The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-24
ANGUS PICKLE MAN SPENDS DAY HERE .ON PLEASURE TRIP H. J. Heinz Tells How "57 Varieties" Originated As An Advertising Slogan MUCH INTERESTED
 IN SUNDAY SCHOOLS Finds Remarkable Changes Here Since His Last Visit Made
 About 10 Years
 Ago

his mothers garden on the streets of Pittsburg.
 The 57 varieties had not been thought of then. But when he began to make horseradish and found ready market for his product, the first of the '5T' was an established fact. The number was in- creased from time to time. and the busi- ness grew into the largest of its kind in the world. Instead of the '57'' there be- came several hundred. But MT. Heinz clung to his famous slogan-"57 varieties"
 MT. Heinz, several times a millionaire, 8 philanthropist, and one of the worlds s leading Sunday school workers, is in Bir-. Dingham, accompanied by his secretary. Incidentally, he is one of the leading ad- vocates of advertising in the country, and he attributes no small part of his suc- cess to his use of the slogan ''57 Varie- ties"
 From the sale of horseradish, in which he was the only employe as we'll as the employer, the Heinz business has grown until it is the largest of it's kind in the world. The Pittsburg factory alone has 30 acres of floor space and 4O,0O0 persons are employed in all branches of the busi- ness, which extends to many states and one or two foreign countries.
 "57 VARIETIES" One of the first questions asked MT. Heinz, after the preliminaries of the in- tro6Uction were over, related to the "57 Varieties" This slogan was discovered accidentally" said MT. Heinz. Tt was many years ago, and our business had not resGhed such large proportions. I was riding in an elevated railway in New York and I noticed a sign of a concern which announced that it had 12 styles of certain product. The thought struck me as good one. l had no styles to tell about but I did have some varieties.
 We had between 55 and 60 at that time; 5I sounded better to me than either of the other two numbers, and then you know is a biblical number The idea gripped me at once, and I jumped off the train at the first station and began the work Of carrying out my advertising plans. Within a week the sign of the green pickle with the 'o7 Varieties was appearing in newspapers, on billboards, signboards and everywhere else I could find a place to stick it.
 "A friend of mine told me recently that he had seen five of these signs in Egypt between Cairo and the Pyramids a dis
 
 started on the idea of the '57' we have held to it, and today the mention of that number in any part of the United States suggests to almost every one the products which we put out.'
 MT. Heinz was in Atlanta last week, where he attended meeting of 2OOO negro Sunday school workers. This is my sec ond visit to the Pittsburg of the South,' said the pickle manufacturer. T have just returned from a month of rest in Florida and Georgia. As I walked around Birmingham today I was gripped by the many evidences, not only of your mar velous growth during the decade since my last visit, but by the tangible assurance of the progress and prosperity of your city. We people in Pittsburg hear much of our rival in the south, and those of us who know Birmingham are glad to hear it called the Pittsburg of the South''
 COLLECTOR OF JADES
 Yes, MT. Heinz has a hobby. He is a collector of jades. worries and rugs from the Orient. His museum has more than $500 of these articles in it. and in addi- tion he has given valuable collections to the Carnegie museum in his home city. incidentally, he is an authority on all these antiques, and is a curator of one or the large museums Also, he owns and has in his private museum a real Egyptian mummy.
 Though the maker of "57 Varieties" of food products has business interests in practically every country of the world his trip south has no business signifi- caEce, though he is taking advantage of the opportunity thus offered to visit his Birmingham branch and Manager Sparks.
 He arrived Wednesday evening and left for Memphis last night. Yesterday he was nf fpfn 6e, and some of it's industries. He goes to Tulsa, Okla. to attend the state Sunday school convention next week.
 He is president of the Pennsylvania State Sabbath School association, having succeeded John Wannamaker in that of- flee nine years ago. At the worlds Sunday school convention in Zurich, Switzerland. in 1913, he was unanimously elected chair man of the executive committee, and thus became the officially recognized leader of the Sunday school forces of the world planning for the interests of SO4,OOO Sun day schools and 31.000OO0 members.
 I consider my investment in the Sum- day school one of the best I make, be- cause the dividends are sure-they never fail, and the returns are in character building and good citizenship. A city can have no finer asset than it's churches and Sunday schools, the finest forces in civilization.
 some or my warmest personal friends are in the south, and rejoice with them in the many evidences of your prosperity. It was tremendous fact that I read yesterday on the train in the Birming- ham Age-Herald that of the farm crons for 1915 in our country. the south contrib uted $26O0,OO0,00Q of the $6SO0, 900, 900 yalua ton, and that the farms of the sorth made 60 per cent of the farm product in crease of the year. This shows that you are rapidly getting back to the position of prosperity and values that you enjoyed more than half a century ago.