1066 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15 



look the thing over; but he did not want 

 any "attraction" that would draw off from 

 the horse-races. We went back to our 

 stand. In the meantime we "got busy." 

 We hunted up some of the other officials, 

 explained what we had, and how we were 

 handicapped. We said we would guarantee 

 one of the most interesting attractions on 

 the grounds. We would have a man inside 

 of the cage, with bare hands and bare head, 

 with bees all over him, and he would pick 

 them up by the handfuls and pat them on 

 the back. "That will be a great sight," 

 they said, and they promised to use every 

 "influence" to help us out. 



SALES DOUBLE. 



Well, to make a long story short, our de- 

 mands were granted the next day. We caged 

 our man with the live bees, and then he be- 

 gan his "stunts." We almost blocked the 

 busy stream of people. They fairly jammed 

 around the honey exhibit. Our man in the 

 cage would tell a little story about bees, 

 whet the appetites of the people, then point 

 to the exhibit of honey just opposite. What 

 was the result? The sales were more than 

 doubled on the second day, and continued 

 good right along through the other days. 

 When the crowds got light, one of the boys 

 would step into the cage, scoop the bees up, 

 and hold them in his bare hands, to the ut- 

 ter amazement of the crowds that surged 

 about. We took occasion to refute the comb- 

 honey lies, and then asked the people to step 

 over and take a free taste of our honey. 

 Everybody was allowed to sample. Some of 

 the time it took four men to wait on the 

 people anxious to get the honey. On the 

 second day we cleaned up all we had of the 

 brick honey, and had to telephone to Medina 

 to have a lot more sent over by the next ex- 

 press. But this was not all. We met peo- 

 ple from all over the State who gave evi- 

 dence of their surprise and pleasure at learn- 

 ing the true facts about the honey business. 

 Many would ask where they could get more 

 of that honey after the fair was over. 

 ' ' Right at your regular grocery here in the 

 city," we would answer,»for we had already 

 made sales at all the principal groceries. 



We paid all expenses, and more too; told 

 hundreds and I may say thousands the real 

 facts about the honey business. What is 

 more, we have started a trade for the fu- 

 ture; for whoever bought at this fair will 

 want more of the same brand of goods. 



A LIVE-BEE DEMONSTRATION AT EVERY 

 COUNTY FAIR IN THE UNITED STATES. 



Now suppose, dear reader, that at every 

 county fair in the United States an exhibi- 

 tion of this kind were made. Suppose you 

 Slan right now for your county fair. If you 

 andle it right you pay all expenses and 

 make a nice little profit besides. Perhaps 

 you will not have to send your honey to the 

 city market. Besides selling off a good por- 

 tion of your crop you will have laid the 

 foundation for a steady demand for it in the 

 future. Consumers will call for your honey 



at the groceries, and then your grocers will 

 come to you. 



But this is not all. If at every county 

 fair in the United States a demonstration of 

 this kind were made, the comb-honey lie 

 would receive a death-blow. We could sell 

 five times as much honey as we sell now if 

 consumers could only believe it is pure and 

 not manufactured. Convince the dear peo- 

 ple that John Jones' and Jim Brown's honey 

 is all right, at least for their several locali- 

 ties, and their honey will sell as it never 

 sold before. 



Of course, dark honey and all ill-flavored 

 goods must not be sold at fairs. Use only 

 the very finest of your crop; and then, while 

 you are about it, get a gilt-edged price. 



WOODEN SPOONS AND A FREE TASTE OF 

 GOOD HONEY. 



And that reminds me there is nothing like 

 letting people taste of your goods. How did 

 we arrange it at the county fair? We had 

 a large quantity of little wooden sticks x'g 

 thick, 3 to 4 inches long, and about f inch 

 wide. We would take a clean stick for ev- 

 ery person who wanted a sample, dip it into 

 the extracted or brick honey, and hand it 

 over, and. say — you just ought to have 

 watched the expressions of approval. Some 

 would go away with a brick or a bottle of 

 honey. Others would pronounce the stuff 

 so good they would want a whole gallon of 

 it, and a gallon they got. 



SALES DEPENDENT ON ATTRACTING THE 

 CROWDS. 



The secret of making sales at fairs is, to 

 attract the crowds, and a bee-keeper can do 

 that to perfection. Why, dozens and dozens 

 of people would tell us that the feat of tak- 

 ing up handfuls of real live bees with the 

 bare hands and bare arms was more wonder- 

 ful than to see a man go into a cage of lions 

 and do great stunts with those brutes. One 

 man said, "Compel me to go in^o a cage of 

 lions or bees, and I'd take the lions." This 

 illustrates the feeling of many. The public 

 is simply amazed. Everybody talks about 

 it. The result is, crowds will flock around 

 the honey exhibit to see "that man stung 

 to death." Of course, everybody does not 

 buy, but he receives some valuable informa- 

 tion that may lead to his being a customer 

 for somebody's honey at some time in the 

 future. 



LIVE-BEE DEMONSTRATIONS AT BEE SHOWS. 



Elsewhere in this issue Mr. W. K. Mor- 

 rison recommends a big bee show at Chicago 

 or New York, something on the line of poul- 

 try, automobile, and horse shows. Now. 

 suppose there were a dozen big cages, and 

 bees were handled inside of a big hall, 

 where a crowd could go and come. Suppose 

 a lecturer or two were engaged to talk to 

 the crowds as they went by, pointing out 

 the various demonstrations that were being 

 made. Then suppose there were attractive 

 exhib'ts, and good prizes for the best show 

 of honey. Then suppose there were selling 

 booths where honey in convenient packages 



