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By. E. C. Tracey

The sale of soda water has increased enormously in the past few years — in the face of unfavorable weather conditions, as the summers have been decidedly cold. The causes of this remarkable progress are : 1. The introduction of improved and elaborate soda water apparatus. 2. The betterment in the quality of the syrup and fruits used in serving soda water, both whole, sliced, crushed and in the syrup form. 3. The many improvements in the utensils and surroundings of the modern soda water business, in the delicacy and nicety with which soda is offered to the consumer, and in the interest taken in the business both by the dispenser and the customers. 4. Last, but by no means least, the rapid growth and use of the "all year round" idea.

Soda water is the most profitable article sold at retail, and many a merchant would give up his drug or confectionery business and devote himself entirely to soda water, could he feel certain of selling soda water throughout the whole year in the same quantities as he does in the summer months. The length of the soda water season has been steadily increasing all over the country, even in the smaller towns. The sale of soda water now starts in March, and though the weather be still cold and dreary, the trade begins to call for their favorite beverages and to take an interest in the opening of the fountain. The man who opens before his competitors is sure of the influx of early trade. The season used to end with August, but now September and even October are better soda water months than August. Many dispensers who run throughout the year will tell you they sell in the middle of winter more ice cream soda than they do hot soda. In the larger cities, such as New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, etc., the largest stores do not think of making any change, but run the same list of cold soda drinks winter and summer, the only difference being they add hot soda for the winter season.

On the main arteries of travel some dealers will inform you December is the best soda water month of the whole year. This is not unreasonable. If in this new dispensation, people drink soda water, now so attractively offered, because they like it, instead of because they are thirsty, then it is perfectly natural that a store should sell the most soda water during the month when there are the most people about on the streets, which is, course, December, and the next would be the spring and fall. This whole tendency of the trade is now working in the direction of a continuous business; it is gradually spreading from the large cities to the medium-sized towns, and even the small villages feel the effect in the increased length of the season when there is a demand for soda water. We want the dispensers of the country to recognize the drift of the times, to appreciate the value of this change, and to put themselves in a position to help to develop it and profit by the result. First of all to put yourself in a position to take care of a profitable business by putting in a modern apparatus, then develop the likings of your customers so you can raise them to the basis of appreciative soda drinkers; thus building up a large, profitable, "all-year-round" business by catering to the demand you have created. People enjoy ice cream at home for dinner on Sundays in the winter just as much as they do in the summer. The time of the year makes no difference in their appreciation of something they like, irrespective of the weather. If we can lift soda water out of the rut into which it has fallen in its association with the summer season, and get people to drink soda water to gratify their taste, they will drink and enjoy their soda as much at one season of the year as in another. The largest soda dispensers have noted the enlargement of the soda water horizon and the increased interest that the public take in anything that is palatable and attractive, and have so shaped their business along these lines that they have been rewarded by a larger, more profitable business for the whole twelve months in the year.

Remember soda water is a luxury, and it should be served so attractively as to be irresistible to the people of your city, and every dispenser knows today that it is possible to serve the best soda water only by employing the very best fruits and syrups obtainable. You may think cheap goods do just as well, but you cannot fool the people who pay their money for your drinks.

In developing the increase of the consumption of soda water, the fountain owner has become alive to the possibility of big profits and has taken an interest himself. The interest has been shown by more careful attention to the needs of his patrons at his soda counter; by adopting more convenient and handsomer dispensing apparatus. He has looked after the comfort of the customer while drinking soda, by providing chairs, tables, settees, etc.; he has given more attention to those most important things-neatness and cleanliness inside and outside the apparatus, in front and behind the counter. He has developed the artistic side of the business by dressing his fountain with flowers in handsome vases, and surrounding his counter with articles of necessary conveniences made of handsome silverware, cut glass and china, which are as attractive and inviting to the appetite on the soda counter as they are on a dining table.

The customer has responded to his interest on the part of the dispenser by patronizing with increased frequency the fine drinks so daintily offered, with the result of a big business to those dispensers who take the pains to make the quenching of thirst an artistic delight both to the sight and taste. He has responded with eagerness to the dispenser's invitation to try all sorts of new nut dainties and combinations, knowing that they must be good, well made and delicious from the general character of the soda fountain, its accessories and service. The result has been that more new articles are being used at the soda fountain this season than ever thought of beforenuts, figs, macaroons, cantaloupes, and even cheese, having been introduced with success in the making up of soda specialties. This has immensely widened the horizon of the usefulness of the soda fountain and its possibilities as a money-maker. You can see yourself that the tendency of the times is towards a continuous soda water season, which is bound to come in time; we cannot stop it. In the largest cities, it is already here, but if we recognize the opportunity it brings and prepare for it, and use our best efforts to educate our customers to be consistent soda water drinkers, we can hasten by several years the arrival of this most desirable time when there will be no dull season.