530 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



us, which was about three weeks. It was a short campaign for the reason 

 that the territory which can be profitably worked from our location is 

 limited in extent and the time that profitable business can be secured is 

 also limited to a few weeks in early fall. 



The cost of the three weeks' campaign was about ninety dollars and 

 the amount of orders secured that were filled and collected for were 

 over $900. The price secured for comb and extracted honey by 

 this method of sale was more than ten per cent above the price we 

 got by selling wholesale. There was more work attached to crating 

 and shipping the honey, sending out bills, etc. 



All orders were taken subject to two w^eeks' shipment. This gave 

 us time to ascertain the reliability of the parties making the purchases. 

 As the orders came in we took them to our bank and the bank wrote to its 

 correspondent in the town where the orders came from as to the re- 

 sponsdbility of each party. This cost us nothing except postage of 

 about a dollar. All orders reported to us as good by the banks were 

 shipped on thirty days' time or two per cent off for cash in ten days. 

 Those reported doubtful or slow were written that if they wanted 

 the honey we would ship C. O. D. Every one such was turned down 

 or we did not hear from them again. In this way we cancelled a num- 

 ber of orders. One order was shipped C. O. D. without writing the 

 party and we had it turned down, so had it shjipped on a few miles 

 farther to another customer. 



I think Avhere a bank will perform this service for you it is far 

 more reliable than the commercial agencies. One bank is very care- 

 ful about reporting a doubtful party as O. K. to their correspondent 

 bank. 



Something over fifty orders were received and filled and all were 

 collected for inside of ninety days except one which was put dn the 

 hands of an attorney, one letter from him bringing a check in full 

 payment within a week. The attorney's fee was $2.00 for collecting 

 this bill of about $25.00. 



All bills that were not paid promptly in thirty days were drawn on 

 through our Ijank. This procedure brought the money in every case 

 except the one mentioned, which required the services of an attorney. 

 Several customers wrote that crops had been poor and collections slow 

 and asked a little more time, which was given, but all were settled 

 for in less than four months from the time we ibegan shipping honey. 



If the beekeeper is adapted to the work of selling honey he should, 

 if favorably located, be able to place a good proportion of his crop 

 direct to the grocers. We sold honey to restaurants, hotels and farm- 

 ers where an order of $6.00 or more could be secured. Our sales- 

 man was alert and would not turn down business no matter where 

 from. 



Especiial care was taken in packing the comb honey and liquid honey 

 ■for shipment as the grocers told us that their great difficulty in buy- 

 ing honey of the commission men was the broken and leaky shape in 

 which the honey was received. All comb honey was crated in carrier 

 crates holding four to eight cases with plenty of straw on all sides. 



