1897 



GLRANINGS IN BER CULTURE. 



super thai Mr. Haii/enbakcr had prepared as 

 lieinj^ just rij^ht, and the result was as slated. 

 I should like to know whether the doctor, or 

 friend Thompson either, cushioned the i)ar- 

 afline paper down. In the mean time per- 

 haps friend Danzenbaker would like to say a 

 word. — l\ii.] 



PEDDLING MADE EASY. 



A Few Capital SiiRgostions; Giving Away Sam- 

 ples and Taking Orders Afterward ; the 

 Vahie of liie Honey-Leallets. 



BY DAN WHITE. 



I told you in my last article that I had 

 about 7000 lbs. of extracted honey, and ex- 

 pected to sell ever}- pound of it near home, 

 and promised to report later on how I got 

 along, so I will tell you about my experience 

 in new territory. 



You see I must reach out further than ever 

 before, so I decided to try a place twenty 

 miles away — a place of about five thousand 

 people; so one morning I packed my grip and 

 took two 12-pound cans of honey and started 

 out. About all I had in my grip was a good 

 supply of those leaflets published by The A. I. 

 Root Co. ; then 50 postal cards addressed to 

 myself. 



I got into the town just before dinner time; 

 and after eating a good meal at a boarding- 

 house I filled my pockets with leaflets and 

 took one honey-can and commenced business. 

 I started down a street and did not miss call- 

 ing at every house. After ringing the bell, or 

 rapping, a lady would open the door and look 

 at me with more or less suspicion. I would 

 say, ' ' I made the call to ask you if your fam- 

 ily were fond of honey." 



They generally answered yes, but believed 

 they would not buy any. 



" Well," I would answer, "but I am not 

 selling honey to-day. I am giving it away, 

 and slioidd be glad to give you some in a 

 sauce-dish." 



Some would look astonished, others would 

 smile, and say, "That's funny," but in cc'rry 

 instance I was invited in. I would pour out 

 the honey, then hand out a leaflet, telling 

 them to read every word of it. ' ' You will 

 find it very interesting; it will tell you all 

 about honey — how and why we extract it, etc. 

 Then here is a postal addressed to me; and 

 should you decide to want a I'i-pound can, 

 put your name, street, and number, on the 

 card; drop it in the office; and when I deliver 

 in about ten days you will get a can of honey." 



Well there were enough cards put in the 

 mail within five days to take thirty cans of 

 honey. I promptly made the delivery on 

 time, taking along twenty extra cans that 

 sold about as fast as I could hand them out; 

 and since then I have received orders for ■")() 

 more cans from the .same town. I tell you, it 

 has got all over town that a honey-man had 

 been there selling ira/ honey, 12 pounds for 

 one dollar. I am certain this one place will 

 take over 2000 pounds, all in one-gallon cans. 



Now, then, IS pounds of honey given away 

 from house to house; 50 postal cards, 200 

 leaflets left at houses and handed to people 

 on the street, and one day w-alking over a 

 verj' small portion of the town, has found a 

 place for at /i'(rs/ 2000 ])ounds of honey. Then 

 think what I can do next season should I se- 

 cure a good crop. All I shall have to do is to 

 take a big load and go up there and hand it 

 out. By the way, tlie honey sold there was 

 thrown out of clean white combs, over every 

 inch of whose surface the uncapping-knife 

 had to go. It weighed strong 12 jjounds to 

 the gallon — just as good as the best comb 

 honey, oii/y it was out of the combs. Of 

 coHfse I can go back just as often as I choose; 

 yes, and the people will all be glad to see me. 



We read about the trouble in grading comb 

 honey, and just how to get it in the market to 

 the best advantage; but I want to ask, what 

 would happen witli comb-honey producers if 

 the bees could only be influenced to fill the 

 section combs one day and cap over ready for 

 market the next day? I imagine there are 

 some who would favor this very thing. Yes, 

 sir; some would advertise a strain of bees that 

 could be controlled in that direction easier 

 than any other strain. Otliers would say, 

 " Hold on ! my bees must go on in the good 

 old way, and not cap over any honey until it 

 is ripe and wholesome to eat." We will call 

 the latter class honest men who can build up 

 an honest trade for their honey, and then hold 

 it if the former class would ju.st keep away. 

 Now, sir, I shall call the foniier class dishon- 

 est, not only to Iht-ir customers, but dishonest 

 to themselves especially, if they expect to con- 

 •tinue in the business. Then they would be 

 dishonest because they would do a great inju- 

 ry to the honey market in general, and this is 

 the very worst thing of it all. Don't forget 

 that very feiv people get tired of good first- 

 class honey; and, above all, remember that 

 almost any one will tire of poor, thin, unripe 

 honey. 



One thing we must always expect; and that 

 is, some of these fellows who have only a few 

 colonies of bees will annoy us by extracting 

 poor honey, and finding some one to buy it, 

 because they call it hone}-, and often find cus- 

 tomers because they make a price below any 

 thing heard of. This class, of course, don't 

 care, as they care nothing for a reputation. 

 vSome seasons they have a little to dispose of, 

 and other seasons they make a failure. Thank 

 fortune for their failures ! But what can we 

 say to bee-keepers who handle large apiaries, 

 to convince theiu they are doing wrong? I 

 personally know .several who are scattering 

 this unripe honey over the country. This 

 makes me believe there are just lots of these 

 fellows, because my acquaintance does not 

 reach out very far over this broad land. 



I am saying more than I want to about this; 

 but I am in earnest, and wish I could influ- 

 ence .some or all to see as I do, and tl, en see 

 how easy it will be to dispose of our honey. 



Only last .season a man called on one of my 

 customers who annually buys from 50 to 75 

 pounds of me. Being out ul honey he was 

 influenced to take 50 pounds of his honey. 



