250 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



either the expensive preserves or confec- 

 tioner}-. You are not paying store rent, 

 and putting in your time, for amusement, 

 but you are here to sell goods; and if the 

 people do not find what they want here 

 they will buy elsewhere." 



"I do not think my trade would pay 

 the price for the fancy honey, and I do 

 not like the cheaper grade." 



Removing the contrast b}' turning the 

 fancy case so that the honey in it can not 

 be seen, you reply, "This is a better grade 

 of honey than you think. The only pos- 

 sible objection to it is that of color. ' It is 

 just as pure and healthful, is well filled, 

 and in every way as good an article as the 

 bees can make from the flowers it was 

 gathered from. You would be surprised 

 at the ease with which y^ou can sell this 

 grade of honey by mentioning its purity 

 and flavor if any one remarks about its 

 color. I have only three cases of this 

 dark grade left, and I can't see how you 

 would regret it if you would let me bring 

 in the lot." 



"I could not use three cases of it, but I 

 believe I will try one case and see how 

 it goes. ' ' 



At your next call where you find any 

 prospect of a sale the proprietor says, 

 "Yes, that is fine-looking honey; but I 

 have had it here as nice, or nicer; and and 

 when I took it home to eat I found so 

 much filler in it that it was tough inside." 



"You mean the comb foundation used 

 in the middle, I suppose. Yes, I know 

 some bee-keepers are very careless about 

 this. They use an inferior grade of home- 

 made foundation which cannot be detect- 

 ed until the honey is cut, and it is bound 

 to give anytlung but satisfaction. We all 

 use some foundation in order to get the 

 combs built straight in the sections; but I 

 am very careful to use only the best arti- 

 cle that can be made. The foundation I 

 use runs 12 square feet to the pound, is 

 the purest and best to be had, and is act- 

 ually thinner than much naturall}' built 

 comb. In all the little points in hone}" 

 production I try to keep posted, and put 

 out as fine an article for its grade as any 

 bee-keeper I know. If I sell vou the 

 four cases I have left, and you do not 

 find them to be strictly all right I will 

 take them oflF your hands and refund the 

 money the next time I am over; or if you 

 write me a line I will come promptly and 

 get them. I am not here to-day merely 

 to sell what honey is now needed, but to 

 build up a trade and make an outlet for 

 my large crop this season, and probably 

 for other seasons. ' * 



"We always sell our honey by the frame, 

 and we sometimes get it that is every^ 



weight and thickness, which results in a 

 lot of cuUing-over, and then having to 

 sell the last few frames at a discount, may 

 be below cost. I see this case is pretty 

 nearly all one thing, but you have irregu- 

 lar or partly filled frames sometimes, don't 

 you. ' ' 



"Yes, sir; but when you buy regular- 

 grade honey of me, that is exactly what 

 you get. I dispose of extra thick and 

 thin combs at some boarding-houses near 

 home. The honey I put on the general 

 market is cased up with the wishes of the 

 grocer in view. Well-capped sections 

 that will not weigh 12 ounces are cased 

 bv themselves and sold together. There 

 are some grocers who prefer these light 

 weight sections because they cost less, 

 and they prefer to sell something that 

 goes at a small price. By having the 

 honey in a case somewhat uniform in 

 weight it saves the picking-over that is 

 apt to happen when there is a great dif- 

 ference in either color or weight in the 

 sections in a given case." 



"But I wouldn't want to buy four cases. 

 You would sell me one of your best grade, 

 wouldn't you?" 



"Yes; but surely one case of honey is a 

 small matter for a man with the trade 

 you appear to have. I should like to sell 

 you enough to last until I come over 

 again. Better take one case of each 

 grade, at least. ' ' 



"My trade does not go mvich on a poor 

 article." 



"But my dark honey is not a poor arti- 

 cle; in fact, man}' bee-keepers who are 

 not so careful with their honey would 

 call this their best. It is a good idea to 

 let a customer have his choice in such 

 matters, and then you will not have peo- 

 ple saying they can buy for a cent or 

 two less elsewhere. It is easy for them to 

 be deceived in quality while remembering 

 the price. To illustrate, you probabh^ 

 have a great variety in price in the same 

 kind of canned goods, and your custo- 

 mers make their selection. Why not 

 give them the same chance on honey ?" 



He objects to the price, and wants a 

 liberal discount if he takes two cases; but 

 you emphasize the rebate on the cases if 

 in good condition; tell him the last sec- 

 tion in a case will sell as readil}- as the 

 others, and that you warrant satisfaction. 



You get your money, and go back to 

 your wagon with two cases yet to dispose 

 of. You have been to all the groceries, 

 and are not sold out. Now you try the 

 bakeries. 



"I see you do not have any honey on 

 sale here, vet some of the bakeries over 



