48 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



Jan. 



can be dropped and taken up again with less loss to 

 1 ho business than perhaps almost any other under- 

 taking. When a man begins a school, he must stick 

 to it every day until the term is closed. The sew- 

 ing-machine trade has some disagreeable features. 

 In the first place, a canvasser of machines is often 

 classed with lightning-rod rascals, insurance 

 agents, etc. There seems to be an odium against 

 the business. But the calling is legitimate, and the 

 only right way to sell machines is by canvassing. 

 Soliciting trade is disagreeable to many, but I do 

 not know that it is any more unpleasant to ask a 

 lierson to buy a machine than to buy honey. Per- 

 hH]is the most disagreeable feature is the extreme 

 conipetiiiun, price-cutting, and dishonorable tricks 

 and methods practiced bj' unscrupuloiis competi- 

 tors. But iinyoncwho cati stand the soul-harrow- 

 ing discouragements of the bee-business ought to 

 be proof against every thing else. 



When the sale of a machine can bo effected with- 

 out jewing, and all else is harmonious, I know of 

 but few pleasanter WHys of making money in a 

 small way. 1 shall never forget the agreeable ac- 

 quaintances I have formed in the sewing-machine 

 work. The sewing-machine business is not like a 

 book-agency. It is much more of a business, and 

 one can spend a lifetime, if he desires, in one locali- 

 ty, without wearing out the territory. If one is so 

 situated as to have an office in town, a good many 

 dollars can be picked up in the way of the needle, 

 oil, and repair trade. Selling needles is the pretti- 

 est way of making pin money that I ever knew of. 

 However, it is not necessary to live in town to sell 

 machines. Ten miles in the country will accom- 

 plish about the same results. A certain amount of 

 work in the sewing-machine business generally 

 yields certain results. I presume many of the 

 friends arc nicely situated to go into the work. Any 

 one who has good business ability ought to meet 

 with fair success. 



I would advise any one who thinks of starting, to 

 be sure and handle one of the leading machines on 

 the market. There are many launched, but few 

 can stem the tide of competition. 



Grinnell, Iowa. John F. Whitmobe. 



Thanks for your suggestion, friend W. 

 The point that the sewing-machine business 

 can be taken up and dropped at any time is 

 a good one. Now, why not take honey 

 along Avith you, as well as sewing-machines, 

 and thus kill two birds with one stone? 



LAWN-MAKING. 



eOME SUGGESTIONS THAT MAY STRIKE HOME TO A 

 GOOD MANY OF US. 



R. ROOT:— I was reading in an eastern pa- 

 per awhile ago of an address delivered by 

 a New England clergyman, in which he 

 deplored the decline of rural life, setting 

 forth the causes, and making suggestions 

 for its remedy. How true this may be of New 

 England, I am not able to say: but I think it docs 

 not apply to Southern Ohio, for there never was 

 more intelligence among the faiming classes, never 

 such breadth of feeling, and never a keener ap- 

 preciation of rural possibilities, than now. Never- 

 theless, country life lacks very much of reaching 

 that Utopian pjfcellence which a true country 

 dweller longs to see. I do not think the cure Ijes 



wholly in the reasons given by our friend, but I am 

 convinced that it lies, in some degree at least, in a 

 careful improvement of our surroundings. 



The doorya.-d should bo made more beautiful, 

 because this will make a homely house or an an- 

 tiquated barn more beautiful. It is often puz- 

 zling to know just how to proceed. The best way 

 is to proceed systematically, gauging one's plans 

 by his means and time. Let the lawn be as large 

 as possible. The battle is nearly Avon when a 

 smooth velvety sward is obtained, which, since the 

 advent of the lawn-mower, is possible to nearly 

 every one. The lawn should have sufficient drain- 

 age to allow a pure atmosphere around the dwell- 

 ing. Just after a heavy rain, note the low places 

 before the water runs off, by setting a small stake; 

 also note the high places in a similar way. No^v 

 begin to grade. Dead levels are not often desira- 

 ble; but easy slopes, conforming somewhat to the 

 surrounding country, and to the original plot, will 

 usually have a more desirable effect. If earth is 

 drawn from a distance, the surface should be cov- 

 ered with top soil. When this has been properly 

 done it may be sown with a mixture of two parts 

 blue grass with one of orchard and one of white 

 clover. This mixture may be varied according to 

 circumstances. I don't regard this as important as 

 manuring the sward frequently; and if this is done, 

 the grass will largely take care of itself. It is not 

 best to invest too strongly in lawn-seed " mix- 

 tures," because they are too expensive, and inferi- 

 or seeds are often sold in this way. It is as nec- 

 essary to manure the lawn as it is to manure the 

 meadow. The most convenient fertilizer for most 

 of your readers is, perhaps, well-rotted stable 

 manure. If you have a manure spreader, it will be 

 just the thing for this purpose. If applied as early 

 in the spring as possible, the rains will soon wash 

 the substance down to the roots, leaving the strawy 

 portion for a mulch for the dry months. 



The next step is to consider walks and drives. 

 Have plenty of walks. If you can't decide as to 

 where they should be placed, take a piece of pa- 

 per and lay off the different buildings and places 

 which are to be reached by walks. Mark off the 

 walks and drives too, if you need them, so that 

 the.v will have a graceful curving appearance. 

 Never sacrifice convenience for beauty, hut blend 

 both together as much as possible. Avoid sense- 

 less windings, such as making a walk considerably 

 longer than necessary, for the purpose of having 

 it curved. Walks maybe constructed of Hags, im- 

 itation of stone, bricks, gravel, or bo.-trds, the order 

 indicating their relative desirability. If the lawn 

 is large enough, it is necessary that drives be made. 

 The rules for walks apply to.these, and they should 

 be made so that a team can turn and not have to go 

 upon the grass. 



Do not plant too many trees upon the lawn, be- 

 cause it will have a crowded appearance. Open 

 spaces will make the lawn look larger. Plant trees 

 in groups. The kind of trees to be planted may 

 safely be left to one's judgment. 1 give the prefer- 

 ence to the maple family, but would not confine 

 myself to this alone. We should seek diversity, 

 The despised sycamore is beautiful in winter, 

 Evergreens should have a compact foliajio, spread, 

 ing out upon the ground, and narrowing toward 

 the top like a cone. 



If it is possible, by all means have a fountain in 

 the l^wn. IJere is an unpretentious house, but 



