

 and injuring the delicate flavor. If you are 

 compelled to buy honey, always buy in 60-lb. 

 tin cans, as they are more convenient to han- 

 dle. While you are liquefying your honey, 

 wash your bottles, using clear soft water with 

 sal-soda and shot to remove dirt and particles 

 of glass if new. Then 

 rinse in clear water, 

 and place bottom up- 

 ward in racks to 

 drain. This will make 

 flint jars clear and 

 sparkling. I did use 

 a ten-gallon filling- 

 can, bought of friend 

 Muth, but now prefer 

 to use my extractor 

 (with cross-arm and 

 basket removed ) , rais- 

 ed to a convenient 

 height. I prefer to 

 bottle honey hot, as it 

 runs quicker, retains 

 its aroma, and will 

 stay liquid longer than 

 if bottled cold. Have 

 the rack containing 

 empty jars at your 

 left. Place the pan 

 under the honey-gate 

 to catch any drip- 

 pings. You will soon 

 learn how to cut off 

 the flow just right the 

 first time. Pass the 

 jar to an assistant at 

 the right, who presses 

 the cork (cost 75 cts. 

 per gross) in the 

 mouth, then dips the 

 jar into melted wax 

 and paraffine, half of 

 each. A second as- 



