150 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



AIaech, 1921 





FROM THETIELD OF EXPERTE 



:^^ 



NATIONAL HONEY ADVERTISING 



Campaign Proposed to Boom Honey. How to 

 Raise Ample Funds 



Advertising is the means by which an 

 article is made conspicuous in the public 

 eye. This same medium clai'ifies the vision 

 of the multitudes as to whether the article 

 in question is a necessity, an acquisition, or 

 a luxury. There are numerous foodstuffs 

 that have lain dormant or buried, so to 

 speak, for decades and have been suddenly 

 brought into prominence thru the channels 

 of advertising. This is exactly the proced- 

 ure that should be applied to honey. Too 

 long has it been regarded as a supernum- 

 erary commodity. It is just about time that 

 the beekeepers of America resurrect the 

 fruits of their labor and pedestal honey on 

 its rightful sphere. Instead of being utilized 

 scantily in a few homes as a dainty luxury 

 it should be used freely in every household 

 in many forms of cooking, as a substitute 

 for sugar, and most of all, because it is a 

 natural, wholesome, and healthful sweet, 

 and a big energy-producer. Again, it should 

 by all means be administered freely to chil- 

 dren, thus satisfying their desires for sweets 

 and at the same time weaning them away 

 from the unwholesome candies that flood 

 the markets of today. Let us producers face 

 the facts, and proclaim these facts, that 

 honey is truly a wonderful product and, as 

 a sweet, stands without a peer. 



Our product, if properly marketed, com- 

 mands a fair price at the present time. Our 

 recent war and the excessive foreign de- 

 mand are directly responsible for the stabil- 

 ity in prices for the past few years, but 

 this same foreign demand is decidedly on 

 the decline right now and is daily dwin- 

 dling. If conditions go back to the old levels, 

 what will be the results? There is but one 

 conclusion — prices will naturally decline 

 along with the demand. There can be but one 

 recourse, and that is to stimulate the demand 

 within our own boundaries. Allow me to em- 

 phasize the fact, that this condition can be 

 brought about by means of intelligent and 

 well-directed advertising. The San Francisco 

 Bulletin, under date of April 29, 1920, said: 



"SAN FRANCISCO FIRM SELLS HUGE 

 QUANTITY OF RAISINS. 

 "The increased consumption of raisins in this 

 State is remarkable, according to figures submitted 

 by the O'Malley-Colliiis Company of San Francisco, 

 which sold 20,000,000 pounds of raisins in 1919. 

 The increa-sed consumption of raisins in tlie United 

 States is marvelous. In 1911 there was harvested 

 in California a total tonnage of 70,000 tons, and 

 even this small tonnage appeared to bo practically a 

 drug on the mai'ket. At that time raisins were sold 

 in a small way l.y tlie ai-ocers, around lioliday time, 

 and utilized by a few bakers. The growers were 



losing money, and each year found them further 

 in debt. It was for this reason that the growers 

 amalgamated and formed the California Associated 

 Raisin Company, in hope of saving the industry. At 

 the start it did not look as tho the new association 

 was going to be successful. However, by hard work 

 and constant advertising, they managed to convince 

 the public of the enormous food value of the raisin. 

 The bakers gradually realized that, no matter bow 

 good a product they produced in the line of bread 

 or bun.s. raisins made it better, with the natural 

 result that there is not a bakeshop of any conse- 

 quence in northern California that does not today 

 make a specialty of baking raisin bread, raisin buns, 

 and pies. Where a retail grocer in 1911 sold one 

 package of raisins, he is today selling five packages, 

 showing that the demand from the housewife has 

 also increased proportionally. During the year 

 1919 190,000 tons were produced." 



Now, the question arises, how can ample 

 funds be raised to finance a national adver- 

 tising campaign on honey? Such an under- 

 taking would be extremely simple and in- 

 tensely successful, if it could receive the 

 unselfish support of all the beekeepers 

 thruout the United States. As a suggestion 

 and as a means of raising the necessary 

 funds, supposing every beekeeper would con- 

 tribute to the national fund a minimum sum 

 of five cents and maximum of ten cents for 

 every colony of bees that he owned or op- 

 erated. Thus, the owner of a hundred stands 

 would donate not less than five or more 

 than ten dollars for his proportion of the 

 benefits that would be derived under the 

 campaign. 



I am prone to believe that every progres- 

 sive beekeeper of our land would imhesitat- 

 ingly come to the front and substantially 

 support such an important work. The results 

 would be far-reaching, and we can conserva- 

 tively estimate that such a campaign, prop- 

 erly directed, would double or even treble 

 the present demand. 



There can be no reason why the above 

 outlined adventure would not be a complete 

 success, and every producer that sold a pound 

 of honey would be the beneficiary. This 

 idea is open to comment and further sug- 

 gestions. Let us hear from the beekeeping 

 fraternity at large and see if it is not pos- 

 sible, collectively, to take our product off 

 the obscure shelf. 



Yerington, Nev. Ti-uxton V. Damon. 



COLOR OF DRONES 



Drones from Imported Queens More Uniform than 

 from American- Bred Queens 



In 1871, in conjunction with Rev. H. A. 

 King of New York City, I imported some 

 Italian queens from Ita'y. It is my recol- 

 lection that the drones from those queens 



