280 MARKETING THE HONEY CROP 



The Use of Post Cards. — One of the most effective means 

 of advertising in a small way is the use of post cards. Dr. A. F. 

 Bonney, of Iowa, has used this method quite extensively. The 

 post cards mention honey only incidentally but are usually 

 somewhat comic in makeup. Fig. 133 shows one of the cards 

 which he has used to a considerable extent. His plan is to send 

 them to postmasters, public officers, and prominent and pros- 

 perous people generally whose names he can secure within one 

 hundred miles of his home. It would be well to use two or three 

 lines at the bottom of such a card as that here shovsm to quote 

 prices of honey delivered in packages of popular size. 



The idea of these cards is to catch the interest of the recipient 

 who will laugh at the comic picture and then have his attention 

 called to the honey which is unobtrusively done. One 

 of Dr. Bonney's cards pictures the occupants of an automobile 

 in all sorts of impossible situations as the result of an accident. 

 Nailed to a tree in the background is a sign board with these 

 words : " If anything happens in the vicinity of Buck Grove, 

 Iowa, stop and get some Bonney Honey." 



When put to the test of practical results they have proved 

 to be good business getters. After sending out a batch of these 

 cards, even though they go to entire strangers with whom he has 

 had no previous correspondence, he always gets a bunch of orders 

 as a result. 



Canvassing and Peddling. — This method is distasteful to 

 many bee-keepers yet it has decided advantages over other plans. 

 If one is adapted to canvassing he can take a can of honey for 

 samples and by making a house to house canvas make many 

 permanent customers. By offering a sample of his product the 

 buyer is given a chance to decide whether the flavor appeals 

 to his particular taste. Then the producer can give some infor- 

 mation concerning the production of honey and correct any false 

 impressions concerning the product of the hive. A good can- 

 vasser will make good wages over and above wholesale prices 

 even if the value of future orders is not considered. A large 

 producer can well afford to hire students during the vacation 



