1436 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 1 



EXHIBITION CASES FOR DISPLAYING COMB HONEY IN STORES. 



SELLING COMB HONEY. 



Some Inducements to Help the Merchant 



Dispose of his Stock; a Simple and 



Neat Exhibition Case. 



BY D. R. WAGGONER. 



In considering this subject it is assumed, of 

 course, that the bee-iceeper has carefully cleaned 

 his sections from propolis and burr-combs; has 

 graded them as to color, weight, and quality, and 

 has them all cased in regular shipping-cases ready 

 for market. The neighbors who come to the 

 apiary to buy can be shown into the honey-house, 

 where the crop is piled on shelves in cases, to se- 

 lect what they want themselves; but only a small 

 part is sold in this way. We must go around 

 and take orders for our product from merchants 

 and others, and sell by sample. 



In order to do this 1 take along with me a 

 small shipping-case, holding not over twelve sec- 

 tions, to show customers in what style it is put 

 up for sale. A smaller case will do just as well, 

 and is lighter to carry. I also have a small box, 

 or case, holding six sections, showing three on a 



side, through three-inch glass. I put the light- 

 est-colored honey to show through one glass, and 

 a darker grade, if I have it to sell, to show through 

 the other glass. This little box is made perfectly 

 plain, without any fancy molding, like a shipping- 

 case, of thin stuff, and is stained a dark oak color, 

 and varnished. The honey looks better and 

 whiter in a stained and varnished case than in the 

 regular shipping-case. It is better to have the 

 light and the darker honey show through glass 

 on opposite sides of the little case than to have 

 the two sorts show through the same glass side 

 by side. Also the dark honey will sell better by 

 having it arranged in your sample case so that, 

 when you hold it up between yourself and the 

 window, the light will shine clear through the 

 case, and your customers will see that even dark 

 honey is not as dark as they imagine. 



When I sell to merchants in my home town to 

 retail again by the single section I have small 

 showcases, each holding from four to six sections, 

 to let their patrons know they have it to sell. 

 The large shipping-cases can then be kept back 

 on the shelf, covered up out of the reach of flies 

 and dust. I generally supply the merchant with 

 a showcase holding and showing four sections 



