36 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



January, 1917 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



have enabled the apiarist to secure his 

 surplus in its best form, to get it on the 

 market earlier, and present it more attrac- 

 tively to the public. 



The number of small beekeepers thruout 

 the country is very large indeed; but the 

 number of bee-farmers or wholesale pro- 

 (lucere of honey who devote their whole 

 time to the industry might be counted on 

 the fingers of one hand. Upon these large 

 producers devolves the work of supplying 

 the stores and dairies with honey thruout 

 the year. Usually the friends and neigh- 

 bors of a beekeeper take most of his prod- 

 uce as fast as it is removed from the 

 hives, for it doubtless appeals to them as 

 the pure article. 



The most favored packages are round 

 glass jars, either with a screw cap or tied 

 over with white vegetable parchment in 

 1-lb. and y2-lb. sizes. Frequently they are 

 adorned with a tasty label of the beekeep- 

 ers' association to whom the apiarist be- 

 longs, which of itself g-uarantees the quali- 

 ty of the honey to be good. 



In a scanty season honey sells with scarce- 

 ly any advertising; but when there is a 

 heavy crop, and new outlets are sought for, 

 a certain amount of soliciting is often 

 necessary; and of doing this there are as 

 many effective ways as there are of killing 

 a dog. A few samples distributed to like- 

 ly buyers; a few concise pamphlets on 

 the healthfulness of honey; an exhibit of 

 eomb honey or jars at a flower show or town 

 market, are excellent means of introducing 

 the produce of the hive to good advantage. 

 In supplying honey for resale by grocers 

 and at stores, one or two special points need 

 to be borne in mind. First, to provide 

 honej^ of a high uniform quality and good 

 selling color; then to sell it under a brand 

 by which customers, if satisfied, might 

 be able to distinguish it again. 



Once the grocer finds a demand for a cer- 

 tain brand of honey he will require a fur- 

 ther supply from time to time, and this ne- 

 cessitates keeping a quantity in bulk or 

 ready bottled to meet this need. 



Here the small beekeeper is somewhat 

 handicapped ; for when his crop is sold he 

 has no more to offer. On the other hand, 

 the larger producer can often purchase 

 from localities where the yield is heavy but 

 demand slight; and this often relieves a 

 surplus in other markets, wMch, after all, 

 is frequently the root evil of low prices. 

 In England tlie demand for honey is greater 

 early in the season, when the new season's 



i^roduce is placed on the market. As the 

 fruit season comes on it diminishes; but 

 from October onward it is well maintained 

 till the new year. 



Honey in 1-lb. screw-top and y2-lb. jars 

 is sold wholesale at $2.50 to $2.90 per 

 dozen this year, retailing at 1/2 to Vi; and 

 for i/^-lb. jars 8 and 8^ pence each, the 

 wholesale rate being $1.44 or $1.56 pei- 

 dozen, depending on quality. 



A package coming much into favor is a 

 parchment vessel holding 15 oz. of honey, 

 w4iich, when gTanulated, 5s capital for 

 sending to soldiers, as the pots are light 

 and not easily damaged. 



All things considered, the outlook both as 

 regards the demand and increased produc- 

 tion of honey in England is full of prom- 

 ise; and it needs only the banishment of 

 the Isle of Wight disea^^e to make the pur- 

 suit one of the most, if not the most, im- 

 portant of our rural industries. 



A. H. BowEN. 



Cheltenham, England. 



Effective National Advertising 



Having given considerable study to ad- 

 vertising, and read a large number of the 

 articles on the subject that have appeared 

 in the pages of Gleanings^ I have come to 

 the conclusion that we have not been down 

 to bedrock on the essentials of advertising 

 as taught by modern schools devoted to this 

 subject. Summarizing the som.ewhat long- 

 drawn-out instructions, one is faced with 

 three broad principles upon which success 

 ultimately depends. First in importance 

 we must appeal directly to the personality 

 of the reader; that is, to something that 

 actually concerns either his welfare or his 

 ideal. Such an appeal is not made by the 

 mere words " Eat Honey," of the much- 

 lauded sticker. Second, we must devise an 

 advertisement that will be outside the 

 groove of the usual eye-catching advertise- 

 ment. Third, we must be brief. As brevity 

 is the soul of wit, so it is of successful ad- 

 vertising. 



The sticker, " Eat Honey," has been 

 pushed more than any other in recent years; 

 but wliile it is good in its way in lieu of 

 nothing at all, it does not contain the first 

 ]ii'inciple of successful advertising. It fully 

 carries out the third, but has little or no 

 iclaim to the second. Obviously it says 

 either too little or too much. 



