The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-01-05
GA. BEES :.
Nv AND
II: BEE KEEPING
Es g.. -: .-.''' -,
SELLING HONEY.
The Most Important Point is to Keer
Up the Quality.


Up the Quality.
The first and most important point
to be considered in building up and
keeping a home market is the quality
of the honey, writes an expert. Un-
der no circumstances do | attempt to
sell anything but well ripened honey.
II should also be of the best color pos
sible. OF course, we shall have to
dispose of some dark honey, but our
customers should have fair oppor-
tunity of samping It, and it should be
sold at lower price than the whittier
goods. | leave as much as possible
of the dark honey in the brood nest,
but even then | have two or three
thousand pounds of it to dispose OF in
an ordinary season. l find that some
customers prefer it at the lower price
and as they understand exactly what
they are getting there is no cause for
complaint. In making my fall sales
usually have the amber, white and
dark honey in the same load. which
gives customers a fair opportunity of
seeing the difference in quality as
well as price, and govern themselves
accordingly. In this, as in all mat
ters pertaining to the marketing of
honey, absolute honesty is the best
policy. One price to all should be the
rule. A reputation for honest and
square dealing will also help us to
deal with those who are unduly sus-
piCious of adulteration in honey.
There are still some ignorant enough
to suppose that granuation of honey
is positive proof of the presence of
sugar or some other foreign substance
therein. l label it all Pure Honey"
and on the label are directions as to
what to do If it granulates. 1t is also
necessary to supplement this with ex.
tensive verbal explanations in many
cases, and how much of it is believed
depends largely on the amount of
confidence placed in the salesman. /
have found it profitable in many cases
to leave copy Of a honey-leafiet,
which explains clearly the subject of
granulation, and eXplodes some of the
popular myths in regard to adultera-
tion. But most important of all is to
become acquainted with our custom.
ers and to win their confidence that
they may be more ready to accept our
explanations of these matters. After
long years spent in building up
home market, we are commencing to
reap the fruits of our labor, and have
secured long list of regular Gus
toners who are looking to us to sup
ply them yearly with honey.
When commencing to put extracted
honey on the market the best style or
kind of package was with me a mat.
ter of much perplexity and after try
ing many various kinds of packages. |
finally decided that the Mason glass
jars, in their various sizes were, all
things considered about the most sat
isfactory packages that could be OBJ
tanned here for the retail trade. The
glass itself barring incidents. lasts an
indefinite length of time, and as the
caps or covers are made of zinc they
do not rust, and if they become dis
colored or old looking they can be
very quickly and easily cleaned so
that they look as bright as when new.
On this account these jars after being
emptied, represent, or are worth about
as much money as when new, some
thing that can hardly be said in favor
of any other retail package with
which | am acquainted and usually
even the most thrifty of housewives
will hardly object to the cost of the
jars, owing to the almost universal
use that is made of them by all
classes for canning fruit.