1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



655 



loss. This occurs oftener where letters come 

 from quite a distance; and past experience 

 seems to indicate that there are certain local- 

 ities in the South where it seems unsafe to 

 send money without registering or some other 

 means of making it safe. We, like other busi- 

 ness houses, protest in our circulars against 

 sending money in that way; but many people 

 will continue to do it. When a loss comes up, 

 the question is, "' Who shall stand it?" Where 

 the money sent was for something needed bad- 

 ly, we have been in the habit, for years past, of 

 sending the goods right along, asking the send- 

 er to bear part of the loss. With few excep- 

 tions they are willing to do this; but once in a 

 while we have a customer who, after he gets 

 the goods, absolutely refuses to do anything. 

 Below is a letter received last April: 



CI sent you an order on the 13th day of March, 1896, 

 for whicli I enclosed $1.80, for three Clark's cold- 

 blast-sinokers, and liave not heard from them yet. 

 Please send me, whether you sent me the smokers 

 or not: or have you received the money ? 



Hoping to hear from you at once I am yours 

 truly, X. Y. Z.- 



Ga., Aprils. 



DP. S.— Send goods^to^ ,'Ga.'(by mail). 



GAfter we had ascertained that no such letter 

 had ever reached us, we wrote our friend, ex- 

 pressing our regret; but we told him also, as 

 the want of the goods might be more than the 

 worth of them, we had concluded to send them 

 right along, proposing to divide the loss, as we 

 often do. Since then wp have written him per- 

 haps half a dozen times, telling him we could 

 ill afford to furnish him the goods he wanted; 

 without getting even one copper in return. As 

 he has the goods in his possession, however, he 

 seems to think he is all right, and replies each 

 time something after the fashion of the letter 

 fiiven below: 



frz»ear Sir:— Your statement on my account lis 

 just received and contents carefully noted. I have 

 paid said account in full. If you charge more for 

 your goods yet, T don't understand how you can 

 claim any more from me. X. V Z 



(pp. S. — I sent you just wliat you say 1 owe you. I 

 hope this will be satisfactory to you. There is no 

 doubt about vour getting said money.;, 

 . Ga. Junes. ,X. Y. Z. 



Flease notice how provokingly he writes — 

 " No doubt about your getting said money." 



There is another feature about this matter: 

 The want of a smoker to handle bees maybe 

 much greater than the real worth of it — that 

 Is. there are times when the bee-keeper could 

 aiford to pay the price of a smoker rather than 

 be without it a single day. Under such circum- 

 stances, when we forward one without receiv- 

 ing the money we may do a customer a real 

 kindness. Now, we are always glad to do 

 this; and, as I have said before, in a great ma- 

 jority of instances we find our friends ready to 

 share the loss with us. The conduct and be- 

 havior, however, of just one man like X. 

 Y. Z. is so discouraging that we may have to 

 give up the plan entirely. Should one man, by 

 his stubbornness and unwillingness to share a 

 part of the losses be permitted to stand in the 

 way of the general good? 



Health Notes. 



THE RALSTON HEALTH CLUB. 



Friend Root.-— Read the inclosed clipping (from 

 Biiflei"-'^ Elrrtricity), headed "Ralston Health Cluh," 

 and learn how to live ~00 years. It beats meat and 

 hot water "all holler." R. Touchton. 



Santa Paula, Cal., March 7. 



The newspaper clipping inclosed with the 

 above letter is from an old and valued friend in 

 California, and it gives quite fully th". experi- 

 ence of a lady who invested. She pronounces 

 the club a big money-making scheme, and says 

 that, when you get right down to it, the won- 

 derful secret that costs so much to get hold of 

 is nothing more nor less than Dr. Hall's inter- 

 nal hot- water cure. Within the past two or 

 three years I have received letters from a good 

 many persons, urging me to join the Ralston 

 Health Club. I feel sure these friends are hon- 

 est and sincere; but after sending .*^1. 00 for one 

 of their books, and trying to read it understand- 

 ingly, it had the opposite effect upon myself. 

 While there is a good deal of sense and sound 

 advice, which seems to be mostly copied from 

 good authorities, there is also to me a good deal 

 that is any thing but true science. The news- 

 paper clipping that I refer to says: "Although 

 1*3.5,000,000 has been paid to its officers, no ac- 

 counting has ever been given to the members 

 of the manner in which the money was ex- 

 pended." 



It seems to be a sort of secret society; and 

 the book I purchased had the word " Private " 

 printed at the top of every page. Isay/iad; 

 for, after I had had it about six months, I sat 

 down determined to find out the real scientific, 

 value of the thing if I could. This was because 

 so many good friends so earnestly urged me to 

 look into it. My researches ended in pitching 

 it into the waste-basket. 



Special Notices in the Line of Gardening, etc. 



By A. I. Root. 



THID YOUNG MAKKET-GARDENER, OR THE BEGINNER'S 

 GUIDE. 



The above is the title of a paper-covered book of 

 120 pages, by our old friend T. Greiner; and, judg- 

 ing from a brief review, 1 think It is one of his" hap- 

 piest efforts. Every page of it seems bright with 

 important instruction, and the cheerful vivacity 

 and intense enthusiasm of the writer make it more 

 interesting to one who loves to grow stuff either 

 under glass or out in the open air, than any fiction. 

 The instructions are so very plain that the average 

 boy or girl would know just how to go to work. 

 The price of the book is .50 cts. by mail, postpaid. 

 No doubt the book is worth 50 cts.; but when gar- 

 den and farm pnjduce is bringing so little, I did 

 hope that friend Greiner and his publishers would 

 have been able to make it a little cheaper, especially 

 In paper covers. 



NOVELTIES FOR 1896. 



First we have Mills' Earliest in the World tomato. 

 During the past season we have planted nearly all 

 of the popular candidates for an early tomato. 

 Mills' Earliest gave us the first, and they are cer- 

 tainly as nice and smooth as any tomato in the 

 world. Thej' are not ds large as the Fordhook, but 

 they are at least one week earlier. This fact alone 

 gives them a place. It strikes me they would be a 

 valuable tomato to grow under glass. We have 

 carefully saved all the fruit, and have seed of our 

 own growing that we offer for sale in 5-cent pack- 

 ages, or 10 cts. for ^i ounce; Ji ounce, 15 cts. ; ounce, 

 50 cts. • ■ 



For a large-sized tomato, a little later than the 

 above, wc place the Fordhook at the top of the list. 

 It is handsome, and of good size, early, and of good 

 quality. Price of seed of our own raising, from 

 selected fruit, ounce, 35 cts. 



Cole's American coffee-berry is a success for 

 coffee, and also a valuable variety of the soja beans. 

 If I were going to use coffee at all, I should prefer 

 this to the real coffee— principally, perhaps, because 

 I think it more healthful. Just now, however, pure 

 hot water is the most delicious beverage for inc, to 

 be found in the whole wide world, both at and be- 

 tween meals. I have often said, and say now, may 

 the Lord be praised that he has given me a liking 



