ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



187 



there will be those who will not con- 

 tribute a penny to lubricate the ad- 

 vertising wheels; but this word or 

 figure on your own brands will be the 

 open sesame, and' you will doubtless 

 have more direct results than will the 

 outsiders. Failing this ,trade-mark, 

 the increase will fall upon the unjust 

 as well as the just. 



There are numerous details to toe 

 worked out, but you will not have to 

 worry over them. Let the other 

 fellow do this w^orrying. He is paid to 

 do it, or at least to prevent worry on 

 your part. 



The larger your organization, and 

 the more cheerfully and unanimous- 

 ly you work together, the less will be 

 your individual burdens, and if you 

 can get together 5,000 strong, you 

 have a body that will exert a mighty 

 influence in the direction indicated, 

 that is, the increase in the consump- 

 tion of honey. No one man can do 

 much alone, though occasionally we 

 find one like the man from Middle- 

 bury, who s.peaks right out in meet- 

 in', and I am constrained to read a 

 few lines from a "talk" he has been 

 making to grocers in a trade paper 

 down east: 



Ordinarily when a grocer orders goods 

 from the jobber he is very particular to 

 specify exactly what brands he wishes. 



He does not leave it to the wholesaler 

 to send whatever he happens to want to 

 get rid of. In fact, the progressive gro- 

 cer recognizes that on his judgment in 

 selecting brands his profits in a great 

 measure depend. 



But many times that same grocer will 

 order honey without saying anything 

 about the kind, and one lot that he gets 

 may be native honev, and the next come 

 from California. Sometimes the quality 

 may he good, sometimes it may be indif- 

 ferent. 



Is it any wonder if that man does not 

 have a big honey trade? 



And now to move up a peg, the 

 question arises: 



Can money enough be raised to pay 

 for this campaign? Let us see. I 

 am informed by A. L. Boyden that the 

 production of honey in this country 

 is 60,000,000 pounds per year. Ol 

 this amount he thinks nine-tenths ia 

 produced by 10,000 bee-keepers — 54,- 

 000,000 pounds. There are not 10,- 

 OOO members of the National Associa- 

 tion, though there ought to be, but 

 ca,n we count on 5,000 members with 

 a production of 27,000,000 pounds, or 

 even 20,000,000 pounds? Now if you 

 tax yourselves say one-eighth of one 

 cent per pound, and produce 2,000,000 



pounds, $25,000, you have a good 

 start; but one-fourth of a cent and 

 $50,000 will be twice as much and a 

 half-cent will be a good w-ad. These 

 seem rather liberal sums, but Post 

 spends a million or even more every 

 year. And $50,000 divided among 

 5,000 is $10 per capita spread over a 

 whole year. It means that the pro- 

 ducer of ten tons will pay $50.00, the 

 producer of half a ton, $2.50. If only 

 2,500 contribute, of course the burden 

 per capita is greater. This matter of 

 raising money is however not strict- 

 ly a part of this paper, and I must 

 apologize for switching off. 



Wliat may we hope will be the up- 

 shot of this advertising? If it will in- 

 crease the consumption of honey one 

 ounce per capita of the people of this 

 country per year, it will mean over 

 16,000,000 pounds. • Think of it. One 

 ounce spread over 52 weeks — an 

 amount per week you can put on the 

 point of a blade of a table-knife. 



Is it unreasonable to suppose this 

 Increase can be secured? If Mr. Boy- 

 den's estimate of 60,000,000 pounds is 

 correct, you will add thereto more 

 than 25 per cent. And the honey of 

 quality, the goods with the National 

 Bee-Keepers' Label, is the sort that 

 will win. 



When will you be ready to do more 

 than talk? This is not a sudden prop- 

 osition. I have written to honey 

 people for years about it. They have 

 invariably been ready, individually, 

 to help ; but of course the individual 

 can't do much alone. Get together. 

 Put the wheels in motion, and don't 

 turn back. Contribute cheerfully, 



and make suggestions as to the cam- 

 paign. "Wide advertising has helped 

 other industries, and it will help 

 honey. The way to begin is to com- 

 mence. Do it now. 



F. J. ROOT. 

 Newark, N. J. 



In my other paper I sought to show 

 that three cents a day contributed 

 by 5,000 members to your association 

 would prodoice a fund of over $50,000. 



Advertisements ought to be written 

 by somebody who knows something 

 about honey, who can tell a honey-bee 

 from a hornet, and who knows the 

 glucose is not exactly the same stufC 

 as honey. 



A nice illustration of honey, such 

 as J. E. Crane used on his letter- 



