MARKETING, 1 35 



It was all to be packed in a single car, hence it 

 would be best to take it all to Howard at one trip. 

 I engaged nine of the neighbors to come with their 

 large wagons, taking special pains to hire those who 

 had had most to say of my youthful folly, and of 

 my new-fangled notions about bees. The teams were 

 on hand at five o'clock in the morning, and load- 

 ing up was begun. Now came the first use for the 

 mysterious " straw beds," which had given so much 

 concern to some of the neighbors. Two of these 

 were laid side by side against the front end of the 

 wagon-box, with their ends running up against the 

 end of the box until the edge of the ticks reached 

 the top of the box, against which they were nailed. 

 Then others were laid on the bottom of the box, 

 and fastened against the sides, so as to make a thick 

 straw cushion all around. Then the first crates 

 were placed snugly against the cushioned front end, 

 resting of course on the cushions on the bottom. 

 In this way the honey was protected from sudden 

 jars on the road to Howard. So wagon after wag- 

 on was filled, until in each there was more than 

 seventeen hundred pounds of honey. A number of 

 cushions, not needed for protecting the crates in 

 the wagons, were placed on top of the loads, to be 

 used first in preparing the car for receiving the 

 honey. 



