GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



oni' i)ure-foocl laws were enforced, and now 

 wliat seems to be sought mostly is better 

 distribution. I can say without boasting 

 tliat 1 liave had extensive dealings for many 

 years as a dealer in honey, and many inter- 

 esting observations have come before me. 



For a number of years 1 have been deep- 

 ly interested in supplying men with honey 

 lliat tliey sell from house to house. Some 

 have failed, while many liave made it a 

 decided success, and I have tned to analyze 

 tlie situation. 1 find that the man best suit- 

 ed for this work is he who has an apiary, 

 even though it may be small, because he can 

 talk about bees in an intelligent manner, 

 nnd this goes far in making sales. He can 

 begin his worli by disposing of his own 

 product, and then secure large shipmenis 

 from localities Ihat are oversupplied. 



Among all the different features that are 

 necessary to success is to keep up the qual- 

 ity. Quality means that one can go over the 

 same route and find an increased list of pa- 

 trons ; and when honey of quality is placed 

 on Ihe table, visiting friends will make in- 

 quirjf as to where so fine a brand of honey 

 was secured. I personally know of several 

 who have established routes on this plan 

 that earn for them as much as five to seven 

 dollars per day. Those who are most suc- 

 cessful are pushing the sale of extracted 

 lioney; and that they keep up the price 

 seems to help axlvertise their business. 



J have watched two men of equal ability 

 start out, one selling at 15 cents per pound, 

 vvhile the other sells at 20 cents; and the 

 20-cent man invariably secures the most 

 business per day. Seemingly the higher 

 pi'ice carries eonfidaiaee with it. With some 

 'here is a tendency to increase their profits 

 by putting out inferior honey. These are 

 Ihe men who fail. Inferior honey will never 

 ])romote business. I have seen it so inferior 

 that it even contained foreign substances; 

 and while a few sales may be made, those 

 securing such honey are likely to resolve 

 Ihat they never again want any more hon- 

 ey.^ , 



Tlie work described can be made very 

 ])leasan(, and no deceptions are I'equired. 

 The successful ones carry a sample, call at 

 !he kitchen door, and insist on the house- 

 wife tasting it. One of these men disgn^:ised 

 himself as a farmer, wearing boots with his 

 trousers tucked inside, and began by telling 

 a story about "just drove in from Soutli- 

 port; and while my wife is doing a little 

 shopping 1 thought I would ti-y to sell some 

 honey, as my bees did quite well this 3'ear." 

 He disposed of a good deal of honey, but 

 did no! continue vei-y long. He is the same 

 man who asked for' a di'ink of water in a 



kitchen, and then asked the landlady how to 

 turn the faucet to get city water; and after 

 she showed him he remai'ked, " Hoav nice ! 

 1 sn]>posed you had to Avork a pump-handle 

 like we do at home! " 1 think he overdid 

 the thing; but the lady snrelj^ thought of 

 iiim as an honest farmer. 



Another successful salesman, whom I was 

 supplying, solicited near my home, calling 

 Oil my immediate neighbors. My neighbor 

 told him that slie used honey, but had been 

 getting her sujjply from Pouder's honey- 

 stoie. He replied, " I know Mr. Ponder, 

 and he sells good honey; but I wish you 

 would just taste this sample." She tasted ; 

 and, lookingly at her inquiringly, he re- 

 marked, " Now, lady, I want to ask if you 

 can get honey like that at Pouder's honey- 

 stove." She bought ! We have men uneni- 

 l)loyed, and here are opportunities going to 

 seed. -If pushed, there would be an increas- 

 ed demand at higher prices. 



I have had much personal experience in 

 disposing of bottled honey to the retail 

 gi-oeei'v and drug trade. This was in the 

 days when we had no pure-food laws, and 

 1 found it an uphill business, as 1 had to 

 compete with jars containing a strip of 

 '^onib lioney, the jai-s filled with glucose. 

 They really had an attractive look, and did 

 not granulate on the shelves. I could not 

 successfully compete with such goods: and 

 at best my margins were small, wagon de- 

 livery was an expense, accounts were open- 

 ed up, and collections very difficult. I would 

 liave abandoned this branch of the business 

 earlier -had I not looked forward to drifting 

 my business to wholesale houses. I felt, 

 however, that I could not interest the whole- 

 salei' till I had created a demand at tlie re- 

 tail stores, which proved to be true. 



During one season I sent a solicitor over 

 the state who brought considerable business, 

 but could not be called a joronounced suc- 

 cess. Merchants hesitate to order goods in 

 small lots, and prefer to secure such goods 

 as honey Avith other larger shipments, thus 

 reducing transportation charges to a mini- 

 mum. Advertising Pouder's honey in neAvs- 

 pajiers has always been a failure with me; 

 but getting bottled goods in wholesale 

 houses is the best method that I have ever 

 learned for distributing this class of goods. 

 Supplying their traveling reprcsentaliA'&s 

 liberally Avith free samples at times Avhen 

 business seems dull gives it an impetus. 

 Some of my best business in this line re- 

 sulted by using labels from the Avholesale 

 liouses instead of my oAvn. 



I sometimes Avonder if Ave are as grateful 

 as Avp ought to be for the pure-food laAvs 

 that we ha\e to-day. i used to return from 



