5. The most expeditious mail service from the mailing office should be

used to insure the delivery of the butter in the best condition. VARIETIES AND STYLES OF CHEESE Most varieties of cheese, being firm and not so subject to damage by high temperature as butter, may be shipped any distance by parcel post without difficulty. (See fig. 4.) The two important varieties of cheese produced on farms are cottage cheese and American (full cream or whole milk) cheese. Cottage cheese is soft and quickly perishable, therefore it is consumed while fresh. When made rather dry and packed in moisture-proof packages it may be shipped to points where delivery may be made within 24 to 36 hours. The first and second zones are usually the practical limits of shipping cottage cheese by parcel post.[8] [8] Those desiring to obtain suggestions regarding parcel-post business methods should make request to the United States Department of Agriculture for a copy of Farmers’ Bulletin No. 922, entitled “Parcel-Post Business Methods.” [Illustration: Fig. 6.--Suitable container for shipping cheese.] As American, Swiss, Brick, and several other of the firmer varieties of cheese are ripened or cured and paraffined before they are marketed, they can be more successfully shipped by parcel post then the soft varieties such as cottage cheese. The more common styles or forms in which the firmer varieties of cheese are marketed are prints, bricks, and cylindrical shapes. The prints are made by cutting the larger styles of cheeses into square “prints” weighing usually 1 pound each. Bricks are made in molds of the desired size. Cylindrical-shaped cheeses, both flat and long, are commonly known by various trade names such as Midgets, Picnics, Young Americas, Long Horns, Daisies, and Flats. On the Pacific coast a type of cheese called “Jack,” which closely resembles the “Daisy” size, is marketed by parcel post. The usual weight and shape of several styles of cheese, suitable for parcel-post shipping, are shown in figure 5. THE PACKAGING OF CHEESE FOR PARCEL-POST SHIPPING General care should be exercised in the packaging of cheese for shipment by parcel post. The surface of the cheese should be clean and, if necessary, paraffined. As a protection to the cheese it should be wrapped in several layers of paper, preferably with a waxed paper next to the cheese. Corrugated or other fiber-board containers or wooden boxes may be used as shipping containers. (See figure 6.) When rather weak fiber board or wooden boxes are used they should be wrapped with several sheets of tough paper. ADDRESSING AND MAILING PARCEL-POST PACKAGES Parcel-post packages, like other mail matter, should be carefully addressed, including the street number of the person to receive the parcel. In the upper left-hand corner the name and address of the sender should be plainly written. It is preferable to place all addresses on the package itself rather than on a tag tied to the package, for if the tag becomes detached the addresses of both the sender and receiver are lost. A rubber stamp for butter shipments bearing the statement: “Butter--keep away from heating apparatus,” may be used to show that the parcel is perishable and should be handled accordingly by the postal employees. The letters in the word “Butter” should be one-half inch high, the others one-fourth inch high. In shipping by parcel post such a perishable product as butter, which is affected by exposure to heat, inquiry should be made of the post office regarding the daily mail service for parcel matter from that point to the destination of the shipment. Arrangements should be made to post the packages as near as practicable to the mail time in order to obtain delivery in the quickest possible time. [Illustration: Parcel Post Package Ready for Sending.] Consideration should be given to the practicability of using night mail service when available, as the temperature is usually cooler at night than in the daytime. Night shipments to points within the first and second zones ordinarily are delivered early the next day. In a general way the foregoing precautions suggested for butter should be observed in shipping cheese. POSTAL REQUIREMENTS Postal regulations provide that-- When it (butter) is so packed or wrapped as to prevent damage to other mail, it will be accepted for local delivery either at the office of mailing or on any rural route starting therefrom. Butter will be accepted for mailing to all offices to which in the ordinary course of mail it can be sent without spoiling when suitably wrapped or inclosed or when packed in crates, boxes, or other suitable containers to prevent the escape of anything from the package, and so constructed as to properly protect the contents. More than 50 pounds can not be sent beyond the third zone. The firmer varieties of cheese, not being liable to cause damage in the mails, need no special consideration when properly packaged. In some cases it will be found that the express can be used to better advantage than the parcel post. The rates on parcel-post packages vary according to their weight and the distances shipped. Persons not familiar with the postal regulations governing parcel-post shipments may obtain specific information at any post office regarding the rates and limits of weight and measurement applicable to shipments to any other office. PLAN No. 247. MADE SHIRTS FOR MEN A woman had heard her friend’s husband complain of the poor-fitting quality of ready-made shirts, and tried her hand at making him some. She carefully took his measure, bought a good shirt pattern and made him two. He was so well pleased that he ordered six more, and after that she had all she could do in making shirts for men, charging a price depending upon the style of shirt. This insured her a good living each year. There are other men who want shirts made, and other women who can make them--and make money at it, too. PLAN No. 248. SECRET OF SHOWING SAMPLES--COMPANY AGENT BECOMES A WELCOME SALESMAN While other canvassers were complaining that they did not get a chance to show their goods or samples at every house they visited, many doors being shut in their faces, an English brush company thought of a good plan. They furnish their salesmen with post cards saying: “Dear Madam: This card entitles you to one of our 15-cent sink brushes, which our agent will deliver to you at your home tomorrow. You don’t have to buy a thing--just let him show you our full line of brushes.” The next day after mailing this card, the agent calls with the brush, and of course Madam is civil enough to accept it and “look at the others.” That “look” nearly always means a sale, and this happens at almost every house, so the agent finds himself admitted to every home and a chance to have a popular hearing. This is given as a tip to other agents who have had the cold reception usually accorded agents and peddlers. PLAN No. 249. ASSIST MUSICAL COMPOSERS This plan, which was successfully operated by a Chicago man, not only brought many struggling authors of musical compositions into considerable prominence, but proved a profitable business for himself. He was engaged in publishing sheet music, and was in close touch with musical people all over the country. He inserted an ad. in the classified columns of the big city dailies, addressed to composers who had failed as their own publishers, the ad. asking them to write for a proposition. Hundreds of them did so, and he made them the following offer: If they would send the plates of their composition, and sign over their rights in the same to him, he would publish them, with their names prominently displayed as authors, send the authors fifty copies of each composition, and give a wide distribution to the main issue of the same; that he would also prominently mention their names in his publicity matter, and thus greatly increase their reputations as authors. Practically all of them accepted this offer, and he faithfully carried out his part of the contract, so that, just as he said, they became widely known in the musical world, and were soon doing business with the leading music publishers of the country. He realized a good income from publishing their compositions, as some of their compositions met with good sale while he sold some of all the rest. PLAN No. 250. HONING RAZORS BY MAIL A Seattle man who carried a line of barbers’ supplies, decided to increase his mail-order business by making it an object for men in the country and small towns to have their old-style razors honed, at no cost if not satisfactory. He inserted an ad. in some country newspapers, offering to make “dull razors sharp or no pay,” to return the razor, post paid, in twenty-four hours, and if the customer was satisfied, he was to send him 25 cents. A lot of them came in, all were sharpened and returned, and most of them were paid for. But he had a good list of names, secured in this way, and to these he sent a neatly written booklet, containing illustrations of many articles in the way of shaving supplies he carried in stock, and the orders he received from these made him a good profit, besides the amount he was ahead on the razors he honed. The few losses did not count, for he was out only 2 cents on each for postage, and those that did pay placed him far ahead. PLAN No. 251. SUCCESSFUL SALE, YET DIDN’T ADVERTISE It isn’t often we hear of anyone who succeeds in selling a product without newspaper advertising, but here is the case of a young man in a small city who did. This young man was putting up a very good cough remedy, and the first he made he left with the druggists to sell. They liked it, and sold it rapidly. Then he watched for the country merchants at the court house, the hotels, and other places, and many of them agreed to carry his remedy and push it, which made a great many more sales. In a few months every store within 15 miles of his home town was selling it. Then a wholesale grocery house took it up and, through its 15 traveling salesmen, introduced it in three states, covering several hundred miles. He demonstrated the wisdom of covering a small territory in the beginning, and gradually increased it. PLAN No. 252. LOCAL VIEW CALENDERS A young printer in Los Angeles made money by getting a number of excellent photographs of local views, and printing calendars for city merchants, with these views as the prominent feature of each calendar. PLAN No. 253. AMATEUR PRINTER AND HAND PRESS A very young man who had worked in a printing office for a couple of years decided to go into business for himself on a small scale, so he bought a small hand press that could be carried from place to place, and visited country fairs, picnics, summer resorts, and other places where people gather for recreation, and did a nice business printing calling cards and other small jobs. When he had a little leisure, he went among the smaller merchants in out-of-the-way sections of the country and printed letter heads, envelopes, business cards, etc., and in this way made a good living. PLAN No. 254. MAKING CUSHIONS, PILLOWS, ETC. A Chicago man, who has good taste in designing pillows and cushions earns a living by making artistic cushions, pillows, etc., for use in cosy corners. He goes to the homes of wealthy people, shows them his samples, and almost invariably receives an order for a number of these articles. His prices are rather high, but his work is so artistically done that it is well worth all it costs. PLAN No. 255. BATHROOM EXCLUSIVELY FOR WOMEN In a northern city of 10,000 inhabitants, a woman fitted up a neat, tasty and well equipped bathroom exclusively for women. It became very popular. Women who had no bathroom of their own, disliked going to one patronized by men, at once became her regular customers. PLAN No. 256. THE GUINEA FOWL ANDREW S. WEIANT Scientific Assistant in Poultry Investigations Animal Husbandry Division. Contribution from the Bureau of Animal Industry A. D. MELVIN, Chief For the following plan we are indebted to the U. S. Dept, of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Guinea fowl are growing in favor as a substitute for game birds, with the result that guinea raising is becoming more profitable. They are raised usually in small flocks on general farms, and need a large range for best results. Domesticated guinea fowl are of three varieties, Pearl, White, and Lavender, of which the Pearl is by far the most popular. Guinea fowl have a tendency to mate in pairs, but one male may be mated successfully with three or four females. Guinea hens usually begin to lay in April or May, and lay 20 to 30 eggs before becoming broody. If not allowed to sit they will continue to lay throughout the summer, laying from 40 to 60 or more eggs. Eggs may be removed from the nest when the guinea hen is not sitting, but two or more eggs should be left in the nest. Ordinary hens are used commonly to hatch and rear guinea chicks, but guinea hens and turkey hens also may be employed successfully, although they are more difficult to manage. Guineas are marketed late in the summer, when they weigh from 1 to 1¹⁄₂ pounds at about 2¹⁄₂ months of age, and also throughout the fall, when the demand is for heavier birds. DEMAND FOR GUINEA FOWL IN THE UNITED STATES The value of the guinea fowl as a substitute for game birds such as grouse, partridge, quail, and pheasant is becoming more and more recognized by those who are fond of this class of meat and the demand for these fowls is increasing steadily. Many hotels and restaurants in the large cities are eager to secure prime young guineas, and often they are served at banquets and club dinners as a special delicacy. When well cooked, guineas are attractive in appearance, although darker than common fowls, and the flesh of young birds is tender and of especially fine flavor, resembling that of wild game. Like all other fowl, old guineas are very likely to be tough and rather dry. [Illustration: Guinea Fowl.] A few of the large poultry raisers, particularly those who are within easy reach of the large eastern markets, make a practice of raising a hundred or so guineas each year, but the great majority of guineas are raised in small flocks of from 10 to 25 upon farms in the Middle West and in the South. Many farmers keep a pair or a trio of guineas more as a novelty than for profit, and from these a small flock is raised. The guinea fowl doubtless would be more popular on farms were it not for its harsh and at times seemingly never-ending cry. However, some people consider this cry an argument in the guinea’s favor, as it gives warning of marauders in the poultry yard. Similarly, their pugnacious disposition, while sometimes causing disturbances among the other poultry, also makes them show fight against hawks and other common enemies, so that guineas sometimes are kept as guards over the poultry yard. Often a few guineas are raised with a flock of turkeys and allowed to roost in the same tree, where they can give warning if any theft is attempted during the night. PRICE OF GUINEA FOWL The highest prices for guinea fowl are paid in the large eastern markets. Guinea raisers, who are near these markets, or who have developed a trade among private customers receive prices that make this industry very profitable. One poultryman located near a New England summer resort has raised as many as 400 guineas in one season, selling them in August, when they weigh about 1 pound each, at $1.25 per pair. Wholesale prices in New York usually range from 75 cents to $1 per pair for dressed spring guineas weighing 2 pounds to the pair, and from $1.25 to $1.50 per pair for those weighing 3 to 4 pounds to the pair. Old guineas are not wanted and seldom bring more than 50 or 60 cents a pair. [Illustration: Fig. 1.--White guinea, male.] In the city markets of the Middle West and South the demand for guinea fowl is small, and the prices are correspondingly low, the average price received by the producer being from 20 to 30 cents each. The ordinary retail price for guineas in Birmingham, Ala., is from 30 to 40 cents, while in St. Louis and Chicago the retail price usually is about 75 cents, and in New York $1. On the Pacific coast very few guineas are raised and only occasionally can they be found even in the largest markets. BREEDING STOCK AND EGGS FOR HATCHING The demand for guinea fowls as breeding stock is considerable, most of them being sold in pairs and trios. Breeders of the purebred Pearl, White, or Lavender varieties who have a reputation for high-class birds usually have little difficulty in disposing of surplus stock at prices ranging from $2 to $3.50 a pair and from $3 to $5 a trio. The demand for eggs for hatching is greater than for breeding stock. From 75 cents to $1 for 15 eggs from pure-bred birds is an ordinary price. During the last few years a limited market for guinea eggs has developed among commercial hatcheries which have an outlet for a few day-old guinea chicks along with their ordinary chicks, ducklings, goslings, and turkey poults. One hatchery near Boston has sold as many as 2,000 guinea chicks in one season, the eggs being purchased from an extensive breeder in Ohio and shipped by express in crates containing 360 eggs each. [Illustration: Fig. 2.--Splashed guinea (cross between White and Pearl varieties).] VARIETIES OF GUINEA FOWL Several species of wild birds known as guinea fowl are found in Africa, and derive their name from Guinea, which is situated on the West Coast of that continent. From one of these wild species (_Numida meleagris_) the common domesticated guineas are descended. They have long been domesticated, having been raised as table birds by the ancient Greeks and Romans, and were introduced into this country by the early settlers. In Africa, where there are still many wild flocks, they are highly prized by hunters as game birds, and in England they sometimes are used to stock game preserves. Even in this country a few flocks left to shift for themselves have become so wild as to afford excellent hunting. Domesticated guinea fowl are of three varieties--Pearl, White, and Lavender. The Pearl is by far the most popular. It has a purplish-gray plumage regularly dotted or “pearled” with white and is so handsome that frequently the feathers are used for ornamental purposes. The White guinea fowl (fig. 1) is of pure-white plumage, and the skin is somewhat lighter in color than in the Pearl variety. Lavender guineas resemble those of the Pearl variety, except that the plumage is of a light gray or lavender, regularly dotted with white instead of a dark or purplish gray dotted with white. By crossing the Pearl or Lavender varieties with the White, what is known as the “Splashed” guinea is produced, the breast and flight feathers being white and the remainder of the plumage being Pearl or Lavender (fig. 2). Crosses between guinea fowl and other poultry, particularly chickens and less commonly turkeys, are not unknown, but such birds without exception are sterile. The young guinea chicks are very attractive, those of the Pearl variety resembling young quail. They are brown in color, the under part of the body being lighter than the rest, while the beak and legs are red. The first feathers are brown, but these are replaced gradually by the “pearled” feathers until at about 2 months of age the brown feathers have disappeared completely. About this time also the wattles and helmet begin to make an appearance. As yet no standard of perfection has been set for guinea fowl, the birds not being recognized by the American Poultry Association. They are exhibited at poultry shows throughout the country, however, and most of these shows offer prizes for the best birds. In judging guinea fowl, the points regarded as most important are good size and uniform color. White flight feathers in the Pearl and Lavender varieties are the most common defects. In weight, guineas average from 3 to 4 pounds at maturity for both male and female. DISTINGUISHING SEX The male and the female guinea fowl differ so little in appearance that many persons have considerable difficulty in making a distinction. Indeed, it often happens that those who are inexperienced in raising these fowl will unknowingly keep all males or all females as breeding stock. Usually the males can be distinguished by their larger helmet and wattles and coarser head (fig. 3), but to be positive one should listen to the cry made by each bird. That of the female resembles “buckwheat, buckwheat,” and is decidedly different from the one-syllable shriek of the male. When excited, both the male and the female emit one-syllable cries, but at no time does the male imitate the cry of “buckwheat, buckwheat.” Sex can be distinguished by this difference in the cry of the male and female when the birds are about 2 months old. BREEDING Like quail and most other wild birds, guinea fowls in their wild state mate in pairs, and this tendency prevails among domesticated guineas also, provided the males and females are equal in number. As the breeding season approaches, one pair after another separates from the remainder of the flock and ranges off in the fields in search of a suitable nesting place. Once mated in this way, the male usually remains with his mate throughout the laying season, standing guard somewhere near the nest while the hen is laying and ready to warn her of any approaching danger. However, it is not necessary to mate them in pairs under domestic conditions to secure fertile eggs, and most breeders keep but one male for every three or four females. When mated in this way the hens are more apt to lay near home, and several usually lay in the same nest, thus making it much easier to find the nests and gather the eggs. [Illustration: Fig. 3.--Distinguishing between male and female. The helmet and wattles of the male (on left) are larger than those of the female.] Most guinea raisers allow their breeding stock free range of the entire farm at all times, and this helps to keep the birds strong and vigorous. During the winter the breeders should be fed a grain mixture of corn, wheat, and oats twice a day, and where no green feed is available on the range at this time of the year, vegetables, such as potatoes, turnips, beets, and cabbage, should be substituted. Animal feed is essential to best results and can be supplied by feeding meat scrap or skimmed milk. Given free range, where the supply of natural feed during the winter and early spring is ample, as it usually is in the southern portion of the United States, the guineas can be left to pick up a considerable part of their feed. Free access to grit, charcoal, and oyster shell is necessary throughout the breeding and laying season. Avoid having the breeders too fat, but keep them in good firm flesh. While guineas can be kept in the best breeding condition upon free range, still they can be confined, if necessary, and satisfactory results obtained. One extensive guinea raiser has confined as many as 45 hens and 15 males in an acre pen throughout the breeding and laying season and been successful. This pen is inclosed with a wire fence 5 feet high and the birds are prevented from flying over by clipping the flight feathers of one wing. Within the pen is a grass pasture with bushes here and there where the hens make their nests by scratching out a bowl-shaped hollow in the ground. The winters being severe, a roosting shed is provided, having a cleated board reaching from the floor to the roosts for the wing-clipped birds to walk up. GUINEA EGGS As profitable egg producers guinea hens can not compete with ordinary hens, but during the latter part of the spring and throughout the summer they are persistent layers. The eggs are smaller than hen eggs, weighing about 1.4 ounces each, while eggs of the common fowl average about 2 ounces each; consequently guinea eggs sell at a somewhat lower price. There is no special market for guinea eggs and they are usually graded by dealers as small hen eggs. Owing to the natural tendency of the guinea hen to nest in a patch of weeds or some other well-hidden place, many of the eggs are not found until they are no longer fit for market. The shells of guinea eggs are so thick and often so dark that it is difficult to test them by candling, and for this reason, and also because the eggs are small, dealers do not like to handle them. For home use, however, guinea eggs can be made to take the place of hen eggs, and many regard them as superior in flavor. In composition the greatest difference is that the shell is thicker and the yolk makes up a slightly larger proportion of the total egg contents than in the case of hen eggs. [Illustration: Fig. 4.--Relative size of eggs of ordinary hen (left) and guinea hen (right).] LAYING Guinea hens usually begin laying in April or May, those in the South laying earlier than those in the North. A short time before the opening of the laying period the hens with their mates begin searching for suitable nesting places among the weeds and brush along the fences or in the fields. In this search the male takes as active an interest as his mate, and when a suitable location is found both help to dig out the nest and make it into a suitable shape. Each day as the hen goes to the nest to lay the male accompanies her and remains near by until she comes off. Should anyone approach he shrieks in warning and thus betrays the whereabouts of the nest, which might otherwise be difficult to locate. If several guinea hens are mated with one male they usually all lay in the same nest, but sometimes a hen after mating will wander off by herself to make her own nest. At other times the male bird, after helping one hen to make her nest, will then desert her and pair off with another hen to make another nest. From 20 to 30 and often more eggs are laid before the guinea hen becomes broody, at which time she can be broken of her broodiness easily by removing the eggs from her nest, when she will soon begin laying again. If not allowed to sit, guinea hens will continue to lay throughout the summer, laying from 40 to 60 and in some cases 100 eggs during the season. GATHERING THE EGGS The wild nature of the guinea hen asserts itself in her nesting habits. Instinct demands that the nest be well hidden from all enemies, such as crows, dogs, skunks, opossums, rats, foxes, coyotes, and other predatory animals. If the hen becomes frightened by the intrusion of some enemy, or if her eggs are removed from the nest, more than likely she will change her nesting place to a safer location. For this reason she should not be disturbed while she is on the nest, and the eggs should not be removed without leaving a few nest eggs in their place. If a number of eggs are removed at one time, half a dozen left in the nest usually are sufficient to keep the hen from seeking a new nest. If the eggs are gathered every day, two or three usually are enough to leave as nest eggs. It is unnecessary to remove the eggs with a spoon or to scrape them out with a stick, as is sometimes done to prevent the hand from coming in contact with the nest and leaving a scent. After the eggs are gathered they should be handled with as little jarring as possible and should be set while fresh, never holding them more than two weeks if it can be avoided. INCUBATION Ordinary hens are used commonly to incubate guinea eggs, but guinea hens, turkey hens, and incubators also can be employed successfully. The usual sitting for a guinea hen is about 14 eggs, for a hen of one of the general-purpose breeds such as a Plymouth Rock, 18 eggs, and for a turkey hen, about 24 eggs. The incubation period for guinea eggs is 28 days, although frequently they start hatching on the twenty-sixth day and are all hatched by the end of the twenty-seventh day. If the nest in which the guinea hen becomes broody is safe from any disturbance, she may be trusted with a sitting of eggs and more than likely will hatch out every egg that is fertile, provided all hatch at about the same time. As soon as the guinea chicks begin to leave the nest the hen will leave with them, and any eggs that are late in hatching are ruined unless they are placed in an incubator or under a broody hen before they become chilled. Guinea hens usually are too wild to be set anywhere except in the nest where they have become broody, and often such a nest is unsafe. Because of these disadvantages and the fact that guinea hens do not make the most satisfactory mothers for guinea chicks, ordinary hens are most often used to do both the incubating and the brooding, at least until late in the summer, when the guinea hens often are allowed to sit and raise a brood without much attention being given them. Broody turkey hens, when not needed to incubate turkey eggs, often receive a sitting of guinea eggs, and they hatch them quite as well as ordinary hens and also are able to cover more eggs. ARTIFICIAL INCUBATION AND BROODING Incubators are used as successfully in hatching guinea eggs as in hatching hen eggs. They are operated in exactly the same way for either kind, except that the thermometer is lowered sufficiently to make its relative position above the guinea eggs similar to its former position above the hen eggs. Little has been done in the way of brooding guinea chicks artificially. They are naturally of a wild nature and require free range to grow into strong, vigorous birds. Nevertheless in one case a New England poultryman hatched 200 guinea chicks and succeeded in raising about 125 by brooding them in exactly the same way as common chicks in a hot-water brooder house. On bright warm days the chicks were allowed to run in a yard about 50 by 100 feet, which had been planted to corn, and thus afforded some green food for them to pick at. This yard was inclosed by a 5-foot wire fence of 1-inch mesh, with 2 feet of ¹⁄₂-inch mesh around the bottom. The guineas began flying over the fence when they were about 6 weeks old, and from then on they had free range and were allowed to roost in the trees. Other poultrymen who have tried brooding guinea chicks artificially report utter failures, sometimes due to white diarrhea, and at other times the birds seem to become weak and die from no apparent cause except too close confinement. NATURAL BROODING OF GUINEA CHICKS Ordinary hens make the best mothers for guinea chicks. Given warm, dry weather and plenty of range, turkey and guinea hens can be used successfully, but should a rain or heavy dew occur, the mother turkey or guinea hen is apt to drag the chicks through the wet grass and many are lost from becoming wet and chilled. Neither turkey nor guinea hens can be induced to seek the shelter of a coop at night and during storms, but will remain out in the fields to hover their broods wherever they happen to be when nightfall overtakes them. When the guineas are old enough to roost they can be trained to roost wherever desired by driving them to the roosting place and feeding them there regularly. After the first few nights they will come to the place themselves, but until they are old enough to roost many of the young guineas that are being raised with turkey or guinea hens are likely to be killed by exposure to cold and dampness or by being led over so wild a range that they become exhausted and are unable to keep up with the remainder of the flock. If ordinary hens are used as mothers, it is very easy to raise a large percentage of the total number of guinea chicks hatched. Each hen that is to have a brood should be allowed to hatch out some of the eggs herself, after which she will mother all that are given her. A Plymouth Rock hen can care for 18 easily. After the hatch is completed and the chicks are strong enough to leave the nest, the hen and brood are ready to be removed to the coop provided for them. The greatest fault of the hen as a mother is that on the average farm she has become accustomed to staying about the barnyard, and if allowed to do so, she will keep her guinea chicks there also. Conditions about the barnyard are entirely unsuited for raising guineas, and to prevent the hen keeping them there the coop should be placed in a distant pasture or field. Here the hen should be induced to remain until the guineas are old enough to go to roost. For the first two days the hens should be confined to the coop, allowing the chicks to run in and out at will. They will not stay away unless there is another brood near by which they are apt to join. After the first few days the chicks become so attached to their foster mother that they will never leave her. By the third day the hen will have recognized the coop as her home and can have free range without fear of her wandering far away. At night she will return to the coop with her brood and can be shut in to protect her from foxes or any other night prowlers. After the dew is off the grass in the morning the coop can be opened and the hen and her brood allowed free range again. Should a rain come up they can easily be driven to the coop and the chicks will be kept warm and dry. The coop should be rain proof and built without a floor. If it is moved a short distance every day, the ground beneath it is kept fresh and clean. LICE Hens to be used in brooding guinea chicks should first be completely freed from lice. This can be done by dusting them with some good lice powder at the time they are set and repeating once a week during the period of incubation. Guineas are less likely to have lice than common fowl, but when they are raised with hens care should be taken to keep them from becoming infested. Examine the young chicks about the head and along the wing bar at the base of the quill feathers, and if lice are found grease these parts lightly with lard. As the guineas grow older they take great delight in dusting themselves and usually are able to keep free from lice. FEEDING Guineas are fed in much the same way as chickens, but they require less feed, as they are natural rangers and can be trusted to find enough seeds of weeds and grasses, buds, insects, and green vegetation in the fields to supply much of their living. For the first 36 hours after hatching no feed is required, as the sustenance from the egg is sufficient to nourish them for this period. The first meal may consist of a little hard-boiled egg mixed with bread crumbs, or bread may be soaked in milk, squeezed partly dry, and fed in small bits. Clabbered milk also is very good. Three times a day is as often as they need to be fed, one feed consisting of clabbered milk or the bread and egg or bread and milk mixture, and the other two of chick feed. If the coop is placed in a field or pasture where green feed is available, the guinea chicks can secure this for themselves; otherwise, sprouted oats, dandelion leaves, lettuce, or onion tops cut fine should be furnished. Water, grit, and fine oyster shell should be before them always. By the end of the first week the young guineas will be finding enough worms and insects to take the place of the egg or milk feed, so this may be eliminated and chick feed given morning and night. If clabbered milk is available, however, it can be continued with excellent success, since guineas are very fond of variety in their ration and it is conductive to quick growth. As the birds grow older, whole wheat, oats, and cracked corn can be substituted gradually for the chick feed. ROOSTING When guinea fowl are from 6 to 8 weeks old they will leave their coop and start roosting in some near-by tree or other roost that may be provided for them. They prefer roosting in the open, but if they have been raised with a hen they can be induced to follow her inside a poultry house and roost there. It is advisable to have them become accustomed to going in a house or shed of some sort, for otherwise it is almost impossible to catch them when they are wanted for the market. Guineas, even after they are grown, will not allow the mother hen to leave. When she goes to her nest to lay, they follow and wait near by until she is ready to leave again. This attachment affords an easy method of controlling the natural wild instincts of the guinea fowl and makes raising them under domestic conditions much simpler. MARKETING The marketing season for guinea fowl is during the latter part of the summer and throughout the fall. At this time the demand in the city markets is for young birds weighing from 1 to 2 pounds each. At about 2¹⁄₂ months of age guineas weigh from 1 to 1¹⁄₂ pounds, and at this size they begin reaching the markets in August. As the season advances the demand is for heavier birds. During the fall of 1916 New York wholesale quotations for dressed guineas were as follows: Sept. 1, guineas, spring, 2 pounds to pair, per pair $1.00 Sept. 1, guineas, spring, 2¹⁄₂ to 3 pounds to pair, per pair $1.25 to 1.37¹⁄₂ Oct. 1, guineas, spring, 2 pounds to pair, per pair 1.00 Oct. 1, guineas, spring, 3 to 4 pounds to pair, per pair 1.25 to 1.50 Nov. 1, guineas, spring, 2 pounds to pair, per pair .75 to 1.00 Nov. 1, guineas, spring, 3 to 4 pounds to pair, per pair 1.50 to 1.75 The usual practice in marketing game birds is to place them on the market unplucked, and in most markets guineas are sold in this way (see fig. 5). They look more attractive with the feathers on and sell more readily. When dressed the small size and dark color of the guinea are likely to prejudice the prospective customer, who may be unfamiliar with the bird’s excellent eating qualities. For hotel and restaurant trade, however, guineas should be dressed in the same way as common fowl. Before shipping any birds to a market, it is advisable to inquire of the dealer to whom they are to be shipped whether the feathers should be removed. [Illustration: Fig. 5.--Guinea fowl usually are marketed unplucked, except for hotel and restaurant trade, for which they are dressed like ordinary fowl.] If the guineas are to be marketed with the feathers on, all that should be done is to bleed them by severing the vein in the roof of the mouth, allowing them to hang head downward until bleeding is complete. If the feathers are to be removed, this should be done by dry picking. The vein in the roof of the mouth is severed first to insure thorough bleeding, and the knife then thrust through the groove in the roof of the mouth into the brain. When the brain is pierced the feathers are loosened by a convulsive movement of the muscles and can be removed easily. PLAN No. 257. SOUVENIR POST CARDS A Spokane man, whose total capital was $75, perfected a plan for making money out of post cards, and realized a profit of about 90 per cent. He bought 9,000 post cards of different designs, including embossed floral, birthday greetings, best wishes, air-brush embossed fruit and flowers, live series, embossed and family mottoes, cards for all the holidays and seasons, etc. These he bought at $4.00 per 1,000 for $36. To send out these cards in registered packages of 100 each, cost $14.50, a total of $50.50. The next he secured the names of several hundred general store keepers in towns of 700 or under, and selecting 90 of these at one time, he sent each of them 100 of the assorted cards, offering to accept $1.00 for the lot if paid inside of ten days, or $1.25 for the 100 cards if kept more than 10 days before remitting. He added that if they did not want to keep the cards, he should be notified at once, and he would send postage for their return. He also enclosed a price list of other cards, and asked the merchants to compare the quality and prices of his cards with other cards, and note the saving made by patronizing him. In practically all cases the $1 was remitted inside the ten days named, and his gross receipts from the cards that cost him $50.50 was $90, or a net profit of $39.50. This afforded him a comfortable income by the year. PLAN No. 258. NOVEL CANVASSING METHOD An enterprising agent who had secured several formulas, had them printed separately on good paper, with the selling price marked at 50 cents each. He made up a small quantity of each article mentioned, for demonstration purposes, and bought a gross of cheap silverene sugar spoons at a cost of less than 5 cents each, to be used as premiums, and started out on a house-to-house canvassing expedition. He would call at a house and ask the lady if she had any clothing that was soiled with grease or paint or a soiled glove that she would allow him to clean without charge. Almost every housewife had exactly what he mentioned, and quickly brought it out, as it would cost her nothing to have it cleaned. Having thoroughly cleaned the clothing or gloves he would then rub a little of the furniture polish on a chair, and clean a silver spoon or the nickel on the stove with his metal polish, and by this time he would have her deeply interested. Then he took from his grip one of the silverene spoons, with the remark that he was not selling the cleaners or polishers but simply the formulas for making them from ingredients procurable at any drug store, and that she could have any two of the 50-cent formulas for 50 cents and he would throw in the sugar spoon as a premium. Usually he got the half dollar without further argument, but if the lady hesitated he would add another formula or two more if necessary, as they cost him nothing but the printing, and the spoon cost but 5 cents, so he would have been away ahead if he had given her one each of all the formulas and the sugar spoon besides. PLAN No. 259. A CIRCULATING LIBRARY IN SMALL TOWN There are several ways of establishing circulating libraries, but probably the best plan yet devised is one worked out by a young man living in a middle-western city. Going into a town of not less than 800 or 1,000 people, he first arranges with some trustworthy merchant, usually the local druggist, to handle the books and make his place the library headquarters. The druggist is glad to do this without charge, as it will bring many people to his store who have not been coming there before, and probably mean a number of new customers. He then canvasses the town for members, on a basis as follows: The membership fee to be $1.75, and for two years will entitle the members or their families to the use of any of the books in the circulating library, one book to be placed therein for each member secured, but at least fifty members must be secured, thus giving each one the chance to read the fifty books in the two years for $1.75. Of course, more than fifty members are secured, if possible, and the membership fee is to be paid to the druggist or merchant handling the same, upon the arrival of the books. When all the members possible have been secured, the originator of this plan orders the books forwarded to the resident manager, who is the druggist or merchant already mentioned, and the membership fee is collected and sent to the home address of the man who established the library, while he goes on to the next town to start another library. It does not require more than a week in each town, and as the books are bought in quantities at a very low figure, he makes a good living each year from this plan. PLAN No. 260. A NEW WAY TO SELL MEMORIALS A young man living in a southern city originated a plan by which he was able to sell thousands of memorials all over the country, while not appearing to be selling anything. Supplying himself with an impressive looking blank book, in which long lists of names could be written, he called at every house in the territory he was canvassing, and informed the lady at each place that he was compiling a list of the deaths in the county for statistical purposes. In those cases where deaths had occurred in the family he would ask for the names, dates of births and death, and having secured these, he would say, as he was leaving: “These records are going to be very beautiful, and the lady next door has asked me to show her what they will be like. If you wish, I can bring yours at the same time, so that you may see if I have all the facts correctly stated.” Having bought several hundred memorials at a low figure, those with angels on them predominating, and selecting from books of poetry stanzas appropriate to each of the memorials, he had these, together with the names and dates, printed in gold letters, pasting the printed slips on the memorials, near the bottom, thus making them very attractive. Returning to the route he had formerly canvassed he would call at each house where he had procured names and dates and say to the lady that, in compliance with her request, he had come to show her the record. It was so beautifully done that in practically every case the lady would ask if it were for sale. He would sell the record for $1.60 or $2.00, and as at least half of this was clear profit, and he sold many thousands of memorials in this way, some idea of his earnings may be gained. PLAN No. 261. GROWING AND SELLING POTTED PLANTS An Illinois woman, wishing to earn a little money for herself, obtained catalogs from various seed firms, and sent 50 cents to one of them for geranium seeds. She planted them in shallow boxes, and got more than 200 plants from them. She shifted these plants from the boxes to small tin cans, and sold them to her neighbors for 10 cents each, thus receiving $20 for her 50-cent investment. Succeeding so well in her first venture, she sent for more seeds, some plants and thumb pots, and bought collections of small plants, from which she took cuttings when they had grown larger. She soon had more orders for plants than she could fill, so she built a low shed on the south side of her house, with old window frames and glass for a roof, and produced on a larger scale. She found that geraniums, begonias and ferns were most in demand, and she specialized in these. In a year or two she had a business of her own that was not only pleasant and fascinating but profitable enough to give her an independent income. PLAN No. 262. MONEY FROM GEESE Very few people seem to know that although geese pay greater profits than any other domestic bird, they cost much less to raise than other species of fowl. But a farmer’s wife in Kansas knew this, and she utilized her knowledge in a very profitable way. She realized that the market for live goose feathers never could become glutted, and that dressed geese for Thanksgiving and Christmas time brought enormous prices. She began early in the summer as she knew they were expensive to keep over winter. She bought one pair and a setting of eggs and from these she raised fifteen fine young geese within the first three months. Another setting brought out twelve more, and by fall she had a nice flock of thrifty young ones. By late November they were almost full grown, raised entirely on green stuff, so that just before Thanksgiving she plucked them all, including the old ones, and had a fine lot of fresh, clean feathers which later sold for very high prices. Then, after plucking the birds, she killed them all, dressed them, and sold every one of them before Thanksgiving. She could have sold many more for they were choice, fat birds, and all young except the two she started with. When she counted up her total receipts from the sale of the feathers and the dressed geese, she was surprised, and the next year she went into the business on a much larger scale, with correspondingly increased profits, which were sufficient to make her livelihood. PLAN No. 263. STARTED WITH THE LIBRARY COLUMN IN NEWSPAPER A literary woman in a small city, realizing the inability of many people to make proper selections of books from the public library, in conjunction with the librarian, induced the editor of the local daily paper to let her establish a “library column” in the Saturday issue, in which she sought to instruct the public regarding the choice of books, the use of the card catalog, the consultation of shop lists, the periodical index, and various reference works. She was to be paid $5.00 a week, if she “made good,” which she did. Then she inaugurated a “club column” in the same issue of the paper, and gave interesting news of club meetings, with comments upon the work done, etc., and for this she received another $5.00. Later the editor urged her to add a “home department” to her work, at still another $5.00 a week, and on this modest salary she managed to live comfortably. In two years, however, she was offered the control of the home department of the Sunday edition of a large city daily at more than twice her $15 a week in the small town, and she promptly accepted it. PLAN No. 264. CANNING FOR CITY PEOPLE A farmer’s wife, who had plenty of fruits, small fruits, berries, vegetables, etc., but had very few jars in which to put them up, arranged with a number of families in the city to have them furnish the jars, while she would furnish the fruits and the sugar, and do the canning, for 20 cents per jar. As the fruit thus put up was worth at least 50 cents per quart jar, the city people obtained it cheaply enough, while the farmer’s wife made $80 by putting up 400 jars during the season. This made it profitable all around, and saved a lot of farm products that would otherwise have gone to waste. This plan can be worked on a larger scale to afford any one a good living each year. [Illustration: Plan No. 265. He Loves the Out-of-door Life] PLAN No. 265. “LANDSCAPING” CITY LOTS Two landscape gardeners, who lived in a residence part of the city where scant attention was paid by the owners to the appearance of their lawns and parking strips, undertook to change the looks of the neighborhood, and create a good business for themselves. Selecting ten blocks on a graded street, along which were good houses and many trees, most of them sadly neglected, they proposed to the owners of the various houses on both sides of the street to give it the careful and skillful attention the places needed, at so much a month. Most of the owners signed contracts for this work, and at the end of the season each property so cared for by these men had improved better than 100 per cent in appearance. The result was that several owners were offered higher prices for their property than they had ever thought it worth, and the next year those who had at first refused to employ the landscape gardeners were the first to sign up for the season just starting. PLAN No. 266. BOSSING OTHER PEOPLE’S GARDENS, OR GARDEN MANAGEMENT A suburban resident who knew all about gardens and gardening, yet realized the utter ignorance of the average suburbanite regarding the planting and care of gardens, the prevention and extermination of insect pests, and a lot of other things necessary to know, decided one spring that he would not raise a garden that year, but would make a good living by taking care of other people’s gardens, not doing the work himself, but taking general supervision of it and telling the owners just how it should be done, if they wished to make a success of gardening. Most of the people in that suburb wanted to raise gardens, but didn’t know how to do it themselves, so they were glad enough to secure the services of this expert at so much for the season, and do as he told them. He made a careful survey of every garden under contract, noting the soil, slope and general characteristics of the location, named the kind and quantity of seeds or plants, to be given a certain amount of space, the kind of fertilizer, if any, that must be used, the time of planting, the method of cultivation, the symptoms of insect pests, and the kind of spray to be used in their destruction, and every other item of knowledge needed by those who didn’t know but were willing to learn. The outcome of it all was that that particular suburb was frequently mentioned in the city papers as the one possessing the prize gardens for many miles around, and the owners found them the source of profit instead of loss, besides having the satisfaction of knowing how to do it next year. And the expert was equally pleased for he had made $2,000 that season by simply telling other people what to do. PLAN No. 267. REPAIRING LAWN MOWERS One would scarcely think there could be much of a living in simply traveling around and repairing lawn mowers, but a man in a western city, who is “handy with tools,” and has a taste for machinery, makes a good living for himself and a large family. The mechanism of a lawn mower is easily learned by carefully studying its construction, finding out what each particular piece is for, how it gets out of order, how to repair it, in short, to become a master of the machine. He not only covers a large territory in his home city, where all work in that line is reserved for him, by those for whom he has already done repairing, but he occasionally finds time to take in one or two outside towns where, in a few days, he takes all the lawn mowers that need repair and puts them in first class working condition. His charges are 50 to 75 cents an hour. He makes a living, and has bought and paid for a nice home. PLAN No. 268. MONEY FROM SMALL LUNCHES That “many a mickle makes a muckle,” is pretty well exemplified in the case of a young man living in Buffalo, who has built up a very good business of his own through supplying soda water counters, small lunch rooms, tourists, school houses, factories, etc., with what he calls “nut sandwiches.” These he makes from shredded wheat “triscuits” by cutting them in two and spreading peanut butter between the two sides. He puts these up in wax paper and retails them at a low price, yet one that enables him to make a discount when selling them in quantities. PLAN No. 269. A NOVEL LUNCH PLAN There is a concern in a southern city that puts up and delivers lunches in any part of town, to those who cannot go home to their mid-day meal. A lunch they sell and deliver for a comparatively small sum, which includes two ham sandwiches, one cheese sandwich, a piece of pie and a piece of cake, packed in a paper box, with paper napkin, toothpicks, etc. Less elaborate lunches are sold for 10 cents, and more complete ones for a higher price, and deliveries are made by boys on bicycles, who are hired for two hours each day. As the expense has been reduced to a minimum, the young fellows at the head of the concern are able to send out a better lunch than can be bought at the restaurants, for the same price and yet make a good profit out of the business for themselves. PLAN No. 270. OLD STREET-CAR BECOMES DINING ROOM A lady in southern California motored to a little tourist town up the mountain side to look at some property she thought of buying. Noticing an abandoned street car in the rear of a gift shop, she leased it from the owner and converted it into a “dining car.” Taking out the seats, she put in adjustable tables and chairs, electric lights and pretty cretonne hangings. The tables she painted buff, with black enamel tops; the dishes were in conventional designs of the same coloring, while quaint birds and flowers were the shapes given the salt and pepper shakers. Table runners and napkins she made of soft Indian-head, hand-hemmed. A kitchen was built at one end of the car and reached by a protected platform, so no kitchen odors reached the car. The menu was of the “homey” variety, and light lunches were served all day, with a 6-o’clock dinner. The patronage of hungry motorists from cities on the coast, as well as the people of the little mountain town, makes it lively at all times, and a very profitable as well as pleasant business. Other disused cars all over the country could be put to the same practical and profitable use, if people only thought of it. PLAN No. 271. FRUIT PRESERVED AND MARKETED BY A WOMAN To help her husband rise from a $10-a-week clerkship to a factory of his own, where he is making more money in a day than he formerly made in a month as a “hired man,” is what a New York woman accomplished by a little idea that came to her one day. Having made a practice of visiting the large markets late in the evening, and buying over-ripe fruit for a small price, as much of it would not keep over night, she suggested to her husband that, as he quit his work at 5 o’clock every day and had a half-holiday on Saturdays, he should visit these markets as late as possible on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, buy fruit at low prices, bring it home and let her can or preserve it. Then on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings, he could carry samples of the canned or preserved fruits on his bicycle to clubs, hotels and the best residences, let the chefs and cooks sample them, and take orders. Her husband thought the suggestion a good one, so he bought the fruits, berries, etc., as cheaply as possible, near closing time of the markets, and she canned or preserved them in the best way. The fruit sold readily; he found many orders waiting for him when making his second calls, and the first week their profits were $30, or three times the amount of the husband’s salary. Of course, he resigned at once, and they enlarged the scope of their operations to such an extent that in a year or two they had removed to a suburb, rented a piece of ground, where they raised cucumbers for pickles, which she pickled according to a recipe that created a tremendous demand for them, and later they established a factory for putting up fruit which has made them good profits every year since it started. [Illustration: Plan No. 272. “Not What I Have, but What I Do is My Kingdom”] PLAN No. 272. A WOMAN LANDSCAPE ARTIST ASSISTED AN ARCHITECT An architect living in a western city has a wife who possesses excellent taste and marked talent in the matter of planning surroundings for homes, and her own little cottage is an example of what a woman with excellent taste can do. Her husband had designed many houses in a good residence district, but as the owners lacked the taste necessary to add attractive surroundings, they did not present a pleasing appearance. In order to assist her husband she volunteered to furnish plans for laying out and decorating the grounds free of charge, and in every case made a great improvement in the appearance of the place. So favorable was the impression created by her work that she was paid for her plans and her services which greatly assisted her husband’s business. A couple of years later her husband was given a contract for designing all the houses to be built by a land company on a large tract, and she was given a contract for all the landscape gardening. PLAN No. 273. A WOMAN MADE HUCKLEBERRY PIE Just because she knew that almost every man on earth likes huckleberry pie, a woman started out on a capital of one dollar to help her husband to rise from a job in a cotton mill to a business of his own. The husband went for a two-weeks, much needed, vacation and rest in the mountains, and on that very morning a colored boy came to the door with two pails, one filled with huckleberries, the other with blackberries, both of which he offered to sell for 25 cents. She wanted the berries, but she couldn’t break that dollar, the last bit of money she had on earth, and the boy turned tearfully away. Just as he reached the gate, an idea struck her, and she called him back, paid him the quarter and took the berries. It was then ten minutes to 8 A. M. At 11.30 she had sixteen delicious huckleberry and blackberry pies out of the oven and in a basket. Then she hurried over to the factory where her husband worked, and asked and received permission to stand at the exit of the cotton mill and offer her pies to the workmen as they came out at 12. When they came out and saw those pies, and were told they could buy them at a low price, inside of ten minutes every pie was gone, and she went home with a good profit as the result of her first day’s pie-making. The next day she had pies for all the workmen, and her business grew so fast that at the end of the fourth day she wired her husband to come home and help her. Today they own a big pie house that is making several thousand dollars a year, and it all came from the start the wife made on one dollar. PLAN No. 274. LITTLE GIRLS’ COOKING SCHOOL Establish a school in which, for a small weekly sum, you can teach little girls the art of cooking. Vacation is the best time to start this, when teachers and pupils are both at leisure. A large class should be easily formed for this purpose. PLAN No. 275. GIRLS’ SEWING SCHOOL Those who cannot combine the teaching of cooking and sewing in the same school, will find a separate school a profitable occupation, or both together could be turned into a domestic housework school. PLAN No. 276. A HOME STORE Anyone who has a house with a window fronting on the street, or near it, can start a little store in which most of the goods are home-made, and so show a large profit and make a good deal of money. It all depends on the enterprise of the storekeeper. PLAN No. 277. COLLECTING AND SELLING NAMES For one who lives in the country there is a profitable business in collecting names and addresses of residents in each rural community and selling them to the publishers of farm journals. They will pay well for these names. In the city it is an easy matter to find a market for the names. PLAN No. 278. A MAILING BUREAU Operating a folding, addressing and mailing bureau is a pleasant and profitable home business that will grow and make money for the person who owns it. PLAN No. 279. CARDBOARD KITCHEN LIST Print on a good, strong piece of cardboard a list of articles needed in the home from day to day, with the heading, “Lest We Forget,”--the housewife is to stick a pin in each article wanted on the list, which begins with apples and ends with yeastcake. All around the sides of this list have spaces for ads. which the merchants will gladly pay for, as the list is consulted several times every day, and the names of advertisers become familiar to the entire household. Distribute free of charge the cards to the housewives. Such a medium is valuable to the advertiser and will yield a good advertising solicitor a good living. PLAN No. 280. THE CITY HOME GARDEN For this following plan we are indebted to the United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Fresh vegetables for an average family may be grown upon a large back yard or city lot. The use of fresh vegetables conserves meats, grains, and other foods produced on farms. The production of vegetables at home relieves transportation difficulties and solves the marketing problem. The city home garden utilizes idle land and spare time for food production. Thousands of acres of idle land that may be used for gardens are still available within the boundaries of our large cities. Some of the problems that confront the city gardener are more difficult than those connected with the farm garden, and it is the object of this article to discuss these problems from a practical standpoint. [Illustration: City Farming.] The problems that confront the city gardener are vastly greater than those of the farmer, who is free to select the choicest plat of ground upon the farm for his vegetable garden. The city-lot or back-yard garden as a rule offers little choice of soil or location. The available land is often shaded a part of the day, and the soil frequently consists of hard clay or is covered to a depth of several inches with cinders, broken stone, or other materials unfit for growing plants. The city gardener is usually handicapped by lack of practical experience and for want of suitable tools with which to do the work. Hand methods must be employed for the most part, and numerous local difficulties must be overcome. It is possible, however, to grow certain kinds of vegetables under very adverse conditions, and the results obtained by many city gardeners are truly remarkable. The many thousands of city gardens have played an important part in providing a substantial increase in the food supply of the country. It is essential that the work so well started should continue and that the many thousands of acres of unoccupied land in and around our cities be utilized for food production. The experimental stage of city gardening has been passed, and, in the language of one of the State workers, “the city garden movement will not have achieved its full purpose until all suitable lands are utilized and every family table is fully supplied.” [Illustration: Fig. 1.--Small back-yard gardens in a residence section of Washington, D. C.] The city back-yard or vacant-lot garden provides a supply of vegetables at home without transportation or handling costs. Vegetables from the home garden are fresher and more palatable than those brought from a distance. Many persons who work in offices, stores, and factories have time mornings and evenings that may well be devoted to the cultivation of a garden, thus utilizing spare time and idle land for food production. The home vegetable garden should be a family interest and all members of the family who are able to do so should take part in its cultivation. There is no better form of outdoor exercise than moderate working in the home garden, and few lines of recreational work will give greater returns for the time employed. (Fig. 1.) TYPE AND LOCATION OF THE CITY GARDEN There are three general types of city vegetable gardens: Back-yard gardens, vacant-lot gardens, and community gardens. In locating the home garden the back yard or the ground surrounding the dwelling should be given first consideration, because of the convenience both in working the garden and in gathering the products as wanted for use. If the grounds around the dwelling are too small or too densely shaded or if the soil is of such a character that vegetables can not be grown successfully upon it, the use of a vacant lot in the neighborhood is recommended. (Fig. 2.) Community gardens located in the outskirts of the city, where a tract of land can be secured, are adapted for the use of families living in apartment houses; also for shopworkers and those employed by large manufacturing concerns. There is a distinct advantage in having the garden located near the home, as much of the work of tending it may be done during spare moments, and the garden can be protected from theft or from injury by stray animals. [Illustration: Fig. 2.--A vacant-lot garden on one of the principal residence streets of Washington, D. C.] Do not locate the garden on land upon which the sun does not shine for at least five hours each bright day. Do not locate the garden on soil where the rock is but a few inches below the surface and where there is insufficient moisture. Do not attempt to grow a garden where a fill has been made with cinders, broken bricks, or rock, or where the original soil has been buried with materials upon which weeds will not grow. If weeds grow rank and vigorous it is a sure sign that the soil is good. Do not plant a garden under or near large trees that will steal all the moisture and plant food from the crops. The maples and the oaks are the kinds of trees that are most injurious to crops planted near them. Do not plant a garden on low land where the crops are reasonably sure to be lost from overflow. Failure to observe one or more of the above precautions has resulted in disappointment on the part of many gardeners. Where there is any choice in the selection of a garden location the following points should be considered. The land should be level or gently sloping toward the south or southeast. The drainage should be good, but the land should not be so steep as to wash during rains. The location should be higher than adjoining land, in order to safeguard against frost, as frost does most damage on the lower levels. The ideal soil is a dark sandy loam with a rather retentive subsoil. The soil should be deep and break up loose and mellow when plowed or spaded. Plenty of organic matter or rotted manure should be present in the soil, in order to give it the power to retain large quantities of moisture and to carry the crops through periods of drought. [Illustration: Fig. 3.--Long straight rows of vegetables which add attractiveness to a garden and lessen the labor of cultivation. Note how this garden has produced these results.] The ideal garden spot is seldom found, but it is often possible to choose a location that embodies a number of the more important conditions and then supply others. The difficulties of the first season are greater than those of subsequent years, and a garden plat if properly handled will improve with each season’s cultivation. On account of the wide variety of local conditions that must be met, no definite plan can be given for a garden. A plan should be drawn on paper and the location of each crop decided upon. As a general rule, the rows should run north and south, but it is more important to have the rows run the long way of the garden for convenience in cultivating. Figure 3 shows a well-planned garden. It is essential that the garden be so arranged that the tall-growing crops will not shade the smaller ones. PREPARATION OF THE SOIL With the location of the garden settled, the first step is the preparation of the soil. First, remove anything that would interfere with the plowing or spading of the soil. If the location is the home back yard it is assumed that the ground is free from débris and ready to be broken up. If the garden is to be located on a vacant lot it is probable that there will be stones, broken bricks, tin cans, and other trash to be gotten rid of. If the quantity of trash is not too great it should be hauled to some dump, but if there is so much of it as to make its removal expensive it may be piled on one side or one end of the lot. In some cases stone fences have been built along the outside of lots from the stones that were scattered over the ground. This cleaning-up process requires considerable work and should be done whenever the weather will permit prior to preparation for planting. The next step in the garden-making process will be to plow or spade the ground. If the land is in sod it should be turned in the fall so that the sods will rot. Heavy clay soils should be turned up loosely and allowed to lie exposed to the freezing and thawing of the winter months. In all cases manure should be turned under if it can be secured. If the surface soil is so hard that it can not be spaded or plowed to advantage a pick or mattock should be used and the ground broken to a depth of 8 or 10 inches. Plenty of manure is about the only thing that will bring a soil of this character into condition. The supply of manure in cities is now quite limited, and the city gardener should make arrangements early in the season to get what he needs. It is assumed that the average back-yard garden is about 30 by 60 feet in size. About 1 ton or one 2-horse load of stable manure can be spaded into the soil of a plat of this size each year. On soil which has not been worked before and which is especially heavy and wanting in organic matter a larger quantity of manure can be used. Street sweepings are not desirable, as they frequently contain considerable oil. Sawdust and planing-mill shavings should not be used on garden land. Leaves may be mixed with heavy soils, but it is best to have them fairly well rotted before they are applied to the land. Early breaking and exposure to frost is the best method of getting land that has not been under cultivation for a number of years in shape for planting. Sandy soils do not benefit by freezing and thawing as do the heavy clay soils, and in all cases precautions must be taken so that the soil will not wash away during heavy rains. It is a very good plan to plow or spade the land in the autumn, sow rye upon it, and then turn the rye under early in the spring. In regions where the soil is very sandy it is often necessary to keep the surface covered with coarse manure or with some material to prevent it from blowing away. If this precaution is not taken the entire surface soil will be blown off to the depth of the plowing. In the spring the coarser part of the covering should be raked off or turned under before pulverizing and fitting the surface for planting. Nothing is gained by working the land before it is sufficiently dry in the spring. In sections where the ground freezes hard during winter no harm will be done by plowing it in the fall or during the early winter when quite wet, as the freezing will correct any injury, but land that is worked when too wet in the spring will be injured for the entire season. The usual test is to press a small quantity of the soil in the palm of the hand. If it is too wet for working it will adhere in a solid mass and retain the imprint of the hand, but if dry enough to work it will crumble apart of itself. When the test shows its fitness for working, land which was plowed or spaded in the fall should be thoroughly harrowed, raked, hoed, or forked over to a depth of 4 or 5 inches, in order to fit it for planting. The more carefully this part of the work is done the easier it will be to care for the crops during the growing season. Land which was not worked in the fall should be plowed or spaded as soon as it dries out sufficiently in the spring, and the top should be thoroughly fitted, as suggested above. _Use of Ashes on Garden Soils_ Gardeners frequently ask whether it is advisable to use coal and wood ashes on garden soils. The use of coal ashes on heavy clay soils will tend to lighten them, but the ashes should be screened before they are applied, in order to remove any clinkers or cinders. They should then be spread evenly upon the land and thoroughly mixed with it. Coal ashes have little value as a fertilizer, their use being mainly to loosen the soil and make it more workable. Wood ashes that are produced by the burning of hard woods, such as oak and hickory, frequently contain as much as 7 per cent of potash and also a little lime and for this reason are a valuable fertilizer. Wood ashes produced by the burning of pine and other soft woods and hardwood ashes that have been exposed to the weather and have had their potash leached from them have comparatively little value as a fertilizer. Not more than 50 pounds of reasonably dry unleached hardwood ashes should be applied to a plat of ground 30 by 60 feet in size, and these should be well mixed with the soil. _Liming Garden Soils_ An application of about 12 pecks of hydrated or air-slaked lime to a plat of land 30 by 60 feet in size is advisable in most cases, but there are certain soils that do not need lime. Lime has the effect of loosening and pulverizing heavy clay soils. It also has the effect of sweetening poorly drained soils and those that have a tendency to be sour. It is poor policy, however, to endeavor to remedy conditions resulting from lack of drainage by the application of lime without first providing suitable drainage and removing the cause of the sourness of the soil. Lime should always be applied to the surface soil and not turned under. It should not be applied to land that is to be planted to Irish potatoes, on account of the tendency of the tubers to become infested with scab where lime is present. Perhaps the best method of applying lime to the remainder of the garden is to scatter it over the surface after plowing and before the land is harrowed and fitted for cultivation in the spring. (Fig. 4.) One application each year is sufficient, and much larger quantities may be applied on heavy clay soils than on light or sandy soils. Lime should never under any circumstances be mixed with commercial fertilizer or with manure, as it liberates the nitrogen contained in them. _Use of Manure on Garden Land_ The use of barnyard manure on garden land has already been mentioned, but too much stress can not be placed upon this important point. The most successful commercial gardeners not only follow the practice of plowing or spading under large quantities of manure, but they stack up manure to rot and apply the rotted manure as a top-dressing when fitting the land for planting. Beans, tomatoes, and Irish potatoes may be injured by the use of too much manure, but it is practically impossible to have the land too rich for most garden crops. Poultry and pigeon manures are excellent fertilizers for the garden but must be used sparingly, as they are very strong and are liable to burn the crops. These manures should be kept under shelter until used and then should be well mixed with the soil, care being taken that no lumps of the manure come in direct contact with the seeds. Not more than 200 pounds of poultry or pigeon manure should be applied to a garden plat 30 by 60 feet in size. [Illustration: Fig. 4.--Applying lime to a garden after plowing and before harrowing.] Sheep manure is sold by florists and seedsmen and is an excellent fertilizer for garden crops. Like poultry manure, it is very strong and should be used sparingly. A little pulverized sheep manure sprinkled along the rows and worked into the soil will give the plants a vigorous growth. _Commercial Fertilizers_ The use of commercial fertilizers is advisable, especially where plenty of stable or barnyard manure can not be procured. As a rule, fertilizers should be sown broadcast and thoroughly harrowed or raked into the upper 3 inches of soil. Where applied underneath the rows the fertilizer should be well mixed with the soil before the seeds are planted. Great care must be taken in the use of commercial fertilizers in a small garden, as there is always a tendency to use too much and do more injury than good. From 40 to 60 pounds of a standard fertilizer, such as is used by truck gardeners, may be applied to a plot of ground 30 by 60 feet in size. Commercial fertilizers may be used in very moderate quantities as a side dressing for most growing crops. Nitrate of soda is frequently used in this manner, especially with crops that are grown for their leaf and stem development rather than for fruit. Where used as a side dressing it is best to apply the fertilizer a short distance from the plants but where the small feeder roots will reach it. The fertilizer should be worked into the soil immediately. It should be remembered that the best results are obtained by the use of commercial fertilizers where there is plenty of manure or organic matter in the soil. All sods and weeds and the remains of garden plants that are not infected with disease should be turned under or composted in one corner of the garden, in order to form material with which to enrich the soil. TOOLS Elaborate or expensive tools are not necessary for the cultivation of a small garden; in fact, a spade or spading fork, a hoe, a steel rake, and a line with two stakes to fasten it to are all that are required. A garden trowel and a watering can may be added to advantage but are not absolutely necessary. A wheelbarrow, wheel cultivator, and seed drill are desirable for the larger gardens and might be procured and used jointly by several gardeners in a neighborhood. After the soil is broken and in shape for planting, the hoe and the steel rake are the important tools for a small garden. [Illustration: Fig. 5.--Window box for starting early plants in the house.] SEEDS A comparatively small quantity of seeds is required for planting the average city garden, but these should be procured in ample time and should be of the highest quality obtainable. The best are the cheapest in the long run. Garden seeds should not be wasted; only enough should be planted to insure a perfect stand. Any seeds that are left over should be stored in a ventilated tin or glass container, to protect them from mice until needed for later planting. The particular variety of any crop to plant will depend upon local conditions. There are usually experienced persons in each community who can be relied upon for advice as to the best varieties to plant in that section. A number of the seed houses are now offering special garden-seed collections adapted to various conditions and sizes of gardens. STARTING EARLY PLANTS Half the pleasure and profit of a garden is derived from having something to use just as early in the spring as possible. In many cities and towns last year the local greenhouse men grew thousands of plants which were sold to home gardeners at very reasonable prices. It often happens, however, that home gardeners do not have the opportunity to purchase well-grown plants, so they must start their own supply of early plants in the house or in a hotbed if they desire to have their crops mature early. Among the garden crops that may be started to advantage in this manner are tomatoes, early cabbage, peppers, eggplant, and lettuce. Even cucumbers, melons, beets, snap beans, Lima beans, and sweet corn may be started indoors by using flowerpots, paper bands, or berry boxes to hold the soil. [Illustration: Fig. 6.--Starting early plants; preparing the seed box.] Where just a few tomato and cabbage plants are desired, the seeds may be sown in a cigar box or in a shallow tin pan with a few holes punched in the bottom for drainage. A very good plan is to secure a soap box and saw off about 3 inches of the bottom portion to form a tray. If the top has been saved, it can be nailed on and the box again sawed, forming a second tray. This will leave about 3 inches of the middle of the box upon which a piece of wire netting may be tacked to form a sieve for screening the soil used in the trays. Any shallow box (fig. 5) that may be fitted into the window of a living room where there is a reasonable amount of sunlight will answer for starting early plants. After filling the trays with sifted soil, smooth off even with the top and slightly firm down the soil in the trays by means of a small piece of board. Use the edge of a ruler or strip of thin board (fig. 6) to form little grooves or furrows in the soil in which to plant the seeds. These little rows should be about 2 inches apart and one-fourth inch deep. Scatter the seeds of tomatoes, early cabbage, peppers, and eggplant, as shown in figure 7, very thinly in the rows and cover them by sifting a small quantity of soil over the entire surface. Smooth the top of the soil gently and water very lightly. The box should then be placed where the temperature will remain at about 70° F. If conditions are kept right, the seedlings will appear in five to eight days after the seed is planted. From this time on the plants will need constant care, especially as regards watering. Owing to the fact that the light from a window comes from one side only, the seedlings will draw toward the glass, and the box should be turned each day, so as to keep the plants from growing crooked. Just as soon as the little plants are large enough to handle they should be transplanted to other boxes and given 2 or 3 inches of space in each direction. [Illustration: Fig. 7.--Starting early plants; sowing seed in the window box.] Where the required number of plants is too great for growing in window boxes, a hotbed or cold frame may be provided. The usual method of constructing a hotbed is to first dig a shallow pit 8 to 18 inches deep, according to locality, and pack it full of fermenting stable manure. The manure before being placed in the pit should be turned over once or twice in a pile, in order to insure even heating. It may then be packed into the hotbed pit and tramped uniformly. Standard hotbed sash are 3 feet in width and 6 feet in length, and the size of the bed should be made to suit the number of sash employed. A framework of boards 18 to 24 inches high at the back and about 12 inches high in front is placed over the manure-filled pit to support the sash. (Fig. 8.) About 3 or 4 inches of fine garden loam is spread evenly over the manure and the bed allowed to stand four or five days to warm up before any seed is sown. At first the temperature of the bed will run rather high, and it is best to delay planting the seeds in it until it begins to decline. This can best be determined by placing a cheap thermometer, with the bulb about 3 inches below the surface of the soil, and watching it until the temperature falls below 85° F. before planting the seeds. If glazed sash are not available for covering the hotbed, heavy muslin may be used instead; the glass, however, makes the most desirable form of covering. Care must be taken to give the bed sufficient ventilation to prevent overheating; as it is liable to heat up rapidly when the sun shines full upon the glass. Watering should be done during the early part of the day and the bed given enough air so that the plants will dry off before night. The bed should be closed before evening, in order to conserve enough heat to carry it through the night in good condition. If the weather should turn severely cold, a covering of straw, blankets, or canvas may be thrown over the bed to protect it. [Illustration: Fig. 8.--Preparation of a sash-covered frame for starting early plants.] A cold frame is constructed in exactly the same manner as a hotbed, with the exception that no manure is placed beneath it to supply heat. Before the plants are set in the garden, either from the hotbed or the cold-frame they should be gradually hardened to outside conditions by giving them more ventilation each day. Finally, remove the sash entirely on bright days and replace them for the night. The aim should be to produce strong, healthy plants that will make a quick start when placed in the garden. PLANTING ZONES The accompanying planting tables, together with the frost-zone maps (figs. 9 and 10), are based upon records of the United States Weather Bureau covering a period of 20 years and are intended to serve as a guide for determining the earliest dates that the various garden crops may be planted in the spring; also the latest dates that it will be safe to plant certain crops and have them mature before the first killing frost in the autumn. It should be borne in mind that there is a difference of several days in the frost occurrence within each zone; this is due to differences in altitude and latitude, and also to the proximity of bodies of water and large tracts of timber. EARLIEST PLANTING DATES _Earliest safe dates for planting vegetables in the open in the zones shown in figure 9_ =============+=================+==================+=================+ Crop | Zone A | Zone B | Zone C | -------------+-----------------+------------------+-----------------+ Bean{Lima |Mar. 1 to 15 |Mar. 15 to Apr. 1 |Apr. 1 to 15 | {Snap |Feb. 15 to Mar. 1|Mar. 1 to 15 |Mar. 15 to 30 | Beet |Feb. 1 to 15 |Feb. 15 to Mar. 1 |Mar. 1 to 15 | Brussels | | | | sprouts | do. | do. | do. | Cabbage |Jan. 1 to Feb. 1 |Jan. 15 to Feb. 15|Feb. 15 to Mar. 1| Carrot |Feb. 1 to 15 |Feb. 15 to Mar. 1 |Mar. 1 to 15 | Cauliflower | do. | do. | do. | Celery | do. | do. | do. | Chard | do. | do. | do. | Collard |Jan. 1 to Feb. 1 |Feb. 1 to 15 |Feb. 15 to Mar. 1| Corn, sweet |Feb. 15 to Mar. 1|Mar. 1 to 15. |Mar. 15 to Apr. 1| Cucumber |Mar. 1 to 15 |Mar. 15 to Apr. 1 |Apr. 1 to 15 | Eggplant | do. | do. | do. | Kale |Jan. 1 to Feb. 1 |Feb. 1 to 15 |Feb. 15 to Mar. 1| Kohl-rabi |Feb. 1 to 15 |Feb. 15 to Mar. 1 |Mar. 1 to 15 | Lettuce{Head | do. | do. | do. | {Leaf |Jan. 1 to Feb. 1 |Feb. 1 to 15 |Feb. 15 to Mar. 1| Melons |Mar. 1 to 15 |Mar. 15 to Apr. 1 |Apr. 1 to 15 | Okra, or | | | | gumbo |Feb. 15 to Mar. 1|Mar. 1 to Mar. 15 |Mar. 15 to 30 | Onion sets |Jan. 1 to Feb. 1 |Feb. 1 to 15 |Feb. 15 to Mar. 1| Parsley |Feb. 1 to 15 |Feb. 15 to Mar. 1 |Mar. 1 to 15 | Parsnip | do. | do. | do. | Peas{Smooth |Jan. 1 to Feb. 1 |Feb. 1 to 15 |Feb. 15 to Mar. 1| {Wrinkled|Feb. 1 to 15 |Feb. 15 to Mar. 1 |Mar. 1 to 15 | Peppers |Mar. 1 to 15 |Mar. 15 to Apr. 1 |Apr. 1 to 15 | Pota-{Irish |Jan. 1 to Feb. 1 |Feb. 1 to 15 |Feb. 15 to Mar. 1| toes {Sweet |Mar. 1 to 15. |Mar. 15 to Apr. 1 |Apr. 1 to 15. | Pumpkin | do. | do. | do. | Radish |Jan. 1 to Feb. 1 |Feb. 1 to 15 |Feb. 15 to Mar. 1| Salsify |Feb. 1 to 15 |Feb. 15 to Mar. 1 |Mar. 1 to 15. | Spinach | do. | do. | do. | Squash |Mar. 1 to 15 |Mar. 15 to Apr. 1 |Apr. 1 to 15 | Tomato | do. | do. | do. | Turnip |Jan. 1 to Feb. 1 |Feb. 1 to 15 |Feb. 15 to Mar. 1| -------------+-----------------+------------------+-----------------+ =============+==================+==================+=================+ Crop | Zone D | Zone E | Zone F | -------------+------------------+------------------+-----------------+ Bean{Lima |May 1 to 15 |May 15 to June 1 |May 15 to June 15| {Snap |Apr. 1 to May 1 |May 1 to 15 |May 15 to June 1 | Beet |Mar. 15 to Apr. 15|Apr. 15 to May 1 |May 1 to 15 | Brussels | | | | sprouts | do. | do. | do. | Cabbage |Mar. 1 to 15 |Mar. 15 to Apr. 15|Apr. 15 to May 1 | Carrot |Mar. 15 to Apr. 15|Apr. 15 to May 1 |May 1 to 15 | Cauliflower | do. | do. | do. | Celery | do. | do. | do. | Chard | do. | do. | do. | Collard |Mar. 1 to 15 |Mar. 15 to Apr. 15| ... | Corn, sweet |Apr. 1 to May 1 |Apr. 15 to May 15 |May 1 to June 1 | Cucumber |Apr. 15 to May 1 |May 1 to June 1 |May 15 to June 15| Eggplant | do. | do. | do. | Kale |Mar. 1 to 15 |Mar. 15 to Apr. 15|Apr. 15 to May 1 | Kohl-rabi |Mar. 15 to Apr. 1 |Apr. 1 to May 1 |May 1 to 15 | Lettuce{Head |Mar. 15 to Apr. 15| do. | do. | {Leaf |Mar. 1 to 15 |Mar. 15 to Apr. 15|Apr. 15 to May 1 | Melons |Apr. 15 to May 1 |May 1 to June 1 |June 1 to 15 | Okra, or | | | | gumbo | do. |May 1 to 15 |May 15 to June 1 | Onion sets |Mar. 1 to 15 |Mar. 15 to Apr. 15|Apr. 1 to May 1 | Parsley |Mar. 15 to Apr. 1 |Apr. 1 to May 1 |May 1 to 15 | Parsnip | do. | do. | do. | Peas{Smooth |Mar. 1 to 15 |Mar. 15 to Apr. 15|Apr. 15 to May 1 | {Wrinkled|Mar. 15 to Apr. 1 |Apr. 1 to May 1 |May 1 to 15 | Peppers |Apr. 15 to May 1 |May 1 to June 1 |June 1 to 15 | Pota-{Irish |Mar. 1 to 15 |Mar. 15 to Apr. 15|Apr. 15 to May 1 | toes {Sweet |Apr. 15 to May 1 |May 1 to June 1 |June 1 to 15 | Pumpkin | do. | do. | do. | Radish |Mar. 1 to 15 |Mar. 15 to Apr. 15|Apr. 15 to May 1 | Salsify |Mar. 15 to Apr. 15|Apr. 15 to May 1 |May 1 to 15 | Spinach | do. | do. | do. | Squash |Apr. 15 to May 1 |May 1 to June 1 |June 1 to 15 | Tomato | do. | do. |May 15 to June 15| Turnip |Mar. 1 to 15 |Mar. 15 to Apr. 15|Apr. 15 to May 1 | -------------+------------------+------------------+-----------------+ ==============+================== Crop | Zone G --------------+------------------ Bean {Lima | ... {Snap |May 15 to June 15. Beet |May 15 to June 1. Brussels | sprouts | do. Cabbage |May 1 to May 15. Carrot |May 1 to June 1. Cauliflower | do. Celery | do. Chard | do. Collard | ... Corn, sweet |May 15 to June 15. Cucumber |June 1 to 15. Eggplant | ... Kale |May 1 to 15. Kohl-rabi |May 15 to June 1. Lettuce {Head | do. {Leaf |May 1 to May 15. Melons | ... Okra, or gumbo| ... Onion sets |May 1 to 15. Parsley |May 15 to June 1. Parsnip | do. Peas {Smooth |May 1 to June 1. {Wrinkled|May 15 to June 1. Peppers | ... Potatoes{Irish|May 1 to June 1. {Sweet| ... Pumpkin | ... Radish |May 1 to 15. Salsify |May 15 to June 1. Spinach | do. Squash | ... Tomato |June 1 to 15. Turnip |May 1 to 15. --------------+------------------ Owing to the varied character of the Rocky Mountain and Pacific coast regions, it is not practicable to present the planting information in zone form, as there may be a very great difference in the dates of killing frosts in the same general locality on account of elevation. Gardeners on the Pacific coast should be guided by the experience of competent persons in their own neighborhood. The coast region of Oregon and Washington is so influenced by ocean currents that a separate map would have to be designed to meet its requirements. Sufficient data upon which to base a map for this region are not at hand. In zones A, B, C, and parts of zone D of the eastern United States, cabbage, turnips, spinach, kale, collards, and certain varieties of onions may be grown in the open ground throughout the winter. In certain parts of zone E spinach and kale may be grown all winter. In zone F such crops as sweet potatoes, melons, eggplants, and peppers should be planted only under the most favorable conditions, as the season is sometimes too short for their full development under adverse conditions. Garden plants are divided into about four more or less distinct groups. Early cabbage plants, kale, onion sets, smooth peas, Irish potatoes, and radishes may be planted two weeks before the average date of the last killing frost. Beets, Swiss chard, carrots, lettuce, wrinkled peas, cauliflower, spinach, and sweet corn may be planted about the date of the last killing frost. LATEST PLANTING DATES _Latest safe dates for planting vegetables for the fall garden in the zones[9] shown in figure 9_ ============+========+=======+========+========+======= Crop | Zone C | Zone D| Zone E | Zone F |Zone G ------------+--------+-------+--------+--------+------- Bean: | | | | | Pole Lima |Sept. 15|Aug. 1 |July 15 |July 1 | ... Snap | do. |Sept. 1|Aug. 15 |Aug. 1 |July 15 Beet | do. | do. | do. | do. | do. Cabbage |Sept. 1 |Aug. 15|July 15 |July 1 |June 15 Carrot | do. | do. | do. | do. | do. Cauliflower | do. | do. | do. | do. | do. Celery |Oct. 1 |Sept. 1|Aug. 1 | do. |May 15 Chard, Swiss|Sept. 15| do. |Aug. 15 |Aug. 1 |July 15 Corn, sweet |Aug. 15 |Aug. 1 |July 15 |July 1 |June 15 Cucumber | do. | do. | do. | do. | ... Eggplant |July 15 |July 1 |June 15 |June 1 | ... Kale |Nov. 1 |Oct. 1 |Sept. 15|Sept. 1 |Aug. 15 Lettuce | do. |Oct. 15|Oct. 1 |Sept. 15|Sept. 1 Melons: | | | | | Muskmelon |June 15 |June 1 |May 15 |May 1 | ... Watermelon|July 1 |July 1 |June 15 | ... | ... Okra |July 15 | do. | do. |June 1 | ... Onion sets | do. | do. | do. | do. |May 15 Parsley |Nov. 1 |Oct. 1 |Sept. 1 |Aug. 1 |July 1 Parsnip | ... | ... |May 15 |May 1 |Apr. 15 Pea |Nov. 1 |Oct. 1 |Sept. 1 |Aug. 1 |July 15 Peppers |July 15 |July 1 |June 15 |June 1 | ... Potatoes: | | | | | Irish |Aug. 15 |Aug. 1 |July 15 |July 1 |June 15 Sweet | do. |July 15|June 15 |May 1 | ... Radish |Oct. 15 |Oct. 1 |Sept. 15|Sept. 1 |Aug. 15 Salsify |June 15 |June 1 |May 15 |May 1 |Apr. 15 Spinach |Oct. 5 |Oct. 1 |Sept. 1 |Aug. 15 |Aug. 1 Squash: | | | | | Bush |Aug. 15 |Aug.1 |July 15 |July 1 |June 15 Vine |July 15 |July 1 |June 15 |June 1 | ... Tomato |Aug. 15 |July 15|July 1 |June 15 | ... Turnip |Oct. 15 |Oct. 1 |Sept. 1 |Aug. 1 |July 15 ------------+--------+-------+--------+--------+------- [9] Zones A and B are sections in which many vegetables are planted late in the fall to form the winter garden or early spring garden. Beans, parsnips, salsify, melons, cucumbers, tomato, and sweet-potato plants may be planted after the last killing frost. The heat-loving plants, such as peppers, eggplants, Lima beans, and the squashes, should not be planted in the open until the ground has thoroughly warmed, which will be about four weeks after the last killing frost. There are a number of crops, such as snap beans, lettuce, radishes, and beets, that should be planted at intervals in order to insure a continuous supply throughout the season. In the case of snap beans as many as five different plantings may be had in some sections. In the southern part of the United States special attention should be given to the planting of the semihardy crops, such as spinach, kale, and cabbage, during the autumn, in order to have a supply throughout the winter. [Illustration: Fig. 9.--Outline map of the United States, showing zones based on the average date of the last killing frost in spring. The time of planting for the various vegetables is determined for every section by the dates given on this map.] By following the table showing the latest safe dates for planting (see also fig. 10), the various crops will mature during average years; however, there may be seasons when the first killing frost in the autumn occurs earlier than usual and some of the later plantings will be lost. The late planting of vegetables prolongs the season of usefulness and is worth a chance. GENERAL CARE OF THE GARDEN A garden bears close acquaintance, and the successful gardener is the one who keeps in close contact with his crops throughout the entire growing season. A visit to the garden during the early morning while the dew hangs heavily upon every plant will reveal the happenings of the night. Perhaps some insect attack has started or some injury has occurred which requires immediate attention. A garden requires a little attention almost every day and responds in direct proportion to the care bestowed upon it. The size of the garden should be such that its care will not prove a burden. A small garden intensively cultivated is much better than a larger one which is allowed to grow to weeds. _Holding Moisture_ The frequent stirring of the surface soil with a steel rake, especially during dry weather, will stimulate the growth of the crops and control weeds. The surface should also be stirred after a rain just as soon as the ground is dry enough to work. Most people have an idea that the stirring of the soil is primarily in order to kill weeds, but there is equal need of it where no weeds are present. The roots of plants require air as well as moisture, and frequent stirring of the surface soil admits the air and at the same time conserves moisture. Shallow cultivation during dry weather forms what is known as a soil mulch, preventing the escape of moisture. Very often shallow cultivation during dry weather is more effective than irrigation. [Illustration: Fig. 10.--Outline map of the United States, showing zones based on the average date of the first killing frost in autumn. The latest safe dates for planting vegetables in the autumn are determined by the dates given on this map.] _Watering_ Artificial watering, if properly applied, will prove a decided advantage during dry periods, but may prove an injury if not properly handled. Frequent light sprinkling of the garden is injurious. The proper method is to soak the soil thoroughly about once each week, preferably during the evening, and then loosen the surface by cultivation the following morning or as soon as the soil is dry enough to work. No more water should be applied until absolutely necessary; then another soaking should be given. On a small scale the water may be applied by means of a sprinkling can. Where available, a garden hose is effective, and overhead sprinkler systems are frequently employed to advantage. Perhaps the best method for applying the water is to open slight furrows alongside the rows of plants and allow the water to flow gently along these furrows. After the water has all soaked into the soil the wet earth in the furrows should be covered with dry soil, to prevent baking. Where seeds are to be sown during a period of drought a slight furrow may be opened and filled with water; then, after the water has soaked into the soil, the seeds may be sown and covered with dry earth. This method will insure a good stand of plants, as the moisture feeds upward in the soil, like the oil in a lamp wick. _Diseases and Insects_ Garden crops are subject to attack by a number of insects and diseases. Preventive measures are best, but if an attack occurs and the city gardener is not familiar with the insect or disease and the proper treatment to protect his crops he is advised to consult the local garden leader or write immediately to the Extension Division of the State College of Agriculture. The United States Department of Agriculture has a bulletin (Farmers’ Bulletin 856) which gives the necessary information on garden insects and diseases and can be procured free upon request. In a number of cities the garden committees have arranged for sprayers and spray materials, and these are furnished to gardeners at actual cost. In a few instances power sprayers have been used, the work being done by city-park employees, the outfit being driven through the alleyways and the gardens reached by means of long leads of hose. In many cases the city-garden committees have provided a number of small compressed-air sprayers that can be carried by means of a strap over the shoulder of the operator. These are lent to the gardeners, who are also supplied with the necessary spray materials at cost and given full instructions regarding their application. Poisons may be applied in a powdered form to a number of the garden crops, including Irish potatoes, by means of a small burlap or cheesecloth bag, the poison being dusted upon the plants when they have dew upon them. This can be done in the morning before the plants have dried or late in the evening after the dew has begun to form. CROPS FOR THE CITY HOME GARDEN As a rule not more than 10 or 12 different kinds of vegetables should be grown in the city home garden. These should be chosen from the standpoint of securing the greatest food value from a limited area. Certain of the very important food crops, such as Irish potatoes, peas, and sweet corn, require too much space for the small city garden, but should be included wherever the available space will permit. Owing to the extreme variation of local conditions, no definite plan can be given for the city home garden, and each gardener will have to select the crops to be grown according to his soil, space, and the requirements of his family. By careful planning and by keeping every foot of garden space fully occupied a great quantity of produce can be secured from a comparatively small plat of ground. A succession of plantings of certain vegetables will produce a continuous supply while others may be grown between the main crops, thus making the land do double duty. There is a tendency on the part of many persons to plant too heavily to lettuce and radishes. As a matter of fact a supply of these vegetables can be grown in the rows between the plants or hills of other crops. Most beginners attempt too many varieties and kinds of vegetables. They would do better to confine themselves to a few standard sorts, leaving the novelties to those who have plenty of land and time at their disposal. It is assumed that the average space available for the city vegetable garden will not exceed 80 by 60 feet. Many gardens in back yards are smaller, while others located on vacant lots may include one-fourth acre or more. The size of the garden will determine largely the crops to be grown. The following cultural directions are based on average conditions and are subject to some modification to suit the locality. _Beans_ The bean crop stands at the head of the list in importance for the city garden, especially from the standpoint of producing a large quantity of food quickly on a limited space. The food value of the bean, in all forms, is also very high, and it may be grown under a wide range of conditions. String beans, or snap beans in bush form, are the most popular for planting in the small garden. The seed should not be planted until the ground is fairly warm and the danger of frost safely passed. Stringless Green-Pod, Currie’s Rustproof Wax, and Refugee Wax are the leading early varieties of bush beans. Where space is limited the bush varieties can be planted in rows 24 inches apart, with the individual plants 3 or 4 inches apart in the row, or in hills 12 inches apart with four plants in a hill. Three, or even four, plantings at intervals of three or four weeks should be made, in order to insure a continuous supply. In sections of the country where the first autumn frost does not occur until about the first of October a late or fall crop of snap beans can be grown to advantage, the seed being planted about the first week in August. A half pint of seed of snap beans will plant about 100 feet of row with five seeds to a hill and the hills 12 inches apart. A hundred feet of row will be sufficient for one planting to supply the average family. If four plantings are made 1 quart of seed will be required. Pole or climbing beans should be planted in every garden where space will permit. The variety known as Kentucky Wonder produces a plentiful supply that can be eaten pod and all while they are tender, as shelled beans when more mature, and as dry beans after they ripen. Pole or climbing Lima beans are adapted to a wide range of territory and can often be grown on a division fence, on a trellis covering the kitchen porch, or on an outbuilding. Figure 11 shows a street fence which is being made to support a splendid crop of Lima beans. Bush Lima beans are more limited in their soil and climatic requirements, but are considered by many persons to be of finer quality than the pole varieties. Lima beans require a richer soil than string or snap beans, and the seed should not be planted until the ground is quite warm, fully a week later than snap beans. All beans should be planted comparatively shallow, especially on clay or heavy soils. On light or sandy soils beans may be covered from 1¹⁄₄ to 2 inches. Beans will not start well if planted in wet soil or if covered too deeply. In case the soil should become packed by heavy rains before the plants appear it is a good plan to break the crust over the row by means of a steel rake, great care being taken that the rake teeth do not go deep enough to injure the sprouting beans. Beans should be cultivated and hoed at least once a week, but they should not be worked when their leaves are wet with dew or rain, as this has a tendency to cause them to rust. In case more beans are grown than are required for summer use, the young tender pods may be canned for winter. Any beans that become too old for immediate use should be allowed to ripen and be saved for planting the next season or for cooking as dry beans. Colored dry beans are as good as white, both in flavor and nutritive value, in spite of a rather general popular belief to the contrary, and none of them should be wasted. _Root Crops_ The root crops, including beets, carrots, parsnips, salsify, turnips, and radishes, form a group of very important food crops for the small garden. The soil requirements and general culture are very much the same for all the root crops, and for that reason they are considered collectively. The soil for root crops should be quite rich, and it should also be spaded or plowed deep and made fine and mellow the full depth that is broken. These root crops will all withstand slight frosts and may be planted very early in the spring. Root crops are especially desirable for the small garden on account of the fact that the rows may be as close together as 12 or 14 inches and the plants 3 or 4 inches apart in the row, making it possible to grow a large quantity of food on a small tract. _Beets_ An ounce of beet seed will be sufficient for the ordinary city garden. Beets may be planted almost as soon as the ground can be worked in the spring. Make the soil fine and mellow; then lay off the row about 1 inch deep, using the hoe handle to make the little furrow. What are commonly called beet seeds are really seed balls, each containing two or three seeds, and for that reason too many should not be put in. Eight or ten to the foot of row are sufficient. Cover the seeds about 1 inch and rake the surface smooth over the row. If the seeds are good and the weather favorable the plants should appear in about 10 days after planting. They should be thinned to about 3 inches in the row, but if not too thick to start with they may be allowed to reach a height of about 3 or 4 inches before thinning, and the thinnings may be used for beet greens. Any skips or spaces can be filled in by transplanting plants that are removed from other parts of the row. A row 50 feet long will furnish enough early beets to supply the ordinary family. A second planting may be made about four week after the first. A late planting should be made about six or eight weeks before the first autumn frosts. Any beets that are left in the garden at the end of the season should be stored for winter use. [Illustration: Fig. 11.--Lima beans growing on the outside of a garden fence.] Crosby’s Egyptian and Blood Turnip are considered among the best varieties for the home garden. _Carrots_ One-fourth ounce of carrot seed will be more than enough to plant 50 feet of row early in the spring and to make another similar planting later for fall use and storage. Plant the seeds rather thickly, 20 or 30 to the foot, and cover them with about half an inch of light soil, but not more than one-fourth of an inch in heavy soil. Thin to 2 or 2¹⁄₂ inches in the row as soon as they are large enough to handle. If desired, the plants may be left a little closer, then thinned a second time when the first of the young carrots are about half an inch in diameter. The young carrots that are thinned out may be used on the table as creamed baby carrots and are very fine. Late-planted carrots may remain in the ground until after the first frosts of autumn and then dug, topped, and stored for winter use. Oxheart and Danvers Half-Long are leading varieties. _Parsnips_ A 10-cent packet, or about one-eighth of an ounce, of parsnip seed will be sufficient to plant for the ordinary family. Be sure that the seed is fresh, as it loses its vitality if kept over until the second year. Plant the same as carrots, and thin to 3 or 4 inches in the row. Parsnips require a deeply prepared and a very rich soil for their best development. Parsnips may remain in the ground where grown during the winter or until wanted. It may be best, however, to dig part of the roots late in the fall before the ground freezes and store them for winter use. In the North parsnips are planted quite early and given the entire season to develop and are used mainly during the winter and spring. In the South they may be planted quite early and used as a spring vegetable; then another planting is made for a fall crop. The later planting is usually made in August or September, when the late summer rains occur. Hollow Crown and Guernsey are among the best varieties. _Salsify, or Vegetable Oyster_ Salsify requires practically the same cultural treatment as parsnips. It is not grown extensively in the home gardens of the Southern States, but is primarily a northern crop. Salsify may remain in the ground during the winter, or a part may be dug late in the fall and stored in a bed or box of moist sand for winter use. The Sandwich Island is the leading variety. _Turnips_ Throughout the Northern States turnips are planted as a late-season crop, the seed being sown from July 10 to 25 and the crop harvested after the first heavy frosts. In the Southern States turnips are planted in the spring, just as soon as the ground can be worked, and the crop is used before the hot weather of summer comes on. A late crop is frequently planted in September, the roots being cooked in the usual manner, while the young tender tops are boiled as greens. For the small garden, turnips had best be planted in drills, with the rows about 12 inches apart, and the plants should be thinned to 2 or 2¹⁄₂ inches in the row. The seed should be scattered very thinly in the drill and covered very lightly. The plants removed in thinning may be used as greens. Turnips will withstand some frost, but their keeping qualities are injured if allowed to freeze before pulling. If they become frozen in the storage pit they should not be disturbed until the weather warms and the frost gradually draws out of them. For best results turnips should not actually freeze at any time. The Purple-Top Strap-Leaved is a leading variety. _Radishes_ Radishes are mentioned last in the list of root crops because they have the least real food value of any. Everybody wants a few early radishes in the garden, because they come to maturity quickly and furnish something green and succulent for the table. From 10 to 20 feet of row will produce all the radishes required by a family. The seeds should be sown in a little furrow or drill, about 12 or 15 seeds to the foot, and covered 1 inch. Radishes may also be sown thinly in the drill with beets, carrots, or parsnips, as they come quickly and break the surface for the other seedlings. The radishes should be pulled before they are large enough to injure the regular crop. The Scarlet Globe White-Tipped, French Breakfast, Icicle, Philadelphia White Box, and Early Yellow Turnip are among the leading varieties. Where it is desirable to have radishes for a considerable period of time, two, or even three, plantings at intervals of two weeks should be made, or the same result may be obtained by the proper selection of varieties. There are also two or three varieties of winter radishes that may be grown for winter use. _Tomatoes_ Tomatoes are among the most universally used products of our home gardens, and there should be a few plants, no matter how small the garden. In order to have tomatoes early, the seed must be sown in the house or hotbed or the plants purchased from some plant grower who has the facilities for starting them early. Bonnie Best, Early Jewel, Acme, Globe, and Detroit are among the leading early sorts, while Improved Stone and Trophy are standard late varieties. Two small packets of seeds, one of an early and one of a late variety, will produce enough plants for several family gardens, and it may be possible for one person to start the plants for an entire neighborhood. If a window box is used for starting early plants of various kinds, a portion of the space in this box should be used for the tomato plants. Where a window box is not in use a cigar box filled with loose soil will serve as a seed bed, but the plants will have to be transplanted and given about 3 inches of space both ways as soon as they form one or two true leaves in addition to their two small seed leaves. Tomato seed comes up in about five or six days, and the seedlings will ordinarily be ready for transplanting in two weeks after the seed is sown. About six weeks will be required for growing the plants from the time of sowing the seed until they are ready for setting in the garden. A tray of fine, rich soil about 8 inches deep placed in a south window of a living room makes a good transplanting bed. The plants can be grown in quart berry boxes, in 3-inch flowerpots, in tin cans with a few holes punched in their bottoms, or in paper bands. The essentials are to keep the plants growing rapidly from the start and to retain all the dirt attached to their roots when setting them in the garden. The best method of growing tomatoes in the city home garden is by pruning the plants to a single stem, or at most to two stems, and tying them to stakes or a trellis, as shown in figure 12. By this method the plants can be set as close as 2 feet apart in each direction. When tied to stakes the plants are easy to cultivate. The fruit is clean because it is kept off the ground, and the tomatoes ripen earlier than when the plants are not pruned or tied to stakes. Any stakes that are about 1¹⁄₂ inches in diameter and 4 to 5 feet long will answer. Frequently the plants are trained to horizontal wires stretched on small posts or to a trellis made of laths. The tomato plants are pruned by pinching out the side shoots (fig. 12) as they appear in the axis of the leaf, that is, where it joins the main stem. The fruit clusters appear on the opposite side of the stem where there is no leaf. The plants are tied to the stakes or other support by means of soft twine or with small strips of old cotton goods. (Fig. 13.) Seedsmen have on sale a jute string which is especially made for tying tomatoes. Loop the string around the stake so that it will not slip downward on the stake and then tie loosely below a leaf node in such a manner that the stem will be supported without the string binding it and injuring its growth. Four to seven fruit clusters will be formed on each plant, and if the plants are well cultivated and cared for they will continue to bear fruit throughout the season in the northern parts of the country. In the South, where the heat of midsummer kills tomato plants, a late crop may be planted for fall use. [Illustration: Fig. 12.--Training tomatoes to stakes: A, Cutting out the side shoots or branches; B, tying the main stem to the supporting stake.] _Sweet Peppers_ Sweet or Mango peppers are increasing in favor with home gardeners everywhere. Six or eight good plants will supply enough for an ordinary family. In the North, where the growing season is short, the plants must be started indoors and should be transplanted twice, so as to be quite large by the time the weather is warm enough to set them in the garden. Pepper plants will not withstand any frost, and they should not be set out until all danger is past. In the South the seed should be sown in the house or in a hotbed and may be transplanted directly from the seed bed to the garden, although better plants will be obtained if they are transplanted first from the seed bed to other boxes or to the hotbed and later to the garden. The plants should be handled in the same manner as tomatoes, but pepper plants are even more delicate. The Ruby King and Chinese Giant are standard varieties of the large sweet peppers. Pimento peppers are becoming very popular throughout the Southern States; however, they will not mature where the frost-free growing season is less than 4¹⁄₂ months and are not profitable unless they have at least 5 months of warm weather for their development. The pimento is adapted to the South, where the summers are long, with plenty of hot weather. The green pimento peppers have a thick flesh and a pleasant flavor and may be used like any sweet pepper. When red ripe the pimentos are canned for winter salads and for mixing with cheese to make pimento cheese. [Illustration: Fig. 13.--Tomatoes trained to stakes in a back-yard garden.] _Eggplant_ The seeds of eggplant should be sown indoors at the same time that early tomatoes and peppers are planted. The small plants should be transplanted to pots or paper bands and kept in the house until the weather is quite warm. The plants require a rich, deep soil, with plenty of fertilizer. They should be set about 2¹⁄₂ feet apart each way. Six to ten plants will be sufficient to supply the average family. _Okra, or Gumbo_ Okra is sown in the open after danger of frost is over and the soil becomes quite warm, but in the North a few plants for the home garden may be started indoors. like tomatoes or peppers. Sow the seed a few inches apart in the row and thin the plants to 18 inches to 2 feet apart. Okra is very prolific, and 8 or 10 feet of row will supply the needs of an average family. Give frequent shallow cultivation until the plants are nearly grown. The pods are the part of the plant used for food and should be gathered while still crisp and tender. If the pods are removed so as to allow none to ripen, the plants will continue to bear until killed by frost. The White Velvet, Dwarf Green Prolific, Perkins Mammoth, Long-Podded, and Lady Finger varieties are recommended. _Onions_ The usual method of growing onions in the home garden is to plant a quart or two of sets just as early in the spring as the ground can be worked. Throughout the South the sets may be planted in the autumn and the surface of the ground mulched with fine straw or light manure over the winter. Onions may also be grown from seed, sown in the early autumn in the South and early spring in the North, but as a rule it is more satisfactory to secure a few sets for planting. [Illustration: Fig. 14.--Planting onion sets; every bulb is placed with the root end downward at a uniform depth and in straight rows.] Onions require a light, mellow, rich soil. If planted in rows the sets (fig. 14) should be placed by hand, root end downward, about 4 inches apart in the row and covered to a depth of 1 inch. If planted in a bed they should be spaced 4 to 6 inches apart in each direction. As a rule, onion sets are not sold under variety names, but are classed as white, brown, or red. The Yellow Globe, Yellow Danvers, Red Wethersfield, and Silverskin are among the leading varieties that are planted from seed. The Crystal Wax and Red Bermuda varieties of the Bermuda type are often grown in the Southern States. Where wanted for green onions, the sets may be planted as a filler in the rows with early tomatoes, but where mature onions are desired it is best to plant them alone. Fully grown onions should not be pulled until the tops have broken over and partially ripened. The bulbs should then be pulled and spread in a cool, dry place (fig. 15) where they will get plenty of air. The mature onions should be kept where it is quite cool and dry. Slight freezing will not hurt the stored onions if they are not disturbed while frozen. [Illustration: Fig. 15.--Onions spread out to dry in the shade of a tree.] _Cabbage Group_ The cabbage group of garden plants includes both the early and the late types of cabbage, cauliflower, kale, collards, and Brussels sprouts. The general cultivation of each member of this group is practically the same. They are natives of low-lying seacoast regions and require deep, moist, and rather rich soil for their best development. The various members of the cabbage group, however, may be grown in almost any locality; in fact, cabbage is one of the most universally grown of our garden crops. The important consideration is to have plenty of plant food in the soil so that they will make a quick, tender growth. _Early Cabbage_ Only a few heads of early cabbage should be grown in a small city garden. The plants should be started indoors, but may be set in the garden quite early if hardened off a little before setting them. In certain sections of the South, especially near the seacoast, the early varieties of cabbage may be started in October, planted out in November, and matured in April or May of the following spring. The Jersey Wakefield and Charleston Wakefield are the leading early varieties. They may be set in rows 24 to 30 inches apart and 15 inches apart in the row. _Late Cabbage_ Late cabbage can be planted between the rows of early potatoes or after snap beans, so that double service may be obtained from the soil. Late cabbage may be planted July 1 in some sections of the North and will form solid heads before the weather becomes cold enough to injure the crop. The Late Flat Dutch, Danish Baldhead, and Copenhagen are among the best late varieties. They should be planted in rows 36 inches apart and 18 inches apart in the row. Cabbage may be stored in a cool, dry, well-ventilated cellar or buried in an outdoor pit in the garden. _Cauliflower_ Cauliflower is much more difficult to grow than cabbage and is only adapted to certain soil and climatic conditions which are to be found near the seacoast and limited inland areas. The important consideration in growing a spring crop of cauliflower is to have it so early that the heads will be formed before the extremely hot weather begins. The methods of starting the plants and general culture are the same as for early cabbage. When the heads begin to form, the leaves should be brought together above the heads and fastened by means of a string, so as to shut out the sunlight and retain the snowy whiteness of the heads. A fall crop of cauliflower can be grown in the same manner as late cabbage. Cauliflower can not be stored to advantage, but must be used within a few days after it is gathered. _Kale_ Kale can be grown either as a spring or fall crop, and in sections where the temperature does not go below zero during the winter it can be planted in the fall and will be ready for use during March and April. The market gardeners around Norfolk, Va., grow great fields of winter kale, planting the seed in September and cutting the crop at any time during the winter when the ground is free from snow and ice. About 50 or 60 feet of row in the home garden may be planted during the late summer for fall and early winter use. Kale is not stored, but is left growing until wanted for use. _Collards_ No southern garden would be quite complete without a small plat of collards for late fall and early winter use. Collards are a hardy form of cabbage which forms a loose head or cluster of very tender leaves that are used in much the same manner as cabbage. Throughout the South collards are planted during the latter part of the summer and the plants are left standing where grown, like late cabbage, and are quite hardy; in fact, it is claimed that the flavor is greatly improved by a slight freezing of the heads. Collards are not recommended for planting in the Northern States. A small packet of seed is all that is necessary to start the plants required in a family garden. _Brussels Sprouts_ Brussels sprouts are a kind of cabbage that forms a large number of buttons or small heads along its stem where the leaves are attached. The culture of Brussels sprouts is the same as that of cabbage except that the leaves are removed from the lower part of the stem to give the buttons more room to develop. _Kohl-Rabi_ Kohl-rabi is a near relative of cabbage. It forms an enlargement of the stem just above the surface of the ground. This portion is used in the same way as turnips. _Salad Plants_ As a general rule, the American people do not eat enough green vegetables, commonly referred to as salads. Crops of this class are especially adapted to the small garden, as they occupy very little space and will withstand more or less shading. The salad plants require a deep, rich soil with plenty of moisture. They also thrive under comparatively cool conditions. _Swiss Chard_ Swiss chard resembles the common garden beet in appearance, but it does not form an edible root, like the beet, and is grown for its large leaf stems, which are boiled for greens. Americans do not as a rule eat enough greens, and there is need to encourage the planting in the home garden of Swiss chard and other crops that may be used for this purpose. Beet tops while young and tender make good greens, but the leaf stems of Swiss chard have a very excellent flavor and remain tender a long time. As the outer leaf stems are removed the plants keep on forming new leaves in the center, so that a continuous supply is provided. Swiss chard is planted and cultivated the same as garden beets. One-half ounce of seed will be sufficient for the ordinary family of five persons. The variety known as Lucullus is considered best. Plant in the early spring the same as beets, and thin the plants to about 6 inches in the row. _Spinach_ Spinach is another crop that is highly desirable for use as greens. Spinach thrives in cool weather and should be grown both as a spring and as a fall crop. In the extreme northern part of the country only one crop may be grown. In sections where the winters are mild the seed can be planted in the fall and the plants can remain in the ground all winter. For a spring crop, plant in the open ground as soon as the soil can be worked. The rows may be as close as 7 inches, and 12 to 15 seeds should be sown to a foot of row, the plants being thinned so that they will have 1¹⁄₂ to 2 inches of space for their development. Spinach requires a very rich soil in order to make it grow quickly. A bed 5 feet wide and 30 feet in length and having about eight rows running the length of the bed will furnish enough spinach for the ordinary family. The entire spinach plant is removed by cutting just above the surface of the ground. From 2 to 3 ounces of seed will be sufficient for a bed 5 by 30 feet in size. Spinach contains large quantities of iron and is especially desirable as a part of the diet in the early spring. _Celery_ There is nothing particularly difficult about growing celery after the plants are started. The celery seed bed requires very careful watering until the plants are up and large enough to transplant. As a rule, it will be best for city gardeners to purchase plants that are ready for setting in the garden. Celery requires a rich soil and plenty of moisture. Anyone desiring to grow it should write to the United States Department of Agriculture for a copy of the Farmers’ Bulletin on celery (No. 282), which gives full directions for growing the crop. The White Plume, Golden Self-Blanching, and Boston Market are among the best varieties for the home garden. _Lettuce_ No early garden would be complete without at least a bed of lettuce; however, only a small space is necessary to grow plenty for the average family. In the old-fashioned garden a small bed was spaded in one corner and the seed sown broadcast and raked into the soil just as soon as the ground was dry enough to work in the spring. As the plants grew and began to crowd each other, they were thinned and those that were pulled out were used on the table. Later, when the plants became larger, they were cut off just above the ground. Lettuce requires very rich soil and plenty of moisture, and will not withstand continued hot weather. It can be grown in partial shade and is one of the few crops that can be planted in back-yard gardens that are shaded a portion of the time. A 5-cent packet of seed will produce all the plants required for the small garden. A good method is to sow the seed in a box in the house and transplant the small plants to a bed or to rows in the garden. Lettuce is not injured by a light frost, especially if the plants have been grown in the open. The seed or plants may be planted between other crops that require a longer period for their development than the lettuce. Two plantings should be made in the spring and one in the late summer, in order to have a supply for a considerable period. Grand Rapids is the leading variety of loose-leaf lettuce, while the Big Boston, Iceberg, and California Cream Butter are good heading sorts. _Vegetables That Require Considerable Space in the Garden_ There are a number of garden vegetables that require too much space for growing in the small home garden. Wherever plenty of land is available these vegetables should be grown. Among those included in this group are Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, sweet corn, squashes, cantaloupes, and watermelons. _Irish Potatoes_ Irish potatoes are among the first crops that can be planted in a home garden. They have no place in a small garden, but where a space as great as 30 by 60 feet is available they should be included. A peck of seed potatoes, properly cut, will plant 300 feet of row and should yield 4 to 5 bushels. The usual method is to cut the seed, two eyes to each piece, dividing the fleshy part of the potato as equally as possible. The seed should not be cut until the ground is all ready to receive it. Great care should be taken to get seed that is free from scab or other diseases. Irish potatoes can be planted in the North just as soon as the frost is all out of the ground and the soil dry enough to work. In the South the planting date will be governed by the season and the time that the young plants will be safe from spring freezes. It generally takes three to five weeks after planting in the Southern States for the potatoes to come up. In the North they will appear in a shorter period if weather conditions are favorable. _Peas_ Peas, often called English peas, require considerable space and should not be planted in a small garden. In order to be of real value at least 15 feet of row should be planted for each person in the family. Peas are the first crop that can be planted in the spring. In the North, this planting can be made just as soon as the ground can be worked, and two, or even three, plantings should be made in order to have a continuous supply. In the South, peas are planted about the same time as early Irish potatoes or a little earlier. Peas require a rather rich soil with a little fertilizer added, as they make a quick growth. One pint of seed will plant 75 to 85 feet of row, and this should yield plenty of peas for five persons at each of four or five pickings. First, spade and rake the ground until it is fine and mellow; then open a furrow 3 to 4 inches deep with the corner of a hoe. Scatter the seeds broadcast in the bottom of the furrow or space them at the rate of 12 to 15 peas to a foot and cover them 3 to 4 inches deep. In heavy soils the seeds should not be covered so deeply as in light or sandy soils. If the ground is cold the seeds may be 10 days or two weeks in coming up, and if there should be a heavy rain meantime the crust forming on the surface of the soil should be carefully broken over the rows with a steel rake. Extra Early Alaska, Gradus, and Thomas Laxton are among the leading early sorts. The Champion of England and Telephone are considered good medium and late varieties. The extra-early sorts may be planted with the rows as close as 24 inches apart where hand cultivation is practiced. The later and larger growing varieties require a space of about 3 feet between the rows. There should not be more than 10 days or two weeks’ difference between the planting dates of early and of late varieties of peas, as the late ones mature more slowly than the early sorts. Several of the early varieties of peas can be grown without supports, but they do better if given something to climb on. The late varieties for the most part make a strong growth and require supports. Brush, where it may be had, woven-wire netting, a wire fence, or strings on stakes make satisfactory supports for peas. (Fig. 16.) The supports should be in place when the peas come up, in order that the plants may climb them from the first. Early spring peas occupy the land a comparatively short time and may be followed by late cabbage, beets, turnips, kale, spinach, or some other crop. A planting of peas made late in the summer will often give a fine fall crop that is ready for use just before frost in the autumn. [Illustration: Fig. 16.--Tall-growing peas of the Telephone type, supported on brush.] _Sweet Corn_ Sweet corn requires plenty of space in order to produce enough ears to supply an average family and for that reason finds its proper place in large city and suburban gardens. The rows should be spaced at least 3 feet apart, and the individual plants should stand 15 to 18 inches apart in the rows. If the corn is planted in hills containing three stalks each of the hills must be at least 2¹⁄₂ feet apart in the row for the early dwarf-growing varieties and 3 feet apart for the later or larger growing sorts. Corn requires a rich soil and should not be planted until the ground has warmed considerably. A pint of seed will plant 400 to 500 feet of row in either drills or in hills. Cover the seed 1¹⁄₂ to 2 inches deep and thin to three stalks in a hill or to single stalks 15 or 18 inches apart in drills. If a large number of offshoots or suckers appear at the base of the plants at the ground, these should be removed, as they draw the strength of the plant. None but those shoots that appear very near the ground should be removed, as some of the varieties have their ears quite low on the stalks and the young ear looks very much like a sucker until the silk appears. The Golden Bantam is the leading early variety. The Country Gentleman, Stowell’s Evergreen, Mammoth Evergreen, and Ohio Sugar are among the leading medium and late varieties. For a continuous supply, plant Golden Bantam as early as possible, then follow in a few days with a planting of Country Gentleman. Two weeks later plant Stowell’s Evergreen, and follow with additional plantings of some good late variety every three weeks until midsummer. _Sweet Potatoes_ For an early crop, sweet-potato plants are started in a hotbed or greenhouse, and they must not be set in the open until all danger of frost is past and the ground is well warmed up. They usually thrive best when planted on wide ridges some 4 to 4¹⁄₂ feet apart and 12 to 15 inches apart in the row. Any good garden fertilizer will answer for this crop, and it is best applied either in small trenches or to the surface of the ground before the ridges are thrown up. Frequent shallow cultivation should be given until the vines begin to run. The Porto Rico, Nancy Hall, and Southern Queen varieties are recommended, and the Big-Stem Jersey where a dry-fleshed potato is desired. _Vine Group_ The vine group includes cucumbers, summer and winter squashes, cantaloupes, and watermelons. Owing to the space required by these crops they are not adapted to planting in a small garden. For the convenience of those who desire to grow them, brief cultural directions are given. Practically all of the vine crops can be trained to a wire fence or trellis or on wire netting. By this method they can be planted along a fence or beside a building where there is good sunlight and the vines can be trained up out of the way of other crops. In case cantaloupes or squashes are grown on a trellis, it will be necessary to support the fruits by means of bagging or cloth slings. All of the vine crops require plenty of fertility in the soil. In addition to a shovelful of manure and a handful of fertilizer in each hill, a small quantity of commercial fertilizer may be worked into the soil around each hill after the vines begin to spread over the ground. The fertilizer should not be placed closer than a foot from the base of the plants and should be scattered over a considerable area. The results to be obtained in a small garden from growing any of the vine crops except summer squashes and cucumbers are extremely doubtful, and beginners are advised to devote the space to crops producing more food on a small area. _Cucumbers_ One or two hills will produce enough cucumbers for the average family. Each hill should be given about 50 square feet of space, or 7 feet in each direction. The hills should be made several days before planting, with a shovelful of manure mixed thoroughly with the soil of each hill. About a dozen seeds should be scattered in each hill and covered to a depth of about an inch. Later, the plants should be thinned to three to five in a hill. Cucumbers are very tender and should not be planted until all danger of frost is past. The plants may be started indoors by planting the seeds in pots, paper bands, or quart berry boxes filled with soil; then set in the garden when the weather is warm. The young cucumber plants are frequently destroyed by a small beetle. The easiest way to protect the plants is by covering each hill with a small wooden box the bottom of which has been removed and a piece of fine mosquito or fly netting tacked on. After the plants become toughened, the beetles are not likely to trouble them. White Spine is the most common variety. _Cantaloupes_ Cantaloupes, sometimes referred to as muskmelons, are grown exactly the same way as cucumbers. The Rocky Ford, Tiptop, Hoodoo, and Ohio Sugar are among the leading varieties. _Watermelons_ Watermelons require too much space for planting in a small garden. The cultivation of watermelons is practically the same as that of squashes. The Kleckley Sweets and Florida Favorite are among the best small watermelons for home growing. The variety known as Tom Watson is the one most frequently sold on our markets. _Squashes_ Two varieties of summer squashes are suited for growing in city gardens. These are the Summer Crookneck and Pattypan. The summer squashes are of bush habit of growth and do not require much space. Three to five hills of either of the kinds mentioned will supply the ordinary family. The hills should be 4 to 5 feet apart. Plant 8 or 10 seeds to a hill, covering them to a depth of an inch, and when the plants are well established thin them to three in a hill. The Hubbard Squash and Boston Marrow form true vines and require more space than the summer bush varieties. The fruits of the summer varieties are used while they are young and tender, but those of the fall and winter varieties are allowed to get fully ripe before being gathered and stored. Four or five hills will be sufficient, and a space of 10 or 12 feet should be allowed between the hills. The vine or running squash may be grown in a corner of the garden or on a trellis. In one instance an old peach tree formed a support for a large squash vine and the fruits were held up by slings consisting of strips of bagging. PLAN No. 281. MAKING CLOTHING FIREPROOF To make clothing fireproof, and thus save hundreds of precious lives, dissolve one pound of ammonium phosphate in one gallon of cold water, and in this soak for five minutes the fabric to be fireproofed. Then dry, and it will not burn. It does not harm the material. It sells for about 25 cents a pound in the drug stores. Make it up and sell it at $1 per gallon. But when the cloth is washed it is no longer fireproof, until treated with this solution again. PLAN No. 282. MAKING PULLETS PAY Buy pullets in the fall, give them good feed and care, and they will lay eggs all winter, making you a profit of several dollars per pullet. Sell them as hens the next spring and they will bring good prices for setting purposes, or as a table bird. PLAN No. 283. PUMPKINS IN POWDER FORM Don’t can pumpkins. Slice thin, dry in the sun, then in an oven, and grind up in powder form. Put in cartons for sale. It makes more pies per pound than canned pumpkin. Have a good recipe tried out with your powdered pumpkin. Put the directions for use on your carton. Retail one-half pound cartons for 10 cents, or more, and it will make twice the number of pies that a 10-cent can of pumpkin will. Get local customers first, and later deal with a jobber or wholesaler. PLAN No. 284. MONEY IN HORSE-RADISH Horse radish has made money for live men. Simply grate the horse radish and sell it when nice and fresh to the grocer, hotelkeeper, or to individual users. Horse radish is perennial and needs little or no care. A half-acre will produce a great amount of horse radish. To start it take whole ones, cut them in small pieces, and plant like potatoes. PLAN No. 285. PROFITABLE PLAIN SEWING Women who used to spend hours and days in doing fancy but useless needle-work, now believe in doing the plain kind of sewing and getting paid for it. Making aprons, handkerchiefs, underskirts, and many similar articles, is a much more valuable use of spare time, which most women have. Lace-trimmed or monogramed handkerchiefs bring good prices. PLAN No. 286. PICKLING DANDELIONS Gather dandelions by the ton, put them down in brine just as you would cucumber pickles. Retail them in the winter by the quart. This will make you extra money. PLAN No. 287. PLANTING ENDIVE FOR PICKLING Plant endive on a city lot. This article can be treated in brine and cannot be told from fresh dandelion greens. Get regular customers for the entire winter. Supply stores, restaurants, etc. PLAN No. 288. EARLY CUCUMBERS Very early cucumbers bring $1.00 per dozen. Start your cucumber plants early in strawberry boxes in the house. When they have four leaves on them, transplant, early in April, and you will have your cucumbers in the market before your neighbors have planted theirs. You could sell cucumber plants to your neighbors and to the stores also. PLAN No. 289. RAISING SWEET PEAS Raise sweet peas. One ounce of seed will produce 10,000 blossoms, and florists pay around $3.00 per 1,000 for them. On an acre thirty ounces could be planted, or even on a city lot three ounces of seed can be raised and make you money. PLAN No. 290. A NOTION STORE AT HOME A poor woman living in a Chicago suburb made a good living by laying in a small but well selected stock of notions at her home, which was a long distance from a store of any kind. She got these at wholesale prices, and sold them at regular retail rates, so she made sufficient profit to support herself in comfort, as the ladies in the neighborhood bought practically all their little notions from her. PLAN No. 291. MAKING COTTAGE CHEESE Few foods are more palatable, more healthful or more economical than cottage cheese, when properly made. A California farmer’s wife makes hers from milk that is not too old, and often sours sweet milk by adding a little buttermilk to it. She cooks it in 5-gallon “shotgun” cans. As soon as the milk sets into a firm clabber she puts the cans into a 30-gallon tank of boiling water, connected with the kitchen stove by pipes and the usual waterback in the firebox, stirring the milk a little, and cutting the curd with a long-bladed knife. When the curd readily separates from the whey, lift the can out and let it stand from ten to twenty minutes. The contents of the can are then poured into a large bag made of cheese-cloth, which is hung up to drain. The whey is fed to the pigs as it contains milk-sugar which is a fattening ration. In a few hours the cheese will be drained enough. It is then thoroughly mashed and mixed in a proper vessel, salted, and it is ready for the trip to town. It should be sold at once as it does not keep long. If cream is plentiful and cheap, a little mixed with the cheese places it at the top notch of quality. One can decide for himself whether he can afford to sell cream in this way, by the price he obtains for the cheese. Cottage cheese is now sold at retail to the consumer for 10 to 15 cents a pound. This means nearly 30 cents a quart, a pint weighing slightly over a pound. It ought to bring at least 10 cents a pound to the maker, which is no mean profit for skim-milk usually fed to hogs and calves. PLAN No. 292. DEVELOPING AND PRINTING PHOTOGRAPHS A city woman, fond of photography, made her spare time profitable by developing and printing photographs for others, and by taking orders for that class of work, and having it done by a local dealer, paying him 20 per cent of her earnings. As she purchased all her material from this dealer, it helped increase his sales also. PLAN No. 293. “CITRONETTE” CUCUMBERS Raise cucumbers, and when ripe place on the market “citronette.” This is better than “sugared citron” and much cheaper. Recipe: Pick cucumbers when ripe; split in half; scrape out pulp. Put in salt brine for one or two days, then draw off brine and add one pound of sugar to each pound of cucumber rind; let stand over night for juice to draw, then place on back of stove and allow to simmer until translucent and most of the water has evaporated. Turn occasionally to keep from burning. When the water has evaporated, and it looks dry, allow it to cool. You then have “citronette.” This project has been tried and it made $6.00 a day for a year, using only one-half acre of ground. PLAN No. 294. CANNING VEGETABLES, ETC. Can vegetables, peas, beans, sweet corn, also fruit, and pickles. From a good farm paper select an advertiser offering “home-canning outfits,” and get his circulars. Buy an outfit. Get customers by placing a tempting ad. in your local paper, and by getting out attractive placards to be used by grocers who handle your goods. You can raise your own vegetables and fruit, or buy them from a farmer wholesale very reasonably. PLAN No. 295. SMALL-TOWN CATERING A young lady who lives in a small city where there are many social functions, has found catering on these occasions quite profitable, and she thus relates her plan of operations: “I have furnished refreshments and acted as hostess for a social club of young men--usually thirty plates at fifty cents each. I serve fruit punch during the card game, and either a fruit salad or a meat salad, with crackers, ice cream or sherbet, cake and nuts, or mints. My profit is between five and six dollars. I also cater for the Masons’ ladies’ nights on the same terms, and in this small country town there is no other business of that sort. “The Masons have about one hundred plates. I introduce the ladies and group them congenially; and the young daughters are only too glad to wait on the tables in pretty aprons, so that I employ only one maid. I arrange the tables for progressive Five Hundred. The girls who do not play are glad to serve and punch the score cards. The men can play pool, and there is a table for cinch and dominoes.” PLAN No. 296. PERFUME FOR A SICK ROOM The following makes a very pleasant antiseptic perfume for a sick-room, imparting the odor of the pine woods, and is very grateful and refreshing to an invalid: Oil of bergamot, 6 drams; oil of orange, 1 dram; oil of rosemary, 1 dram; eucalyptol, 2 drams; bornyl acetate, ¹⁄₂ dram; tincture benzoin, 4 drams; water, 2¹⁄₂ parts; alcohol to make one gallon. Mix and spray about the room whenever the air begins to indicate the necessity for freshening it. PLAN No. 297. RAISING CAPONS One poultry man in a Kansas town got so much more for his young roosters than was paid to any other person in the same place for apparently similar stock, that several of them came to him to find out why this was the case. He replied that there was no secret about it, that he simply caponized the male birds at about four months of age; that this process not only made them grow much faster and larger, but gave their flesh a flavor no other bird possessed, and that when people had once tasted a young caponized cock they would buy no other, if they could possibly get these. The process is very simple, and is performed with a set of tools that can be bought for $2, so that the extra profit on a few birds soon pays for this expense and the time and trouble required. The other poultry growers in the community at once adopted the same plan, and the increased demand for their product in the market showed them where and why they had been losing money before, instead of making it. PLAN No. 298. A LOSING GROCERY BUSINESS MADE A SUCCESS Near a good-sized Texas town a man and his wife were trying to farm a piece of sun-baked land, and were making a failure of it, when the wife proposed that they start a small grocery. They had a few hundred dollars, and borrowed a little more, and with this they bought a small stock of groceries, but the growth of the business was so slow as to be disheartening. On her way down to their store one afternoon the woman noticed that trade was brisk in those places that presented a cleanly appearance, and then she got busy. Together they scrubbed the floors, applied paint where it was needed, and began a general clean-up campaign that soon transformed the dingy little place into a most attractive store room. Pyramids of canned goods were erected in the show window, and everything tastefully arranged on counters and shelves to present the best possible appearance. She had a number of jars of preserves, pickled fruits and vegetables they had put up while on the farm, and these she brought to the store, where they were quickly sold. She then put up more at their home, all of which were sold at a big profit. Then she baked cakes and brought them to the store, where they found a steady sale, which encouraged her to bake many more. As a means of advertising their “clean grocery,” they labeled the collar of their dog and the net mesh that covered their delivery horse with catchy phrases, and soon had their place widely talked about. Their business grew until they were obliged to move to a larger building, where they have the best trade in the town. PLAN No. 299. BRINGING WOMEN TO A STORE It was a woman’s idea that brought scores of women to a store, where her husband was a clerk, who had never been in the place before, and coming in once, usually became regular customers. Her idea was very simple, but it worked splendidly. It was merely to have the management of the store put up a free bulletin board in a prominent place just inside the entrance, upon which women in need of maids, domestics, or help of any kind, could pin up a short notice of the place offered, the wages paid, special privileges and requirements. At the same time, women and girls in search of employment could also use the bulletin board to help them in securing the places they wanted, and it was not long until the store was visited with women anxious to consult the bulletin board, which well served its purpose as a free employment agency. Very soon the store became talked about all over town, as the place to look for help or positions, and of the hundreds of women who visited the place for that purpose, many of them stayed to look over the stock, and buy. The business was so greatly increased that the management of the store, impressed with the value of the idea, gave the husband of its originator a considerable increase in salary. PLAN No. 300. A TRAVELING GROCERY A southern woman’s husband was 30 years old, and a grocery clerk at $50 a month. Both were hoping for something better, when a good idea came to the wife. It was to start something new--a grocery on wheels! She had saved a few hundred dollars before her marriage, but had never told her husband, as she intended to surprise him with it when the proper time came--and that time had arrived. With this money to start with, she drew a plan for a wagon arranged with shelves and compartments for holding canned goods, preserves, breakfast foods, coffee, cheese, fresh-baked bread, cakes, pies, fresh fruits and vegetables--everything to be found in a well-ordered grocery. Sealed packages were a specialty, for sanitary reasons. They had rented a neat little store in a suburb and put in a fine stock of groceries, which the wife took care of while the husband made the rounds of the entire neighborhood with his wheeled grocery. The women were more than pleased to come out to the wagon every morning and make their purchases for the day, without having to go to a market for what they wanted, so that his wagon was in constant demand in every part of the suburb. Later a motor truck took the place of the horse. PLAN No. 301. SALES MANAGER BECOMES REALTY OWNER The sales manager for a large Chicago concern was married, had three children, and was getting further and further behind every year, with debts that constantly increased. Then the wife thought out a plan that she hoped would bring a betterment in conditions, and decided to make it win. She began by selling their grand piano for $800 and buying a second-hand up-right for $185. Then she sold her buffet, china closet, two extra bedroom suites, four good rugs, several sets of silverware, some china, cut-glass, pictures, etc., at private sale, and from these she received $720 more. Out of her total receipts, she paid the family debts and had $640 left. She paid $300 for a lot in the outskirts of the city; $54 for enough second-hand lumber to build a shack 20x40 in size, she and her husband putting up the building and putting in a cement floor, and lining the building with tar paper. They divided the shack into four rooms with straw matting for partitions, bought second-hand windows at $1 each, and made their own doors. Then they placed rugs on all the floors except the kitchen and moved in, thus saving $40 a month in rent. They still had $200 in the bank, and out of this she paid $40 for putting down a well, then she gave piano lessons to country children, at 50 cents an hour, and earned $20 a month that way. She set up her grandmother’s old loom and wove rag rugs until she had earned $700 that way, and at the end of three years they had $3,000 in the bank, had raised the house, put in a foundation, dug a cellar and built two porches. In two years more they were another $2,000 ahead, so her husband resigned his position and they began buying vacant lots at $250 to $400 each, bought old houses “for a song,” tore them down, and with the material built several tiny new bungalows. The husband did the carpenter work, she did the interior decorating work and the children helped a good deal. When a bungalow was finished, they readily sold it for from $1,700 to $2,200 and made a nice profit on each. To-day they are living in a modern 9-room bungalow, and own twenty-seven vacant lots besides, all paid for, and have an income of $4,000 a year. PLAN No. 302. HOT SOUPS FOR BUSINESS GIRLS A practical and profitable idea came to a woman in an eastern city when she thought of the large number of business girls and girls in government employ who so earnestly long for the taste of home-cooked foods, which they never get. Instantly she had formed her plan to put up ready-to-serve, homemade soups, potpies, beans, clam and fish chowders, and other things, to be delivered in glass jars, just at dinner time, to those girls who would love to have a hot meal at home, if they had anyone to cook it for them, or had time to cook it themselves. Making sure that nothing left her kitchen until its taste and attractiveness were tested and proven when it reached those tired women and girls, it was a veritable blessing in glass jars. She baked beans without pork, but with an onion in the center instead, and covered with salad oil. She made Dutch potpie cooked like a stew, made fish and clam chowders and prepared them all in the most appetizing way, so that anyone would relish them. Later she set up a table and an electric stove in the corner of a hall in a large office building occupied mostly by men, where she served lunches taken from her fireless cooker, and these the men took to their offices on trays provided by themselves. On these she realized a profit of 40 per cent, besides having enough food left to supply her own family. PLAN No. 303. BREAD AND CAKE BAKING SOLD TO WOMAN EXCHANGE A married woman in New York, who had formerly been a stenographer but could not return to that work on account of her household duties, which included the care of two children, yet who was anxious to help in enlarging the family income, decided to bake cakes and sell them through various woman’s exchanges. Her sales were very good, but often there would be cakes left over, and, to avoid this, she changed her selling method so as to supply a certain number of families with bread and cakes. Her entire capital was but $5, and she started with seven customers, having discontinued her deliveries to the exchanges. She wrote to a number of people who were able to pay her prices, and soon secured a good list of regular patrons. In six months she had forty-five steady customers, was baking all kinds of cakes besides raisin, whole wheat and brown breads, and rapidly increasing the number of her patrons, so that in six months more she had a total of seventy-eight. Some of these, when starting on their summer vacations, arranged to have her supply them regularly by parcel post while away, and when they returned in the fall they continued to buy her baked products. She employed a boy at $2 a week to make deliveries two afternoons each week and all day Saturdays, and before very long her net profits had reached $150 a month. PLAN No. 304. MAKING USE OF SURPLUS APPLES In some sections of the country thousands of bushels of fine apples are allowed to go to waste every year, simply because there is no one to gather them and make practical use of them. A man in eastern Ohio, where the supply of apples is largely in excess of the demand, made profitable use of this apple surplus by a new method of concentrating cider, through freezing and centrifugal motion. This method consists of first freezing the raw cider until it is solid, by placing it in shallow trays and exposing it to a freezing outdoor temperature. Then it is crushed up fine and put into a receptacle like a barrel churn, and whirled very rapidly. This throws off the juice in the form of a syrup and leaves the water in the machine as ice. One gallon of this concentrated cider, or syrup, is as strong as five gallons of ordinary apple cider, and when put in a cool place will keep from six months to a year without fermenting. It also reduces the bulk about four-fifths, so that it can be shipped at a low transportation cost, thus increasing the profits by a large percentage. This man gathered up several hundred bushels of the apples that were going to waste, rented a cider press, and turned out the cider in immense quantities, late in the fall when the weather was freezing cold. The concentrated product he shipped to the city and sold it at big profit, the first netting him nearly $1,000. PLAN No. 305. SELLING EGGS AT A HIGH PRICE Even in those times when eggs were selling to the middle man for 20 cents per dozen, a man who lived in the suburbs of an eastern city, and kept hens that laid large, rich-looking, golden brown eggs, worth twice as much as the tiny white ones in the dealers’ stalls, always sold every egg he could produce for 60 cents per dozen, or a nickel each. The way he did it was to advertise in the city papers that he would send eggs by parcel post the very day they were laid, and guaranteed them to be strictly fresh and safe for sick people as well as robust persons. That brought in the orders, and the way he kept them coming from the same people, year after year, was by making good--by actually shipping the eggs the day they were laid--and strictly fulfilling every promise he made. These facts, once duly impressed upon the minds of his city customers, made the eggs he sent them worth three times the price of ordinary market eggs of small size and uncertain age. Anyone, situated as he was, can do the same thing and make money out of it. PLAN No. 306. FREE RECIPE BOOKS TO FARMERS In order to interest city merchants in the possibilities open to them for country trade through the parcel post, and to interest the farmers in the goods carried by the city merchants, an advertising man in a western city thought out a plan that would do both. First, he secured the name of every farmer within fifty miles of the city in which he lived. Then he got up a little 16-inch page booklet, with an attractive cover, and filled one-half of every page with interesting and useful information for farmers, such as recipes, methods of gardening farm, garden and orchard products, etc. He then went to merchants in various lines, showed them the plan of the booklet, exhibited his list of farmers’ names, assured them that he would send a copy of the booklet free to every farmer on that list, and got them to fill the other half of each page with an advertisement of those goods especially for farmers’ use. The front of the cover he used as a title page, while the three other cover pages he sold for advertising purposes at good rates. That little booklet netted him over $250, after he had submitted affidavits to the advertisers that copies of it had been sent out free to all the farmers, as he had agreed. He prepared another booklet, using the same matter, except the ads., and these he obtained from another set of advertisers. The matter already set up for the first booklet saved a great deal on the cost of composition, and at the end of the year his profits amounted to more than $2,000. PLAN No. 307. TRUST PLAN WORKED LOCALLY A mail-order man back east decided to work trust plan by which he could keep in close touch with those selling the goods, and have settlements where necessary. From a catalog issued by a reliable house carrying a line of novelties adapted to the trust plan, he selected a few attractive ones which any child could sell at 10 cents each, and which cost him about $1.50 per gross, and these he advertised in the local papers, offering a premium to anyone selling a certain number of them. He was thus enabled to place a large quantity of these novelties in the hands of children and others, who sold them and promptly remitted or called personally to make settlements and receive their premiums. This system reduced his losses to a minimum and greatly increased his profits, so that he sent no more goods on the trust plan to outside towns, but confined his operations to his home city. PLAN No. 308. ICE WOOL SHAWLS BY PARCEL POST Another good parcel-post idea was worked out with success by a mail-order man, as follows: He bought a quantity of ice wool shawls from a Chicago supply house, at a price which allowed him to retail them at 98 cents each, and still make a good profit. He secured the names of all the farmers’ wives within 150 miles, wrote a neat circular describing the beauty and stylishness of ice-wool shawls, and, wrapping one of these around each shawl, he sent them by parcel post, stating that if they wanted it for 98 cents, to remit him that amount, if not, to notify him on a postal card enclosed for that purpose. But a very few of the shawls came back. Hundreds of money orders for 98 cents each did come, and he sold thousands of them in that way, realizing a good profit on each sale. PLAN No. 309. CIGARS FOR FARMERS A cigar man in Denver made up a special brand of cigars, placed two of them in a neat little case, and sent them by parcel post to several hundred farmers, with a note saying they were presented with the cigar maker’s compliments. He also enclosed a coupon, good for a certain premium with each box of cigars ordered. The cigars were good, and many of the samples sent out brought orders for a full box, at the regular price. PLAN No. 310. A NEW TRUST PLAN Instead of that disagreeable method of selling goods--house to house canvassing--an agent in an Illinois city made use of the parcel post, with good results. Selecting the article he wished to sell, he prepared a strong circular fully describing it, and wrapped the article in this circular, ready to send out by parcel post. From the city directory he obtained a list of householders in various parts of the city, and mailed the article to them, with the statement that it was sent for inspection, and that his agent would call in a few days and give a full explanation. He sometimes mailed out as many as 1,000 a day of these articles, and later sent out agents to close the sales, on a commission basis; and, as the sales were much more numerous under this plan than by canvassing from house to house, the increased profits fully justified him in assuming the extra expense the new plan involved. PLAN No. 311. A GOOD COUPON IDEA A Chicago man who knew the truth of the saying, “a woman loves a bargain,” made a practical application of that principle to his own profit. From the catalog of a supply house he selected an article that could be bought for a few cents, in considerable quantities, and yet would be a good value when retailed at, say, 26 cents. In a local paper he placed an ad. descriptive of the article, with a coupon at the bottom, saying: “We have only a few of these on hand. If you wish one, send this coupon and 26 cents, and we will send it by parcel post.” He sold large quantities of goods by this method. PLAN No. 312. SELL GOODS ON INSTALLMENTS BY PARCEL POST A Seattle man originated the plan of selling goods on the installment plan by parcel post, and made it succeed. Running an ad. in the local papers, describing the article for sale, he attached a coupon upon receipt of which the goods would be sent by parcel post for inspection. If approved and desired, the first installment was to be remitted at once, the others at stated intervals, but in all cases the names of two references were required. He sold quantities of goods, sustained no losses, and made a good profit each year through this plan. PLAN No. 313. MEDICAL VEGETABLE GARDEN A San Francisco man, who knew something of the medical and other properties of _Cannabis Americana_, commonly known as hemp, experimented with it and found that it would grow in this country as well as in India, and decided it was a good thing. He procured enough seed to sow one acre of land, sewing it broadcast the same as oats or buckwheat. He kept the weeds down until it had obtained a good start, and, as it then grew fast as the weeds, it needed no further attention. In the fall he cut it, cured it like hay, and sent it to the market, where it brought 45 cents a pound. There were two tons of it, and that 4,000 pounds sold for $1,800, all from one acre. PLAN No. 314. IMPROVING A MARKET A market-man’s wife, who wished to make her husband’s place of business the most popular in that part of the city, did so by planning the meals for about forty of their regular customers. She charged nothing for her services, kept well within the weekly limit of each family, and relieved the housewives of all anxiety in the matter of deciding what the menu for each day should consist of. It not only made them permanent customers, but enabled the storeman to order only what he knew would be sold on any one day, so that his stock of meats and vegetables was always fresh, his prices no higher than those who gave less attention to their patrons’ needs, and his place was soon what the wife set out to make it--the most popular and profitable market. PLAN No. 315. BOOSTED HUBBY’S BAKERY A woman in California, who was impressed with the waste of gas and other fuels by women who devoted long hours to cooking “little dabs”, of oatmeal and other foods for their children, concluded to make that an unpopular and unprofitable pastime for these women, by having such things all cooked in her husband’s bakery, where there would be no waste, while it saved hundreds of mothers many anxious hours and tedious toil that were wholly unnecessary. Her husband agreed with her that it would be a good thing all round to cook all these things in the bakery and place them on sale at prices that would mean a great saving of material as well as fuel, and guarantee their quality at the same time. They began by cooking oatmeal guaranteed to have been steamed four hours, and baked small individual rice puddings in attractive little brown pottery molds, all of which sold so well that they added mutton broth with rice, plain beef broth, chicken broth with barley, and bean, pea purees for the children. Desiring to expand their field of activities, they induced well located bakeries, delicatessen and other stores to handle their products on a commission basis, and, while their profits were not large, the business finally became so extensive that it paid exceedingly well. Finally they gave up all this, and established a small model factory for children’s foods, and now have two motor wagons distributing these foods, which bring them a profit of several hundred dollars a month. PLAN No. 316. MAKING STOCKING PATTERNS A lady in Reno, Nevada, who had long deplored the woeful waste involved in the throwing away of women’s stockings as soon as a small hole appears in the foot, hit upon an excellent plan for effecting a great saving in this regard, and one that at the same time brought her a good income. Her plan was to make patterns for stocking feet, as the material in one pair of women’s hose will re-foot three or four pairs, and thus save the cost of a new pair when all that needs replacing is the small foot part of the stocking. Ripping up a stocking of a good make, she succeeded in cutting out a perfect-fitting pattern from this, the only change necessary in using it being to adapt it to various sizes, and then she advertised to save the women of the country thousands of dollars in hosiery expense, if each of them would send her 10 cents for a pattern that would enable her to replace the feet of stockings whenever a small hole appeared in the heel or toe. No matter what the material, whether it was wool, silk, lisle or a coarse cotton, women realized that it would pay to re-foot them instead of buying new ones, and thousands of them sent for the pattern. Many of the women who bought the patterns admitted that they did so for the purpose of making a business of re-footing stockings for women who could not do it for themselves. PLAN No. 317. A RHUBARB BED THAT PAID A grocer’s wife, with only a few square feet in the back yard of a city lot, cultivated a rhubarb bed that paid for itself hundreds of times over, and required but little care from the time it was started. She obtained several pieces of old root stock from a variety she knew to be of the very best, and in the spring had the ground spaded up and pulverized until it was almost like powder, then she added some good fertilizer, and set out the roots in hills four feet apart each way, leaving the top or eye an inch or so below the level of the ground. These began to grow at once, and during the dry season were kept well watered, being frequently hoed to kill all the weeds. A considerable number of edible stalks were pulled the first season, great care being taken to let none of them go to seed, by snapping off the seed stems as fast as they appeared. The second season the growth began early and was remarkably rapid so that before any one else had rhubarb, she had a good display of it in her husband’s store where it sold readily at a very high price. Ever since then this small rhubarb bed has kept her in pin money, and all the care it has required was to keep it free from weeds and to water it occasionally. PLAN No. 318. PUREBRED POULTRY An Eastern Washington farmer, who had raised scrub poultry for years, without ever being able to decide whether or not they were really worth their keep, finally decided to raise pure-breds, and now feels justified in making the change, as the returns from his high-grade fowls have been large. He simply selected the breed he liked best, and gave them the care to which birds of high degree are entitled, and they have repaid him many times over for his efforts. He now finds he can get more for a single pure-bred fowl than twenty of the common or barn-yard variety would bring, while their cost to raise is considerably less--bird for bird. Another thing: A single setting of eggs from a pedigreed hen brings him more than he could ever hope to receive for all the eggs an ordinary hen would lay in an entire season, and he is not only much better off financially, but feels that the satisfaction of having a breed that everybody else wants is worth a good deal to him. PLAN No. 319. SORTING AND SELLING A preacher’s wife, living in Michigan, has had to support the family for the last fifteen years, and this she has accomplished by cultivating a truck farm a few miles from the city in that state. From this she derives an income adequate for all immediate needs. Her good judgment and experience in the selection, sorting and selling of farm and garden products have made her an expert. Her services command a high figure and she earns a good living each year through this skill. PLAN No. 320. ARCHITECT--SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 321. DUSTLESS DUSTERS AND OIL MOPS A woman in a New Mexico city, where dust is one of the most plentiful of products, earned a good living by making and selling dustless dusters and oil mops to the people of her town. To make a dustless duster, mix--out of doors, of course--1 quart of gasoline, ¹⁄₂ pint of turpentine, ¹⁄₂ pound of whiting and ¹⁄₂ ounce oxalic acid. Mix in a 2-quart fruit jar. Shake the cloths well, then dip into the mixture, and hang out on the line to dry. The above amount is enough for making several dustless dust cloths. She sells them at 25 cents each. To make an oil mop, she gets 20 cents worth of paraffin oil, warms it up by setting it in a pan of hot water, and dips the cloth in this and squeezes it quite dry, then hangs it up to dry thoroughly. In this mixture she also dips broom bags made of the legs of stockings sewed together. She puts the oil in a bottle to use again. PLAN No. 322. WHAT A BUSY COUNTRY GIRL DID A little farmer girl, who is not a bit afraid of work, earns enough to clothe her nicely every year, and here are some of the ways she does it: Picks strawberries in June, at 2 cents a box; earns five dollars. Picks huckleberries and blackberries in July and August; makes from eighteen to twenty dollars. Gathers wild grapes in September, and sells them at $1 per bushel or 50 cents for a peach basket full. Gathers hickory nuts in October, and sells them from Thanksgiving to Christmas at $2.25 to $2.50 a bushel. Also gathers chestnuts; sells them for 15 cents a quart. Plants 5 cents worth of popcorn seed in the spring; gets five bushels; sells it at Christmas time for $2.50 a bushel; or $12.50. In summer she gathers wild balsam blossoms and fresh pine needles; makes them into small head pillows; sells these in drug and dry goods stores at 25 cents each, net. Gathers bayberries in August, and combines their natural wax with paraffin, melting them into pretty, green-tinted candles. Ties these in bunches of three with baby ribbon, and sells two bunches for 25 cents. Planted sage bushes in a corner of the garden. Gets $1 to $5 from these every summer. She is now going to raise medical herbs, such as boneset, catnip, wormwood, mullen, etc., and will sell these to a wholesale druggist at big prices. PLAN No. 323. A WIFE WHO BOUGHT A STORE A street-car conductor on a Massachusetts street-car line, some twenty years, would probably be a conductor still if it hadn’t been for his wife, who took the initiative in launching an enterprise that finally robbed him of his $16-a-week job and gave him one as joint owner, with his better-half, of six prosperous stores, any one of which would make a good living for an ordinary family, besides a fine home in the country. The long hours and close attention of his position as conductor was wearing on him, and the wife decided to take a hand in managing affairs. A small creamery near their home was for sale for $800. The wife had $500 she had saved, and she borrowed $300 more on her furniture and the store fixtures. She at once changed the name of the creamery to that of “Clover Farm Dairy Products,” cleaned the place all up, had the landlord paint it white, put in new linoleums, and had the doors and windows washed, so that everything about the place was “spick and span.” She had previously arranged with the dairy above named to handle their products, which were popular, and opened up for business. The first week her profits were only $10, but in seven months the mortgage was paid off, and the place was clear. She then put a counter in the storeroom, and served sandwiches and light lunches all of which paid well. At the end of the first year she had $2,500 laid away as profits. By that time she proposed to buy another store, and each of them own one, as her husband was ready to resign his position, and this venture proved as profitable as the first one, they kept on until they now own six stores and a nice farm. PLAN No. 324. CLEANED AND REPAIRED CISTERNS A man who made his living by doing odd jobs found the cleaning and repairing of cisterns about the most profitable work he could find to do. Using a hand-pump to remove the water, he would go down into the cistern and scrub the walls clean with a broom, then dip up and remove the dirty water and debris from the bottom. Then he would throw in several buckets of clean water to wash down any particles of dirt remaining, dip this all out, and the cistern was clean. But repairing was necessary in most cases, and if there was a leak, he would enlarge the hole with a hammer, force in some beef suet and then fill the hole with a mortar made of cement and water. For cracks in the wall, he gave it a coat of cement and water, throwing dust-dry cement over it until the cement set hard enough to hold. If the leak was so great that the above method would not stop it, he cut a hole in the bottom, set in a pail that could be emptied when full, and treated the leak as above, afterwards filling the hole in the bottom with stiff clay, cementing it with the mortar. These jobs paid him well, and his time was fully occupied. PLAN No. 325. GREASE-ERADICATING TABLETS A very convenient grease-spot remover, made in tablet or stick form, was put up and sold in large quantities by a traveling man, who realized how easy it would be to use it while on the road. This is the formula he used: Soft soap, 2 pounds; powdered Fullers earth, 2 pounds; turpentine, 6 fluid ounces. Mix the soap with the earth, gradually working in the turpentine, and give a dash of cheap scent, such as nitro benzol or even lemon oil. Then fashion into sticks or cakes. The spot or stain is first moistened with hot water, is rubbed with the cake and allowed to soak for a few minutes, or to get nearly dry, then it is well rubbed with a little warm water and a brush, or a piece of clean woolen, and afterwards rinsed in clean water and finally rubbed dry and smoothed off with a dry cloth or a brush. Introducing this among other traveling men, merchants and others, he soon found such a demand for it that he gave up his position on the road, began making it on a large scale. PLAN No. 326. A SOCIAL REGISTER The society reporter of a leading daily newspaper in a middle western city, who enjoyed an extensive acquaintance among the prominent people of the place, devoted her vacation to accumulating the material for a “social register” in addition to the knowledge she already possessed regarding the foremost families of the city. She was on intimate terms with most of the society leaders, and therefore had but little difficulty in inducing them to pay her $2 each for including the family name in the register, which was open only to those who were representatives of good citizenship, and properly entitled to such prominence. The $2 paid by the head of each family covered the entire charge for having the names of all members of the family in the book, and included the family name, given names, address, telephone number, “at-home” days, names of daughters having made their debut, as well as those “coming out” the present season, the names of social societies or clubs to which any members of the family belong, with official position, if any held therein, the families, summer address, etc. In a word, it was a complete record of the city’s best people. She appointed one or two solicitors capable of approaching exclusive people, for the purpose of enrolling them, and solicited only enough advertisements of the highest class to fill six or seven pages, charging very high rates for the same; and, although no capital was required to start the enterprise, by the time the solicitors and the printers were paid, she found she had cleared nearly $600 from the publication of the book. Every two years thereafter she published a new edition. PLAN No. 327. CHARACTER READING FROM PHOTOGRAPHS There are comparatively few persons who are really qualified to make a success of this work, but once in a while some person is found who can give a very close analysis of the individual character. A young lady in Indianapolis, who possessed this gift, made a great success of this work, and not only gave satisfaction to those who sent photos for her reading, but derived a good living from it. She advertised in the “personal” columns of several widely circulated newspapers that she would describe the character of any one whose photograph was sent to her, detailing the habits, vices, virtues and other characteristics and traits of the individual, the strong and weak points in his or her make-up, whom the person should marry, the line of business to which he or she was best adapted--in short a clear and complete delineation of that person’s character, yet not through fortune-telling or anything of that kind. She announced that, while the regular charge for such a reading was $1, she would make the price 50 cents for a limited time, and guarantee satisfaction. Hundreds of photos, with the requested enclosures, were received as a result of her first ad. and she was soon in receipt of a steady income of $150 to $200 a month. The secret of it was that she could do just what she said she could, and by honestly performing what she promised, she gained the confidence and the patronage of those who answered her ads. PLAN No. 328. SELLING ICE CREAM, BANANAS, ETC., IN THE COUNTRY A city man, who had formerly lived in the country realized how welcome would be the sight of a covered express wagon, containing a sign, “Ice Cream, Pop Corn and Bananas,” coming up the road toward a farm house on a long lonesome Sunday afternoon. Why, everybody would be customers, and that gave him an idea. He owned just the kind of rig that would serve this purpose, and all he needed was a neatly printed canvas sign tacked on each side of the frame that supported the cover. A sign painter soon turned these out at a small cost, and he next visited the headquarters of a large dairy company noted for the excellence of its products. Here he made arrangements to be supplied with from ten to twenty gallons of their best ice cream, of different flavors, each Sunday, at wholesale rates. A corn-popper, operated by a kerosene lamp that kept the pop-corn warm as well as fresh, was his next purchase, then a few bushels of popcorn, while a wholesale fruit house was glad to supply several hundred nice ripe bananas at the regular prices to dealers. The next Sunday was a beautiful day--just warm enough to make one wish for ice cream--and he started out in his rig for a long drive into the country. His coming created a sensation and the further he drove the more he sold of his goods, until, just before sundown, the very last of the ice cream, popcorn and bananas were sold. That night after supper he figured up the results, and found his net profits amounted to just $18.75 for that one day’s work. But that was only the beginning of a profitable business. HOME-MADE CANDY MAKING THAT PAID A man in Seattle, who had never made an ounce of candy in his life, bought a book on candy making at a stationer’s, then worked in a candy factory for almost nothing for two months, and came out a skilled confectioner. The following are some of the candies that proved to be the best sellers and biggest money-makers, and he gives the formulas below, with the statement that the making of any one of them will provide a good living for any person who will work and stick to it. Each is therefore submitted as a separate plan for making a living. PLAN No. 329. MOLASSES CANDY White sugar, 2 pounds; sugarhouse syrup, 1 pint; best molasses, 1 pint. Boil until a little of it hardens when dropped into cold water, then work in the usual manner. This enjoyed a tremendous popularity, and yielded an immense profit. PLAN No. 330. PEPPERMINT CREAMS White sugar, 1 pound; essence of peppermint, 1 teaspoonful; add sufficient water to work into a stiff paste, roll into thick sheets, and cut out with a round stamp of the required size. Profit enough in this to support an entire family. PLAN No. 331. CHOCOLATE CARAMELS Boil a quart of best molasses until it darkens, then put in water. Before removing from the fire, add 4 ounces of fine chocolate. Pour a thin layer into tin trays slightly greased, and when it hardens a little cut into small squares. His customers never seemed to get enough of these. PLAN No. 332. A FINE NUT CANDY Nut candies are always in demand, and those he made as follows were particularly delicious: Put the meats of walnuts, hickory nuts, peanuts, or any other kind desired, to the depth of half an inch, on the bottom of tins previously greased. Boil together 2 pounds of brown sugar, 1 pint of water, and 1 gill of molasses, until a portion of it hardens when cool. Pour the hot syrup on the meats, and allow it to remain until hard, then break it into small chunks. This was one of his biggest money-makers. PLAN No. 333. FIG PASTE Chop a pound of figs fine, and boil in a pint of water until reduced to a soft pulp. Strain through a fine sieve, add 8 pounds of sugar, and evaporate over boiling water until the paste becomes quite stiff. Form the paste into thick sheets, and divide into small pieces with a thin-bladed knife. Roll the pieces in powdered sugar, and pack in wooden boxes. A delicious and healthful confection that proved its popularity all the year round. PLAN No. 334. SUPERB CHEWING GUM No matter how great the supply of chewing gum becomes, the demand for it always exceeds the supply. There is none better than the following, which was one of his biggest sellers: Chicle, 7 pounds; paraffin wax, 2 pounds, Tolu balsam, 4 ounces; Peru balsam, 2 ounces. Dissolve the gum in as much water as it will take up, melt the paraffine and mix all together. Now take finely granulated sugar, 20 pounds; glucose, 8 pounds; water 6 pints. Put the sugar and glucose into the water, dissolve and boil them to a “crack” degree (confectioners’ term), pour the syrup over an oiled slab and turn into it sufficient of the gum mixture to make it tough and plastic, adding any of the following flavors, if desired: Cinnamon, chocolate, sandalwood, wintergreen, myrrh, galangal, ginger and cardamon. When completely mixed, remove to a cold slab previously dusted with powdered sugar, roll out into sheets and cut into sticks. PLAN No. 335. SPRUCE CHEWING GUM Spruce gum, 20 parts; chicle, 20 parts; powdered sugar, 20 parts. Melt the gum separately, mix while hot, and immediately add the sugar, a small portion at a time, kneading it thoroughly on a hot slab. When thoroughly mixed, roll and cut into sticks. One of the most popular and profitable chewing gums made. PLAN No. 336. CLERKS FOR U. S. GOVERNMENT. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 337. DISTRIBUTING CIRCULARS Even in a large city, where bill-board and distributing agencies are already operating, there is still room for an energetic man to make a good living by working independently. A man in a western city did this: By giving honest service at reasonable prices, he worked up a nice, paying business, all his own, inside of a year’s time. He not only obtained work by personal solicitation among the home merchants, but mailed neat circular letters to large advertisers in other towns, and advertised occasionally in the local papers, guaranteeing the prompt delivery of printed matter anywhere at any time; and, as those who employed him once found the service satisfactory, he was able to enroll many of the large advertisers among his regular customers. PLAN No. 338. GENERAL HOUSE-REPAIRING When an Omaha man had lost all his property, and began to think he was “down and out,” he suddenly remembered that he was a regular “jack of all trades”; that he could do almost anything around a house, and that there was a good living for him in making use of his talents. With a few dollars he had left after the collapse of his business, he rented a small shop in a central location, and had some circulars printed stating that he would do all sorts of repair work needed around residences, such as fall to the lot of a bell-hanger, locksmith, carpenter, plumber, gas-fitter, painter, paper-hanger, glazier, carpet cleaner and layer, etc., on short notice and at reasonable rates. He received many calls to do work in these various lines, and did it so skillfully, quickly and reasonably that many housewives engaged him permanently, at a stated sum per month, to look after such repairs as became necessary to make around their homes. His earnings the first year were nearly $1,500 and his income increased. PLAN No. 339. BUYING OLD BARRELS An old man in a western city makes a profit of $25 or more a week by buying used barrels from grocers and others and selling them to manufacturers for about twice what he pays for them. There are several firms in his city that buy all the barrels they can get, and those that have been used answer the purpose just as well as new ones. He first makes contracts with these firms to deliver so many barrels per week at a certain price. Then he drives around in a little wagon to all the groceries and other places where there are empty barrels, and buys them cheaply, as most people are glad to get them out of the way. With these he fills his contracts and makes a good living from it. PLAN No. 340. SELLING POPPED WILD RICE Selling popped corn is an old story, but selling popped wild rice is decidedly new. A man in San Francisco has done this for some time, and made good money out of it. Wild rice is a complete food in itself, is used largely by Northwestern Indians, and costs about 20 cents a pound, in 100-pound lots, while it retails readily at 60 to 75 cents a pound, as it is put in smaller packages than popcorn. When popped, it swells and breaks open, and is very brittle and delicious. He also sells the whole rice at a very good profit. PLAN No. 341. RENEWING TYPEWRITER RIBBONS A Chicago man paid $6.50 for a machine for making, renewing and re-inking typewriter ribbons, and built up a good, paying business in a very few months. With this machine new ribbons can be made for about one-fourth the present prices, and it renews worn ones at a cost of one cent each. It is very simple and easily operated. He had 1,000 cards printed, saying: “Don’t throw away your worn typewriter ribbons. I will pay you 2 cents each for them.” These cards he distributed in business offices, and soon had so many calls that he was obliged to hire a man to collect the old ribbons for him. Most of the ribbons were as good as new, needing only to be re-inked, and when he had done this he sold them at 25 cents each, as the demand exceeded the supply. He also advertised to re-ink ribbons for 25 cents each, and got enough of these to keep him busy his extra time. He soon discovered that he had a business of his own that paid him better than any salaried position he could hope to obtain. PLAN No. 342. RAN A PADDLE-WHEEL Two boys at a popular eastern resort made a living by operating a paddle-wheel--one of the simplest yet most profitable enterprises one could find. The wheel was a small wooden affair, something like the wheel of an old-style baby carriage, and in the front side of the rim were driven twelve wire nails, an equal distance apart, which stuck out about an inch and a half, and the spaces between the nails were numbered from one to twelve, with about 1-inch figures (clipped from a calendar, pasted on cardboard and tacked on the wheel). The hub of the wheel was set on a round peg fastened in a wooden pole about two inches thick and about seven feet high; the bottom of the pole being propped in a foot-stand like those that are used to hold up Christmas trees, and the rim of the wheel was brought up to within about two inches of the top of the pole. To the top of the pole was fastened an extension finger that came out about two inches beyond the front of the wheel, and to this finger was fastened a strip of thick leather about three and a half inches long. This strip of leather was set so as to drop into the space between two of the nails, so that when the wheel was spun around the leather was struck by each nail every time the wheel went round. Twelve paddles were used in connection with the wheel. These paddles were merely flat pieces of wood in the shape of a broom with a small handle, or, to be more exact, shaped like the back of a hair brush and of about the same size. The paddles were numbered from one to twelve, to correspond with the numbers on the wheel. Chewing gum was sold at 5 cents a package, and a half pound of chocolates was given away each time the wheel was twirled, each purchaser of the gum being given a paddle to hold, with a number, and when twelve sales were made, the wheel was spun around. Whoever held the paddle with the number corresponding to that of the space between the nails designated by the leather finger, when the wheel stopped, got the chocolates. Sales were many and the profits large--the cost of the gum and candy being 27 cents, while the receipts from every turn of the wheel were 60 cents, a profit of 33 cents. And that wheel turned several hundred times a day. PLAN No. 343. MONEY IN POTATO CHIPS An Illinois woman who wanted to help out in meeting the insurance premium on her husband’s life policy, realized a good profit from making and selling potato chips, which in nine weeks netted her $80, besides selling $100 worth of home-baked doughnuts at a good profit. Make the chips slice very thin, with a slicer. Have ready a pot or two of real boiling hot grease. After the slices have soaked about two hours in real cold water, fill a wire basket full of sliced potato and let drain a short time and put them into the hot grease. You can purchase a wire basket for this purpose for a very small sum. One peck of potatoes with sufficient grease usually makes about six gallons of chips. She sells a measure, one-half gallon scant, for 25 cents. This was easily handled in her home and it was possible to make a good living and not neglect the family. PLAN No. 344. BLIND MAN MAKES MONEY A blind soldier, at a soldiers’ home in Illinois, earns money by making fancy articles and ornaments of different colored beads. The number of notches on each box designated the color of the beads therein, and he very seldom makes a mistake. These ornaments are very pretty, and visitors, as well as people in the town, buy many of them at good prices. That poor old blind soldier is not complaining of hard times, no matter how many younger people with good eyesight complain. PLAN No. 345. ASSAYER-ASSISTANT. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 346. SUPPLYING HOUSE NUMBERS Making and placing house numbers is the kind of work a Washington man follows with profit. His method is to first determine on the height of the figure--3 inches high being about right. Then cut a set of plain block figure stencils, from 0 to 9, and mark the outline of the figure on a plate of zinc of suitable size. Then trace the figure with white enamel and, when dry, scrape off any enamel that overlaps the outline of the figures. The background is then painted with bicycle enamel. When dry, punch a small hole in each of the four corners and put up with round-headed nails. The prices charged for the numbers put up, is usually 25 cents for a 3-figure number, 20 cents for a 2-figure number and 15 cents for a 1-figure number. The making of the stencils is about the only difficulty connected with the work, for after they are made the printing of the figures is purely mechanical. PLAN No. 347. POST CARD SERIES A New York lady who had accompanied her husband on his vacation in the mountains became, by accident, the originator of a pleasing and profitable idea. She had promised several friends to write them often concerning the many experiences of the trip, but found her time so taken up that all she could find time to write was a few post cards. Even then, she was interrupted while writing the first one by her husband calling her to hurry up, as they were to go to a certain lake at a certain hour, so she added to what she had already written the words, “To be continued,” and mailed the card. The next day she wrote another, with the same ending, and before long had made of them a regular series, which delighted her friends, while they anxiously waited for the next installment. When she returned and they showed her the cards, all fastened together in book form, making a complete story of the series, she decided upon a plan: Selecting a good, short love story from a popular magazine, she first obtained the consent of the publishers to use it as she wished; then she divided it into ten chapters, and had each chapter illustrated with an appropriate cut, printed on a post card, and fastening them all together, took them to the stores making a specialty of post cards, and offered them for sale. She received many orders for the series, and they sold well, so that she made an excellent profit on them, while engaging in a delightfully agreeable work. PLAN No. 348. GETTING MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS BY MAIL An eastern lady of considerable literary talent and business ability, who could not canvass figured out the following plan: Securing the agency for several of the most popular magazines, she made a list of her friends, and at odd hours she wrote them, mentioning the fact that she was agent for certain magazines, and calling particular attention to some special feature in which she knew each lady to be interested. She concluded by assuring them that she should regard it as a personal favor if they would subscribe; and, to make sure of a reply, she enclosed a stamped, self-addressed envelope in each letter. The number of those who sent their subscriptions in answer to these personal letters was surprisingly large, and in acknowledging the receipt of remittances she would ask if they would not favor her with the names of some of their friends. This they did in most cases, and by writing these friends’ friends, and referring to the former, by permission, as having already subscribed, she built up a list of regular patrons that paid her very well. PLAN No. 349. MAKING RUBBER STAMPS That there is good money in the making of rubber stamps, is proven by the experience of a 20-year-old youngster who started in business for himself in a western town of 8,000 inhabitants. He bought a complete outfit, consisting of a vulcanizer, screw-press, assorted type, etc., for $25, and as he had learned to set type in the office of the local weekly paper, the business was easily learned. Here is the way he started: Set up the desired name and address in common type, oil the type and place a paper guard about half an inch high around the form; now mix plaster of paris to the proper consistency, pour on the type and allow it to set. Have your vulcanized rubber all ready prepared in long strips the proper width, and about ¹⁄₈ of an inch thick, and cut off the size of the intended stamp. Remove the plaster cast from the type, and place both the cast and the rubber in a screw-press; apply sufficient heat to thoroughly soften the rubber, then turn down the screw hard and let it remain until the rubber receives the exact impression of the cast and becomes cold, when it is removed, neatly trimmed with a sharp knife, and cemented to the handle ready for use. The inks to be used with rubber stamps, he made as follows: Aniline blue, water sol., 1 B. 3 parts; distilled water, 10 parts; pyroligneous acid, 10 parts; alcohol, 10 parts; glycerine, 70 parts. The blue should be well rubbed with the water, and the glycerine gradually added; when the blue is dissolved, the other ingredients are added. This makes a fine blue ink. Other colors may be produced by substituting for the blue any one of the following: Methyl violet, 3 B. 3 parts. Nigrosin W (for blue black), 4 parts. Vesuvius B (for brown), 5 parts. To make a superior red ink, dissolve ¹⁄₄ oz. of carmine in 2 ozs. of strong water of ammonia, and add 1 dram of glycerine and ³⁄₄ oz. of dextrin. He not only supplied rubber stamps to his home town but a little ad. in the local paper brought orders from other towns, and he soon had all the business he could handle. PLAN No. 350. PICTURE FRAMING In a small Illinois town, where there was no competition from the big city concerns that claim to do this work for practically nothing, an elderly gentleman who had formerly been employed by a big picture-framing house in Chicago built up a nice little business by framing pictures and doing his work reasonably. He rented space in the rear of a news depot, and bought a well selected assortment of mouldings from his old firm at wholesale prices. He purchased a mitre box, saw, hammer, glue-pot and some small brads, in the use of which he was very skillful, and arranged with a dealer to have glass cut any desired size at a reasonable rate. Having done a little quiet soliciting among the people of the town and surrounding country, aided by a modest but tasty display of mouldings and finished frames in the show window of the place, he secured a large number of orders. His work was skillfully done and his charges were reasonable, which brought him a steady business. It made him an excellent living, and he had no fears of losing his position, a fate which often falls to a man as soon as his hair begins to turn grey. He had a business of his own. PLAN No. 351. SELLING POPCORN While some people, who do not know any better, may smile at the man engaged in so small a business as selling popcorn and peanuts, the persons who do the selling know there is money in it if properly conducted. A man in an eastern city spent his last few dollars in buying a two-wheeled cart, fitted with a glass case on top, bought a gasoline lamp, a popper and a few pounds of popcorn and started out to make a living. His profits the first day were $2.25, but that was the smallest day’s business he ever did, for his sales increased rapidly and in two years he was the owner of a large bakery, running several delivery wagons to supply his trade. His success was partly due to his methods of preparing his popcorn for sale which was as follows: Popcorn Balls. To 4 quarts of the popcorn, take ¹⁄₂ cup of molasses and ¹⁄₄ cup of sugar. Do not add water. Boil the syrup until it will harden in water (not brittle); then add ¹⁄₄ teaspoon of soda to improve the color. Pour over the corn, mix well, and make into balls. Wet your hands in cold water when molding the balls, so the corn will not stick to them. To make the popcorn bricks, use the same process, but have molds made the size required, but without a bottom. Set the molds on a smooth surface and fill with the prepared corn; then have a block the size of the inside of the mold, and about 1 inch thick; place on top of the corn in mold and hammer down until the top surface of the block is level with the edge of the mold, then lift up the mold, leaving the corn and block on the table. Remove the block from the corn, and your popcorn brick is ready to wrap in wax paper. Sugared Corn in Bulk. Take 1 cup of best white sugar, three tablespoonfuls of water, and one teaspoonful of butter. Pour all into an iron kettle, and boil until ready to candy; then throw into the mass 3 quarts of freshly popped corn. Stir continually until the sugar is evenly distributed over the corn; then remove from the fire, and stir until it cools a little. You then have each kernel separate, and all nicely coated with sugar. It should be watched closely while on the fire to prevent scorching. PLAN No. 352. DRESSING FOR CARRIAGE OR AUTOMOBILE TOPS An automobile salesman in an eastern city experimented with various kinds of dressings for leather tops on carriages or automobiles, until he finally struck the right combination, and found such a demand for it that he resigned his position in order to manufacture it. Here are the ingredients used and their various proportions: Orange shellac, 30 ounces; Venice turpentine, 1 ounce; castor oil, 1 ounce; gum sandrac, 1 ounce; nigrosin, 1 ounce; wood alcohol, 9 pints and 6 ounces. Mix all together and shake until dissolved. Directions for use: Carefully remove all dirt and dust from the leather with a damp cloth, after which apply the dressing with a soft camel hair brush. This preserves the leather, renders it waterproof, prevents all cracking, and imparts a beautiful glossy finish, making old, faded leather look like new. He put this up in pint tin cans with screw tops, and retailed it at $1.00 per can. He also took orders for dressing carriages and automobiles, one can being enough to use on the top, side curtains and rain apron. This could all be done in half an hour, and he charged $2 to $3 for each job. Livery stables and auto garages bought a dozen or more cans at a time, as it is the best dressing on the market. It can also be used for rubber and cloth tops, and will last for years. Water and mud do not affect its luster. PLAN No. 353. OPENED A NEWS DEPOT On a capital of $25, a 19-year-old boy in a western town of 1,000 people opened a news depot in a small way, yet made it pay him a profit of $900 the first year, and it now pays several times that amount. An eastern news bureau supplies him, through its agency in the nearest city, with all the paper-bound books, magazines, weekly and monthly periodicals for which there is a demand, and takes back the copies unsold. He also added a small line of cigars and tobacco, secured the agency for a steam laundry in the city and has built up a very thriving little business of his own. PLAN No. 354. ATTORNEY FOR INTERSTATE COMMERCE. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 355. HE SOLD BUTTERMILK A young farmer lad who wanted to live in the city, found a way in which that could be done, without any danger of his going hungry, or of being obliged to look for a job. Knowing the value of buttermilk as a food and a drink, he decided to go into the business of selling it. There was a large creamery near the city in which he had chosen to cast his fortune and he visited the manager to learn the lowest price at which he could be supplied with fresh buttermilk every day in quantities of not less than 100 gallons, and was surprised at the low price quoted. He then visited a large number of restaurants, hotels, saloons, etc., and offered to deliver to them the quantity required by each every day, for 12 cents per gallon, which was three times what it cost him. Having a few hundred dollars, he purchased a rig especially adapted to this purpose, and began his deliveries at once. He had attractive showcards printed, “Fresh Buttermilk Sold Here,” and put up one of these in a conspicuous place wherever he was making deliveries. He also had the hotel keepers mention buttermilk on their menus, which they were glad to do, as it cost only about half the price of sweet milk. He had a publicity man prepare for him a number of articles dealing with the healthfulness of buttermilk, and thus created an increased demand for it by publishing one of these in the city papers once a week. PLAN No. 356. NEWSPAPER OBTAINED BUSINESS BY LONG DISTANCE PHONE The owner of one of the leading papers in Cheyenne, Wyoming, during the oil boom found that the Denver papers were obtaining all the advertising while his paper, which was in the oil district, was not receiving any business. He knew it would be difficult, if not impossible, to send a salesman to Denver and obtain this business. The matter was discussed pro and con in his office as to how this business could be obtained. He told his advertising man about a plan of getting business by day-letter--upon which this man proposed they secure this business by long distance telephone. This the owner thought impossible but decided to try it. All Denver papers running ads. were gone over carefully and his $35-a-week advertising man began work. The business of that paper increased $4,500 a month for over three months and the $35-a-week man became worth $150 a week. The plan provided a new and very direct method of reaching the man who had the giving of the business. The salesman in this way had the right of way. He got a quick decision. In talking to the prospective advertiser he stated his name and the newspaper he was representing, then complimented the advertiser on the excellent copy he was running in the Denver paper and suggested that this ad. should be run in the Cheyenne paper, stating his reason why it would be an advantage. He was tenacious and intelligent and got the business before he hung up the phone receiver. This plan brought more than $10,000 worth of business to the paper in four months. Many claim that it is impossible, but it has been successfully handled. It cost something like $300 a month for phone charge, but that expense was made up by adding to the cost of the advertising space. He did not lose 5 per cent in his collections. PLAN No. 357. CLUB PLAN FOR HOUSEHOLD GOODS A man who had been in several suit clubs, where each member pays in $1 a week for a certain number of weeks, and a suit is drawn every week, thus getting it for whatever he had paid in, be it $1, $10, or $40, wondered why the same plan wouldn’t work just as well with sewing machines, stoves, ranges, carpets, rugs, etc., as with suits. After thinking it over he concluded it would. Then he started to work out a plan. Having about $500 of his own, he rented a small store on a side street, fitted it up with a desk, and a few chairs, and then going to a wholesale furnishing house, he bought one of each of the articles above mentioned, the retail price of which was $50. He paid $100 down, and the balance he agreed to pay in installments of $50 per month. His discount on the articles was 25%. These he had taken to his store room and displayed to the best possible advantage. Then he proceeded to secure 100 members of the club, each to pay $1 per week for 52 weeks, one member to drop out each week. These payments met the installments on the goods as they became due, and left a comfortable balance besides, which was duly deposited in a bank. Each month one member was awarded his or her choice of the articles bought, and another was bought to replace it on the floor of the club room. Many states now have statutes against drawing of any kind so the statutes of your state should be first considered. PLAN No. 358. STREET CAR TIME CARD ON CLOCK A wide-awake advertising man in the Middle West worked out a plan that was good, inasmuch as it gave accurate information every hour of the day or night as to the exact leaving time of all the street cars. He obtained a dozen good sized clocks, set up in different parts of the city, and the Clock Co. kept them in perfect time for 50 cents per week each. A large board, neatly painted, and lettered, was made the background of the clock, and on this was shown the exact time at which all street cars left that corner, while generous spaces were left on the board for advertising purposes. As everybody looked at that clock several times per day, it was regarded as good advertising and the merchants in each locality purchased the available space. PLAN No. 359. MAKING HAIR CHAINS A lady in Illinois, has for years earned considerable money by making chains from human hair, and selling them to both men and women. Chains for men are from 9 to 10 inches long, and sell for $1 to $5 each. Those for women are about 22 inches in length and the charge for making these ranges from $3 to $10 each. She has been at this work so long that she has developed great speed in making the chains, and she has no difficulty in finding a market for her products. She has a comfortable and steady income from her work. PLAN No. 360. NEWSPAPER MAN OBTAINED BUSINESS WHEN SICK He was the owner of a daily paper in a town, which had secured a stock convention. This convention was to take place in a week and here he was sick in bed and unable to secure business from his advertisers. Thinking the situation over one day the idea came to him, why not prepare their advertisements from the copy they had previously used and then send a day letter and make a bid for their business. This idea he acted on at once. He fortunately found a copy of a paper carrying advertisements for the desired companies--where the convention met the year before. His day letter ran something like this: “Stock convention to open here on ---- (date). A large attendance certain. Your copy amounting to ¹⁄₂ page run in ------------ paper is before me and suggest this be run in my Sunday, Monday and Tuesday editions of ----. Cost for 3 times ¹⁄₂ page $------. Wire answer at my expense.” Out of 15 day letters sent he received answers from 12 to run ads. as suggested. He immediately put out the day letters to the remaining prospective advertisers with the result he obtained better than $1,200 worth of business. Some did not answer so he forwarded another wire for immediate reply at his expense. This is an illustration that a proper plan is effective under adverse conditions. PLAN No. 361. EYE SPECIALIST Perhaps one of the neatest and best conducted businesses I ever visited was run by an eye specialist in a city of the Northwest. I have known personally many specialists but few could compare with this man. No matter how full the office was one received prompt attention when he entered. As soon as I entered his office I was met by a good, wholesome looking girl, card in hand, asking my name, address, phone and business; stated the doctor was very busy but that she would make a preliminary inquiry, on which I said my eye was affected and gave her a brief statement as to what I thought was the cause of it and a few of its symptoms. She asked me to be seated, saying she would prepare me for the doctor’s examination which I had called to get, and that it would take about an hour and thirty minutes for the atropin to take effect, at which time the doctor would promptly make the examination, and thereupon she put the atropin in my eye. This girl was a real saleswoman--no one escaped her. After I was located the doctor appeared in person with the card, shook my hand and made me welcome, and showed real sympathy for my condition. After my hour and a half had passed I was ushered into a neat little dark-room, and finally taken to a third room where the doctor made a very careful examination. He told me briefly the trouble, asked me a few questions and listened attentively to my statement and later informed me what my trouble was. He accompanied me to the desk, handed the card with my name on it to the girl, again showing real concern for my unfortunate condition, dictated to the girl a good statement of my trouble and had her make a record of it, not omitting to give her all the medical phraseology. He requested the name of my doctor and dictated a letter to him. When I left that doctor’s office I was impressed with the thoroughness of his service, and the prompt and business-like method in which he carried it out gave me confidence in him. If other specialists would handle their business on as efficient and business-like a basis as he did they would have very few bills that would be lost. The above plan, I can safely say, would double the business of the average eye specialist; no one who entered the office would leave it without receiving service and would be satisfied with it. Through the card plan the doctor knows who you are, the business in which you are engaged, and your general trouble, before meeting you. PLAN No. 362. OUTSIDE HOUSE-CLEANING Everybody, of course, is more or less familiar with the ordinary kind of house-cleaning, but it remained for an enterprising young fellow in Nevada, to introduce an entirely new style of the industry. His work was the cleaning, not of the inside but of the outside of houses. There is plenty of it left for other men to do, in thousands of towns in this country. [Illustration: Plan No. 362. Diligence is the Mother of Good Luck] In his town many of the houses are frame, and he had noticed many of the more pretentious ones showed coatings of soot and dirt that marred their beauty. Arming himself with a bucket of hot soapy water containing some laundry soap and washing powder, a ladder, a soft scrubbing brush and a sponge, he went to one of the houses, owned by a man he knew, and asked permission to try an experiment on a small section of the siding at the rear of the house. It was granted and he proceeded to scrub it well with the soapy solution, until the dirt was well removed and then he washed it with a sponge dipped in clear, cold water. Calling the owner of the house, that gentleman was so amazed at the improved appearance of the cleaned spot that he asked our friend if he hadn’t given it a new coat of paint. Being answered in the negative, the house owner asked what he would charge to go over the entire exterior and treat it in the same manner. He named a sum that would amount to about $10 a day and was at once engaged to perform the work. The result was so surprising that a dozen other property owners in the same neighborhood gave him orders. His earnings from this method of house cleaning averaged $50 a week. If the paint is in good condition, washing is as good as re-painting, and much cheaper. PLAN No. 363. ADVERTISING ON FLY PAPER Most advertising men think they have brought out all possible forms of publicity, but one of them in San Francisco thought of an entirely new idea, and worked it to perfection. His plan was to make and distribute fly paper free, containing advertisements which were also printed upon it free of charge. You can’t see how he could make anything out of that? Well, he saw a way. He cut thin manilla paper into sheets 10x16 inches, upon which he had printed six ads., each 4x4 inches, and covered these over with a sticky preparation made by melting two pounds of white rosin in a pot and stirring in a gallon of boiled linseed oil until it is of the proper sticky consistency. This he applied with a wide, stiff brush, leaving a margin of one inch all around the edge for handling. The ads. showed plainly through this. In order to secure the necessary ads. he agreed to print them on 100,000 sheets of the fly paper free, and to distribute the fly paper to all the residences in the city, also free, but to charge each advertiser the regular price of distributing circulars, $3 per 1,000, so that for each 1,000 sheets distributed, the six advertisers paid him $18, and for every 100,000 sheets he collected $1,800 for distribution. The printing was but a small item, and the cost of hiring boys to do the distributing was not very heavy, so he received over $1,400 net profit for a few weeks’ work. He presented an affidavit that the sheets had all been distributed before presenting his bill to the advertisers, so he had no difficulty in collecting the money due under the contracts. PLAN No. 364. THE APPLES AND THE PARCEL POST A woman who lived in a section where there were but few good orchards, one of which was on the farm she and her husband owned, several miles from a city, made money from carefully selected apples, three dozen in a box, which she sent to the city by parcel post, and sold for 50 cents a box. The apples, of a choice variety, were so plentiful in this particular orchard, that many of them would have gone to waste but for her foresight in advertising them to be delivered at that rate by parcel post, and orders came so fast it kept her busy filling them. The apples were good, and reached her city patrons in such excellent condition that repeat orders were a common occurrence and during the late summer and fall she realized a profit of several hundred dollars through utilizing a product that in many cases would have been just so much waste. Her motto was: “Give a good article, and get a good price for it.” PLAN No. 365. FROM CHINA PAINTING TO SAUSAGE MAKING Making sausage--even the very best of sausage--may not seem quite so romantic and “genteel” as china painting, but a very sensible and talented woman, who had tried both, concluded to stick to the sausage making, mainly for the greater revenues it produced. To begin with, she had always been noted for the extra fine quality of her home-made sausage, so she was not obliged to learn the business. She informed her friends and neighbors that she was prepared to fill all orders, and the orders came quickly and permanently. Then she placed a small ad. in the local paper, which brought still more orders, and in a short time she had all she could possibly do to fill them. The children helped her in grinding and in delivering the sausage to her customers, and as she used only the best meats, and utilized every particle of the material, there was no waste, but a large and ever-increasing profit. PLAN No. 366. WHAT A TEACHER DID “ON THE SIDE” A teacher in Iowa improved her vacation by stenciling various designs, such as coats of arms, family crests, etc., on sofa pillows and various other articles of household and personal adornment. This occupation, while very fascinating, was so novel as to attract wide attention and create an unusual demand for that class of work, and the teacher who introduced it into society circles in her home town was soon in receipt of many orders. She later gave up her school work, to take up stenciling, as it paid her much better than teaching. PLAN No. 367. MADE MONEY IN SALTED PEANUTS Preparing salted peanuts is an art, yet one that is easily learned, and yields large profits. A young man in a western city of 12,000 to 15,000 inhabitants learned how to do it, and made it a profitable business on a small capital. The new method he employed was as follows: Take a suitable amount of the shelled peanuts and boil in oil until well done, after which remove them from the oil and spread thinly over a tin-covered table; then sprinkle the desired quantity of fine salt over them immediately. Let them dry and put up in neat packages. Peanut oil, beef suet, or unsalted butter may be used. A substance known as “Konut,” which may be had of the leading grocers, is in many respects more satisfactory than any of the oils mentioned. Use an iron kettle, and place the nuts in a basket made of iron wire netting, so they may be easily lifted from the oil when cooked. Never, under any circumstances, use brass, copper, or zinc for either the kettle or the basket. The nuts should be stirred frequently, while cooking, with a wooden paddle. The best shelled peanuts cost 4 to 5 cents a pound in small quantities, and this process of salting costs about one cent a pound, so that 5 or 6 cents a pound is the total cost. They easily bring 10 to 12 cents a pound or more so that the young man made at least 100 per cent profit. As peanut money is “turned over” very quickly, and doubled each time, he soon realized he had a very profitable undertaking--a good money-maker. PLAN No. 368. SELLING POWDER WITH A PREMIUM To offer a premium as a means of inducing people to buy even an inferior article sometimes succeeds, but here is the case of a Denver man who not only offered an article of superior merit, but also gave a useful premium with each sale, and it won him a patronage that was permanent and profitable. The article he had for sale was a lustre powder for cleaning any kind of metal, paint or woodwork, and, although it consisted only of pure common whiting, with a little oil of lavender to perfume it, it produced excellent results as a cleaner, when used with a piece of clean flannel dipped in warm water, squeezed nearly dry, and then dipped into the powder, and briskly rubbed. To induce sales, he put on a card three enameled knobs of various sizes, for coffee pots, teapots, teakettles, pot covers, stewpans, drawer or door pulls, which he bought for 60 cents per gross, and offered the three for a premium with each 10-cent package of the powder sold. The sales under this system were excellent, and when he figured that the powder, printing, boxes, knobs, and all complete, cost him less than 2¹⁄₂ cents, and he sold them for 10 cents thus getting back $4 for $1, he was well satisfied, as he knew it would not only produce him a livelihood but a saving as well. PLAN No. 369. LAWYER WHO ATTENDS TO BUSINESS The average lawyer admittedly is a poor business man, because of his neglect to study the ordinary methods of business. When he takes your case he often proceeds to handle many details you know nothing about which takes up his time and often much skill on his part. All these steps, as a matter of fact, should be known to you so that you may give him credit for his time and energy he has put in on your behalf. His failure to call such matter to your attention means if he charges you for the time he actually spent you think you have been overcharged and he loses you as a client. For example, after the lawyer appears for you a motion is made by the lawyer on the other side; this means he must appear at least once before the court and argue the matter which might take one-half to a whole day. Then a demurrer is filed which will take as much more time, and finally the case is set down for trial. As a rule you will see him only a few times before the trial and naturally think that he has put in but little work. The lawyer I have in mind handled his work on a business basis. As soon as a case was placed in his hands he would immediately inform his client of every step, and the nature of it, taken in the case. If a motion was filed, he immediately on receipt of it dictated a letter to his client telling him of the motion and the nature of it. When he attended court to have the motion set down he informed his client of it. When the court heard the motion he wrote his client when it would come up and that it was not necessary for him to be present. If he was successful he immediately informed his client of that. In this way he kept his clients constantly informed of every detail. His stenographer was busy and he could charge a much larger fee for his service and his client felt everything possible had been done for his case. In the event that it was necessary to show the court the amount of service rendered by him, he could produce the correspondence which showed the amount of work and the time expended by him. Ninety per cent of the lawyers could double their incomes by giving attention to the details of their business as herein suggested. PLAN No. 370. WASHINGTON MAN GOES THROUGH EASTERN UNIVERSITY He knew he must have the same opportunity to make good as other men and he also knew if he was to be a lawyer he must study law. He worked for one year but did not obtain one cent for his labor and during the summer of that year he decided to enter an eastern university. He felt somehow that he must go, and he decided that, money or no money, he would. For $15 he had a tailor friend of his fix up two old suits and a light top-coat of his brother’s, and with these clothes which would last him for a year he felt that he had accomplished something. A friend of his who was going to enter the university at that time wanted him to go also and offered to lend him $100. He had $70 saved, so he accepted his friend’s offer and made the attempt. After arriving at the university, with entrance fee and books paid for, he had very little money but by doing some extra work he managed to get through the first year. But how about the second year--what could he do now? Another friend pointed out how the summer before he had sold a book and had cleared about $300 in this way. There was hope, for if his friend could do it, why couldn’t he? His friend borrowed $25 and divided with him, and down into the country, armed with a prospectus they started in. That summer he cleared more than $400. He went to the World’s Fair, and found himself back in his class at college financed for another year. After that he had no worry about defraying expenses at the University. If he was short about Christmas vacation time he went out and made a vigorous sales campaign and came back with the money. This man was nothing out of the ordinary; as a matter of fact he was only a medium salesman, but he must have his education and he did not hesitate to sacrifice a little of his energy. Any man who thinks he can and will back up this desire by real work can do as well, if not better. PLAN No. 371. THE WAY A BOY FROM INDIANA WENT THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN He was full of energy and not afraid to use it. He had no money, but he felt it was necessary for him to take an engineering course. How could this be done without money? He was half convinced that there was a way, and one day there were two men from the University of Michigan selling books in his home town. He became acquainted with them and found that they had no money and were spending their vacation in his town raising money to complete their courses. It was too late for him to go to work with them that season, so he asked their advice. He was told there was no record of a young man starving to death at Ann Arbor while working his way through but that there were many thousands from all parts of the United States who had worked their way through. They told him to go up to Ann Arbor about two weeks before the college opened and get a job waiting on table. This would take care of his board, and it was not considered a disgrace to wait on table at the university. At the same time they advised him to call at some houses and get a room where he could arrange to do odd jobs for the landlady in payment. This advice he followed, obtained the jobs, entered the Engineering Department, and got into the band, as he played a horn, which gave him admittance to all games and affairs of the university. He finished his first year O. K., and the next summer he sold books and saved more than $300 for his next year’s schooling. Each summer he sold--sold--sold, and put out other agents, who sold for him until he had completed his college course with credit to himself and no debts and a cash reserve. [Illustration: Plan No. 371. A Word to the Wise is Sufficient] Any young man can to-day do as well as he did a few years ago. Don’t let anyone tell you the high cost of living makes it impossible. PLAN No. 372. A STUDENT’S WAY THROUGH COLLEGE He was a quiet going young fellow and always had a smile but had very little to say--as a matter of fact he had no gift as a talker. I remember he had a very pretty girl at school and she had one wish and that was, for Charlie to talk more. But when it came to class work, Charlie always hit the “bull’s eye.” He knew bluff and enthusiasm did not count there but the right answer went a long way. Charlie was without funds and could not sell, so his case seemed hopeless, but he found work which just suited him and there were few who could do it so well as he. Professors at college and universities are always writing books, so Charlie, who could brief cases and write on law subjects almost as well as the professors, worked for a couple of these professors and made his home with them. His board was unsurpassed at the college and his home accommodations far excelled those of the best student’s, and he had their intimate companionship, which meant a great deal to him at college as well as to his subsequent career. Students with qualifications such as his will find their college expenses an easy matter. PLAN No. 373. HE WENT THROUGH THE LAW COLLEGE AT WASHINGTON, D. C. His father was always active in politics and raised his son on the plan to depend on himself. When his son finished high school, the question was, how to finance his college course. He wanted to be a lawyer and he desired as broad a training as possible. His father’s answer to his inquiry about the college expense was, “I know my son has ability sufficient to finance himself through college.” The father was right but, nevertheless, he helped the boy to an appointment in one of the departments at Washington, D. C., where he served during his entire course. The young man had plenty of funds during his entire course and had a wonderful opportunity to study our national government and its workings at first hand, which opportunity comes to but few men in a life time. There are many postmasters or men in our government service who would be pleased to help you get a position in some government department at Washington when they know that by such assistance they are helping a young man to realize a high ambition. PLAN No. 374. FARMER IN A MINING DISTRICT He was a good natured bachelor of good habits who felt he might as well live in the country with plenty as to work hard to live in the city and submit to the inconvenience of having ordinary food and poor neighbors. So in 1907 he went to Grand Forks, B. C., and there took up a homestead on the Washington side, which cost but a few dollars. This was a simple thing to do, as many men do the same in the northwest, but he immediately cultivated thirty-two acres, built a log house and out buildings. Then he made an investment of $675 in fourteen cows, one bull, twenty calves, twelve heifers and eight steers. He had plenty of spare time so he worked in the mines near his homestead and in this way earned more than $1,800 a year. Here is what he accomplished in four years--1907 to 1911: The sale of his stock amounted to more than $5,000. He earned in the mines more than $1,800 a year. His farm sold for $3,000, which did not cost him over $200. He raised enough to feed himself, which means the money he earned was clear profit. Figure out for yourself what he made, and anyway you figure it he made a big success. PLAN No. 375. AN INK THAT STANDS ALL TESTS An eastern state recently adopted the following formula for its official black ink, after learning through the severest tests that it stands exposure to the sun for three months; exposure to all sorts of out door weather for six months; exposure to water, and soaking in water and alcohol. A man who knew what the formula was, desiring to make a business of selling an ink so reliable, made it up in large quantities, and found it to be just as good as claimed. This is the formula: Tannic acid, ¹⁄₂ ounce; crystal gallic acid, 77 grains; sulphate of iron, 5 drams; gum arabic, 100 grains; dilute muriatic acid, ¹⁄₂ ounce; carbolic acid, 10 grains; clear rain water enough to make 1¹⁄₄ pints. Mix the muriatic acid and water, and dissolve all the other ingredients in the mixture. He sold large quantities of this ink to professional and business men, city, county and state officials, etc., and inside of a year was in receipt of a steady income. PLAN No. 376. BAKER--INDIAN SERVICE U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 377. A CEMENT STICK THAT STICKS A Virginia man found that by investing 85 cents in the materials required for making cement sticks he could get back $25, when sold at retail. This is the way he makes it. Common glue, and from ¹⁄₄ to ¹⁄₂ as much cheap sugar; melt them together in a glue pot, then pour in pans ¹⁄₄ an inch deep. As it cools cut in strips 1 inch wide and 4 inches long, pointing one end in the shape of a chisel. Have a label printed to cover about one-half the stick, giving the name and uses of the stick, with directions as follows: “To use as a mucilage, wet slightly and apply. To use as cement, dip in boiling water, coat the parts heavily and press firmly together.” Making up a good supply of these sticks, he placed them on sale with dealers, delivering as sales were made. He then employed agents to canvass from house to house, and sold a great many in that way. Later he made it a mail-order proposition, and through a series of ads. in local papers published within a radius of 500 miles, he built up a good sale. PLAN No. 378. ICELESS REFRIGERATOR Especially during the hot summer months does the refrigerator become an imperative necessity, yet there are thousands of homes to which the prices of the ordinary kinds are beyond their means, and thousands more, especially in the country, where ice is unobtainable. A man living in a western city, who had learned the secret as well as the value of the water bag, while traveling across the desert, applied his knowledge of evaporation to the construction of an iceless refrigerator in his own home, with such good results that he began manufacturing them and found a ready sale for all he could make. And the making was a very simple and inexpensive matter. Procuring some mill ends, or short pieces of boards, 1 inch thick and 3 inches wide, he made a frame 3 feet high, 18 inches deep and 15 inches wide, letting the long, upright pieces extend about 3 inches below the lower part, to form legs for it to stand upon. Next he covered the frame with a strip of wire screen, and upon the wire he placed a piece of outing flannel to fit well over it, tacking it at the corners to hold it in place, but letting the cloth extend several inches above the top of the frame, and cutting it at the upper corners so that it would fold over on the top and lie in a pan or jar which was to be placed there and kept constantly supplied with water. Inside the frame he nailed cleats to hold shelves made of strips or lath, strong enough to bear the weight of milk bottles, butter dishes, meats, etc. The door he made of a frame covered with the wire screen, using light hinges and a catch to hold it in place, and letting part of the outing flannel form the covering for the door. The refrigerator was then complete, except the placing of a large pan or jar on top of it filled with water. The top parts of the outing-flannel cover which had been laid in the pan, quickly absorbed the water which was carried down all sides, and it was the evaporation which then took place that kept the contents of the refrigerator as cool and fresh as though they were in one of the high-priced ice refrigerators. The entire cost of the material for making one of these refrigerators at the beginning did not exceed 75 cents, but later, when he bought in regular quantities, the cost was very materially lessened, and they sold as fast as he could make them for $3 each. He could easily make seven or eight a day, and at a profit of $2.25 each he did very well. A few ads. in the papers circulating through the country, as well as the smaller towns, were all he needed to create a demand, for when farmers found they could buy a refrigerator at that price, which would do the work without a pound of ice, they sent in their orders by the scores. Besides, hundreds of city people bought them as well, because they saved ice bills, and kept foods in good condition. PLAN No. 379. RAISING BELGIAN HARES Few people realize the profits to be derived from raising Belgian hares, when the small amount of capital and labor involved is considered. But a 16 year-old boy in the northwestern part of the state of Washington had a very good idea as to what could be made in this small industry, and he went to work in a systematic way that his seniors might well imitate. Starting with one male and three does, he was surprised to learn that under ordinary circumstances a doe will produce six litters in a year, with an average of six young in each litter, and that usually one-half of them are does, or eighteen does a year from one animal. It was still more surprising when he found that the three does of the first litter had three litters the first year, while two litters may be expected from the second litter. At this rate, there were sixty-three does at the end of the first year, as well as sixty-three bucks all from one hare; and multiplying this by the three does he started with, it gave him a total of 878 hares from the four he began with. His 189 bucks averaged eight pounds of meat each, or 1,512 pounds, which he sold at 10 cents per pound, or $151.20, and he still had the 189 young does, the three old ones and the original buck. He had selected the Golden Bay strain in purchasing his original stock, as that is generally recognized as the best of all strains, and his judgment proved correct, for, no matter how many of these hares he raised, he had calls for more than he could supply. PLAN No. 380. LIQUID GLASS--THREE IN ONE Of course you’ve heard of liquid glass as an egg preservative; but did you ever know it has no equal as a paste for making labels stick to tin cans, or that it is the principal ingredient in the best glue on the market for mending china, crockery, glassware, etc.? A bright young fellow, who had a small drug store in a western town, knew all these things, and also knew where liquid glass could be bought, in quantities, as low as 20 cents per gallon. He bought five barrels of it, just as a starter, for he had large plans. The liquid glass solution for preserving eggs is made by mixing one gallon of it with nine gallons of cold water, placing the eggs in a barrel, bucket or stone jar, and completely covering them with the solution. Place a cover over the receptacle containing the eggs, and set it in a cool place. At the end of six months or a year the eggs are as fresh as when newly-laid, and at the rate of $1 a gallon for the liquid glass the cost is about one-half cent per dozen eggs. As eggs were plentiful in that locality, the young druggist bought 1,000 dozens, strictly fresh, direct from the neighboring ranchers, at 15 cents a dozen, and put them away in the liquid glass solution, so as to be able to supply the demand during the winter months, when they would go up to 60 cents a dozen. These he packed in barrels and set them in the basement of his store. Then in December he advertised in the city papers offering strictly fresh eggs, prepaid by parcel post, at the price named. He received so many orders that he was obliged to employ a reliable boy to pack and ship the eggs to his city customers. Then he figured up the results. The 1,000 dozen eggs cost him $150; the liquid glass for preserving them cost him $1 for the five gallons; the wages of the boy who did the packing were $25; the parcel post charges were $10, a total of $186. He received $600 for the eggs, making his profits $414. That was a good start, and the next year he did four or five times that amount of business, increasing his profits proportionately. But by this time the farmers and poultry raisers of the community had learned of his success and began preserving large quantities of eggs themselves. In order to preserve them, however, they had to have liquid glass and gladly paid him a $1 a gallon for that which cost him but 20 cents a gallon. There were several canneries in the city, to which the druggist shipped his eggs, and all of them were experiencing great difficulty in getting their labels to stick to the tin cans. The druggist promptly came to the rescue by offering them a paste fully guaranteed to stick, and readily sold considerable quantities of the liquid glass to them for $3 a gallon, being careful not to tell them what it was. A little later he procured 2,000 2-ounce bottles, adorned with fancy labels proclaiming the merits of a superior glue, guaranteed to mend broken articles, and this he sold at 25 cents a bottle, or several thousand per cent profit on this remarkable three-in-one commodity. PLAN No. 381. SHARPENING RAZOR BLADES It isn’t every machine made for sharpening safety razor blades, or every person operating even a good machine, that can do this work as it should be done. In fact, most of the blade sharpening now being done is very poor, and only a few really know how to do it. A Seattle woman, who had merely a little room between two buildings on a prominent street, not only knew exactly how to perform this delicate task, but also had procured one of the very best makes of machines for that purpose. The regular charge for sharpening single-edge blades is usually 25 cents, and 35 cents for those with double edges, but she made arrangements with a number of cigar stores in different parts of the city to keep one of her showcards in the window, and take orders as they came in, on a commission of 7 cents per dozen on all blades so received. Through small ads. in the classified columns of the daily papers, asking people to mail their blades to her, she found, inside of three months, that she must remove to larger quarters and employ an assistant, in addition to the boy who made daily collections of dull blades, and deliveries of sharpened ones, at the various cigar stores. This business, small as it may seem, brought in a net profit of $50 to $60 a week. It is often the case that the good profit is in the small articles. PLAN No. 382. FUMIGATING HEN-HOUSE STRIPS A chicken fancier in a small western town, who had used fumigating nest eggs to good purpose, was aware that the roost was fully as favorable to the propagation of chicken-lice as is the nest, and concluded that a fumigating strip along the top of each roost would destroy or rout the vermin from there also. The composition of which these fumigating strips are made is much more lasting and effective than either liquid or powder preparations, and therefore less expensive. The formula is as follows: Naphthalin or tar camphor, 1 pound; standard oil of tar, ¹⁄₂ pint; fine pine sawdust, 3 pounds; plaster of paris, 14 pounds. Mix the first three well together, then put in the plaster. Take about 2 pounds of the mixture at a time, add enough water to make it a stiff paste, and, working rapidly before it sets, roll or mold it into egg-size balls or pour into a mold several feet long to make the strips. Drive nails into the bottom of the mold about one foot apart, so as to leave nail holes in the strip and prevent it from breaking when nailed on. When well hardened nail the strips to the tops of the roosts and they can also be used in lining the nest boxes, the sides of the chicken house, etc. Through a little advertising in country weeklies and farm and poultry journals he received many orders for both fumigating eggs and strips, the eggs selling for 10 cents each singly, or $1 per dozen, and the strips at 10 cents per foot, or ten feet for 80 cents. They did the work of ridding the hen-houses of vermin. He found it paid him to make it a regular business during the spring months, for it was nearly all profit, and he averaged $100 a month net from this very simple but very effective plan. PLAN No. 383. SELLING LIMES BY MAIL Fully as delicious and healthful as lemons, if not more so, limes are not nearly so well known or in such general use as they should be. Dispensers of fancy drinks, however, know their value, and will pay good prices for them. A Seattle man who knew considerably about the prices charged by wholesale and commission houses for limes, and the dilatory manner in which they filled small orders, wrote to a New York importer of limes asking their lowest quotation on limes in barrel lots, and was surprised to learn that they could be bought for 80 cents per hundred, prepaid, whereas the wholesale houses charged $1.25 per 100, and the buyer paid transportation charges. He bought fifteen barrels of the limes at that price, and then wrote to several soft-drink dispensers whose names he had obtained, offering them fresh limes at $1.25 per hundred, prepaid, and agreed to fill the order the day it was received. A large number of orders came as a result of this letter, as the saving of transportation costs was quite an item, and he filled the orders so promptly and satisfactorily that he soon had 200 regular customers. His net profits amounted to 25 cents per hundred, after buying his limes, packing, and prepaying parcel-post charges to his patrons. Although he still retains his position with a railroad company, and draws a good salary, this little side plan of selling limes by parcel post is netting him a good weekly income. PLAN No. 384. TRAINING SCHOOL FOR OFFICE BOYS Not that office boys are scarce, by any means. It is only the good ones who are scarce, and it was for the purpose of making all office boys good ones, that a former professor in a prominent Chicago business college took up the idea of an office boys’ training school. A year or two ago he interviewed a number of leading business men in Chicago on the subject, and found them enthusiastic in their support of the plan, as they had suffered many inconveniences through the tendency of office boys in general to quit just about the time they were broken in to their special duties. The Y. M. C. A. also appreciated the seriousness of the situation, and hailed the proposition as the only remedy. He asked the business men to outline the requirements of the position, the special qualifications necessary, the routine of their work, and the means through which the interest of the boy could best be obtained. Through newspaper advertising, the distribution of circulars and the employment of canvassers to call upon and interest the parents of the boys, he soon had a sufficient number of enrollments to open the school, where each was trained in the special line of work to which he was best adapted. Boys were selected for real estate offices, law offices, brokers’ offices, and all other lines where their services were required, and shorthand, typewriting and book-keeping courses were given to those who desired them in order to win promotion to better positions. The average tuition required in each case was from $10 to $25, with more for special cases, and this was paid partly by the boys themselves and partly by the business men who were either sending their own office boys to the school, or making selections from the graduates. Where a boy was already employed in an office, his employer would allow him to spend two or three hours each day in taking the training given at the school, and the progress most of the boys made under this course more than made up in efficiency for the loss of time and whatever expense it involved. While one man looked after the classes, another was busy on the outside, interesting both business men and boys in the enterprise, and approximately 500 boys were thus taken care of by the school each month. The school netted a good profit, besides giving a great number of boys a good start on the road to success. PLAN No. 385. GAVE TALKING MACHINES AWAY It isn’t every one who believes he could make a very large sum on an investment of $100, but here is the story of a man in Los Angeles who thought he knew of a way in which it could be done. From a New York firm, he purchased twenty small but good talking-machines, including disc records, for $2.50 each. He prepared a very fine silver polish, put up in one-ounce envelopes, to be sold at 10 cents each. He next had printed a number of attractive showcards for windows, and several thousand merchandise coupons, good for 5 cents each in trade. He was then ready for business. He called upon one of the most enterprising merchants in each school district in the city, and made the following offer: To place one of the talking-machines in his window, with a showcard beside it announcing that the machine would be given free to the boy or girl selling the largest number of packages of the silver polish, 500 of the 10-cent packages to be left with the merchant for that purpose, together with 25 cents’ worth of the coupons, and the contest to close when the last of the 500 packages were sold. To every boy or girl selling two of the packages, one of the 5-cent coupons would be given, and the merchant agreed to redeem these by taking them in trade at their face value. The merchant was to collect the $50 from the boys and girls who sold the 500 packages of polish, award the talking-machine to the one selling the highest number, pay the promoter of the plan $25, and keep the balance which would be $17.50 net, after redeeming the 250 coupons, $7.50, upon which he also realized a profit equal to the difference between the wholesale cost and the retail price, and had received the benefit of a lot of free advertising, which brought him many new customers as a result. PLAN No. 386. CIRCULATING MUSIC LIBRARY We will call him John Smith--partly because that was not his name, but mainly because it is short and easy to remember. John’s father had been a piano tuner, and also sold phonographs, records and small musical accessories, but he didn’t advertise, and his business fell off so that at his death there was nothing left except his little music store and the humble home--both of which, however, were paid for. The son tried to revive the business through the mail-order route, but failed, and was trying to sell out, when an idea came to him through the remark of a casual acquaintance. The idea was: A circulating music library! As practically every family in his town and the surrounding country owned a phonograph, and most of them were growing tired of the records they had used so long, they were all anxious to get hold of new ones, but most of them felt they could not stand the extra expense. To these people John’s plan to organize a circulating music library, with a membership fee of $1 a month, and supply the members with new records for their phonographs, as well as new sheet music for those who had pianos, came as an agreeable surprise, and it was almost no time until 500 members were secured. The twelve records or six music rolls, which each member received every month, aroused a new interest in that music-loving community, and John was entrusted with many extra commissions, which added considerably to his income. He paid the postage when sending out the new records or rolls, while the members prepaid the return charges, and as most of the members had old records of which they were tired, he took these in and sent them to other members to whom they were new, thus keeping them in constant use. The monthly receipts from 500 members were $500. The expenses, including the purchase of new records and rolls, were usually about $250, so that his net profits from the plan were $250 a month. PLAN No. 387. “KNOCK-DOWN” PICTURE FRAMES In every home in the land are many valuable pictures that are lying around loose, with excellent prospects of being soiled, torn or lost, simply because the owners of them to do not feel able to pay the high prices asked for frames already made, or made to order. A Kansas City man, who thoroughly understood this condition, decided upon a plan by which thousands of these pictures could be enclosed in handsome and appropriate frames at comparatively little cost. Being handy with tools, and having but little available capital, he bought a modest stock of picture-frame mouldings of various styles, sizes and grades, a mitre-box, a saw, a small mortiser, some tacks, etc. He also provided himself with stationery and an illustrated circular concerning picture frames, showing the difference in prices between frames already made and those ready to put together, besides cuts showing the different styles and prices of “knock-down” frames, and the manner of putting them together, particularly emphasizing the saving in cost by using those he advertised. Through a local agency he placed ads. in a large number of newspapers circulating mainly in the country, and from these he received several hundred inquiries. In answer to these he sent his illustrated circular--which must have been a good one for it brought orders by the score--and these he filled with such satisfaction that he was soon busy enough to hire a boy to make the frames, while he put up the orders. The complete outfit, packed neatly in a box, contained the four sides of the frame, the corners grooved so as to be put together with glue, four small tacks for the corners, two screw eyelets and three or four feet of picture wire; in fact, everything except the glass, which could be obtained at any crossroads store. And the business grew until its profits were several thousand dollars a year. PLAN No. 388. SANITARY HANDKERCHIEFS An observing young woman who had noticed how often many people find themselves without a clean, dry handkerchief, under certain critical conditions, and how greatly they would appreciate an opportunity to secure one, evolved a plan by which they could be conveniently and economically supplied. This is how she did it! Visiting a wholesale house, she learned that she could purchase a soft laundered handkerchief of fairly good quality, in lots of 1,000 or more, for 3 cents each. She also arranged for several thousand sanitary, transparent envelopes, at 20 cents per hundred, to be taken in lots of 1,000, as needed, and got 200 showcards on which was printed, “Sanitary Handkerchiefs, 10 cents.” Placing one of the handkerchiefs in each envelope, she left them on sale at drug stores, cigar stores, newsdealers, restaurants, department stores, and elsewhere, to be sold on a commission of 2 cents each, and kept a list of the places where they had been placed on sale. All that remained for her to do was to visit the various places where she had left the handkerchiefs, make collections on sales, and replenish depleted stocks. She derived a net profit of a little over 4 cents on each handkerchief sold, and as the sales averaged considerably over 200 a day, they brought her a good income the year round. PLAN No. 389. A PARCEL-POST EXCHANGE A young farmer in Illinois, who knew only too well that the city dealer always sets the price upon the farmers’ products, as well as upon his own goods, thought he saw an opportunity to help the producer get more for what he had to sell, pay less for what he had to buy, and make some money for himself besides. He had about $1,000 in cash, and, removing to the city, he rented a small store and got in touch with a large mail-order house that agreed to sell him certain articles, especially for the use of farmers, at considerably less than catalog rates, provided he ordered a certain quantity. He then prepared a circular letter, requesting those farmers who wanted higher prices for their butter, eggs, chickens, fruit and vegetables, to send them to him in exchange, by parcel post, for any of the articles on the list he enclosed therewith, assuring them of from 10 to 20 per cent higher prices than they could obtain from the regular commission houses, while the prices he quoted on the merchandise he would exchange for these were considerably lower than those of the mail-order houses from which he bought them, and yet left him a fair margin of profit. At the same time he addressed a circular letter to one thousand or more families in the city, offering to supply them with strictly fresh farm produce for much less than they had been paying in the city markets for articles of uncertain age and quality. The farmers and the city people were only too glad of such an opportunity to save money on their purchases, and the young farmer with an idea soon had established a business that yielded a good living every year. PLAN No. 390. GROUP-CIRCULARIZING A wide-awake advertising man in a western city employed a plan for sending out circulars that not only reached every farmer in his county, and brought a large volume of trade to certain merchants in his own city and surrounding towns, but netted him a regular income of over $2,000 a year. And it cost him less than $250 to get the business started. He traveled by automobile to each township in the county, and calling upon the various township clerks he secured the name of every farmer, with his correct post office address, paying the clerk a small amount for his assistance in preparing the list. With these lists all properly prepared, he called upon several enterprising merchants in his home city, showed them what he had, and offered to mail out their circulars for just half of what it would cost them for postage alone, even if they had the names, and thus save them the time and trouble of mailing the circulars themselves. To mail out 500 circulars would cost each merchant $5, besides the envelopes, 75 cents, and to have them mailed to a reliable list for $2.50 was a “snap” but few would turn down, and it was no trouble at all to find ten merchants who were only too glad to supply him with the circulars, already printed and ready for mailing. Placing these ten circulars in one envelope, he sent them to 500 farmers on his list, at a cost of one cent for the ten envelopes, and received $25 for doing so. This cost him $5, and he was $20 ahead on each batch sent out, so that the merchants were pleased and he was profited. As he managed to send out an average of two sets a week, he made $40 a week clear, and saved his patrons considerable in postage. PLAN No. 391. MADE COMMON PICTURES LOOK LIKE OIL PAINTINGS Here is the way a man, who knew very little about drawing or painting, made any ordinary picture look like an expensive oil painting, and made a living by doing this work. He did it according to the following instructions: “Take common window-glass the size of your picture and clean it well; take 6 ounces balsam of fir and 3 ounces turpentine; put them in a bottle and shake well together until thoroughly mixed. Now give one side of the glass a heavy coat of the mixture, then place the picture on with face side down; press the picture firmly and evenly on the glass, then give the back of the picture a heavy coat of the balsam mixture and rub with the fingers until it adheres firmly to the glass and the face of the picture is free from spots. After you have done this, put the picture where it will be free from dust until it dries; it is then ready for the paint. “Brushes for painting the pictures should be artists’ round sable brushes with long handles, Nos. 1 and 7. Paint the dark part of the eyes first, dark or blue, as you may fancy; then color the cheeks and lips; after the dark part of the eyes is dry, paint the white part. Color the dress to suit your taste, but whatever part of the dress you want to be white you must paint first. Paint gold ornaments with yellow paint. Give the picture three coats of every color you use, letting each coat dry separately, leaving the flesh color until the last, letting the rest of the picture dry well before applying it, then give it three separate coats. “For making lighter shade or color, add the light paint to the color drop by drop until you have the color you want. Paint on the back of the pictures. Use small pictures to practice on until you get the knack of it.” PLAN No. 392. SOLD ANOTHER MAN’S SOAP An agent who had been very successful as a house-to-house canvasser, but was temporarily without a line of goods to handle, decided to try a new plan with soap, and found it so profitable that he adopted it permanently. Visiting a large factory in his city, where special brands of soap were made to order, he arranged to have made for him a first-class toilet soap of the usual size, each cake to be neatly wrapped in a fancy printed wrapper bearing the name of the soap and a company name he had adopted for his own use. Three of these cakes he had packed in a neat pasteboard box, upon which his own label also appeared. The price to him of this soap, thus wrapped and packed, was $7.20 per gross, or 5 cents per cake, and this price also included one gross of “sample” cakes of one ounce each, but unwrapped, for free distribution. Placing the 144 sample cakes in a handbag, with circulars detailing the merits of the soap, he started to canvass the residence districts. At each house he left a sample cake of the soap and one of the circulars, with a request for the housekeeper to use it, and he would call the next day with a supply of the full-sized cakes in boxes. When he called the next day and showed the lady the beautifully wrapped cakes, which he assured her sold regularly for 15 cents each, but upon which he had placed an introductory price of 25 cents for a box containing three cakes, he made a sale at almost every house he visited. He usually sold seventy-two boxes in a day’s canvass, and his profit of 10 cents a box netted him $7.20 for one day’s work. He often did better than this, so that his first year’s business showed a clear profit of $3,500, as he also sold through agents and to dealers. PLAN No. 393. MAKING RAISED-LETTER SIGNS A young man in Detroit, with an invalid mother and two small sisters to support, found it difficult to earn sufficient to meet necessary expenses, until a friend of the family told him of the opportunity afforded for good returns through the making of raised-letter signs by means of an air-pencil outfit. He even loaned the young man $2.50 with which to purchase one of the outfits, and assured him he needed no experience, as a little practice would enable him to become proficient in the work. These raised letter signs are easy to make, can be produced in any color, in gold, silver, bronze and metallics, are more attractive than embossed work, and can be made and sold at a profit for considerably less than painted signs, as they cost only 1 to 3 cents and sell readily at 10 to 25 cents each, made on cardboard of any color. With a little practice anyone can easily make 50 to 200 of these signs in a day. The young man took the advice of his friend, bought an air-pencil outfit, and practiced until he had acquired considerable skill in the making of signs. Then he went among the merchants of the city and soon had orders for all the work he could do, at prices that brought him a good income. He closely followed these instructions which come with the outfit: Mix in a cup or saucer the dry powder and liquid medium which comes with each outfit, to the consistency of thick paste. Use a knife or flat tool in mixing, to crush any lumps that may be in the powder. Unscrew the tube from the bulb--holding the bulb in a vertical position--placing over the opening the funnel, compress the bulb, and while compressed fill the funnel to any desired extent with the paste, then allow the bulb gradually to expand to its natural shape until the paste is drawn in. Remove the funnel and replace the tube and the air-pencil is ready for use. To insure good work, the pencil should not be allowed to touch the article to be decorated. After using the instrument the tube should be unscrewed and thoroughly cleaned. The bulb should be cleaned by placing it in a basin of water and allowing it to soak until the compound is dissolved. The tube can be cleaned with a small wire. PLAN No. 394. MONEY IN CEREAL COFFEE Through making a cereal coffee from pure ingredients, which proved an excellent substitute for ordinary coffee, and was free from the injurious alkaloid of the coffee of commerce, a young married woman in St. Louis built up a modest yet ample business for herself, and earned the praise of thousands of customers besides. The cereal coffee she made was prepared as follows: Rye, 12 pounds; horse beans, 1 pound. Roast in a big oven pan over a quick fire, greasing the pan with a little butter. When roasted as you would ordinary coffee, grind in a coffee mill together with ¹⁄₄ pound cassia buds. Mix 1 pound ground chicory with the ground cereals, and it is ready for use in the same manner as ordinary coffee. She introduced this at first by asking her friends and acquaintances to try it, and they were so well pleased with both its taste and its effects that they recommended it to others, so that orders began to come in rapidly. Many dealers began to receive inquiries for it, and to supply these she went among the retail stores of the city and took orders for it in large quantities. The product soon had a large sale and she established a small factory where she could turn it out as rapidly as occasion required. PLAN No. 395. GIRL EARNED A COLLEGE EDUCATION How a young lady entered Oberlin College with $60, and came out at the end of three years with a good education and $50 besides. She earned her board, tuition and incidental expenses by canvassing, working in a dining-room, clerking in a store, assisting at class receptions, doing housework, tutoring, and working in the college library. PLAN No. 396. WOMAN OBTAINS MUSICAL EDUCATION ON $45 A young lady who wished to become a music teacher went through College nicely on $45 cash--and a lot of hard work to make up the deficit. Registering at a well known conservatory of music in an eastern city, she secured work in the dining hall connected with the home department. This paid for her room and board, piano rent, medical attention and $15 tuition in any study she might select. She added to this by accompanying voice pupils while practicing, and by playing accompaniments at receptions, assisted in physical culture exercises in the gymnasium, also gave lessons to boys and girls. Then she addressed envelopes, sewed bindings on skirts, shampooed hair, wrote college letters to newspapers, played light classics at a mountain resort, won a scholarship by taking subscriptions for a woman’s publication. Through the above services rendered by her she defrayed all college expenses. [Illustration: Plan No. 396. Her First Music Lesson] PLAN No. 397. A WOMAN GETS AN EDUCATION AND $500 Very few girls can expect to go to a university with $50 in their pockets and come out not only with the education they were seeking and $500 in cash besides. But there was one girl who did this. Being a good stenographer and typist, she soon had plenty of work. She took up mimeographing, which paid well, and later was engaged to help one of the professors prepare the matter for a book he was writing. This gave her a desk of her own in the economics department, where she helped to complete the book, read the proofs, and kept well up with her studies at the same time. When she graduated, all her expenses were paid and she had an even $500 left over. PLAN No. 398. RAISING GOLD FISH Two women, living together, built in their yard a shallow pond of rocks, cemented together so as to hold water, surrounding this with a second row of rocks, not cemented, and filled the space between with earth, in which were set mosses and delicate plants, thus giving the pond a broad rim of dainty growing things. Then they bought six goldfish--the pretty, dumpy sort, with long flowing tails--and placed them in the pond which was about two feet deep in the center. This was in the spring, and in the following August they noticed dozens of tiny young fish in the water. The next spring they sold one hundred of these for 25 cents each, keeping the rest for breeding purposes. In the five years since starting the fishpond they have realized a neat sum from their aquarium. The fish require almost no care whatever, as the little fellows live on insects in the water, while the larger ones are given regular fish food, which can be bought cheaply at any bird or drug store. At spawning time, anywhere from May to August, the water in the pond is not changed for fear of losing the young fish, but is replenished and aerated by spraying the surface frequently with the hose until the pond is full. Growing plants or a few tree branches placed in the pond afford a place upon which the fish may deposit their spawn, and the water should be kept as near the same level as possible, so the eggs will not be exposed and dry out, thus preventing them from hatching. PLAN No. 399. WOMAN GRADUATED WITH $400 DEBTS PAID A girl who entered an eastern university on $400, borrowed money, made $120 the first year as an accompanist in an orchestra; $160 by giving piano lessons; $45 by reading aloud in French to two old ladies; $400 by tutoring; earning $735 in all during her sophomore year. She easily paid back the $400 she had borrowed, paid all her expenses, including tuition, and was just even with the world when she graduated at the end of the third year. PLAN No. 400. TAUGHT DANCING IN SPARE TIME A young man in a New York town, who had become an expert dancer, while attending college was asked to take the place of the local dancing master in his town during a temporary illness. Not feeling quite equal to the task, he went to the city, attended a first-class dancing school, learned all the intricate details, the system, etc., and came back to his home town ready to accept the position tendered. When he showed his pupils the superiority of his methods over those of the local teacher, they organized a large class and placed themselves under his charge. The pupils made remarkable progress, and the hall he had rented for the purpose was occupied by classes nearly every evening during the week, while he gave a number of private lessons at 75 cents each. His earnings from the few spare hours he was able to give to dancing lessons netted him about $20 a week, in addition to a good salary he was earning during business hours. PLAN No. 401. MONEY IN TOY BALLOONS A man who had for years been a clown in a circus, but desired to change to something more dignified and more profitable, chose toy balloons as his source of revenue, and the results proved he had made a wise choice. Being fully aware of the passion children have for toy balloons, he decided to follow along with the same old circus, for a while, and laid in a stock of non-inflated toy balloons, which cost him $20 per thousand, or 2 cents apiece. With the air out of them, they took up but little room, and when he arrived at a place where the circus was to stop for a day, it required only half an hour to inflate a few hundred, enough for one day’s business. Starting out early in the morning, before the parade, he traversed the streets that were already beginning to be lined on each side with people waiting for the great event, and made scores of sales in that way. After the parade was over, he made still more, and at the conclusion of the afternoon and evening performances he reaped a harvest of dimes from those coming out to see the show. Later he attached himself to a carnival company, that stayed two or three days, or a week, in one town, and literally filled the places with his toy balloons, clearing 8 cents on every one sold. A sale of 800 balloons meant a net profit of $24 a day, which was almost as much as he had formerly earned in a week while acting as a clown. In the fall of the year he visited county fairs all over the country, and cleared up enough money to keep him in comfort all winter. PLAN No. 402. MOTION PICTURES IN SMALL TOWN CHURCHES A former motion-picture operator, who had moved to a small Iowa town for the benefit of his wife’s health, believed the churches of the place would be glad to have films of religious subjects shown in their church buildings on weekday evenings and, having secured the consent of the trustees of one of the leading denominations, he put up his outfit, which he had brought with him, and gave movie shows three evenings a week, paying a small sum for the use of the church on these occasions. The other churches, seeing the crowds that attended these entertainments, also asked that the films be shown in their buildings, and in a short time there was to be found a motion-picture show in one or the other of those churches every evening of the week except Sundays. Scenes in Palestine, the Passion Play, and similar subjects, were the main part of the entertainment, and the movie man made a nice living from the business, while providing amusement and instruction for the people of the town, who were not often able to attend the movies in the city. PLAN No. 403. A CHAFING DISH ANNEX A young lady who had graduated from college was compelled to find a way to support herself and sister. She was a good cook, and finally decided to open up a chafing-dish annex in her own home. In her front room she displayed angel food, raisin tarts, fudge, cake, warm sugared crullers, and puddings. She put out posters informing the public that warm biscuits, muffins, roast chicken, meat loaf and salads would be prepared to order. She was successful in establishing a first-class, paying bakeshop around the original idea of a chafing dish. PLAN No. 404. CRYSTALLIZED FRUITS AND NUTS Nothing is more delicious or more profitable to put up for sale than crystallized fruits and nuts, and a young woman in California, who went into the business on an extensive scale, had that discovery fully confirmed. Her recipe for the crystallization of dainties was as follows: Put in an iron kettle 1 teacupful of granulated sugar, 1 tablespoonful or less of butter, 3 tablespoonfuls of water. Boil until it syrups and becomes brittle. The fruits and nuts treated with this were put into the shells of the same, or into boxes containing the name of the delicacy and her own name as originator. Making up a quantity she placed them on sale at the woman’s exchange where they sold rapidly at a good profit. She also had many calls for them to be used on special occasions, such as St. Valentine’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, weddings, etc., and for these purposes she charged very high prices, for she knew they were well worth all she asked for them, and were all the more appreciated. In a short time she received many orders and found it was necessary to employ a number of young ladies as skilful assistants. Her profits the first year were sufficient to pay for a neat little bungalow she had always admired, and which is now her home. PLAN No. 405. SHELLING AND SELLING NUTS A Texas man makes an excellent living by gathering pecans and nuts of all kinds that grow in immense quantities in his neighborhood, and shelling them with a machine invented for that purpose. A bushel of the nuts, when shelled, make fourteen or fifteen pounds of the meats or kernels, and he sells them to people in the city at prices that net him between $5 and $6 per bushel. And considering that he handles several hundred bushels of the nuts in a single season, one may judge as to the amount of his net profits. PLAN No. 406. SPIT-FIRE BOTTLE A young man who thought he could afford amusement for many people at a good profit to himself, went to a wholesale drug store and bought a pound of metallic sodium. This he removed from the can and soaked it in lamp oil until soft, then dried it on a glass surface, and with a piece of lead pipe rolled it out into sheets about ¹⁄₈ of an inch thick. These he cut into sticks 3 inches long, and 3¹⁄₂ inches wide, and put two sticks into a dram glass vial, labeled “Spit-Fire.” Moistening causes it to burn. Taking one of these vials into a barber shop, a hotel lobby, a cigar stand or a crowd of people at a park, or a picnic, he would take a small piece of it and lay it on top of a pipeful of tobacco, then spit on it and the tobacco would light. A small particle of it dropped into a glass of water or into acid will burn. He offered this at 15 cents per bottle and sold them by hundreds to people who liked novel means of amusement. He also mounted the vials on cards containing a dozen each, and sold them to dealers for 75 cents per card. One pound of metallic sodium is enough for 1,000 bottles, and the cost for vials, labels and corks is about $3.75, while the metallic sodium is not expensive. For 1,000 bottles, at 15 cents each, he received $150, so you can see the amount of profit in this plan. PLAN No. 407. HOME SCENES FOR CALENDARS A Spokane young man, who owned a good 5x7 camera, and knew how to use it, got the lowest quotations from publishing houses, on medium-size calendars of artistic designs, and from the samples sent him selected a line well adapted to the purpose for which he intended to use them. Next, he took pictures of all the prominent business houses in the city, showing the names of the merchants occupying the ground floors, as well as the signs on some of the upper windows, with names and business of the occupants. Then pasting one of these photos on one of the calendars, he called upon the merchant, as well as all the other tenants of the building, and took orders for any number they required. These made an excellent advertising medium, and he received orders for many thousands of the calendars. Later he went into the best residence districts and took pictures of all the homes, and, pasting a picture of each house on a calendar he called at the various places and sold them by the hundreds. Often he was called upon to take special pictures showing home scenes, such as children at play, on the lawns, family groups on the front veranda, interiors of homes, etc., and within a very few months his net income was over $50 a week. PLAN No. 408. BRICKMAKER FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 409. A MEDICAL GARDEN Garden vegetable products having medical properties made a large income for a widow with several small children, and though it required considerable care, the returns were more than satisfactory, for the druggists bought all she could raise, at high prices. Larkspur, for instance, the seed of which brings $1.50 to $2 per pound, was one of her successes. This she planted in rows about 18 inches apart, and, when 4 to 5 inches high, she thinned it to 5 inches apart in the rows, and harvested it like buckwheat. She also grew parsley, as the seeds and roots find a good market as drugs, and the roots bring 90 cents per pound. An oil is obtained from the seed. Ginsing is another profitable product of a medical garden, and brings approximately $5.40 per pound. She obtained reliable information regarding these plants, without cost, by writing to the bureau of plant industry, at Washington, D. C. PLAN No. 410. AUTO-BUILDER FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 411. SILVER FOX SKINS When it is known that a silver fox skin is worth $2,500 in London, it will be seen that some capital is required to begin the raising of the animals. A western man, who knew something of the business, organized a small company with which to purchase two or three female foxes and one male. The bureau of animal industry, at Washington, D. C., sent full information, free, on request, concerning this particular industry, and following the instructions received from that source the company made a remarkable success. One mother silver fox frequently rears eighteen young animals in three years, so the profit can be figured from this. Of course, the first cost was considerable, but this was amply justified by the returns. PLAN No. 412. PERCENTAGE COLLECTIONS A couple of young fellows in Salt Lake City started a collection agency by first opening a small office and calling upon all the merchants for their old, outlawed or hopeless accounts, on a commission basis ranging from 25 to 50 per cent of the amounts collected. By arranging with a good local reporting company, so as to learn the standing and financial condition of debtors, and associating an active attorney with them, they were able to write a form of letter that brought good returns. The reporting company saved them much time. These old accounts brought them in touch with good claims from time to time until in a few months the business was of sufficient size to give them a good living. PLAN No. 413. COLLECTING ON A SALARY A young man in Ogden, Utah, who had a particularly winning way in approaching people, employed this talent to excellent advantage by doing the collecting for a number of firms at so much per month from each. His tact and agreeable manner won in countless cases where bluffing or threats would have been unavailing. He had made the discovery that “politeness pays” to the extent of $200 a month, or more. PLAN No. 414. RAISING PANSIES FOR THE MARKET That pansies can be raised with profit, and made a regular business during a certain part of the year, was proven by a young woman in a middle-west city, who possessed a great love for flowers, and had more time than money. She started her seed bed in the latter part of July, and in September she set the plants in rows five inches apart. These plants she protected with coarse straw until almost the first of April, when she uncovered the bed. Then she replanted in 2-quart wooden baskets, eight to each basket. The retail price of these baskets was 15 cents each, or $1.25 per dozen baskets wholesale. She sold to both wholesale and retail dealers in plants and flowers, and realized a neat sum from their sale. PLAN No. 415. MEMBERSHIP COLLECTION AGENCY A number of merchants in a western city were induced by a young man of that city to organize themselves into a mercantile collection agency, the membership fee to be $30 a year and to entitle them to have all their accounts collected free, even though litigation should become necessary to enforce the collections. When collections were made for those not members, the charges were 20 per cent on all amounts under $40; 15 per cent on all accounts from $40 to $100; and 10 per cent on accounts over $100. The young man engaged a live-wire attorney to look after the legal end of the business, and drew a good salary as manager of the agency, besides sharing in the profits of the business after all expenses were paid. It proved a good thing for the merchants as well as the originator of the plan, and made collections much easier than under the ordinary methods, besides being more economical for the members. PLAN No. 416. RAISED RHUBARB IN HER CELLAR A Chicago woman raised rhubarb in boxes of rich dirt in her cellar during the winter months. It required but little attention, aside from irrigating it frequently with luke-warm water. In January, when everybody was longing for fresh green garden sauce, she sold it for 25 cents per pound, and made many dollars in that way. And rhubarb, besides being exceedingly healthful, is practically all profit. PLAN No. 417. CABBAGE AND TOMATO PLANTS Raising cabbage and tomato plants in boxes indoors during the late winter and very early spring, and later transplanting to beds out of doors, covering them from frost, and using good, rich soil, enabled a Kansas City woman to sell thousands of these plants for 10 cents per dozen, at a time when others were just beginning to sow the seed. Her receipts from this source alone amounted to $150 or $200 every spring. PLAN No. 418. SWEET POTATO PLANTS The raising and selling of sweet potato plants alone, in boxes of highly fertilized dirt, enabled an Ohio woman to send her daughter to business college from the proceeds, even though she received but 25 cents per hundred. But the thousands of plants she raised brought a very handsome sum in the aggregate. PLAN No. 419. MADE APPLE BUTTER A Missouri woman, in whose orchard hundreds of bushels of fine apples were going to waste, made several hundred dollars each fall by converting them into apple butter, of which the storekeepers never could get enough to supply the demand, for she had apple butter reduced to the finest kind of a domestic science, and her product brought the highest prices. This is how she made it: Cider, 30 gallons; apples, 10 bucketfuls; sugar, 20 pounds; ground cinnamon, 10 cents’ worth. Add sugar about an hour before taking off the stove. PLAN No. 420. ATTORNEY TOOK EQUITIES FOR $400 FEE AND MADE $7,875 A young lawyer in a northwestern city had a client who owed him a fee of $400 for legal services. The client had no cash, but held equities in certain properties which he turned over as full payment for the fee. These included a 5-room house with a $600 encumbrance; an 8-room house, with $2,250 encumbrance; a clear lot in British Columbia and three clear lots in a small Montana town, which he was glad to throw in for good measure, as the equities in the other properties were of no value to him, since he could not pay off the indebtedness. With all this property on his hands, the lawyer got busy. Over the long-distance phone he called up a bank in the British Columbian town where the clear lot was located, offered it at $250, and the offer was at once accepted. That left the two city houses and the three Montana lots out of which to realize the remaining $150 of his fee. The 5-room house was in fairly good condition, so he moved into it with his family, and improved its general appearance by making a few needed repairs himself, and adopting the theory that a man’s property is dignified by his occupancy, and its selling possibilities increased. He then looked for a buyer or a trade. A southern family, living across the street, greatly admired the little cottage, and offered in exchange for it a 160-acre farm, not far from the city, valued at $3,000, but encumbered for $330, provided he would pay cash $300 in addition. The lawyer made the trade on this basis, though in making this deal, as in all others, he adhered to his established rule never to assume an encumbrance upon a piece of property, but to take it subject to the mortgage, the purpose being not to be made personally responsible for the mortgage obligations. Immediately upon securing title to the farm, he obtained a loan of $1,250, out of which he paid off the encumbrance of $630, and still had $620 in cash from the proceeds of the loan. Therefore, as a result of this deal, he had paid out $680, and had $620 in cash, and an equity in the farm which he sold for $2,700. Then he moved into the 8-room house, which was in need of cleaning and painting, and at a total expense of $100 he made it look like a new house. And it was close to the business section besides. Not long after moving into this place, he was offered another farm of 80 acres, valued at $6,000, which was later sold for $5,000, but encumbered for $1,500, for the 8-room residence, and he accepted that offer also, taking the farm subject to the $1,500 mortgage. The paying off of the mortgage on this house, added to the $100 spent for painting, etc., required an outlay of $575, and by giving a mortgage for $2,000 on the farm, he cleared off the first mortgage, and had $500 in cash left to pay the $575. When he figured up the totals he found that for a $400 attorney’s fee he received more than $3,500 inside of eight months. This attorney adopted the plan of accepting equities considered of no value in other people’s hands, in lieu of small cash fees and found a use for the property which enabled him to deal. PLAN No. 421. ADS. IN COUNTRY WEEKLIES An advertising man in a western city made $1,000 within a few months by purchasing a certain amount of space in the “patent insides” of a number of weekly papers supplied by a newspaper union, at 3 cents per inch, and selling it to city merchants and other advertisers at 5 cents per line. By signing up contracts for three or six months or a year, and filling the space with the ads. so contracted for, he derived a regular income from this source that enabled him to live well. This plan required sales ability plus hard work to make it a success. PLAN No. 422. SPECIAL DIRECTORIES IN “PATENT INSIDES” A Middle-Western man, with some newspaper experience, arranged with a newspaper union supplying “patent insides” to handle a certain amount of space in a stated number of weekly papers using their ready-print sheets, at a rate of 3 cents per inch. Then he had illustrated two-column heads made for several lines of business, such as: “Where to Eat When in Town,” followed by a list of restaurants, cafes, etc., each occupying two inches of space; “Where to Stop When in Town,” for hotels, rooming-houses, etc.; “Where to Buy When in Town,” for merchants in all lines. He had but little trouble in filling these spaces with ads. that paid good prices, and made a handsome profit on the plan. PLAN No. 423. BOOSTING HOME INDUSTRIES A special writer in a northwestern daily introduced a novel feature for the paper, upon which he was working on a commission basis, by conducting a manufacturers’ page, to appear on a certain day each week. He had a zinc etching made, showing a large manufacturing plant, with heavy, black smoke pouring from several tall chimneys, and with every indication of great activity about the place. Under this cut, in heavy, black type, were the words: “Buy Home Manufactured Goods.” Below this appeared write-ups and small display ads. of the various manufacturing enterprises in the city, and in the center a strong argument favoring the patronizing of home industries, in order to encourage the growth of those already established, induce others to come, and thus keep the money of the home people at home, where everyone would have a chance to get some of it back through the increased prosperity that would ensue as a result of this commendable course. Each manufacturer was asked, and generally consented, to run a certain number of lines or inches of space in this department, and it was not long before the manufacturers’ page was one of the most prominent features of the paper. Not only that, but the commissions of the young man who started and conducted this department amounted to more than the salary of the highest-paid man on the paper. PLAN No. 424. COPYING ADDRESSES In the offices of the leading public stenographers in almost every city are thousands of names and addresses to be copied for the use of advertisers or other patrons and a Seattle young lady who was an expert typist, besides owning a first-class typewriter, secured all the work in this line she could do, by keeping in close touch with the public stenographers, directory publishers, and others. This work paid her well, and there was always plenty of it for her to do. PLAN No. 425. ADS. ON BARBERS’ MIRRORS A regular patron of a barber shop, while having his hair cut one day, conceived an idea. He proposed to the boss barber to install a row of mirrors, 2¹⁄₂ feet wide, along the wall of the shop, about four feet above the floor. These mirrors he would put in free, with the understanding that he was to reserve the lower left-hand corner of each for advertising purposes. As the mirrors then in the shop were rather dingy and old-fashioned, the barber was glad to make this arrangement, and the new mirrors were duly installed. Then the man who had thought of the idea went out and got enough advertising in one day to fill the reserved spaces, at prices that seemed extravagant, yet they were well worth the money. Ads. that were of special interest to men who frequent barber shops were taken for the most part, and these advertisers must have been pleased with the results, because they renewed their contracts each year. The first month’s receipts more than paid the cost of the mirrors, and after that it was most all clear profit. PLAN No. 426. MADE STOVE POLISH Making a self-shining stove polish of finely powdered graphite, at a cost of 2 cents for a 2-ounce box, and selling it for 5 cents a box, was the way a hustling youngster at Bellingham, Washington, “got his start.” This polish he called “Lusterine,” and put on each box a label saying it was “Best and cheapest. No mussy mixing. Makes old stoves look like new in two minutes. Produces an instantaneous polish that will not burn off. Apply with a damp woolen rag, then go over the stove with a dry cloth.” He sold immense quantities of this polish to the hardware stores all along the coast, at 8¹⁄₂ cents per box, thus clearing 1¹⁄₂ cents on each, and also sold a great deal of it himself for 5 cents per box, or a profit of 3 cents. It gave him a good living. PLAN No. 427. PEANUT VENDING MACHINE A Baker City, Oregon, young man made a nice living and a surplus by buying several peanut-vending machines and placing them on prominent corners of his town, as near the moving-picture shows as possible. The machines were of the penny-in-the-slot order, and yielded a small handful of peanuts when a cent was inserted and a button pressed. Of course, others in his town also sold peanuts, but he had a novel way of treating his, and soon secured the peanut trade. He bought his peanuts in considerable quantities from wholesale grocers in a large city, and prepared them by placing a small amount of butter in a large dish, then put the peanuts in. The butter would boil up and cover the peanuts, and roast them to perfection. This butter could be used repeatedly. Then he would stir a teaspoonful of glucose in a bushel of peanuts, and throw on the necessary amount of salt, the glucose causing the salt to stick. A neat card calling attention to the superiority of his special brand of peanuts did the business, and he was kept busy roasting the peanuts and filling the vending machines. These machines paid him a net profit from $35 to $50 a week. PLAN No. 428. MAKING HOLIDAY AND BIRTHDAY PRESENTS An old lady in an Illinois town, who had always been very skilful in the use of the needle, was able to earn a very comfortable living by making sofa pillows, pin cushions, jewel trays, lamp shades, book-marks, waste and work baskets, catch-bags, etc., and selling them to people who wanted to make Christmas or birthday presents of them, yet could not do the work. After the holiday season was over, she would insert a small ad. in the local paper, saying she was prepared to make appropriate presents for birthdays and other occasions, and her excellent work soon became so well known that she had all she could do. Her prices were rather high, but were justified by the character of the work she did, and people cheerfully paid them, as they realized the worth of her work. PLAN No. 429. KEEPING A FLOWER BED For several months in the year, an energetic woman in a northern city paid the family grocery bills from the proceeds of a small flower bed in the back yard of her home. She took especial care of this flower bed, as she realized that most of her neighbors were negligent in such matters, and would be glad of an opportunity to buy flowers from her later in the season. And she guessed right, for they were soon coming from all directions to buy her flowers. She had all varieties, which showed the effects of careful culture, and she charged good prices for them. For weddings, funerals, etc., she made up special designs, and sold them for several dollars each. Among the rare flowers she raised were orchids, which brought very high prices in the winter, and she felt well paid for the labor and care she had bestowed upon her small flower bed. PLAN No. 430. REPRESENTING COUNTRY WEEKLIES An advertising man in the Pacific Northwest recently called upon the publishers of forty weekly newspapers, within a radius of 200 miles of the city in which he lived, and entered into contracts with each of them whereby he was to solicit advertising for them in the city and elsewhere, on a basis of 25 per cent, after receiving $100 worth of advertising space in each paper as a bonus. This $4,000 worth of space he sold at regular advertising rates, and in addition was paid 25 per cent on the business he secured and forwarded to the papers. In this way the local weeklies furnished him the capital to make his start and they gave him a good profit on future business. PLAN No. 431. BAND LEADER M. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 432. GATHERING OLD MAGAZINES FOR SALE Living in a city where a great many magazines were taken, an old gentleman, who had no regular means of making a living, made a business of his own by gathering up old magazines from a large number of homes, and selling them at good prices to dealers. By calling regularly at the homes, he was given many of these magazines, mostly in good condition, and carried them to his home in a little cart. When he had accumulated enough for a good load, he got a friend of his with an express wagon to haul them to the dealers for a small charge, and received enough income in this way to supply him a living. PLAN No. 433. A HOT-BED FOR PLANTS A country woman who had constructed a hot-bed out of some second-hand material she had gathered from time to time, made quite a neat profit by raising plants and selling them to her neighbors, as well as sending them to a market in the city, when it was too early in the season to obtain these in the regular way. Tomato, pepper, cauliflower, cabbage, egg plant, celery, and all sorts of flowers, were given a good start in the hot-bed, and brought good prices for all she could raise. PLAN No. 434. MARKETING EGGS, BUTTER AND MILK Of all the numerous opportunities afforded the country woman for making money, none present so many possibilities as do the supplying of many real luxuries to people who need and want fresh eggs, butter and milk. A farmer’s wife, who lived near a large city in Illinois, saw in these unsatisfied wants her opportunity for mutual benefits, and having a large number of chickens and milk cows on the farm, she set about utilizing these products in a way that meant a great deal for scores of city people, and for herself as well. Through the insertion of just a little ad. in the classified columns of a city paper, she received replies from over one hundred city people who were interested in the prospect of buying these products, and she thereupon hired a good woman to help with her housework and marketing. Through the parcel post, she sent to the city every day the freshest of eggs, butter, milk and cream, and was soon in receipt of an income that paid all her own personal expenses, the wages of her assistant and the tuition for one year of her daughter who wanted to enter college. PLAN No. 435. A FARMER’S WIFE AND HER CHICKENS The wife of a Nebraska farmer, who knew how to raise chickens with profit, made this industry pay by adhering to a few simple rules. First, she weeded out all the “scrub” poultry on the place, and kept only the best specimens of the best breeds, as they eat no more than common stock, and bring much better returns. Then she insisted on keeping her poultry yard absolutely clean, free from vermin and rats, and giving the fowls proper food in sufficient quantity to keep them in good condition. She raised chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys, and, owing to her excellent methods of caring for them, had very little bad luck with them. She made one or two trips to the city, secured enough permanent patrons to take all her surplus products off her hands the year round, at prices considerably in advance of regular market quotations, and sent her eggs, butter, young chickens and other fowls by parcel post, and cleared over $200 every season, with but little extra labor or expense. And $200 is quite a sum to a country woman, especially if she earns it herself and saves it all. PLAN No. 436. JAMS AND JELLIES A farmer’s wife, who lived more than ten miles from the city, and realizing that it was not possible for her to market her strawberries, and other garden products by driving that distance, only to find the market over supplied for that day, resolved upon another plan for handling these berries profitably. She knew that by putting them up in the form of delicious jellies and jams, home-made she could get good prices for them long after the fresh berry season was over, so she obtained a large number of jars, glasses, etc., and made vast quantities of all kinds of jams and jellies. Her judgment was confirmed the following winter, for when the city people learned of these home-made delicacies, through a little want ad. in the city papers, she sold the entire lot in less than two days, at prices she considered very high. The next year she doubled the quantity of jams and jellies put up, which doubled her profits as well. PLAN No. 437. BEE HANDLER--U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 438. KEEPING PIANO KEYS WHITE This is a woman’s discovery, and a valuable one, too, for it not only kept the keys of the piano white, but made her a good profit. She introduced it by asking her friends to try it on their piano. She made it of the following ingredients, the proportions given being enough to make 96 4-ounce bottles of the preparation, and as a cleaner and whitener of piano keys it has no equal. The entire cost of making it, bottle, label and all, is only about 5 cents per bottle, and it sells rapidly at 50 cents for a 4-ounce bottle. This is the formula: Grain alcohol, 1 gallon; water, 2 gallons. Mix. She learned by experience that this preparation prevents discoloration of ivory piano keys, and restores faded, yellow keys to their natural whiteness and gloss. With each bottle, properly labeled, she gave the following directions: Dampen a piece of chamois with the preparation, apply to the keys, and after fifteen minutes rub over with a dry piece of chamois. Repeat the treatment weekly, always using the same pieces of chamois, and you will always have white, glossy, beautiful piano keys. She first sold this through agents, then to music houses, and later made it a mail-order proposition by advertising, and sold so much of it that she finally devoted her entire time to making and selling it. PLAN No. 439. MENDING BROKEN CHINA A young lady in a western town of 25,000 people, where there were several studios for decorating china, was surprised to learn of the large number of beautiful and expensive pieces that were broken, through carelessness or accident, and decided to try her hand as a mender of this broken ware. Having the formula for making a mending glue to be found in this book, she called at one of the studios and asked for permission to take one or two of the cheaper broken pieces home with her, to see what she could do with them. She at once prepared the glue very carefully and, with infinite patience and skill, devoted one hour to the permanent putting together of a broken vase she had brought with her from the studio. When it was completed, she was greatly surprised to find that only by the closest scrutiny could she herself detect where the break had been, and letting it dry until the next day, she took it back to the studio. The proprietor was amazed to see how perfectly the broken parts had been put together, and at once gave her a number of the more expensive vases, pitchers, etc., to mend, naming a price for the work that surprised her. She mended these with the same skill and success that attended her first efforts, and now she is making a living doing this work for studios, as well as for many wealthy families in the town. PLAN No. 440. BIOCHEMICAL--U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 441. PURE COUNTRY TOMATO SAUCE To make a small quantity of real country tomato sauce, to be used as a sample, a farmer’s wife in a section of country noted for its highly flavored fruits and vegetables, used the following ingredients: Four pounds of ripe tomatoes; 2 pounds of peeled onions; 5 ounces light brown sugar; 4 ounces of salt; 2¹⁄₂ pints cider vinegar; 1 teaspoonful black ground pepper; and 3 teaspoonfuls red pepper. She ground the tomatoes through a grinder, and then added the onions by running them through the grinder also. She then added the other articles, and boiled in a porcelain kettle for about two hours, stirring it quite often to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. She then put it up in 6-ounce bottles, that would sell for 20 cents each, and submitted samples of her product to a wholesale grocery house. The president of the company was so impressed with its excellence that he offered to incorporate a company and erect a manufactory for the purpose of producing the sauce in quantities, under the direct personal supervision of this woman. She accepted the offer, was elected treasurer of the company, and is to-day drawing a salary of $4,000 a year, besides receiving dividends that amount to as much more. PLAN No. 442. BIOLOGIST--U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 443. BLACKSMITH FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 444. BOILERMAKER FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 445. BOOKBINDER FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 446. BOOKKEEPER FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 447. A SIMPLE DANDELION DESTROYER Having discovered a simple yet effective method of destroying dandelions without digging up the roots, injuring the grass or otherwise disfiguring the lawns, a middle-aged landscape gardener in an eastern city made a great deal of money by taking contracts to destroy these perennial pests in hundreds of lawns, being frequently offered $100 by a wealthy householder if he would successfully eradicate them from the premises. All he used for this purpose was sulphate of copper, which he bought by the barrel at less than 5 cents per pound, but which he sold at 25 cents per pound to those who wished to apply it themselves, though in most cases property owners preferred to have him do the work himself, and while there was no great labor involved, it usually paid him at the rate of $2.50 an hour, the material used costing about 20 cents, as one pound of the sulphate will make about four gallons of the solution, which is applied with a sprayer, sprinkling the tops of the plants liberally. This effectually destroys the dandelion, while the blue grass or clover of the lawn is not injured in the slightest degree by its application. PLAN No. 448. MADE FEATHER COMFORTERS The wife of a Norwegian farmer, living in northern Minnesota, where the winters are very cold, had brought with her from the old country many excellent ideas of real comfort, and among these was the idea of feather comforters. They had a large flock of geese and ducks, and thus the raw material for making these wonderfully comfortable comforters was easily available and plentiful. But she did not make them bunchy and unwieldy, but light in weight, neat, pretty--and extremely comfortable. The following is her method of making them: The feathers are held in small sacks, made like long, narrow pillowslips, of cheese cloth or regular ticking. For each sack a strip of ticking about 20 inches wide and as long as the desired width of the comforter is used. This strip is stitched together up the side and across the end just as a pillowslip is made; then turned and filled with feathers and the opening is hand sewed. The thickness of the comforter will, of course, depend upon the amount of feathers put into each sack. An exactly equal weight must be used in each to insure a uniform thickness of the comforter. About twelve of these sacks, each measuring about eight inches across when filled, will be required for a comforter of ordinary length. The covering for the comforter may be of calico, sateen, flannel, or even of silk. The top and bottom covers are held together by basting, then lines of stitching are run across the width far enough apart to admit of the long feather sacks being drawn through from side to side like tape through a hem; then the edges of the comforter are bound and the comforter is complete. It is warm and elastic, there is no bunching up of the feathers, and the whole is easily cleaned by opening the two sides of the covers and pulling out the sacks of feathers to be dry-cleaned or hung on the line to sun and air while the covers are being washed or new ones provided. When these feather comforters were made in the manner above described, they sold readily for $20 to $30 each, and, inasmuch as she made as high as twenty to twenty-five of them in a single season, her income from goose and duck feathers may easily be estimated. A comforter made from the breast feathers of ducks alone often brought $40. PLAN No. 449. BOTANIST FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 450. MAKING GAS MANTLES PAY In an eastern town, where gas is still used for lighting stores, a little lame old man is said to make from $60 to $75 a week by taking contracts to keep gaslights in stores and offices supplied with mantles, which he makes himself, and by cleaning and polishing the fixtures. His charge is 50 cents a month per light, and he has many hundreds of these to look after, sometimes having as high as forty or fifty in a single store. PLAN No. 451. BUSINESS MGR. FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 452. ONE GOOD SELLING PLAN Mail-order people have many different selling plans, most of which bring good returns, but an agent in Ohio made quite a success of the plan briefly outlined as follows: Selecting from the articles offered by a mail-order supply house one that usually retailed at 15 cents, but which cost him 8 cents, including postage, etc., he had a neat circular letter printed describing the article in detail, its uses and advantages, and offering it at 9 cents, if ordered within a certain time. These letters he sent to all those names he had secured in former mail-order transactions, explaining that every once in a while he offered special bargains in some article or other, and that this was one of those occasions. As most people already knew it was really a 15 cent article, he received a large number of orders, and when sending the article he enclosed another circular letter, quoting the prices on the other lines of articles, on most of which there was a fair but not extravagant profit. These also brought many orders from new customers, and by continually enlarging his list, and quoting his articles as close to cost as possible, he gradually built up a permanent and profitable business. PLAN No. 453. EARNED HIS WAY THROUGH COLLEGE Two young men in a northwestern city wanted to be lawyers, and both wanted to go to Ann Arbor, Michigan. One had some money, the other had not. The one with money loaned his friend $100 and with $50 saved he had a total capital of $150. By the time Ann Arbor was reached and the preliminary expenses defrayed, there was just $15 left of the $150, and the young man who had it realized the importance of adding to that as speedily as possible. Therefore, during his vacation, he devoted his time to selling books. Arriving in a city in central Illinois with a bicycle, a prospectus, and just enough money to stay over night at a cheap hotel, he struck out into the country the next morning, pushing his bicycle through the black, heavy and sticky mud of that rich agricultural section, until he came to a farmhouse. Calling there, he showed the prospectus of the book, explained its merits in a carefully prepared talk, and when the farmer’s wife wavered between yes and no, he clinched a sale by offering to deduct 25 cents from the price if they would let him take dinner. They did, and he sold. That afternoon he sold another book by offering 50 cents off the price for supper, bed and breakfast, and from that time on he needed no expense money, because he paid for his meals and lodgings by selling books to farmers and deducting the charges for them from the price of the book. And that made many a sale which he would not otherwise have made. At the end of ten weeks’ work he had made $350 as net commissions on his sales. The next summer he took the agency for another book, which he sold in the towns and cities, thereby avoiding the strenuous work of wading through mud, and that season he earned $400 net in commissions on his sales, so that he had repaid the $100 loan, paid all his tuition and other expenses in college and had some money left. The third summer, still sticking to the book business, he employed agents and assistants to make sales under his supervision, and made $500 through this work. PLAN No. 454. A COMMERCIAL ART BUREAU A young artist and a salesman joined forces and established an art bureau, along commercial lines, and made it a success. The artist could not have secured business by personal solicitation had his life depended upon it, but he could draw--anything--anywhere. The hustler made no pretensions of being an artist, but he could get business whenever there was any, and very often where there wasn’t any, to a casual observer. Therefore, they made a strong team. Their first specialty was the drawing of designs for doctors, lawyers and other professional men, the drawing containing the name of the person, some special emblem or symbol of his calling, or any other distinguishing feature he might select. From these drawings he could have an engraving made and as many copies printed as he required for bookmarks or other purposes. For these designs they charged from $10 up and did a good business. Then they began a systematic course of commercial art work, embracing illustrations for advertisements, thus adding greatly to the attractiveness of advertisements. This feature they extended to all lines of business, and before long the advertising columns of the local newspapers looked very much like a picture gallery, while the ads. were eagerly looked for and carefully studied. They also made illustrations for the works of young authors. Within a year or two they had all the work they could do. PLAN No. 455. A GOOD COLLECTION SYSTEM There have been many forms of collection agencies designed, some being good, some bad and some indifferent, but the system planned and worked by a man in a northwestern city is certainly novel in its every detail. It “gets the money,” and nets its promoter from $12,000 to $15,000 a year. So the idea must be good. This agency, incorporated, has the creditors sign a contract assigning to it all the accounts, judgments and notes listed underneath, in consideration of the services to be performed by the agency, and authorizes the agency to use its discretion in settlements, to collect, receive, adjust and discharge the same. The names, last-known addresses and occupations of the debtors are given, with the date of the last item, the amount due, name of employer, etc., and on all of these accounts collected the agency is to receive a commission of 50 per cent for the first $100, and 15 per cent on all amounts in excess of that sum, except on notes, judgments and accounts over three years old, all of which shall pay a 50-per-cent commission, the commission to be due and payable to the agency whether the debtor makes payment to it or to the creditor. On any account withdrawn from the agency by the creditor, the commission to be considered as earned in full, and be due and payable to the agency at once. The creditor is to report promptly to the agency any payments made on the accounts after being listed, and the refusal of the creditor to report shall be held as a payment, the other accounts listed being considered as security for the payment of commissions on claims withdrawn or paid, or refusal to report. The contract to be enforced for six months, except as to judgments, notes or accounts upon which payments have been made, suit commenced in process of settlement, or secured in any manner. Creditor not required to pay any advanced fees or retainer, except 10 cents on each claim for address verification. In case the services of an attorney are advisable, creditor agrees to employment of one and to pay 50 per cent commission on amounts collected, where agency assumes responsibility for costs and attorney’s fees. The creditor signs his name, with his business, the date and his address, and lists below the names, etc., of those debtors he desires to turn over to the agency, and for each name or account so listed he pays 10 cents to the solicitor who retains the entire amount as part of his commission. The solicitor then forwards or brings to the office of the agency the lists thus secured, and the agency thereupon pays him 20 cents more for each account so listed, making 80 cents in all. Therefore, a solicitor securing 100 accounts in a day makes $30 a day. This seems like pretty good pay for the man who solicits the accounts, and it is, but when it is considered that the head of the agency, who perfected this plan, collects practically 95 per cent of these accounts, and retains one-half of most of these collected, it will be very apparent that he can well afford to be liberal with the man or woman who goes out and picks up this business for him. As an indication of the magnitude of the business, he performs services for 4,000 to 6,000 clients in a year, employs five girls as stenographers and multigraph operators, and sends out thousands of letters every month, most of which, bring tangible results. It’s a big business, and there is a big field in which to work it. The success of his plan lies in the rapidity with which he handles a voluminous correspondence, and in this he is materially assisted by the use of an electrically-propelled multigraph, rubber stamps, etc. His business is conducted almost entirely through letter-writing and he has hundreds of forms of original letters and follow-ups suited to all classes of debtors, enabling him to make attacks from every angle. PLAN No. 456. MADE AND SOLD SHOES A Boston young man, some years ago, was traveling salesman for his father, a wholesale dealer in shoes. His experience on the road proved how hard it was to get dealers to push the sales of shoes of any make, and he decided to go into the business of making shoes on an extensive scale and selling them in his own stores. At that time he had no stores, and all the large manufacturers ridiculed his idea, but he went ahead, just the same, secured models of the most expensive shoes made, opened a little store in Boston, began making shoes of excellent value, yet which he could sell in his own store for $3 a pair--that was before the war, of course. He advertised these $3 shoes, first locally then nationally, and the ads. brought a steady demand for the shoes, to which he had given a dignified yet easily-remembered name, and it was not long until he had more shoe stores, and still more. Now he has nearly 400 of them, scattered over most of the civilized world. PLAN No. 457. SELLING HAIR TONIC Never mind what kind of hair tonic it was. There are many ways of making various kinds, and those who wish to go into the business of selling hair tonic can select the one that suits him best. But it’s the selling idea you are after, and here is how one young man did it: To avoid the necessity of sending a 12-ounce bottle by express, at a cost to the buyer of 40 to 50 cents, he got a hair specialist to condense it into one ounce, so he could send it in a common mailing case for less than 5 cents postage, and pay that himself. All the buyer had to do was to add enough water to the condensed preparation to make 12 ounces of good hair tonic, and to a list of names of people who had sent letters to other hair-tonic advertisers he mailed a neat little booklet telling all about his condensed hair tonic, and offering to send a 1-ounce bottle for 50 cents, also enclosing a fancy label for a 12-ounce bottle. Out of 4,000 such names, he sold 900 of the 50-cent bottles; then he advertised and got more names, sent more booklets and got more orders. However, in order to encourage sales of two bottles at a time, he offered a neat, small purse, that cost him 10 cents in gross lots, and offered this as a premium with each sale of two bottles for $1, and, as most of those who wrote him were women, the purse brought the orders. PLAN No. 458. BOUGHT HIS BRIDE A BUNGALOW An Indiana man and his bride were returning in their automobile from a trip to the country, and passed a beautiful rural bungalow on a small farm, which the bride greatly admired. She told her husband she would like to own that place. Arriving in the city, he left his wife at her mother’s and drove to his office. Hastily glancing over the letters on his desk, he turned to the want ads. of the daily paper, and scanned them carefully until he found one which announced that a man about to establish a dairy wanted to buy any number of milch cows, up to fifty. Suddenly he remembered that in a country paper, a few days before, he had read an ad. of an auction sale of milch cows, to be sold at a place about thirty miles from the city. He found the paper in his auto-coat pocket and saw that the auction sale was to take place the next day, so in the morning he kissed his bride good by, told her he would be back that evening, jumped into his machine and drove away. Arriving at the place where the cows were, he looked them over carefully, saw they were of a good grade, looked at the sale announcement again, and noticed it stated that any purchaser of one cow could take the lot at the same price per head. Then he waited until a poor, scrawny heifer was put up for sale, bid her in for $35, and announced that he would take them all at that price. The owner and several bidders objected, but the auctioneer pointed to the terms of the sale, and, having the cash with him, our friend paid for the herd, hired two men to drive them to the address of the man who wanted cows, sold them at a profit of $1,000, and drove home that evening with the deed made out to his bride for the bungalow and little ranch she wanted. This is illustrative of the opportunity that appears when one knows both the sellers’ and buyers’ wants. PLAN No. 459. SELLING WATCHES ON INSTALLMENTS An experienced salesman in an eastern city, having an idea that if other kinds of goods could be sold on the installment plan watches could also be sold that way, decided to try it out and see. Beginning with a capital of less than $100, he first arranged with a watch factory that turns out a fairly good timekeeper at a low price, to supply him with a certain number of watches at from $3 to $12 each, to be delivered to him in small lots at first, as he could pay for them; and having expended the greater part of his $100 for these, he worked it at first simply as a local proposition, doing the canvassing himself. As the watches all contained an American movement, the cheapest of them having a five-year guaranteed case, they gave good satisfaction, and the monthly payments were promptly made, almost without exception. It was not long until the business was paying him from $250 to $300 a month, and at that time he began to make it a mail-order business, advertising in a list of papers recommended by a reliable agency. He aimed to sell every watch for at least three times what it cost him, and as he required from 25 to 33 per cent as a cash payment, this usually paid the wholesale cost of the watch, while subsequent payments were practically clear profit. To those replying to his ads. he sent a neat circular, with illustrations of the various watches he had for sale, with prices, terms, etc., and these brought a very large percentage of sales. He is now averaging $500 a month net profit. PLAN No. 460. DID DISTRIBUTING An Illinois man, living in a city of 25,000 people, had noticed that much of the distributing done in his town was very poorly executed. He had seen boys entrusted with expensive and valuable literature, chuck great masses of it under culverts, into sewers and other out-of-the-way places, and then collect as though having done honest work. He knew of several druggists, and retailers in various lines, who let tons of advertising matter, sent them by manufacturers and wholesalers for distribution, lie in the stores and go to waste because the retailers were too busy or too negligent to have it properly distributed where it would do the most good. He therefore called upon these people and offered to do their distributing in an honest and capable manner, at a very reasonable price, assuring them that it was to their own interest to have this advertising matter get before the public as early and as thoroughly as possible. Most of the firms, knowing him to be reliable, gave him their work, and almost immediately noticed a marked increase in the calls for the particular goods mentioned in the literature. Improvement came from proper distribution, and they were glad to contract with him by the year to do all that class of work for them, at a stipulated price per month. Altogether, these contracts netted him nearly $100 a month, and left him spare time for other kinds of work. PLAN No. 461. A SUCCESSFUL SELLING PLAN Many of the readers of this book will select one or more of the plans herein set forth, and no doubt some of them will require local canvassing to make a success. But a great many people, after having an article ready for sale, will not know just how to start selling. In order to aid these people in disposing of what they have for sale, we give herewith the selling plan employed by a very successful salesman in Buffalo: He was selling a fine massage cream, nicely put up in a dainty jar, and bearing a very fancy label. The jars held one ounce, and sold for 50 cents each. Instead of rushing up to a house and asking the lady who answered the bell if she wanted to buy some good massage cream, he provided himself with a nice premium, such as an ornamental clock, a set of knives and forks, a silver spoon or bon-bon dish--something really valuable, yet which at wholesale cost him only 60 or 75 cents, but would retail at $1.50 to $2. He also carried a number of self-addressed postal cards, with room on the back for ten names and addresses, under a request from ten ladies to call upon each with a jar of the cream. He also had several jars of the cream along with him. When a lady came to the door, he would show her the premium first, and inform her that he was giving it away. This, of course, interested her. Then he would show her the jar of massage cream, give her one of the postal cards, and tell her that if she would buy one of the jars of cream, and have ten of her lady friends write their names and addresses on the self-addressed postal, and mail it to him, he would give her the premium. This caught nearly all of them, for the lady got the 50-cent jar of cream and a $1.50 to $2 premium for 50 cents, and for getting ten other ladies to sign an order for one jar each. Then when the ten orders came in on the card, he called with the premium and another card for each and made it a sort of endless chain. This isn’t canvassing, it’s planning. PLAN No. 462. COLLECTION AGENCY SOLICITING Elsewhere in this book is an account of a party in a northwestern city who made from $12,000 to $15,000 a year through establishing a successful plan of collecting old accounts, mainly by means of letters. Practically every merchant doing business anywhere has a large number of accounts which he has been unable to collect, and it is from these accounts that the solicitor can earn a good living. Calling upon the merchants of his home-city first, he asked to be allowed to take over these accounts, the merchant to pay him 10 cents for each account so assigned, and, as he frequently listed as high as 200 accounts in a day, he derived $20 from this source alone as he was allowed to retain the entire amount. Then, on receipt of the accounts at the agency, he would be paid 20 cents more for each account, thus making his income $60 for one day’s work. This was unusual, however, but any good hustler can make a good living from this work. PLAN No. 463. OPENED A “SURPLUS” MARKET A man and his wife, who lived in a city surrounded by a good fruit and agricultural country, and whose only possession was a horse and light wagon, and less than $100 in cash, concluded to open what they called a “surplus” market, where they disposed of a great deal of farm and orchard products that would otherwise have gone to waste. They rented a small stall in one of the city markets, and the wife took charge of that, while the husband drove several miles into the country each day looking for surplus products that could be had for little or nothing, simply to get them out of the way. He was thus able to pick up in a day a wagon-load of good, sound apples, peaches, pears, vegetables, berries, small fruits, etc., at a total cost of $1 or even less--often for nothing--and these he brought to the market stall and offered for sale at just about one-half the prices asked by other dealers. To be sure, the fruits were not wrapped and labeled, or the berries placed in boxes, but their quality was fully equal to those that were. Small as was this beginning, it gradually led to something larger and better, and they now own one of the most profitable little fruit stores in their city. PLAN No. 464. BOOSTED HIS HOME TOWN BY BOOKLET A northwestern young man, who believed that more factories and other valuable enterprises could be brought to his home city through stronger literature than was being sent out by the local chamber of commerce, prepared a brief summary of resources, supplies of raw materials of all kinds, marketing conditions, power costs, and everything that could possibly interest a manufacturer looking for a new location. This matter was contained in an attractive booklet, concise and forcible in style, and dealt only with established facts and figures, with data that could not be questioned. Then he advertised throughout the eastern cities and stated that he would send this reliable publication on receipt of 50 cents per copy, and received many answers containing enclosures. Later he prepared another booklet of special interest to farmers and as the matter it contained was so different from the ordinary literature so widely scattered over the country by various corporations, it met with great success, and brought a great many farmers to the surrounding country. PLAN No. 465. A HOME-INDUSTRY PAGE When a new daily paper was established in a northwestern city a few years ago, a young man who was an untiring hustler for business, and who had had a great deal of experience in soliciting ads., proposed to the publisher to conduct a page devoted to home manufactures, and make it an important feature of the paper, on a commission basis of 40 per cent. The publisher agreed to this, as he was confronted with very strong competition, and every new feature he could add to his paper was just that much more in his favor. The young man therefore had a 3-column cut made, showing a large factory in full operation and below was a prominent display line, “Patronize Home Industries and Buy Goods Made in ------,” the name of his town. Following this were the names of all products made in the home city, alphabetically arranged, the name of the article coming first, with the name of its manufacturer immediately following, so that anyone wishing to buy a certain article had only to turn to this alphabetical list to find the name of the article wanted, the firm or concern that made it, and either phone for it or call in person to obtain it. The page became so popular that the name of every manufacturer in the city, with the name of his product, was listed in it, and exactly $5,000 was the revenue derived from it the first year. The manufacturers were greatly benefited by it, the paper got $3,000, and the young man who originated the plan drew $2,000 as his commission. PLAN No. 466. REFRESHMENTS FOR SHOPPERS A woman in Denver, who had often felt the need of some refreshments while out for an afternoon’s shopping, and yet did not care to pay the fancy prices asked at most of the swell cafés where it was “all style and nothing to eat,” evolved a plan that she believed would be gladly welcomed by the women, and at the same time yield her a good income. Not having sufficient means to rent a choice store on the leading street, or convenient to the shopping district, she went to the proprietor of one of the leading department stores and made arrangements to establish a little refreshment counter in his store, where she could serve hot coffee, sandwiches, etc., to women during the day. The merchant was glad to add this feature to his establishment, as it would be a benefit to him in attracting trade, and to the women shoppers as well as to the clerks in the store who would appreciate refreshments of this kind, at a very moderate cost. She made her own coffee, prepared her own sandwiches and the few delicacies she served, and they were exceptionally good. She made a reasonable charge for what she served, and, although the profit was not large on any one article, it was a steady income and paid her well each year, for her refreshment counter became a permanent and popular feature of the store, drawing a large volume of trade, and no charge was made for the space she occupied. In fact, the merchant would have been glad to pay her to stay, if he could not have induced her to remain otherwise. PLAN No. 467. LAW AND FARMING IN THE NORTHWEST A young law graduate was without funds so decided to go back to his early work, teaching school. His work was not very profitable and, besides, he wanted to marry, so he borrowed $150 to wed the girl he loved and took her to Northwestern Canada. There he went into the real estate business and formed a partnership with a man who thought playing pool was his business. In February he decided to go by himself. In Canada a book is issued giving the legal description of land for sale, price asked and the commission to the agent. The only asset he had was this book and a knowledge of the farm country. All through the cold month of February his office paid him but 50 cents, but March was better and in April he did a good business. That year his commissions alone netted him more than $8,000. He could not practice law in Canada but he could make out deeds and give advice which netted him a sufficient income to save the $8,000. He purchased at a low price 1,000 acres of wheat land. At the end of three years this poor lawyer-school-teacher had 500 acres in good wheat, his land almost paid for, with his third year paying him more than $10,000 in commissions. When I knew him at college he was a fine fellow, but felt somehow that the other fellows had a corner on success. Of recent years he has changed--his dress, manner and his enthusiasm impress you at once on meeting him. What he has done many will again do in the coming years with as great results. PLAN No. 468. COLLECTING BRASS TEAKETTLES A woman made a comfortable living by collecting old brass teakettles and old furniture from the homes of well-to-do people, second-hand dealers, etc., and advertising them as antique wares. One room in her home was used for displaying these articles, and many persons called to see them, with the result that they were rapidly disposed of at a good profit. PLAN No. 469. TAKING ORDERS FOR WALL PAPER One woman, who has good taste in the matter of decorations, derives a good income from taking orders for wall paper from the home-owners of her community. She visits a home, notes the furniture, finishings, etc., and shows samples harmonizing with the same. The effect is usually so pleasing that she is generally given an order for wall paper or wall stains, of which she also carries samples supplied by a reliable company, and every order means a handsome profit to her. She often visits neighboring towns and takes many orders, as her good taste is recognized and her samples are greatly admired. PLAN No. 470. CABINET MAKER FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217. PLAN No. 471. TINSELLING POST CARDS It was a mere boy who worked out this little plan of making money during his spare time, and found it paid exceptionally well for the small amount of time, labor and capital involved. Possessing some artistic talent, he sent for a tinselling outfit, that was advertised, and inserted a few small ads. in the local papers, to the effect that he would tinsel post cards for 3 cents each, or ten for 25 cents, and do better work than could be obtained in the stores selling the cards. Many orders were received, and the work he did was so satisfactory that orders were repeated in most cases, and it was not long until he had cleared $87 on the work that required but a few hours of his spare time. He has now decided to give his entire time to this line of work, as he can easily make from $100 to $125 a month, which was good for a boy. The best tinselling outfits can be purchased for about $1.50 each, and very quickly pay for themselves, after which the returns are practically all profit, although he tinsels up to five words on each card, all for 3 cents per card, while the stores charge 5 cents each, and then only put on the name of the town desired. PLAN No. 472. GETTING A START WITH INK POWDERS A young man whose ambition was to build up a permanent business from a small beginning, as he was practically without capital, concluded to start on one item at first, and gradually add others as he could afford it, so he chose inks--not one, but several kinds of inks. These inks he purposed to put up in the form of powders, leaving only the hot water to be added by the customer. But the different formulas were all so good that from anyone of them an enterprising man could work into a good-paying business, and they are therefore submitted herewith as separate plans. Here is the formula he used for producing a powder for a writing fluid that is equal to the best inks on the market and better than most of them. And the beauty of it was that he could sell enough of the powder for 10 cents to make a full pint of the very best ink, and realize a very good profit on it over that price: Nigrosin, 1 ounce; soluble blue or water blue anilin, 2 ounces; salicylic acid, 15 grains; dextrin, 1¹⁄₂ ounces. This will make from one to two gallons of ink, when dissolved in hot water, according to the shade desired--the more powder the darker the ink. Fine for either ordinary or fountain pen, and sold well. PLAN No. 473. BLUE INK POWDER Many people prefer blue ink, and for them he made powders of an excellent quality as follows: Water-blue anilin, 1 dram; dextrin, 5 drams; or according to the following formula: Soluble Prussian blue, 1 dram; dextrin, 2 drams. Dissolve the powder in hot water, varying the intensity of the blue shade as desired, by using more or less powder. This was a popular and profitable seller. PLAN No. 474. GREEN INK POWDER Green ink is a novelty, and for that reason many people like to use it. He made the powders for green ink as follows: Green anilin, 1 dram; dextrin, 4 drams. To use, dissolve in hot water, using more or less of the powder as darker or lighter shades of the green are desired. Very easy and cheap to make; very easy and profitable to sell. PLAN No. 475. RED INK POWDER Red ink is always in demand, but many of the red inks on sale at stationery and other stores are of a very inferior quality. Red ink made from the following formula, as this man made it, gives universal satisfaction in all cases where red ink is required: Red anilin, 1 dram; dextrin, 1 dram. To use, dissolve the powder in hot water. These various ink powders are usually put up in packages of a sufficient quantity to make a pint of ink, and this requires from a teaspoonful to a tablespoonful of the powder. Having no capital, the young man began with the direct selling plan, canvassing from house to house and from store to store, and selling to his acquaintances whenever possible. From the profits these sales brought him, he was soon able to take up the trust scheme, sending twenty-four packages of the powder, put up in small envelopes, to boys and girls whose names he obtained in various ways, offering them a premium of a watch, a camera, roller skates, silver spoons, or other articles he could buy cheap in quantities, when each one had sold and remitted for the twenty-four packages. Later he inserted 25-word ads. in various papers, and made a large number of sales direct by mail from that source. Today he owns the largest and best patronized stationery store in his town. HOW SEVEN BOYS EARNED MONEY Seven boys, from 12 to 15 years of age, all pupils at the same city school, and all close chums, adopted seven different ways of earning a little money during vacation, and it is pleasing to know that all seven succeeded. Here are the plans they followed, one boy to each plan: PLAN No. 476. CANCELED POSTAGE STAMPS One boy went to the large business houses and collected all the canceled stamps he could find on envelopes received through the mails. Many of these were from foreign countries and brought good prices when offered to dealers or boys making stamp collections, while the domestic stamps he sold for 25 cents per thousand. During the vacation period that year he made over $50. PLAN No. 477. BOUGHT A PRINTING PRESS Another boy induced his father to help him buy a small printing press, and cards of various sizes. He then took orders for the printing of these cards for other boys and for men needing the cheaper grade, charging 75 cents per hundred and cleared up nearly $40 above expenses, besides paying for his printing press. PLAN No. 478. PARLOR MAGIC The next boy with a taste for entertaining, and being clever at sleight-of-hand tricks, bought a book on parlor magic, and gave entertainments at his own home and the homes of other boys, charging 10 cents admission. He performed these tricks so well that everyone felt that he or she had received full value for the dime paid at the door, and the youthful entertainer realized a net profit of almost $60 during the three months of his summer vacation. PLAN No. 479. DID SCROLL-SAW WORK The fourth boy, being of a mechanical turn of mind, bought a scroll-saw, with which he made a great variety of very pretty things, and for these the neighbors were glad to pay good prices, especially where he made any special design to order. He was very skilful in his work, and was kept busy most of the time, so that his net earnings during vacation were $37. PLAN No. 480. A LEMONADE STAND The fifth boy had a taste for merchandising, and set up a lemonade stand in the front yard of his home, where many people passed every day. He had various-sized glasses in which he put his lemonade, properly made and tastefully displayed, and sold his product at 1 to 5 cents a glass, according to size. He also had some very good ice cream which he sold in small dishes at 2 to 5 cents a dish. Children were his principal customers, but even at these low prices, he made a good profit on his sales, and the business netted him a little more than $30 altogether. PLAN No. 481. DOING ODD JOBS The sixth boy did odd jobs wherever he could find them, such as carrying satchels or parcels from stores, or to and from trains, pushing baby carriages in the parks, running errands for neighbors, and anything else that came handy. He was always on the lookout for work and was very seldom idle. His earnings were $23.75, and he was very well satisfied with that. PLAN No. 482. COLLECTING OLD MAGAZINES FOR SALE The seventh boy went from house to house, collecting all the old magazines that people were willing to give away, and sold these to dealers at a good price per pound, as anything made of paper was in good demand. This boy was more successful and his earnings were $70 during that three months of vacation. SUGGESTIONS FOR THE FOLLOWING PLANS A few of the following plans, are mere outlines containing suggestions which may be worked out in more detail by those who wish to make use of them. New features may be added as they suggest themselves to each person adopting one or more of the plans as a means of making a living. In giving so many under one heading, space will not permit a separate method for handling each plan. In order to determine the best selling plan, or the best method of profitably handling any of the ways outlined, it would be well for a person to read as many of the plans set forth as possible, and become familiar with the various means employed by others to obtain the best possible results. Selling plans for produce named in this book are of various kinds, and include personal solicitation by a house-to-house canvass, the employment of agents to sell on a commission basis, placing the article on sale with druggists and dealers, mail order, advertising in suitable mediums, giving away of coupons to dealers, who in turn give them to their customers; the trust plan, or sending a certain number of articles or packages to children, to be sold by them at a certain low price, and paying a premium either in merchandise or cash; filling orders by parcel post; placing of general advertising through a reputable advertising agency, that will not only help to prepare the proper kind of advertising, but also be able to select the best mediums for that particular product; selling of certain items of information direct to the customer, telling him how to make practical use of certain ideas of which he had no previous knowledge. All the above selling plans are set forth in various parts of this book, in connection with the statement of how certain plans were successfully worked by individuals who adopted them as a livelihood, and the testimony of these persons should prove a valuable guide to others seeking similar results. PLAN No. 483. CADET OFFICER FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 484. LITTLE “TINKERING” JOBS Replenishing and replacing batteries for doorbells, mending kitchen-ware, and replacing various articles about the house will often give a very good income in a small place where experts from large establishments are not within reach. Many an elderly man, who could not do anything else, has made a comfortable living by doing these little “odd jobs.” PLAN No. 485. CARPENTER FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 486. DESIGNER-LANDSCAPE. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 487. THE “HOKEY-POKEY” SUMMER SELLER One of the most delicious confections, and one that scores the largest number of sales during the summer season, is made as follows: One can condensed milk; 2 tablespoonfuls cornstarch; a little cold milk. Put the remainder of the milk in a double boiler, and when hot add the cornstarch. Cook five minutes, then add the condensed milk, and set aside to cool; then add the vanilla, and freeze. Cut into squares or sticks and pack closely in a wooden pail, and it will sell readily for 5 or 10 cents a stick. A splendid seller at fairs, picnics, parties, etc., and a popular delicacy in the city at soft-drink stands and confectionery stores. Yields an unusually large profit. PLAN No. 488. A SHOE POLISH IN POWDER FORM Shoe polishes always sell, and it is only a question as to which is the best one. The following is not excelled: Take powdered gum arabic, 5 pounds; sugar, 1¹⁄₄ pounds; analine black, 3 ounces. Powder these and mix well. Then divide into ten packets, each of which will produce a pint of polish, or into twenty packets that will make a half-pint each, though more may be made from, a packet, as it is rather thick, especially for kid or glaze leathers. It can be used with either water or vinegar, or these combined, in which to dissolve the powder. Apply with a brush, and continue the friction until the superfluous fluid dries and the polish appears. To make this a tan polish, use 1 ounce of chrysodine, instead of the analine black. A fine polish and a good profit in this preparation. PLAN No. 489. LETTER CARRIERS FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 490. METAL POLISHING BLOCKS These are made of precipitated chalk, 2 pounds; powdered tripoli, ¹⁄₂ pound; jewelers’ rouge, 1 ounce. Mix into a stiff paste, with 1 ounce of glycerine and a pint of water, previously mixed, and pour on just enough of the liquid to work the powders to the consistency of fresh dough. Then place in little wooden butter molds to shape them and set aside to dry, then force out and fill again. The blocks are used with a soft cloth and a few drops of water, which will give metal articles a fine polish. You can sell all you can make of these, and realize a profit on them that will surprise you. PLAN No. 491. CEMENT WORKER FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 492. CERAMICS FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 493. SOAP LEAVES FOR TRAVELERS’ USE These are made by passing sheets of paper over rollers and through a hot solution of liquid soap, then passing it over drying cylinders, and cutting it into sheets of the desired size. They are so convenient and cheap that travelers will buy them and there is a good profit in making and selling them. PLAN No. 494. HAVING THE BUTTER YELLOW IN WINTER Just a little secret, but it is worth a good deal to buttermakers and housewives who pride themselves upon the color of their butter, and will pay something to know just how to obtain it: Just before you finish churning, put the yolk of one or more eggs into the churn, and you’ll have just the color you desire--a rich yellow. PLAN No. 495. REMOVING FOUL AIR FROM WELLS To determine whether or not the air at the bottom of the well is foul, place a lighted torch or lamp in a bucket and lower it into the well. If it continues to burn when the bucket rests on the water, it is safe to descend. If it is extinguished, the air is foul. To remove this, lower a pail filled with burning straw, or by dropping two or three quarts of freshly slaked lime down the well. But test with the light again before descending. Plenty of people who have wells would gladly pay a small sum to have this information mailed to them. PLAN No. 496. A QUICK FATTENING FOR FOWLS Fowls will quickly fatten if given a mixture of ground rice, well scalded with milk, to which some coarse sugar has been added, making it rather thick. Feed several times a day, but not too much at a time. An ad. in poultry journals, offering to tell how this is done, for 25 cents, should bring excellent results. PLAN No. 497. ARM AND BUST DEVELOPER Regarding it as every woman’s duty to look her best at all times, a young lady in Denver prepared a most effective arm and bust developer from the following formula: Lanolin, 2 ounces; cocoa butter, 2 ounces; olive oil, 2 ounces. These she melted in a double boiler, and heat until cold, when it was ready to put up in 2-ounce jars that sold for 40 cents each, and proved so satisfactory that she received hundreds of orders each month, through a few ads. judiciously placed, besides having a good sale through drug stores. The directions she gave were to first bathe the parts with hot water, to open the pores, and then rub in the cream very thoroughly at bedtime for a number of nights. PLAN No. 498. REMEDY FOR BRITTLE NAILS Women who are annoyed by having brittle nails are always glad to learn of some effective way to make and keep them soft. This prompted a young lady in St. Paul to utilize the following formula: White petroleum, 1 ounce; powdered castile soap, 1 dram; oil of bergamot, a few drops. This softens the nails, cures hang-nails and renders the cuticle around the nails soft and pliable, so that it can be easily removed with a towel or orange stick. One small ad. in a leading magazine brought a great many orders, and by repeating the ad. in other periodicals, the young lady earned $1,500 clear profit the first year. PLAN No. 499. BATH POWDER The delights of the bath are greatly multiplied by adding a well prepared bath powder, and one of the very best of these was put up by this lady, as follows: Borax, 10 ounces; tartaric acid, 10 ounces; starch, 5 ounces. Mix the ingredients together, and perfume with lavender water. Two teaspoonfuls of the powder to a tub of water will soften and perfume the same making it at the same time more cleansing and delightful. She put this powder up in 8-ounce paper boxes, and sold it for 25 cents a box. It proved a good seller all the year round and the profits were exceptionally large. The drug stores carried it in stock, as it assisted greatly in making other sales, owing to the demand for it. PLAN No. 500. SACHET POWDER There are many kinds of sachet powder, but none are superior to the following, which this lady prepared and sold in immense quantities: Orris root, 10 pounds; lavender water, 16 ounces. Spread out the orris root in thin portions on a table, and sprinkle the lavender water over it. When dry, after the two have been well mixed, it is ready for packing. She put it up in envelopes containing one ounce each, and these she sold in large quantities for 10 cents each. Occasionally she would offer a package of the sachet powder as a premium with other preparations that were not selling as rapidly as they should, and thereby greatly increased her sales of other articles in this way. Besides, one package of the sachet powder usually brought repeat orders. PLAN No. 501. SIMPLE METHOD OF SILVER PLATING A Dallas, Texas, man made a very good living by coating small metal articles with silver, without the use of a battery, as follows: First, he dipped the article to be silver-plated in a solution of common salt, then rubbed it with a mixture composed of one part of precipitated chloride of silver, two parts potassa alum, eight parts common salt, and eight parts cream of tartar. The article was then washed and dried with a soft rag, when it had all the appearance of silver. By calling at houses and explaining what this would do, as well as by a few ads. in the local newspapers, he was soon getting all the work he could do, and as people were willing to pay good prices for having their ordinary ware look like silver, he made good wages at this business. PLAN No. 502. STOVE POLISH THAT ENAMELS To make an excellent stove polish that was really an enamel, a Colorado man prepared the following: Mix two parts of black lead, 4 parts of copperas, and 2 parts of bone-black with water sufficient to form a creamy paste. The copperas produces a jet-black enamel, causing the black lead to adhere to the iron. The cost of making this was very slight, and when people saw what a fine polish it made it was easily sold. PLAN No. 503. BANISHING FLIES BY FUMIGATION A western man who was interested in the swatting-the-flies idea, yet wished to do so without using the messy, sticky stuff you put on fly papers generally, or running the risk of poisons, invented a fumigating flypaper that is easy and clean to use, and gets rid of the flies in a hurry. He makes it as follows: Powdered quassia, 4-ounces; powdered chlorate of potash, 1¹⁄₂ ounces; French oil of pennyroyal, ³⁄₄ ounce. Mix these well, then add ³⁄₄ pint of clear water and mix all together thoroughly. Soak sheets of blotting paper about 4x9 inches in size in this solution, stirring it up frequently. Dry the sheets in the sun or by gentle heat. A sheet thus prepared, if burned in a room, will clear it of flies. The man put these up in packages of ten sheets each, and retailed it at 10 cents per package. The druggists and grocery stores bought large quantities, and when he advertised it in a list of good papers, he received a great many orders. His first year’s operations netted him a very good livelihood. PLAN No. 504. CEREAL DISEASE--U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 505. SALE PLAN FOR ALMOND CREAM Few of the accessories of women’s toilets are more highly esteemed than is a preparation known as almond cream, and a lady who was especially partial to this, put it up in the following manner: Distilled water, 90 fluid ounces; quince mucilage, 5 ounces; solution of soda, 1¹⁄₂ ounces; boric acid, 1 ounce; cold cream, ¹⁄₂ ounce; sweet almond oil, ¹⁄₂ ounce; glycerine, ¹⁄₂ ounce. Stir cold cream, almond oil and solution of soda together until a uniform soapy cream is obtained. Dissolve the boric acid in 60 ounces of water, warmed, and to this add the glycerine and quince mucilage, then add this composition slowly and with regular stirring to the former. Add sufficient perfume and the rest of the water, stirring until uniform. The drug stores sold a large quantity, and she added to her receipts by making it a mail order proposition. PLAN No. 506. SOLD PREPARATION TO ERADICATE PERSPIRATION ODOR A physician in New York, who had made a specialty of preparing various toilet accessories for women, gave one of his patients the following formula for destroying the odor of perspiration, and she was so well pleased with its effects that she put it up for sale. She made a success of it, first through agents, then through the drug stores, and later through advertising it in a number of ladies’ magazines. To-day it is one of the standard preparations for women’s use, and is enjoying a large sale. It does the work, and the following are the ingredients: Borax, 10 grams; starch, 10 grams; salicylic acid, 3 grams; powdered alum, 5 grams; talcum powder, 50 grams; napthol, 5 grams. However, if the odor is not excessive, ordinary cooking soda, applied under the arms with a powder puff, is often efficacious. PLAN No. 507. SOLD PREPARATION TO PREVENT OR REMOVE SUNBURN An eastern woman, who was particularly susceptible to sunburn, prepared the following, which proved both a preventive and a cure: Orange flower water, 2 ounces; rosewater, 2 ounces; tincture of benzoin, ¹⁄₂ ounce; borax, 1¹⁄₄ drams. By applying this before going out, it prevented the skin from becoming sunburned, while in those cases where the mischief had already been done, she bathed her face with it several times a day, until the sunburn was removed. This was so easy and inexpensive to make, and met with such a ready sale, that she found it extremely profitable to put it up in large quantities. Every lady who tried it gladly recommended it to her friends, and soon the drug stores were calling for all she could put up. A little advertising greatly increased the sales, and she is today enjoying a good income from it. PLAN No. 508. CHAUFFEUR--P. O.--U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 509. CHAUFFEUR--MECHANIC--U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 510. CHEESEMAKER FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 511. CHEMIST FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 512. CLERK FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 513. “TELLING THEM HOW” A middle-aged man who had made a practice for many years of accumulating trade secrets, valuable formulas and various plans for making money out of little specialties not known to the public in general, was impressed with the belief that out of the itemized knowledge thus secured, he could render assistance to many people who were looking for something to do, and at the same time profit by largely himself. He therefore had 1,000 copies of each of these money-making ideas printed in separate form, and advertised that for 10 cents he would send any one of them that might be selected from his list or any fifteen of them for $1.00. His expenses were confined to the cost of advertising, printing and mailing, and his receipts ran into hundreds of dollars the first year. PLAN No. 514. ASSAYER FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 515. COLLECTOR FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 516. ROASTING EARS IN WINTER Green corn in the form of roasting ears is considered a delicacy even in its season, but to have the same thing in the winter time seems almost too good to be true. Yet a young farmer in Illinois did it, this way: He gathered his sweet corn with the husks on, and putting a layer of salt in the bottom of a clean barrel that would not leak, he proceeded to fill the barrel, first with a layer of salt, then a layer of the corn, and so on until the barrel was completely filled. Then he put on top a large stone for pressure, and added a little pickle of salt and water. He set the barrel in the cellar, where it would be cool and yet not freeze, and found that it would keep perfectly for a year or more, if allowed to stay there. That gave him an idea, and the next fall he put up nearly forty barrels of those pickled roasting ears, safely put away in his cellar, to be sold at high prices when the snow was flying. PLAN No. 517. A QUICK FIRE KINDLER A householder who had had much experience in building fires in the morning, and realized the difficulties and discomforts so often encountered in that necessary duty, experimented until he had perfected a kindling compound that could be relied upon. He melted one quart of tar and three pounds of rosin together, brought it to a cooling temperature, and mixed it with as much coarse sawdust as could be worked in, with a little charcoal added. This he spread upon a board, and when cold he broke it up into lumps about the size of walnuts. These ignited easily and burned with a strong blaze long enough to light any fire. Being anxious to confer this advantage upon other households, he made up a large quantity and sold it to the fuel dealers in his city, at such a rapid rate and such a big profit that he commenced to make it on an extensive scale, and thereafter he looked upon the winter as his harvest time. PLAN No. 518. COMMUNITY ORGANIZER FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 519. COPYING PATTERNS ON CLOTH An invalid woman, who liked working pretty designs on cloth goods, yet found difficulty in obtaining patterns to her liking, discovered a way of copying her own drawings on cloth, so that they could be worked as though they were stamped. She mixed a quantity of finely powdered sealing wax with alcohol, until it was thoroughly dissolved. Then she dipped a clean pen in this liquid, and traced the desired pattern on tracing paper, and let it dry. She put this paper, marked side down, on the cloth on which she wished to copy the pattern, and pressed with a hot iron. The scaling wax in the liquid melted from the heat and stuck to the cloth, and formed a duplicate of the design she had drawn. She was so well pleased with the results of the experience that she decided to make a profit out of the information, so she advertised in the classified columns of the daily papers that on receipt of 25 cents she would instruct anyone how to do this work. Remittances came in, and the printed instructions were duly mailed, to the satisfaction of hundreds of women who sent for them. PLAN No. 520. MAKING FURNITURE POLISH If you knew that furniture polish was largely all profit, the selling of it would look like a good business to engage in. A young Tacoma man thought so well of the plan that he adopted it, and made a good income from it. He compounded it from the following ingredients, and it did the work: He mixed equal parts of linseed oil, turpentine, vinegar and spirits of wine, shook them well, and applied to the furniture with a piece of linen cloth, afterwards polishing with a dry flannel cloth. It made old, dingy, scratched furniture look like new, and he sold large quantities of it, not only to families, but to furniture stores, second-hand dealers, and others. Then he employed boys to go from house to house, leaving a small sample, with directions for use, with each housewife, asking her to give it a trial. A circular was also left with each sample, stating that in a short time an agent would call and sell the recipe for making it for 25 cents, and that enough of the ingredients to make a gallon of it could be purchased at any drug store for less than 50 cents. As this looked so much more economical than to buy furniture polish at 25 to 40 cents for a small bottle, the originator of the plan found that, after paying the agent a commission of 40 per cent, he was still deriving a net income from it that averaged close to $10 a day. PLAN No. 521. FROM SHIPPING CLERK TO EMPLOYER A Texas woman tells how she helped her husband rise from a poorly-paid shipping clerk to a business of his own where he became an employer instead of an employe. Discouraged with the small salary he received, and noticing that the agents of the same company from outside towns appeared well dressed and prosperous, she induced her husband to ask the manager to allow him a commission on such sales as he might be able to bring in. The company agreed to give him 5 per cent commission on all orders he might secure, and the wife began writing letters to those she judged, from reading the papers, were prospective customers. Receiving no answers to these letters she looked for the names of contractors and architects, and was soon in communication with a construction company that was erecting a large building. She interested the manager in brick, which the company employing her husband was making. Her husband informed his company of this prospect, and saw the construction company personally. The manager secured a large order as a result of this visit, and sent a check for $226 to the shipping clerk and his wife as commission. The wife bought a typewriter and some letter heads, and carried on a correspondence with other contractors with the result that many more sales were made through her efforts, many more commissions were paid them, and shortly afterwards the husband resigned his position and gave all his time to the sales end of the business. To-day they own a good office where others are employed to help them, live in their own home, and are surrounded by many comforts they never dreamed of before. Just because the wife had the wisdom to see ahead, and the courage and ability to carry out her plans to a successful conclusion. PLAN No. 522. COMPUTER FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 523. REFINISHING METHOD FOR FURNITURE REPAIRERS A furniture repair man in Seattle discovered the following method of refinishing American or printed oak, a clever imitation of genuine quartered oak: Clean up the piece, whatever it may be; if it needs washing, give it a good scrubbing, and then an equally good opportunity to dry. If you want to replace the figure, and it is not generally worn off, mix some dry Van Dyke brown with stale beer or cider, and pencil in the flakes. This can be done with a long camel hair “striper,” or even with an artist’s brush about one-eighth inch in diameter. With a little practice, the grain of the wood can be followed so that each piece can have its general design carried out. When this graining process has dried, coat with shellac, then varnish. The effect produced by this method was so artistic that he was offered a good salary to take charge of all such work in a large furniture store in the city, but there are hundreds of other places in this country where the same method can be employed with equally good results. PLAN No. 524. HE JUST TRIMMED TREES There was one man in Portland, Oregon, who was a competent and skilled tree trimmer. He knew all about shade trees, fruit trees, grape vines, shrubs, plants--everything that is worth saving and caring for in that line. He knew how and when they should be trimmed, and he obtained so much work that he was obliged to hire men to help him. But they had to be men who knew what they were about, or were willing to learn from him what they didn’t know, so that he soon had them trained to do the work as it should be done. There are plenty of openings everywhere for real tree-trimmers. PLAN No. 525. GEESE ON THE FARM If farmers more generally realized the profits to be derived from the raising of geese, there would be many more in the country, and thousands of dollars more in the farmers’ pockets. The wife of an Illinois farmer, who did realize how easy and economical it is to raise geese, and the profits they pay, in both flesh and feathers, made a specialty of them, and as a result of her foresight and enterprise always had money, while the other farmers’ wives were continually complaining of the lack of pin-money. At last a number of them followed her example, and raised geese in great numbers. The care and cost of geese are small, compared with the expense of raising other fowls. They rustle their own living off of land that is good for nothing else, though in the breeding and laying season this lady gave them shorts and Indian meal twice a day. From 100 geese, this woman generally realized from $250 to $300 a year, which was nearly all profit. She made the profits increase her flocks, until she had several hundred, which brought her an excellent income every year. PLAN No. 526. CONDUCTOR--ELEVATOR FOR U. S. PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 527. CASH REBATE CARDS A young man in Oakland, California, who was a good salesman worked out a little plan that brought him a good income. He secured a first-class printer to make him up 1,000 very rich looking cards in colors. Then he called upon five prominent merchants, in different lines, showing them the cards, stated he was about to place these in the hands of the ladies at the heads of families in the city; that these cards entitled the holders to trade at any one of the five different stores named, and receive a discount of 10 per cent in cash at the time of the purchase; that he would call at these stores every month and collect a commission on all business each merchant had received through the cards, and that the use of these cards would greatly increase the merchant’s trade. Most of those approached agreed to the plan. Having secured the five merchants, our young man called at the residences, presented the card to the lady of the house, and assured her she incurred no expense or obligation in accepting it. In this way he distributed 200 of the cards. Now, as it turned out that each holder of these cards spent at least $10 a week with each of these five merchants, his commission on the sales thus made amounted to $200 a month. PLAN No. 528. CONSTRUCTION SUPT. FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 529. LOOKING UP OLD JUDGMENTS Here is a plan that was very successfully operated by a young lawyer in a western city, and can be worked out just as well in every county-seat town in the United States: He employed a young lady to go carefully over the dockets of both the superior and justice courts, and make a complete list of all unsatisfied judgments rendered during the six years preceding, so that they were not barred by the statute of limitations. She made a careful note on a blank prepared for that purpose, of the number of the book in which the judgment was recorded; the case number; the name of the court; names of plaintiff and attorney; of defendant and attorney; of garnishee defendant, if any; amount of judgment; amount of costs; amount of attorney’s fees, if stated; time judgment was taken, etc. When she brought these reports to the lawyer’s office he would consult a city directory or state gazeteer, to learn the present address of both plaintiff and defendant, then obtain from a reporting company the financial standing of the defendant. He would then write the plaintiff, asking him to call in reference to the judgment, but not stating his knowledge as to the defendant’s condition. When the plaintiff came in he would state he had a report on the defendant, which he could have upon the payment of $2, the cost of obtaining this data, but if the defendant was in such shape that the judgment could be collected, he would offer to collect it for 50 per cent, and have it assigned to him for that purpose. Then he would see the judgment debtor, and in many cases he was able to secure the entire amount. He would then enter satisfaction of the judgment on the court records, remit one-half to the plaintiff, and the balance was his. This plan made him $5,000 the first year. PLAN No. 530. A CATCH PHRASE CONTEST A well known firm manufacturing bookcases in an eastern city wanted a new catch-phrase for their advertisements, and offered a cash prize of $50 for the best one submitted. A man submitted a phrase and won the $50. The firm, in sending him a check for the amount, announced that they would pay him a cash commission on all sales of their bookcases he might secure for them in his community, and being in that line himself, he was able to come in contact with many persons who wanted bookcases. As the merits of this particular one had been brought favorably to their attention through the effective advertising the firm was doing, sales were not difficult to make. The catch-phrase contest put them in contact with many hundreds of prospective purchasers for bookcases which were later turned into business. PLAN No. 531. CANVASSING PLAN To the canvasser or agent who has spent his life selling little 10 and 25-cent articles, shunning the homes of the wealthy through fear of being refused admittance, and wishes for something better, the following plan should appeal: A New York man got in close touch with several of the large importing and jobbing houses in eastern cities, and had become familiar with the better grades of imported laces, sold only by the best stores. He had acquired an intimate technical knowledge of these expensive goods, and was equipped with a complete outfit of samples mounted on cards that folded in four sections, covered with bookbinders’ cloth and mercerized silk. He also had very rich business cards, containing his name as the representative of a big importing house. Stopping in a town of considerable size, he would go to the best hotel, and soon would be in possession of the names of many society leaders. These he would call upon, send up his card, and, when admitted, state that he recognized the difficulty ladies have in obtaining fine laces outside the large cities, and that his house had therefore adopted the plan of offering its line of high-grade laces direct to the purchaser. In a most skillful manner he would lead the lady to the point of stating when he might present his samples for her inspection and practically every such inspection meant a large order, amounting to hundreds or even thousands of dollars. He would then ask the lady for an introduction to her friends upon one of her own cards, and this meant more sales--big sales--without number, for he used the card plan for introductions until he had supplied all the women in that town financially able to buy large amounts of fine lace. This required high-grade salesmanship, and his profits ran into many thousands each year. PLAN No. 532. FURNITURE UPHOLSTERING AND REPAIRING An Indianapolis man made a profitable and permanent business of repairing and upholstering furniture, and by doing first-class work, at prices considerably below those charged by furniture houses, he secured the regular work of a large number of householders and some of the stores in that city. The various materials used, and the voluminous instructions given for performing the work in all its details, are entirely too long to be given in this book, but any one with a taste for this work will have no difficulty in familiarizing himself with the most approved methods, and can rest assured he can make a good living at it by diligent application. PLAN No. 533. COOK FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 HOW SIX HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS MADE MONEY Six high-school girl-graduates, who had just finished a course in domestic science, and were wondering what they could do to make a little money, were told by their instructress that she would give each of them a valuable household formula to work with, and that she would give a cash prize of $25 to the girl who made the most profit out of her formula in six months. The girls promptly accepted the offer, and went diligently to work with the following results: PLAN No. 534. GOOD WHITE POLISHING POMADE Girl No. 1 selected the following as the basis of her activity: Tripoli powder, 1 pound; whiting, 1 pound; pumice flour, ¹⁄₂ pound; crude oleic acid, ¹⁄₄ pound; kerosene, 3 fluid ounces. Mix together with sufficient petroleum jelly to form a paste, and add perfume, such as oil of lemon, cassia, or nitrobenzol (mirbane) which gives the usual almond odor. Making up a considerable quantity, in the above proportions, she canvassed a large part of the residence district in the city and took trips to outside towns, demonstrating and selling it, and received valuable aid from one of the drug companies when she put it on sale. Her profits for the six months were $248. PLAN No. 535. A FIRST-CLASS FOOT POWDER The third girl chose a foot powder to work upon, the formula being as follows: Finely powdered talc, 60 ounces; boric acid, 30 ounces; salicylic acid, 1 ounce; powdered alum, 1 ounce. Mix well, and scent as desired. The drug stores of the city told her they would take all of this she could make, as it was better and cheaper than powder widely advertised, and in the following six months her profits amounted to $287. PLAN No. 536. A GOOD AND CHEAP HAIR DYE Girl No. 4 thought she saw in a formula for a hair dye the foundation of at least a small income, so she chose that: She gave samples to several elderly ladies of her acquaintance, and they were delighted with it. From these samples, indirectly, she sold several hundred bottles, and then a young lady friend of hers, a very successful canvasser, offered to sell all she could make of it, on a commission of 40 per cent. She accepted the offer and, began making it in large quantities, while the other girl sold it, and at the end of six months found that her profits were $397. PLAN No. 537. INSECT POWDER Girl No. 5 was rooming at a house where cockroaches were driving the landlady almost frantic, and gladly chose the following formula as her field of operations: Persian insect powder, 4 ounces; borax 30 ounces; starch, 4 ounces; sugar, 3 ounces; cocoa, 4 ounces; tartar emetic, 4 ounces. Reduce all to a fine powder and mix thoroughly. The landlady was her first customer, and soon dispelled the roaches. Then the girl visited all the rooming houses, hotels, bakeries, cafes, etc., in the city, and made good sales. The drug stores sold considerable of it also, while women canvassers sold some, and the profits of her plan in the six months were $275. PLAN No. 538. STARCH ENAMEL There was but one of the formulas left, and the sixth girl took that one, determined to make it a success. The formula was as follows: Stearine, one powder; paraffin, 4 ounces; powdered ultramarine blue, ¹⁄₂ dram. Fortunately, this girl’s uncle was the owner of a large laundry in the city, and he offered to make a thorough test of her product in his own establishment. The result of that test was that he offered to furnish the money for making this starch enamel on a very extensive scale, and the sales were so large that by the end of the six months her share of the profits were over $700, and she not only took the prize offered by her domestic science teacher, but found herself a half-owner of a business that later made large profits each year. PLAN No. 539. A DIABETIC GARDEN A man who owned a small tract of fine garden and fruitland adjoining a western city, had suffered for years from diabetes, and all the ordinary forms of treatment had failed to improve his condition. At last he purchased a book written by a celebrated eastern physician who had long been a professor of medicine in a leading university, as well as being associated with hospitals in large cities, and was an authority on diabetes. This book outlined a course of treatment which this man followed. The source from which he received the most benefit and to which he mainly attributed his successful treatment, was that portion of the book relating to the proper vegetable diet for diabetic patients, advising the use of those containing the least amount of sugar and starch, and he raised most of these vegetables himself. Acting upon the experience thus gained, he decided to extend this valuable aid and information to the thousands of other diabetics to be found in every community, and he thereupon inserted an ad. in a large number of newspapers, asking those so afflicted to write to him if they wished a certain and inexpensive treatment. To the hundreds who answered this ad. he wrote that he would supply the vegetables especially required for the diabetics, at very reasonable prices, either summer or winter, as he had them canned for that purpose. Or, if preferred, he would mail the names of all the vegetables necessary, with complete instructions for their culture and use, for a certain amount. These ads. and letters brought him a good revenue. PLAN No. 540. A NOVEL COLLECTION IDEA An eastern man, who had made a special study of human nature and of business morals, evolved a novel plan which enabled him to establish a small collection agency, and expand the business so rapidly by means of his idea that in the course of six years he was the head of four large collection agencies in as many prominent cities, and was deriving a large income from it. His letter heads and stationery all bore his name as “attorney and counsellor at law.” His plan, though effective, was very simple: Securing accounts for collection, he would send to a bank in the debtor’s city a sight draft on the man owing the account, with instructions to the bank to return it to him promptly if not paid when due. He also had printed on the margin of the draft a detachable slip, saying: “No protest. Take this off before presenting.” He knew that every man wants to stand well in the estimation of his banker, as the man who keeps his credit good can obtain bank accommodations which would otherwise be denied him, and he knew that if the account was correct, the debtor would pay it to the bank sooner than to anyone else. Therefore he was very successful in making prompt collections. In the few cases where his method failed to bring the money he was not out anything as he charged the creditor 10 cents for every draft so sent out. PLAN No. 541. COMPILED INDEX OF LEGAL FORMS A young lawyer in a western city added considerably to his professional fees, and at the same time aided many other lawyers to install method and system in their offices by originating an alphabetical index of court papers and other legal forms, having the name of each paper duly set out opposite a certain number following, and keeping the forms in files for that purpose, each bearing a corresponding number. By this means it was but the work of a moment to find in the index the name and number of the paper desired, and then turn to the file containing the number. It saved a great deal of time and space. So convenient and time-saving did this method prove to be, that he secured a copyright on it, and had a large number of the indexes printed, which he sold readily to other lawyers in his own and adjoining states for $15.00 a set. This was a great help to a young lawyer just beginning practice. His service was nearly all profit, and he was able to give time to the lawyer to pay, but he usually obtained all the payment on delivery. This will afford more than a living to any salesman. PLAN No. 542. WROTE A BOOK ON SHOWCARD MAKING A successful writer of showcards, employed by a large eastern retail house, felt that in helping others to become as proficient in that line as he was himself, he could make money thereby, and he decided to write a book explaining every detail of the work in so thorough a manner that even those of only medium ability could understand and apply the principles as taught by himself. He therefore prepared a book of seventeen chapters, treating exhaustively of every phase of showcard writing, including free-hand work, equipment, practice and principles, strokes, geometry of letters, round-writing pen practice, forms of lettering, outline, single-stroke letters, layout and spacing, ink and paints, primary and secondary colors, bronze, flitter, etc., catch-phrases, hints to card-writers, and much other valuable information. He placed the price of his book at $1 per copy, and by advertising in trade papers all over the country he sold several thousand of them the first year. PLAN No. 543. LAWYER TRADES FOR 80-ACRE FARM A young lawyer, just out of college, located in a northwestern city of about 75,000 people, and, though his practice was not large during the first few years, he made a fair living. An old, dilapidated frame house, within a mile and a half of the business center, was offered at a low price, there being a mortgage on the place for $1,800. The owner being anxious to get rid of the mortgage, offered to sell his equity for $50, and the lawyer bought it. Then he mastered his pride, went to work and cleaned up the premises thoroughly, and spent $150 for painting and other improvements, and moved into it with his family. It then looked like a new place, and a number of trees with a good lawn gave it a very attractive and home-like appearance. After he had lived in the house a few months, the owner of a farm within a few miles of the city, who wanted a home in town, and greatly admired this particular place, offered to trade the farm for the lawyer’s equity in the city residence. The farm was worth $5,000, but had a $1,500 mortgage on it, and the lawyer made the trade, taking the farm, subject to the mortgage. The city house had cost him $200, while his equity in the farm was $3,500 or $3,300 ahead of his cash outlay. Forty acres of the farm thus acquired were covered with a good growth of timber, which not only provided the new owner with all the fuel he would need during the rest of his life, but also enabled him to pay the interest on the mortgage every year through the sale of extra wood from fallen trees, etc. There was an excellent 5-room house on the farm, surrounded by about six acres of orchard and garden, all in exceptionally good soil. He spent about $100 in fixing up the house and grounds and used the place as a summer home, going to and from his office in the city each week in his automobile. He hired a young fellow in the country to plow, plant and cultivate the orchard and garden, and to sow the thirty-two acres in wheat, which brought him about $1,000, while the cost of having all this work done did not exceed $250. Part of the garden he planted in sugar beets and potatoes, and having bought a small grinder and cider press, he proceeded to make his own sugar, vinegar, cider, etc., while with the grinder he ground up sufficient of his own wheat to supply his family with the highest quality of whole-wheat bread, breakfast food, etc. As for his meats, he raised a few dozen chickens during the summer season, and had spring frys in abundance, besides plenty of eggs. He also bought a couple of shoats at a low price, which cost nothing to raise, but which produced enough hams, bacon, pork and lard, when killed in the fall, to supply himself and family for almost a year. His milk, butter, tea, coffee, and other groceries did not cost over $100 a year, so that on his wheat crop alone he realized a net profit of $650, in addition to something like $200 worth of canned fruits and vegetables. Besides, the health of the family was greatly improved through a residence of a few months in the country. PLAN No. 544. COTTON SERVICE--U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 545. KEEPING EGGS FRESH FOR A YEAR Methods which are claimed to be infallible for keeping eggs fresh indefinitely are almost as numerous as the eggs themselves, yet many of these methods, while more or less expensive are far from reliable. However, a Denver poultry man, who had tried all the various ways of preserving eggs, finally adopted a method of his own, which has proved very successful. Placing a dozen or more strictly fresh eggs in a wire basket, he dipped them in boiling water, deep enough to cover every egg, and held them there while he counted six. He then let them dry and cool, and packed them in oats, in a keg or barrel with oats on the bottom and between the eggs. Then he added a layer of oats and a layer of eggs, alternately, placing the small end of the eggs down, until the barrel was full, then shaking it slightly so that the oats would settle all about the eggs. Some of these eggs were not used until a year afterwards, when they were found to be as fresh as the day they were packed. Having proved his method a success, he at once advertised to sell the method for 50 cents, and derived an income of $1,200 a year, in direct returns, while the profits on his own supply of eggs, thus treated, were increased almost 40 per cent, as he could keep them until prices were high. PLAN No. 546. CROP WORK FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 547. INCREASING THE SIZE OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES If orchardists and gardeners were assured that they could almost double the size and greatly improve the flavor of fruits and vegetables, by a very simple and inexpensive plan, they would willingly pay almost any price for the information. A fruit grower in California discovered this method, used it with good results in promoting the growth of his own products, and made a large amount of money by selling the secret to thousands of others engaged in the same line. His method was to water his fruit trees and vegetables with a solution of sulphate of iron, and the effect was amazing. The size and flavor of those thus treated were vastly increased and yielded almost twice the revenue formerly derived from the same products. He also treated flowers in the same way, and was surprised to learn that it gave them a peculiar brilliancy of coloring, as well as an exceptionally healthy aspect. Having fully demonstrated the efficacy of this method, he advertised in a number of agricultural and horticultural journals, announcing his discovery, and offering to send the method to any one for 50 cents. The returns were surprising, and his receipts from this source amounted to more than $2,000 during the first twelve months. PLAN No. 548. MAKING A SUBSTITUTE FOR EGGS When eggs are selling at 50 to 60 cents a dozen most people are glad to use a substitute, especially when the substitute, for many purposes, is superior to real eggs. A gardener in Los Angeles, who had experimented in many ways with vegetables of all kinds, discovered that carrots can be made a very satisfactory substitute for eggs. He boils, mashes and presses them through a coarse cloth or hair strainer, and uses them in making a pudding by introducing the pulp among the other ingredients of the pudding, using no eggs whatever. A pudding thus made is not only much lighter, but much more palatable than one in which eggs are used. The results were so satisfactory, when used in his own home, that he at once wrote out full instructions for preparing the carrots, had 1,000 copies printed, and advertised to mail the information for 50 cents. He received so many remittances that his 1,000 copies were soon all used up, and several thousand more were printed. To-day he is in receipt of an income that makes him a good living, simply through letting other people know about his discovery, and having them pay for it. But it is well worth the price. PLAN No. 549. FATTENING HOGS ON HAY How many farmers know that hogs can be fattened on hay? One farmer in eastern Washington knew it, and made profitable use of his knowledge, not only in fattening his own porkers at a small expense, but in supplying the information to other farmers. This is the secret of it: Providing himself with a cutting-box, he cut very green hay short, mixed it with bran, shorts or middlings, and fed it the same as other feed. Hogs soon become fond of this, especially when soaked in swill or other slops. In the winter he fed his hogs the same kind of hay that he fed his horses, and they fattened on that as rapidly as on anything that could be given them, even corn or shorts. Convinced that he had made an important discovery, he advertised in a number of farm and stock journals that for 50 cents he would send full information regarding the fattening of hogs by a new method, and received hundreds of replies containing enclosures. So many of these came in that they afforded him a steady and comfortable income, besides the greatly increased profits derived from fattening his hogs at a comparatively trifling cost. PLAN No. 550. MADE MONEY WITH VACUUM CLEANER While everyone recognizes the value of a vacuum cleaner in the removal of dust and dirt from house furnishings, comparatively few people own them, as it requires considerable of an outlay to buy one, and more or less exertion to operate it. A young woman in a western city, who was in the habit of thinking matters over for herself, thought she saw an opportunity in this fact to make a little money for herself by relieving people of these expenditures, and she therefore bought one of the best makes of vacuum cleaners, on the installment plan, and started out to build up a little business of her own. Calling at a number of homes where she had reason to believe there was not one of these conveniences, she secured several contracts, on her first day’s canvass, to come once a week and give the house a thorough going over with her machine, at a stipulated price per hour. Figuring that she could perform this service satisfactorily in two average homes each day, she continued soliciting until she had twelve permanent patrons, and then began her work. From the very beginning, her receipts averaged $5 a day. She has not only paid all the installments on her vacuum cleaner, but has made a good-sized payment on a little bungalow, which is now her home. PLAN No. 551. MADE AD. SOLICITING PAY A young man from Chicago, who had been connected for several years with the advertising department of one of the city’s big dailies, was obliged to go west on account of failing health, and decided to locate in a northwestern city of about 100,000 population. Here he found a number of weekly publications, all more or less lacking in advertising patronage, and, being an expert in that line, he saw an opportunity to build up a good business for himself, while adding greatly to the revenues of those struggling periodicals. He therefore interviewed the publishers, and made them the following proposition: That he would secure advertisements for them, up to a certain amount, at the regular rate of commission, and all in excess of that amount of advertising should belong to him. The publishers were glad to make this arrangement, as it meant at least twice as much business as they ever had before, so he went to work and soon had doubled the advertising in each of the papers. It was then an easy matter to obtain still more, for his own exclusive benefit, and his net earnings the first year were over $5,000. He also secured ads. for special publications, with the understanding that after enough had been obtained to pay the cost of the ads. the balance should all be his. PLAN No. 552. TEACHING SCENARIO WRITING A New York man, who had written many scenarios for motion picture companies, finally concluded to start a paper devoted to that industry, and adopted a novel means of securing subscriptions for it. He advertised in a number of magazines that for 25 cents he would send his paper for an entire year, and at the same time would mail each subscriber a sample scenario, showing how to construct the plot, together with a list of film manufacturers in the market for motion-picture plays, etc. By this means he not only obtained several thousand subscribers, but enabled many aspiring scenario writers to construct plays that found a ready demand when submitted to the various companies making use of them. To be sure, he sent the same sample scenario to all his subscribers, and the cost of it was only the expense of having it printed in large lots. But this plan built up a good subscription list, which made his advertising space very valuable and brought excellent returns. PLAN No. 553. CHILDREN’S PHOTOGRAPH SPECIALIST A young photographer in a northwestern city, who was very fond of children, and was unusually successful in making good photographs of the little ones, opened a studio in an exclusive residence section of the city, and fitted up the lawn in front as an attractive playground. There were many trees all around the place, and these greatly heightened the park-like effect he wished to produce. Rustic seats, swings, etc., were arranged among the trees in front of the house, and the children of the city were invited to make it their common playground, under certain restrictions, of course, requiring them to be quiet and orderly. Then he began the work of making photographs of children exclusively, arranging them singly or in groups and in various posings, on the lawn when the weather was good, or in the artistically-arranged studio at times unfavorable for outdoor work. These pictures soon created so great a demand that mothers brought their children from all over the city, as well as from outside points, to have them photographed. Within a year from the time he established his studio for children’s photographs, he was enjoying an income that averaged $500 a month. PLAN No. 554. CONDENSING GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS A former newspaper man who was incapacitated for active service on the city dailies, concluded that he could still make a comfortable living by turning his talents toward condensing the numerous publications issued by the department of agriculture, compiling their salient features into one volume, and selling the work to farmers, stock-raisers, gardeners and others who had either neglected to send for the government pamphlets, or did not know they could be secured free, or did not read them. He therefore wrote to Washington, D. C., secured copies of all the various publications obtainable, and made a brief, concise synopsis of their contents, in attractive form. He bound them in one book with paper covers, and advertised in farm and other papers at 50 cents a volume. PLAN No. 555. BUSINESS ADVISER A New York lawyer who had had a large experience in business matters, decided to remove to San Francisco, mainly for climatic reasons, and concluded to enlarge upon the scope of his former activities in the eastern metropolis. He therefore opened an office and announced that he would act as business adviser to all, and would superintend the organization of large corporations, keeping them advised as to all business as well as legal aspects of their undertakings, look after the intricate affairs of established concerns that desired to improve their business methods, and give advice in all matters requiring careful supervision or reconstruction. Being a man of unusual ability, he charged reasonable fees for his services, and in the course of a few years was held in such esteem that his advice was much in demand. This work put him in touch with propositions in which he was able to make big profits. PLAN No. 556. MEN’S APPAREL ADVISER If we are to consult a doctor when we are sick, a dentist when we have a toothache, a carpenter when we want a house built, then why not consult a specialist in apparel when we want to be properly clothed? That’s what a Denver dealer in men’s clothing and furnishings asked himself, and forthwith proceeded to find the answer. Carrying an exceptionally fine and very complete line of the “best in men’s wear,” and possessing a taste in matters of dress that won the confidence of his patrons and the envy of his competitors, he decided upon a novel mode of procedure, and carried it out with success. With tact that conveyed a compliment rather than a criticism, and gave pleasure instead of offense, he skilfully and diplomatically suggested to each of one hundred of his closely intimate male friends that he would appreciate the favor of engaging as their adviser for a year in all matters of dress; in the selection of suits, overcoats, hats, shoes, gloves, and furnishings complete--not so much for the small profit there would be in it, but in order that each man so appareled could be pointed out as a model of perfect taste in dress, when fitted out from the dealer’s stock of men’s accessories, and in accordance with his well-known judgment in matters of that sort. He suggested that his patrons need not spend over $200 to $250 to be well dressed for that entire period. To every one of these the dealer gave his careful personal attention, devoting hours, if necessary, to the smallest detail of his patrons’ needs, and every man was a living advertisement of this clothing man’s good taste in dress. PLAN No. 557. ONE-MAN SALES COMPANY A Seattle man who had had considerable experience in selling goods of various kinds, and had formerly been head buyer for a large department store, which gave him special knowledge of all classes of merchandise, as well as the retail prices of goods, decided to make use of his knowledge, so went into business for himself. He had a full line of good stationery printed, calling himself the “Blank Sales Company,” and used this in writing to manufacturers all over the country, asking to be quoted the very lowest prices on their products. At the same time he advertised that he would supply any article of merchandise, at prices below those asked by local retail dealers, and, in answer to inquiries for certain articles, quoted figures that were low, but the patron was in all cases required to pay the freight on the articles purchased. Shipments were made direct from the manufacturer to the customer, he was not required to handle the goods, but collect and remit the net every thirty days, which left him a good margin of profit. His earnings the first year were very large. This business has no limitations. PLAN No. 558. CANNING THE SURPLUS A widow and her daughter, who lived in a rickety old house on a run-down farm in the Middle West, were greatly distressed by the lack of funds with which to improve the appearance and comfort of the old dwelling, but had never been able to accumulate the necessary funds to have it done. The farm was every year yielding a greater quantity of fruit, berries, and vegetables than they could possibly use, and this surplus was all going to waste for the want of care. Finally the widow said to her daughter: “Let’s can this surplus, and we will get good prices for it later in the season.” So they began. They had a few fruit jars and jelly glasses, all of which they filled with good grades of fruit, vegetables and berries, and then bought as many more as they could afford, besides what sugar they needed for canning. A few cans of their fruits, as well as some of their jellies and preserves, they sold to well-to-do neighbors and city people, at good prices, and so well pleased were the purchasers of their products that they never found it necessary to advertise or peddle their goods, for people came for them and bought until the supply was exhausted. And the buyers were always willing to return their jars and glasses, when empty, so their outlay thereafter was small. They cleared nearly $100 that first season, $220 the second year, and at the end of the third year they had enough money to fix up the old house and make it an attractive, homelike, country residence. But they still can and preserve the surplus from their orchard and garden, and are making a good living from it. PLAN No. 559. SPECIALIZED IN FITTING CHILDREN’S SHOES A young shoe clerk in Chicago developed so great a “knack” for correctly fitting children’s shoes, with special study of the habits as well as the feet of the children, that scores of mothers who brought their little ones into the store would allow no one else to wait upon them. No matter how busy he was--they would patiently wait their turn until he could attend to the delicate matter of fitting each child, regardless of its age or disposition. This is his method: For the active, outdoor boy he selects a heavier, more substantial shoe than for the studious, indoor child. He takes off the old shoe, notes its size and shape, measures the foot, feels of the arch, to see whether high or low, and chooses for the new shoe one that is one and one-half sizes larger than the actual measurement, to allow room for spreading. If the child is very heavy, he allows two sizes larger. He runs his fingers along the three small toes of the foot, when the shoe is on; if the toes are curled up, the shoe is too narrow. Then he notes the position of the big-toe joint, to be sure the shoe is the proper length. For the child with weak ankles, or just learning to walk, he supplies shoes with whalebone supports in the back, and for the child with normal feet he advises the soft leather shoe with flexible soles. He disagrees with doctors who urge arch supports, as he says the shoe that keeps the foot in the best position is the proper one. The reputation of his skill for fitting children’s shoes spread throughout the entire shoe trade of Chicago, and one day the head of a large retail shoe house in that city came in and offered him a one-fourth interest in his business if he would take charge of the children’s shoe department, and teach his art to the other clerks. It makes little difference what calling one is in if he likes his work and puts himself into it his opportunity is sure to come. PLAN No. 560. KNEW THE SECRET OF HOME CANNING Most of the housewives in America believe that home-canned vegetables nearly always spoil. That is because they do not understand the important part played by bacteria in the canning process. Vegetables contain a large amount of proteid, the favorite food of bacteria, and unless these bacteria are destroyed, vegetables canned in summer are almost certain to spoil. On the other hand, fruits--and these include tomatoes--contain but little proteid, but a great amount of acid, (which bacteria especially dislike) and are therefore much easier to can, as well as to keep. A young farmer’s wife in Illinois, who had made a close study of bacteria, knew exactly what to do in the matter of canning vegetables. She knew that bacteria, in order to protect themselves even against the heat of boiling water, form thick-walled bodies or spores, and that the first boiling simply causes the spores to grow, while a second or a third boiling effectually destroys them. She has tried this method often enough to be sure of it. She therefore wrote a little booklet on “How to Can Summer Vegetables,” placed the price at 50 cents per copy, and advertised it in a number of women’s magazines and other periodicals. Many answers came in, enclosing 50 cents, and she sent out thousands of copies during the first three months. Often people make special study on certain subjects and have special experience along that line which if put in pamphlet form would be valuable to other people who would be willing to pay 25 to 50 cents for it. PLAN No. 561. RAISING HOMING PIGEONS Both patriotism and profit are what prompted an Ohio man to raise homing pigeons for war purposes, and the business has proven a great success, from every point of view. From early boyhood pigeons have interested him more than anything else in the world, and he understood these remarkable birds very well. These pigeons are not the soft, cooing dove of fiction, but are beautiful in color and line, alert, strong, tight-feathered, athletic, gamebirds with bright, farseeing eyes and marvelous courage. They are used in war for carrying messages from the front trenches to the bases back of the lines, and 97 per cent of these messages, upon which either victory or defeat may hang, reach their destination. A section of this man’s pigeon loft shows separate apartments for each pair of birds, painted alternately black and white. The birds manifest the most intense loyalty to their mates, and he has raised thousands of them for the cause of the Government, and, as they can be utilized with equal advantage in peaceful pursuits, a certain means of revenue is thus opened to thousands of other breeders of these wonderful birds. PLAN No. 562. RAISING SQUABS FOR PROFIT A young married couple, who lived near a car line in the suburb of a western city, decided to engage in the raising of squabs, as the hotels and restaurants of the city afforded a permanent and profitable market for them. Having secured a few birds, together with a book giving complete instructions as to their care, feeding, marketing, etc., they constructed suitable quarters for them, and determined that, above all things, they would keep their nests and grounds absolutely clean; which is a very important part of successful squab raising. They had ample space for their birds, gave them the best of care, and constantly watched every phase of their growth and breeding, so that, from less than a dozen birds, with which they started in the spring, they had more than 150 by fall, all strong, vigorous, healthy specimens. They felt that they could spare a certain number for the market during the early winter, and these they prepared with the greatest care and cleanliness, so that they brought top prices, and resulted in a standing order from several of the leading hotels and cafes for all the squabs they could supply. While their receipts from this source were only a little over $100 the first year, the second year brought them $350, the third year $600, and after that they could count on at least $1,000 a year net profit from their squabs, while the husband was earning a good salary as a salesman in the city. PLAN No. 563. REVISING MANUSCRIPTS A former newspaper man and publicity writer in a western city, who had written and revised many books, pamphlets, prospectuses, etc., became impressed with the fact that many persons who wished to become authors of short stories, serials, poetry and miscellaneous articles, were sadly lacking in the knowledge of how to prepare their manuscripts in such a way as to make them acceptable to publishers. He also realized that, even if they knew how to properly arrange their manuscripts, few, if any of them, knew the names, addresses and needs of the various magazines and other publications that accept certain classes of stories or articles. Having a complete list of such periodicals and possessing both the ability and experience which qualify him to render valuable and timely aid to aspiring authors, he advertised, asking authors to send him their manuscripts for review, adding that he might assist them in finding a market for their productions. Many answers were received, to the writers of which he sent a well-written letter, showing the necessity for competent assistance in such matters, and quoting a reasonable graduated scale of charges for the work of revision, according to the number of words in a manuscript. In a short time he developed a good paying business. [Illustration: Plan No. 563. The Eye of the Master will do More Work than Both his Hands] PLAN No. 564. PUBLIC SCHOOL DIRECTORY An experienced ad. solicitor in a California city, who wished to go into business for himself, conceived the idea of publishing a complete school directory, which would be without cost to the school board, and would net him a good profit. He therefore interviewed the members of the board, and said to them: “If you will furnish me with the school calendar for the coming year, the names and addresses, with telephone numbers, of the board of directors, the standing committees of the same, dates of regular meetings, personnel and location of the superintendent’s office, supervisors, attendance officer, health supervision, superintendent of buildings and journals, manual training department, department of household arts, high schools, evening schools, and graded schools, with names, addresses and telephone numbers of principals, assistants and teachers, and an alphabetical list of all the latter, I will print it in the best directory form, absolutely at my own expense, provided I shall receive all the proceeds of whatever advertising of an approved nature I can secure for the same.” The board accepted the offer, placed all the required data at his disposal, and he then began to secure ads. for the directory. Advertisers were so favorably impressed with the value of his directory as a medium of publicity, that he contracted for enough to bring him in over $1,800. The directory, when printed, cost him less than $400. PLAN No. 565. AN ADVERTISING SCHOOL An advertisement writer in a western city, who had made a good success in that work, having enrolled practically all the leading merchants of his city in his list of patrons, decided to establish an advertising school, in order to teach others the art or profession in which he had become so proficient. He therefore advertised in the papers of his own and surrounding cities, offering a thorough course of instruction in the designing and writing of advertisements, which instructions would be sent by mail upon receipt of $10, and many replies were received. He accordingly prepared and had printed in attractive and comprehensive form a series of five brief lectures, as follows: “General Instructions”; “The Study of Type”; “Measurements and Lay-Out”; “Building the Ad”; “Proof-Reading”; with instructions and examples relating to each, which made it easy to understand and apply, and proved a great aid to those who wished to make ad. writing a life business. He received many letters expressing deep gratitude for the assistance thus afforded aspiring publicity specialists. This work yielded him a revenue of over $2,000 a year. PLAN No. 566. AN ALUMNI DIRECTORY The former president of the alumni association of a high school in a prominent western city figured out a plan which brought a great deal of pleasure to all its members, and incidentally netted him a profit of $2,000 for about two months’ work. He accomplished this by interviewing the principal of the high school, who was able to supply him with the names and addresses of nearly 80 per cent of the alumni members, and the balance he secured by calling upon those in close touch with such as had located elsewhere. When his list was completed, he secured advertisements sufficient to fill several pages, charged a good price for his space, and had the entire collection printed in attractive directory form. Then he sent letters to all the members whose names were to appear in the book, announced the publication thereof, and placed the price at $1 per copy. The dollars came in until he had received over five hundred of them, and, having collected for the advertising and paid for the printing, he found he had $2,000 left. Then he went to other cities and did the same thing. PLAN No. 567. BIRD-BATHS FOR ORCHARDISTS A successful orchardist and gardener of Spokane, Washington, attributes a part of the profits he has derived from his fruit and vegetable culture to the encouragement he has given birds to come to his place. Knowing a great deal about the habits and the needs of birds, he realized that ample bathing facilities for them are greatly appreciated and he at once proceeded to supply them with this luxury, for if there is anything a bird likes it is his daily bath. To encourage them to make his place their permanent home, he built a wooden frame, about 12x20 inches in size and 6 inches deep, and into this frame he poured concrete, which he mixed, leaving a shallow depression in the center, which would hold about a quart of water. These concrete baths he placed on top of an upright piece of 4x4 scantling sunk into the ground. He put the bath on this post and filled the bath with water, and awaited results. Inside of ten minutes a dozen birds had gathered at the outdoor bathing place thus provided and were enjoying their bath as though it were the greatest luxury of their lives. He then put up eight or ten more throughout the orchard, garden, and yard, and in a short time the place was literally alive with birds. [Illustration: Plan No. 567. The Bird Bath] Before long insects of all kinds had been reduced and his fruits and vegetables gave him better yields. He thereupon began to manufacture the bird-baths by the hundreds, at a cost of about 5 cents each, and through a little advertising was enabled to sell them for $1 apiece. PLAN No. 568. BECAME A NURSE FOR DIABETICS A New York young woman wanted to become a nurse, so she consulted a physician who was a specialist and recognized authority on diabetes, and asked him what he would advise as a distinctive specialty for her to follow. His answer was: “Become a nurse for diabetics. They are clean and easy cases to handle, involving no disagreeable duties, and as most of them are able to attend to their regular business every day, the nurse has an abundance of time for her own improvement. But she must know her business thoroughly, be an expert in every detail, and possess a personality that instantly wins confidence. If you have that personality and are well informed as to the nature and treatment of diabetes, you will succeed.” She was so greatly impressed with the soundness of this advice that she at once began to perfect herself in her chosen calling, and in order to do this effectually, she arranged to take care of several diabetic patients under treatment by this physician. This gave her a practical insight into the malady itself and the treatment it required, and after a course of study and experience with this specialist she made this work her specialty. The first one came in the person of a wealthy business man who was just beginning to take treatment from the diabetes specialist, and had progressed so rapidly that he was in proper shape to be sent to his home, but was told that he would require the constant attendance of a thoroughly competent nurse for several months; that she must remain at his home during all that time, and that he must regulate his diet, activities and conduct strictly according to her instructions, to all of which he readily agreed, as he did not want to go to a hospital for so long a time. The nurse had thoroughly familiarized herself with all the books and treatises relating to diabetes, especially the works of the specialist from whom she had received such valuable training. She therefore had a complete understanding of what was required of herself and her patient, both while taking the treatment and afterwards. She was bright, companionable, a good reader, and frequently entertained him by reading aloud. She prescribed every article in his diet, explaining to him the virtues and harmfulness of various articles of food, the values of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats and the care with which sugar and starches must be used, if permitted at all. She made daily tests of his urine, voided at 7 o’clock every morning, after which she weighed him carefully and recorded the gain or loss from day to day. She instructed her patient that it was better for him to eat too little than too much, and thus avoid the danger of becoming upset. She planned the daily diet in advance, so that he should receive the proper amount of each necessary element, and cautioned the patient to eat slowly. She recorded the character and quantity of food taken daily by the patient. She saw to it that all vegetables were properly cleaned and prepared before cooking, and served the given portions raw. For breakfast she gave him coffee, cream, bacon and one egg; for luncheon, clear soup, meat or fish, and vegetables; for dinner, tea, or cracked cocoa, and a small portion of a cooked vegetable, salad, meat or fish. She insisted that his bowels move freely, but gave no cathartic for that purpose, as she knew of much better ways to produce this result. She saw that he took moderate exercise, played games and indulged in other forms of entertainment, but all reference to his disease was positively forbidden, so that his mind did not dwell upon his condition, while his surroundings were made as cheerful as possible. When giving an occasional massage, she used cocoa butter or other preparation containing fat, but no alcohol, owing to its drying effect, and was instructed to report promptly to the doctor any symptoms signifying coma, but fortunately nothing of this kind occurred. She remained a member of the patient’s household for six months, during the latter part of which he was able to go to his office and attend to business, but she limited his working hours to four each day, with positive instructions to come home at once upon the least signs of fatigue. From that time on, she was never without a patient, and though her work was not hard, it required all her resources, so that she was warranted in charging well for her services. PLAN No. 569. MOTION-PICTURE ADVERTISING An advertising man in a western city successfully carried out a plan of advertising in the motion picture theaters of his own and thirty of the surrounding towns, and found it a profitable business. He arranged with the managers of all these houses for a certain amount of advertising matter to be thrown upon their screens once each week for a year, at a figure which was very low. They were also to show motion pictures of the various departments of the manufacturers who were his regular advertisers, with attractive mottoes designed to encourage the patronizing of home industries. These were highly educational to each community. He then made advertising contracts with a large number of merchants, manufacturers and others in the various towns for space on the screens, at rates that netted him a profit of 300 or 400 per cent, and in addition agreed to supply his advertisers free, with all items of a local character which might aid them in securing more business. He subscribed for one paper published in each of these towns, and his free information bureau he conducted with the aid of a girl to cut out and mail these items to such advertisers as might be interested in or benefited by them. His business proved profitable for all concerned. The theatre managers received good prices for the use of their screens, the advertisers obtained good results and the manager of the business made a profit of better than $4,500 a year. PLAN No. 570. RAISING BLOODED DOGS A man who was employed in a large stationery house in a northwestern city made extra money during his spare time by raising blooded dogs and selling them at good prices. No matter for what purpose a dog was desired, whether for a child’s companion, a watch dog or hunting dog, he knew exactly the sort of dog to supply, and had the very finest specimens of all breeds constantly on hand to meet the demand. His prices ranged from $5 and $10 for a young puppy to $25, and even $50, for one grown and well trained. He had read everything published relating to dogs, had the pedigrees of all the best ones, and bred only the best grade of animals. In the five years he was engaged in this as a side line, he cleared several thousand dollars. PLAN No. 571. A “TRADE-TIP” BUREAU A Minneapolis man made money by organizing what he called a “trade-tip bureau,” which consisted entirely of himself. He contracted with 100 manufacturers, merchants and others to keep them fully informed with reference to all matters arising within a radius of 200 miles of his home city, and information which might prove beneficial to them, at so much from each firm per year. He then subscribed for all the newspapers in the territory named, and read them carefully. Whenever he found an item that would be of interest to any of his clients, he would promptly inform that particular person of the fact, and in most cases the information thus supplied led to an opportunity for making a good profit. He usually sent a little note with each bunch of information, commenting on its possible use in their business. When a threshing machine was destroyed, he informed the manufacturer of threshing machines. If a firm in an outside town failed, he reported it to the local firm that bought bankrupt stocks. If a mining operator visited the city, he tipped off the hardware dealer who had powder to sell. These are examples of the various services he rendered his patrons, and they were so highly pleased with the results that they continued to renew their contracts with him from year to year. His present income is more than $4,000 per annum. PLAN No. 572. BOOKLET ON MAIL-ORDER BUYING A Chicago man who had been engaged in the mail-order business for many years, and had become familiar with this work in all its phases, published a booklet of eighty pages, containing valuable information and suggestions to other mail-order agents in regard to buying goods to be used for that purpose. Following a brief introductory, relating the changes that have taken place in the mail-order business of late years, owing to the changing methods of both factories and stores, the work touched upon securing introductions to the trade; contracts; letters vs. trips; points to be considered before deciding; will cheap goods stay low? buying staple lines; factory trips; depending upon salesmen; trade tips; when to load up; cash and trade discounts; new contracts; the purchasing of novelties; market tours; keen observation; test sales; large profits for all concerned; danger signals; purchasing agency goods; thorough tests; giving out duplicate orders; keeping costs down; your own trade-mark; watch territorial requirements; saving in packaging, etc. It was just such a booklet as the thousands of mail-order agents in this country will buy and read with profit, and he sold thousands of them for 50 cents a copy. Any other good mail order agents might record their experience in a similar manner with equally satisfactory results. PLAN No. 573. MEMORY CULTIVATION The following is the method employed with profit by a well known eastern man who teaches the cultivation and improvement of the memory. He inserts ads. in all the papers as follows: “Stop forgetting. It may cost you money. Memory can be perfected by my simple Home Method. Education not necessary. Easy to master. Sent prepaid for 50 cents. SEND NOW TO ------------” “_A good memory worth gold._ Helps you succeed--is better than education. MY HOME METHOD easily and quickly applied; easy as reading a book. Send 50 cents for it, prepaid, NOW. Address --------------” “_How is your memory?_ If it is bad, better it; if it is good, perfect it. MY HOME METHOD gets results. Easiest thing in the world. Send 50 cents NOW; get it prepaid. Address --------------” The copy for the course, or folder, is substantially as follows: HOW TO CULTIVATE YOUR MEMORY _Forgetfulness is not a disease_--_it is a habit_--and a bad and costly habit. Perfect memory is necessary in all kinds of business. Why have to make notes of everything you wish to recall? Why “have a name or fact on the tip of your tongue,” unless you can speak it? Your mind is just like your muscles, so far as training goes. If you wanted to become physically strong, you would not overdo your exercise the first day. You would start with simple things, and then do the more difficult feats. It is the same way with your mind, follow these directions carefully. _How to Concentrate Your Mind_ Memory depends entirely upon concentration. If you have _riveted your mind_ on what you hear or see or read, the _impression is deep_. It is like talking into a phonograph. If you whisper, the record on the wax is shallow, and difficult to reproduce. If you speak in a clear voice, then the record of what you say is cut _deep_, and can always be reproduced clearly. To learn how to _concentrate_, you must start with simple things. But the first lessons must be _useful_. The best way to concentrate is to begin with things that _denote action_. For example, go into a room _once a day_, with nobody around to disturb you. Take a sheet of plain paper, and with a heavy, black pencil write something on it like this: “_I can make my mind travel into any fact or study._” Place this before you on the table, and have nothing else on the table that will interfere. Set this paper on the edge, so that it is plainly visible when you sit in a chair about two feet away from the table. Now, first of all, _relax_. Get your muscles _eased_. Sit back in the chair, breathe slowly, take a few long breaths, and close your eyes. Sit in a comfortable position. Avoid all muscular strain. Then _open your eyes and look at that paper_. Look at it and ask yourself what it means. What is your mind supposed to do if it travels into any subject? If you are going to run a race, you wear as little as possible. You must _feel like racing_. And so, your mind must not be weighed down with other thoughts. Close your eyes and _think_ about your mind’s ability to _travel back into the past_. What did you do a year ago today? What did you do a year ago yesterday? What did you do five years ago? _Keep the idea before you of making your mind travel back into anything you wish to remember._ _Keep the Mind in a Definite Thought Channel._ Now, after a few minutes of this practice, take another sheet of paper and write on it: “_I can dig up any fact in my mind._” Again relax and close your eyes, and then study these words. If your mind is going to dig facts out of your memory, it must not have other things to do at the same time. Try to _dig up_ the name of somebody you have forgotten, or something you have read. Now, as you proceed from day to day, get relaxed and take some book or paper and read _some useful thing_. Try to _shut out_ every other thought, so that your mind can _wade into the facts_. Then sit back in your chair, with your eyes closed, and _analyze_ what you have read. Ask yourself questions about it. The more interesting the subject, the more readily you will go into it. After a few weeks you will begin to _look into things more carefully_, and make your _mind impressions deep_. _Get into the habit of concentrating on what people tell you_, on what you _read_, or _see_, or _hear_. Then you will soon learn how to _shut out everything that does not pertain to the subject_, and you will make your impressions stronger. Also, _you will begin to bring out truths that you have almost forgotten_. Remember that the _subjective part of your mind never forgets_. The more you get into the _habit_ of permitting your mind to _flit_, the less you will be able to remember. The best students are those who make their studies _interesting_. The best business men are the persons who take _interest_ in their business. _Tie yourself down to everything you do._ And then, every once in a while, hold a _mind review_. Think of the different places you have lived, what you did, the people you knew, what became of them. _Exercise your memory regularly._ Unless it is exercised, it falls into disuse--like an unused muscle--and becomes weaker. Within a few weeks, you will be able to concentrate your mind on anything you do or read or say. That is _practice_ of the _right_ kind. It is scientific practice that considers your _memory_ as a _necessary part of your entire being_. And remember, that you should so _concentrate_ on these lessons that you can _repeat the thought_, the _ideas_ contained in them. With this kind of practice, memory will become a strong _asset_ with you--and it is a valuable asset, too. PLAN No. 574. CUSTODIAN FOR U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 575. PICTORIAL BUSINESS MAGAZINE A western advertising man induced a talented local cartoonist to join him in the publication of a pictorial magazine of purely local events of interest, and together they soon made it the most talked-of publication in the city which had a population of about 100,000. The magazine was well printed, on good paper, and contained items of interest to and concerning prominent people in all lines of business--merchants, lawyers, doctors, dentists, judges, politicians, and other well known people. The artist was quite gifted in reproducing the features of people, and the faces thus drawn were often attached to bodies of supposedly the same people in more or less grotesque positions there being an element of humor in most of the drawings. The humor, however, was of the clean, inoffensive kind, and was greatly enjoyed by the victim as well as by his acquaintances. In a short time they had over 2,000 regular subscribers to the magazine, which was published weekly, and with the growth of the circulation the advertising space became more and more valuable, so that inside of three years their annual income was considerably in excess of $4,000. PLAN No. 576. GEORGE MADE SOME TENTS A young man and his girl were strolling on the beach, when a violent storm arose. He opened his umbrella, and spread his raincoat over it. Then he fastened a 5-foot stick into the umbrella frame, inserted the other end into the ground, and the raincoat provided the walls of a hastily-constructed tent which kept them dry as they sat on a log while the storm raged. This evidently gave the young man an idea, for he had a tentmaker construct 200 little tents for use on the beach, which he sold the people at the resort for $5 each. The tents were made of light duck, fifteen yards in each, with fourteen strong sticks made to fit into each other at the ends. Eight of them, fitted together, made an 8-foot pole to hold up the tent, while the other six, three on each side, held up the sides, and made a rain- and sun-proof tent six feet square, which served not only as a protection from the sun and storm, but made an excellent place in which to put on a bathing suit, as well. This plan gave the inventor an income of more than $1,000 a year. PLAN No. 577. BATHHOUSE CURTAINS FOR AUTOS A lawyer living in a northern city, near which were a number of lakes, health resorts and bathing beaches, frequently took his family in an automobile to some of these places, and together they spent the day in bathing, playing golf, etc. As the charges for the use of the bathhouses were rather exorbitant, and the bathhouses inconvenient, the attorney rigged up a set of water-proof curtains, enclosing the back portion of the machine, and attached to the frame above by means of hooks, thus giving all the privacy and protection of a regular bathhouse, which all the members of the family could use in turn, at no expense whatever. Many other persons at the various bathing places noted the utility of the plan and asked the lawyer to make sets for their machines. So numerous were these requests that he at last decided to make the curtains in large quantities, and sell them at a profit of $2.50 per set. He sold 200 sets that season, and 500 the following season. This was done with no advertising at all. PLAN No. 578. PHOTOGRAPHED MINES This photographer made himself familiar with photographing mines. For those who were operating mines and desired to sell stock and wanted pictures of the mines to interest investors, he had made a study of what kind of pictures would most interest prospective investors, and to those compiling prospectuses he made many valuable suggestions. He would make a fixed charge for the trip to the mine, and would spend several days at the property and do his work right or would not go at all. After he finished his work the pictures were a real asset to the mine owners. PLAN No. 579. DENTIST--INDIAN SERVICE--U. S. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 580. THE FARMER WHO USED THE PARCEL POST In many portions of the country not one farmer in a thousand realizes the importance of the parcel post in the marketing of his products at a profit, but allows untold quantities of the very choicest grades to go to waste. Some of these farmers don’t know, while thousands of others don’t care. There was one Wisconsin farmer, however, who did know and did care, and he made himself wealthy by utilizing the products that others wasted, and for which city people gladly paid good prices. He began by making a sausage that was so good and clean and of such fine flavor that people all over the United States began to ask for it. He used the parcel post in delivering this to his customers. He put up smoked meats that were really smoked, with scented woods that imparted the most delicious flavor. He put up preserves, pickles, canned goods in glass jars, apple and peach butter, dried fruits and many other things, all of which he sent to the city by parcel post, where they commanded prices from 25 to 40 per cent higher than the products of canneries, packing houses, etc. Really fresh eggs, and pure, sweet farm-made butter, also formed a large item in his parcel post sales, while his fruits, all of the better grades, were always in demand. Everything he sold was recognized as honest goods, and these the public will always be glad to pay well for. And just one little classified ad. in the Sunday edition of the city paper started the demand for his products, but it was an ad. that bore the imprint of honesty and real value, and by more than fulfilling his promises to supply the very choicest of nature’s products for what they were worth. PLAN No. 581. PURE FRUIT PRESERVES AND JELLIES The following ad. inserted just once in a Sunday paper published in a Michigan city, brought a near-by farmer’s wife so many orders that she was kept busy for months in filling them by parcel post, and brought her a profit of nearly $1,000. Encouraged by her success, she enlarged her scope of operations the next season, and every season since then, until she is now in good circumstances. Here are the ads. which brought the business: “_Pure_ Fruit Preserves-- “Guaranteed made from fresh picked fruit ripened on the branch and pure cane sugar in clean utensils made by clean people, in a clean kitchen, and free from adulterations and preservatives of any kind. “All the delicious flavor of fresh fruit preserved by home recipes.” “_Pure_ Fruit Jellies-- “Put up on the farm, by a farmer’s wife, from the best old-fashioned recipes, from fresh picked fruit and pure cane sugar, and free of all adulterations, artificial coloring matter or artificial preservatives. Absolutely delicious and wholesome jellies cheaper than you can buy them in town and better than you can put them up yourself because you can’t get fresh fruit in town like I can just off the branch. Made in clean utensils, in a clean kitchen, by clean, healthy people. Don’t poison yourself with factory-made jellies, compounded of chemicals and dyes and sold as fruit jellies. My jellies taste of the fresh fruit, because they are made of fresh, ripe and wholesome fruit. Write to me for my special offer and try these delicious jellies for yourself. Sent in small and large quantities to suit you.” While most of her neighbors were allowing their fruit to rot on the ground, because they couldn’t find a market for them, this woman always had a good market for her products. PLAN No. 582. HOW TO OBTAIN FULL INFORMATION OF PROPERTY FROM ADDRESS The following plan netted better than $1,500 in 2¹⁄₂ hours. This would seem to be impossible but, like anything else when explained, is simple. This man had moved from the country to live in the city, and having a large family it was important for him to obtain a house. He tried to find a place to rent but found that property was being purchased rapidly. Somewhat discouraged, he called upon his brother. One house in the most exclusive end of the city, appealed to him but this house the real estate man would not lease for less than $30 a month for a period of twelve months. The address of the property was 820, 25th st. They called the city engineer’s office by phone and requested the lot number, block and addition of the property. In possession of the legal description, they called the county assessor’s office where the following information was obtained: Assessed Real Value Value of lot $ 250 $ 500 Value of improvement 1400 2800 ----- ----- $1650 $3300 House built in 1909. To build the house now would cost $3300. House consisted of 5 rooms 1st floor, 3 rooms 2nd floor. Fir finish. Plumbing. Stone foundation. ¹⁄₃ basement. Furnace. Brick fireplace. Oak floor, 5 rooms. They next called on the county treasurer, who from the legal description gave the following information: Taxes, 1917 $ 70.34 Taxes, 1918 77.55 ------- $147.89 Address given in 1916 of owner of property, Mary Jones, 2728, 16th Ave., San Francisco, Cal. Next they called the abstract office and found the incumbrances against the property outside of the taxes and the following information was given: Owner--Mary Jones; husband, John Jones. No judgments against owner. One first mortgage of $1,000 against property. Second mortgage paid in 1918. First mortgage made Jan. 1915, runs for 3 years to 1918, bears int. at 8%, payable semi-annually and held by N. W. H. Bank. Property purchased by Mr. Smith, 1917, on contract. The next step taken was to call up the N. W. H. Bank and here the most recent address of the owner was given as “Jones Apt., San Francisco, Cal. Interest on money paid. Company stated that even though principal is due, company is willing to continue the loan.” The company also stated that Mr. Smith, holder of the contract, had given up his contract which had been paid down to $2,900. Now we have the following situation: Two years taxes back; house empty and run down; mortgage due but can be extended if property is taken care of, and owner living in San Francisco, California, and a party ready to move in. The next step to be taken was to talk with the owner by long-distance phone at San Francisco, California. All the preceding information was obtained in thirty minutes. In less than two hours a messenger had brought the owner and purchaser together. The purchaser was willing to continue the contract of $2,900 and pay 1917 taxes of $70.34. and pay $30 per month, 7 per cent interest on deferred payments, and must act at once. Owner told purchaser to move in at once, that contract would be signed immediately and forwarded for purchaser’s signature. All this was done in two and one-half hours. The purchaser was able to buy a house on a rent basis and made on the transaction more than $1,500, as the place, with an expenditure of $150 in paint and repair work, will easily bring $5,000. Few people realize what information is open to them. If you are in possession of the legal description of city property or farm land anywhere in the United States all you have to do is to call or write the county assessor’s office and they will gladly tell you all about it, thus saving you many dollars. The city engineer’s office can usually give you from a given address the legal description of the property. [Illustration: Plan No. 583. Think of Saving as well as of Getting] PLAN No. 583. CITY GARDENS Very few people realize what can be done with their back yards. Many people who live in the city could solve the much-vexed question of the high cost of living if they would put their own lot of land to work. A high school teacher living in Spokane used the vacant lot next to him and put it in potatoes. The soil was gravel formation. Most people in Spokane believed it necessary to water their potatoes daily, but he put some nitrogen in the soil and kept the potatoes carefully cultivated and irrigated them two or three times during the season. He obtained an excellent yield. The back lot of his house was 30x30, and that was where he put in most of his time. The space used for his tomatoes was 12x12. He made the soil in this place a sandy loam and mixed in ground limestone and some stable manure. He used a seed from Damascus, Syria, and treated the soil with nitrogen. He kept careful account of what he raised and it ran over fifty tons of tomatoes to the acre. He built a grape arbor 8 feet high, 6x6 which took up but little room in his back yard. He used the Worden grape as it is a little earlier than the Concord. This furnished all the grapes that his family of four could consume, and gave him sufficient grape juice for the balance of the year. He had a good cider press with which he used to produce grape juice. In his side yard he had eight or ten fruit trees. These produced all the pears and crab apples he could use the year round. When the apple crop came on he took his automobile and bought many boxes for 75 cents per box, and in this way he had all the apples and cider he wished for the year. He also made a drier, which is but an hour’s work, and dried considerable fruit for winter use. He raised in a space 10x12 a “Progress” everbearing strawberry which gave his family all they could use from June to November and all they wanted to can for winter. He was especially proud of his bean patch, 10x15--variety used was the Kentucky Wonder. Beet patch, 2x8, variety planted--Egyptian. Onions, 4x8, variety planted--Yellow Globe. Carrots, 2x8, „ „ --Chantenary. Lettuce, 2x8. Radishes, he covered with a muslin cloth to keep them free from maggots--caused by the fly laying its eggs about the radish. There were many berry bushes which formed a pretty fence for his back yard which produced all the berries the family could use. In addition to the above he had one hill of rhubarb, two hills of melons (cantaloupe) and two hills of cucumbers, which furnished all they could use. In addition to the above space he made at the back end of the house a hotbed 5x10 which produced vegetables for him until winter and early in the spring. He made the soil in this as follows: Sod for the bottom, which is rich in nitrogen and on top of this put in about six inches of sand and leaf mould. This made a most excellent soil. The above plan carried out by a man who is far more busy than the average during his spare time, not only made a living for one year for his family but increased his knowledge of out-door life and enjoyed the best of healthful exercise. PLAN No. 584. LECTURES PREPARED AND SOLD EARNED WAY THROUGH COLLEGE He was an excellent stenographer and owned a mimeograph outfit. He heard all the lectures in his course, and all other lectures he fancied in the college, and had many copies of these made up and sold to the students at a very low price. You will find many students in departments who are interested in lectures that take place in other departments, and when unable to attend such lectures, are very glad to buy them from one who has attended. This student also prepared questions that had been asked for a number of years in examinations, so that the students could get an idea of the kind of questions they would be asked to answer. He also took any kind of special work submitted to him and was able each year to easily defray all the expenses of his college course. A large school offers the best field for this class of work. PLAN No. 585. RUNS BOARDING HOUSE--PAYS WAY THROUGH COLLEGE Many young men who have had some experience in running a boarding house, put themselves through college, and often have a saving above their expenses at the end of their work. I remember particularly two young men who did this. One ran his house on a cheap plan. He furnished board at a very low price, with no style, while the other gave more service, a little more dessert and charged a higher price. These men employed students only who wished to earn their board in exchange for their services. PLAN No. 586. SHAVED HIS WAY THROUGH COLLEGE There is no reason why a man who understands the barber trade should not have a university training. There is always a great demand for his services at the university. Six hours out of the twenty-four will enable him to pay his expenses. If he cannot get employment in a shop, he can run a student-shop of his own and employ only student barbers--each putting in a certain amount of time in the shop each day. The student body will patronize him in preference to anyone else. PLAN No. 587. OREGON MAN EARNS WAY THROUGH COLLEGE He was known by all as “Bill” and he was from the West. Bill, from the very first was a politician and would not take a back seat. He was an excellent talker and possessed lots of courage and self confidence. He had a few dollars to run on the first year, but after that it was up to him. He made himself well known to all in the university. Anything that required talk or scheming--he was there. There was a big fair going on at St. Louis and Bill arranged to show the Oregon exhibit. He obtained this through letter-writing and friends. When Bill planned on going home he made arrangements with the railroad company to represent them and sell tickets to the other students. He showed them how cheap it was to see the West, and made it so attractive he was able to sell a large number of tickets in that way. Each year Bill was the popular man and got the orders for railroad tickets from the students. If there was any place where his state should be represented in the East Bill was the one who obtained the appointment. He was wide awake at all times and never missed a chance to make money. In this way he more than paid all his university expenses. PLAN No. 588. ASSISTANT TO TEACHER OF ELOCUTION This young man was particularly interested in becoming a political speaker, so the first year of his university work he applied himself to the elocution course. He was studying law and saw its importance to the practicing lawyer. His interest was so marked that the professor became interested in him. The young man’s means were limited, so the professor made him a member of his own household, which settled the board and room question. He secured a small salary for his services, and soon the classes in elocution became more popular and he was made an assistant and a good salary was advanced by the university. In this way he not only earned his way through the university but won an excellent reputation in elocution, and the fact that he was one of the faculty in a large university meant much to him in later years. One must bear in mind that a young man in this way wins the respect of the faculty, and their friendship means a great deal when he starts out for himself. A letter or good word from one of the faculty of a large university will establish anywhere the ability of a man. PLAN No. 589. STUDIOUS MAN’S WAY OF EARNING HIS WAY THROUGH COLLEGE He was a young man of few words, but always hit the mark when called upon in class. His strength lay in his scholarship. He was not a success as a salesman and had no ability as a speaker. So the ordinary methods for earning his way through college were closed. However, he followed his natural bent as a student, securing work as a briefer for one of the college professors who was working on a book on corporations. His first year’s work was so satisfactory that his whole college course was spent on briefing for this professor. This gave him the best kind of board and room, besides giving him a wonderful knowledge of corporation law. He received also sufficient cash to defray all his college expenses and had his summer vacations to himself. Many young men enjoy a wonderful companionship with the college professors in this manner, as well as earn their way through college. In a large college or university there is opportunity for young men to apply almost any talent they may possess and thereby pay for their living and education. PLAN No. 590. HOW A WESTERN MAN EARNED HIS WAY THROUGH A UNIVERSITY I well remember a young man from Salt Lake City, Utah, who arrived at the university filled with high hope for the future, but who possessed little money to accomplish it with. He was able by waiting on table to get through the first year, but was without money at the beginning of the first summer. He had a taste of one year’s life at the university and nothing could prevent his return the next year. He had never sold anything but he had precedent before him of what other men had done the year before, and found that hundreds of these men made enough to put them through their year’s course from one summer’s work. Possessing a somewhat philosophical vein he selected a Topical Bible to sell. I met him many times that summer. His troubles were many--trudging through the dust and mud of Illinois--but at the end of the summer he was back in his old place at class with a net profit of $250 saved as the result of his summer’s work. The second year he did not wait on table, but with a friend of his opened up a little office; sold stationery and did some typewriting work and turned many dollars of profit to himself and friend. His stationery store provided a very good income and he continued the business to the end of his course. What he did, you can do. PLAN No. 591. PAINTED AUTOMOBILES IN WINTER He was a good painter, but during the winter he had very little work; yet by the following plan it became the most profitable and busy season of the year. During the early fall he saw some of the auto owners and made an arrangement to re-paint their cars during the winter. He made a study of auto painting and was able to furnish as high class a job as the auto owner desired. If the upholstering of the car was worn or of poor taste he made suggestions for adding greatly to the beauty of the car. His wife did the upholstering and acquired great skill in that work and the profit from it went to her. Cars painted and upholstered by him soon brought to him an excellent reputation which brought him a very profitable business from year to year. PLAN No. 592. SUIT ORDERS PUT MAN THROUGH UNIVERSITY He was one of the best dressed men in the university and knew what kind of clothes a man could wear. There is no time in a man’s life when he more desires to be well dressed than when he is in college. This young man was popular in the school, and a very good mixer. He took measurements for suits, and let every one know it. He not only put a good suit on one but gave good style. If the hat, shirt and shoes did not go with the suit, he did everything he could in a tactful way to show what should be worn. He worked for the business and secured it. His friends were very loyal to him as through his advice their appearance was improved greatly. Many young men represent laundries from near-by cities and earn their way in that manner. Others make it a side line. A good side line which will net many dollars during the school year is making up posters or post cards. PLAN No. 593. Y. M. C. A.--Y. W. C. A. PUT THEM THROUGH UNIVERSITY I knew a young fellow who worked at the Y. M. C. A. at the university. He was taking law. For his work in the association he was furnished with a good room and board and his work there did not conflict with his classes. He was an able assistant to the secretary and proved a very valuable man. This work qualified him to become a first-class secretary, after he completed his course, which work enabled him to make a saving before going into the practice and also made a host of friends, which is essential to any man who would achieve success in the practice of the law. The Y. W. C. A. is represented in every large university, and there is work for a few women who may in exchange for their services receive room and board. The above plans are a great advantage, as they not only qualify one to earn an education but also prepare for a profession after their college course is finished. PLAN No. 594. WENT THROUGH UNIVERSITY BY APPOINTING AGENTS Before his arrival John had married and was the head of a nice family of three. He possessed a bright mind but had his own way to earn as well as that of his family. This to most people is a barrier, but to John it was not, and here is the way he did it: Previous to entering the university he had sold books for a Chicago book company. He requested the company to finance him for one year by advancing $100 a month, for which he would secure and train agents during this period. The offer was accepted and John went to work. He soon developed into one of the most active men there. He was the political head of the law department and had a voice in all of the student activities. If anyone wanted anything he always saw John. In the debating society he was also active. The lively interest he took in important matters enabled him to secure the services of many agents for summer work. He put out something like 100 men selling books during the summer. They all made sales, but fifty of the number came back successful. John watched them all summer--was out in the field with the men--encouraging them. When he found a man failing he changed his territory and put him on his feet. He rendered a great service to those fifty by enabling them to go through the university as well as rolling up a nice profit for himself and the company. This man to-day is the head of that Chicago book company and has won for himself a good success. PLAN No. 595. WESTERN MAN’S WAY OF GOING THROUGH UNIVERSITY This man was about thirty-two before any opportunity presented itself for him to have a university education. He had finished high school, and from that time became a worker. His hobby was speaking and writing, and he had soon become the spokesman for the men he worked with. He was sincere and earnest and won a good reputation among his fellow-workmen. Several occasions presented themselves for him to champion their cause. The members of his association, knowing his desire to go through the law school, managed to finance him and he repaid them by assisting them in whatever way he could. He finished his law course and began practice with a large number of clients which guaranteed his future. Many young men, while I was at the university, made it a point during the summer to give addresses on temperance or some political subject, or by public speaking assisted men who were either preparing or running for public office. PLAN No. 596. BIBLES PUT HIM THROUGH UNIVERSITY He was a man past middle age, had never had any special advantages, but had a remarkable will and was open and above board in his religious faith. He believed the Bible was one of the best books ever printed and he had a good understanding of it. So he met all students who were inclined toward religion and obtained as many agents as possible to go out with him to sell Topical Bibles. He put out a considerable number of agents, worked with them, and encouraged them, and at the end of each summer he put away $400 or $500 net. As a salesman he was not above the ordinary, but believed in his book and worked with it from summer to summer. The Topical Bible, he claimed, not only put him through the university but in placing it among the people he felt that he was doing a work worth while. PLAN No. 597. INSURANCE PUTS MAN THROUGH UNIVERSITY The second year of my course at the university I almost decided to sell insurance. Several of the boys, the summer before, had piled up profits as high as $800 net in that work. Some of my friends went out and received training for two months before the summer vacation. They sold insurance in communities where they were well known. One of the boys, for his summer’s work, netted more than $500. He sold exclusively to the farmers of Illinois. A man who goes out during the summer from the university and makes a good record, brings himself to the attention of the insurance company and oftentimes secures some excellent opportunities after his college course is finished. PLAN No. 598. SANG THEIR WAY THROUGH UNIVERSITY Four young men made their way through the university in about as pleasant a way as possible--by singing their way through. This quartet was excellent. On Sundays they sang for the church, and at any college meeting they were always called upon. They put on several concerts during the year and on several occasions they organized entertainments in the near-by towns and were well rewarded by the receipts. During their third year they organized a number of singers and arranged for a trip to occupy several weeks and to cover many large cities. This effort was very successful, and not only profitable to them but a very good advertisement for the university. These four singers not only defrayed all university expenses, but secured an excellent opportunity to see different parts of the country and had a saving to start with when their course was completed. PLAN No. 599. ENTERTAINER PAYS WAY THROUGH UNIVERSITY He could do sleight-of-hand tricks and was able to do some good hypnotic work. He understood how to arrange for and advertise his plays. He made it a point to give several entertainments each year in the near-by cities. During Christmas time, spring vacation and summer he was busy. The entertainments given at the university and the Saturday-night performances in some of the adjacent towns were sufficient to defray all his expenses. PLAN No. 600. SOLD ALUMINUM WARE SUMMERS AND PAID UNIVERSITY EXPENSES A tall, slender chap, whom I at first thought to be a rich man’s son, told me that he had that summer made $550. On inquiring I found he sold aluminum ware during the summer in Illinois. He not only worked in the cities but in the country as well. He would find some housewife in the city who would permit him to give a demonstration of his aluminum ware cooking utensils. He would then get this lady to invite in a number of her friends to see the demonstration. For this he would make a gift of some one of his wares to the one who had favored him. He was enabled to show the value of his wares and made many sales. A series of such demonstrations in the various homes soon established the reputation of his goods and created a good demand for them. Through this plan he paid all college expenses, and had a small sum to start in business with at the close of his college course. PLAN No. 601. CHAMPIONING RELIGIOUS DOCTRINE PUT HIM THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY There are a great many different religious sects in our country, and from our colleges and universities these sects obtain material that will assist their causes. Two of my friends at the university took a law and literary course covering a period of six years. They were good speakers and had very strong leaning toward certain religious beliefs. They made a very close study of same until they became very valuable exponents for their denominations. They were sent out on special lecturing trips and all the time they could spare was put in at active work along that line. The compensation they received from this work more than financed their university course. They obtained unusual experience in public speaking, which was later to prove a great asset to them in legal work. A man who is an able speaker on matters concerning the law, and who is a champion of certain religious ideals can go into any community and in a few weeks will be better known and more highly regarded than men who have passed a life time there. PLAN No. 602. COLLEGE ON STEREOSCOPIC VIEWS Stereoscopic views are simple, but very important when one considers that by their aid a student may defray the expenses to his coveted goal the completing of his college course. Jim was a big raw-boned fellow from Indiana. He was a man of wonderful energy and enthusiasm. Life was new to him every minute. It seemed his difficulty was lack of new opportunities for him to show what he could do. He had no money after paying for his books, but by waiting on table and making himself generally useful he managed the first four or five months, and then he became associated with a fellow-student who sold views and thus made his way. Jim liked pictures of travel and felt that he could easily sell such views, so he immediately obtained an outfit and started after orders--and he got them. If anyone was a friend of his they would soon hear about the views. The following summer he went out into the farm country in Indiana. Lots of views had been sold years before in that country but that was no obstacle to him; people, he thought, must have more. His views were lit up with his own imagination. He showed the religious people views of the holy lands. Anyone who had any religion at all would yield him an order. He came back that year having cleared more than $600. PLAN No. 603. SMALL TOWN WEEKLY AND REAL ESTATE He left his home in Iowa and dropped into a little western town of some 1,800 inhabitants. He had about $500 but that would not go very far. He liked newspaper work as a profession, so he started a weekly publication at which he worked hard and soon made it pay enough to provide himself and family with a living. But that did not give him a future, so he decided he would specialize in farm sales. He knew what a good farm was for he had made a study of farming. He obtained everything the government had to give on this subject, and advertised in his own paper. In that way he soon became very well known by all the farmers in his district and also had good connections with the farm banks. He finally found a farm at a very low figure on which he obtained an option for two years to purchase, and then decided what kind of a crop should be put in. He did not have the capital himself so he went to some people with money and explained to them the deal he had and how he was to work it and told them that he needed capital and was willing to give one-half the profits for the cash advanced on the crops, or, in case of sale, one-half the amount made on the deal. His proposition was so good he had no trouble getting the cash and said he never had any trouble in financing his farm deals in that way. After obtaining the money, he boosted the farm in his paper. He claims he makes his sale when he buys the farm. If he is to sell the farm on commission, he refuses to sell unless he is paid 5 per cent, and the land must be priced right or he will not try to sell it. But he claims the money is made when he buys. After the farm is bought he hires all the work done and pays liberal wages and expects results. He secures men who are trustworthy. The farm is cleaned up and put in order before it is offered for sale. Last year, for example, land that was being summer-fallowed he put in peas which brought 60 cents a pound and produced 15 pounds per acre which was a low yield yet it paid the following amount per acre: $ .50 to drill 3.00 seed .50 cut peas $9.00 .05 thrash $4.05 ---- ----- $4.05 $4.95 net profit per acre. He has two salesmen who average the year round nearly $400 a month, and they find it easy to sell where they are the owners and operating their own farms. This year they have three farms totaling 700 acres which will net them more than $20,000. Here is a man who started out with $500 in cash and now has an income of not less than $15,000 a year. He says if he was without money to-morrow he would work the local weekly and real estate business together. PLAN No. 604. THIS LAWYER MADE MONEY BY KEEPING A DAILY RECORD It is safe to say that nine-tenths of the members of the bar do not keep daily records. This often determines whether or not the lawyer is a success or failure. When an estate is put into an attorney’s hands he should in these matters have a daily record, and his charge should be based on this record. But most attorneys go before the court, state generally how much time has been consumed, and ask for say, $500; but instead of such an allowance they usually get $100. The attorney might be entitled to the $500 but he has nothing definite to show. In all probability the heir and executor of the estate consumed much of his time, and had an account of his time been kept and even a plumber scale of wages applied, he might be entitled to $1,000. The following is the kind of record one attorney used with profit to himself. He had a loose leaf 8¹⁄₂x11, punched for filing away. ATTORNEY _Daily Record_ Month.............. Year, 191.. Posted............ Hours Name of person or Subject matter Who charge work done 8.30 A.M. to 6.00 P.M. Memorandum. If attorneys would keep records of this kind it would do away with loafers, etc. in his office. At the end of each month do as the doctor does--render a bill for services. In no event should a charge be made for less than $5.00 If the bar of your community has no minimum fee get busy and have one established and after this understanding is reached tell your clients what the bar association requires and see that the newspapers give proper publicity to your minimum fees. This kind of work will bring about a better and more intelligent bar in your community as it makes their work more profitable and they would put more time on reading law and less on thinking about where the next dollar is coming from. [Illustration: Plan No. 605. She is Busy Every Moment] PLAN No. 605. LAWYER’S PLAN TO SAVE ON TYPEWRITING A lawyer must have an office and a stenographer. Usually he can afford his office, and as far as books are concerned he can obtain them on time. But his stenographic help is always a problem as most of the time he cannot afford to have a stenographer. He may find that a large part of the time his stenographer is more of a nuisance than a help. He is compelled to pay her $80 a month when over half of the time she is without work. This attorney obtained a dictaphone and experimented with it for about a month. He accustomed himself to the use of it. When he kept the receiver of the dictaphone against his upper lip his voice took very clearly, but the stenographer who did his writing was not very familiar with the dictaphone, so he found the names of offices that had dictaphones, which information the companies selling dictaphones were glad to furnish. He then got in touch with their stenographers to ascertain if they had time to do extra work and found several willing to work for him. In this way he was able to get a price of 12 cents per roll--which contains 800 to 900 words. The stenographer figured she could do about four rolls an hour, which would give her about $4 a day. The attorney dictated his work in his spare time. She called for the records, did the work and returned the rolls, shaven and ready for new dictation. It was a great advantage to the lawyer as he was only charged for the time she was actually writing his work. As a matter of fact, in using her extra time he could do twice as much as any other lawyer and stenographer could do under the ordinary method of dictation at one-third the cost. In that way all his work was done, when he had business to pay for, and there was no overhead expense when he did not have the business. This easily saved him $60 a month. PLAN No. 606. LAWYER SELLS LAW BOOKS This lawyer found that while our country was at war with Germany his practice dwindled down to almost nothing. He loved his profession and he had a professional pride that riveted him to his chair in the office. He loved his wife and family too, and when they had to do without any of the necessaries he felt it was up to him to move and move fast. He shook himself until he had a real circulation and determined he would take a trip into the northwest “for his health”--the real purpose being to sell law books. He started the first of the year and by May 1st had sold over $50,000 worth of law books. He was a man not afraid of a jury, and he was one lawyer who knew business. Of the $50,000 worth of books he sold at least $10,000 was his--all made within four months. This young lawyer was allowed a trading privilege of $30, in the event that it was necessary to make a sale. The point was that, so far as the old books were concerned, it made little difference, but in this manner he was sure to make a sale. This plan was good and it took. There are many lawyers to-day out of business and do not know it. A little adventure into the selling game outside of their community would not only prove very profitable but would act as a tonic and would enable them to find their real selves, and they could come back to their practice with renewed energy and perhaps a new viewpoint which would put them where they belong. PLAN No. 607. SHEEP ON SUMMER FALLOW Here is what one farmer accomplished: “On September 1, 1913, I owned 123 head of sheep worth approximately $613. During the following year I fed them $50 worth of feed and pastured them on summer fallow. I figure they saved me $150 worth of labor in eating off the weeds. During the year I sold $375 worth of sheep and $125.80 worth of wool, and at the end of the year I still had 135 head worth $675. I therefore figure my net profit, exclusive of labor, $660.80. I cannot understand why more farmers do not run sheep on their summer fallow.” PLAN No. 608. LIKES HOGS AND SHEEP He made a living from stock, and here is his statement of what he did: “Recognizing the necessity for more modern methods in farming, I started in four years ago by fencing my 500-acre ranch with hog-tight woven-wire fence. I also purchased a bunch of hogs and went in debt for both the hogs and the fence. The first year I sold $1,400 worth of hogs and have averaged $2,000 per year since. I also purchased some sheep and found that by running them between harvest and summer fallow I was able to keep down the mustard and weeds. In this way I made a profit on my sheep from both wool and mutton. I am now out of debt and am satisfied that stock farming pays. I believe that if diversified farming methods are followed, sixty to eighty acres is enough for one family.” PLAN No. 609. GOOD MONEY IN COWS Here is what a farmer did with a few head of stock in Western Wisconsin, and he gives an account of his work as follows: “On October 1st, 1913, I owned eighteen cows, eight heifers, four calves and one bull. The following year I fed $312 worth of pasture and $415 worth of feed, all of which, with the exception of $160 worth, was produced on my farm. During the year my sales of cattle and dairy products amounted to $1,200. At the end of the year I had remaining twenty-two cows, eight heifers, three calves, one steer and one bull, worth $2,040. I figured that I cleared $753, exclusive of labor.” PLAN No. 610. HOGS ARE MONEY MAKERS You will note that the following profit was made before we were thinking of war. Hogs are always profitable. Here is Mr. Farmer’s statement of what he did with a few hogs in Washington state. “On September 30th, 1913, I owned twenty cows, thirty barrows and gilts, and one boar, worth approximately $610. During the following year I fed $704 worth of pasture and grain, all of which were produced on my farm. On September 30th, 1914, I owned twenty cows, eighty gilts and barrows, two boars and 120 pigs, which I figure worth $2,090, making a net profit of $750, exclusive of labor.” Why will people insist on living in the heart of the city, with poor living conditions for their families, and work like slaves without a ray of hope for their future, when the country is only a few miles outside with good schools, plenty of fresh air, sunshine, hills, pastures, woods and streams and always a good environment for the family, and the best kind of a living and an easy possibility of plenty? Answer the question if you can. PLAN No. 611. INTERESTING POULTRY FIGURES To show what a hen paid before the war, here are a few figures which show the possibilities of the hen in the city. “According to your request, you will find below data on my poultry business: From Nov. 1, 1912 to Nov. 1, 1913: Cost of eggs per dozen 16c Cost of feed per head for the year $1.49 Net earnings per hen for the year 1.49 Number of eggs laid per hen for the year 111 Average price 37c From Nov. 1, 1913 to Nov. 1, 1914: Cost of eggs per dozen (includes interest on coops) 12c Cost of feed per head for the year 70c Net earnings per hen for the year $2.50 Number of eggs laid per hen for the year 107 Average price 37c “One-half the hens for 1914 were the pullets of 1913 and were supposed to fall off in production 20 per cent. The balance were pullets.” The Department of Agriculture is back of you in any endeavor you may wish to make in farming. If you want information on any problem, write to the department and they will forward you an up-to-date book on the subject. They have pamphlets prepared treating of the way to handle chickens in the city, raising of fancy birds, and many other subjects relative to the chicken. PLAN No. 612. BELIEVES IN SHEEP Many town people have an idea that before the war farming was not a very profitable business, but that is not the case. Here is what one farmer has to say: “In 1913 I purchased 1,188 sheep, mostly lambs. In 1914 I clipped about one dollar’s worth of wool per head and then sold 300 head at $4.75 to $5.25 per hundred pounds. They were out nearly all winter at strawstacks and grazing, my only expense being thirty-five tons of alfalfa at $10 per ton. You can easily see that I have made a very nice profit. I believe that nearly all farmers should keep a flock of sheep.” It is easy to understand why our great men and women of high talent in all walks of life come from the farm. The business of farming enables them to make the best kind of a living with much less wear and tear than attends work in the city. He has time to think; nature is about him; he is not worrying about his grocery bill and how he will get enough to eat next week. His living is assured for a year. The sun, rain and land look out for that. His wife is not worrying him about the latest style of clothes for herself and children. Try it out for yourself--get a few sheep and be independent. PLAN No. 613. REMARKABLE YIELD FROM TWENTY-THREE ACRES The following figures taken from a 23-acre tract, near North Yakima, Washington, illustrates what can be accomplished in the irrigated valleys of the Inland Empire, when intensified farming methods are followed: Six thousand boxes of apples, 10 tons of cherries, 400 boxes of peaches, 700 boxes of pears, 100 crates of small fruit, 1,800 boxes tomatoes, 40 tons of wheat and alfalfa hay, 15 tons carrots and mangel-wurzels, 2 tons grain and vegetables, 50 bushels corn, 400 pounds butter, 14 pure bred Duroc hogs, 220 dozen eggs, one Holstein heifer and one colt. PLAN No. 614. FOURTEEN HENS MAKE $3.33 EACH Here is what a city man did, given in his own language: “January 1, 1914, I had on hand fourteen pullets, worth $8.40. During nine months I sold 12¹⁄₂ dozens of eggs at 35c per dozen, a total of $49.87. I also sold $26.15 worth of chickens, and at the end of 9 months I had remaining a flock of 48 pullets, 6 cockerels and 8 hens--62 in all--worth 60 cents each or a total of $37.20. During the nine months I spent $7.50 for eggs for hatching and also $89.80 for feed. This makes me a profit of $57.50 from the original 14 fowls, or $3.33 each. It should be stated that, in addition to the feed paid for, the stock was supplied with table scraps, which cost nothing under the circumstances and would have added largely to the feed bill had its equal in feed value been paid for at market prices. However, I feel that my experience illustrates a great saving in poultry feeding if table scraps are utilized.” PLAN No. 615. SHEEP MAKE MONEY FOR THIS MAN Here is what this farmer has to say: “In January, 1913, I owned a flock of ninety sheep worth approximately $900. During the following year I purchased a buck for $32 and fed $50 worth of pasture and $80 worth of salable feed. I sold $225 worth of sheep and $210 worth of wool and on October 1, 1914, I had 125 head of sheep remaining, worth $1,250. I therefore figure my net profit, exclusive of labor, $623. However, the sheep made me more money than this, as I let them run on summer fallow and they saved me the expense of cutting the weeds. It seems to me every wheat farmer should have some sheep.” PLAN No. 616. LIKES DAIRYING This farmer makes the following statement: “January, 1913, I owned 12 cows, 1 heifer, 2 calves and 1 bull, worth approximately $916. During the following year I fed $135 worth of pasture and $365 worth of feed, all of which, with the exception of $120 worth, was produced on my farm. During the year I sold $1,100 worth of cattle and dairy products and on January 1, 1914, I had remaining 9 head of cows, 3 heifers, 5 calves and 1 bull, worth $870. My profits therefore, were $554, exclusive of labor, manure, etc. I have conducted my dairy business as a side issue to my general farming and feel very well repaid for the attention I have given to it.” In many articles of this book I have given illustrations of profit in farming before the war to show that regardless of the times there is always money in farming. PLAN No. 617. BEEF CATTLE IN FERRY COUNTY, WASHINGTON This farmer gives his experience as follows: “According to my experience here in Ferry County, a herd of cattle doubles in three years, aside from keeping themselves. There is always a cash market at your door for anything you have to sell. I have 1,100 acres of land and keep about 100 head of stock through the winter; raise considerable small grain and feed up all my straw as well as what hay is necessary. I now have a nice start in pure bred Short Horn Durhams of milk strain, which gives me good milkers as well as big steers.” PLAN No. 618. GOOD YIELDS OF WHEAT AND OATS He made money before the war; what do you think he made during the war? He tells what his farm did in the following account: “I harvested 135 acres of wheat this year which furnished thirty-two bushels per acre, a total of 4,320 bushels. It cost me $459 to grow it, $200 for cutting and shocking, $345 for threshing. The interest on my investment in land at $80 per acre, and on horses and machinery for two years is $1,536. This leaves a net profit of $829 at 80c per bushel. My oats made a yield of 50 bushels per acre.” PLAN No. 619. $1,000 A YEAR FROM POULTRY Here is what a small farmer accomplished in Washington state with poultry in 1910, 1911 and 1912, when prices were much lower than now. He gives his experience as follows: “I will be glad to tell you the result from my poultry business. I began January 1, 1910, with 250 hens, 19 roosters, 12 ducks and 20 bantams, which I invoiced at $340. During the year 1910 I sold as follows: Market eggs, $542.50; hatching eggs, $437.15; market poultry, $210.30; breeding stock, $350.75; or a total of $1,541. The cost of maintenance during this time, which includes feed, stock purchased, etc., was $840.50, leaving a profit of $700.50. “During 1911 my sales of market eggs were $631.65; hatching eggs, $627.40; day-old chicks, $85; market poultry, $253.35; breeding stock, $403.90; total, $2,001.30. Maintenance during the same time was $910.70, leaving a profit of $1,090.60. “Up to November 20, 1912, my sales for that year were: Market eggs, $705.20; hatching eggs, $422.50; day-old chicks, $154.60; market poultry, $235.80; breeding stock, $392.40; total, $1,910.50. My maintenance was $895.75, leaving a profit of $1014.75. On November 20, I sold my entire stock, which brought me $695.00, or a gain from my original investment of $355. “My total profit for the three years was $2,805.85, which, added to the gain on investment of $355, makes a grand total profit of $3,160.85 or better than $1,000 a year. I might also add that, aside from caring for the poultry, I cultivated 11 acres of ground. The income from this and from two Jersey cows was $500 a year.” When a man takes a real interest in his work it is remarkable what he can accomplish. PLAN No. 620. BIG PROFITS IN TRUCK GARDENING This man operates a truck garden with the following success. The figures given are before the war prices. The soil resembles gravel and is watered by pumps. Here is his account: “I have been truck gardening in the vicinity of Spokane for twenty-six years, and now have a small tract in the Spokane Valley and inside the city limits. Here I find I can produce all of the crops that will grow in this climate, but at present I am making a specialty of celery, cauliflower and asparagus. “Celery gives me a gross return of $600 to $1,200 per acre, and it costs me from $300 to $500 to grow and market it. “Cauliflower gives returns of $400 to $800 per acre, and it costs me from $100 to $300 to grow and market. “Asparagus yields 3,000 to 3,500 pounds per acre on an 8-year-old bed which I sell at 9 cents per pound. It costs about 1¹⁄₂ cents per pound to grow, cut and market, so that my profits vary from $225 to $265 per acre. I figure the land on which I grow these crops worth $1,000 per acre, making an investment charge of $60 per acre. I believe there will always be a good market in the Inland Empire for garden products.” [Illustration: Plan No. 620. The Early Tomato] PLAN No. 621. PROFIT ON 130 ACRES OF WHEAT This man was farming in the Palouse country, south of Spokane, Washington. You can see what he was doing before the war, and you can figure out for yourself what he made after the war began. Here are his figures: “I raised 4,030 bushels of wheat this year from 130 acres, an average of thirty-one bushels per acre. It cost me $331.50 to raise the crop; $334 to harvest it, and $332.64 to thresh it. Sacks cost me an additional $175. I figure the interest on my investment in horses, machinery, and land at $80 per acre would be $1,404 for two years. I have not sold my crop yet, but at 80 cents a bushel it would net me $647. I expect to get $1 per bushel and this would make a profit of $1,453.” PLAN No. 622. THREE CROPS IN ONE SEASON He made a living on a small piece of land in the following manner: “I have six acres of ground on which I am making a specialty of growing cauliflower, celery and cabbage. I figure that I have cleared over $1,500 this year, above all expenses. From one little plot, about 14x20 feet, I have sold a crop of radishes, spinach and endive, bringing me a gross return of over $35.” PLAN No. 623. BEEF CATTLE MONEY VELVET The following is a little side money for the farmer. His statement is as follows: “On January 1, 1912, I owned ten head of beef cattle worth $500. During the year I fed $60 worth of pasture and $150 worth of feed, all of which was produced on my farm. During the year I sold $120 worth of cream and traded $90 worth of cattle for hogs. On December 31, 1912, I had nineteen head remaining worth $860. My profit for the year, exclusive of labor, was $360. While this is not a very large amount, yet at the same time I consider it velvet, and I gave but very little attention and time to that part of my farming.” PLAN No. 624. PASTURES ALFALFA This farmer makes a good living on his small farm. Profit based on prices before the war. “I have thirty-five acres of alfalfa from one to five years old. I cut two crops of hay each year, yielding from 2¹⁄₂ to 3 tons per acre, and in addition pasture the third crop. I can sell all the hay I can raise at from $9 to $10 a ton unbaled. At this rate it is bringing big returns on $75 to $100 per acre land.” PLAN No. 625. ALFALFA BRINGS GOOD RETURNS This farmer does well with twenty-five acres based on prices before the war. “I have twenty-five acres of 4-year-old alfalfa on sub-irrigated land. I cut two crops a year, averaging three tons per acre, and use the third crop for pasture. I can sell my hay for from $10 to $14 per ton unbaled. While there is not a great deal of alfalfa raised here I am sure that it will do well and bring very good returns on the investment.” PLAN No. 626. ALFALFA BETTER THAN WHEAT Farmers in the Northwest country usually summer fallow, and many put in alfalfa, which is a good crop for summer fallow and is profitable. Here is what one man’s experience was whose profit is based on 1914 prices for alfalfa: “In 1913 I sowed sixty acres of non-irrigated land to alfalfa. I cut off of it the first year 1¹⁄₄ tons per acre which I sold at $10 per ton, making $900 gross returns. Besides my hay crop I sowed a field for pasture during the fall, but cannot tell just what it was worth.” PLAN No. 627. FARMS TOO LARGE Here is what a woman did in the State of Washington, and the following statement is in her own language. She must have made money on $2 wheat. “Twelve years ago I started in owing $2,500 on 320 acres. Since then I have purchased two more sections in Lincoln county, Washington, and two sections in Canada and have never had a mortgage on my home place. The money has all come from the ranch in Lincoln County. “This year I had 85 acres of barley, which yielded 50 bushels per acre, and 640 acres of wheat, which yielded 29 bushels per acre. I sold my barley at $1.20 per hundred and my wheat at $1 per bushel. My 1913 crop was still better, as part of my wheat made 52 bushels.” PLAN No. 628. LIKES THE WEST Here is what he did with $3,000: “I came to the State of Washington twelve years ago from Central Illinois with about $4,500. I purchased 160 acres at $50 per acre, paying $3,000 down. I bought fourteen head of cows at a cost of $700, sowed most of my land to grass, alfalfa, timothy and clover. “The first five years I practiced dairying and mixed farming, selling the whole milk, hay, small grain and potatoes. I also have a one-acre orchard, which has produced an average of 200 boxes of apples per year, besides what we used. Four years ago I bought 120 acres more, paying $100 an acre. I now have a farm that is worth $30,000 and feel that I have done very well, but no better than any one else can do who will follow mixed farming and give it careful attention. I believe mixed farming will pay anywhere.” PLAN No. 629. FINDS HOGS PROFITABLE He handled hogs as a side line, and his results run as follows: “On October 1, 1913, I owned 11 sows, 90 gilts and barrows, 2 boars and 60 pigs, worth approximately $1,270. During the year following I purchased $60 worth of hogs and fed $1,310.21 of feed, all of which, with the exception of $310.90 was produced on my farm. During the same year my sale of hogs amounted to $2,316.33, and on October 1, 1914, I had 8 sows, 100 gilts and barrows, 2 boars and 8 pigs remaining, worth $856. I figure my net profit, exclusive of labor $532.33--not very bad for a side line.” PLAN No. 630. BEEF CATTLE PAY WELL Here is a man that made money during the war. This is what he says: “In October, 1912, I owned three head of beef cows, worth $225. During the next two years I purchased $721 worth of cattle. I do not have a record of my feeding costs, but it would not be very much, as I pastured them on cheap pasture most of the year and fed only a small amount of hay for three months in the winter. During the same two years I sold $827 worth of butter and cattle, and on October 1, 1914, I had sixteen head remaining, worth $1,360. I figure my net profit, exclusive of labor and feed, $1,241. I am now satisfied that I can make the beef cattle business pay me a nice profit, and will go into it on a larger scale.” PLAN No. 631. HE WANTED TO BE SECRETARY TO THE MAYOR Every mayor’s office needs a secretary to look after the office and make his dates and appointments for him, as this saves a great deal of time. This kind of work calls for a man who has a neat appearance and is genteel and makes a good impression; a man who understands all methods of putting off callers whom the mayor does not care to see; who knows how to find out whether the people calling on the mayor have come to raise money, etc., ascertain the full nature of their business and make proper arrangements for the mayor’s time. Such a person is a valuable asset to the mayor and can save him a great deal of time. This young man knew that there would be few men who were capable of holding this position. He was a college graduate and stood well socially, had a great deal of natural ability, and supported the mayor in his election. He felt that if he was appointed secretary he could not only help the mayor, but would give him a distinct political advantage. He finally received the appointment and made good. PLAN No. 632. BECAME COUNTY COMMISSIONER I knew two men, one a secretary to the County Commissioner, and the other in the auditor’s office. They each desired some day to be commissioners for their county. They served in their respective capacities for five to six years. This gave them a good income, a chance to establish their homes, properly educate their family, and finally they came to the conclusion that they were sufficiently well acquainted, and capable of handling the office of county commissioner, and proceeded to announce themselves as candidates for this office. They worked jointly, each supporting the other, and in this way they had all their friends in their joint support. They were not good speakers, but they were well liked in the community and the years that they had served the people, had proven of great value to them. Everybody knew them as deserving. They had served the county for years, and why could they not serve as commissioners in as good a manner as they had served in their other positions? The men who were contestants for the office had had no prior experience, and they used to good advantage the argument that being trained in the line of work which they had done, that they were better qualified than the other parties to serve the country’s needs, and they succeeded on that program. PLAN No. 633. A LAWYER BECOMES A JUDGE To build up a political success one is invariably dependent upon his friends, and an aspirant for office will be very much surprised when he enters the race and finds how very few working friends he actually possesses. He may be well known in the community, and have a good reputation, but when he makes an attempt for public office, he will be fortunate if he finds ten men of the thousands of his friends who will come out and work conscientiously for him. This is especially true of the man who lives in a large city. This young lawyer was fortunate in respect that he had a father who had won an enviable reputation before him, and with five or six friends who would put their entire time at his disposal, concluded to make the race for the judgeship. He put out the regular cards and allowed his friends to deliver them, and put out the necessary literature. He then obtained all the newspaper comments he could get, and he was fortunate in having one friend who was a reporter, who assisted him. He was not regarded as a public speaker, but his friends came to his rescue on this point, and did everything they could to make up this deficiency. Two of his friends knew politics; knew who controlled votes and who did not. These two men worked unceasingly for his interests. What I have stated is the general procedure of the man who intended to make a political career a success, but his main dependence rested upon his following the advice of his friends, who said: “Now judge make good on the bench.” He started in with a very ordinary experience, but he was courteous to all. He made it a special point not to make a statement from the bench that would be injurious to the attorney or would prejudice him with his clients. He realized that when two attorneys stood before him arguing for their respective sides, that one was sure to be mistaken. But, too, he further realized that both sides of the question were serving to bring about a right and proper decision in the matter, which was to assist him in giving a right judgment. No matter how tired he might be, or how put out with the arguing of cases, he made it a point to be patient. Especially was this true of young men who appeared before him, and in this manner he won high appreciation of all members of the bar. Any time he was criticised, he had hundreds of supporters of the bar to defend him. Each time he comes up for election his success is assured. They know him to be patient and courteous and a gentleman on the bench and thoughtful of other people’s rights and interests, and also they know of his sincere desire to bring about justice between the litigants. There is no doubt about the integrity of the court, but often times a word from the bench may be said in anger or impatience, which will greatly prejudice the attorney who stands before him with his client. And many times it is the cause of a loss of hundreds of dollars worth of business to the attorney. PLAN No. 634. AN ATTORNEY BECAME MAYOR OF A CITY When he first started to practice it was very discouraging, as he was limited in funds and had a family, and for that reason he took up work in the city clerk’s office. In that capacity he could serve, and soon he became the adviser of the city council. He was familiar with all of the details of the clerk’s office and the doings of the council, and could also advise them as well as the city attorney’s office. Often his suggestions to the corporation council’s office, were gratefully received. For seven or eight years, he met the public daily. He determined to make the race for the office of commissioner, which paid $5,000 a year. His friends were loyal to him. He was familiar with politics from start to finish, and knew that he had thousands of votes; he also knew that he had the kind of friends who would support him. Assured of his friends’ support, he went about the city himself, making a direct canvass for votes. He realized that every effort meant that much more in his favor, even though he was quite sure of a certain percentage. He felt that if he was once elected he could make a showing that would keep him in office from year to year. He knew that he was far more familiar with the work than any other candidate. Most of the candidates were business men, who had had no prior experience with the city government, and he argued that if he had served the city well for ten years, that he would be better qualified to serve the city than those who had had no prior experience. To the surprise of a great many he was elected, and after receiving his office, he was given one of the most difficult tasks, which he handled with credit to himself. PLAN No. 635. A LIVING OUT OF POLITICS A great number of men and women in your community and state are making their living entirely on politics. If you are to choose this work for a living, it is necessary to bear in mind that you must be an adherent of some particular party and you must be enthusiastic for it from beginning to end, as leaving this party will be considered a breach of good faith on your part, and you will lose much of your friendship, which is essential to keep you in your position. Also bear in mind, you who hold positions in political work, that your previous work has a great deal to do with it. That is, you must serve as an assistant, say, in the clerk’s office, the treasurer’s office, the assessor’s office, and in this way you will acquire thousands of friends. And then, the newspaper must not be lost sight of, as a person may have thousands of friends in his community, and if for some reason or other he has awakened the antagonism of the newspaper men, he will find that it is one of his greatest difficulties, and may even lose to him victory which should be rightfully his. Another factor one must consider; he must have friends of the right sort. You may think you have hundreds of friends who will get out and put in much time in your behalf, but when once you depend upon them you will be surprised how few there are. If you are fortunate enough to have ten men who will get out and put in their time and really give you their support, you are very fortunate indeed. Then there is the following to be considered; you must take yourself seriously--believe that you can be of real benefit to the community by serving in that capacity. You must not leave your friends to do it all; you must do everything you can to assist your friends. Get a car and drive out into the country and get acquainted with the farmers. If you have it in mind to win success you must not figure in days, but you must figure in years, and build up slowly for the future. Also have clear in mind that, once you are elected, the kind of service you desire to give. You will find if you are fortunate enough to be nominated and elected that the opportunities for real service in your city, county or state, are very great. You will find that the usual method followed by politicians is to work for the future, letting the mistakes of the past take care of themselves. You will find in public service that there is great opportunity to build a reputation for doing things, and if you are in continual fear of injuring somebody’s feelings while rendering a real public service, you will not make a success. PLAN No. 636. AN ATTORNEY BECOMES SPECIAL COUNSEL FOR THE CITY He had no political standing but he knew the employes of the different departments of the city, and thus he became aware of what could be done for the city in the way of collecting back assessments, supposedly-outlawed claims etc. He made a memorandum of these as best he could from a superficial examination, and took the matter up with the councilmen of the city. He had the support of the councilman of his district who furnished him a great deal of information. He then set about to become acquainted with the councilmen of other districts, and was successful in winning some of them to his support. No sooner had he stirred up interest in this subject and got the matter squarely before the council, than he was advised that there were other attorneys who were seeking this appointment for the work to which he had called the council’s attention, and was advised not only to submit a commission proposition to the city council, but a salary proposition as well. Finally, through the activity of his friends in the council, he was named as special counsel for the city for a period of six months. It was up to the attorney to make good. He made his own investigations, obtained his own material, and brought actions. He immediately got into contact with some of the newspaper reporters, and showed them the work he was accomplishing, and had proper attention directed to it. At the end of six months he was able to make an excellent record, which continued his work another six months, and in that way he continued without any political standing, until he was appointed a regular assistant in corporation counsel’s office at a salary of $200 a month. This employment continued until new political lines were drawn and a new corporation counsel put into office, after which he was continued as special counsel. Each six months he made a showing, with the result that he stayed in the office for two years, based entirely upon the showing he was able to make at the end of each six-months’ period. From this work he derived $175 to $200 a month, and won a good acquaintanceship in his work and an invaluable experience. He not only handled cases which brought him in contact with thousands of people in the community, but he also received experience in the police court, and in that way obtained an experience similar to that of an assistant in a prosecuting attorney’s office. This plan could be followed in many of the cities in our country, as there is always an opportunity to find something wrong in the average city government, in remedying which an attorney can render a good service. As a matter of fact, you can always depend upon it that the mistakes of former administrations are left alone, and to attempt to stir them up politicians of the city believe will make unnecessary enemies, besides the reformatory work can be done by a special counsel without injuring the future of the parties in office. PLAN No. 637. AN ATTORNEY BECOMES CHIEF JUSTICE IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS To win this position in twelve years would seem impossible but if you knew the man and the plan he pursued it would appear to you quite possible. In the university he developed himself in public speaking. He became a good speaker, and before his term had expired had won a reputation as an excellent debater. He was not of the argumentative type, but more of the persuasive turn of mind. He endeavored to win people to his convictions rather than to compel them to follow his ideas. He took an extra year at the university and obtained a special degree. Before his school was over he concluded that the Philippine Islands offered the best opportunity for a young man in the law work, so he secured, through his connection at the university, a position to instruct in a law school in the islands, as the American law was to be followed there. From instructor he was soon advanced to the head of one of the law schools, and within twelve years after leaving the university he was appointed to the position of associate justice of the supreme court in the Philippine Islands. Being an American and familiar with the American laws, and having specially qualified himself while at the university for this work, he won, with little difficulty, the position which he now occupies. PLAN No. 638. A PHYSICIAN BECOMES CORONER While at the university this young doctor learned something about politics. As soon as he got settled in the community he made investigations of the coroner’s office. When politics opened up he became a candidate and made an original campaign for the office. He could speak and tell stories far better than the average man, and he made a good impression in his addresses. The political party arranged dates for speakers, and being one of the best speakers he was called upon in a great many cases. He made a clean campaign, not calling attention to any weaknesses in the former holder of office and won the support of his fellow doctors. He had an automobile and made it a point to reach many of the farmers in his county. His campaign was successful. In this way he won a good acquaintanceship in the country and obtained an excellent experience. Usually the county records show that either the Republican or Democratic parties, for years, have dominated the situation, and it is a matter of getting the nomination on one of these tickets. Nomination in these cases means, virtually, an election. When he first came to the town he made it known he could speak and would be an aggressive man in any campaign, and showed his strength by addressing the various meetings that he attended, and in this way, got recognition from the organization and everything was done to give him an opportunity to have the nomination with as little competition as possible. PLAN No. 639. A DEACON MAKES MONEY ON TAX DEEDS I met this gentleman in connection with some old back taxes which the city claimed were against certain properties. He showed willingness to pay the back taxes at once without any argument, and after making his payment entered into a conversation with me relating how he had acquired this property and how much he had made. One rainy day, he said, he attended a sale at the courthouse, and there being no bidders present, for the property there offered for sale, except himself, that he acquired this piece of land for a $150, and two years later sold the same piece of land for $3,000. He said that for the last six years he had made his living by punctually attending these tax sales and, from time to time, making good purchases. He took a great deal of the property that, at the time of the purchase, he did not know what to do with, but later used it for trading purposes and profited on it very handsomely. He made more than $3,000 a year in that work alone. He found, in attending tax sales, that about the same crowd were always present, and soon he made arrangements with them for the purchases of different properties that each wanted to secure. In other words, he would not bid when another party wanted a piece of property, and the other party would not bid when he wanted a piece of property, and in this way, they obtained their property at a low price. There is a Chicago corporation that follows this business entirely, however in the connection with it, they purchase tax certificates. They say that about 25 per cent of the property on which they purchase tax certificates, come to them, and out of this they make very good money. PLAN No. 640. THE DOCTOR MADE MONEY When I was a boy about ten years of age, I well remember the new doctor coming to the city. He received his furniture and appliances for office use, and showed them to us with great pride. He started in and worked very hard. His office was in a very unpretentious building in a small Iowa town, and, naturally, the first year his practice was limited, but everything he did he kept strict account, made his charges, and rendered his bills. He was not very insistent on pay at once, but he was anxious to render anyone service. No matter how far out in the country the patient lived, he would make every effort to reach them. As a matter of fact everybody knew that when they called him, he was always available and would be there at the earliest moment possible. He followed this practice for years, and saw to it that none of his bills outlawed, and while he had to wait for his money, he made a charge sufficiently large so that he could very well wait until they were able to pay him. Five years passed and he had the reputation of being one of the busiest doctors in the community. At a certain time each year he made it known he was going away to take further instructions in medical work, and gradually he became quite proficient in operating and started a small hospital of his own where he could give the rural people the proper treatment. The farms in that vicinity began to increase in value. The people whom he served a few years before, whom most doctors thought would be unable to pay, became prosperous, and most all of the bills that this man had rendered became an asset. He not only obtained the experience and pleasure of rendering his patients assistance, but he believed in the country as well, and to-day he is one of the wealthiest men in that part of the country. He put his fees into farm land which has increased in value from fifty dollars per acre to three hundred dollars per acre. Any doctor can succeed in following this plan in the community where he may be practicing. PLANS No. 641 to 649 SEE GOVERNMENT SERVICE--PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 650. HOW A DRUGLESS DOCTOR BUILT UP A PRACTICE He and I were working together on a city newspaper as advertising solicitors when one day he told me that he was studying nights to become a chiropractic doctor. He said very little about it, because his wife did not favor it. However, he had put his time to this study. He continued his studies for six or seven months until he felt that he was able to launch out for himself. The question then was, where should he start. He had only a little cash and to stay in the city where he was once an advertising solicitor, he felt it would be difficult for him to build up a reputation as a drugless doctor. Of course, he resigned his position as advertising solicitor and opened an office in conjunction with a dentist in his own city. He secured his equipment and started after the business. He made it a point first to see all of his friends and let them know that he was in the drugless practice. He kept at this work and got in touch with hundreds of people. He worked diligently with his patients, and they told others, and after six months of hard work holding the creditors back his business began to pay. Before the year was over he had a practice that was paying from $500 to $800 a month. After a couple of years of practice, he let it be known he was going east to take advance work as a chiropractic doctor. He wrote letters to all the people he had treated on his return. He was always enthusiastic about his work and made a very careful study on the subject of anatomy, and could talk creditably with any doctor. He was very active in the welfare of the drugless doctor and did any and everything he could to assist their mutual cause. He started without any capital, the money for furniture was borrowed. He made up a card, giving a certain number of treatments for a certain amount of money, sold these to all of his patients, which gave him ready money. This was all done without a line of newspaper advertising and with the opposition of the medical fraternity. PLAN No. 651. A LAWYER SPECIALIZES ON INSURANCE LAW As soon as he had graduated he went into one of the leading law offices of an insurance company and there made a two years’ study of insurance law from the insurance company’s standpoint. He was given little opportunity to progress in the business, and found himself at the end of three years without any business of his own to depend on, so to get recognition from the company seemed hopeless. He did know “insurance law,” so he opened his law office. He saw the other attorneys and made it known that insurance law was his specialty, and that he would not infringe on any of their business, if they would give him an opportunity to work with them on that law. Of course, it is very difficult to get a lawyer to agree on any matter concerning business that may interfere with his own, but they soon realized when they received a case involving insurance they needed his services. In a very short time the insurance companies became aware of this young man’s ability and finally, one by one, he obtained their business. As a matter of fact, you will find but a few lawyers who know anything about insurance law. They cannot know much about it unless they make several years’ study of the subject. However, when you once secure this business it is permanent and will guarantee you a very good income, and it is well worth a lawyer’s time and attention put to it to make himself competent in this work. It will pay any lawyer to look around him and see if there are any others in his community who are making a specialty of this law; and if they are not, prepare for this work. PLAN No. 652. HE BECAME A “TRIAL LAWYER” No sooner had he graduated from law school, than he determined to become a “trial lawyer.” He studied law for two years with one of the leading Law firms in the city. His income was small, but he was patient. He realized that he must know a great deal about briefing, and this was a good way to obtain the knowledge. After this he went into business for himself. He had been in the practice only six months when an opportunity came to him to become an assistant to the corporation counsel. This he promptly availed himself of, and in a short time he was in receipt of an income of $150 a month, with his office paid for and a chance to do work on the side. He retained this position for a year, and became acquainted with hundreds of people of the right sort. He practiced in the police court, and handled many matters before the council which required, on his part, good ability as a speaker. He was from the South and loved anything that had talk to it. After his experience with the city he went in for himself and worked patiently for a year with little results. A case came to him from the Italian section and he obtained such a favorable decision that this case brought him much business, and soon he was in receipt of a net income of $400 to $500 a month. He made a specialty of evidence and mastered it so well that it required little thought on his part to conform with the ordinary rules. He understood cross-questioning, of which he made a very careful study. He worked for years with his speech until he was able to present a matter before the jury in a clear, concise and convincing manner. This young man to-day, with the experience of twelve years, has made an unusual success as a “trial lawyer,” and is getting his share of the important cases. Coupled with this ability he understands well the value of his services and renders his charges on the amount of time devoted to his clients. He keeps strict account in much the same manner as is set forth in another article in this book, and he sees to it that for all services he renders his clients are duly notified so they feel all along that their interests are properly taken care of. And when the client knows the amount of time the attorney has devoted to their interests they are willing to pay a reasonable charge. PLAN No. 653. AN ATTORNEY BECOMES A COURT CLERK This attorney thought it was important to first serve as clerk for the court, so he worked in this capacity for a year. In that manner he became familiar with all the abilities of the men at the bar in that community. He watched and observed how they conducted cases, and discerned what abilities each possessed. He also became familiar with their standing before the judges of the court, as well as their standing before the bar. In other words, he learned many tricks of the trade, and also became familiar with all the records of the court house, which in after years was to be of advantage to him. He also enjoyed the association of a judge who afterwards turned out to be a real leader in national affairs. With this training he went in business for himself. He possessed high qualities as a business man, as well as those of a good lawyer. He was not anxious for the trial work, and settled his cases as best he could out of court if possible. He realized that being in court continually would net but little money for him and his client. He was not a trial lawyer, and did not care to make a reputation in that direction, but he was well liked by all of his friends and close acquaintances: in fact, they would do almost anything for him. He was a member of a church of his neighborhood, and when it was necessary to have a certain man from their district, he was selected by his friends to run for the office of state representative and won by a large majority, and each time the election came along he was re-elected representative, and finally state senator. He has built up a good, substantial law practice, and he has succeeded financially in a way that is a surprise to all, however his fees were not invested until after he had made a careful study of the business into which he launched. Many lawyers believe that when they are in the practice that it is not credible to them to know about the rules of business, but this is a serious mistake. They should study those as well as the law and know what their business opportunities are. If a man is good enough to reach a right course in a lawsuit, there is no reason why that man should not be as successful in reaching out and securing for himself the right course in business. PLAN No. 654. HE BECAME A LAWYER’S LAWYER For years he had been a very successful trial lawyer, and because of that success he had been approached by many lawyers to take up their cases and put it through to a final success. He finally put his entire time at the disposal of the lawyers of his city. He found in the city in which he was practicing, had a population of about 400,000, that young lawyers who have been in the practice for years have but little experience in the trial court, and often have had but few cases and for that reason make many mistakes. He was loyal to the attorney who employed him and saw to it that they were not placed in an embarrassing position. This brought him large and lucrative business. I well remember his advice when in the university, how to prepare a statement of facts. He first had the client make his statement, and after it was made would ask the client to go home and prepare it in his own hand-writing and submit it to him. He would have this typewritten and later examine and question the client concerning it, and then he would have him wait a few days and re-state the entire case again to him. After this he would go over and make a statement of facts of the case himself, and would repeat this from three to four times and have it typewritten until he had an accurate statement of the facts, upon which he built his theory of the law. He felt that no attorney had done his duty until he had gone over the statement of facts in this manner. From this plan alone, he realized more than $500,000. There is an opportunity in many communities for attorneys of good standing to render this kind of service to his fellow attorneys, and there are always young men in the community who will avail themselves of such services if you render this to them in a way that will not discredit them before the bar and the court. PLAN No. 655. A DOCTOR IN A SMALL TOWN MAKES A SPECIALTY OF SURGERY Soon after his college course was completed he settled in a little town of about 2,500 population in the state of Iowa, in the midst of a great farming district. He liked the practice of medicine. At first he took up general practice in the town and made it a point to respond to all calls given him. He was business-like and gave people to understand that he was to receive pay for his calls and rendered bills accordingly. His genial manner won people’s confidence in his sincerity. Each year he devoted about two months to preparing himself for surgery work, which he intended later to make his specialty. Securing a dwelling house in a town he started a small hospital. This gave him an opportunity to render the proper service to the people of that community. Soon people found that, instead of going to the large city, they could get as good if not better service in their own home town from the local surgeon. Throughout that part of the country he won a very high reputation, with the result that he had more work than he could perform in his small hospital, and later he bought an old business-college site and converted it into an up-to-date hospital. After the establishment of this hospital it occupied all of his time. This was not done in a day, but by slow and careful building he attained enviable success in his practice. His brother, who settled in the same community, possessed greater ability as a surgeon, but because of his lack of knowledge of business methods and the following out of a good plan was not able to acquire the same degree of success. PLAN No. 656. HE BECOMES AN ATTORNEY IN A SMALL TOWN He came from the West to the university and as soon as his course there was completed he at once returned, to one of the small towns, having a population not exceeding 1,000. In this town there was one attorney, and for that reason many men would not consider the place sufficiently large for two lawyers. However, he made up his mind that this was his opportunity. The town had a farming community around it which later proved to be good. The people of that community were very glad to have another attorney and gave him a chance. The first year he netted more than $2,500; the second year $3,500, and in the third year he sold out his business and went to the county seat. He favored prohibition, and went into the campaign as a prohibition candidate for the office of prosecuting attorney, and won. That office he held for two years, and enjoyed a good private practice at the same time. Later he devoted his entire time to private practice, at which time I visited with him. He averaged then $6,000 a year. The opportunities to the lawyer are far greater in the small town than in the larger cities. Out of my class of about 500 students, all of the men who went into the small towns in the Northwest met with success. Usually their incomes ran from $2,500 to $3,000 the first year. The young attorney who bought my friend’s law business saw a possibility of organizing a little trust company and formed a corporation, interested parties in the town in the project and some outside capital. After three or four years he is rated as worth not less than $75,000. He was not only a good lawyer, but a good business man as well. These facts are not exaggerated, but are plain truths, and there are many opportunities for men to make the same success in many small communities throughout the country. A lawyer who has back of him a farmer’s bank or trust company is very fortunate, as this is a leader to a large business. PLAN No. 657. THIS LAWYER MADE MUNICIPAL LAW A SPECIALTY He had been in the private practice of law for about five years and was not doing well. He concluded to get into the corporation counsel’s office and make municipal law his specialty. He was fortunate to get an appointment and soon developed into a first class lawyer for the city, and won a good reputation from his work done. The community in which he resided had a population of 350,000 to 400,000, and after about two years’ work for the city he went in practice for himself. He made a specialty of the municipal law. Any matter that was to come before the council, or any service that he might render people with reference to city affairs, was the kind of business he was after. He used none but creditable methods and he left no stone unturned which would bring him in touch with business of the best character. There are many ways an attorney, who understands municipal law, can render service to the people in large cities. After five or six years of private practice all the attorneys in his community would not take a case involving city affairs unless they had his advice or he was put in on the case. In return he sent cases to his fellow attorneys and did not engage in any but municipal law practice. Municipal law practice is very profitable, as the clients are invariably able to pay for the service rendered. The medical men have their specialties, other kinds of work has its specialties and the lawyer is behind the times who does not consider this when he enters the practice of law. PLAN No. 658. A LAWYER MAKES A SUCCESS IN A LARGE CITY This young attorney located in a small town in Oregon and there, with the co-operation of one of the leading politicians of the state, was able to build up a good practice. His acquaintanceship and connection established him in the community of 15,000, in which he made his initial step, and soon he had a small, but substantial practice. His plan was eventually to go into the city of Portland. He possessed one excellent ability, and that was to make friends. He was quiet in manner, a fair speaker and a good student. His friends were people of the best class and meant much to his ultimate success. In business he had good judgment. After three years’ practice in the little town he went to the large city and made his beginning. He was able to keep some of his clients from the small town. He met people in the large city with whom his political friends were on very good terms, and was able to get into connection with a good law firm. He was not admitted in the partnership, but was allowed an office in the same suite, and used their library and had the privilege of their stenographer’s services. This association meant much to him. After twelve years of building, he now enjoys a big practice and is permanently established in the community, and counts many of the best people of the city as his friends. No, he did not take up politics and has taken no part in it. He has aspirations in that direction, but he feels it is essential first to have a strong financial standing before he enters into any political campaign. “The average young lawyer does not realize how important it is,” he says, “to establish, cultivate and make the best kind of people their friends. They not only shape and mould the lawyer’s own life, but are, by reason of their standing, able to determine what his success shall be.” He believes that people are known by the friends. He says this is particularly true in a large city. Fifty friends of the right kind are worth a thousand that are not. PLAN No. 659. THIS LAWYER WRITES FOR NEWSPAPERS This lawyer says that one of the best ways of developing your abilities is to write, and he found time in the establishment of his early practice to write for the newspapers of his community. He lived in a large city, and certain columns of the newspapers were usually open for the discussion of public questions, and he took that opportunity to get acquainted with the community. However, he was very careful to see to it that he wrote only his own true convictions, and, when matters were thrown open for public discussion he endeavored to suggest through the columns some topic of general interest. He did not hesitate to write on this subject, and made it a point to put forth an article of sufficient strength and value which he could later support if it were attacked, and in this way he engaged in many controversies in the community which brought to him an increase of business. He also made arrangements with a farm paper to answer legal questions in its columns, such as queries on line fences, and the like, and made a nominal charge for the answers. He answered a column to a column and a half of questions each month, and made a certain charge for his opinion on other subjects which he could not answer in the paper. This was all done under the auspices of the farm paper. They were very glad to give him a certain amount per month for this service. This brought him during the year considerable business. He states that the income he can directly trace to this kind of writing, netted him not less than $1,500 to $1,800 per annum. Also from time to time, on certain matters of general interest, he would put out a little pamphlet under his own signature and sell for a small figure--10 or 15 cents. From this source he derived several hundred dollars a year, as well as bringing his name before the community in a novel and interesting manner. During the first four or five years’ practice of any attorney, he can very well afford to do this kind of work and it will help establish him in his community. It will not only make him acquainted, but will at the same time develop his ability as a writer and a thinker. PLAN No. 660. HIS INTEREST IN POLITICS MADE HIM MONEY He was a young fellow full of ambition and energy and was interested in all subjects which came up for political discussion. He was especially interested in matters in which the temperance issue was involved. He was a “Progressive” and did not hesitate to tell people of his political convictions. He was a good speaker and had trained himself in this work. He could talk before any meeting or gathering and make a creditable impression. When I first saw him he was introduced as the “Boy Speaker” of that community, and the speech he delivered was very good. He could excel most of his seniors. Soon his services became much sought after by all aspirants for office in his political party, and this won for him recognition. Coupled with this ability he worked hard for his friends. If a man has friends, and they believe and have confidence in him, they will let everybody know it, and they let everybody know that this man was the right kind of fellow for public office. The result was that when his friends were successful he had a selection of some of the employment they had to offer, and as a result got an appointment as clerk to one of the courts which gave him an opportunity to study first hand--the law. He now enjoys an income of $100 a month, as well as the privilege of studying and observing the way lawyers conduct their cases. He is planning to later take up the law. He is associated with the various judges of the superior court, and his friends are among the best people of the city. What he has done, many young men can do if they only have the initiative to follow out the general plan which he has adopted. PLAN No. 661. REPORTER LIVES FOUR YEARS IN WASHINGTON This is undoubtedly a wonderful experience for any man. He was a reporter on one of the daily papers, and was acknowledged as one of the very best men in his profession. His income was small, but he counted among his friends many of the best men in the community. Some of these, of course, had ambition for public office. One in particular engaged his services, and to give him as much favorable publicity as he possibly could during his campaign for United States Congress. This is an opportunity that is presented to many men who are on the staff of large daily newspapers. He proceeded at once to do everything he could. He advised the man running for office what things would make good news matter and what steps he should take to enable him to get the proper publicity in the paper. His advice was very good, as he was experienced in newspaper work. This service had much to do with the final success of the man winning the race for United States Congress. With his success the reporter was appointed secretary to the congressman and went to Washington and lived there for four years. PLAN No. 662. CHEMIST FOR U. S. GOV. SEE PLAN No. 217 PLAN No. 663. THROUGH COLLEGE ON CLASS HISTORY It is often supposed that a man who is not a good speaker and does not show much enthusiasm will find it almost impossible to earn his way through college but such is not the case. This man was a good writer and a clear thinker. For each class that was about to graduate he prepared a class history. This volume became more valuable as the years went by, and he had no difficulty in placing it with each member at a reasonable profit. There are many classes graduating at a university and he derived sufficient income in this manner to pay all university expenses. PLAN No. 664. BOOSTER FOR BOARDING HOUSE PAID BOARD He always managed to have fifteen or twenty boys who wanted to eat where he ate. With this following alone any boarding-house was glad to give him his board free. His board was two-thirds of his college expense, so he arranged with a boarding-house each year to bring at least twenty boarders to the house and keep up that average. This was a valuable help to the man running the boarding-house. Every business must have its booster or business-getter, so why not a college boarding-house? PLAN No. 665. ATHLETIC ASSISTANT PAID UNIVERSITY EXPENSES A man who takes an active interest in athletics can become a great help by assisting the coach or manager. Two men defrayed all their expenses at the university by acting as assistants in athletics. They enjoyed the opportunity of many side-trips, and after their course was completed received good offers through the coach and general manager. Often this field of service is overlooked by those who must earn their way through college. The opportunities for a good man to assist the coach are numerous in baseball, on the track and in football, and there is an opportunity to assist in the gymnasium. PLAN No. 666. HE RAN A SALES COMPANY About ten years ago I met a young man who was possessed of exceptional energy and push. With him something must be done and the time to do it was to-day. He ran a little collection company, and if he couldn’t get prompt results he lost no time in bringing suit. The profits of the business did not develop fast enough for him, so one day he quit this work. He felt that selling was his life-work. He had experience as an auctioneer, but now he determined to become a real business doctor and give people such treatment that they would know of his company throughout the state. He made good, and last fall when I met him he was making $8,000 a year, owned a house in the most exclusive part of the city, had a fine car, and this is how he accomplished it: He opened a cheap office, then had printed a post card with the picture of an old doctor on a hurry call, printed in red, with wording as follows “Let us head Old Doctor... your way. He is the original business Doctor... Sales Company, Phone and address.” He obtained from Dun & Company the names of the merchants in his city. With this card he got in touch with the business. Most merchants know little about advertising, and know little about putting on a sale. Many merchants want to operate with less stock, others wish to sell but can not. The young man makes a contract with the merchant for twenty days if possible. He receives 10 per cent of the gross sales. All advertising is to be arranged and paid for by the merchant, and the agent’s entire sales force is placed at his disposal. A large sheet--24x36--is prepared and circulated by the local merchant. He prints about twenty-five of these circulars on muslin cloth so that the advertisement will remain in place on telephone poles, fences, etc., and the surrounding territory is circularized in this manner. A page is bought in the local newspaper, and large cuts and vigorous copy is put in the ads. It is essential that a large crowd be present the first four or five days, and here are a few of the many plans that bring them: A prize of $10 to be given away, and those present Monday morning at 9 to 9:15 will receive tickets for the prize. Then he delivers the tickets. The free ticket requires holder, who has signed it, to return to the store at 2 o’clock Monday afternoon, when three judges, selected from the people, are to conduct the drawing and award the prize. The ticket holder must be there in person or the prize goes to someone else. Just before the prize is awarded the agent makes the announcement that the person who makes the closest guess on his weight will receive $10 in gold. The people must call at the store and put their estimates in at 9 o’clock the next morning. At 2 o’clock the same day they must be present if they wish to win the prize. Before this second prize is awarded, he announces that $10 will be given to the person who would make the best guess on the number of grains of wheat a rooster will eat in three minutes. Next morning at 9 o’clock the amount must be given at the store, and at 2 the prize is given out. This insures a large crowd at the store for three days. If it is near Christmas he lets everyone know there will be a turkey chase in front of the store at ----. Six turkeys are placed on top of the store and he is perched up on a box in front. He announces that the first turkey that falls among them is anyone’s turkey that gets it. The second is for boys up to 18 and the third is for women, the fourth for the men, fifth for the girls, and the last for the old maids; he then changes it to everybody. But before the sixth is dropped down he makes the announcement that in on the cashier’s desk is a jar of beans and the one who makes the best guess on the correct number of beans will get a first-class rocking chair. This is important as it brings them into the store after the turkeys are all gone. He was not a card-writer but soon developed some skill which was of great assistance in his work. He always arranges the stock so that it shows to the best advantage. This work is very important and usually takes three or four days. For this service he is paid 10 per cent of the gross receipts and this amount is paid at the end of each day. His busy season is from September to April 1. In many cases after five days have passed, and he has made $500, the owner of the store makes him a proposition to allow him to finish the sale for the remaining fifteen days, which he usually settles for $300. He not only handles merchandise, as above related, but auctions stock for farmers at 3 per cent commission. He makes a specialty of auctioneering hardware stores, and his success is extraordinary. He will take up a knife, make a sale at a certain figure, and at once, and at the same price, offers for sale all knives of the same kind. He sells a tub at a certain figure and the balance go at the same price. He is now going into the business of auctioneering real estate. He has sold large tracts of land. He has on his staff six high-class salesmen and he devotes his entire time to directing the sales work. He is doing all in his power to educate those who think “sale” to connect that thought with the name of his company. Three of his seven years were hard, but the last four he has been able to develop a net income of $8,000 per annum. [Illustration: Plan No. 667. The Widow’s Idea] PLAN No. 667. ENTERTAINS CHILDREN. A mother with a little 8-year-old girl was compelled to earn her own way. She had one asset--a home in a good neighborhood close to a school. She was a good entertainer and the idea came to her: “Why not give children’s parties four afternoons of the week?” She acted upon this idea and gave parties for children from 1 to 5 o’clock Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, when school was closed, and when school was in session she arranged for parties on Saturdays from 1 to 5 P. M. She would entertain fifteen to twenty youngsters and give them a real wholesome time. She charged 50 cents for each child. This gave the mothers their Saturdays, and the way this lady conducted her parties was instructive to the children. She taught them how to play games and specialized in teaching good manners. The mothers were very glad to take advantage of her parties. She arranged to have a different lot of children each day. While school was in progress and a mother found it necessary to be gone all the afternoon, she arranged with her to have the child call at her house after school and she would look after it until the mother called. For this service she charged 25 cents. When the mother was to be gone all day she would tell the child to call at the hostess’ home at noon and eat her lunch, which her mother had prepared for her, and to stay there after school until the mother called for her. For this service our hostess charged 50 cents. During the summer months her parties made her $30 a week, and while school was in progress she made about $20 a week. PLAN No. 668. RAISED CHICKENS He resolved that chickens could be raised on a large scale. He devoted 80 acres to them in the following manner. He planted wheat, and immediately after doing so he put hundreds of young chickens on the eighty acres to make their own way. He arranged for water and made a large number of little houses on wheels wherein the chickens could roost and lay. Each day he collected his eggs. When it was necessary, he would move the houses about their length. When fall came he sold all chickens that were over two years old and saved this money to buy pullets with the following spring. The chickens obtained plenty of food and the results were very profitable. When winter came he had accommodations for their keep similar to that of other chicken raisers. The eggs he gathered he put in storage until the prices raised, at which time he sold. During the winter months he did not make any special effort to have the hens lay. PLAN No. 669. ADVERTISING PLAN TO GET ACQUAINTED I met a young man in the Middle west who made a specialty of introducing the men at the heads of business concerns to their customers. One at first thought, believes that the heads of a great store, lumber company or other business is known to all, but he is not known outside of fifty or sixty families. This young man has a contract with all the local weeklies in a district that supplied purchases to the city he was working in. He showed to merchants that he represented thirty or forty papers in the territory that he sold to, which papers had a combined circulation of 30,000 homes, and that but few persons in these 30,000 homes knew what he looked like or what his signature was like. So he suggested to Mr. Merchant that he run a picture of himself with an invitation to the people when they were in the city, to call at his store. This plan netted our advertising salesman more than $150 a week. It not only embraced the merchants, but included the professional class as well. PLAN No. 670. INFORMATION BUREAU This man realized that the average merchant spends money in advertising to get customers, so he organized an information bureau to do all in his power to find customers for various merchants. He employed girls to read several hundred newspapers, as the daily and weekly papers contain much information which leads directly to business advantages. He obtained from the county auditors a list of farmers in each county, their names and addresses, the kind of farming they were engaged in. In fact, anything from any source that could be put to the advertisers’ use was obtained. In two years this service paid him more than $500 a month. A service of this character, intelligently used, is valuable, and almost any city is a great field for it. Along with it one should run some kind of a weekly publication in which he could carry advertisements and give his information free to his advertisers, and in this way would realize a higher rate for his information. PLAN No. 671. ATTORNEYS BUILD LAW PRACTICE ON COLLECTION These two attorneys realized that in starting in the law practice in a city of 100,000 was a very difficult matter, and this is the way they did it: They opened offices and started in the collection business. They did not make it on a commission basis, but on a certain amount per week, which would enable them to know just what their income would be. They went among the cheaper stores of the community and secured their collections at very low rates. One took one side of the city in the morning and in the afternoon, the second took the other side of the city, thereby leaving one man in the office all the time. Their law office was a desk in a real estate man’s office. In this manner they finally built up a large collection business from which came a good many cases. In about a year they were able to have an office of their own. With reference to the other expenses, they were both single men, and so built a house outside of the city, somewhat removed from the business section. They lived over a year and a half in this manner; did their own cooking and so their living expenses were reduced to a minimum. They took more collections, and continued to work. A few cases began to come in; and they finally built a very good law practice. This took two or three years, but when once acquired the business was permanent. During the war, when business was slack, they resorted to the same method of getting in touch with the public, and keeping a permanent income flowing into the firm. While this plan is not strewn with roses, yet if pursued with the same determination it will result in establishing a practice in the large city. PLAN No. 672. WOMAN BECOMES ISOLATION HOSPITAL NURSE This woman was thrown on her own resources and had to devise ways and means of making a living. The only field open to her at the time was to take care of “Flu” patients. She was not a trained nurse, but found that she could do this work very well. She worked hard for a few months, and word was brought to the health officer of the city concerning her work. They finally called upon her, and offered her a position in the Isolation Hospital, to take care of smallpox patients. She went into this work, not caring whether she got the small pox or not, and fortunately, even though she had never been vaccinated, she seemed to be immune, and for almost a year took care of the worst cases, and never contracted the disease. For these services she received $75.00 a month, including room and board, and had a day off each week for herself. There was no night work in her service, because the people who came to the hospital did not pay any fee. Her salary was paid by the city. In this hospital six or seven nurses are employed, so there is quite a field available for women in this work. Grateful patients gave her tips which ran as high as $25.00 to $30.00 a month. PLAN No. 673. AN ATTORNEY REPRESENTS AN EXTREME POLITICAL PARTY This man naturally was not content to follow the ordinary conservative lines of winning success. He thought it was for him to represent the extremest in politics, so immediately after graduation he associated with people of that kind. He was always present at their meetings and gave addresses. He championed their cause; and finally, when trouble arose, he was named as their attorney. He entered heart and soul into the fight, and made a reputation in this work. His ambition was to make his office the headquarters of all labor organizations. In several of his actions he was very successful. He was especially good at gathering evidence, and was a good fighter when it came to court. In a period of five to six years, he won a national reputation, where attorneys in the class he graduated were scarcely known outside of their own community. He was a man who could not sit still in his office--he had to have something doing all the time, and in his line of work he found opportunity for the true expression of his nature. As a matter of fact, the extreme element found it very hard to obtain the services of an attorney, and especially one who had his views. PLAN No. 674. ATTORNEY RUNS FARM This attorney was practicing in a city, but felt that, in order to be assured of a permanent success in that community, it was best for him to have a farm close to the city. He secured a farm and made it his home. It was on an electric line, and this made it easy for him to go to and from the city, to attend to his business. His farm guaranteed him a living each year, and during the time when wheat was up, he made big profits from the sale of it. His living expenses were defrayed by the farm, and, besides he was enabled to save some money each year, and everything that he made from the practice of law was clear profit. This enabled him to champion various causes that otherwise he could not have afforded to do. It placed him in the position of an attorney with a fixed income, and enlarged his field of activities, so that he could build for years along certain lines, which is essential to any professional man’s success. He did not have much capital in the beginning, but he secured the farm on easy terms and was able to pay for it in about five years, and had the farm clear of all debt. He understood well the science of farming, took all the government reports on farming and made himself proficient in that line. He secured many clients in the community where he was farming. This gave him a great advantage over his fellow-members at the bar. The great trouble with the average lawyer is inactivity, and if he is not active, he is like any other dead man--nobody knows of his whereabouts and cares less, but if he is engaged in doing some collection work, coming in contact some way or other with the public generally, he will have business and it will continue to grow from year to year. PLAN No. 675. MANUFACTURING, ADVERTISING PLAN In a city of about 125,000 inhabitants, a complete list of the names of the manufacturers, their addresses and the names of business managers and the telephone numbers was made, each on a card. These cards were arranged alphabetically and a man was put on the ’phone for about ten days inquiring of each firm what articles they manufactured, the trade name of the article being put on the back of the card. The result was that over 1,200 different kinds of articles were made by some 300 manufacturers. Then a dummy, made up, giving a page to the matter, the size of a newspaper, and in the center was placed a cartoon favorable to the manufacturer. This was to be sent to the people in the surrounding towns. Each article made, was listed alphabetically with the name of the article appearing first and after this the name of the company. These 1,500 articles made about two pages of matter. After 2,000 of these were prepared by the printers the salesmen started calling on all manufacturers in the community, at the rate of eight to twelve a day, and presented his proposition to them, which was as follows: To run in forty papers surrounding the town in which they were located, going to something like 45,000 homes of farmers and people living in small towns. For this they were to pay $10.00 a thousand. Most of the manufacturers, rather than run a line or two, desired to run display, putting in the picture of the article they made and a little statement concerning its virtue of same and giving their addresses. Five weeks of this kind of soliciting resulted in more than $1,000 worth of contracts being signed up, and many thousands of dollars worth of business prospects for in the future. The salesmen were taken off and the general salesmen of the company followed up the prospects, with the result that over six thousand dollars was made from the plan. This meant a net saving on the part of the company of $3,500 to $4,000. This is a good plan and a fair way to cover the people in the farm community for the manufacturer. He then covered other classes of advertising in the same way. PLAN No. 676. HIGH-SCHOOL BOY EARNS WAY He was a hard working young fellow, and he called upon the neighborhoods in different parts of the city after his high school was out, and sold brushes of different kinds to be used in the homes. He had a fair