1904 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



227 



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=aE 



ARRY LATHROP'S 

 article on page 20 is 

 very interesting indeed. 

 It induces me to make 

 a few more remarks 

 along that line, and 

 give a slight touch of 

 the other side of the picture. 



The editor says in his footnote, " We are 

 not all born salesmen." This is true, and 

 it applies to my case to the full meaning of 

 of his assertion. Being naturally a little 

 bashful, not easy to make friends among 

 strangers, I have no natural inclination for 

 the business of traveling salesman; still, if 

 I encounter the inevitable, if I am com- 

 pelled to take that role in life's drama, I 

 can do quite an amount of "blabbing," 

 which is an essential feature of a success- 

 ful salesman. 



For the last two or three years I have 

 sold all my honey, which I did not sell to 

 neighboring stores and groceries in larger 

 quantities, by going from house to house, 

 selling a can or nure at a time; and this 

 experience enables me, although I have 

 never been so completely disappointed as 

 he reports, to sympathize fully with the 

 writer of the above mentioned article. As 

 an encouragement to Mr. Lathrop I will 

 say, "Don't give up on account of one day's 



disappointment; but try again." Peddling 

 honey has, like every thing else, its ups 

 and downs; we don't always strike it rich; 

 some days it may seem like terribly steep 

 uphill business, while other days may roll 



in the money by the handfuls. As an il- 

 lustration, and a proof that the latter sen- 

 tence is almost literally true, let me give 

 you one day's experience. 



Late last fall I chanced to take a trip 

 to Niagara Falls with the intention of mak- 

 ing a display of my goods at the city mar- 

 ket. The way business is transacted here 

 is very informal. One of the streets run- 

 ning at right angles to Main Street is 

 set apart as a gathering-place of producers 

 and consumers, to transact a general mar- 

 ket business. Here the farmers from miles 

 of surrounding country, with their various 

 lo.ids of produce, comprising any thing 

 froin a dozen eggs to a load of hay or grain, 

 drive in in the morning, back up against 

 the sidewalk, and make a display of their 

 goods, awaiting purchasing callers. There 

 are no reserved seats; but the rule is that 

 whoever ccmes first is served first; that is, 

 the first comer takes his stand next to Main 

 Street; the second next, and so on, until 

 the street is lined on both sides for a con- 

 siderable distance. The advantage of be- 

 ing at or near the head of the street is 

 plain to be seen. Any customer who finds 

 what he intends to purchase is not very 

 likely to travel the whole length of the 

 street just to see what the rest have to sell. 



[PureJoney) 



" At first things, looked a little gloomy." 



When I arrived at the place it was rather 

 late. The line of would-be sellers was a 

 long one, and, by good rights, I belonged 

 with my rig way down at the lower end. 

 This, however, did not suit my fancy. I 

 turned around at the lower end, and, look- 

 ing for a chance when driving back, I found 

 a little gap near the head between two far- 

 mers' wagons, almost wide enough for my 

 rig. At my request one of the men, thanks 

 to his good nature, moved a little to one 

 side, which gave me a chance to back in 

 between. Thus stationed I made my dis- 

 play of goods, which consisted of extra nice 

 extracted honey in pint and quart cans, all 

 liquid and sparkling, and some fancy sec- 

 tions of comb honey, and awaited results. 



At first, things looked a little gloomy. 

 Purchasers did not flock in as I had hoped, 

 until after some minutes of patient waiting. 

 One passing lady, in looking at my honey, 

 asked: "Is your \\oxiG.y puref'' The reply 

 I made must be imagined, for it would fill 

 more space here than the editor would be 



