April 5, 1906 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



293 



* (£ontributcb * 

 Special Ctrticks 



The Honey That Tickles Palates 



*\ 



Ape We Supplying What the People Want, or Are We 

 Trying to Educate Them to What We Want 

 In Honey Supplied? 



BY R. C. A I KIN. 



THERE will be found in most parts of the country two 

 classes of people — those who buy for show, and those 

 who buy for service. If for show, the special require- 

 ment is that which pleases the eye; but if for service it is 

 quality that is wanted. 



There is a great amount of effort put forth these days to 

 make our honey look nice — both comb and extracted. I be- 

 lieve in nice goods, but I also believe there is an overdoing in 

 trying to make and keep our extracted honey looking nice. 

 We sometimes sacrifice quality for looks, and thereby cut off 

 our noses to spite our faces. Perhaps I can make clear what 

 I mean by relating some experiences. Experience is a good 

 teacher. 



Last year was a failure with us — no crop. I had accumu- 

 lations of dark and otherwise off-grade honeys that we 

 thought we could not sell when we had a nice, clear grade 

 of virgin goods. But with the failure I found myself with- 

 out honey to supply my trade, and as people came inquiring 

 I would tell them we were out, except some off-grade stock 

 that was not up to our usual grade. 1 would get inquiries by 

 mail from old customers in other States, and now and then 

 would get an order with cash accompanying it. 



Now. when a fellow has the cash in his fist, and needs it 

 so very much as one naturally will after a failure, he hates to 

 be obliged to return the money. I wanted the money, and 

 the other fellow wanted honey. Those customers who came 

 with a pocket-full of cash, and looked so disappointed in not 

 being able to exchange it for sweets, I would take to the 

 honey-house and show them some cans of the dark goods 

 that we had been ashamed to offer before. 



Don't get it into your heads that this was trash — it was 

 pure honey; much of it had been through the solar extractor 

 or otherwise darkened — often a can of what we call "over- 

 heated." Nearly every bit of this was very thick, some of it 

 almost to a taffy. Often when candied (and nearly all was 

 so) it would look like brown sugar when dug out. I would 

 get a stick and fish out some of the brown goods and let the 

 people sample it, and at the same time quote a lower price 

 than standard white goods were selling at. Standard white, 

 of course, is high this vear. 



Well, if there was a dark look on the face when the color 

 only appeared, that cloud vanished when the sample reached 

 the palate. I want to tell you that a blind man will be pleased 

 with a thing that tastes good, if it is as black as your old 

 wool hat. 



I found these customers soon began to look off into space 

 and smack their lips, and reach for another bite; some wanted 

 the third and fourth bite, and some just wanted to "load up." 

 That honey sold. I have sold lots of it that was not a bit bet- 

 ter than I have often made into vinegar or fed to the bees. 

 If I had some that was not off any in flavor, but just a little 

 dark, it went as first grade. That which was both dark and 

 a little off in flavor was void as amber honey is usually sold. 

 Other that was quite dark and also off flavor, but very rich 

 and thick nevertheless, was sold at a price that would easily 

 replace it with sugar for feed purposes if needed later. 



I have for several years been melting cappings in the 

 solar extractor, also candied sections and broken combs — yes, 

 even clean burr and brace combs. The honey from all these 

 when run through the solar would be more or less darkened, 

 was also downright thick and waxy in body. Such honey 

 will please most customers who want the goods for service, 

 and will cause customers to come again. They like it. 



Comb-honey is recognized almost everywhere as a luxury, 

 and when it sells as such must look nice; but. then, it sell- t 

 a price that makes its use more nearly that of a staple, .in 1 

 is so used the appearance does not count so much as does the 

 quality that reaches and tickles the palate. The sale of chunk- 



honey proves this, and we can most of us test this in our own 

 localities. 



I have known these thing oars, and have been teach- 

 ing and practising them, bul tin- past year's experience lias 

 >hown me more forcibly than ever that it is quality and not 



I, inks that sells almost any kind of article of diet. In 



cases I was afraid to ship my dark honey, which we call 

 "solar honey," and ordered some good virgin new extracted, 

 only to have the complaint come back, "We do not like that 

 substitute honey as well as yours." In some cases I wrote 

 to old customer-, saying I had some of the dark honey, but 

 thick and rich ; a few said, "Send a can or two and we will 

 try it." After trying it another order would come, saying, 

 "That honey was line." or "was good enough for us," or 

 some like expression. "Send us more if you have it." 



This winter I had the pleasure of a trip with some of the 

 experts in various lines in institute work among the farmers 

 in this State. One man who is a farmer and stockman told 

 us something about potatoes. There were many markets de- 

 manding potatoes of first quality, and willing to pay well for 

 them. They did not want a little bit of a thing that would be 

 half gone w'hen the peeling was off. For the same reason they 

 did not want one what was so rough, either from scab or such 

 defects, or from natural roughness, that it, too, wasted a very 

 large percent in the preparation for the table. Neither did 

 they want a big, overgrown one that lacked quality. The 

 speaker said, "When you pack your potatoes put in the very 

 smoothest and even ones, leaving out every single poor one 

 and they will sell for more money than the whole lot would 

 have done with the poor ones left in, and you have the poor 

 ones to feed, to boot." . 



It is the potato that serves well in preparation and edible 

 quality that is in demand. This man had proved his state- 

 ments by so doing, and had contracts with certain heavy 

 buyers for 5 years in advance, at just about double the price 

 received for ordinary stock, poorly graded. He claimed that 

 if the qualitv was brought up to a high standard, and only 

 perfect goods put out, the price would be four or five times 

 as high, and willingly paid by those who did not care what 

 they paid if they got quality. 



What has been said of potatoes was also true ot apples. 

 Never put an inferior apple in a box. Better throw away all 

 damaged ones than to allow one to get in. I heard the fruit- 

 men in several places discussing this very thing. Right here 

 at home, where raspberry growing and shipping is a large 

 industry, it often happens that there is a lot of soft fruit that 

 will not carry to its destination in good shape. The fruit- 

 men say, "Better dump all the poor fruit into the ditch than to 

 allow any of it on the market— it would spoil the market for 

 the better." , . , ... 



Unripe honey is not good, though it may be water-white. 

 A red potato may taste better than a white one. and a green- 

 colored apple be'better than a bright red one. If looks and 

 qualitv can go together it is well— he who has such a combina- 

 tion is fortunate; but he who has the looks but not quality 

 won't sell the second time to the same customer. Better, 

 every time, put out ripe, thick, rich honey than to strain one 

 of these points to gain in looks. W r e have been and are put- 

 ting too much stress on looks; we are making it a hobby to 

 our own injury. No. I am not arguing that poor staff that 

 looks bad mav be sold, and satisfv: but get quality, that will 

 serve well, and then fix it neatly, and it will please, and put 

 monev into the purse. 



We have also been making altogether too much of looks 

 in packages. How often have I seen people hold up a clear- 

 glass bottle or jar of honev and comment on its clearness- 

 could just look right through and scarcely know that there 

 was anything within except air. It is just about like the little 

 potato— when the peeling is off it leaves just about a taste; 

 the customer does not want many of them. Such goods have 

 altogether too much "peeling" on them. That same honey, 

 made thicker, even though it becomes so dark that it can be 

 seen bv moonlight, when it reaches the palate will cause scales 

 to come over the eater's eyes, and he says I must have some 

 more of it if it takes the hide off my lingers to earn the 

 dollars for it. 



Yes it will do to have some honey fixed up to attract 

 the attention when it is simply a matter of show; but when 

 you fix it for eating, look out for quality first, last and all 

 the time. Yes, quality, and not too costly a peeling We 



eat the kernel and not the bull or shuck. 



And about honev that ha- been darkened by heal, even li 

 the flavor has been somewhat damaged— that is changed. 

 Slightly overheated honev is thoroughly ripened and thick: 

 after it has stood quite a while, often for several month-, it 

 will taste better than just after the application ot heat 

 have many times thought a can of honey so overheated would 



