1883 



GLEAJNtNGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



761 



shipment of nuclei goes to Shreveport, La., while we 



write. 



The trade on the new fountain pumps has assumed 

 such proportions that we are now enabled to sell 100 

 pumps for S50, which is a better arrangement than 

 you can probably make with the manufacturer him- 

 self for that number. As our profit is extremely 

 small on the transaction, we shall have to have cash 

 with the order. _^_ 



We are pleased to tell you that we are now able to 

 •furnish the celebrated Dixon axle grease at only 10 

 cts. per box ; 95 ctfi. for 10, or $9.00 per 100 boxes. It 

 has formerly been 15 cfs. If you have never tried 

 it to lubricate wagons, buggies, vehicles, and ma- 

 chinery, it would pay you to order a box for trial 

 when j'ou are getting goods from us. 



A PREMIUM FOR SUBSCRIBING EARTHY. 



At the very small profit we have in furnishing 

 Gleanings semi-monthly for one dollar, we can not 

 very well offer premiums for subscribing early, al- 

 though we will allow you to select any article from 

 the 5-cent counter, to please the children, where 

 you send in your dollar before Jan. 1, providing you 

 say what you want, and inclose the necessary 

 postage to have it mailed you. 



Our offer of 5 per cent discount before the 1st of 

 Dec. brought us quite a little boom of business, and 

 set our factory, even to the wax-room, "buzzing;" 

 in fact, it has had the effect of giving wax an upward 

 start. Still, we are not so crowded but that we can 

 easily handle a few more good orders, and therefore 

 we offer four per cent off for all orders received be- 

 fore Dec. 15. This, of course, is aside from our reg- 

 ular discounts, as before. 



We have to-day, Nov. 30. 6388 subscribers — just 

 l.'iO more than we had last month, and the largest 

 number that Gleanings ever reached. Before the 

 January number comes out, we shall probably have 

 to take the customary drop at the beginning of the 

 new year. Many thanks, friends, for the kind sup- 

 port you have given us. 



alsike clover. 

 T AM rejoiced to be able to state, that we can fur- 

 nish alsike clover once more for an even $10.00 a 

 bushel; $5.50 for V4 bushel, or $3.00 a peck. Per lb., 

 25 cts ; or per lb. by mail, 18 cts. per Ih. extra for bag 

 and postage. I do not know what the price will be 

 next spring, but I sincercaly hope we shall not have 

 such a boom on it as we did last spring. The above 

 prices will be given until our next issue, at any rate. 



"STORY OF THE BIBLE." 



This book is having a wonderful sale, and it is cer- 

 tainly right that it should have. It has been already 

 reprinted in England and Canada, by publishers 

 there. It is also being translated into different lan- 

 guasresby missionaries in different parts of the world. 

 Our friends should remember that it is not a story 

 about the Bible, but it is the Bible put into the form 

 of a story by one who is fully competent for the task; 

 that is, the whole purpose, end, and aim of the 

 Bible is presented in a connected line of thought, 

 and put in language so simple that a child may un- 

 derstand it. At the same time, it affords one of the 

 best helps to a proper understanding of the true 

 spirit of the Bible of any of the countless works 

 written with this end in view. The large number of 

 127,000 copies have been sold in the United States 



alone. While it is a very nice large book, full of 

 pictures, we furnish it at only 75 cents; and by mail, 

 postpaid, for 90 cents. I do not know of any thing 

 in the world that would make a " wiser " Christmas 

 present for a boy or girl, or even a grown-up person, 

 than this book. 



OUR NEW OFFICE. 



Our new office is now finished and occupied. I 

 like to tell you about it, because in one respect 

 many of you will likely feel interested. For instance, 

 we have one whole desk for subscriptions, and one 

 clerk has entire charge of every thing concerning 

 subscriptions for Gleanings. As she has nothing 

 else to do, she seldom makes any mistakes in regard 

 to the time it is paid for, the address, etc, etc. The 

 clerk who opens the mail has one entire desk, de- 

 vised and arranged especially for her work by Mr. 

 Gray. Next come the two large desks for the ledgers, 

 and the book-keeper and her assistants. This de- 

 partment is almost an olfice in itself, inside of the 

 large office. Next comes the queen-clerk's desk. 

 She has a desk all of her own, with room for an as- 

 sistant during the busy season. Back of this is a 

 desk for sample copies and price lists. Then comes 

 the desk of the stenographer, with a bright new cal- 

 ligraph. He notonly takes down all kinds of business 

 that I dictate to him, but does copying and receipt- 

 ing for all the clerks in the room. This brings us to 

 the east end of the room, where our friend Kitty 

 presides over the files of letters, as I have before 

 explained to you. Her desk also accommodates an 

 assistant when needed. Now we come to the desk 

 of the mailing clerks, occupying all the north side of 

 the room. It is a long affair, with two L's to it, and 

 an additional desk to hold scales for weighing pack- 

 ages. Three and sometimes four will be employed 

 at this desk. Adjoining the vault where the ledgers 

 are kept, and most valuable mailing goods, is a desk 

 where two clerks are employed in wrapping up 

 goods ready for the mail. As we have had some 

 trouble about wrapping up the wrong thing, we pro- 

 pose having a printed wrapper for every thing in 

 the price list, and giving the name and description 

 of it on the outside. This will enable the shipping 

 clerks (who, perhaps, have the most responsible post 

 of any in the building) to avoid mistakes; for if the 

 name and description are printed on every article, 

 they can't very well get the wrong thing. In the 

 center of the whole group of desks and clerks sits 

 your old friend Novice. Come to think of it, he 

 doesn't often sit, though, after all; for when any- 

 body comes after him, the clerks have a sort of 

 standing joke of telling a visitor that his cheapest 

 way to find Novice will be to stand right still until 

 he happens to rush by. My desk is made of maple 

 and black-walnut, and we all think it very pretty. 

 The maple came from an old tree that grew on my 

 father's farm; and when I sit down by it, I often 

 think of that kind old father. I believe I never had 

 a desk of my own before; and with the aid of the 

 many drawers, and ample room on top, I hope to be 

 able to get along without losing any of your commu- 

 nications, or overlooking them, hereafter. 



A great number of jangles come about, by some 

 friend asking for an estimate on something he wants. 

 Well, we give the estimate, and then the friend makes 

 an order; but in his order he does not say a word 

 about having had an agreed price for the goods. 

 Now, if we get the price lower after the goods are 

 made, all is well, of course; but if we shoiild flguro 



