THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



155 



will find selling your own honey different 

 from selling books or notions. People 

 will be glad to see you come. You need 

 not lose one atom of your dignity, if it is 

 of the self-respecting kind. If any one 

 thinks any less of you for selling honey, 

 provided you are polite and respectful, 

 it will be some one whose opinion 

 is not worth minding. Any one 

 with a little tact and energy can dispose 

 of 3000 to 5000 lbs. of good extracted hon- 

 ey at fair prices, at odd times in fall and 

 winter, when time is not worth nmch, 

 and nmch more can be sold by devoting 

 more time to it. 



Comb honey is not satisfactorily re- 

 tailed in my experience. It too easily 

 gets to leaking, and is then mussy, and 

 not attractive. Sell comb honey only by 

 the case if at all. Perhaps I may be par- 

 doned for saying, in such an article as 

 this, that I have for many years kept from 

 50 to 195 colonies of bees, and have rais- 

 ed and sold over 60,000 pounds of honey, 

 and bought and sold much besides. I 

 write facts learned in the dear but 

 thorough school of experience, and not 

 plausible theories. 



Eirst, secure a good article of well- 

 ripened extracted honey, and so care for 

 it that it will remain good. My ways of 

 doing this differ from the usual ones; but 

 I will not take time now to explain. Per- 

 haps in some future article I may do so if 

 the editor wishes it. 



When we are ready to sell, if the weath- 

 er is mild, attach aslicHng faucet to a five- 

 gallon screw-cap tin can of honey; i)lace 

 the can on the wagon-seat, the dish to be 

 filled on platform scales underneath, and 

 weigh out any quantity wanted. It is 

 usually most satisfactory at this time of 

 year to let the purchaser furnish the dish, 

 then there is no package to pay for or re- 

 turn. 



Some writers have advocated selling 

 not less than one dollar's worth when 

 selling honey direct to consumers. I 

 can't agree with them. A small sale often 

 paves the way to a large one later.and it 

 always pays to be accommodating and 

 obliging; but I charge i cent per pound 

 more for less than a dollar's worth. 



In cold weather, when honey will not 

 run readily, I put up honey in i, 2, and 

 4 quart tin pails, and charge extra for the 

 pails. Always, to every package sold, 

 attach a neatly printed label, giving your 

 name and address, and plain, simple 

 directions for so caring for the honey 

 that it may retain its good qualities until 

 used. Dress neatly but plainly, like a 

 farmer, not like a city man. Have every- 

 thing clean, neat, and attractive. 



Now we are ready, how shall we find 

 buyers? Fill a small tin pail with honey, 

 and label it. Call at everj- house — skip 

 none. You will often make sales where 

 30U least expect it. When the door is 

 opened, say, " I have some choice honey, 

 please get a spoon and sample it. ' ' Right 

 here is the main point. Get everN-one, if 

 possible, to taste your honey. Most peo- 

 ple have sweet teeth, and a taste of good 

 honey puts them in good humor. Be 

 very sure that the children, if present, 

 have a taste too. If you don't know al- 

 ready that parents" hearts are very easily 

 reached through their children, you will 

 soon learn it. If a servant or child goes 

 to consult the housekeeper about buying 

 honey, see that the honey-pail and a 

 spoon go too. Twenty-four in twenty'- 

 five would say " no! " if asked if they 

 wanted to buy extracted honey. If they 

 taste first, many will buy. Many are 

 prejudiced against extracted honey. 

 Perha])s some time they have had a poor 

 article of extracted or .strained honey, or, 

 may be, they think tlie honey is bogus. 

 I have many times had such people taste 

 my honey and say, in a surprised way, 

 " Wliy, that is good. That is genuine 

 honey. What is the price ? ' ' 



One lady said to me last fall, ' ' I never 

 buy extracted honey. I buy comb, then 

 I know what I am getting." After she 

 had ])een induced to sample the honey 

 she found it good, knew it was genuine, 

 bouglit some, and asked me to call again. 



Don't annoy ])e()ple by urging thetn to 

 buy when they don't want to, and be in- 

 variably polite and plca.sant whether they 

 bu}- or not. You can easily make friends 

 who will be glad to see you come again. 

 Follow the same route every year, and 

 3our sales will increase each trip. You 

 can go over the same ground as often as 

 once in six week to advantage. I have 

 many customers who at first bought light- 

 ly, or not at all, who now buy 20 to 50 

 pounds of my honey every season. One 

 near-by town of about 2000 population 

 has used over 1500 lbs. of my honey this 

 season up to Feb. i, and all autumn hon- 

 ey too. I .seldom have any other kind in 

 my present location. There is but little 

 buckwheat, and the honey is mostly from 

 goldenrod, fireweed, and Spanish needle. 

 One pleased customer will often find 

 others for you. In this way I have this 

 season sent three 5-gallon cans of honey 

 to customers in Chicago, at 9 cts. per 

 pound net. " Can't buy genuine hone}- 

 in Chicago! " they say. A little ridicu- 

 lous, isn't it ? 



Some one will ask if I have no compe- 

 tition in selling honey. Yes, but that 



