220 



glea:nings in bee cultuee. 



Mar. 



ily roll up this oil-cloth covering, and it is 

 all out of the way in a minute or two. The 

 frame may be covered and uncovered about 

 as quickly as you would take off two of the 

 glass sash. The expense of the cloth for 

 this whole cold frame was only about $2.2-5. 

 Two gallons and a half of oil and three 

 hours' time, would make about $2.00 more, 

 making about $4.25 ; or say $.5.00 for sticks 

 to roll it on, and all, while the 14 sash used 

 to cover this same cold frame would be 

 worth $25.00 or $30.00. I do not know how 

 long this oil cloth will last ; but it seems 

 soft and pliable, and with care will doubt- 

 less last a great many years. Such a sheet 

 is very valuable, many times, for thrashing 

 grain or seeds. It is 4 yards wide and 8 

 yards long. Where we wish to get as mucli 

 heat as possible from the sun's rays, I pre- 

 sume glass would be considerably better. 

 But the air gets very hot through the oil clolh 

 if the gable ends are not open promptly as 

 soon as the sun has been out a little time. 

 Another advantage in using cloth in place 

 of glass is, that the heavy expense of break- 

 age is avoided. We find it almost impossi- 

 ble to handle sash without breaking them 



more or less. I have learned this pretty well: 

 That it is never safe to set up sash on end 

 or on edge. When you wish to lay them 

 down, put them down flat. Unless you do, 

 the wind may spring up unexpectedly, and 

 flop them over ; lay them down one upon 

 another, so no wind can get under any edge 

 or side, and they are safe. In Jersey City I 

 noticed the sash were piled up at each end 

 of the beds, one on top of another, so as to 

 make a square true pile. Sash is oftentimes 

 handled more than is really necessary. 

 When the days are not very warm, the sasli 

 may be tilted or moved to one side, so as to 

 let the hot air escape from underneath, 

 without taking them entirely off. It is, 

 however, dangerous to take risks in leaving 

 the sash off when appearances indicate at 

 night that there will be no freeze. Almost 

 every season we have lost more or less 

 plants by a sudden change during the night, 

 when we did not expect it. Bear in mind, 

 we are to make our money by having all 

 sorts of garden stuff in advance of the mar- 

 ket and everybody else, and it does not pay 

 to take risks. We want to make a sure 

 thing of the operation. 



CHAPTER XH. 



But when thou art bidden to )i woddinjr, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that 

 bade thee cometh, ho may say unto thee. Friend, go up higher.— Luke 11: 10. 



SELLING YOUIl PRODUCTS. 



As soon as you have any thing tit for sale, 

 it must be sold ; and I am not sure but it re- 

 quires more brains, more energy, and more 

 perseverance, to sell stuff" at a fair price, 

 after you get it, than to raise it in the first 

 place. Now, don't say you haven't any fac- 

 ulty for selling such produce.* If you want 

 to build up a business, you must oblige youf- 

 self to learn the trade of selling things ; and 

 it seems to me that the first and greatest es- 

 sential to success is that you commence with 

 love to God and love to your fellow-men. 

 These pages are not written to people who 

 are well to do in the world, but for those 

 who are poor and needy. If you have plenty 

 of business of your own, remember that, al- 

 though these pages may interest you, they 

 were not written for you. They were writ- 

 ten for the man or woman who is out of 

 work. And another thing, if you have any 

 false ideas in your head in regard to respect- 

 ability in earning an honest living, they 

 must be gotten rid of. 



When you get a lot of nice lettuce ready 

 for the market, and there is no demand for 

 it, you must make a demand. When the 

 plants begin to crowd, take out every other 

 row, and finally every other head ; and if you 

 have more than you want to plant some- 

 where else, or if they are too large for trans- 

 planting, you must sell them. With a sharp 

 knife, cut them off just at the surface of the 

 ground. Full off the faded and untidy leaves, 

 and rinse the others with clean water. If 

 the heads weigh about a quarter of a pound 

 each, they are all right to be sold for a nick- 

 el apiece ; or if it is early in the season, say 

 February, or if it is where there is a good 

 market, heads weighing two ounces will 

 often bring a nickel. If the plants are so 

 crowded as to be small, tie them in little 

 bunches to make two or four ounces, as the 

 case may be. Fut them in a neat clean bas- 

 ket, and start out among your neighbors to 

 build up a trade. Will some one say, "I 

 wonder if you think that J am going abou^ 



