582 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



JulY 



could get anotlier nice crop of potatoes riglit 

 off from that same groiiiul. The whole thing 

 is a very simple matter, and I mention it 

 chielly to ilh:slrate the possibilities that are 

 open to those who claim to be out of employ- 

 ment. 



Now, tben, pnee more in regard to the last 

 part of the title of our book, " How to Be 

 Ila^ppy," etc. Did I enjoy planting those 

 potatoes? Why, to be sure, I did ; princi- 

 pally because I thought I saw a plan of ma- 

 terially shortening the operation of getting 

 early potatoes ; and I did it nicely and care- 

 fully, so as to be sure they would succeed. 

 They were hoed very little, because the 

 whole crop was finished before the worst 

 weeds got a going ; in fact, the care of them 

 was almost nothing. Did I enjoy digging 

 them? To be sure, I did ; and I enjoyed it 

 kuyeb/ too. Some of the happiest hours I 

 ever spent were those employed early in the 

 morning picking out lettuce-heads that were 

 big enough to sell, and, a little later, in se- 

 lecting those that must be sold at once or 

 their value would be gone. 



Let us branch off from plants and animals 

 a little to consider this point of enduring to 

 the end in another way. We all of us com- 

 plain more or less because things do not 

 move faster, especially in spiritual things. 

 Some years ago I took a boy from our 

 streets, with the hope of making him better. 

 He made me no end of trouble. He used 

 tobacco ; and when I discharged him for 

 breaking our rules, he took pains to use 

 blasphemy whenever he saw me, when I had 

 occasion to come near him. By and by he 

 was in straightened circumstances, and 

 wanted work again. I gave him another 

 chance. Again he had to be suspended or 

 discharged. He seemed to be going from 

 bad to wairse. By and by he wanted to be 

 tried still again, biit it was th« old story. I 

 tried hard to be patient— prayed for a quiet 

 and steady spirit, and kept on trying him, 

 even when I had no heart in it, and no hope. 

 Now, my friends, when that boy discovered 

 that I had no spite or revenge, that I was 

 kind, envied not, not pulled up, didn't be- 

 have unseemly, and, above all, was not easi- 

 ly provoked, he gradually gave over his bad 

 habits, and, to my astonishment, seemed to, 

 of his oion accord, respect our rules, and, I 

 am inclined to think, respect my poor self in 

 a certain way. I am beginning to admire 

 him, while I thank God for having answered 

 my poor w^eak half-hearted prayers for him. 

 I had unconsciously been, after a fashion, 

 enduriiiy to the end ; and without thinking of 



To he cmiti 



sariiuj 'rnyyelf, the prol)abilities are now that 

 my quiet course may have saved iJie hay. 



Since I have said so much about our mar- 

 ket-wagon, I think I will give you a picture 

 of it right here. Our artist has done his 

 work pretty well, only that he has got rath- 

 er more business about the w^agon than oc- 

 curs as a general thing. The number of 

 men employed will depend, of course, on 

 the size of the town or city ; and very likely 

 in starting the business one man would 

 raise all the stulf, drive the horse, and sell 

 out the whole load. Where a good trade is 

 established, the fact that the veg^able-wag- 

 on is in the neighborhood may be indicated 

 by ringing a bell or blowing a horn, the way 

 the milk-men do ; but where you have got to 

 work up a trade as we have had to, nothing 

 answers like taking a basket of samples and 

 going to the houses. Our boys first tried it 

 by simply inquiring at the door if any veg- 

 etables or fruits were wanted ; but they 

 soon found that this didn't work so well as 

 to have a basket of samples to show as they 

 went along. 



The driver, if he understands his business, 

 will get back in the middle of the wagon 

 when trade commences, and measure up 

 peas, get out what is wanted when the load 

 is large, and make himself busy in a variety 

 of ways. If time is short in loading up the 

 wagon in the morning, the stuff may be put 

 in baskets, and the driver can tie the onions, 

 beets, radishes, etc., in neat little bundles 

 while he waits for his assistant who is going 

 around to the houses. It should be the driv- 

 er's business, also, to carry a memorandum- 

 book, and take orders, charge up things that 

 are not paid for, and relieve the seller from 

 every thing of this kind. Make it a study to 

 economize time in every way possible ; plan 

 to have every thing done on rainy days 

 that can h? done under shelter. We do 

 our selling every forenoon. I have often 

 heard Mr. Buslmel say that it was very sel- 

 dom you could lind a salesman who would 

 sell garden-stuff at a good rate all day long. 

 This kind of work draws on one's energies, 

 and therefore the best and most rapid sales 

 are made in the morning. Toward noon the 

 salesman gets tired, mentally and bodily. 

 After he has had a good, dinner, and a fair 

 amount of rest, he may be able to do a tip- 

 top afternoon's work in setting out cabbage- 

 plants, cultivating, or something of that sort ; 

 at the same time he would have made indif- 

 ferent work of pushing garden-stuff lively in 

 the (iflcnioon. Study your plants ; study your 

 helpers; and, above all, study your.' elf. 



nucd AiHj. I'). 



