The  RURAL.  NEW-YORKER 
507 
A  Salesman  Born 
REFERRING  to  my  recent  serial  article  oil  sales¬ 
manship,  which  the  editor  was  pleased  to  run 
under  the  caption  “A  Night  On  the  Market  Brought 
to  Daylight,”  a  serious  misconception  crops  out  in 
the  comments  of  the  editor  and  readers  alike,  which 
finds  expression  in  the  statement  that  "a  salesman 
is  horn,  not  made.”  It  is  serious,  first,  because  it  is 
not  true,  and,  second,  because  that  attitude  definitely 
bars  the  reader  from  deriving  any  benefit  from  read¬ 
ing  that  article  or  any  other  on  the  sub¬ 
ject.  Certainly  a  salesman  is  horn  :  hut 
if  he  is  not  also  “made,”  and  very 
largely  of  his 'owhi  making,  he  will  never 
he  much  of  a  salesman.  An  evangelist 
once  asked  a  hoy  if  his  father  was  a 
Christian.  “Yes,”  the  hoy  replied,  "hut 
lie  hasn't  been  working  at  it  much 
lately.”  That  is  the  chief  trouble  with 
many  a  salesman — very  often  he  does 
not  keep  working  at  it. 
The  assumption  that  my  ability  as  a 
salesman  is  a  free  gift  of  nature  is 
very  far  from  the  truth.  A  natural 
disposition  to  he  shy  and  bashful  in 
the  presence  of  strangers  was  a  heavy 
handicap  that  had  to  be  overcome:  and 
even  yet,  when  out  of  the  course  of 
trade  for  a  time,  or  in  unusual  situa¬ 
tions.  the  old  handicap  asserts  itself. 
However,  we  would  all  better  meet  our 
handicap  as  best  we  may.  and  if  one 
means  won’t  serve  it  is  well  to  try 
another.  Let  me  illustrate.  Some  years 
ago  on  a  certain  occasion  I  needed 
bank  accommodation  which  my  bal¬ 
ance  and  credit  fully  entitled  me  to. 
I  stated  my  requirements  to  the  presi¬ 
dent  of  the  bank,  and  was  met  with  a 
counter-proposal  that  covered  but  part 
of  my  requirements.  I  was  perfectly 
aware  that  my  bashful,  half-stam¬ 
mered  presentation  of  my  requirements 
was  not  calculated  to  inspire  the  con¬ 
fidence  in  personality  which  plays  such 
a  large  part  in  every  banker's  decis¬ 
ions,  so  I  took  another  tack.  Ever 
since  my  school  days  T  have  been  able 
to  use  my  pen  to  better  advantage  than 
my  tongue,  so  1  wrote  Mr.  Banker  a 
letter  that  ran  something  like  this: 
“Referring  to  my  request  for  a  loan 
yesterday,  if  you  will  take  the  trouble 
to  look  up  my  average  balances  with 
your  bank  and  investigate  my  credit 
I  think  you  will  agree  that  I  am  fully 
entitled  to  the  accommodations  I  have 
requested. 
“I  am  perfectly  aware  that  I  have  lived 
in  the  ‘tail  grass’  too  long  to  come  into 
your  finely  furnished  city  offices  and 
talk  business  with  the  calm  self-assur¬ 
ance  you  are  accustomed  to  meeting  in 
successful  business  men.  Nevertheless 
1  need  banking  connections  that  will 
furnish  reasonable  accommodations  on 
occasion  as  well  as  receive  deposits. 
My  dealings  with  your  institution  have 
been  very  satisfactory  for  a  long  time, 
and  I  should  deeply  regret  to  find  it 
necessary  to  form  banking  connection 
elsewhere.” 
Did  I  have  to?  Well,  hardly,  i  got 
back  a  letter  of  apology,  the  accommo¬ 
dation  needed,  and  considerate  treat¬ 
ment  ever  since. 
But.  some  one  says,  I  can't  write  ef¬ 
fectively.  Even  so,  then  do  the  next 
best  thing.  This  is  not  an  argument 
in  favor  of  the  impossible.  The  point 
is.  don't  leave  one  stone  unturned,  the 
turning  of  which  holds  any  hope  of 
advantage.  n.  l.  haktmax 
Florida. 
taken  the  bark  clean,  including  most  all  of  the 
limbs  and  scaffold  branches.  He  has  a  block  of  150 
McIntosh,  and  50  of  them  were  almost  entirely  de¬ 
nuded.  And  this  seems  to  be  about  the  ratio  of  de¬ 
struction  in  nearly  all  the  orchards.  We  have  been 
dreading  almost  to  see  the  snow  go  away  for  fear 
of  what  it  might  reveal  in  the  way  of  destruction 
by  the  mice,  for  the  reports  coming  in  are  most 
disastrous,  but  we  had  not  anticipated  anything  like 
this  from  the  rabbits.  Ten  thousand  dollars  would 
good  protection.  I  have  used  the  lime  and  sulphur, 
fish  oil  and  blood  paint,  and  for  a  time  it  seems  very 
effectual.  But  it  is  impossible  to  form  any  idea 
how  long  it  will  be  so.  for  it  may  hist  three  months, 
and  again  it  may  be  less  than  three  weeks.  An  ice 
storm  may  shake  the  stuff  off  soon  after  being  ap¬ 
plied:  and  then  ome  fine  day  you  may  walk  back 
in  your  orchard  and  find  that  the  “jacks"  have  been 
at  work  for  several  nights  and  300  or  400  trees  are 
already  gone 
Mr.  S.  K.  Knight  of  Limerick.  Maine,  sends  us  the  picture  shown  above.  It  will  be 
new  at  least  to  some  of  our  Southern  readers.  Here  are  six  yokes  of  oxen  on  a  big 
snow  roller.  These  oxen  have  done  great  work  on  the  roads  this  Winter.  These 
slow  and  patient  beasts  wallow  through  the  snow  without  complaint  or  trouble.  The 
big  roller  does  better  work  than  a  snow  plow  by  packing  down  the  snow  into  a  firm, 
solid  mass.  Of  course,  in  a  country  like  Maine,  during  a  hard  Winter,  like  the 
present,  (jew,  if  any,  cars  run  during  the  snowy  season.  The  roller  packs  the  snow 
and  makes  fine  sledding.  In  our  own  section  of  Northern  New  Jersey  the  case  is  dif¬ 
ferent.  Very  few  horses  are  left,  and  it  is  necessary  to  keep  the  roads  scraped.  La 
our  own  township  a  road  scraper  pulled  by  four  big  horses  is  used  immediately  after 
each  snow  fall.  Our  roads  are  noted  all  over  the  country. 
This  is  little  Russell  Leonard,  a  Connecticut  boy  who  ought  lo  make  a  good  horseman 
some  day.  He  is  six.  and  his  brother  is  three,  and  they  are  riding  on  a  handmade 
sled  of  their  own  manufacture.  The  sled  might  be  scored  30  by  an  expe 
the  fun  these  boys  are  having  scores  100. 
Damage  to  Your  Trees 
IN  this  section  of  the  Hudson  Valley  we  have  over 
two  feet  of  snow  on  the  level  (March  12)  ami 
have  had  it  nearly  all  Winter.  It  is  almost  literally 
sickening  to  go  about  and  visit  the  young  orchard 
and  see  the  havoc  and  destruction  wrought  by  the 
jack  rabbits.  One  of  my  immediate  neighbors 
showed  me  yesterday  wliat  they  had  done  to  him. 
He  has  2-ft.  protectors  around  his  trees,  but  it  was 
only  now  and  then  that  one  showed  above  the  snow. 
For  2  or  3  ft.  above  the  protectors  the  rabbits  had 
The  Firxt  Tf.nn  of  Fu/i.  Fit/.  119.  Fee  Jf'if/.  510 
not  make  good  the  injury  done  in  this  immediate 
vicinity. 
I  had  an  experience  like  t his  a  number  of  years 
ago.  when  I  lost  through  means  of  the  “jacks”  4(57 
trees  before  I  could  gel  my  protectors  on.  Since 
then  I  have  given  up  all  idea  of  having  low-headed 
trees.  I  prune  my  stone  fruit — peaches,  cherries 
and  plums — like  the  Hope  Farm  man,  but  apples  and 
pears  are  trimmed  to  a  “whip.”  keeping  the  leader 
entire.  I  put  IS  in.  of  mouse  wire  about  the  trees, 
and  then  30  in.  or  3  ft.  of  heavy  poultry  wire,  inch 
mesh,  around  that.  Then  by  banking  up  the  trees 
in  the  Fail  we  have  our  trees  protected  for  a  dis¬ 
tance  of  about  4  ft.  Excepting  a  spot  now  and  then 
where  the  drifts  are  extreme  we  seem  to  get  very 
.  and  before  you  can  reapply  your  mix¬ 
ture  another  hundred  or  two  have  gone 
to  keep  them  company.  While  1  would 
certainly  advise  the  use  of  wire  protec¬ 
tors.  yet  I  believe  the  most  effective  way 
to  get  protection  from  mice  is  to  poison 
them.  I  have  a  lot  of  heaps  of  hay, 
straw  or  brush  throughout  the  orchard 
and  under  these  put  a  condensed  milk 
can  with  the  top  just  open  enough  to 
admit  of  a  mouse.  In  the  back  part  of 
the  can  put  a  small  handful  of  wheat 
or  oats  that  has  been  stamped  or 
crushed  with  strychnine,  bicarbonate 
of  soda  and  sacclia  rin.  If  there  are  any 
mice  in  the  orchard  they  will  soon  be 
starting  their  Winter  quarters  in  that 
hay  heap  or  brush  pile,  and  they  will 
soon  be  at  work  at  the  poisoned  wheat. 
The  thought  recently  came  to  me 
that  the  average  consumer  of  my  ap¬ 
ples  thought  (if  li<‘  thought  at  all)  that 
the  Creator  made  the  tree,  and  1 
simply  set  it  out;  then  in  a  little  while 
the  Creator  produced  a  fine  crop  of 
fruit,  and  all  Mr.  Farmer  had  to  do 
was  to  pick  them  and  send  them  to 
market,  and  what  he  got  from  them 
was  almost  entirely  clear  gain.  I 
haven't  anything  like  as  large  orchards 
ns  many  of  my  neighbors,  yet  the  fight 
against,  the  mice  alone  has  cost  over 
S2.I MM ).  TI A KVE Y  1.0  SEE. 
I  Mitcliess  ( 'o..  N.  Y. 
Alfalfa  in  Western  New  York 
L.T.  page  3(57,  speaks  of  niising 
Alfalfa  on  level  land  with  a 
hard,  sandy,  clay  subsoil,  and  adds: 
“But  we  get  good  crops  on  land  that, 
according  to  the  experiment  station, 
ought  not  to  raise  it  at  all.” 
f  wonder  if  L.  J.  C.  realizes  that  he 
lives  on  a  strip  of  land  averaging  about 
nine  miles  wide,  and  extending  from 
about  the  west  side  of  Cayuga  County 
east  and  across  Onondaga  County,  con¬ 
stituting  an  Alfalfa  belt  corresponding 
to  the  corn  belts  of  the  corn  States? 
I  do  not  mean  that  Alfalfa  will  not 
grow  in  other  places  in  New  York. 
Just  as  the  whole  State  of  Iowa  grows 
corn,  and  good  corn,  while  only  about 
10  per  cent  of  the  State  is  in  the  corn 
belt,  so  does  this  State  grow  Alfalfa, 
but  in  this  particular  section  Alfalfa 
seems  to  insist  on  being  allowed  to 
grow.  All  it  asks  for  is  that  it  be 
sown  in  connection  with  some  other 
crop,  like  wheat  or  oats  or  hurley,  and 
the  ground  not  be  too  wet. 
He  speaks  of  Grimm  not  doing  so 
well  here  as  the  common  Alfalfa.  That 
does  not  take  anything  away  from 
Grimm,  as  it  will  do  as  well  in  this 
belt  as  it  will  do  anywhere.  The  fact 
of  the  matter  is  that  Grimm  is  not 
needed  where  flu*  common  does  well. 
It  is  for  sections  where  the  common 
variety  is  harder  to  grow. 
The  boundary  of  this  belt  seems  to 
be  sharply  defined.  Alfalfa  growing 
and  starting  easily  right  up  to  the  boundary,  while 
•i  mile  beyond  one  has  to  take  the  usual  precautions 
to  get  a  stand,  and  a  stand  does  not  seem  to  be  good 
for  so  many  years  as  within  the  belt.  A  part  of 
this  belt  lies  in  that  territory  designated  by  the 
agricultural  college  as  having  the  longest  average 
growing  season  between  frosts  in  the  Spring  arid 
Fall,  except  ;i  small  section  in  the  northwest  part 
of  the  State 
■t  maker,  but 
and  a  small  section  near  New  York  City. 
NAT  ROWE. 
No  quest  ion  as  to  w  hat  those  egg-laying  contests  are 
doing  for  New  Jersey. 
A  Si'CcESSFi'i.  garden  fertilizer  at  the  South  is  equal 
parts  acid  phosphate  and  cottonseed  meal. 
