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The 

Complete  Home  Book 

of 

Money-Making  Ideas 


Books  by 
Douglas  Lurton 


MAKE  THE  MOST  OF  YOUR  LIFE 
THE  POWER  OF  POSITIVE  LIVING 
THE  COMPLETE  HOME  BOOK  OF  MONEY-MAKING  IDEAS 


Tbe 

Complete  Home  Book 

of 

Money-Making  Ideas 


BY    DOUGLAS    LURTON 


HANOVER   HOUSE,    GARDEN   CITY,   NEW   YORK 


HH 


Library  of  Congress  Catalog  Card  Number  54-6652 

Copyright,  1954,  by  Douglas  Lurton 
All  Rights  Reserved 
Printed  in  the  United  States 
First  Edition 


This  Book  Is  Dedicated 


To  the  encouragement  and  service  of  men  and  women  who  want 
to  make  extra  money  at  home. 

To  the  enterprising  individuals  whose  stories  of  resourcefulness  in 
these  pages  will  be  of  great  service  to  others. 

To  the  thousands  of  skillful,  helpful,  patient  specialists  in  private 
organizations  and  local,  state,  and  federal  government  services,  who 
are  ever  ready  to  generously  and  wisely  assist  makers  of  money  at 
home. 


INTRODUCTION 

What  This  Book  Can  Do  for  You 


"If  I  could  only  find  some  extra  money  .  .  ." 

"I  wish  I  could  make  more  money  .  .  ." 

"I'm  sick  of  my  job— I'm  worth  more  than  I'm  getting  .  .  ." 

"How  can  I  ever  get  that  new  car— that  fur  coat?  ?  ?" 

"How  can  I  pay  off  the  mortgage;  send  the  kids  to  college?  ?  ?" 

"IF  ONLY  I  COULD  MAKE  SOME  MONEY  AT  HOME  WE  COULD   .    .    ." 

If  ever  you  have  uttered  one  of  those  common  sentences— or 
thought  it— this  book  is  designed  to  help  you.  You  CAN  make  money 
at  home.  You  can  make  "pin  money"  or  you  can  make  several  hun- 
dreds or  thousands  of  dollars  annually.  Here  you  have  more  than 
1000  tested  ways  to  make  money  in  your  own  home  kitchen  or  work- 
shop, attic  or  basement,  shed  or  garage.  You  are  not  told  that  you 
can  make  a  fortune  growing  petunias  on  a  belt  buckle.  You  are 
shown  how  thousands  of  others  have  in  their  homes  on  either  a  part- 
time  or  full-time  basis  tested  and  proved  these  ways  to  extra  income. 
You  don't  need  a  miracle.  You  can  make  your  own  home-business 
"miracle"  by  following  the  basic  rules.  You  don't  need  a  fortune  to 
get  started.  You  can  start  on  a  "shoestring"  as  others  have  done 
before  you. 

You  CAN  make  money  at  home  on  the  basis  of  your  own  resource- 
fulness. If  you  weren't  somewhat  resourceful  you  wouldn't  read  this 
book,  which  is  the  easiest  and  most  comprehensive  guide  to  home- 
made incomes  ever  devised.  Many  thousands  of  men  and  women 
have  made  money  at  home  with  the  practical  projects  outlined  here, 
by  drawing  on  their  average  native  abilities. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  this  book  to  help  you  discover  or  rediscover 
and  put  to  profitable  work  abilities  that  you  now  possess.  Within 
the  covers  of  this  one  volume  you  have  the  most  comprehensive  sur- 
vey of  home-business  projects  available;  more  tested,  practical, 
down-to-earth-and-hearth  projects;  more  authentic  case  illustrations 
of  other  men  and  women,  young  or  old,  who  help  show  you  the  way 
to  profit;  more  leads  to  books  and  pamphlets  and  specialists  by  the 

vii 


Viii  INTRODUCTION 

thousand  who  will  help  you  without  charge;  more  small  home  busi- 
nesses that  can  grow  into  sizable  outside  businesses  of  your  own; 
more  sound  tips  on  starting  and  managing  a  small  home  enterprise 
and  selling  your  products  and  services  than  are  offered  in  any  other 
one  volume. 

It  is  not  expected  that  you  will  suddenly  reap  a  fortune  between 
dawn  and  dusk.  Nevertheless,  you  have  here  hundreds  of  projects 
that  can  be  launched  rapidly  on  the  basis  of  the  information  in  these 
pages;  and  there  are  hundreds  of  other  projects  that  can  be  suc- 
cessfully established  as  home-money  producers  by  following  the 
formulas  and  leads  given  here.  This  has  been  called  a  multimillion- 
dollar  book.  How  big  will  your  slice  be?  Before  you  dismiss  that 
estimate  as  extravagant,  consider  this:  if  only  2000  of  you  readers 
make  a  profit  of  only  $500  a  year  there  is  one  million.  If  only  1000 
of  you  make  $1000  a  year,  there  is  another  million.  There  are  many 
who  should  find  here  the  key  to  thousands  a  year  for  years  to  come. 

You  can  use  this  book  to  increase  your  income  and  change  the 
entire  course  of  your  life.  It  shows  you,  among  other  things: 

One  thousand  or  more  ways  to  make  money  at  home 

You  don't  have  to  be  a  genius 

How  to  discover  your  hidden  talents 

Easy  ways  to  put  your  imagination  to  work 

How  to  protect  your  ideas  and  products  from  pirates 

How  and  where  to  sell  ideas  and  inventions 

How  to  develop  easy  spare-time  activities  into  cash 

How  to  have  fun  and  profit  with  hundreds  of  arts,  hobbies,  handi- 
crafts 

How  to  profit  with  your  kitchen  products  and  services 

How  to  develop  home  services  for  income 

How  to  make  extra  money  in  country,  town,  and  outskirts 

How  to  label,  package,  and  sell  your  products 

How  to  sell  home  products  and  services  in  local  and  national 
markets 

Easy  ways  to  sell  by  telephone 

How  to  sell  by  direct  mail 

How  hundreds  of  others  make  money  at  home  just  as  you  can 

Needed  inventions  that  could  make  you  rich 

How  and  where  to  get  materials  for  home  products 

How  and  where  to  get  thousands  of  specialists  to  help  you  free 

How  to  get  others  to  work  for  you 


INTRODUCTION  IX 

How  to  develop  a  home  business  into  a  larger  business 
How  to  manage  your  own  home  business 

How  to  acquire  these  valuable  by-products  of  home-profit  proj- 
ects: 

Satisfaction  from  improved  standard  of  living 

Satisfaction  in  demonstrating  your  initiative  and  skill 

The  peace  of  greater  security 

The  thrill  of  a  new  financial  independence 

Pleasures  of  new  and  friendly  contacts 

The  minimizing  of  home  drudgery 

Increased  zest  for  living  that  accompanies  successful  new  ac- 
tivities 

Your  best  way  to  use  this  guide  to  your  own  selfish  advantage  is 
to  decide  that  it  is  worth  using  an  hour  a  day  of  your  spare  time  for 
30  days  to  discover  how  you  can  make  hundreds  or  thousands  of 
dollars  each  year  at  home  and  perhaps  develop  a  sizable  independent 
business  of  your  own.  It  is  suggested  that  you  read  this  book  from 
cover  to  cover,  even  though  there  will  be  many  chapters  in  which 
you  have  no  vital  interest.  The  book  is  designed  to  stimulate  your 
imagination.  By  reading  of  what  others  have  done  and  can  do,  you 
may  encounter  just  the  one  little  spark  of  an  idea  that  flames.  Make 
notations  on  the  margins  of  your  book  as  you  go  along.  After  reading 
the  volume  you  can  go  back  and  study  more  carefully  the  parts  that 
appeal  to  you  most.  You  can  profit  by  the  failures  and  the  successes 
of  others  whose  experience  has  made  this  guide  possible.  Remember 
that  you  need  only  one  idea  that  most  closely  fits  in  with  your  ex- 
perience and  needs  and  desires.  When  you  narrow  your  search  down 
to  that  one  idea,  get  all  the  information  you  can  about  it  and  study 
the  best  methods  of  production  and  advertising  and  sales  and  man- 
agement. 

There  are  enterprises  here  for  men  working  alone,  for  women 
working  alone,  for  husband  and  wife,  and  for  the  entire  family  and 
neighborhood  groups.  Men  who  feel  stopped  on  their  jobs  may  find 
stimulation  here  for  contributions  that  will  increase  their  salaries  or, 
better  yet,  give  them  escape  from  the  other  man's  payroll.  Women 
who  are  working  and  trying  to  keep  a  home  together  may  well  find 
greater  actual  profit  in  home  enterprises  that  keep  them  with  the 
children.  Many  women  have  started  home  businesses  that  draft 
their  husbands  from  their  jobs  and  set  the  family  up  in  complete 
independence. 


X  INTRODUCTION 

This  independence  is  closest  to  your  attainment  if  you  don't  leap 
into  a  home  project  the  hard  way  by  "going  off  half  cocked/'  The 
wisest  and  easiest  way  to  make  money  at  home  is  to  start  small  and 
cautiously.  The  easy  way  is  to  plan  carefully  in  advance  before  you 
make  any  expenditure  and  waste  your  time  and  become  discouraged. 
The  easy  way  is  to  learn  as  you  go,  constantly  using  the  available 
guides  and  the  advisers  who  will  help  you.  The  easy  way  is  to  un- 
cork your  imagination,  carefully  select  the  best  enterprise  for  your 
individual  needs  and  talents,  and  get  started,  letting  your  own  ef- 
forts and  ingenuity  take  the  place  of  large  capital. 

Select  your  project.  Lay  your  plans  carefully.  GET  STARTED  TODAY. 
May  you  profit  richly  and  win  a  more  desirable  way  of  lifel 


Contents 


INTRODUCTION:       What  This  Book  Can  Do  for  You  vii 

Part  One 
Your  Undreamed  of  Possibilities 

ONE:       Jou  Don't  Have  to  Be  a  Genius  3 

TWO:       Don't  Let  That  Word  "Business"  Frighten  You  8 

THREE:       How  to  Pick  Jour  Best  Home  Money-Maker  14 

Part  Two 
How  to  Uncork  Your  Imagination 

FOUR:       Five  Easy  Ways  to  Put  Jour  Imagination  to  Work      23 

FIVE:       Your  Self-Starter  for  Profitable  Ideas.  Test  It  10 

Minutes  a  Day  for  10  Days  33 

six:       Why  Don't  You  Turn  an  Idea  into  a  Fortune?  37 

SEVEN:       More  Than  100  Needed  Inventions  41 

EIGHT:        How  to  Protect  Jour  Ideas  and  Products  from 

Pirates  54 

NINE:       How  and  Where  to  Sell  Ideas  and  Inventions  57 

ri 


CONTENTS 


Part  Three 

Fun  and  Profit  with  Arts,  Hobbies, 
and  Handcrafts 


TEN:       Hundreds  of  Hobby  Crafts  Available  to  You  63 

ELEVEN:       Every  Home  Can  Be  a  Tool-and-Sawdust 

Workshop  73 

TWELVE:       Whittling  and  Carving  for  Fun  and  Profit  77 

THIRTEEN:       You  Can  Prosper  with  Toys  and  Play 

Equipment  81 

FOURTEEN:       Dollmaking  for  an  Income  84 

FIFTEEN:       Needle,  Thread,  and  Yarn  Profits  for  the 

Skillful  88 

SIXTEEN:       Weaving,  Hooking,  and  Braiding  99 

SEVENTEEN:       Hand  Painting,  Decorating,  and  Printing 

for  You  105 

EIGHTEEN:        Leather  craft— Easy,  Profitable,  Fascinating  113 

NINETEEN:       Plastic  Craftwork  Opens  New  Doors  to 

Profits  117 

TWENTY:       Pottery  Craft  Products  That  Sell  120 
TWENTY-ONE:       How  to  Cash  In  on  Your  Camera  Hobby        124 

TWENTY-TWO:       Collecting  Is  Fun  and  Sometimes 

Profitable  136 

TWENTY-THREE:        Nature  Hobbies  That  Pay  141 

TWENTY-FOUR:        More  Hobbies  and  Crafts  for  Profit  157 


CONTENTS  xm 


Part  Four 

Money  for  Your  Kitchen  Products 
and  Services 

TWENTY-FIVE:        What  Are  You  Waiting  For?  171 

TWENTY-SIX:       Fancy  Food  Specialties  from  Home 

Kitchens  174 

TWENTY-SEVEN:       How  to  Profit  from  Homemade 

Confections  184 

TWENTY-EIGHT:        Quick-selling  Jams,  Jetties,  Preserves, 

and  Juices  191 

TWENTY-NINE:        Cakes,  Cookies,  Pies,  and  Profits  at 

Home  195 

THIRTY:       How  to  Turn  Dough  into  "Dough"  at  Home  201 

THIRTY-ONE:       How  to  Become  a  Caterer  207 


Part  Five 
Scores  of  Home  Services  for  Cash 

THIRTY-TWO:        Tourist  Lodging  for  a  Night  or  Longer  219 

THIRTY-THREE:        Ways  to  Make  Money  with  Yowr 

Typewriter  and  Other  Business  Services        236 

THIRTY-FOUR:       How  to  Make  Recordings  Make  Money 

for  You  242 

THIRTY-FIVE:       Your  Share  of  the  Multibillion-Dollar 

Business  of  Services  for  Frantic  Parents  246 

THIRTY-SIX:        Fixing,  Mending,  and  Cleaning  for  Money  254 


Xiv  CONTENTS 

THIRTY-SEVEN:       Suxip  Services  Make  Money  at  Home  262 

THIRTY-EIGHT:       Home-Groum  Travel  Services  264 

THIRTY-NINE:       More  Money-Making  Services  in  Demand       266 

Part  Six 

Homemade  Profits  in  Country,  Town, 
and  Outskirts 

FORTY:       A  Bit  of  Good  Earth,  an  Acre  or  So,  and 

Security  279 

FORTY-ONE:       Raising  Small  Animals  for  Fun  and  Profit          287 
FORTY-TWO:       Poultry  Profits  Can  Be  Made  Quickly  301 

FORTY-THREE:       Gardening  for  a  Side-Line  Income  316 

FORTY-FOUR:       Raising  and  Preparing  Herbs,  Barks,  and 

Roots  for  Market  347 

FORTY-FIVE:       Your  Own  Fruit  Orchards  Can  Be  Profitable        350 
FORTY-SEX:       Small  Fruit  Gardens  and  Plantations  for  You      357 

Part  Seven 

How  and  Where  to  Package  and  Sell  Home 
Products  and  Services 


FORTY-SEVEN:       Accepted  Marketing  Practices  Available 

for  You  367 

FORTY-EIGHT:        Fortunes  in  Roadside  Marketing  379 

FORTY-NINE:       How  to  Make  Money  at  Home  by  Mail 

Order  388 


CONTENTS  XV 

FIFTY:       Ways  to  Make  Money  by  Telephone  422 

FIFTY-ONE:       How  to  Package,  Name,  and  Label  Your 

Product  Successfully  432 

Part  Eight 
How  to  Mind  Your  Own  Home  Business 

FIFTY-TWO:       You  Adopt  the  Business  Attitude  445 

FIFTY-THREE:       Sole  Proprietorship,  Partnership, 

Corporation?  449 

FIFTY-FOUR:       10  Ways  to  Get  the  Money  452 

FIFTY-FIVE:       Your  Home-Business  Management  455 

FIFTY-SIX:        Thousands  of  Specialists  Ready  to  Help  You        471 

INDEX:        More  Than  1,000  Tested  Ways  to  Make  Money 

at  Home  485 


Part  One 


YOUR   UNDREAMED   OF 
POSSIBILITIES 


CHAPTER     ONE 

Yow  Don't  Have  to  Be  a  Genius 


YOU  DON'T  have  to  be  a  genius  to  make  money  at  home.  Many  thou- 
sands of  men  and  women  have  made  theirs  a  two-income  family,  a 
three-income  family,  sometimes  finding  it  surprisingly  easy  to  make 
hundreds  or  thousands  of  dollars  from  side  lines  they  had  previously 
overlooked.  You  may  well  discover  that  you  can  do  the  same  with 
abilities  you  already  possess. 

In  nearly  every  community  a  John  Smith  appears  with  a  new  car 
every  two  or  three  years,  the  down  payment  on  a  fine  new  house,  or 
sends  the  children  off  to  expensive  colleges— and  you  wonder  how  he 
manages  it  on  that  job  he  holds  in  town.  Mary  Smith,  his  wife, 
swings  along  in  a  luxurious  new  fur  coat,  gets  a  cherished  piano  or 
a  new  luxury  television  set,  takes  costly  vacations— and  you  wonder 
how  she  manages  to  do  it  on  John  Smith's  income.  The  chances  are 
good  that  if  you  inquire,  you  will  find  that  one  or  both  of  the  Smiths 
have  been  quietly  at  work  making  money  at  home  even  though 
they  haven't  super-brains. 

Countless  thousands  are  taking  this  more  or  less  easy  way  to  get 
more  luxuries  and  fun  out  of  life  and  gain  a  greater  financial  secu- 
rity. Frequently  they  develop  these  part-time  activities  to  the  point 
where  John  Smith  becomes  his  "own  boss"  or  Mrs.  Smith  owns  and 
supervises  a  small  business  of  her  own.  They  turn  shoestring  financ- 
ing and  resourcefulness  into  a  steady  income.  Surprisingly  often, 
such  side-line  operations  simply  force  them  into  truly  large  incomes. 
They  do  this  in  cities  and  towns  and  in  the  country,  in  tiny  apart- 
ments and  on  farms,  in  kitchens,  garages,  basements,  attics,  living 
rooms,  sheds,  chicken  coops,  gardens,  at  typewriters  and  telephones, 
and  by  use  of  direct  mail— in  thousands  of  ways.  What  are  you  wait- 
ing for? 

Until  you  have  really  explored  your  own  hidden  possibilities,  you 
should  refrain  from  saying  that  the  successful  folk  you  know  and 
read  about  have  talents  that  you  don't  possess.  Haven't  you  observed 
many  money-makers  who  don't  impress  you  with  any  particular 


4  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

show  of  brilliance?  You  have  the  testimony  of  famous  psychologists 
that  talent  is  not  as  restricted  as  many  believe  and  that  we  all  have 
several  talents  within  us;  abilities  that  are  not  lacking  but  simply 
lying  dormant  waiting  for  us  to  do  something  about  them. 

You  can't  control  all  opportunity  and  accident  of  placement,  but 
you  can  control  your  effort  and  your  application  and  your  search  for 
doors  that  can  be  opened,  by  studying  the  varied  activities  of  others 
and  searching  for  your  own  particular  opportunity.  Edison's  teachers 
called  him  dumb.  Winston  Churchill  once  flunked  some  college 
examinations.  The  great  Charles  Darwin  called  himself  "a  man  of 
very  ordinary  capacity  and  rather  below  average  in  intelligence." 
Schoolmates  called  John  R.  Gregg  a  "dull  one,"  but  he  developed  a 
famous  shorthand  system.  The  records  abound  with  tales  of  the 
famous  who  in  early  stages  showed  no  signs  of  genius,  and  if  they 
hadn't  sought  open  doors  for  what  capacities  they  had,  they  could 
never  have  attained  great  heights.  In  these  pages  you  can  find  scores 
and  hundreds  of  people  in  more  or  less  ordinary  walks  of  life  who 
showed  no  signs  of  genius  but  applied  themselves  with  the  abilities 
that  they  did  recognize,  and  by  so  doing  achieved  very  beneficial 
results. 


GET     RID     OF     SELF-IMPOSED     LIMITATIONS 

Many  of  them  had  to  first  get  rid  of  self-imposed  limitations.  The 
psychologists  assure  us  that  it  is  not  lack  of  genius  but  these  self- 
imposed  limitations  that  so  often  hold  us  back:  the  thought  that  we 
aren't  too  smart,  that  others  can  do  what  we  can't  do.  All  too  often 
those  limitations  are  set  up  without  any  justification  whatever.  Dr. 
Louis  E.  Bisch,  prominently  known  New  York  psychiatrist,  says,  "In 
the  last  analysis  you  are  not  half  as  bad  as  you  think  you  are.  You 
have  many  good  points.  Emphasize  them.  Give  yourself  a  chance. 
Pat  yourself  on  the  back  once  in  a  while.  Don't  try  to  tear  down  and 
destroy,  but,  instead,  build  your  ego  and  sett  yourself  the  idea  that 
you're  as  good  as  the  average  person— maybe  better!" 

One  psychologist  put  a  considerable  number  of  college  students 
into  two  groups.  In  the  group  of  over-achievers  he  put  students  who 
were  doing  better  than  their  mental  ability  or  I.Q.  indicated.  In  the 
group  of  under-achievers  he  put  those  whose  work  was  poorer  than 
their  I.Q.  indicated  it  should  be.  These  students  came  from  varied 
walks  of  life,  yet  he  found  that  five  personality  and  emotional  quali- 


UNDREAMED     OF     POSSIBILITIES  5 

ties— not  mental  qualities— made  all  the  difference.  Over-achievers 
were  strong  and  under-achievers  were  weak  in  these  five  qualities: 
Industry,  Perseverance,  Co-operativeness,  Ambition,  and  Dependa- 
bility. That  doesn't  rule  you  out! 

Somewhat  similar  findings  resulted  from  a  study  conducted  by  Dr. 
Catharine  Cox  Miles,  eminent  Yale  psychologist.  She  studied  the 
childhood  and  youth  of  301  of  the  most  famous  geniuses  of  the  past 
400  years  and  concluded  that  their  personalities  and  emotional 
drives  had  more  to  do  with  their  achievements  than  their  excep- 
tional mental  gifts. 

Dr.  Albert  Edward  Wiggam,  well-known  writer  on  science  sub- 
jects, reports  spending  a  day  with  Dr.  Miles  talking  about  what  she 
called  "my  children."  "Only  eight  of  the  301  were  girls,"  she  com- 
mented, "and  I  could  not  help  but  see  running  through  the  charac- 
ters of  all  of  them  four  outstanding  traits:  (1)  obstacles  brought  out 
their  fighting  power;  (2)  they  were  steadily  persistent  in  their  mo- 
tives and  undertakings;  ( 3 )  they  carried  out  important  tasks  on  their 
own  initiative;  (4)  their  desire  to  excel  and  to  reach  their  goals 
amounted  to  a  passion.  And,"  she  added  with  emphasis,  "I  am  con- 
vinced these  are  the  strong  characteristics  of  all  successful  men  and 
women  of  today."  What  have  they  got  that  you  haven't? 

There  is  ample  food  for  encouragement  in  these  findings  if  you 
want  to  go  into  a  home  business  of  your  own.  There  is  additional 
testimony  that  could  be  presented  endlessly.  For  instance,  Walter 
Dill  Scott,  psychologist  and  president  emeritus  of  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity, declared,  "Many  of  us  never  know  our  possible  achieve- 
ments because  we  have  never  warmed  up.  It  is  more  than  probable 
that  the  average  man  could,  with  no  injury  to  his  health,  increase  his 
efficiency  50  per  cent."  Why  not  warm  up? 

Indication  that  you  have  what  it  takes  to  make  a  greater  success  is 
found  in  the  oft-quoted  words  of  Dr.  William  James,  the  famous 
Harvard  professor  of  psychology,  philosophy  and  medicine:  "Com- 
pared to  what  we  ought  to  be  we  are  only  half  awake.  We  are 
making  use  of  only  a  small  part  of  our  physical  and  mental  re- 
sources. Stating  the  thing  broadly,  the  human  individual  thus  lives 
far  within  his  limits.  He  possesses  powers  of  various  sorts  which  he 
habitually  fails  to  use." 

Who  are  we  to  quarrel  with  the  conclusions  of  these  specialists?  In 
these  findings  we,  have  assurance  that  genius  isn't  requisite  to  sound 
development  of  successful  enterprise.  On  the  contrary,  if  you  have 


6  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

just  plain  ordinary  garden-variety  intelligence  that  has  made  it 
possible  for  you  to  work  for  pay,  or  administer  a  house  and  kitchen, 
you  can  be  assured  that  you  have  more  than  just  that  one  ability. 
You  can  be  assured  that  if  you  search  for  another  outlet  for  other 
talents  and  apply  yourself  to  that  outlet  you  may  well  acquire  that 
additional  income  that  will  help  to  make  your  life  more  fruitful. 
Also,  as  a  bonus,  you  may  well  find  that  your  new  activity  sharpens 
your  interests  and  brings  you  in  contact  with  other  people  who  be- 
come your  business  contacts  or  friendly  associates  and  make  your 
life  more  worth  while. 


MAKE     YOURS     AN     EXTRA-INCOME     FAMILY 

You  can  make  yours  an  extra-income  family  if  you  want  to.  You 
can  be  sure  of  one  thing,  and  that  is  that  you'll  never  know  what 
your  full  possibilities  are  unless  you  look  for  them  and  do  something 
about  them.  Charles  F.  Kettering,  the  famous  inventor  and  research 
director,  puts  this  truth  clearly  when  he  says,  "Keep  on  plugging  and 
the  chances  are  you  will  stumble  on  something,  perhaps  when  you 
are  least  expecting  it.  I  have  never  heard  of  anyone  stumbling  on 
anything  sitting  down" 

Consider  these  snapshots  of  folk  who  discovered  hidden  talents 
and  did  something  about  them,  case  illustrations  of  resourceful  folk 
at  work: 

"Being  in  the  candy  business  is  far  removed  from  anything  I  had 
ever  thought  of,"  says  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Nelson  of  Lynn,  Masachusetts. 
She  had  been  in  summer  stock  and  doing  monologues  for  women's 
clubs.  But  she  had  two  young  children  and  wanted  another  income. 
She  bought  candies  from  wholesalers,  packaged  them  in  a  box  of  her 
own  design,  and  set  up  a  thriving  mail-order  business  in  her  home. 

Bill  and  Eleanor  Coolidge  of  Manchester,  Massachusetts,  put  up 
orange  slices  in  jars  for  old-fashioneds.  They  gave  some  to  friends. 
A  few  jars  were  put  on  sale  in  a  neighborhood  shop.  They  now  have 
a  score  or  more  products  from  Kettle  Cove  Industries,  Inc.  selling 
in  shops  and  by  direct  mail—an  outgrowth  of  their  home-started 
business. 

Young  Annie  Lee  Haynes  of  Webb,  Mississippi,  started  with  two 
hens  and  a  rooster  and  developed  fall  and  winter  sales  of  $268,  and 
Jesse  D.  Jewell  started  with  a  few  chickens  in  a  shed  and  later  was 
raising  2,000,000  chickens. 


UNDREAMED     OF     POSSIBILITIES  7 

Hazel  Bishop,  a  student  at  Columbia  University,  didn't  like  smear- 
ing lipstick  so  she  worked  out  a  formula  for  a  non-skid,  non-smear, 
kissproof  lipstick  and  sold  a  few  hundred  dollars'  worth.  Then  in 
1950  sales  were  around  $3,000,000. 

Wanting  some  pin  money,  Mrs.  Julia  Stevens  Kraft  whipped  up 
some  fudge  on  her  old  wood-burning  range  on  the  farm  near 
Wheaton,  Illinois,  and  sold  it  for  90  cents  a  pound  to  a  baker  who 
sold  it  for  a  dollar.  That  was  her  home-business  start  that  built  up 
to  a  $5,000,000  business. 

Lorna  Slocombe  advertised  for  manuscripts  to  type  and  soon  had 
a  typing  business  on  her  hands  with  others  doing  the  typing  while 
she  developed  as  an  outstanding  writer  of  articles  for  magazines. 

Arthur  P.  Chamberlain  was  a  Wall  Street  broker  whose  home 
workshop  was  a  hobby.  He  had  a  knack  for  mending  things  and 
became  the  Mending  Man  of  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  doing  a 
$30,000  annual  business. 

Ed  Price  liked  to  raise  bees.  He  wondered  if  he  could  sell  the 
honey.  He  put  up  signs  at  the  roadside.  Buyers  came  to  his  New 
Jersey  house.  He  bought  more  bees  and  sold  more  honey— more  bees 
and  more  honey  and  he  had  a  home  side-line  business. 

George  Spanton  of  Long  Island,  a  war  veteran  wanting  more 
money  to  get  through  college,  bought  breeder  earthworms,  pack- 
aged the  offspring  raised  in  beds  in  the  basement,  set  up  his  own 
sales  company,  became  a  worm  merchant  selling  packaged  Ketch- 
ems. 

These  are  only  random  samplings  mildly  indicating  the  range  of 
possibilities  open  to  men  and  women  who  want  to  make  money  at 
home  and  who  often  find  that  they  are  in  big  business  that  is  almost 
forced  upon  them.  Perhaps  you  don't  want  to  make  fudge  or  raise 
earthworms,  but  you  see  here  at  work  some  of  the  people  who  didn't 
stumble  on  their  side-line  profit  projects  while  sitting  down— they 
turned  to  items  that  interested  them,  started  small,  and  rang  the 
cash  register.  There  are  almost  countless  projects  waiting  for  you. 
What  are  you  waiting  for?  You  hold  in  your  hands  a  guide  that  can 
make  a  fortune  for  you  if  you  look  that  scare  word  "Business"  in  its 
beady  little  eyes  and  don't  let  it  frighten  you. 


CHAPTER     TWO 

Don't  Let  That  Word  "Business'  Frighten  You 


THERE  ARE  many  folk  who  have  held  themselves  back  because  the 
word  "business"  has  taken  on  the  aspects  of  some  great  forceful 
bogeyman,  a  sort  of  giant  who  is  all-wise  and  quite,  quite  mysteri- 
ous. Take  that  giant  apart  and  see  what  makes  it  tick  and  you'll 
never  be  afraid  of  it  again. 

The  word  itself  breaks  down  to  "busy"  plus  "ness."  Busy,  accord- 
ing to  Merriam-Webster,  means  "engaged  in  some  occupation  or 
work;  not  idle  or  at  leisure  .  .  .  full  of  business,  activity,  etc." 
"Ness"  is  a  suffix  used  primarily  to  form  nouns  denoting  state,  con- 
dition, quality,  or  degree.  So  for  our  purposes  business  is  the  state 
of  being  actively  engaged  in  some  occupation  or  work. 

Now  what  is  so  fearful  about  that?  You  are  a  businessman  or  a 
businesswoman  if  you  are  engaged  in  any  phase  of  business.  And 
don't  assume  that  the  capital-letter  BUSINESSMAN  sees  all  and  knows 
all.  He  doesn't.  Even  the  professional  business  specialists  are  in  the 
records  as,  on  occasion,  being  99.44  per  cent  stupid.  Did  you  ever 
see  a  "big  shot"  in  pink  shorts?  You  would  lose  any  awe  you  may 
have  had. 

That  corner  shine-stand  is  a  business.  As  a  matter  of  fact  if  your 
home  is  run  efficiently  on  a  reasonable  budget  you  are  practicing 
the  basis  of  small  business.  If  you  have  ordinary  horse  sense,  know 
your  eighth-grade  arithmetic  (many  "big"  businessmen  fail  when 
they  forget  to  use  that  eighth-grade  equipment),  do  a  reasonable 
amount  of  budgeting  and  buying  and  planning  and  breaking  even 
or  saving  a  bit,  you  are  using  the  basic  principles  of  business. 

Perhaps  the  reason  so  many  are  afraid  of  the  word  "business"  is 
because  they  see  a  fully  developed  operating  business  as  a  complete 
picture.  They  forget  that  it  was  once  small  and  built  a  little  bit  at  a 
time.  The  great  Ford  business  empire  might  well  give  anyone  pause, 
seeing  it  as  a  whole.  But  don't  forget  that  at  its  beginning  it  was  a 


UNDREAMED     OF     POSSIBILITIES  Q 

lanky  man  tinkering  in  shed  and  basement  and  kitchen— actually 
setting  up  his  first  Ford  motor  and  clamping  it  to  the  kitchen  sink. 
I've  seen  the  pioneer  Ford  motor  so  placed.  The  great  majority  of 
American  businesses  are  small— very  small.  The  great  majority  of 
big  businesses  started  very  small— usually  with  one  man  or  one 
woman,  or  a  man  and  wife  and  the  entire  family,  working  at  home 
in  kitchen  or  shop  or  living  room,  developing  an  idea  for  a  service 
or  a  product.  Furthermore,  most  of  these  businesses  were  launched 
with  "shoestring"  financing,  a  hope,  an  idea,  investigation,  initial 
steps  of  action,  perseverance  and  faith. 

You  may  think  of  successful  business  involving  credits  and  financ- 
ing and  a  complex  system  of  discounts  and  percentages,  merchandis- 
ing and  management,  bookkeeping  and  intricate  filing  systems,  ex- 
pensive offices  and  personnel;  and  topping  it  all,  someone  astute  in 
the  realms  of  supervision,  capable  of  crystal  gazing  more  accurate 
than  that  of  tea-leaf  readers.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  all  or  most  of  those 
elements  and  more  are  involved  in  business,  but  it  is  doubtful  that 
one  in  a  thousand  beginning  businessmen  or  -women  possess  any- 
thing but  a  fraction  of  that  mass  of  knowledge  at  the  outset.  We 
wouldn't  have  hundreds  of  thousands  of  small  businesses  if  the  men 
and  women  who  founded  them  had  refrained  from  action  because 
of  lack  of  full-fledged  business  experience.  The  fact  is  that  resource- 
ful men  and  women,  imbued  with  courage,  and  persistence,  and  a 
sound  idea,  go  to  work  at  it  and  get  their  information  a  piece  at  a 
time  and  meet  their  problems  one  at  a  time. 

Unquestionably  the  better  your  preparation  and  understanding  of 
business  principles  the  better  it  is  for  you  and  your  project,  but  our 
point  is  that  anyone  who  has  enough  sense  to  pound  sand  and  steel 
wool  into  a  rat  hole  is  justified  in  starting  a  home  business  in  a  small 
way  and  learning  as  he  goes.  You  may  make  some  mistakes,  but  if 
you  are  resourceful  you  will  overcome  them.  And  regarding  this  fear 
of  the  word  "business,"  you  should  keep  in  mind  that  there  is  a  con- 
spiracy of  painful  silence  among  businessmen  and  -women  regarding 
their  BLUNDERS.  If  they  have  one  bright  idea  it  will  overcome  their 
numerous  failures.  It  is  a  matter  of  record  that  many  businesses, 
large  and  small,  are  financially  successful  in  spite  of,  rather  than 
because  of,  the  operators. 

Many  a  textbook  and  many  a  banker  would  challenge  the  state- 
ment that  businesses  frequently  succeed  in  spite  of  the  "business- 
men" in  the  big  front  office.  But  that  is  because  they  feel  it  is  safer 


1O  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

to  advocate  a  perfection  that  few  possess.  Naturally  perfection 
would  be  desirable— even  if  boring.  The  assurances  offered  here  are 
based  on  more  than  a  score  of  years  of  successful  operation  of 
several  profitable  businesses,  coupled  with  a  continuing  almost  pro- 
fessional study  and  analysis  of  individual  and  business  organization 
success  and  failure.  The  writer  has  been  instrumental  in  the  found- 
ing and  administration  of  several  very  successful  business  operations, 
and  has  served  as  a  consultant  for  a  number  of  business  enter- 
prises. This  testimony  is  offered  not  to  encourage  a  carefree,  hap- 
hazard approach  to  the  founding  of  a  home  business,  but  to  assure 
you  that  there  is  no  good  reason  to  be  scared  of  that  word  "business" 
that  is  so  formidable  to  so  many.  This  one  volume  will  give  you  more 
essential  facts  regarding  the  foundation  of  a  successful  business  than 
most  successful  businessmen  and  -women  had  when  they  first 
started. 


THE         SECRET         OF     BUSINESS     SUCCESS 
IS    NO    SECRET 

Men  and  women  who  are  ambitious  enough  to  want  to  improve 
their  standard  of  living  with  homemade  businesses  have  at  their 
command  books  such  as  this,  and  books  dealing  with  technical 
phases  of  almost  any  particular  line  of  business.  They  also  have  on 
call  the  numerous  offices  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Commerce  and 
various  state  departments  with  business  specialists  waiting  to  help 
them  with  their  problems  large  or  small,  and  Better  Business  Bureau 
offices  to  protect  them  from  charlatans.  The  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture  and  other  government  sources  provide  for  you  an  amaz- 
ing array  of  very  valuable  detailed  information,  and  throughout  this 
work  you  will  find  listed  free  or  low-cost  material  that  puts  experts 
in  your  living  room,  kitchen,  workshop,  or  on  the  land— all  ready  and 
willing  and  able  to  help  you. 

Illustrative  of  the  way  in  which  one  man  used  available  materials 
is  the  inspiring  story  told  us  by  Ralph  S.  Dunne,  proprietor  of  a  re- 
tail fuel  and  oil  business  in  Pennsylvania.  A  few  years  ago  he  was 
having  trouble  with  customers  of  his  small  business,  sustaining 
losses,  losing  faith  in  almost  everything,  including  himself.  He 
thought  that  there  must  be  some  reasonably  simple,  basic  law  of 
business  that,  if  understood  and  intelligently  followed,  would  prove 
an  open  sesame  to  success. 


UNDREAMED     OF     POSSIBILITIES  11 

He  says  the  thought  suddenly  occurred  to  him,  "Why,  Henry  Ford 
must  know  what  the  basic  laws  of  business  really  are.  He  couldn't 
be  so  successful  unless  he  did  know.  //  only  I  could  talk  with  him! 

"Then  I  realized  I  could  talk  with  him.  He  was  right  in  the  room. 
I  reached  to  the  shelf  for  his  two  books,  My  Life  and  Work  and 
Today  and  Tomorrow,  in  which  he  had  fully  outlined  his  business 
philosophy.  I  knew  that  before  the  night  was  over  I  would  have  the 
answer. 

"Hours  later  I  found  it.  Just  twenty-four  words,  but  what  a  differ- 
ence they  have  made  in  my  conduct,  and  in  the  returns  my  business 
has  paid.  Mr.  Ford  said: 

"  'Start  from  where  you  stand  and  let  the  public  make  your  busi- 
ness for  you.  The  public  and  only  the  public  can  make  a  business' 

"It's  a  curious  thing  that  what  we  read  or  hear  or  see  may  not  of 
itself  seem  important.  It's  what  our  own  development  of  the  idea 
does  to  us  that  is  the  important  thing.  In  this  instance  Henry  Ford 
was  saying  to  me  that  we  must  really  know  people*,  what  they  need 
and  what  they  want. 

"Here  is  another  thought  he  tossed  at  me. 

"  'If  a  man  is  born  with  normal  human  faculties,  if  he  is  equipped 
with  enough  ability  to  use  the  tools  which  we  call  "letters"  in  read- 
ing and  writing,  there  is  no  knowledge  within  the  race  that  he  can- 
not have— if  he  wants  it' 

"There  is  nothing  new  there,  perhaps  you  say.  Possibly  not.  But 
what  difference  does  that  make,  so  long  as  the  thought  expressed 
excites  your  imagination,  creates  additional  ideas  for  you?  That's 
exactly  what  it  did  for  me.  It  made  me  realize  that  just  as  he  was 
helping  me,  there  were  others  who  could  contribute  specialized 
knowledge  of  advertising,  selling,  display." 

Mr.  Dunne  decided  that  he  would  draft  Ford  and  Robert  R. 
Updegraff,  Kenneth  M.  Goode,  Elmer  Wheeler,  and  Lin  Yutang  as 
his  advisory  board  of  directors.  He  called  on  their  books  for  advice 
— Updegraffs  Jours  to  Venture  and  A  New  Bag  of  Tricks  for  Every 
Business;  Goode's  How  to  Turn  People  into  Gold;  Wheeler's  Tested 
Sentences  That  Sell;  Lin  Yutang's  The  Importance  of  Living.  He 
changed  the  name  of  his  business  and  his  policies  and  adopted  or 
adapted  the  ideas  of  his  board  of  directors. 

He  advises  others,  "Reach  out,  as  I  am  doing,  for  the  inspiration 
of  others  to  jar  you  out  of  complacency  and  to  make  you  want  to 
venture  as  you  have  never  ventured  before."  It  works!  Mr.  Dunne 


12  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

used  his  board  for  years,  prospered,  later  sold  out,  toured  Europe, 
and  started  again  with  this  board. 

The  approach  used  by  Mr.  Dunne  can  be  used  by  you  just  as  it 
has  been  used  by  many  others  who  decided  they  need  not  be  afraid 
of  "business."  If  business  is  so  mysterious  and  formidable,  how  can 
we  account  for  the  fact  that  boys  and  girls,  widowers  and  widows, 
married  couples  young  and  old,  launch  their  home-business  money- 
makers each  year  without  any  previous  business  experience? 


WINNERS     AREN    T    AFRAID     OF         BUSINESS 

Without  previous  business  experience,  youngsters  in  their  teens 
quickly  learn  the  simple  basic  requirements  and  profit  accordingly. 
If  they  can  do  it,  why  can't  you  do  even  better  on  the  basis  of  the 
common  sense— common  or  uncommon— you  have  acquired  through 
the  years,  and  by  utilizing  abilities  that  you  may  never  have  taken 
out  for  exercise.  More  than  70,000  high  school  juniors  and  seniors 
in  approximately  sixty  communities  have  organized  more  than  1200 
companies  to  turn  out  products  profitably  as  part  of  the  work  of 
Junior  Achievement,  Inc. 

These  youngsters,  15  to  20  years  of  age— they  have  to  "retire"  at 
age  21— advised  by  local  businessmen,  become  manufacturers  one 
night  a  week.  The  range  of  their  products  is  fascinating:  old  bottles 
are  detopped  and  painted  and  sold  as  mugs  for  $2.00  a  set  of  four; 
beer  cans  are  converted  into  sprinklers  and  watering  cans;  craft 
products  Abound— costume  jewelry,  toys,  book  ends,  log-table  deco- 
rations, salt  shakers,  ceramics,  ash  trays,  closet  lights  worked  auto- 
matically, radios— other  products  that  can  all  be  sold  profitably,  the 
fruit  of  beginners'  business  experience  picked  up  and  carried  out 
on  a  part-time  basis. 

These  youngsters  aren't  afraid  of  the  word  "business"!  They  pick 
their  projects,  work  at  them  on  a  part-time  basis.  They  learn  as  they 
go.  They  earn  as  they  go. 

You  can  pick  your  own  project  and  learn  and  earn  as  you  go 
ahead  with  your  own  project. 

When  you  apply  yourself  regularly  and  steadily  to  your  side  line 
you  may  well  find  that  you  become  an  expert  and  win  a  more  de- 
sirable way  of  life  supported  by  your  profits.  "If  I  wanted  to  become 
an  expert  on  whales,"  Dale  Carnegie  told  me  one  day,  "I'd  haunt 
the  museums  and  libraries  and  other  sources  of  sound  information. 


UNDREAMEDOFPOSSIBILITIES  13 

In  only  a  few  months  I'd  probably  know  more  about  whales  than 
99  out  of  100  people  you  have  ever  met."  This  simple  principle  can 
be  applied  by  anyone  interested  in  making  money  at  home,  and  the 
closer  they  come  to  "business"  the  less  they  fear  it. 

Once  you  banish  any  ill-founded  fear  of  business  you  may  open 
the  door  to  your  business.  A  penetrating  illustration  of  this  principle 
is  reported  by  John  D.  Murphy,  who  interviewed  Clifford  Echols 
in  his  grocery  store  in  Atlanta,  Georgia,  one  recent  year  when 
Echols  had  done  a  $750,000  business.  Eight  years  earlier  Echols  had 
been  a  $45  a  week  grocery  clerk  afraid  of  business.  Here  is  what 
Echols  has  to  say  about  it: 

"For  a  great  many  years  I  wanted  to  go  in  business  for  myself. 
But  I  always  held  back  because  I  had  never  shown  the  slightest  evi- 
dence of  any  ^business  ability.'  Then  one  day  I  ran  across  something 
that  changed  the  course  of  my  life.  I  found  a  quotation:  'Do  the 
thing  and  you  have  still  the  power;  but  they  that  do  not  the  thing 
have  not  the  power.' 

"I  decided  to  'do  the  thing.'  I  decided  I  would  have  at  least 
enough  faith  to  try.  I  mortgaged  my  household  furniture  for  $200. 
I  got  up  courage  enough  to  ask  several  wholesale  grocery  firms  that 
knew  me  to  extend  me  credit. 

"As  I  started  to  'do  the  thing,'  I  began  to  discover  that  I  had  hid- 
den talents  I  had  never  suspected.  Ideas  came  to  me  that  I  was  able 
to  turn  into  cash.  In  short,  when  I  had  enough  faith  to  start  to  'do 
the  thing/  I  did  find  that  I  had  the  power." 

You  don't  have  to  be  a  genius  to  establish  your  own  home  income- 
producing  project,  and  you  needn't  be  scared  by  the  .word  "busi- 
ness." 

If  you  have  the  faith  to  start,  you  may  well  find  that  you  gain  the 
power  to  put  it  over  successfully;  and  the  best  way  to  start  is  to 
examine  some  of  your  old  dreams— or  new  ones— and  make  a  care- 
ful selection  of  the  field  of  activity  which  most  appeals  to  you. 

Then  do  something  about  it! 


CHAPTER     THREE 


How  to  Pick  Jour  Best  Home  Money-Maker 


YOU  CAN  DO  what  you  really  want  to  do  within  reason  if  you  want  to 
do  it  badly  enough.  You  don't  need  to  be  a  genius  and  you  don't 
need  to  be  afraid  of  the  idea  of  business  at  home.  You  undoubtedly 
have  undeveloped  abilities  that  are  only  waiting  to  be  put  to  work 
for  you,  but  before  they  can  work  you  should  devote  some  time  and 
thought  to  determining  your  goal  in  life. 

Throughout  my  life  in  business  and  in  studying  and  assisting  those 
who  want  to  improve  their  financial  situation  at  home,  the  great 
majority  of  the  men  and  women  I  have  talked  with  and  studied  have 
insisted  that  what  they  want  is  more  money.  Now  it  is  the  purpose 
of  this  book  to  assist  a  multitude  to  make  money  at  home,  but  it 
should  be  pointed  out  here  and  now  that  most  of  these  people  who 
want  to  make  money,  when  you  dig  deeper,  find  that  currency  is 
actually  the  banner  flying  above  a  deep-down  desire  for  a  more 
desirable  way  of  living,  a  yearning  to  gratify  deep  personal  interests, 
a  desire  for  creative  expression.  Actually  they  sense  that  they  must 
like  what  they  do  with  their  daily  occupation  or  they  fail  regardless 
of  how  much  money  they  make.  And  oddly  enough,  studies  have 
shown  that  people  rarely  make  the  income  that  is  their  due  if  they 
are  engaged  in  work  they  don't  thoroughly  enjoy.  They  sense  what 
the  psychologists  and  psychiatrists  and  many  vocational  counselors 
know  to  be  a  fact;  that  unused,  undeveloped  talents  are  wellsprings 
of  dissatisfaction  and  frustration  that  can  poison  an  entire  life. 

So  in  determining  your  goal  supplemented  by  a  homemade  in- 
come, it  is  advisable  that  you  search  yourself  first  to  determine  what 
you  would  really  like  to  do  with  the  assets  you  now  have  within  your 
reach.  In  exploring  this  book  and  elsewhere  for  your  particular  side 
line,  you  will  consider  the  training  you  have  already  had,  but  also 
keep  this  in  mind:  You  may  very  well  have  been  confused  many 
years  ago  as  to  just  what  your  basic  aptitudes  and  abilities  really 


UNDREAMED     OF     POSSIBILITIES  15 

are.  As  a  child  or  in  youth  you  were  forced  by  many  circumstances, 
then  beyond  your  control,  to  work  for  a  livelihood.  Most  young  folk 
started,  and  to  some  extent  blindly  followed,  working  for  a  liveli- 
hood: 1.  because  of  training  at  home  or  in  school  or  on  the  job; 
2.  economic  necessity;  3.  because  others  thought  you  should  be  earn- 
ing; or  4.  because  the  job  came  easily  at  the  time  and  was  most  con- 
venient. 

Because  of  these  basic  reasons  for  engaging  in  a  given  line  of 
work,  a  multitude  of  men  and  women  found  themselves  trapped 
with  increasing  responsibilities  and  passed  up  completely  doing  the 
kind  of  work  they  really  preferred  to  do.  Some  wise  man  once  said 
that  a  multitude  of  men  live  lives  of  quiet  desperation.  They  are 
desperate  because  they  became  trapped  into  careless  selection  of 
occupation,  acquired  a  wife,  children,  mortgages,  responsibilities 
beyond  count.  They  are  frustrated.  There  is  also  a  multitude  of 
competent  women  trapped  in  the  routine  of  the  home  and  child- 
bearing  and  raising;  or  trapped  in  dull  jobs,  just  as  men  are.  You 
don't  have  to  stay  in  such  a  trap.  You  can  get  out  of  it  by  finding  an 
outlet  that  will  permit  you  to  attain  a  deep  satisfaction  in  the  finan- 
cial reward  of  a  homemade  business. 

Your  next  move  in  getting  out  of,  or  avoiding,  frustrating  occupa- 
tional traps  is  to  start  figuring  out  your  general  overall  goal  in  life 
and  picking  some  closer,  more  immediate  goal  that  you  can  start 
reaching  toward  today.  This  book  is  designed  to  help,  but  you  must 
co-operate,  as  you  and  you  alone  know  best  what  your  deepest  per- 
sonal interests  and  yearnings  are.  Thousands  of  others  have  found 
their  ways  to  make  money  at  home.  You  can  do  the  same.  But  it  is 
best  to  devise  a  plan  based  on  your  own  present  specific  personal 
desires. 


QUIZ     YOURSELF     AND     WIN     THE     HOME-MONEY 
JACKPOT 

In  devising  your  plan  you  may  narrow  it  down,  and  by  answering 
practical  questions  along  the  lines  suggested  here,  come  up  with  the 
winning  answer  to  the  $64  question;  or  you  may  win  the  jackpot  of 
several  thousands  of  dollars. 

1.  Just  what  do  you  really  want  to  do? 

2.  Do  you  prefer  working  with  people  or  with  things? 

3.  Do  you  prefer  engaging  in  services  or  devising  products? 


l6  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

4.  How  much  money  do  you  want  to  make  at  home  this  season  or 
this  year?  Are  you  seeking  $300  pin  money,  $1000  a  year,  or 
thousands  a  year? 

5.  How  much  time  can  you  devote  to  your  side-line  or  full-time 
home  project? 

6.  Do  you  live  in  city,  town,  or  country? 

7.  Will  your  project  be  workable  in  your  own  particular  location? 

8.  Do  you  want  to  change  your  location? 

9.  What  skills  do  you  now  have  that  can  be  turned  into  homemade 
income? 

10.  Are  you  young,  middle  aged,  approaching  retirement,  or  old? 

11.  Have  you  the  strength  to  carry  out  the  project  you  consider? 

12.  Are  you  male  or  female— although  today  this  makes  little  differ- 
ence in  most  home  projects. 

13.  What  skills  could  you  develop  and  thoroughly  enjoy? 

14.  Are  there  members  of  the  family  who  can  help? 

15.  Do  you  have  some  money  to  be  used  cautiously  testing  your 
project,  or  must  you  pick  an  activity  that  requires  little  or  no 
investment? 

16.  Are  you  the  lone- wolf  type  or  do  you  enjoy  working  with  others? 

17.  Do  you  prefer  active  or  sedentary  occupations? 

18.  What  is  your  chief  hobby,  or  what  hobbies  have  you  given  up, 
and  why— perhaps  they  should  be  revived? 

19.  Have  you  imagination  and  persistence? 

20.  Are  you  precise  and  very  literal  minded? 

21.  Do  you  enjoy  growing  things? 

22.  Do  you  enjoy  working  with  tools? 

23.  Do  you  enjoy  cooking? 

24.  Are  you  dependable  and  resourceful? 

25.  WHAT  WOULD  YOU  MOST  LIKE  TO  DO  TO  MAKE  MONEY  AT  HOME? 

That  last  question  is  highly  important.  In  searching  for  the  answer 
to  it,  you  should  examine  the  following  check  lists  of  childhood  and 
adult  interests  to  see  if  they  specifically  pinpoint  your  own  chief 
interest.  It  may  be  that  you  do  not  find  your  interest  listed,  but  the 
questions  may  prompt  you  to  pencil  in  your  own  preferences.  In  the 
list  of  childhood  interests  you  may  find  a  clue  to  some  long  buried 
dream  and  yearning,  and  if  so,  re-examine  it  closely.  In  the  listing  of 
adult  interests  you  may  be  prompted  to  re-examine  some  field  you 
have  been  avoiding  for  reasons  of  your  own.  Those  reasons  may  now 
be  changed  because  your  responsibilities  have  been  changed.  If  you 


UNDREAMED     OF     POSSIBILITIES  I/ 

check  childhood  and  adult  interests  that  are  parallel,  you  have  there 
a  good  lead  for  consideration. 


WHAT     WERE     YOUR     STRONG     CHILDHOOD 
INTERESTS  ? 

Animals  and  birds—  taking  care  of  pets  and  reading  about  them 

Art—  drawing  or  painting  or  sculpturing  or  modeling 

Botany—  growing,  collecting,  studying  plants  and  flowers 

Cooking 

Dolls—  making,  tending,  dressing 

Electrical  gadgets—  trains,  radio,  television,  telephone,  bells,  etc. 

Games—  ones  you  learned  and  taught  to  others  or  made  up  yourself 

Gardening  and  fruit  raising 

Hobbies—  making  things,  collecting  things,  any  of  the  hundreds  of 

hobbies 

Magic  and  other  tricks 
Manual   crafts—  work   with   tools,   boats,   bikes,   airplane   or   boat 

models,  metalwork,  leatherwork,  textiles,  ceramics,  etc. 
Mechanical  toys—  operation,  mending,  construction,  devising  uses 

for  them 
Music—  playing  various  instruments,  altering  tunes,  writing  your  own 

music 
Organizing—  plays,  games,  trips,  parties,  "school,"  "store,"  "house," 

baby  tending,  etc. 

Science—  chemistry  and  physics  sets,  zoology 

Selling—  papers,  magazines,  perfume,  Christmas  cards,  popcorn,  etc. 
Serving—  waiting  on  table  at  home,  camp,  school,  helping  neighbors 
Speaking—  debating,  reciting,  acting 
Sports—  activity  at  play,  managing,  analyzing,  boating,  skiing,  fish- 

ing, hunting,  swimming,  etc. 
Writing—  for  fun,  school  papers,  etc. 

WHAT    ARE     YOUR     STRONG     ADULT     INTERESTS? 

Accounting 

Animals  and  birds—  their  care,  breeding,  study  of,  use  as  pets 

Art—  painting,  drawing,  sculpture,  modeling,  decorating,   etc. 

Camera—  fixing,  operating  printing,  portraiture,  folios,  etc. 

Collecting 


l8  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

Cooking— specialties,  devising  new  dishes,  serving,  canning,  etc. 

Counseling 

Crafts— your  special  interest  in  any  of  the  hundreds,  such  as  wood- 
work, leather,  metal,  fly  tying,  plastics,  ceramics,  sewing  and 
knitting,  etc. 

Dolls  and  toys— making,  operating,  mending,  altering,  etc. 

Electrical— the  various  household  and  entertainment  devices,  devel- 
opment of  new  uses  and  gadgets 

Forestry 

Games— devising,  teaching,  manipulating 

Gardening  and  fruit  raising 

Hobbies— which  of  the  hundreds  interest  you  most 

Home— improvement,  devices,  gadgets,  construction,  selling 

Human  relations— study  or  service  or  interpretation 

Insects 

Labor  relations 

Languages— study,  teaching,  translation,  letter  writing,  etc. 

Manual  crafts 

Mechanical  toys  and  other  devices 

Music— teaching,  playing  of  instruments 

Nature— study,  collection,  etc. 

Nursing 

Office  management  or  any  of  various  branches  of  business 

Organizing— for  self,  for  others 

Politics 

Records,  recordings,  radio 

Science— chemistry,  physics,  medicine,  mathematics,  etc. 

Service— social  service,  serving  others  in  any  capacity 

Speaking— in  public 

Sports— participation,  accessories,  teaching,  organizing 

Teaching— in  any  field 

Television,  telephone,  teletype,  telegraph 

Textiles 

Trading— buying  or  selling  or  planning  business  transactions 

Typewriting— services  and  products 

Words— philology,  semantics,  writing  fact,  fiction,  or  advertising,  etc. 
This  is  your  book.  In  the  following  spaces  write  down  the  chief 

interests  that  come  to  your  mind— interests  you  have  had  and  inter- 
ests you  would  like  to  develop.  Underscore  any  interests  that  you 

had  in  childhood  and  still  possess: 


UNDREAMED     OF     POSSIBILITIES  ig 

1. 
2. 

3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
8. 
9. 
10. 

Later  you  can  add  other  interests  that  may  have  appealed  to  you 
after  reading  the  experiences  of  hundreds  of  others  in  these  pages. 
The  psychologists  have  devised  tests  that  might  be  quite  revealing 
—tests  as  to  the  extent  of  your  finger  dexterity,  tonal  memory,  etc. 
Clinical  testing,  if  available  in  your  area,  might  be  extremely  valua- 
ble and  reveal  abilities  you  didn't  dream  you  possessed.  But  if  you 
seek  such  testing,  beware  of  the  quacks.  Get  suggestions  from  your 
local  librarian  or  school  or  college  authorities.  Such  examination 
may  help  regarding  your  abilities.  You,  however,  have  some  idea  of 
your  abilities  and  the  comfort  of  knowing  that  you  probably  haven't 
used  them  to  the  fullest  extent  possible.  Turn  those  abilities  loose 
on  the  interests  you  pinpoint  in  the  foregoing  check  lists  and  you 
may  have  a  combination  that  spells  success  for  you.  If  your  interests 
are  not  sharply  focused,  you  should  then  adopt  for  experimentation 
some  field  of  activity  in  which  you  feel  you  might  become  interested, 
and  concentrate  on  it.  Your  chief  personal  interests  may  be  far  afield 
from  your  present  or  past  daily  occupations.  After  years  of  study  for 
engineering  or  law  or  medicine,  many  men  and  women  never  prac- 
tice because  they  find  that  other  fields  interest  them  more  deeply. 


20  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

Without  extended  self-analysis  it  is  probable  that  the  best  type  of 
home-money-making  activity  for  you  will  be  in  some  way  related  to 
the  chief  interests  you  have  checked  or  inserted  in  the  foregoing  lists, 
which  obviously  are  not  complete.  Use  the  lists  as  idea  prompters. 
I  know  a  man  who  recently  abandoned  teaching  science  subjects  in 
Scarsdale,  New  York,  and  went  to  the  southwest  to  engage  in  the 
retail  and  direct-mail  sale  of  hand- woven  neckties.  You  may  be 
working  in  a  bank  when  your  chief  interest  is  woodwork  in  your 
basement  shop.  You  may  be  a  housewife,  bored  to  tears  by  it  all,  and 
chiefly  interested  in  personal  expression  through  the  marketing  of 
food  specialties  that  you  have  developed,  or  ceramics  or  flower 
arrangements.  Many  women  bury  their  desire  for  a  money-making 
activity  while  they  are  busy  with  the  home  and  child  raising,  but 
circumstances  change  and  the  children  are  gone  and  these  women 
have  almost  forgotten  their  old  dreams  and  their  old  abilities  that 
can  be  refurbished  today.  Others— and  they  are  legion— have  worked 
out  ways  to  put  their  interests  to  work  while  still  raising  the  children 
and  doing  a  fine  job  of  running  the  home  as  well. 

Remember  this:  YOU'LL  NEVER  KNOW  WHAT  YOU  CAN  DO  UNTIL 

YOU  REALLY  TRY.  DON'T  PUT  OFF  FOREVER  THE  FULFILLMENT  OF  YOUR 
DREAMS.  COUNTLESS  THOUSANDS  OF  OTHERS  HAVE  DISCOVERED  HOW 
TO  MAKE  MONEY  AT  HOME  AND  WHAT  THEY  CAN  DO  YOU  CAN  DO  D7 
YOU  WANT  TO  BADLY  ENOUGH. 


Part  Two 


HOW   TO    UNCORK   YOUR 
IMAGINATION 


CHAPTER     FOUR 


Five  Easy  Ways  to  Put  Jour 
Imagination  to  Work 


IF  YOU  HAVE  ever  had  the  urge  to  invent  something— and  who  hasn't 
—you  have  a  measure  of  creative  imagination.  If  you  have  ever  had 
a  daydream— and  who  hasn't— you  have  imagination.  If  you  have 
ever  worked  out  a  simpler,  better  way  of  doing  almost  anything,  you 
have  creative  ability.  So,  don't  be  in  awe  of  someone  who  twists  a 
bit  of  wire  into  a  paper  clip  or  fastens  rubber  to  the  end  of  a  pencil 
—and  makes  a  lot  of  money.  Hundreds  and  thousands  of  profitable 
inventions  are  created  by  amateurs  like  you  and  me  who  see  a 
need  or  a  problem  and  put  imagination  to  work  to  solve  it.  Walter 
Hunt  was  no  pin  specialist  but  when  he  got  tired  of  pricking  his 
fingers  with  open  pins  he  devised  the  safety  pin.  The  processes  fol- 
lowed by  the  inventors  of  all  the  things  we  use  are  basically  the 
same  and  a  fortune  can  be  yours  if  you  deliberately  follow  those 
same  processes,  uncork  your  imagination,  and  put  it  to  work. 

There  are  five  simple,  easy,  basic  steps  involved  in  uncorking  your 
imagination.  You  can  take  them  one  at  a  time  if  you  want  to.  They 
are  the  steps  that  in  whole  or  in  part  apply  to  the  creation  of  a  new 
product  or  service  or  the  improvement  or  combination  of  old  ele- 
ments to  fill  a  need  or  a  desire. 

At  the  outset  you  should  disabuse  your  mind  of  any  thought  of 
mystery  attaching  to  creative  imagination;  that  your  idea  must  be  a 
world-shaking  one  that  will  revolutionize  all  industry.  Perhaps  it 
will  be  revolutionary,  but  it  will  start  with  a  simple  little  twist  or 
new  idea— and  remember  you  only  need  one  idea  to  make  a  com- 
petence or  even  a  fortune.  There  is  only  one  mysterious  process  in- 
volved and  you  have  that  process  as  built-in  equipment  in  your 
head.  This  is  the  process  of  your  subconscious  or  unconscious  mind; 
a  process  that  goes  to  work  for  you  while  you  sleep  once  you  have 
followed  the  five  steps  outlined.  Ofttimes  it  happens  that  when  you 
have  filled  your  mind  with  a  definite  problem  and  facts  that  bear  on 
it  your  unconscious  mind  works  on  it  and  suddenly  presents  you 
with  an  amazing  solution. 


24  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

Here  are  the  five  steps  involved  in  putting  your  imagination  to 
work: 


STEP     ONE.     PUMP     UP     YOUR     CURIOSITY 

Don't  be  an  imaginative  flat  tire.  Pump  up  your  curiosity  by  asking 
this  question  about  everything  you  encounter  in  your  daily  life:  DOES 
IT  HAVE  TO  BE  THAT  WAY?  Scarcely  anything  has  to  be  the  way  it  is 
now.  If  it  did,  there  would  be  little  or  no  change  or  development. 

Does  it  have  to  be  that  way?  Everything  from  cat  food  to  jet  pro- 
pulsion can  and  will  be  changed  and  improved.  As  a  classic  exam- 
ple, Charles  Kettering  got  tired  of  cranking  his  automobile  and 
seeing  others  go  through  the  disagreeable  and  sometimes  wrist- 
breaking  process.  He  wondered  if  it  had  to  be  that  way.  He  had 
started  a  train  of  thought  that  in  groping  for  a  solution  finally  re- 
sulted in  the  automatic  self-starter.  That  starter  has  been  improved 
many  times  since  by  asking  the  same  question  and  searching  for  an 
answer. 

A  simple  illustration  of  the  value  of  pumping  up  your  curiosity 
and  asking  the  penetrating  question  is  the  case  of  Bert  Benander, 
who  put  his  imagination  to  work  in  his  basement  workshop  on  his 
farm  near  Providence,  Rhode  Island.  Mr.  Benander,  in  common  with 
almost  every  man  and  woman,  became  irritated  by  broken  wires  in 
electric  cords  in  the  home.  To  mend,  it  was  necessary  to  cut  off  the 
wire,  scrape  off  the  insulation,  place  the  wires  back  in  the  plug,  and 
wait  for  the  next  breaking.  Did  light  cords  and  plugs  have  to  be  that 
way?  He  pumped  his  curiosity,  experimented,  and  came  up  with  a 
simple  plug,  connector,  and  cord  splicer— you  simply  push  the 
broken  wire  into  his  device  without  scraping  or  any  fuss  whatever, 
press  down  the  clamps  that  cut  through  insulation  and  make 
connection,  and  you  are  using  his  Quick  Clamp  as  do  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  others  who  pay  him  for  using  the  steps  you  are  now 
offered  for  your  own  use. 

Louis  Aronson  pumped  up  his  curiosity  in  a  multiple-headed 
wrench  made  in  England  and  improved  upon  it,  and  we  have  the 
well-known  Ronson  wrench.  Still  pumping  his  imagination,  he 
adapted  the  ancient  practice  of  striking  flint  to  steel  for  a  spark.  He 
put  a  flint  in  contact  with  a  little  steel  wheel,  included  a  wick  and 
a  flammable  fluid  in  a  case.  He  produced  the  Ronson  Delight,  the 
world's  first  lighter  with  an  easy  thumb  and  lever  action. 


UNCORKYOURIMAGINATION  2$ 

Development  of  that  Ronson  device  throws  a  clear  light  on  an 
important  point  for  all  prospective  inventors  to  remember.  Nearly 
every  invention  and  development  of  existing  devices  is  simply  a  new 
combination  or  assembly  of  old  and  known  elements.  Inventions  are 
rarely  entirely  new.  Early  man  got  smart  and  dragged  loads  on  a 
stick.  A  smarter  early  man  devised  the  wheel  at  the  end  of  a  stick, 
then  two  wheels.  After  centuries  there  were  wagons;  then  came  the 
gasoline  motor  rigged  to  a  buggy  and  we  had  an  automobile;  and 
automobiles  have  developed  in  many  makes  and  styles  with  addi- 
tions of  other  devices  to  improve  them. 

So  Step  One  calls  for  pumping  up  your  curiosity,  your  observa- 
tion. Turn  your  thoughts  to  everything  around  you,  not  just  idly, 
but  deliberately  and  steadily.  Ask  yourself,  "Does  it  have  to  be  that 
way?*'  Keep  pumping  and  keep  the  other  steps  in  mind  and  you  may 
be  agreeably  and  profitably  surprised. 

STEP     TWO.     LET     YOUR     IMAGINATION 

PLAY    WITH    THE    IDEAS 

YOU     PUMP     UP     BY     CURIOSITY 

The  instant  you  get  an  idea,  write  it  down,  or  sketch  it  roughly. 
Add  to  it  and  toy  with  it  on  paper  and  in  your  mind.  Romp  with  it. 
Define  it  as  clearly  as  you  possibly  can.  Don't  let  it  escape!  V.  K. 
Zworykin,  vice-president  of  RCA  Laboratories  and  a  technical  con- 
sultant, says,  "If  we  can  write  it  down,  we  can  do  it/'  David  Sarnoff, 
head  of  the  same  great  corporation,  has  great  faith  in  human  capa- 
bilities and  declares  that  "anything  that  the  human  mind  can  con- 
ceive can  be  produced  ultimately." 

These  and  other  men  of  research  and  science,  and  all  inventors 
and  developers  of  ideas,  know  the  value  of  writing  down  their  ran- 
dom ideas  and  letting  the  imagination  play  with  them. 

Watch  imagination  at  play  with  rice.  Ataulla  Durrani  came  to 
America  from  Afghanistan,  hoping  to  find  work  in  petroleum  re- 
search. He  didn't  find  it,  but  he  latched  onto  the  suggestion  of  a 
chance  acquaintance  that  someone  should  find  a  way  to  increase  the 
use  of  low-cost  rice  as  a  food.  The  man  from  Afghanistan  let  his 
imagination  play  with  the  problem.  He  investigated  problems  of 
canning  and  preserving  the  food.  It  turned  rancid  because  of  its  oil 
content.  It  attracted  vermin  in  storage.  It  involved  other  problems. 
With  his  imagination  at  play  and  at  work,  supported  by  experiments, 


26  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

he  developed  the  well-known  dry-rice  product,  quick  cooking,  no 
storage  problems  to  speak  of.  He  had  developed  Minute  Rice.  He 
acquired  a  patent  in  his  name,  a  retainer  and  royalty  agreement,  and 
General  Foods  invested  more  than  $1,000,000  in  his  process. 

Watch  imagination  at  play  in  weather  40  degrees  below  zero. 
Jacob  Schick,  retired  army  colonel,  was  seeking  gold  in  British 
Columbia  and  Alaska.  Confined  to  his  camp  for  months  with  a 
sprained  ankle,  he  let  his  imagination  play  with  the  idea  that  there 
might  be  a  way  to  shave  without  water  in  40  below  weather.  He 
kept  playing  with  the  idea  even  when  specialists  told  him  he  couldn't 
develop  an  electric  razor  which  was  one  of  the  ideas  he  toyed  with. 
He  played  and  worked  the  idea  until  the  electric  razor  finally  re- 
sulted. 

Another  of  the  thousands  who  have  given  free  rein  to  their  imag- 
inations was  James  L.  Kraft.  He  wasn't  always  a  noted  manufacturer 
of  cheese  products.  When  he  was  a  lad  clerking  in  an  old-style 
grocery  store  he  noticed  that  there  was  waste  each  day  in  cutting 
off  the  dried,  exposed  part  of  the  big  cheese  under  glass.  He  thought 
there  might  be  a  way  to  eliminate  that  waste,  perhaps  by  packaging 
the  cheese.  But  others  had  tried  that  and  failed  because  the  cheese 
swelled  up  in  hot  weather  and  the  packages  exploded.  Kraft  toyed 
with  his  idea  for  years,  however,  until  one  day  he  observed  that  a 
bottle  of  milk  warming  in  the  sun  on  a  doorstep  did  not  swell  up  in 
the  heat  and  blow  its  top.  Ah,  now,  the  idea  he  had  played  with  had 
a  fine  chance  to  pay  off.  Kraft  reasoned  that  the  milk  didn't  swell  up 
because  bacteria  in  it  had  been  killed  by  pasteurization.  Imagination 
at  play  had  provided  the  answer.  Pasteurized  cheese  was  the  an- 
swer. It  packaged  without  exploding,  it  eliminated  waste— and  flies- 
it  caused  a  great  increase  in  cheese  production,  a  boon  to  the  dairy 
industry,  manufacturers,  consumers— a  fortune  for  Kraft  and  others. 
Kraft  was  simply  a  guy  using  his  head. 

So  after  you  pump  up  an  idea,  let  your  imagnation  play  with  it, 
work  with  it,  dwell  on  it,  cling  to  it,  and  consider  the  next  easy  step. 

STEP     THREE.     TIE     YOUR     IDEA     TO     A     NEED 
OR     A     DESIRE 

Trite  old  sayings  frequently  have  a  very  solid  foundation,  so  give 
thought  to  the  fact  that  necessity  is  the  mother  of  invention.  There 
was  need  for  a  non-baby-pricking  safety  pin.  But  one  could  scarcely 


UNCORK     YOUR     IMAGINATION  27 

claim  that  there  was  a  need  for  bubble  gum.  There  was  desire,  how- 
ever, so  it  seems  clear  that  if  you  can  tie  your  idea  to  a  need  or  a 
desire  for  something  that  isn't  actually  a  necessity,  you  have  a  good 
chance  to  win. 

Your  own  personal  needs  or  desires,  or  the  needs  and  desires  of 
others,  can  be  a  good  starting  point  for  anyone  who  wants  to  put 
his  imagination  and  inventive  urges  to  work.  For  instance,  Howard 
M.  Condon,  of  Akron,  Ohio,  had  a  very  definite  personal  need.  He 
liked  beef  steak  but  he  had  difficulty  with  his  teeth.  He  needed  steak 
he  could  eat  and  enjoy.  There  was  an  idea  to  play  with.  He  was  no 
food  specialist.  He  was  no  butcher.  He  was  no  food  processor.  He 
was  no  chemist.  He  was  a  machinist  with  difficult  teeth  and  a  gnaw- 
ing appetite  for  juicy  steaks.  So  ...  he  experimented  and  experi- 
mented with  tenderizing  processes  that  wouldn't  rob  a  beautifully 
marbled  red  steak  of  its  essential  flavor.  He  started  from  scratch 
with  his  need  and  came  up  with  a  business  producing  some  30,000 
"Grand  Duchess  Steaks"  a  week— tender  ones  he  could  handle,  ten- 
der ones  the  public  was  waiting  for. 

When  there  are  a  large  number  of  people  waiting  for  something, 
needing  a  new  device,  there  is  room  for  observation,  imagination, 
and  invention.  Walter  G.  King,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  observed,  one 
day,  that  hundreds  of  thousands  of  people  bought  glass  eyes.  Curi- 
osity prompted  a  bit  of  investigation.  Mr.  King  found  that  nearly 
all  of  the  glass  eyes  went  to  industrial  centers  for  workers  who  lost 
eyes  while  at  work.  There  was  a  need  to  protect  the  eyes  of  the 
workers.  Now,  Mr.  King  was  a  modest  man.  He  didn't  claim  to  be 
the  first  to  put  safety  goggles  within  the  reach  of  aU.  He  pointed  out 
that  the  Eskimos  had  the  idea  centuries  ago  and  invented  their  own 
slit  sun  goggles.  Mr.  King,  however,  devised  a  goggle  with  tem- 
pered glass.  He  gave  twenty  samples  to  the  American  Steel  Foun- 
dries in  Cleveland.  Within  thirty  days  all  twenty  goggles  were 
returned  with  the  glass  shattered  but  still  contained  within  the 
frames.  Twenty  workers  had  been  saved  from  serious  injury  or  loss 
of  their  eyes.  A  need  had  been  observed  and  satisfied  and  a  com- 
pany was  busy  making  safety  goggles  for  all  kinds  of  special  hazards. 
Many,  many  thousands  owe  their  eyesight  to  Mr.  King. 

Each  day,  several  times  each  day,  observe  the  people  and  things 
around  you  in  your  home  and  in  the  stores  and  in  offices  and  fac- 
tories. Hunt  for  a  need  of  your  own  or  of  others.  If  you  keep  your- 
self alert  to  the  possibilities  you  may  get  surprising  results,  as  did 


28  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

Lawrence  Luellen  of  Kansas.  He  wasn't  in  the  health  service.  He 
wasn't  in  industry.  He  had  never  given  thought  to  himself  as  an  in- 
ventor. But  he  was  fussy  about  drinking  from  the  old-style  common 
glass  or  dipper.  He  figured  there  was  a  need  for  a  sanitary  cup,  one 
he  could  drink  from  without  being  exposed  to  a  billion  microbes. 
Right  at  that  point  he  was  a  long  way  toward  his  invention  and 
profit.  He  saw  a  need!  He  Jiad  an  idea! 

He  figured  that  there  were  plenty  of  others  like  him  who  would 
be  glad  to  pay  a  penny  for  a  clean  cup  of  water.  He  went  to  work 
with  Hugh  Moore,  a  Kansas  college  student.  Together  they  built 
the  first  automatic  drinking  machine.  They  were  doing  their  part  to 
meet  a  public  need.  Now  help  came,  as  it  so  often  does  to  help  build 
a  started  idea.  Dr.  Thomas  Crumbine,  Kansas  state  health  officer, 
who  saw  the  tuberculous  and  others  using  public  drinking  glasses, 
became  interested  in  their  clean  paper  cups  that  came  from  a  clean 
machine.  Kansas  legislated  against  common  drinking  utensils  and 
the  famous  Dixie  Cup  was  on  its  way  to  nation-wide  prominence 
and  profit  to  the  inventors  and  to  the  public  at  large. 

STEP     FOUR.     CRAM     YOUR     MIND     WITH 
INFORMATION,     INVESTIGATE,     EXPERIMENT 

In  following  the  first  three  steps  you  have  already  gained  informa- 
tion, you  have  investigated.  But,  you  need  to  dig  deeper  and  experi- 
ment. As  you  probe  deeper  try  to  focus  on  a  broad,  general  goal 
and  then  narrow  it  down  to  eliminate  aimless  wandering.  This  is  the 
process  Thomas  Edison  and  other  inventors  have  followed.  At  this 
stage  they  gather  all  the  information  they  can  that  has  a  bearing  on 
what  they  want  to  accomplish.  When  they  have  gone  this  far  they 
begin  to  experiment  or  test  to  see  if  the  new  idea  works. 

Sometimes  the  testing  is  very  simple.  Sol  H.  Goldberg  was  a  bell- 
boy in  a  hotel  when  he  read  a  magazine  article  promising  a  fortune 
to  the  person  who  could  devise  a  thoroughly  satisfactory  hair  fas- 
tener for  women.  He  dug  into  that  idea.  He  got  all  the  information 
he  could  about  silky  hair  and  kinky  hair,  fasteners  that  had  been 
tried  before  but  slipped  and  let  milady's  hair  straggle  at  brow  or 
neck  or  ears.  He  tried  various  types  of  pins.  He  finally  came  up  with 
a  hairpin  with  a  hump  and  turned  out  millions  of  them.  This  was 
back  before  the  bobbed-hair  craze  set  in.  .When  that  fad  arrived 
the  demand  for  humped  pins  diminished.  Sol  Goldberg  used  the 


UNCORK     YOUR     IMAGINATION  2Q 

same  processes  he  had  used  before.  This  time  he  developed  a  bobby 
pin  that  met  a  current  need  and  solved  a  problem.  He  was  in  busi- 
ness again. 

As  you  cram  with  information,  investigate  and  experiment,  you 
may  want  to  adopt  the  formula  used  by  James  H.  Rand  III.  He  is  a 
young  man  who  has  earned  fortunes  with  his  inventions  that  include 
a  never-leak  water  faucet;  the  Bendix  Economat  washing  machine; 
milium,  the  aluminum-coated  fabric  that  holds  in  body  heat  in  win- 
ter; and  even  a  heart-massaging  device  for  use  by  surgeons.  Mr. 
Rand  disclaims  any  notion  that  he  is  a  genius.  He  declares  that  al- 
most anyone  can  use  his  simple  formula: 

A.  What  is  your  goal— just  what  are  you  trying  to  accomplish? 

B.  Cross  out  other  attempts  at  a  solution  so  you  don't  waste  time 
doing  what  others  have  proved  won't  work.  In  this  way  you  profit 
by  the  mistakes  of  others. 

C.  What  have  others  done  with  similar  problems  hi  various  fields? 
Perhaps  there  are  principles  that  can  be  applied  to  your  own  prob- 
lem. 

D.  Just  what  can  you  contribute— what  can  you  do  about  the 
project  that  makes  it  worth  while? 

Mr.  Rand  uses  the  essentials  of  that  formula.  He  has  made  it  work 
in  developing  many  profitable  inventions. 

Witness  that  approach  at  work  in  actual  practice.  You  have  read 
about  the  invention  of  the  Ronson  lighter.  It  was  fine,  but  in  a 
breeze  the  flame  blew  out.  Someone  in  Austria  developed  a  lighter 
that  was  supposed  to  be  windproof.  George  G.  Blaisdell  tried  to 
import  this  lighter  to  sell  it  in  America  but  couldn't  make  the 
arrangements.  He  decided  to  make  an  improved  windproof  lighter 
of  his  own.  After  thoroughly  investigating  the  field,  experimenting, 
testing,  and  overcoming  technical  failures,  he  finally  produced  the 
Zippo  lighter  that  became  popular  with  servicemen,  hunters,  and 
others  who  smoke  in  the  open.  This  developed  sales  to  beyond 
$10,000,000  annually.  He  had  something  to  contribute! 

Another  young  man  who  used  these  processes  and  made  them 
work  for  him  is  Harold  Schafer.  When  he  was  a  youth  clerking  in  a 
store  he  noted  that  there  were  many  complaints  about  wax  polishes. 
That  stimulated  his  curiosity.  Did  such  polishes  have  to  be  unsatis- 
factory? What  could  he  do  about  it?  He  let  his  imagination  toy  with 
the  problem  and  decided  he  could  concoct  a  better  polish.  He  got 
information  about  polishes.  He  experimented  with  mixtures  in  his 


3O  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

basement.  He  gave  demonstrations  of  his  product,  but  found  it  diffi- 
cult to  interest  wholesalers  to  develop  large-scale  sales.  By  this  time 
he  was  steeped  in  polishing  problems  but  not  getting  rich  at  it.  Then 
suddenly  "came  the  dawn,"  a  reward  for  his  searching.  He  learned 
about  a  new  type  of  cleaning  fluid  that  had  been  developed  during 
the  war  and  acquired  the  right  to  it.  He  merged  it  with  the  knowl- 
edge he  had  obtained.  By  random  doodling  with  possible  names  for 
the  product  he  evolved  the  name  Glass  Wax.  You  probably  know 
the  rest  of  the  story.  It  became  very  popular.  Wholesalers  and  the 
public  hunted  for  Mr.  Schafer  instead  of  his  having  to  hunt  for  them. 

Then  there  is  the  case  of  Slater  McHugh,  who  watched  entranced 
as  his  car  was  being  washed  at  one  of  those  huge,  five-minute  auto 
laundries.  Would  it  be  possible  to  rig  up  an  apparatus  so  that  every 
home  owner  would  have  his  own  car-washing  establishment?  Back 
in  his  Long  Island,  New  York,  home,  he  set  about  trying  to  construct 
a  home  car  washer. 

He  had  a  daytime  job,  but  every  night  and  week  ends  for  almost 
two  years,  he  experimented.  During  this  time,  he  estimates  that  he 
and  his  wife  washed  and  rewashed  their  own  car,  and  those  of  their 
neighbors,  at  least  2000  times. 

Finally  he  had  it— a  simple  little  kit  that  enables  a  car  owner  to  get 
the  family  bus  sparkling  clean  in  six  minutes.  It  consists  of  a  plastic 
hose  with  spray  nozzles  and  a  special  detergent.  The  hose  can  be 
attached  easily  to  the  doorframe  of  any  home  garage. 

McHugh  proudly  boasted  that  a  car  owner  can  wash  his  auto- 
mobile while  wearing  evening  clothes,  without  getting  sprinkled.  To 
prove  his  point,  he  demonstrated  his  kit  in  "soup  and  fish"— which 
remained  dry  while  the  car  emerged  glistening.  That  is  "show  busi- 
ness"—good  show  business— but  perhaps  a  bit  exaggerated.  You  might 
dampen  your  linen  or  creases  a  bit.  But  McHugh  has  the  right  idea, 
the  right  approach— and  the  lily  needs  a  bit  of  commercial  gilding. 

To  greater  and  lesser  degrees,  these  processes  are  going  on  daily 
in  basements  and  kitchens  and  attics  and  garages  of  men  and  women 
who  are  creating  home  businesses.  What  has  happened  in  other 
homes  can  happen  in  your  home  if  you  will  apply  to  your  own  uses 
the  experience  and  processes  of  thousands  of  others.  Remember  that 
these  well-known  cases  are  cases  of  individuals  who  were  obscure 
and  working  alone  or  within  the  family,  and  they  disclaim  genius. 
The  device  you  work  on  today  may  make  you  prominent  in  the 
future.  The  more  zealously  you  pump  your  imagination  and  investi- 


UNCORK     YOUR     IMAGINATION  31 

gate  and  experiment,  the  more  likely  you  are  to  benefit  from  the 
final  step  in  our  formula  for  uncorking  your  imagination. 

STEP     FIVE.     AFTER     STEEPING     YOURSELF 
IN     YOUR     PROJECT     SIMPLY     LET     YOUR 
IMAGINATION     COAST.     A     SEEMING     MIRACLE 
OF     SOLUTION     MAY    RESULT 

The  word  "miracle"  may  appear  out  of  place  in  a  practical  book 
by  a  practical  businessman.  But  it  is  seemingly  miraculous,  and 
of  ten -proved,  that  once  you  have  filled  your  mind  with  a  project  and 
its  problems,  the  solution  may  be  worked  out  'clearly  in  the  uncon- 
scious mind  and  pop  out  to  demand  attention  some  morning  after 
sleep— or  at  any  moment  in  the  course  of  your  day.  Inventors,  busi- 
nessmen, professional  men,  writers,  have  nearly  all  had  this  experi- 
ence at  one  time  or  another.  It  is  a  seemingly  miraculous  bonus  that 
comes  to  you  as  a  reward  for  really  tussling  with  the  problems  at 
hand,  pondering,  getting  facts,  experimenting,  searching  for  positive 
results.  In  all  likelihood  Mr.  Schafer  wouldn't  even  have  been  aware 
of  the  new  cleaning  fluid  he  adopted  and  adapted  if  he  hadn't  for 
some  time  been  tussling  with  his  cleaning  problems.  He  had  pre- 
pared himself  for  a  "break." 

When  you  are  "full"  of  a  subject,  a  project,  a  problem,  and  puzzle 
about  it  night  and  day  the  solution  may  come  from  out  of  the  no- 
where into  the  here  and  your  problems  are  solved.  H.  Tom  Collard 
was  fifty  years  of  age  and  cold  broke.  He  was  a  small-scale  rubber 
merchant.  He  knew  rubber.  He  also  had  problems  to  solve.  Not  only 
was  he  broke,  but  a  rubber  company  had  mistakenly  shipped  him 
some  latex.  He  couldn't  pay  for  it.  He  hadn't  ordered  it.  He  didn't 
want  it.  The  rubber  company  didn't  want  it  back  because  of  the 
freight  charges.  Collard  put  his  imagination  to  work  with  all  of  his 
background  of  experience.  What  could  he  use  that  latex  for?  No 
answer.  He  pondered.  No  answer.  What  to  do  with  it?  No  answer. 
Suddenly  one  day  right  out  of  the  blue  came  the  bright  idea:  a  latex 
cement  for  treating  automobile  tops!  O.K.  Now,  what  is  the  best  way 
to  apply  the  mixture?  Paint  brush?  Not  so  good.  Slow.  Came  the 
bright  idea.  Spray  it  on.  He  devised  a  spray  that  would  handle  the 
liquid.  Other  ways  to  use  the  spray?  But  of  course!  What  a  "lucky" 
break?  Bosh!  Mr.  Collard  simply  uncorked  his  imagination. 

In  almost  all  instances  of  a  so-called  "lucky"  break  you  will  find 


32  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

that  the  recipient  had  made  himself  ready  and  alert  for  the  "break." 
William  H.  Mason  is  one  of  those  who  made  himself  ready  for  a 
"break."  A  Joe  Doakes,  just  drifting  along,  wouldn't  have  seen  the 
"break"  if  it  had  broken  on  his  head.  But  Mr.  Mason  was  ready.  Mr. 
Mason  was  working  on  the  idea  that  he  could  make  a  new  type  of 
insulation  by  pressing  porous  wood  fiber.  He  tried  various  experi- 
ments that  didn't  work  but  believed  that  his  idea  was  sound  and 
kept  digging  at  his  problems.  Then,  one  day  he  made  a  mistake.  He 
forgot  to  turn  off  the  heat  and  pressure  valves  on  the  press  he  was 
using.  He  went  out  to  lunch.  What  a  break!  When  he  returned  and 
noticed  that  he  had  failed  to  adjust  the  machine  he  feared  his  ex- 
periment was  worthless.  He  opened  the  press  and  found  that  the 
continued  heat  and  pressure  had  given  him  a  hard-surfaced,  smooth, 
insulation  board.  It  became  known  as  Masonite.  He  was  ready  for 
his  "break"  and  he  recognized  it  when  it  came.  He  would  have  had 
no  "break"  if  he  hadn't  been  in  action. 

You  can  make  your  own  "lucky  breaks"  if  you  will  study  and  fol- 
low these  five  easy  ways  to  put  your  imagination  to  work.  These 
processes  have  been  proved  to  be  effective  countless  times.  If  that 
is  the  case,  why  aren't  there  many  millions  of  inventors?  The  answer 
is  simple.  Very  few  people  take  full  advantage  of  their  opportunities. 
The  mass  of  folk  will  get  out  of  your  way  if  you  know  where  you 
are  going. 

BOOKS  TO  HELP  YOUR  IMAGINATION 

How  to  Use  Your  Imagination  to  Make  Money,  by  James  D.  Woolf  and 

Charles  B.  Roth.  McGraw-Hill  Book  Co.,  330  West  42nd  St.,  New 

York  36,  N.Y. 
Make  the  Most  of  Your  Life,  by  Douglas  Lurton.  Garden  City  Publishing 

Co.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
How  to  Develop  Profitable  Ideas,  by  Otto  F.  Reiss.  Prentice-Hall,  Inc., 

70  5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 


CHAPTER     FIVE 


Yow  Self-Starter  for  Profitable  Ideas. 
Test  It  10  Minutes  a  Day  for  10  Days 


GIVE  ME  10  minutes  a  day  for  10  consecutive  days  and  I  believe  I 
can  give  you  a  profitable  idea.  Perhaps  the  idea  will  make  you  only 
a  few  hundreds,  conceivably  thousands.  It  is  not  impossible  that  if 
you  use  this  idea-self-starter,  you  may  change  the  entire  course  of 
your  life  at  home  or  on  the  job  or  in  an  entirely  new  field. 

You  are  skeptical?  This  is  too  brash  a  suggestion?  Perhaps  you  are 
right.  But  all  you  can  lose  is  10  minutes  a  day  for  10  days,  and  all 
you  can  gain  is  a  fortune.  I  make  bold  to  offer  this  proposal  because 
of  long  association  with  men  and  women  who  deal  in  ideas,  long 
experience  in  having  and  developing  profitable  ideas  of  my  own, 
many  years  of  work  in  helping  others  to  spark  and  cash  in  on  work- 
able ideas  that  have  made  millions.  Gamble  that  100  minutes  with 
me.  You  may  win! 

As  you  take  the  gamble  you  know  that  ideas  can  come  to  you  from 
almost  anywhere  at  any  time  and  any  place.  Ideas  are  as  active  and 
unpredictable  as  grasshoppers.  Some  folk,  because  of  the  nature  of 
their  work,  have  almost  unconsciously  acquired  some  of  the  methods 
of  idea-prompting  you  will  encounter  here.  They  latch  on  to  those 
ideas.  They  put  them  to  work.  Ideas  about  which  you  do  nothing 
are  virtually  worthless.  Others  maintain  that  they  have  no  imagina- 
tion and  rarely  have  workable  ideas.  They  are  wrong.  You  can 
deliberately  use  these  self-starters  and  train  yourself  to  invite  ideas, 
any  one  of  which  might  have  the  power  to  change  your  life. 

There  is  no  mystery  whatever  about  the  approach  suggested  here. 
It  is  a  simple  process  of  taking  the  imagination  out  for  exercise  for 
a  10-minute  period  on  each  of  10  successive  days.  You  are  your  own 
timekeeper,  your  own  paymaster.  The  proposal  is  for  you  to  read  and 
reread  the  suggestive  pointers  offered  in  this  brief  chapter.  Use 
these  pointers  in  considering  anything  around  you  that  interests  you 
even  casually.  Preferably  you  might  hold  to  something  in  which  you 


34  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

are  keenly  interested  or  would  like  to  become  interested.  The  stimu- 
lators are  presented  in  a  somewhat  disorganized  fashion  because 
ideas  come  from  almost  anywhere.  Put  in  your  10  minutes  a  day 
applying  these  question-prompting  pointers  to  things  around  you, 
whatever  they  may  be.  Start  anywhere  and  let  it  be  serious  or 
frivolous. 

For  instance,  let  me  snatch  something  at  random  this  moment:  I 
had  hard  "luck"  at  bridge  last  night.  Never  played  poker.  Wonder 
why?  Poker  chips.  Smooth  to  handle.  Couldn't  they  be  put  to  useful 
work?  They  are  colorful.  Bore  holes  in  them  and  fasten  together  for 
bracelets  or  necklaces.  Cut  in  two  and  use  as  rockers  for  a  toy  crib 
box.  Take  several  worked  into  a  colorful  design,  one  in  center,  sur- 
round in  circles  or  other  designs.  Inset  flush  in  a  plaster  slab,  frame 
it,  put  it  on  legs  and  make  a  novelty,  occasional,  or  game-room  table 
as  a  gift  for  card-playing  friends.  Wonder  how  could  use  plastic 
playing  cards  in  same  way  to  take  advantage  of  their  color  and 
design.  Maybe  won't  set  in  plaster?  How  about  a  royal-flush  hand 
spread  on  green  felt  under  glass,  framed,  table  top— or  picture  for 
the  wall,  or  book  ends  under  plastic  with  two  or  three  poker  chips 
scattered  into  the  design.  Those  colorful  cards  would  look  well 
under  glass  or  lucite  for  a  paper  weight— so  would  colorful  bird  and 
game  pictures  from  books— make  good  coasters  if  under  glass. 
Maybe  develop  a  line  of  sports  novelties  based  on  poker  chips,  play- 
ing cards,  colorful  fish  flies  under  glass  or  in  plastic,  pictures  of  game 
birds,  hunters,  fish,  flowers,  boats  .  .  . 

Well,  I  haven't  made  a  fortune  out  of  poker  chips  in  four  minutes, 
but  if  I  worked  with  potter's  clay  I  believe  I'd  come  up  with  salable 
products.  Some  of  the  thoughts  are  foolish.  Some  are  workable.  You 
can  toy  with  almost  any  object  in  that  way,  pumping  for  a  salable 
idea,  a  new  product  or  service  that  will  appeal  to  others,  using  the 
following  tested  and  proved  ways  in  which  others  have  come  up 
with  profits. 

Combine.  Unite  one  or  more  old  things,  one  or  more  new  things, 
new  and  old.  Recently  a  man  combined  floor  wax  and  insecticide. 
The  auto  is  a  combination  of  buggy  and  motor.  Rum  combined  with 
candy  gives  a  new  taste, 

Adapt.  An  outdoor  home  chef  developed  a  syringe  to  inject  sea- 
soning into  roasts  and  steaks.  He's  in  business.  Someone  else  devel- 
oped thermometers  for  turkeys  in  the  oven  and  for  other  cooking 
processes.  Scotchlite  has  hundreds  of  uses:  attached  to  road  markers, 


UNCORKYOURIMAGINATION  35 

to  home  name-address  signs,  to  canes  for  protection  of  blind  at 
night,  on  rear  of  bikes.  A  horse's  straw  hat  becomes  milady's  sport 
bonnet.  A  fish  creel  into  a  handbag.  Harness  into  a  sporty,  high- 
priced  belt. 

Add.  Add  something:  love  messages  to  candies.  Painted  name  or 
initials  to  cocktail  glasses,  shirts,  ties,  towels.  Electric  connection  to 
old  oil  lamp.  Gadgets  to  automobile.  Filters  to  cigarettes.  Zipped-in 
lining  for  topcoats.  Fancy  packaging  to  commonplace  articles. 

Subtract.  Take  something  away:  nicotine  from  cigarettes;  sugar 
out  of  soft  drinks  equals  No-Gal. 

Multiply.  Two  novels  in  one  cover.  Three-in-one  oil.  You  are  read- 
ing several  books  in  one. 

Alter.  They  even  do  it  with  animals.  Alter  a  pullet  and  you  have  a 
capon.  Alter  workmen's  overalls  and  you  have  sports  costumes. 

Condense.  Digest  magazines;  Omnibook.  Capsules— tabloid  medi- 
cine kits  for  explorers  developed  a  tremendous  business.  Bite-size 
fruit  cake  is  popular.  Miniatures.  Make  it  smaller.  Nested  dishes, 
tables. 

Enlarge.  Oversize  Easter  eggs.  Macy  balloons.  Jumbo  mugs.  Huge 
pockets  and  fist-sized  red  artificial  flowers  on  hostess  aprons  make 
them  sell.  Giant  all-day  suckers.  King-size  cigarettes.  Giant  economy 
size.  Make  it  bigger.  Barnum  had  the  idea  with  The  Greatest  Show 
on  Earth.  Hollywood  produces  super-super-super  epics.  Elevator 
heels  and  soles  make  men  seem  taller,  bigger,  make  business. 

Contrast.  Beauty  and  beast.  Pirate  and  baby.  Lovely  and  gro- 
tesque. Big  and  little  ceramic  elephants.  New  and  old.  Fat  and  thin. 
Round  and  square.  Color  contrasts. 

Remember.  Can  you  make  it  nostalgic,  joys  of  childhood  candies, 
grandma's  best,  the  good  old  days,  things  aren't  what  they  used  to 
be,  anniversary  gifts  and  cards,  the  old  swimmin'  hole,  grandpa  had 
it.  Old  songs. 

Senses.  Consider  the  senses  and  their  sales  appeals— sight,  smell, 
touch,  hearing,  taste,  beauty,  odor  of  magnolias,  perfume,  skin  you 
love  to  touch,  music,  taste— see  cooking  chapters. 

Superlatives.  Appealing  approaches:  newest,  oldest,  fastest,  slow- 
est, strangest,  loveliest,  safest,  easiest,  rarest,  lightest,  heaviest.  Look 
at  the  advertising  of  specialists.  They  lay  on  superlatives  with  a 
steam  shovel. 

Animation.  Can  you  make  it  move  invitingly?  Toys,  novelties,  etc. 


36  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Reverse.  Reversible  dresses,  table  covers,  aprons.  Can  you  put  it 
in  reverse? 

Sound.  Talking  dolls,  animals.  Musical  powder  boxes,  clocks, 
cigarette  cases. 

Fantastic.  Plastic  "space"  helmets,  space  guns,  Mars  uniforms  for 
children. 

Groups.  Mother-daughter,  father-son  costumes.  Nature  groups, 
historical  groups,  sports  groups,  in  wood,  china,  plaster,  metal,  etc. 
Unnatural  mixed  groups— dove  and  snake;  lion  and  mouse;  bull  in 
china  shop. 

Exaggerate.  Cartoonists  point  the  way,  accenting  large  noses,  ears, 
heads,  feet. 

New  use.  Old  coffee  grinder  made  into  flower  pot.  Fish  net  into 
burnoose.  Wagon  wheels  into  light  fixtures. 

Manipulate.  Put-together  erector  items;  take-aparts.  Modeling 
clays.  Things  that  run. 

Needs.  Can  it  fulfill  a  need? 

Desires.  Can  it  be  made  to  fulfill  a  desire? 

Novelty.  Can  it  be  made  unusual,  new,  different,  appealing,  ex- 
clusive? 

Appearance.  Can  it  make  him  or  her  easier  to  look  at— baldness 
and  hair  piece;  make  slimmer;  skin  more  touchable. 

Fear.  Better  health.  Purse  burglar  alarm.  Locks. 

Popularity.  Friend-winning  angles? 

Love  and  Sex.  Ah,  love!  What  angles?  Popular  for  centuries. 

Fun.  Entertainment  angles? 

Money.  Will  it  make  money,  save  money,  "stretch"  money? 
~~  Appetite.  Foods,  tastes,  liquids,  yearning  for  beauty. 

No  such  list  could  be  complete.  No  doubt  you  can  add  some  idea- 
stimulators  of  your  own  as  you  consider  products  and  services  that 
might  have  a  market.  Using  these  indicators  for  10  minutes  daily 
for  10  days  or  every  day  may  give  you  the  idea  you  need.  You  can't 
lose,  and  you  may  come  up  with  a  winner. 


CHAPTER     SIX 


Why  Dorit  Yaw  Turn  an  Idea  into  a  Fortune? 


NOW  THAT  YOU  have  surveyed  the  five  ways  to  put  your  imagination 
to  work,  why  don't  you  put  it  to  work  today?  This  very  day  nearly 
one  hundred  new  inventions  will  be  patented  in  Washington.  It  is  a 
fair  assumption  that  some  of  them  will  make  a  fortune.  It  is  also  a 
fair  assumption  that  many,  perhaps  nearly  all  of  these  new  ideas  are 
not  new  at  all— some  of  them  may  have  been  your  ideas  but  you 
didn't  do  anything  about  it.  When  you  get  an  idea,  grasp  it  firmly; 
go  to  work  on  it.  Do  something  about  it.  That  is  what  men  and 
women  have  done  to  keep  the  patent  office  busy  today. 

Americans  are  the  most  novelty-conscious,  the  most  avid  buyers  of 
gadgets,  in  the  entire  world.  They  are  also  the  inventors  of  these 
gadgets.  The  great  majority  of  the  money-making  gadgets  are  basi- 
cally very  simple.  So,  if  you  have  a  rather  simple  idea  for  a  gadget, 
don't  dismiss  it  as  negligible.  Study  the  following  cases  of  novelty- 
developers  in  action  and  you  will  undoubtedly  agree  that  their  "dis- 
coveries" were  not  world-shaking— but  they  were  money-making. 
Any  one  of  these  successful  developments  may  be  open  to  adapta- 
tion or  improvement.  Certainly  they  should  be  encouraging  to  any- 
one who  contemplates  really  putting  his  ideas  into  fortune-making 
channels. 

Your  ideas  come  from  observation  of  the  things  around  you  and 
your  study  of  what  others  have  done  to  solve  common  problems  and 
meet  common  needs  or  desires.  That  is  why  there  is  value  in  read- 
ing, in  this  book  and  elsewhere,  about  the  activities  of  others,  even 
in  fields  in  which  you  have  not  the  slightest  initial  interest.  Some- 
thing entirely  unrelated  to  your  interests  may  heighten  your  observa- 
tion, prompt  the  birth  of  that  one  idea  you  want,  to  make  a  fortune. 
One  idea,  your  own  or  the  other  fellow's,  may  prime  you.  For  in- 
stance: T.  F.  Dolan  wasn't  an  engineer.  He  wasn't  a  tobacco  mer- 
chandiser. But,  one  day,  when  he  saw  some  engineers  working  on 


38  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

plans  for  a  machine  to  make  bags  from  cellophane  he  had  a  brain- 
storm for  use  of  the  then  new  material.  Why  not  a  cellophane 
wrapper  for  cigars?  The  big  cigar  manufacturers  couldn't  be  inter- 
ested in  packing  individual  cigars  in  cellophane  "bags."  So,  he 
turned  to  a  small  manufacturer  who  was  willing  to  listen  to  a  plan 
that  would  make  his  product  outstanding  on  a  cigar  counter.  The 
random  idea  had  worked.  And  as  ideas  have  a  way  of  breeding,  and 
Tom  Dolan  was  now  interested  in  tobacco  packaging,  he  had  an- 
other idea.  If  you  have  ever  pulled  a  little  red  zip-tape  on  a  pack  of 
cigarettes,  you  have  used  that  idea  to  the  profit  of  this  man  of  ob- 
servation. 

Perhaps  some  of  the  case  illustrations  presented  here  will  spark 
your  own  imagination: 

REFLECTIVE     SIGN.     $100      PER     WEEK 

In  a  Detroit  suburb,  a  disabled  veteran  named  Martin  Ranco  is 
earning  $100  a  week  by  making  a  unique  type  of  reflective  sign  for 
home  owners.  After  nightfall  the  signs  leap  into  brilliance  the  mo- 
ment they  are  struck  by  headlight  beams,  instantly  revealing  the 
names  and  addresses  of  dwellers  to  visitors.  Ranco,  28,  is  making 
the  signs  in  his  home  workshop. 

Ranco  was  intrigued  by  something  called  Scotchlite  brand  reflec- 
tive sheeting,  developed  by  the  Minnesota  Mining  and  Manufactur- 
ing Company  of  St.  Paul,  Minnesota.  Scotchlite  sheeting  consists  of 
millions  of  tiny  glass  beads  coated  onto  a  reflective  backing  of  plas- 
tic or  fabric.  With  the  beads  serving  as  lenses,  the  material  directs 
a  brilliant,  glareless  reflection  back  to  the  motorist  the  moment  it  is 
hit  by  a  light. 

Ranco  studied  Scotchlite  and  its  uses.  He  saw  that  it  was  being 
widely  used.  At  night,  it  was  warning  motorists  of  people  and  ob- 
stacles on  roads  ahead;  it  was  being  used  on  advertising  signs;  it 
was  carrying  warning  legends  on  signs,  such  as  "danger,  explosives," 
and  "caution,  school  bus." 

Wasn't  there  a  business  idea  in  it  for  him?  One  night,  while  look- 
ing from  his  living  room,  he  watched  a  motorist,  obviously  looking 
for  an  address,  edge  up  to  a  house,  peer  out,  drive  on,  peer  again, 
until  he  found  the  place  he  was  seeking.  Wouldn't  home  owners 
buy  signs  which  would  make  their  addresses  instantly  apparent  to 


UNCORKYOURIMAGINATION  39 

visitors?  Other  types  of  reflective  signs  were  on  the  market,  but 
Ranco  saw  an  opportunity  with  this  newer  development. 

He  got  busy,  made  a  few  samples  and  took  them  to  home  owners, 
just  ringing  doorbells.  He  sold  his  first  order  that  afternoon.  More 
"cold  canvassing"  brought  more  orders— and  now  he's  turning  out 
many  dozens  each  week,  still  selling  them  the  door-to-door  way.  He 
sets  aside  just  one  or  two  evenings  a  week  for  his  canvassing,  gets 
his  orders  and  returns  to  his  cellar  workshop  to  fill  them.  With  the 
boom  in  one-family  dwellings,  Ranco  isn't  lacking  for  new  custom- 
ers. 


A  SYRINGE  INJECTS  MEAT  SEASONING 

Ben  Reyes  of  Los  Angeles,  California,  and  a  bunch  of  fellows  from 
the  Thirteenth  Air  Force  were  having  a  jungle  barbecue  in  the  Pa- 
cific during  the  last  war.  A  haunch  of  meat  had  been  cached  for  the 
occasion  and  Ben,  always  interested  in  cooking,  was  taking  charge. 

It  was  the  right  time  to  try  out  an  idea  that  had  been  perking  in 
his  mind. 

Now  Ben,  to  whom  wartime  chow  had  always  seemed  dull,  had 
asked  his  wife  to  send  him  herbs  and  spices.  For  this  barbecue,  Ben 
made  a  seasoning  of  crushed  garlic,  bay  leaf,  rosemary  and  grated 
onion,  mixed  into  a  pint  of  water.  He  boiled  it  for  five  minutes, 
cooled  and  strained  it,  and  then  applied  the  Big  Idea. 

Using  a  veterinary  syringe,  he  actually  injected  the  seasoning  into 
the  meat. 

The  boys  still  remember  the  feast  that  followed. 

After  the  war,  the  idea  stayed  with  Ben.  He  had  a  flavor  injector 
constructed  that  works  like  a  high-pressure  hypodermic  needle. 
When  a  solution  of  spices  is  injected  into  meat,  fowl,  or  fish,  the 
roasting  diffuses  the  flavors  throughout  all  the  tissues.  The  first  store 
to  handle  the  new  flavor  injector  was  the  famed  Hammacher 
Schlemmer  in  Manhattan.  It  sells  for  $2.49. 

Ben's  jungle-born  idea  is  paying  off. 

• 

GAMES     FOR     C  H  I  L  D  R  E  N  =  C  A  S  H 

One  night,  Irving  Brambier  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  was  watching 
his  two  children,  Michael  and  Ronnie  Sue,  trying  to  puzzle  out  an 
adult  card  game.  The  children,  eight  and  five  years  old,  were  hav- 


40  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

ing  trouble.  It  gave  Brambier,  a  young  advertising  man,  an  idea— 
wouldn't  there  be  a  market  for  a  deck  of  cards  scaled  down  in  sim- 
plicity to  a  child's  mind? 

Each  evening  he  sat  in  his  living  room  with  cut-up  scraps  of 
paper,  and  from  those  evenings  emerged  Ed-U-Cards,  Inc.,  now  a 
thriving  business  enterprise. 

He  produced  a  number  of  different  card  games,  especially  for  the 
pre-canasta  set.  These  are  decks  of  baseball  games,  cowboy  and 
Indian  games,  fairy  tales,  nursery  rhymes  and  contests  of  various 
kinds.  A  number  of  private  institutions  took  note  and  ordered 
batches.  Brambier  left  the  advertising  business  and  went  into  the 
kiddie-card  business  full  tilt. 

Others,  among  many  who  have  developed  games  into  income,  are 
Lester  Capen  and  George  King  of  Redondo  Beach,  California.  They 
were  a  one-time  song  and  dance  vaudeville  team  and  tapped  out  the 
idea  of  providing  educational  jigsaw  puzzles  for  rental  to  hospitals, 
nursery  and  primary  schools.  It  worked. 

A     HARRIED     HUSBAND'S     CLOTHES     HANGERS 

It  was  a  typical  evening  at  the  Ferraras'  in  their  Bronx,  New  York, 
apartment.  Carl  was  all  dressed  and  ready,  but  Connie  was  still 
rummaging  in  her  closet.  Carl  stalked  into  the  bedroom,  stood  at  the 
door  and  called:  "What's  keeping  you?  We're  a  half  hour  late 
already." 

Connie's  voice  came  from  the  recesses  of  the  closet.  "I  can't  find 
my  white  blouse,  the  one  with  the  green  trim,"  she  said.  Carl  stepped 
over  to  help— and  together  they  went  through  the  closet,  finally 
locating  the  missing  blouse  among  the  clutter.  Carl's  comment,  "I've 
never  seen  such  a  mess!"  brought  the  swift  response:  "Why  don't 
you  do  something  about  it,  then?" 

"Maybe  I  will,"  Carl  retorted. 

And  darned  if  he  didn't.  Out  of  his  workshop  came  a  boon  for 
women  who  are  generally  neat,  but  whose  closets  are  not.  He's 
helped  straighten  out  the  mess  all  female  closets  generally  get  into, 
meanwhile  creating  a  thumpingly  good  business  for  himself. 

Originally,  Carl  hadn't  the  faintest  idea  of  going  into  business— he 
only  wanted  to  help  Connie  out  of  her  closet  dilemma.  He  made 
sets  of  10  metal  hangers  that  fit  into  wooden  bars  15  inches  long. 
The  bars  are  fastened  onto  upright  metal  strips  at  any  desired 


UNCORK     YOUR     IMAGINATION  41 

height.  With  this  arrangement,  hangers  can  be  attached  to  either 
side  or  back  walls.  Each  hanger  swings  free,  making  it  easy  to  reach 
any  garment.  Carl  designed  four  separate  units,  for  dresses,  blouses, 
trousers,  and  skirts. 

But  it  worked  so  well  that  Carl  got  second  thoughts.  He  obtained 
patents  and  went  into  business.  That  was  in  November  of  1951  and 
now  their  Veri-Neet  hangers  are  selling  in  some  major  stores. 


CHAPTER     SEVEN 

More  Than  100  Needed  Inventions 


NEARLY  EVERYTHING  we  use  has  been  improved,  changed,  developed, 
reinvented,  often  many  times.  The  process  will  continue  so  long  as 
there  is  progress  in  the  world.  Each  reader  has  his  or  her  own  frame 
of  experience  and  abilities  from  which  extremely  valuable  inven- 
tions might  spring— it  may  be  a  gadget  for  home  or  office  or  shop,  a 
new  fastener  for  baby  blankets,  a  million-dollar  toy  or  cleaning 
formula;  or  it  may  be  one  of  the  numerous  devices  for  which  the 
government  is  begging  in  the  interests  of  national  defense.  This 
chapter,  listing  a  broad  sampling  of  needed  inventions  simply  as  an 
indicator  and  stimulator,  may  be  skipped  by  many,  but  within  these 
few  pages  you  may  find  the  springboard  to  a  fortune  and  a  life  of 
service  to  your  community  and  your  country. 

No  one  can  hand  you  the  solution  to  these  problems  on  a  platter. 
No  one  can  promise  that  some  of  these  inventions  may  not  be  flow- 
ing from  resourceful  minds  at  this  moment.  Inventive  change  is  a 
constant  process.  But,  you  can  be  assured  that  your  own  approach 
may  be  the  one  best  idea  of  the  day,  or  the  decade,  and  entirely 
different  from  any  other  invention  being  offered  by  others. 

Here,  then,  is  a  sample  list  of  fifty  miscellaneous  needed  inven- 
tions: 

1.  A  harmless  mouthwash  that  will  eliminate  all  tartar  forming  on 
teeth. 

2.  An  ice-cube  tray  that  will  surrender  one  or  more  cubes  without 


42  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

any  struggle.  Obviously  there  is  room  for  improvement  over  all 
existing  types. 

3.  A  cheap,  light,  non-warping,  and  easy-to-carpenter  substitute 
for  plywood  and  other  wallboards. 

4.  A  better,  faster,  cheaper  method  of  bookbinding  will  assure  a 
fortune  for  someone. 

5.  A  process  not  requiring  metal  alloys  in  hardening  copper. 

6.  A  lifetime  cigarette  lighter  requiring  no  servicing  after  purchase. 

7.  A  safety-razor  blade  that  never  requires  honing. 

8.  A  one-coat  paint  that  will  last  the  life  of  the  average  frame 
house. 

9.  New  educational  toys  that  are  fun. 

10.  An  improved,  inexpensive,  not  cumbersome,  attachment  to  per- 
mit privacy  in  speaking  into  a  telephone. 

11.  A  non-brittle,  and  almost  instantaneously  drying,  nail  polish. 

12.  A  better,  easily  removable,  and  replaceable  sealing  cap  for 
bottles  of  charged  liquids. 

13.  A  low-priced  light  bulb  that  can  be  used  for  years  without  re- 
placement. 

14.  A  furnace  with  a  negligible  waste  of  heat. 

15.  A  one-coat,  paint-on  material  for  absolute  waterproofing  of  old 
and  new  stone  or  cement  basement  floors  and  walls. 

16.  A  cheap,  automatic  household  alarm  to  detect  escaping  natural 
or  manufactured  gas. 

17.  An  economical,  comfortable  bed  mattress  of  negligible  weight. 

18.  An  electric  rat  exterminator. 

19.  A  revolutionary  method  of  constructing  satisfactory  homes  with 
minimized  labor  costs. 

20.  A  low-priced  contrivance  to  turn  any  sink  and  its  faucets  into 
a  satisfactory  automatic  dishwasher. 

21.  A  cheap,  easy-to-apply  road  surfacing  that  is  virtually  indestruct- 
ible. 

22.  Silent  devices  to  do  the  work  of  present  noisy  riveting  machines 
and  compressed-air  drills— one  of  which  is  driving  me  slightly 
mad  at  this  very  moment. 

23.  A  five-minute  permanent- wave  process.  Solve  this  one  and  you'll 
be  wealthy  for  life,  even  after  paying  taxes  that  will  put  a  real 
dent  in  the  national  debt! 

24.  A  life-of-the-machine  platen  for  typewriters. 


UNCORK     YOUR     IMAGINATION  43 

25.  A  process  to  keep  snap  brims  of  men's  hats  from  flopping  like 
hounds'  ears— possibly  an  entirely  new  felting  process. 

26.  A  harmless  and  pleasant-tasting  pill  or  cigarette  that  would 
make  continuance  of  the  smoking  habit  repulsive  to  the  taker. 

27.  An  accurate,  non-breakable  clinical  thermometer  to  be  sold  at 
popular  prices. 

28.  A  kitchen-sink  trap  that  never  "backs  up"  and  never  requires 
cleaning. 

29.  A  quick  counterfeit-bill  tester  for  merchants  and  banks. 

30.  A  collapsible  electric  clothes  drier. 

31.  An  adequately  flexible  plastic  substitute  for  bottle  corks,  in- 
soluble in  liquors  and  wines. 

32.  A  chilling  pitcher  or  shaker  requiring  no  melting  ice  that  dilutes 
a  beverage. 

33.  A  foolproof,  easier-to-manipulate  fastener  for  wrist-watch  brace- 
lets. 

34.  An  automatic  re-inking  device  for  typewriter  ribbons. 

35.  A  non-breakable  light  cord  and  plug. 

36.  A  method  to  make  pigeons  and  starlings  shun  public  building 
cornices. 

37.  A  method  to  automatically  and  cheaply  eliminate  kitchen  odors 
and  grease  vapors. 

38.  A  harmless,  non-irritating,  daily  face  rinse  that  removes  whiskers 
and  eliminates  need  for  razors. 

39.  An  absolutely  non-pinching,  non-jamming,  foolproof  fastener  to 
replace  zippers. 

40.  An  easy-to-slip-on  resole  for  shoes. 

41.  A  better  foundation  pipe  and  outdoor  water  faucet  that  can't  be 
damaged  by  freezing. 

42.  A  dwarf  grass  or  other  green  lawn  cover  growth  that  requires 
only  once-a-season  trimming. 

43.  A  quicker,  cheaper  method  or  material  for  sealing  glass  into 
metal  casement  windows. 

44.  A  moistureproof  salt  shaker. 

45.  A  smooth,  weather-resistant  surface  firm  enough  to  walk  on  yet 
resilient  enough  to  prevent  severe  injury  from  a  fall,  for  play- 
grounds, etc. 

46.  A  method  of  weaving  or  treating  fabric  that  will  prevent  runs  in 
nylon  and  other  types  of  hosiery. 


44  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

47.  A  process  for  making  bricks  from  readily  available  waste  soil  or 
products. 

48.  A  non-explosive,  all-purpose  cleaning  fluid. 

49.  Less  complicated  automatic  vending  devices. 

50.  A  kit  for  easy  "patching"  of  chips  and  scratches  on  painted 
woodwork. 


UNCLE     SAM     BEGS     FOR     YOUR     INVENTIONS 

The  government  is  pleading  with  inventors  to  turn  their  minds  to 
technical  needs  of  the  armed  forces.  Remuneration  for  acceptable 
ideas  and  inventions  is  settled  privately  between  the  inventor  and 
the  branch  of  the  services  involved.  Some  years  ago  the  National 
Inventors'  Council  began  functioning  in  an  advisory  capacity  to  the 
Department  of  Defense  and  other  government  branches  in  evalu- 
ating, guiding,  and  analyzing  inventions  for  the  national  defense 
and  security.  The  Council  includes  noted  inventors,  scientists,  and 
industrial-research  men  'Tiaving  specialized  experience  in  the  de- 
velopment and  utilization  of  inventions,  together  with  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Patents  and  a  representative  of  each  of  the  branches  of  the 
Armed  Services." 

The  Inventors'  Council  outlines  this  procedure  for  submitting 
proposals:  "No  special  forms  are  required  and  the  services  of  an 
attorney  are  not  essential.  Consideration  of  inventions  is  facilitated 
if  each  proposal  is  submitted  as  a  separate  document,  preferably 
typewritten,  containing  complete  information  on  the  principles 
underlying  the  operation  of  the  apparatus  or  invention  together  with 
a  discussion  of  any  tests  which  have  been  conducted  and  the  partic- 
ular points  of  novelty  or  superiority  of  the  invention  as  compared 
with  existing  devices  or  practices."  Complete  lists  of  the  needed  in- 
ventions may  be  secured  by  addressing  the  National  Inventors' 
Council,  Washington  25,  D.C.  The  numbers  on  the  following  ran- 
dom sampling  of  the  problems  were  assigned  by  the  Council  and 
more  complete  information  on  military  application  and  the  present 
status  of  development  may  be  secured  from  the  Council: 

317.  Corrosion  and  Deterioration.  Scope:  To  develop  a  preven- 
tive against  fungi  and  corrosion. 

320.  Storage  Batteries  for  Arctic  Use.  A  new  type  electric  storage 
battery  or  improvements  in  the  lead-acid  storage  battery  is  required 
for  efficient  service  under  any  climatic  conditions  within  a  tempera- 


UNCORK     YOUR     IMAGINATION  45 

ture  range  of  130°  F.  to  —65°  F.  It  is  important  that  under  normal 
operating  requirements  the  battery  wih1  not  reflect  an  appreciable 
reduction  in  voltage  and  efficiency  due  to  low  temperatures. 

337.  Miniature  Batteries.  1.  Statement  of  existing  approaches  to 
the  solution  of  the  problem:  Attempts  have  been  made  in  the  past, 
through  the  development  of  RM  cells  and  low-temperature  batteries, 
to  meet  the  aim  listed.  2.  Statement  of  their  inadequacies  or  defects: 
Initial  production  of  RM  cells  was  spotty  and  while  some  batteries 
gave  good  performance,  other  batteries  did  not  provide  any  life  at 
all  because  of  open  circuits,  short  circuits,  and  other  defects.  Low- 
temperature  dry  batteries,  while  affording  some  service  life  at  tem- 
peratures as  low  as  —40°  F.,  have  not  provided  sufficient  life  at 
these  temperatures.  3.  Why  existing  commercial  or  military  equip- 
ment is  not  satisfactory:  Batteries  do  not  provide  sufficient  service 
life  per  unit  of  volume  and  weight,  as  they  presently  exist. 

347.  Electronic  Telegraph  Printer.  Scope:  To  provide  a  telegraph 
printing  device  in  which  the  functions  of  translating  the  transmitted 
signals  and  the  operation  of  the  printing  elements  are  accomplished 
by  electronic  circuits.  The  equipment  shall  be  light  in  weight  and 
capable  of  efficiently  operating  at  speeds  greater  than  the  conven- 
tional mechanical  teletypewriter. 

356.  Cathode-Ray  Tube.  Large-screen  (12")  cathode-ray  tubes  in 
which  the  glass  envelope  is  much  lighter  in  weight,  shorter,  and 
more  rugged. 

361.  Plastic  Material.  A  hard  plastic  material  that  is  compatible 
with  all  organic  and  inorganic  explosive  materials  at  all  tempera- 
tures from  —65°  F.  to  165°  F.,  and  under  all  conditions  of  relative 
humidity. 

362.  Marker  for  Ordnance  Supplies.  Method  of  marking  ordnance 
supplies,  visible  during  blackouts  and  resistant  to  removal  by  mud, 
rain,  etc. 

363.  Method  of  Packing  Ordnance  Supplies.  Method  of  packing 
ordnance  supplies,  capable  of  easy  opening  and  resealing. 

365.  New  Methods  of  Making  Colored  Smokes. 

367.  Track  for  Amphibious  Vehicles.  Vehicle  track  to  give  maxi- 
mum propulsive  effort  in  water.  For  use  on  amphibious  vehicles. 
Will  probably  be  of  the  feathering  type  where  the  feathers  or  vanes 
lie  flat  after  passing  over  the  rear  sprocket  or  idler  and  begin  to 
open  after  passing  over  the  front  sprocket. 


46  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

369.  Universal  Track.  Universal  track  for  use  on  all  types  of  ter- 
rain. Present  steel  tracks  destroy  paved  roads. 

370.  Reciprocating  Engine.  Any  known  or  new  and  meritorious 
methods  of  increasing  the  horsepower  output  of  reciprocating  en- 
gines. 

372.  New  Compositions  of  Rocket  Propellants.  New  types  of 
rocket  propellants  having  high  specific  impulse  that  will  be  smoke- 
less and  flashless,  and  have  high  physical  properties.  These  must 
have  good  stability  over  wide  temperature  ranges  ( —65°  F.  to  160° 
F.). 

380.  Non-Corrosive  Bearing.  A  non-corrosive  or  corrosive-resist- 
ant ball,  roller,  and  needle  bearing. 

381.  Anti-friction  Bushings.  Low-friction-type  materials. 

383.  Pneumatic  Tire  Substitute.  Sponge  rubber  suitable  for  zero- 
pressure    tires    (eliminate   the   flat   which   occurs   when    vehicle 
stands). 

384.  Substitute  for  Present  Wheel-Brake  System.  A  substitute  for 
the  present  wheel-brake  system,  not  damaged  to  an  unacceptable 
degree  by  grease,  sand,  heat,  and  water.  (Possibly  a  sealed  unit  on 
the  order  of  a  bicycle  coaster  brake— or  a  sealed  hydraulic  type 
utilizing  the  principle  of  restricted  flow. ) 

386.  Fastening  Means.  A  piece  to  function  as  a  bolt  or  cap  screw 
that  can  be  operated  without  the  usual  amount  of  turning. 

387.  Means  of  Sealing  Cracks  in  Cast  Iron.  Means  of  sealing 
cracks  in  cast  iron  by  welding,  brazing,  or  soldering-like  procedure, 
the  main  objective  being  to  eliminate  the  high  heat  and  expansion 
associated  with  welding. 

392.  Air-Brake  System.  An  air-brake  system  requiring  one  hose. 

397.  Substitute  for  Radium.  An  economical  substitute  for  radium 
having  a  minimum  of  gamma  radiation  to  be  used  for  the  purpose 
of  illuminating  scales,  etc.,  on  fire-control  instruments. 

403.  Aluminum  or  Magnesium  Alloys  for  Casting.  High-strength 
aluminum  or  magnesium  alloy  ( 75,000  psi  yield )  that  can  be  cast  to 
shape  and  heat  treated. 

404.  Electrolytes.  Improved  electrolytes  for  plating  to  increase  the 
rate  of  deposit  and  improve  the  plate  deposited. 

405.  Electro-Deposited  Chromium.  Some  means  of  improving  the 
hot,  hard  properties  of  electro-deposited  chromium. 

409.  Recoil  Brake.  Recoil  brake  dependent  only  on  dry  friction; 
the  coefficient  of  friction  must  be  reasonably  constant  or  predictable; 


UNCORK     YOUR     IMAGINATION  47 

mechanism  must  lend  itself  to  the  variations  encountered  in  recoil- 
mechanism  design. 

410.  Throttling  Device.  A  throttling  device  which  can  produce  a 
pre-determined  pressure  differential  which  is  independent  of  the 
velocity  of  throttling  as  well  as  the  density  and  viscosity  of  the 
fluid. 

412.  Magnesium  Alloy.  A  non-corroding,  penetrating,  alloying 
treatment  of  magnesium. 

413.  True-Vertical  Indicator.  A  simple  means  of  determining  true 
vertical,  not  employing  a  gyroscope,  that  will  not  be  affected  by 
accelerations  in  the  horizontal  plane. 

415.  Method  of  Treating  Machined  Edges  of  Plastics.  A  produc- 
tion method  of  treating  machined  edges  of  plastics  to  restore  resist- 
ance to  moisture  absorption. 

417.  Method  of  Manufacturing  Aspheric  Optics  in  Quantity  Pro- 
duction. 

418.  Optical  Glass.  A  technique  for  controlling  the  dispersion  of 
optical  glass  independent  of  the  index  of  refraction. 

419.  Non-Magnetic  Compass.  A  simple  directional  device,  capable 
of  being  carried  by  a  foot  soldier,  which  can  determine  true  north 
within  an  accuracy  of  five  mils,  independent  of  the  earth's  magnetic 
field. 

421.  Resistant  Coatings  for  Magnesium.  Methods  of  applying  me- 
tallic films  to  magnesium  metal  to  obtain  advantages  of  lightness 
and  resistance  to  surface  corrosion  and  wear. 

422.  Humidity  Indicator.  Humidity-sensing  elements  of  small  size, 
high  accuracy  and  sensitivity,  and  not  requiring  frequent  recalibra- 
tion. 

424.  Corrosion-Resistant  Compound.  The  development  of  an  eas- 
ily applied  corrosion-resistant  compound  that  will  remain  on  metal 
throughout  a  temperature  range  of  —80°  F.  to  200°  F.  and  will 
prevent  all  corrosion. 

425.  Non-Toxic  and  Non-Corrosive  Fire-Extinguishing  Agent.  The 
development  of  a  fire-extinguishing  agent  which  is  more  effective 
than  present  agents  but  will  not  be  toxic  or  corrode  aircraft  mate- 
rials. 

427.  Aircraft  Instruments  with  Improved  Readability.  The  devel- 
opment of  aircraft  instrument  dials  and  markings  which  will  have 
improved  readability  for  both  day  and  night  use. 

431.  Detection  of  Defects  in  or  General  Inadequacies  of  Struc- 


48  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

tural  Sandwich  Materials.  Scope:  To  develop  non-destructive  means 
for  determining  the  presence  of  defects  or  inadequate  bonding  of 
sandwich  materials  which  can  be  used  by  relatively  unskilled  per- 
sonnel, 

436.  Test  for  Welded  Joints.  Development  of  an  adequate  test  to 
evaluate  the  "toughness"  characteristics  of  welded  joints  in  plates 
from  %  to  IM  inches  in  thickness.  It  is  desired  that  this  test  be  suit- 
able for  steel  and  aluminum  alloys.  Present  tests  are  not  adequate. 
Such  tests  as  Charpy  and  Izod  impact  do  not  evaluate  the  whole 
joint. 

438.  Test  for  Adhesion  of  Organic  Coatings  to  Metals  and  Wood. 
Development  of  a  practical  and  accurate  test  to  measure  the  adhe- 
sion of  organic  coatings  ( paints,  enamels,  lacquers,  etc. )  to  various 
metals  and  wood.  Present  tests  involve  bending  of  a  painted  panel 
or  removal  of  film  by  scraping  with  a  sharp  instrument.  Neither 
provides  quantitative  values. 

439.  Test  for  Evaluating  Rust  Preventatives.  Development  of  a 
quick,  accurate,  reproducible  laboratory  method  for  evaluating  rust- 
preventive  oils  and  compounds  in  terms  of  total  service  life. 

440.  Lightweight  Expendable  Pallet  (Revised).  The  armed  serv- 
ices have  a  requirement  for  a  lightweight  expendable  pallet  having 
the  following  characteristics:  1.  Approximately  40"  x  48"  in  size.  2. 
Provide  for  entry  of  lift  forks  from  each  of  the  four  faces.  3.  Be 
constructed  of  non-metallic  waterproof  materials.  4.  Be  capable  of 
withstanding  a  minimum  load  of  1500  pounds  per  pallet  and  when 
stacked  four  high  in  warehousing,  a  load  of  7500  pounds  on  the 
bottom  pallet.  5.  Be  capable  of  withstanding  an  average  minimum 
of  16  handlings.  6.  Constructed  in  such  fashion  that  the  bottom  face 
will  not  damage  the  top  layer  of  packages  on  the  loaded  pallet 
directly  below  in  a  stack.  7.  Be  capable  of  withstanding  tempera- 
tures of  from  125°  F.  to  —65°  F.  under  operating  conditions,  tem- 
peratures up  to  160°  F.  for  a  period  of  four  hours  and  maximum  low 
temperatures  of  — 80°  F.  in  storage.  8.  Preferably  have  a  weight  less 
than  the  75  to  100  pounds  for  wood  pallets  and  cost  materially  less 
than  the  approximate  $1.75  cost  of  wood  pallets. 

449.  New  Type  of  Communication.  Scope:  The  development  of  a 
revolutionary  new  method  of  transmitting  intelligence. 

450.  Destructive  Ray.  Scope:  To  develop  equipment  of  usable 
size  capable  of  producing  destructive  or  death  rays  effective  at  500 
yards  without  excessive  power  input. 


UNCORKYOURIMAGINATION  49 

451.  Lightweight  Equipment  for  Translating  Speech  into  Writing. 
Scope:  To  develop  equipment  of  size  suitable  for  general  use,  ca- 
pable of  translating  ordinary  speech  into  the  written  word. 

452.  Radiation-Indicating  and  -Measuring  Equipment.  Scope:  To 
develop  a  convenient  pocket-size  instrument  that  will  give  continu- 
ous indication  of  radiation  intensity  and  cumulative  dosage,  using 
techniques  not  presently  employed  in  commercial  instruments. 

453.  Method  of  Heating  Dry  Batteries.  Scope:  To  develop  small, 
lightweight  equipment  suitable  for  heating  dry  batteries  so  that  full 
output  can  be  obtained  in  regions  where  temperatures  drop  to 
-65°  F. 

455.  Development  of  Rooters  Suitable  for  Use  in  Loosening 
Frozen  Ground.  Scope:  To  develop  and  investigate  types  of  rooters 
that  would  expeditiously  loosen  frozen  ground  for  arctic  use  in  road 
building,  bridge  approaches,  airfields,  etc. 

458.  Gas-Analysis  Kit.  Scope:  There  is  a  requirement  for  a  port- 
able kit  of  gas-analysis  equipment  permitting  positive  identification 
of  industrial  compressed  gases,  including,  but  not  limited  to,  oxygen, 
nitrogen,   acetylene,   carbon   dioxide,   hydrogen,   sulphur   dioxide, 
chlorine,  and  ammonia. 

459.  Acetylene  Generation.  Scope:  There  is  a  requirement  for  a 
substitute  for  the  carbide  method  for  generation  of  acetylene. 

460.  Anti- Freeze  Condition  Determining  Instrument.  Scope:  To 
develop  an  instrument  that  will  accurately  indicate  condition  of  the 
standard  army  anti-freeze  used  as  a  coolant  in  motor  vehicles.  The 
instrument  should  be  portable  and  suitable  for  use  in  the  field.  Fur- 
ther, it  is  desired  that  the  instrument  should  indicate  the  amount  of 
any  of  the  various  components  which  may  have  been  lost,  that 
should  be  added  in  order  to  bring  the  components  of  the  anti-freeze 
to  the  correct  proportions.  The  proportions  of  components  of  the 
anti-freeze  may  be  unbalanced  by  moisture  condensing  in  the  cool- 
ant, evaporation  of  the  alcohol,  etc.  Further,  the  anti-freeze  may  be 
contaminated  by  rust,  copper  salts,  etc. 

462.  Plug  Valve.  Scope:  To  develop  a  lightweight  plug  that  does 
not  require  a  lubricant  or  to  develop  a  lubricant  that  will  permit 
present  plug  valves  to  operate  at  —65°  F. 

463.  Quick  Coupling.  Scope:  A  high-strength,  lightweight  cou- 
pling for  gasoline  pipe  lines. 

470.  Improvement  on  Permanency  and  Legibility  of  Marking  of 
Shipping  Containers.  Scope:  To  develop  improved  methods  and 


50  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

materials  for  the  marking  of  shipping  containers  which  may  be  used 
to  provide  increased  legibility  during  daylight  and  darkness  and  to 
prolong  legible  life  of  such  markings  under  exposed  storage  condi- 
tions. Also  to  develop  methods  which  may  be  used  for  concealment 
of  identification  markings  on  containers  for  classified  material. 

474.  Material  for  Windshields.  A  glass  or  other  material  suitable 
for  use  in  windshields  for  automotive  equipment,  having  the  follow- 
ing characteristics:   non-glare;  non-shatterable   (safety  glass);  re- 
sistance to  accumulation  of  fog  or  moisture  on  surface,  preferably 
without  use  of  external  energy;  if  not  possible  then  solution  not  to 
include  use  of  surface  coating;  a  surface  as  equally  resistant  to 
abrasion  and  scratching  as  glass  currently  in  use. 

475.  Erosion-Resistant  Material.  There  is  a  requirement  for  a 
material  with  the  following  characteristics:  1.  Machinable  at  room 
temperature.  2.  Minimum  of  10  per  cent  elongation  at  room  tem- 
perature. 3.  Hot  hardness  of  200  minimum  Brinell  at  1500°  F.  4. 
Resistant  to  erosion  of  hot  gases  at  high  velocity. 

476.  To  Provide  for  the  Rapid  Splicing  of  Assault  and  Field-Type 
Wires.  Scope:  To  develop  a  tool  or  material  which  will  permit  the 
rapid  splicing  of  military  field  wires  (twisted  pair  multi-conductor 
3  copper  and  4  steel,  insulated  wire). 

477.  Snow  Vehicle.  Scope:  A  need  exists  for  an  extra  lightweight, 
low-ground  pressure,  gasoline-operated,  over-snow  vehicle. 

478.  Machinery  for  Fabrication  and  Method  of  Welding  Titanium. 
Scope:  Before  titanium  and  titanium  alloys  can  be  applied  widely 
in  the  design  and  production  of  military  equipment,  certain  prob- 
lems must  be  solved.  For  instance,  a  practicable  quantity-production 
method  for  welding  commercial  unalloyed  titanium  is  required.  The 
welding  which  has  been  done  thus  far  has  been  by  laboratory 
methods  which  are  not  practicable  for  use  in  production.  Experience 
is  also  lacking  so  far  in  materials  and  methods  of  welding  high- 
strength  titanium  alloys.  Likewise  there  is  lack  of  experience  in  cast- 
ing titanium  and  its  alloys.  Except  for  special  equipment,  which  will 
probably  be  required  for  welding  and  casting,  it  is  probable  that  the 
standard  equipment  can  be  used  for  other  steps  in  the  fabrication  of 
titanium  and  its  alloys. 

479.  Adhesive  for  Explosives.  Scope:   To  develop  an  adhesive 
having  the  following  characteristics:  1.  Capable  of  application  with- 
out use  of  heat  in  temperatures  as  low  as  —40°  F.  2.  Capable  of 
holding  a  2/2-pound  block  of  either  bare  or  packaged  explosive 


UNCORK     YOUR     IMAGINATION  51 

(wrappings  include  waterproof  kraft  paper,  cotton  fabric  and 
Saran )  on  a  vertical  surface  for  a  period  of  60  days,  utilizing  about 
15  square  inches  of  block  surface.  3.  Adhesive  must  be  capable  of 
supporting  the  block  on  vertical  steel,  concrete,  treated  cardboard, 
plastic  and  wood  surfaces  which  are  relatively  free  of  dirt.  4.  Should 
be  capable  of  supporting  the  block  throughout  a  temperature  range 
of  _40°  F.  to  160°  F.  and  not  be  affected  by  water.  5.  Adhesive  shall 
withstand  storage  in  airtight  containers  for  a  period  of  five  years. 
For  experimental  purposes,  bare  explosives,  such  as  commercially 
available  TNT  block  or  dynamite,  and  dead  weight  wrapped  in  the 
materials  mentioned  above  may  be  used  as  practice  materials.  Any 
inert  material  of  about  1.6  specific  gravity  would  be  acceptable  for 
test,  the  whole  purpose  of  the  test  being  to  determine  the  quality  of 
the  adhesive. 

480.  Adhesive  Tape,  Industrial.  Scope:  To  develop  a  pressure 
adhesive  tape  having  the  following  characteristics:  1.  Inexpensive 
and  not  composed  of  strategic  or  critical  materials.  2.  Capable  of 
application  without  use  of  heat  in  temperatures  as  low  as  —40°  F. 
3.  Desirable,  although  not  mandatory,  that  the  tape  be  suitable  also 
for  use  in  temperatures  to  125°  F.  4.  Must  be  capable  of  withstand- 
ing weather  conditions  for  at  least  one  year  without  peeling.  5. 
Capable  of  storage  in  temperatures  from  —80°  F.  to  160°  F.  without 
serious  deterioration.  6.  Capable  of  adhering  to  various  materials. 

481.  Automatic  Coupling  Joint.  Scope:  To  develop  an  automati- 
cally coupling  joint  for  fixed  and  floating  bridges. 

482.  Lightweight  Unicellular  Foam  Filler  for  Field  Manufacture. 
Scope:  To  develop  a  process  and  lightweight  equipment  capable  of 
manufacturing  a  lightweight  unicellular  foam  which  when  extruded 
into  a  canvas  tube  would  inflate  the  tube  before  hardening. 

483.  Radical  Methods  of  Ship  Discharge.  Radical  methods  for 
rapid  discharge  of  large  quantities  of  military  supplies  from  com- 
mercial or  military  vessels  either  over  the  beach  or  at  dockside. 

484.  Down  and  Feather  Substitute.  Down  and  waterfowl  feathers, 
for  use  in  mountain  and  Arctic  sleeping  bags,  are  critical  materials 
in  time  of  emergency.  Substitute  materials  are  desired  which  can  be 
utilized  in  these  sleeping  bags. 

485.  Snow  and  Ice  Mole.  A  device  capable  of  burrowing  a  large 
vehicle-sized  hole  or  tunnel  through  hard  compacted  snow  (neve) 
or  solid  ice  to  produce  rapid  under-snow  storage  and  protection. 
Upper  snow  and  ice  surface  would  be  flat  to  begin  with  and  should 


52  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

remain  essentially  flat  for  camouflage  and  snowdrift  reasons  after 
the  holes  are  made.  Holes  should  have  arched  snow  roof  several 
feet  thick  and  a  flat  floor.  Device  would  preferably  be  capable  of 
both  continued  forward  movement  for  tunnel  construction  and  for 
widening  underground  storage  rooms. 

486.  A  Personal  Heating  System.  A  device  that  will  distribute 
heat  over  the  human  body  for  exposures  at  sub-zero  temperatures 
and  moderate  winds  that  will  permit  individuals  to  walk  about, 
work  with  hands,  ride  or  drive  in  unheated  vehicles,  or  sleep  with- 
out outer  shelter.  Device  must  be  independent  of  any  restricting  or 
heavy  electrical  power  source.  Must  have  adjustable  heat  input  and 
must  be  capable  of  a  minimum  of  eight  hours  operation  without 
refueling.  Must  permit  rapid  discarding  or  ventilation  and  not  ham- 
per ability  when  greater  activity  than  moderate  walking  becomes 
necessary.  Shall  not  create  a  fire  hazard,  "hot  spots"  that  will  burn 
the  body,  cause  toxic  fumes  or  other  human  hazard.  Must  be  reason- 
ably lightweight,  compatible  with  normal  Arctic  clothing,  and 
above  all  practical.  Preliminary  studies  show  that  inventive  genius 
is  needed  primarily  to  produce  a  practical  non-electric  distribution 
system  or  a  very  light,  silent,  portable  electrical  power  unit.  Heat 
can  be  pumped  into  torso  to  counteract  heat  losses  from  hands,  feet, 
and  head.  Although  hands  and  feet  feel  the  cold,  internal  circula- 
tion prevents  (and  is  even  physiologically  dangerous  to)  effective 
heating  of  extremities.  If  torso  is  warmed  sufficiently,  normal  cir- 
culation will  keep  extremities  adequately  warm.  Critical  safe  upper 
temperature  limit  at  skin  surface  is  under  100°  F. 

488.  Practical  Method  of  Destroying  Telltale  Tracks  of  Men  on 
Foot  or  Vehicles  across  Snow  Fields. 

490.  Stabilization  of  Flat  Surfaces.  Practical,  quick  method  of 
stabilizing  certain  flat  surfaces  to  the  extent  that  they  can  be  used 
for  nearly  normal  roads,  heavy-bomber  air  fields,  or  construction  of 
installations.  These  include:  1.  Neve  snow  fields  (density  at  surface 
sp.  gr.  .2;  deep  sp.  gr.  .8  to  19).  2.  Bogs  and  marshes  over  solid, 
deep,  permanently  frozen  ground.  3.  Intermittent  small,  deep,  or 
quaggy  ponds  and  frozen  soil  or  gravel  ridges  where  there  is  in- 
sufficient local  material  for  fills. 

491.  Inexpensive  Method  for  Rapidly  Converting  Snow  and  Ice 
into  Drinking  Water  in  Quantity. 

492.  Heated  Clothing  for  Personnel  in  Low-Activity-Level  Occu- 
pations. 


UNCORK     YOUR     IMAGINATION  53 

493.  Material  for  Arctic  Gloves  Resistant  to  Deterioration  by  Oil 
and  Gasoline. 

494.  Device  for  Protection  of  Head  and  Respiratory  Tract  against 
Cold.  The  chief  difficulty  in  the  solution  of  this  problem  is  psy- 
chophysiological  due  to  the  fundamental  inhibition  of  the  aver- 
age soldier  against  wearing  face  masks  and  similar  devices  over 
his  face.  Since  tests  have  shown  that  fully  one  fourth  of  the  heat 
loss  in  extreme  cold  is  from  the  breath,  the  conservation  of  this 
energy  by  some  simple  method  acceptable  to  the  average  soldier 
is  desired. 

495.  Rubber  Formulations  and  Other  Materials.  The  problem  is 
to  develop  rubber  or  rubber-like  materials  which  will  maintain  their 
functional  properties  over  the  temperature  range  of  —65°  F.  to 
160°  F.  The  only  currently  available  material  which  maintains  its 
properties  over  this  temperature  range   is   some  type  of  silicon 
polymer,  but  these  materials  are  not  suitable  in  many  applications 
because  of  their  low  resistance  to  abrasion,  low  tear  strength,  and 
low  tensile  strength.  Considerable  research  has  been  done  on  buta- 
diene-type polymers,  but  no  completely  satisfactory  solution  has 
been  obtained.  Oil-resistant  polymers  present  an  unusually  difficult 
problem  in  that,  in  general,  the  polarity  of  the  molecule,  necessary 
for  oil  resistance,  contributes  to  poor  low- temperature  resistance. 
Completely  new  applications  and  ideas  on  chemical  structures  which 
might  possess  the  required  properties  are  needed. 

496.  Engine  and  Personnel  Heaters.  Engine  and  personnel  heaters 
for  vehicles,  particularly  methods  to  keep  crews  of  vehicles  warm 
enough  without  so  much  clothing  that  they  cannot  perform  their 
tasks. 

Obviously— if  you  have  not  skipped  pages  so  far— all  or  most  of 
these  inventions  needed  by  the  armed  services  offer  no  stimulation 
to  those  who  are  interested  in  marketing  mincemeat  by  direct  mail, 
and  most  of  us  won't  even  understand  what  a  true-vertical  indicator 
is.  Nevertheless,  these  known  problems  serve  to  advise  all  of  us  that 
we  may  have  specialized  knowledge  or  background  of  training  that 
is  of  untold  value  if  applied  to  development  of  a  needed  invention, 
whether  it  be  a  new  toy  to  keep  the  little  spalpeens  fascinated,  or  a 
device  that  helps  you  to  keep  young  and  old  America  from  a  life  in 
chains!  What  invention  can  you  contribute  to  life  in  the  United 
States  today? 


CHAPTER    EIGHT 


How   to    Protect   Yowr   Ideas   and   Products 
from  Pirates 


YOU  HAVE  a  bright  idea.  You  have  invented  something.  You  have 
written  something  original.  You  have  a  catchy  name  for  a  new 
product.  You  want  to  protect  the  possible  money-maker  from  pirates 
who  might  appropriate  it  and  wax  wealthy.  Many  an  inventor  has 
barely  eked  out  a  living  for  himself  and  his  family  while  someone 
else  has  cashed  in  on  his  ideas.  Even  when  you  follow  the  best 
methods  of  protection,  however,  it  is  one  of  the  sad  facts  of  business 
and  creative  life  that  whenever  a  better  idea  or  product  is  presented 
someone  will  imitate  it,  "adapt"  it,  or  appropriate  it  insofar  as  he 
dares.  It  may  be  a  reasonably  legitimate  competitor  or  a  mistakenly 
trusted  employee  or  a  contemptible  business  associate  whose  greed 
will  prompt  the  raid.  Sometimes  two  or  three  of  them  may  connive 
to  profit  at  your  expense.  This  more  or  less  constant  threat  should 
not  hold  you  back,  however,  and  you  can  avoid  or  minimize  such 
loss  and  frustration  by  taking  advantage  of  the  laws  established  to 
give  you  protection. 

These  laws  to  protect  you  cover  copyrights,  patents,  and  trade- 
marks. There  are  good  reasons,  some  of  them  highly  technical,  for 
each  of  these  methods  of  protection.  You  should  consider  carefully 
the  highlights  of  each  one  as  presented  here  as  a  guide  to  safety. 

COPYRIGHT    PROTECTION 

In  many  ways  copyright  is  the  simplest  procedure  to  use,  and  if 
instructions  are  carefully  followed  there  is  no  need  for  a  lawyer  to 
guide  you  through  a  maze  of  technicalities. 

There  are  13  classes  of  copyrightable  material.  They  are: 
Books,  including  pamphlets,  catalogues,  directories,  and  leaflets 
Periodicals 
Lectures  or  other  works  intended  for  oral  delivery 


UNCORKYOURIMAGINATION  55 

Dramatic  works 

Musical  compositions  with  or  without  words 

Maps 

Works  of  art,  including  not  only  the  fine  arts  but  artistic  jewelry, 

glassware,  and  the  like 
Reproductions  of  works  of  art 

Drawings  or  plastic  works  of  a  scientific  or  technical  nature.  (In- 
ventors should  note  this  classification. ) 
Photographs 
Pictorial  illustrations,  advertisements,  and  labels,  including  greeting 

cards  and  picture  postcards 
Motion  picture  plays 
Non-dramatic  motion  pictures 

Many  who  are  unfamiliar  with  the  laws  are  surprised  to  learn  that 
it  is  not  possible  to  copyright  ideas,  systems,  plans,  or  methods  of 
doing  something,  although  it  is  possible  to  copyright  the  words  de- 
scribing such  methods.  Furthermore,  you  cannot  register  titles  of 
works,  slogans,  mottoes  and  coined  words,  but  you  may  be  able  to 
register  them  as  trademarks  with  the  Patent  Office. 

Anyone  can  get  a  copyright  of  copyrightable  material.  The  pro- 
cedure is  simple.  Blanks  and  instructions  are  furnished  free  on 
request  by  the  Register  of  Copyrights,  Library  of  Congress,  Wash- 
ington 25,  D.C.  Fill  out  the  "Application  for  Registration,"  enclose 
a  $4.00  fee  and  a  single  copy  of  the  material  you  want  copyrighted 
if  it  is  not  to  be  published  or  intended  for  distribution.  This  copy 
does  not  require  the  copyright  line.  If  the  book  or  song  or  other 
material  is  intended  for  publication  or  distribution,  it  must  first  be 
printed  with  the  copyright  line— for  example:  "Copyright,  1954,  by 
John  Doe"— appearing  on  it  in  the  proper  place;  and  two  copies  must 
be  submitted  with  the  form  and  the  fee.  The  form,  fee,  and  copies 
should  be  sent  to  Washington  immediately  after  the  work  is  pub- 
lished. Publication,  with  the  proper  copyright  notice,  secures  copy- 
right and  then  the  law  begins  to  protect  you  for  28  years.  Within  a 
few  days  you  receive  a  certificate  showing  that  your  copyright  is 
duly  registered.  At  the  end  of  the  28-year  term,  you  can  renew  your 
copyright  registration  for  an  additional  28  years  by  filling  out  re- 
quired forms  and  making  payment  of  a  $2.00  fee. 

Copyright  protects  you  from  infringement  by  plagiarists  who  re- 
produce your  copyrighted  material  without  permission.  It  does  not, 
however,  bar  a  similar  work  independently  conceived. 


56  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 


PATENT     PROTECTION, 

Although  an  inventor  may  want  copyright  protection  under  the 
class  of  "drawings  or  plastic  works  of  a  scientific  or  technical  nature" 
or  other  classes,  he  should  be  on  guard  in  case  he  also  wants  to 
patent  his  invention.  His  patent  application  should  be  filed  within 
one  year  of  the  date  of  the  invention  because  the  patent  application 
requires  that  the  inventor  certifies  the  invention  has  not  been  de- 
scribed in  any  printed  publication  more  than  one  year  prior  to  the 
application. 

The  patent  is  the  best  protection  for  the  inventor. 

Unless  you  are  prepared  to  seek  a  patent  for  a  new  invention 
immediately  after  the  invention  is  born,  you  should  take  another 
method  of  protecting  yourself.  Prepare  or  have  prepared  a  sketch 
of  your  invention,  write  your  detailed  description  of  it,  date  it,  sign 
each  one  of  the  papers  involved  and  have  your  signing  witnessed  by 
two  friends  in  writing,  and  as  an  added  precaution  it  might  be  well 
to  have  the  papers  notarized.  Keep  these  papers  in  a  safe  place. 
Many  an  inventor  is  so  "cozy"  with  his  creation,  so  fearful  of  theft, 
he  doesn't  even  want  to  trust  friends.  If  he  does  not  do  so,  he  is  tak- 
ing even  more  serious  chances  of  losing  his  rights.  It  is  important 
that  he  have  concrete  evidence  as  to  who  had  the  idea  first. 

Having  taken  this  step  the  inventor  must  decide  whether  he  will 
expend  perhaps  $300  or  more  to  patent  his  invention.  If  he  has  a 
lawyer  friend  who  knows  the  patent  laws  and  will  work  for  a  nomi- 
nal fee,  the  cost  may  be  cut  in  two.  The  patent  attorney  will  have  a 
search  made  of  the  millions  of  foreign  and  domestic  patents  to  make 
certain  your  idea  or  invention  is  actually  original  and  will  file  your 
application  for  letters  of  patent  with  the  U.  S.  Patent  Office  in  Wash- 
ington. There  are  routines  of  search  and  publication,  etc.,  that  may 
take  five  years  before  you  are  presented  with  letters  of  patent  giving 
you  absolute  rights  for  17  years. 


TRADEMARK     PROTECTION 

If  you  have  a  product  that  you  intend  to  advertise  and  sell  and 
establish  in  commerce,  a  trademark  to  identify  it  may  be  of  incal- 
culable value. 

A  trademark,   according  to  a  U.S.   Department  of  Commerce 


UNCORK     YOUR     IMAGINATION  57 

pamphlet,  is  "a  distinctive  word,  emblem,  symbol,  or  device,  or  any 
combination  of  these,  used  to  indicate  or  identify  the  manufacturer 
or  distributor  of  a  particular  product.  To  be  valid  it  must  be  used  on 
goods  actually  sold  in  commerce  or  on  displays  associated  with  the 
goods,  or  on  tags  and  labels  fixed  to  the  goods." 

The  trademark  may  be  of  little  importance  to  inventors,  but  it  is 
vital  to  anyone  who  makes  or  markets  products  on  a  regular  basis— 
for  instance,  Kodak  is  a  trademark  to  identify  cameras  issued  by  a 
certain  company  that  wants  protection  against  others  from  "cashing 
in"  on  the  quality  and  reputation  of  the  issuing  company.  A  trade- 
mark is  simply  a  recognition  by  the  government  that  you  can  use 
that  name  to  distinguish  your  goods  in  commerce.  Once  secured,  the 
trademark  puts  you  into  position  to  sue  infringers  with  a  strong 
chance  of  winning  your  suit. 

Securing  of  a  trademark  is  not  as  expensive  or  complicated  as  the 
securing  of  a  patent,  but  you  will  undoubtedly  need  a  lawyer  to 
guide  you  through  the  technicalities. 


CHAPTER     NINE 

How  and  Where  to  Sell  Ideas  and  Inventions 


WHEN  YOU  first  have  a  brilliant  idea  for  a  new  product  or  service 
you  may  well  have  rosy  dreams  of  almost  immediate  wealth— cars, 
furs,  houses,  and  airplanes.  You  can  make  those  dreams  come  true 
in  some  instances,  but  only  if  you  are  not  disillusioned  by  the  plain 
unvarnished  truth  that  ideas  as  such  are  a  "dime  a  dozen."  They 
become  valuable  only  if  you  use  the  same  resourcefulness  in  selling 
that  you  used  in  creating  the  basic  idea.  Rarely  can  you  simply  dream 
up  and  toss  off  a  good  salable  idea  and  expect  anyone  but  yourself 
to  make  it  effective. 

It  is  one  of  the  hard  facts  of  creative  life  that  almost  anyone 
around  you  will  look  at  your  new  venture  negatively.  You  have  to 
put  positive  imagination  in  action  behind  your  project,  and  it  is  often 
lonely  business  in  the  early  stages.  Once  you  have  put  it  over— as 


58  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

have  a  multitude  before  you— then  everyone  is  willing  to  help.  It  is 
also  a  fact,  however,  that  once  you  start  the  ball  rolling  you  may  find 
others  who  will  help  you— but  only  after  you  give  the  initial  push 
and  keep  on  pushing. 

Your  one  best  way  to  sell  an  idea  is  to  tie  it  in  closely  with  your 
own  abilities  and  readiness  to  follow  it  through  and  assist  in  making 
it  effective.  Through  these  pages  you  find  many  instances  of  in- 
dividuals who  have  had  ideas  and  profited  from  them,  but  in  almost 
every  instance  you  will  note  that  the  ideas  paid  off  only  when  the 
creators  went  to  work  with  them.  If  you  are  on  the  job  in  office,  field, 
or  factory,  and  have  an  idea  that  applies  to  the  operations,  you  also 
have  a  fine  chance  to  be  paid  for  the  new  idea  or  improvement  or 
to  win  larger  income  because  of  it. 

The  difficulty  in  marketing  ideas  is  that  there  is  no  thoroughly 
tested  formula  to  guide  you.  If  you  raise  wheat,  there  are  established 
markets.  If  you  raise  an  idea,  there  may  be  only  a  few  places  in 
which  it  can  be  made  effective,  and  it  depends  on  your  own  re- 
sourcefulness whether  you  find  the  ideal  market.  It  can  be  found, 
however.  Thousands  prove  that  every  year,  but  only  on  the  basis  of 
their  own  searching  and  striving.  Patent  brokers  and  sales  agents 
will  help. 

You  begin  your  searching  and  striving  with  the  idea  itself.  You 
need  a  workable  idea.  You  need  to  see  clearly  how  it  can  be  made 
workable— and  where.  The  matter  of  where  it  can  be  made  workable 
opens  up  what,  at  the  outset,  seems  a  bewildering  array  of  possi- 
bilities. You  have,  for  instance,  invented  a  new  cleaning  fluid.  Any 
one  of  thousands  of  manufacturers  might  be  sound  possibilities.  But 
as  you  search,  you  narrow  down  the  field  to  those  organizations 
already  equipped  or  partially  equipped  to  both  manufacture  and 
sell  your  product.  The  search  is  up  to  you. 

You  can  start  your  search  by  examining  directories  such  as  the 
classified  telephone  books,  or  go  to  the  library  and  study  MacRae's 
Blue  Book,  an  annual  publication  that  alphabetically  lists  names 
and  addresses  of  major  manufacturers,  producers,  and  wholesalers, 
with  classified  lists  by  kind  of  product.  Or  you  can  turn  to  Thomas' 
Register  of  American  Manufacturers,  which  also  may  give  you  a 
lead  on  the  logical  buyer  of  your  idea  or  invention. 

You  can  dig  into  the  trade  journals  that  are  published  for  most 
fields  of  manufacturing.  You  can  find  a  certified  list  of  manufacturers 
looking  for  ideas  for  new  products  in  the  annually  issued  Inventors' 


UNCORK     YOUR     IMAGINATION  59 

Sales  Bulletin  edited  by  V.  D.  Angerman,  publisher  of  Science  and 
Mechanics  Magazine.  For  instance,  this  bulletin  lists  the  following 
companies  as  interested  in  toys  and  novelties: 

Mu-Dell  Plastics  Corp.,  2250  North  Pulaski  Rd.,  Chicago  39,  111. 

Bridge  Tables  &  Novelties,  Inc.,  80  Rogers  St.,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Hungerford  Plastics  Corp.,  Central  Ave.,  Murray  Hill,  N.J. 

Apex  Novelty  Co.,  72  Marshall  St.,  Newark  2,  N.J. 

BMC  Manufacturing  Corp.,  5-9  Griswold  St.,  Binghamton,  N.Y. 

Etched  Products  Corp.,  39-01  Queens  Blvd.,  Long  Island  City  4,  N.Y. 

Continental  Gem  Co.,  Inc.,  99-101  Beekman  St.,  New  York  7,  N.Y. 

Lido  Toy  Co.,  200  5th  Ave.,  New  York,  N.Y. 

Mastercraft  Toy  Co.,  Inc.,  19  West  24th  St.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 

Great  Lakes  Press  Corp.,  439-465  Central  Ave.,  Rochester  5,  N.Y. 

Unsinger-AP  Corp.,  1801  Spielbusch  Ave.,  Toledo  1,  O. 

Most  inventive  individuals  are  not  too  well  equipped  to  handle 
the  intricate  processes  involved  in  selling  their  wares.  Frequently 
they  find  it  advisable  to  turn  to  well-established  patent  brokers  or 
sales  agents  who  can  save  the  individual  from  many  mistakes— one 
of  which  is  failing  to  realize  that  a  manufacturer  may  be  making  a 
huge  investment  to  make  an  invention  and  sell  it  to  the  public.  Rep- 
utable brokers  keep  inventors  from  making  demands  that  "kill"  pos- 
sible sale  outright.  You  may  prefer  an  adequate  advance  and  a 
royalty  that  will  spread  the  income  over  many  years  with  resultant 
tax  savings. 

Mr.  Angerman,  in  his  bulletin,  cites  an  illustration  of  one  broker 
at  work.  "He  had  an  invention  placed  with  him  for  sale,  for  which 
the  inventor  asked  $10,000.  When  the  broker  got  an  interested 
manufacturer  into  his  office  and  put  the  proposal  on  the  table,  the 
manufacturer  said:  'This  is  ridiculous.  For  that  amount  of  money 
we  could  go  out  and  hire  an  engineer  for  two  years,  instructing  him 
to  build  a  machine  of  his  own  for  us  to  get  around  this  problem.  He 
would  probably  build  us  a  machine  in  six  months,  and  we  could  use 
him  on  other  jobs  for  the  rest  of  his  contract  time— and  own  a  suita- 
ble invention  outright.  If  your  man  is  going  to  try  to  hold  us  up  like 
this,  he  can  go  to  hell.  If  he  wants  to  talk  sense,  however,  we  will 
do  business  with  him/  The  broker  got  the  inventor  on  long-distance 
telephone,  and  it  developed  that  $10,000  was  just  a  figure  picked 
out  of  the  air.  The  inventor  was  happy  to  settle  for  $3000  and  a  fat 
royalty.  But  had  it  not  been  for  the  timely  intervention  of  the 
broker,  the  imaginary  figure  of  $10,000  would  have  queered  the 
whole  deal." 


6o  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

If  you  have  a  salable  invention  and  are  reasonably  sure  you  can 
work  up  an  adequate  presentation  and  carry  through  with  your  own 
sale,  by  all  means  do  so.  But  if  such  selling  is  foreign  to  you,  as  it  is 
to  most  individuals,  you  should  investigate  carefully  and  make 
arrangements  with  a  reputable  broker  who  may  sell  your  invention 
faster  and  for  better  prices  than  you  could  arrange  personally. 


HELPFUL  BOOKS  AND  PAMPHLETS  FOR  INVENTORS 

Inventors'  Sales  Bulletin,  V.  D.  Angerman,  editor.  Science  and  Mechanics 
Magazine,  450  East  Ohio  St.,  Chicago  11,  111. 

Making  Inventions  Pay:  A  Practical  Guide  to  Selling,  Protecting,  Manu- 
facturing and  Marketing  Your  Inventions,  by  Joseph  C.  Keeley.  Mc- 
Graw-Hill Book  Co.,  330  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 

Money  from  Ideas:  A  Primer  on  Inventions  and  Patents,  by  M.  Perm 
Laughlin.  Popular  Mechanics  Press,  200  East  Ontario  St.,  Chicago  11, 
111. 

"fates  Guide  to  Successful  Inventing,  by  Raymond  F.  Yates.  Wilfred 
Funk,  Inc.,  153  East  24th  St.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 

Inventors  Guide.  Free.  U.  S.  Commerce  Department,  Government  Print- 
ing Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 

Inventors  Handbook.  Fawcett  Publications,  Greenwich,  Conn. 


Part  Three 


FUN  AND  PROFIT  WITH  ARTS, 
HOBBIES,  AND  HANDCRAFTS 


CHAPTER     TEN 

Hundreds  of  Hobby  Crafts  Available  to  You 


YOU  ARE  NOW  or  you  can  become  one  of  the  millions  of  hobby  and 
handcraft  workers  with  the  skills  that  can  be  turned  into  pin  money 
or  steady  income  of  important  proportions.  If  you  want  a  home  in- 
come, one  of  the  first  and  best  possibilities  for  you  to  examine  is  any 
hobby  you  now  have  or  have  had  in  the  past.  Consider  its  money- 
making  potentialities.  If  you  have  never  had  a  craft  hobby  you 
should  explore  here  for  one  that  would  interest  you.  There  are  few 
fields  where  you  can  learn  as  rapidly  to  do  something  that  will  help 
you  make  money  at  home. 

High  costs  of  almost  all  manufactured  products  have  forced  mil- 
lions of  householders  to  become  their  own  craftsmen  and  they  have 
found  that  they  don't  need  to  spend  a  lifetime  to  develop  their  skill. 
There  is  a  huge  and  growing  market  for  the  products  of  the  more 
than  ten  million  home  shops.  There  are  buyers  in  almost  every  com- 
munity who  are  not  only  ready  but  trilling  to  pay  a  premium  price 
for  homecraft  products,  custom  made,  well  made  so  they  don't  fall 
apart  in  a  few  weeks  or  months. 

Those  markets  are  open  to  you,  and  you  needn't  be  discouraged 
because  there  are  so  many  hobby-shop  workers  who  could  turn  their 
crafts  into  money.  It  is  on  record  that  most  of  them  don't.  Most  folk 
keep  their  hobbies  in  the  hobby  stage,  and  except  for  an  occasional 
stray  sale,  do  nothing  to  market  their  wares.  The  hobby  craftsman, 
however,  who  studies  the  crafts  as  a  business  and  is  determined  to 
do  something  about  it,  is  virtually  assured  of  money  in  the  bank. 

Before  settling  down  to  the  business  of  making  money  with  your 
home  hobby  craft,  you  may  want  to  consider  the  field  as  a  whole 
and  make  a  careful  selection  of  the  line  or  lines  most  suitable  for 
you. 

As  a  homecraft  enthusiast: 

1.  You  design  your  own  patterns  and  products. 

2.  You  make  products  from  craft  materials,  using  your  own  or  the 
readily  available  designs  of  others. 


64  MO  NEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

3.  You,  especially  if  you  are  a  beginner,  may  use  ready-cut  or  ready- 
prepared  materials  that  come  in  kits  with  instructions  for  assem- 
bly and  decoration. 
As  an  enthusiast,  you  will  recognize  that  the  values  of  a  homecraft 

are  fourfold: 

1.  There  is  a  lot  of  fun  and  pride  of  accomplishment  involved  in 
becoming  absorbed  in  homecraft  work. 

2.  There  are  friends  to  be  found,  for  once  you  are  engaged  in  a 
homecraft  project,  you  meet  others  who  are  also  interested  in 
classes  of  instruction,  at  exhibits,  in  showing  your  wares. 

3.  There  are  almost  unmeasured  therapeutic  values  in  working  on 
craft  products  in  these  days  when  business  or  family  troubles  prey 
on  your  mind.  Concentration  on  craft  products  crowds  out  wor- 
ries of  the  day. 

4.  There  are  very  definite  potentialities  and  cash  values  that  are 
yours  for  the  taking. 

SELECTING  YOUR  HOBBY  CRAFT  PROJECT 

There  are  hundreds  of  home  hobbies  or  crafts  in  which  you  are 

now  and  may  become  interested.  These  particular  crafts,  in  large 

part,  stem  from  the  use  of  favored  materials  such  as  wood,  plastics, 

metal,  leather,  textiles,  clay,  etc.  Each  of  the  crafts  listed  is  subject 

to  ramification,  combination,  breaking  down  into  more  specialized 

products  that  defy  any  complete  listing  in  detail: 

Archery  (bows,  arrows,  targets) 

Artificial  flies,  bugs,  plugs,  other  lures  for  anglers 

Basketry  and  other  wickerwork  with  reeds,  raffia,  etc.  ( baskets,  lamp 
shades,  hats,  dresses,  coasters,  picture  frames,  mats,  trays,  racks, 
footstools,  chair  seats  and  backs,  vases,  etc. ) 

Batik  (dyeing) 

Beadwork  (glass,  metal,  stones,  pips,  bones,  shells,  etc.,  for  orna- 
ments, jewelry,  bags,  novelties ) 

Block  printing  (cutting  designs  in  wood  or  linoleum  and  printing 
from  them) 

Boatbuilding  (with  wood,  metal,  plywood,  canvas,  for  rowing,  sail- 
ing, outboard  and  other  motors ) 

Bookbinding 

Celluloid  (clear  acetate)  (etching,  billfolds,  window  pockets,  snap- 
shot frames,  card  cases) 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  6$ 

Ceramics  (baked-clay  articles,  pottery,  tiles,  etc.) 

China  painting  (painting,  design  baked  in,  etc.) 

Cookery  (scores  of  specialties,  cooking,  smoking,  preserving:  see 
Part  4) 

Cork  ( picture  mats,  coasters,  plaques,  table  mats,  decoration ) 

Costumes  ( designs  for  special  performances,  own  wear,  others' ) 

Design  (hundreds  of  specialties) 

Driftwood  (lamps,  flower-arrangement  bases,  plaques,  stools,  etc.) 

Dyeing  (batik) 

Embossing  (brass,  bronze,  copper,  tin,  pewter,  lead,  paper,  papier- 
mdche) 

Enamel  work 

Etching  ( pewter,  copper,  brass,  nickel,  silver,  glass,  etc. ) 

Felt  (hats,  vests,  belts,  slippers,  purses,  novelties,  suspenders,  bags, 
household  items) 

Glass  (engraving,  painting,  decorating,  personalizing  of  tumblers, 
trays,  dishes) 

Gourd  novelties 

Hairwork  novelties 

Heraldry  (painting,  illuminating,  designing,  coats  of  arms) 

Home  decoration  (designing,  making,  arranging  draperies,  uphol- 
stery, wallpaper,  furniture,  gadgets) 

Illuminating  (manuscripts,  mottoes,  wall  ornaments) 

Invention  (originating,  making,  modeling) 

Ivory  carving 

Knife  work  (whittling,  carving,  chipping,  etching,  leather  carving) 

Lacquering  (utensils,  novelties) 

Leather  (braiding,  tooling,  carving,  lacing,  stippling,  stamping, 
belts,  handbags,  jewel  cases,  brief  cases,  billfolds,  coin  carriers 
and  other  cases,  frames,  gloves,  sheaths,  desk  sets,  moccasins, 
etc.) 

Lettering 

Linoleum  (block  printing,  decorating) 

Marionettes  and  puppets  (making  individuals  and  groups) 

Mechanical  drawing 

Metalworking  ( repouss6,  bent  iron,  forging,  jewelry  making,  pewter, 
tin,  brass,  bronze,  copper,  aluminum,  Nugold,  nickel  silver,  wire, 
embossing,  bronzing  baby  shoes,  etc.,  enameling,  utensils  decora- 
tions, novelties) 

Modeling  clay 


66  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

Model  making  (miniatures,  nature,  historical,  literary,  landscape 
scenes,  airplanes,  coaches,  ships,  furniture,  houses,  figurines) 

Molding 

Mosaics 

Needlework  ( embroidery,  crocheting,  clothing,  drawn  work,  hooked 
and  braided  rugs,  knitting,  lace,  petit  point,  quilts,  samplers, 
spool  knitting) 

Paper  cutting 

Paper  folding 

Papier-mache 

Photography  (still  and  moving  pictures,  finishing,  albums,  photo 
montage,  illustrating,  coloring) 

Plastics  (cutting,  molding,  shaping,  decorations,  jewelry,  gadgets) 

Poker  work  (burning  designs  in  wood,  leather) 

Pottery 

Printing  (small  hand-press  work) 

Sealing-wax  work 

Shellcraft  (jewelry,  pictures,  novelties  uncounted) 

Silhouettes 

Silk-screen  printing 

Soap  carving 

Stencil  work 

Taxidermy 

Telescope  making 

Tooling  (leather,  wood) 

Toymaking 

Weaving  (looms,  textiles,  rugs,  mats,  tapestries) 

Wickerwork  (baskets,  chair  caning,  trays,  mats,  rugs,  vases,  frames, 
using  canes,  leather,  raffia,  etc. ) 

Woodworking  ( cabinetmaking,  carpentering,  chip  carving,  scroll, 
and  jigsawing,  toymaking,  turning,  whittling,  woodenware,  novel- 
ties, wood  carving) 

LOCATING  YOUR  LOCAL  CRAFT  GROUPS 

There  are  hobby  and  handicraft  groups  in  nearly  every  com- 
munity where  you  will  find  stimulating  companionship,  profitable 
courses  of  instruction,  and  fellow  craftsmen  who  will  share  their 
experience  with  you.  If  you  are  isolated  from  such  a  group  you 
can  still  secure  instruction  and  advice  through  the  organizations 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  67 

available,  and  from  craft-supply  houses  and  books  and  pamphlets. 

Points  of  inquiry  in  locating  special  craft  groups  in  your  home 
area  are  your  local  newspapers,  gift  shops,  supply  houses,  public 
schools  that  by  the  score  offer  special  classes,  librarians,  city  or  state 
chambers  of  commerce,  service-club  chairmen,  city  directories,  trade 
associations,  and  other  sources.  Some  states  have  sponsored  pro- 
grams such  as  The  League  of  New  Hampshire  Arts  and  Crafts, 
which  helps  citizens  of  that  state  in  setting  up  small  craft  shops  and 
giving  instruction  in  handicrafts,  and  the  Woman's  Program  of  the 
New  York  State  Department  of  Commerce. 

Another  point  of  contact  is  at  the  hobby  and  craft  shows,  and 
fairs  in  cities  and  county  seats.  In  Greenwich  Village  in  New  York 
there  is  an  annual  six-week  crafts  fair,  which  attracts  some  50,000 
customers.  The  Museum  of  Natural  History  in  New  York  holds  an 
annual  hobby  show  for  a  thousand  men  and  women  from  sixty  to 
one  hundred  years  of  age.  Inquiry  will  lead  you  to  shows  in  your 
local  territory. 

On  a  more  professional  basis  America  House  in  New  York  is  a 
retail  and  wholesale  marketing  outlet  for  products  of  professional 
American  craftsmen.  It  is  operated  by  the  American  Craftsmen's 
Cooperative  Council,  Inc.,  a  non-profit  organization. 

Outstanding  in  the  craft  field  is  the  American  Craftsmen's  Educa- 
tional Council,  Inc.,  32  East  52nd  St.,  New  York  22,  N.Y.,  of  which 
Mrs.  Vanderbilt  Webb  is  the  president.  This  organization  publishes 
the  periodical  Craft  Horizons,  and  is  supported  by  membership  and 
contributions.  At  its  national  headquarters  in  New  York  City  "the 
Council  conducts  a  clearing  house  of  current  information  on  crafts- 
men and  craft  groups,  special  teachers,  sources  of  equipment  and 
materials,  available  talent  and  positions  open  in  the  craft  field.  A 
craft  library  is  maintained  and  constantly  enlarged.  Pamphlets  on 
subjects  of  special  interest  to  professionals— such  as  'The  Craftsman 
Sells  His  Wares'  or  'Community  Craft  Organization'— are  published 
from  time  to  time.  The  Council's  staff  and  officers  consult  with  in- 
terested groups  and  individuals  throughout  the  country  on  estab- 
lishing or  enhancing  the  activities  of  local  craft  societies." 

Craft  Horizons,  edited  by  Mary  Lyon,  publishes  the  following 
roster  of  the  craft  groups  affiliated  with  the  American  Craftsmen's 
Educational  Council: 

Associated  Hand  Weavers,   Miss   Claire   Freeman,   46   Magnolia   Ave., 
Larchmont,  N.Y. 


68  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

Capital  District  Craft  Guild,  Mrs.  George  Sleeper,  76  Fuller  Rd.,  Mc- 

Kowansville,  Albany,  N.Y. 
Carmel  Crafts  Guild,  Mr.  Robert  M.  Bennett,  P.O.  Box  3591,  Carmel, 

Calif. 

Catskill  Arts  &  Crafts  Guild,  Mrs.  Gordon  Decker,  45  Liberty  St.,  Cats- 
kill,  N.Y. 
Central  States  Craftsmen's  Guild,  Mr.  F.  Jules  Reed,  1225  Kentucky  St., 

Lawrence,  Kans. 
Ceramic  Guild  of  Bethesda,  Maryland,  Mrs.  Percy  Grady,  4919  Del  Ray 

Ave.,  Bethesda,  Md. 
Ceramic  League  of  Miami,  Mrs.  H.  H.  Taylor,  803  East  Di  Lido  Dr., 

Miami  Beach  39,  Fla. 
Chicago  Weavers  Guild,  Mrs.  Charles  W.  Bortree,  1123  Pleasant  St.,  Oak 

Park,  IU. 
Colorado  Society  of  Ceramists,  Miss  Margaret  Johnson,  5050  West  46th 

Ave.,  Denver  12,  Colo. 
Council  of  Ozark  Artists  and  Craftsmen,  Mr.  William  Kennedy,  Box  310, 

Rogers,  Ark. 

Crafts  Co-operative,  Inc.,  Mrs.  William  M.  Daum,  Woodstock,  N.Y. 
Detroit  Handweavers'  Guild,  the,  Mrs.  Virgil  Anderson,  18330  Trinity, 

Detroit  19,  Mich. 
Englewood  Weavers  Guild,  Mr.  W.  K.  Carter,  447  West  60th  Place, 

Chicago  21,  IU. 

Farmers  Federation,  Mr.  James  G.  K.  McClure,  Asheville,  N.C. 
Florida  Craftsmen,  Mr.  Louis  Freund,  Fine  Arts  Dept.,  Stetson  University, 

De  Land,  Fla. 

Fulton  County  Craft  Guild,  Mrs.  Harriet  May  Hagerty,  Gloversville,  N.Y. 
Greenwich  House  Potters,  Mrs.  Hilda  F.  Niedelman,  16  Jones  St.,  New 

York,  N.Y. 
Hampshire  Hills  Handicraft  Association,  Mrs.  John  E.  Boland,  21  Center 

St.,  Northampton,  Mass. 
Haystack  Mountain  School  of  Crafts,  Mr.  Francis  S.  Merritt,  Liberty, 

Me. 

Hoosier  Handicrafters,  Mrs.  Frank  C.  Miller,  5302  Central  Ave.,  Indian- 
apolis, Ind. 

Ithaca  Weavers  Guild,  Miss  Rae  Murden,  Route  3,  Ithaca,  N.Y. 
Journeymen,  the,  Mr.  Hobart  Cowles,  School  for  American  Craftsmen, 

Rochester  Institute  of  Technology,  Rochester,  N.Y. 
Kiln  Club,  the,  Mrs.  Eleanor  P.  Roy,  7241  Brinkley  Rd.,  Washington, 

D.C. 

League  of  New  Hampshire  Arts  &  Crafts,  Mr.  David  R.  Campbell,  Con- 
cord, N.H. 

Liberty  Art  League,  Mrs.  Frank  W.  Garvin,  P.O.  Box  925,  Liberty,  N.Y. 
Liberty  Arts  &  Crafts  Guild,  Mr.  Earl  H.  Sincerbox,  Box  881,  Liberty, 

N.Y. 

Maine  Coast  Craftsmen,  Miss  Mildred  Burrage,  Wiscasset,  Me. 
Maine  Coast  Craftsmen— Freeport  Branch,  Mrs.  George  Soule,  Box  189, 

Freeport,  Me. 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  69 

Marli  Weavers,  the,  Mrs.  Louis  Bottino,  Box  394  F,  R.F.D.  No.  2,  Lock- 
port,  111. 

Metal  Arts  Guild,  Mr.  William  R.  Cook,  301  Willard  Ave.,  Toronto  9, 
Canada 

Mexican  Art  Workshop,  Taxco,  Mexico,  Mrs.  Irma  S.  Jonas,  238  East 
23rd  St.,  New  York,  N.Y. 

Michigan  Weavers  Guild,  Mrs.  Earl  H.  Todd,  32  Oxford  Blvd.,  Pleasant 
Ridge,  Mich. 

Middle  Tennessee  Craft  Guild,  Mrs.  Grace  Read,  205  Mark  St.,  Nashville, 
Tenn. 

Minute-Man  Crafts,  Mrs.  Ethel  Strong,  R.F.D.,  Wakefield,  Mass. 

Missouri  Federation  of  Arts  and  Crafts,  Mr.  Don  Charpiot,  Peoples  Art 
Center,  St.  Louis  8,  Mo. 

Montana  Institute  of  the  Arts,  Mrs.  O.  M.  Brammer,  Bigfork,  East  Shore, 
Mont. 

Navesink  River  Ceramic  Guild,  Mrs.  J.  E.  Robertson,  96  Battin  St.,  Fair- 
haven,  NJ. 

New  York  Guild  of  Handweavers,  Miss  Alice  A.  Meder,  11  Whittier  St., 
East  Orange,  N.J. 

New  York  Society  of  Ceramic  Arts,  Miss  Dido  Smith,  1155  Park  Ave., 
New  York,  N.Y. 

New  York  Society  of  Craftsmen,  Miss  Charlotte  E.  Kizer,  887  1st  Ave., 
New  York  22,  N.Y. 

New  York  Weavers,  Mrs.  Coulter  D.  Young,  450  East  63rd  St.,  New 
York,  N.Y. 

Omaha  Weavers'  Guild,  Mrs.  Daniel  Langfeld,  3322  Woolworth  Ave., 
Omaha,  Neb. 

Opportunity,  Inc.,  Miss  Ethel  McCullough,  Riviera  Florida  Crafts,  6  Via 
Parigi,  Palm  Beach,  Fla. 

Oregon  Ceramic  Studio,  Mrs.  Lydia  Herrick  Hodge,  3934  SW  Corbett 
Ave.,  Portland,  Oreg. 

Parkersburg  Clay  Club,  Miss  Katherine  Burnside,  922  Julian  St.,  Parkers- 
burg,  W.  Va. 

Pennsylvania  Guild  of  Craftsmen,  Mr.  Paul  W.  Eshelman,  Rohrerstown, 
Pa. 

Pond  Farm  Workshops,  Mr.  Gordon  Herr,  Guerneville,  Calif. 

Potomac  Craftsmen,  Mrs.  Ralph  Fast,  2935  Northampton  St.,  NW,  Wash- 
ington, D.C. 

Plymouth  Colony  Farms,  Dr.  Ralph  H.  Pino,  Director,  Route  1,  Plymouth, 
Mich. 

Saranac  Lake  Study  &  Craft  Guild,  Mr.  W.  Stearns,  Saranac  Lake,  N.Y. 

Shelburne  Craft  School,  Rev.  J.  Lynwood  Smith,  Shelburne,  Vt. 

Society  of  Connecticut  Craftsmen,  the,  Inc.,  Mr.  Henry  Pasco,  North 
Main  St.,  West  Hartford,  Conn. 

Society  of  Vermont  Craftsmen  (Fletcher  Farm  Craft  School),  Miss  Anna 
E.  H.  Meyer,  Brandon,  Vt. 

The  Southern  California  Handweavers  Guild,  Mrs.  Roger  Hayward,  920 
Linda  Vista,  Pasadena  3,  Calif. 


7O  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

Southern  Highland  Handicraft  Guild,  Miss  Louise  L.  Pitman,  8£  Wall 

St.,  Asheville,  N.C. 
Staten  Island  Institute  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  Section  of  Handcrafts,  Miss 

Gladys  Renfield,  William  T.  Davis  House,  146  Stuyvesant  Place,  Staten 

Island  1,  N.Y. 
Vermont  Arts  &  Crafts  Service,  Miss  Ruth  W.  Coburn,  State  House, 

Montpelier,  Vt. 

Villa  Handcrafts,  Mrs.  William  Brigham,  460  Rochambeau  Ave.,  Provi- 
dence, R.I. 
Weavers  Guild,  the,  Boston,  Mass.,  Miss  Lydia  B.  Osborne,  7  Stratford 

Road,  Winchester,  Mass. 
Weavers  Guild  of  St.  Louis,  Miss  Margaret  Lindsay,  Lindenwood  College, 

St.  Charles,  Mo. 
Weavers  of  Winchendon,  Mrs.  Richard  C.  Whitney,  25  High  St.,  Win- 

chendon,  Mass. 
Woman's  National  Farm  and  Garden  Association,  Mrs.  Roger  S.  Warner, 

5  Chestnut  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 
Woo'dstock  Guild  of  Craftsmen,  Mr.  AUan  Gould,  Woodstock,  N.Y. 


ELEMENTS     OF     A     SUCCESSFUL     CRAFT     PRODUCT 

In  considering  the  elements  of  a  successful  craft  product  lean  on 
the  wisdom  and  courtesy  of  the  American  Craftsmen's  Educational 
Council  and  its  fundamental  pamphlet,  The  Craftsman  Sells  His 
Wares,  which  is  valuable  reading  as  a  whole  for  any  craftsman.  "The 
American  craftsman  who  wishes  to  support  himself  in  part  or  in 
whole  by  his  own  efforts  must  first  of  all  understand  the  elements  of 
a  successful  product,"  according  to  this  pamphlet.  "These  elements 
are:  good  design,  which  includes  functionalism;  technical  excellence; 
correct  relation  to  current  uses  and  fashions,  and  proper  pricing. 

"Assuming  that  he  has  achieved  good  design  and  technique  and 
wants  to  sell  his  product,  the  craftsman  must  acquaint  himself  with 
market  trends  and  practices;  establish  systematic  work  habits,  regu- 
lar record  keeping;  and  most  important  of  all,  master  a  sound  pricing 
formula.  It  will  take  thought  and  study  to  develop  along  these  lines, 
but  only  in  this  way  can  the  self-employed  craftsman  learn  a  tech- 
nique for  marketing  which  will  bring  him  a  fair  monetary  return 
on  his  time  and  effort.  .  .  . 

"There  are  two  avenues  of  work  open  to  self-employed  craftsmen: 
orders  at  wholesale  which  will  mean  the  repeating  in  production  of 
the  same  object  a  number  of  times,  and  unrepeated  individual 
pieces.  These  avenues  supplement  each  other,  especially  from  the 
standpoint  of  income.  A  craftsman  may  legitimately  make  sure  of 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  yi 

a  *bread  and  butter'  income  through  wholesale  orders  while  con- 
tinuing to  develop  his  creative  skill  through  individual  pieces.  For 
'wholesale'  does  not  have  the  same  connotation  of  thousands  when 
applied  to  the  handmade  object  as  it  has  for  the  machine  made.  A 
self-explanatory  name  would  be  'wholesale-in-limited-editions.'  This 
means  it  is  up  to  the  craftsman  himself  to  set  the  amount  he  wishes 
to  make  of  any  given  object  and  the  time  he  wishes  to  give  to  such 
orders.  The  great  advantage  in  work  of  this  sort  is  that  reasonably 
prompt  payment  is  assured  and  thus  basic  expenses  can  be  met. 
There  is  little  or  no  gamble  of  labor  or  material  involved.  A  sound 
understanding  of  the  methods  of  marketing  and  production,  prompt 
filling  of  orders  and  correct  pricing  are,  however,  a  prerequisite/' 

A  craftsman  should  observe  local  trends  and  markets  in  his  area 
in  determining  his  production.  "Outside  of  the  gift  classification,  the 
largest  sales  are  made  in  decorative  accessories  and  home  furnish- 
ings," the  pamphlet  states.  "A  craftsman  must  decide  whether  a 
product  is  to  be  produced  for  the  market  in  New  England,  the 
Middle- West  or  South- West,  for  each  has  special  needs.  The  de- 
mands of  regional  markets  are  affected  by  climate,  mode  of  living, 
local  customs  and  tastes,  and  products  must  be  planned  to  meet 
them.  A  craftsman  need  not  be  limited  to  producing  for  one  market. 
The  choice  before  him  can  serve  to  increase  his  distribution.  The 
wider  the  distribution  of  the  American  Craftsman  the  greater  part 
he  plays  in  the  free  enterprise  of  his  country's  economy. 

"Awareness  of  the  kind  of  people  that  may  be  interested  in  hand- 
made articles  and  of  ways  to  educate  more  people  in  appreciation 
of  beautiful  things  is  important.  It  is  helpful  to  start  a  'line'  and  to 
develop  an  individual  style,  but  unwise  to  attempt  too  many  differ- 
ent articles  at  one  time.  Effort  should  be  concentrated  on  a  few  items 
until  these  are  commercially  established  and  the  craftsman  begins 
to  be  known  for  them.  Then  new  articles  may  be  added  that  will 
stimulate  the  purchaser  and  keep  him  alert  to  watch  for  further  ad- 
ditions. 

"An  acquaintance  with  the  prevailing  prices  of  similar  articles  in 
as  wide  a  field  as  possible  will  help  in  arriving  at  an  average  price 
that  is  realistic.  Advertisements  in  the  better  periodicals  devoted  to 
home  furnishings  and  decorations  as  well  as  visits  to  gift  shops  and 
stores  where  crafts  are  sold  will  assist  in  pricing." 

Remember  that  you  need  only  one  craft  for  your  personl  gain  and 
the  results  you  attain  will  be  measured  by  your  skill  and  determina- 


72  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

tion  and  resourcefulness.  The  projects  presented  here  give  clear 
indication  of  what  others  have  done  to  make  money  with  their 
homecrafts,  and  it  is  urged  that  you  review  carefully  their  projects 
and  methods  to  see  what  you  can  adapt  for  your  own  purposes. 


HELPFUL     HANDICRAFT     AND 
HOBBY     BOOKS     AND     PAMPHLETS 

Directory  of  Hobbies:  The  Blue  Book  of  Hobbyists,  by  Charles  B.  Amrich. 

Amrich  Press,  Bridgeport,  Conn. 
Hobby  Handbooks.  Get  list.  David  McKay  Co.,  225  Park  Ave.,  New 

York  17,  N.Y. 
Home  Craft  Course  Series.  Get  list.  Mrs.  C.  M.  Naaman  Keyser,  Plymouth 

Meeting,  Pa. 
Crafts.    Get   Little   Library   List.   Popular  Mechanics   Press,   200   East 

Ontario  St.,  Chicago  11,  111. 
Foster  Art  Books.  Get  list.  Foster  Art  Service,  Inc.,  Box  456,  Laguna 

Beach,  Calif. 
Crafts  for  Everyone,  by  Louis  V.  Newkirk  &  LaVada  Zutter.  International 

Textbook  Co.,  1001  Wyoming  Ave.,  Scranton  9,  Pa. 
Creative  Hands,  by  Doris  Cox  &  Barbara  W.  Weismann.  John  Wiley  & 

Sons,  440  4th  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Handicrafts  as  a  Hobby,  by  Robert  E.  Dodds.  Harper  &  Bros.,  49  East 

33rd  St.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Handicrafts  and  Hobbies  for  Pleasure  and  Profit,  Marguerite  Ickis,  editor. 

Greystone  Press,  100  6th  Ave.,  New  York  13,  N.Y. 
Here's  Jour  Hobby,  by  Harry  Zarchy.  Alfred  A.  Knopf,  Inc.,  501  Madison 

Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
The  Book  of  Indoor  Hobbies,  by  Amanuele  Stiere.  McGraw-Hill  Book 

Co.,  330  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
Money  Making  Hobbies,  the  editors,  Popular  Mechanics  Press,  200  East 

Ontario  St.,  Chicago  11,  111. 
How-To-Do-It  Books.  A  Selected  Guide.  R.  R.  Bowker  Co.,  62  West  45th 

St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
Money  Making  Hobbies,  by  Joseph  Leeming.  J.  B.  Lippincott  Co.,  East 

Washington  Sq.,  Philadelphia  5,  Pa. 

Paper  Toys  and  Relief  Crafts,  by  Pedro  de  Lemos.  Davis  Press,  44  Port- 
land St.,  Worcester  8,  Mass. 

Every  Woman's  Guide  to  Spare-Time  Income,  Maxwell  Lehman  &  Mor- 
ton Yarmon.  Harcourt,  Brace  &  Co.,  Inc.,  383  Madison  Ave.,  New 

York  17,  N.Y. 

Making  Money  at  Home,  by  Earl  B.  Shields,  Mountain  Home,  Ark. 
Handicraft  Hobbies  for  Profit,  by  Robert  Scharff.  McGraw-Hill  Book  Co., 

330  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
Making  Money  at  Home,  by  Polly  Webster.  McGraw-Hill  Book  Co.,  330 

West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  73 

The  Home  Crafts  Handbook,  Ray  E.  Haines,  editor.  D.  Van  Nostrand 

Co.,  Inc.,  250  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
How  to  Make  a  Home  Business  Pay:  a  Handbook  for  Women  Who  Want 

To  Earn  Money  at  Home,  by  Julietta  K.  Arthur.  Prentice-Hall,  Inc., 

70  5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
Where  To  Get  What:  The  National  Directory  of  Crafts  and  Art  Supplies, 

Free.  Penland  School  of  Handicrafts,  Penland,  N.C. 
See  helpful  book  lists  in  following  chapters. 


PERIODICALS 

Mechanix  Illustrated,  67  West  44th  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
Popular  Mechanics,  200  East  Ontario  St.,  Chicago  11,  111. 
Popular  Science  Monthly,  353  4th  Ave.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
Profitable  Hobbies,  24th  and  Burlington  sts.,  Kansas  City  16,  Mo. 
Science  <b-  Mechanics,  450  East  Ohio  St.,  Chicago  1,  HI. 


CHAPTER    ELEVEN 

Every  Home  Can  Be  a  Tool-and-Sawdust 
Workshop 


MORE  THAN  ten  million  American  homes  now  have  some  sort  of  home 
workshop  in  kitchen,  attic,  basement,  parlor,  shed,  or  garage.  Rising 
prices  forced  these  millions  into  acquisition  of  tool  collections,  large 
or  small,  hand  or  power  operated.  Never  before  in  history  have  there 
been  so  many  home  craftsmen  as  today,  and  thousands  of  them  are 
finding  that  the  list  of  salable  articles  they  can  produce  in  those 
home  shops  is  virtually  endless. 

Tools  and  supplies  for  these  craftsmen  have  become  a  multi- 
billion-dollar  business.  Some  of  these  men  and  women  will  turn  their 
hobbies  into  a  home  business.  It  might  as  well  be  you.  You  can  even 
make  it  a  family  project.  The  cost  of  tools  for  production  of  simple 
salable  items  can  be  kept  under  $100.  The  Chamber  of  Commerce 
reports  that  you  can  even  establish  a  woodworking  shop  for  as  little 
as  $1000  or  $2000  if  you  want  to  tackle  such  a  project  outside  of 
your  home.  Before  venturing  such  a  shop,  however,  you  would  be 
well  advised  to  test  your  producing  and  marketing  ability  with  your 


74  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

project  held  within  the  home  with  a  negligible  overhead  on  the 
venture. 

When  you  approach  the  serious  matter  of  turning  your  hobby  into 
a  home  money-maker  you  should  give  careful  thought  to  a  certain 
specialization  or  selection  of  favorite  items  for  your  particular  inter- 
est ami  skill.  You  inav  want  to  eenter  on  furniture  making  and  repair. 
cabinetmaking,  upholstery  and  repair,  hobby  projects,  and  perhaps 
give  special  attention  to  novelty,  toy,  and  bric-a-brac  projects. 

Discussing  a  novelty,  toy,  and  bric-a-brac  shop,  the  booklet 
"Establishing  and  Operating  a  Small  Woodworking  Shop,"  issued 
by  the  U,  S.  Department  of  Commerce,  says,  "This  type  of  shop 
makes  a  wide  range  of  articles  which  are  generally  in  demand.  The 
shop  can  be  located  almost  anywhere  because  the  market  is  not 
necessarily  confined  to  the  local  community.  You  can  sell  in  stores, 
jobbers,  mail-order  houses,  summer  resorts,  amusement  parks,  or  to 
shops  located  where  there  is  a  steady  flow  of  traffic. 

"Among  your  products  there  should  be  one  or  more  outstanding 
items  on  which  you  can  concentrate  and  which  you  can  produce  in 
quantity.  You  might  be  able  to  design  an  attractive  article  that  can 
be  patented.  The  article  would  bear  your  trade-mark  and  in  addi- 
tion to  its  sales  value  it  would  have  considerable  worth  in  terms  of 
advertising. 

"Among  the  articles  von  can  produce  in  this  shop  are  bookends. 
novelty  picture  frames,  paperweights,  candlesticks,  desk  sets,  letter 
openers,  wall  racks,  curio  cabinets,  wooden  kitchen  utensils,  smoking 
stands  and  ashtrays,  and  you  can  also  refinish  antiques.  Most  of  these 
articles  require  little  material,  are  easily  fabricated,  and  command 
a  high  selling  price  compared  to  the  cost  of  production. 

"Repairing,  restoring,  and  remodeling  antiques  is  a  very  profitable 
business  if  the  work  is  expertly  done  and  expertly  finished.  How- 
ever, most  antique  pieces  are  highly  prized  by  the  owners  and  if  the 
repair  or  restore  work  does  not  come  up  to  the  expectations  of  the 
customer  there  can  ho  much  trouble." 


PLYWOOD     NOVELTIES     FOR     PROFIT 

Scroll  saw  and  plywood  hobby  craftsmen  are  legion,  and  in 
numerous  areas  turn  out  a  steady  stream  of  their  products  for  sale 
in  gift  and  chain  stores  aud  at  roadside  stands.  Mam  of  the  plywood 
products  lend  themselves  to  something  approaching  mass  produc- 


ABTS,     HOBBIES,     AND    HANDCBAFTS  75 

tion  in  the  home  workshop.  While  some  plywood  novelties  require 
infinite  patience  and  artistry,  there  are  many  that  call  for  only  a 
minimum  of  time  and  skill  for  production  of  salable  articles. 

Among  the  most  popular  and  salable  of  the  plywood  novelties  are 
the  infinite  variety  of  waterproof  plywood  lawn  ornaments.  You 
have  undoubtedly  seen  them  on  display  in  stores  and  at  the  roadside. 
They  include  profiles  of  birds  and  dogs  and  squirrels,  ships  and 
buggies  and  arrows  and  cats,  weather  vanes,  name-and-address 
backgrounds,  rowboats  and  sleighs  and  other  eye  catchers.  These 
are  turned  out  in  the  home  workshop  one  at  a  time  or  sometimes 
several  at  one  cutting,  and  then  are  stained  or  painted  for  preserva- 
tion and  colorful  eye  appeal. 

Adept  in  catching  the  eye  and  selling  his  plywood  novelties,  with 
other  wood  products,  is  Albert  R.  Smith  of  Bridgton,  Maine.  Some 
fifteen  years  ago  the  doctors  told  Smith  he  was  in  serious  trouble. 
Having  given  up  his  insurance  business,  he  wanted  to  keep  busy. 
His  landlord  let  him  put  a  small  shed  on  the  house  in  which  he 
lived,  and  with  his  son  he  began  turning  out  signs.  His  designs  are 
many,  but  among  his  most  popular  products  are  his  fish  plaques  for 
individual  fishermen  and  clubs.  They  are  saw-tooth-edged  and 
painted  with  new  and  old  "gags,"  such  as  "Even  a  fish  wouldn't  get 
into  trouble  if  he  kept  his  mouth  shut."  They  are  popular  at  sports- 
men's shows  and  sell  in  large  quantities  at  $1.00  to  $1.50  each,  which 
permits  a  good  profit  for  Smith— a  business  of  around  $100,000  an- 
nually. 

Among  other  popular  plywood  products  that  would  require  a 
large  directory  to  list  in  detail  are  jigsaw  puzzles,  picture  puzzles, 
name  brooches,  toys,  picture  frames,  dolls,  doll  furniture,  cigarette 
and  jewel  boxes,  historic  scenes,  comic  plaques,  and  scores  of  other 
items,  designs  for  which  are  available  in  many  books  and  craft 
magazines  and  at  hobby  supply  shops. 

The  introduction  of  numerous,  highly  adaptable  power  tools  for 
home  shops  has  made  it  possible  for  home  craftsmen  to  speed  up 
production  and  turn  out  products  of  truly  professional  caliber.  These 
tools  can  be  used  safely  by  reasonably  cautious  craftsmen.  Even  the 
blind  can  use  them,  as  revealed  in  a  report  in  the  New  York  Times 
on  Roy  Greenway  of  Paterson,  New  Jersey.  Mr.  Greenway,  totally 
blinded  in  an  accident,  was  not  content  to  be  idle.  Although  he  was 
nervous  at  first  in  using  power  tools,  he  now  operates  a  power-driven 
disk  sander,  jig  saw,  and  drill  press.  He  uses  the  regulation  safe- 


76  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

guards,  and  turns  out  made-to-order  kitchen  cabinets,  wooden 
garbage  receptacles,  garden  benches,  and  other  items  including 
wooden  Christmas  toys. 


HELPFUL     BOOKS     AND     PAMPHLETS     FOR 
HOME     WORKSHOPS 

The  Art  of  Wood  Turning,  by  William  W.  Klenke.  Charles  A.  Bennett 

Co.,  Inc.,  237  North  Monroe  St.,  Peoria  3,  111. 
Wood  Finishing  and  Painting  Made  Easy,  by  Ralph  G.  Waring.  Bruce 

Publishing  Co.,  400  North  Broadway,  Milwaukee  1,  Wis. 
Western  Pine  Handicraft  Plan  Instruction  Sheets.  Free.  Western  Pine 

Assn.,  Yeon  Bldg.,  Portland  4,  Oreg. 
Easi-Build  Patterns.  Get  Last.  Meredith  Publishing  Co.,  1716  Locust  St., 

Des  Moines  3,  I. 
Woodworking.  Little  Library  of  Useful  Information.  Get  list.  Popular 

Mechanics  Press,  200  East  Ontario  St.,  Chicago  11,  111. 
Fifty  Popular  Woodworking  Projects,  by  Joseph  J.  Lukowitz.  Bruce  Pub- 
lishing Co.,  400  North  Broadway,  Milwaukee  1,  Wis. 
Earning  Extra  Money  in  Your  Workshop:  a  Home  Craftsman's  Manual  on 

Profitable  Methods  and  Market-tested  Projects,  by  Arthur  Wakeling. 

Home  Craftsman  Publishing  Corp.,  115  Worth  St.,  New  York  13,  N.Y. 
Small  Creations  for  Your  Tools,  by  Hazel  Showalter.  Bruce  Publishing 

Co.,  400  North  Broadway,  Milwaukee  1,  Wis. 
Woodworking  Projects  and  Upholstery,  by  W.  T.   Baxter  &  Paul  G. 

Lackey.  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co.,  Inc.,  250  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Machine  Woodworking,  by  Herman  Hjorth.  Bruce  Publishing  Co.,  400 

North  Broadway,  Milwaukee  1,  Wis. 
Woodworking  Equipment.  Little  Library  of  Useful  Information.  Get  list. 

Popular  Mechanics  Press,  200  East  Ontario  St.,  Chicago  11,  111. 
Everybody's  Home  Workshop  Cyclopedia,  editors  of  Popular  Science. 

Grosset  &  Dunlap,  Inc.,  1107  Broadway,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
How  to  Restore  Antiques,  by  Raymond  F.  Yates.  Harper  &  Bros.,  49  East 

33rd  St.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Care  and  Repair  of  Antiques,  by  Thomas  H.  Ormsbee.  The  McBride  Co., 

Inc.,  200  East  37th  St.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 


CHAPTER    TWELVE 

Whittling  and  Carving  for  Fun  and  Profit 


THERE  is  a  vast  army  of  wood  whittlers  and  carvers  who  have  de- 
veloped their  craft  to  the  point  where  they  have  established  constant 
markets  for  their  wares,  and  frequently  they  become  noted  for  their 
artistic  products.  The  craft  can  be  self-taught  through  the  use  of  kits 
available  at  low  cost  in  model  supply  and  hardware  stores,  or 
learned  in  numerous  small  shops  and  instructions  courses  in  many 
neighborhoods. 

Those  who  whittle  or  carve  wood  as  a  hobby  can  be  located 
through  local  supply  stores,  gift  shops,  schools,  and  libraries.  The 
craft  is  excellent  as  a  part-time  as  well  as  full-time  occupation,  so 
that  the  individual  can  easily  control  the  amount  of  time  devoted  to 
his  chosen  field.  Some  of  the  more  industrious  whittlers  and  carvers 
make  very  satisfactory  livings  from  their  craft,  and  as  a  by-product 
have  found  themselves  members  of  interesting  groups  where  mutual 
interests  have  developed  fast  friendships. 

Sometimes  such  groups  spread  until  the  craft  becomes  outstand- 
ingly important  to  the  community.  Weld,  Maine,  is  such  a  com- 
munity. Located  in  the  white  birch  belt  in  Maine  where  plants  turn 
out  millions  of  spools  for  thread,  this  little  town  on  Webb  Pond  has 
become  a  center  of  whittlers  and  carvers.  Development  of  the  craft 
in  Weld  is  credited  to  S.  W.  Hilton,  who  saw  beauty  and  possibilities 
in  birch  beyond  mere  spools.  With  knife  and  chisel  he  worked  out 
designs  for  entrancing  little  wooden  figures  created  from  the  white 
birch.  The  figures  included  ducks,  rabbits,  and  chickens  wearing 
cute  little  Easter  bonnets,  wooden  angels  for  the  Christmas  season, 
and  other  figures  for  specific  seasons.  The  carvings  are  hand  painted 
and  so  readily  marketable  that  even  though  almost  the  entire  popu- 
lation of  the  town  has  been  drawn  into  production,  the  orders  con- 
stantly outrun  the  supply  of  figures  made  by  the  Woodworkers  of 
Weld. 


78  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

Lincoln  County,  Maine,  is  another  area  where  many  whittlers  and 
carvers  have  taught  themselves  and  others  how  to  turn  the  white 
pine  and  white  oak  of  the  area  into  a  multitude  of  small  objects  for 
table  and  shelf  and  mantel.  In  this  locality,  where  once  the  carvers 
fashioned  figureheads  for  sailing  vessels,  they  now  produce  minia- 
ture scenes  and  figures,  great  eagles  and  small  birds,  oxen  and  small 
ship  models.  And  the  profits  run  high  for  these  home-shop  products, 
ranging  from  the  rougher  items  of  the  beginners  to  choice  collec- 
tors' items. 

Maurice  Day,  in  his  shop  at  Damariscotta,  Maine,  carves  miniature 
Maine  seacoast  settings  out  of  pine  driftwood.  Mrs.  Dorothy  Wash- 
ington, of  Edgecomb,  Maine,  carves  perky  little  hand-painted  birds 
mounted  on  bits  of  driftwood.  In  her  first  five  years  of  whittling  she 
sold  more  than  4000  sets  of  her  birds.  Her  story  is  an  inspiration  for 
others.  She  needed  a  job.  She  saw  some  badly  whittled  balsa-wood 
birds  in  a  gift  shop  and  figured  that  if  such  things  could  sell,  she 
could  do  as  well.  Her  first  rough  works  were  sold  for  a  profit,  and 
since  then  a  few  stores  have  sold  her  entire  output  except  for  the 
sets  that  are  ordered  by  mail  by  folk  who  have  seen  her  products. 
Such  stories  of  woodworkers  abound  in  Maine,  and  the  craft  is  ex- 
tremely important  to  many  part-time  and  full-time  whittlers. 

Whittling  and  carving  is  not  restricted  to  Maine,  however.  It  is  a 
craft  that  produces  homemade  profits  from  one  end  of  the  country 
to  the  other.  For  example,  Brasstown,  North  Carolina,  is  another 
whittling  town.  There  individuals  and  groups  produce  wooden 
figures  of  ducks  and  mules,  rabbits  and  dogs,  birds  and  ""human" 
characters.  Individuals,  according  to  the  time  devoted  to  the  prod- 
ucts and  their  skill,  make  pin  money,  and  often  many  hundreds  of 
dollars  annually. 

Gift  shops  and  roadside  stands  provide  ready  markets  for  souvenir 
items  of  various  areas.  Frequently  groups  of  birds,  animals,  or 
characters  sell  fastest.  According  to  your  region,  which  may  have 
special  appeal,  or  your  inclinations  and  originality,  you  can  explore 
many  avenues  for  ideas  for  your  own  sets  or  individual  figures.  You 
can  consider  historic  individuals,  historic  scenes,  miniature  period 
furniture,  and  furniture  sets  in  model  rooms;  the  vast  array  of  story- 
book items,  such  as  Mother  Goose,  the  Seven  Dwarfs,  Red  Riding 
Hood,  William  Tell,  Robin  Hood,  Robinson  Crusoe,  the  Pilgrims, 
Dickens'  characters,  Treasure  Island;  all  of  the  birds  and  animals; 
Biblical  characters  and  scenes;  Nativity  sets,  and  many  others  that 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  79 

may  be  prompted  by  your  own  background  of  reading  or  special 
interests. 

Unusual  circumstances  may  prompt  your  selection  of  whittling 
and  carving  specialties,  as  was  the  case  with  Ila  Fifield  of  East 
Calais,  Vermont,  who  was  stricken  with  infantile  paralysis  while  a 
child  of  eight.  With  waiting  time  forced  upon  her  until  she  might 
overcome  in  part  the  disaster  that  had  struck  she  taught  herself  how 
to  whittle.  She  concentrated  mainly  on  the  characters  identified  and 
described  in  Alice  in  Wonderland,  and  for  more  than  twenty  years 
has  derived  a  living  from  her  whittling. 

Almost  anyone  can  learn  how  to  whittle  salable  products.  The  only 
basic  equipment  required  is  a  good  three-bladed  jackknife.  Cheap 
ones  have  poor  steel  that  won't  hold  a  sharp  cutting  edge.  The  big 
blade  is  used  for  rough  preliminary  cutting  and  the  smaller  two 
blades  for  more  delicate  work.  You  can  buy  or  study  finished  prod- 
ucts in  gift  and  art  stores,  or  you  can  buy  rough-cut  figures  that  you 
finish  with  your  own  individual  skill.  Whittling  projects  are  re- 
stricted to  articles  that  can  be  whittled  with  the  knife.  Wood  carving 
involves  a  half  dozen  basic  tools  and  graduates  into  scores  of  tools 
which  are  available  for  almost  any  conceivable  kind  of  woodcutting. 
However,  only  a  few  tools  are  needed  by  the  beginner.  The  wood 
carver  and  whittler  too  can  develop  according  to  study  and  skill  to 
become  an  outstanding  creative  artist. 

Chip  carving  is  one  of  the  easiest  first  steps  for  the  beginner  who 
wants  to  become  a  wood  carver  and  profit  from  the  hobby  early  in 
his  career.  The  basic  tools  of  the  chip  carver  are  the  skew  chisel  and 
the  skew  knife.  Chip  carvers  work  on  geometrical  designs  drawn  on 
the  wood  to  attain  beautifully  decorative  products,  such  as  flowers, 
initials  to  personalize  an  item,  formal  geometric,  interlaced  designs. 
Each  part  of  the  design  traced  on  the  wood  is  chipped  out  with  the 
tools.  Fine  effects  are  secured  for  a  great  variety  of  items,  such  as 
jewel  and  stationery  boxes,  picture  frames,  plaques,  book  ends,  letter 
openers,  and  breadboards. 

The  beginner  can  start  with  the  simpler  figures  and  items,  most  of 
which  are  readily  salable,  and  then  develop  into  more  intricate 
creations  that  draw  fancy  prices  and  ofttimes  establish  a  business. 
That  is  what  happened  to  Major  Allison  J.  Seymore  of  Valley  City, 
North  Dakota.  There  is  much  of  waiting  after  preparation  in  the 
military  service.  Utilizing  some  of  his  waiting  time  while  overseas  in 
World  War  II,  Major  Seymore  carved  pipes  of  his  own  design,  and 


8o  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

his  fellow  warriors  began  urging  him  to  make  pipes  for  them.  Pipe 
smokers  like  to  have  "originals"— pipes  made  just  for  them.  When 
the  war  ended  Major  Seymore  had  nearly  two  hundred  orders  and 
made  plans  to  increase  production.  His  original  pipes  have  been 
sold  in  virtually  every  state. 

It  is  difficult  to  draw  any  sharp  line  of  distinction  between 
whittling  and  wood  carving,  except  that  the  whittler  uses  the  knife 
and  carvers  use  a  variety  of  tools,  including  the  veiner,  gouges, 
chisels,  and  other  tools.  But  frequently  both  whittling  and  carving 
are  involved  in  these  hobby  crafts,  particularly  where  figures  are 
involved. 

There  is  one  "school"  of  such  craftsmen  who  concentrate  on 
decoys  for  both  hunter  and  collector.  One  of  these  is  Rudy 
LeCompte  of  Baytown,  Texas,  who  has  reported  getting  fun  and  a 
large  measure  of  profit  from  the  duck  decoys  he  carves  from  cypress 
driftwood  and  sells  for  $50  per  dozen.  Another  bird  modeler  is  John 
L.  Lacey,  who  was  an  insurance  actuary  until  he  began  making 
decoys  and  models  of  upland  game  birds  and  sold  them  to  sporting- 
goods  stores.  He  became  so  intensely  interested  in  this  work  that  he 
became  an  artist  as  a  carver,  and  established  his  own  small  shop  on 
Hudson  Street  in  Greenwich  Village,  New  York  City. 

Although  the  beginner  can  adapt  other  designs  and  figures,  or 
create  his  own,  once  started,  he  will  haunt  the  libraries  and  craft 
shops  for  books  and  magazines  dealing  with  his  craft. 


HELPFUL  BOOKS  AND  PAMPHLETS  FOR 
CARVERS  AND  WHITTLERS 

Wood  Carving  Made  Easy,  by  J.  I.  Sowers.  Bruce  Publishing  Co.,  400 

North  Broadway,  Milwaukee  1,  Wis. 
Wood  Carving  and  Whittling.  Popular  Science  Publishing  Co.,  353  4th 

Ave.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
Whittling  and  Wood  Carving.  Popular  Mechanics  Press,  200  East  Ontario 

St.,  Chicago  11,  111. 
You  Can  Whittle  and  Carve,  by  Amanda  W.  Helium  &  Franklin  Gottshall. 

Bruce  Publishing  Co.,  400  North  Broadway,  Milwaukee  1,  Wis. 
Fun  With  Wood,  by  Joseph  Leeming.  J.  B.  Lippincott  Co.,  East  Wash- 
ington Sq.,  Philadelphia  5,  Pa. 
Chip  Carving,  by  Harris  W.  Moore.  Charles  A.  Bennett  Co.,  Inc.,  237 

North  Monroe  St.,  Peoria  3,  111. 
The  Art  of  Whittling,  by  Walter  I.  Faurot.  Charles  A.  Bennett  Co.,  Inc., 

237  North  Monroe  St.,  Peoria  3,  111. 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  8l 

Ben  Hunt's  Whittling  Book,  by  W.  Ben  Hunt.  Bruce  Publishing  Co.,  400 

North  Broadway,  Milwaukee  1,  Wis. 
Design  and  Figure  Carving,  by  E.  J.  Tangerman.  McGraw-Hill  Book 

Co.,  330  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 


CHAPTER     THIRTEEN 


You  Can  Prosper  with  Toys  and  Play 
Equipment 


THERE  is  an  enormous  and  hungry  market  for  toys  and  play  equip- 
ment for  the  ever-playful,  ever-destructive,  ever-outgrowing  small 
fry  throughout  the  land.  Study  your  own  and  your  neighbor's 
children  and  their  activities;  observe  the  wide  range  of  toys  and 
equipment  provided  for  them  by  doting  parents;  lay  plans  for  your 
own  products.  The  fact  that  there  is  a  multitude  of  items  need  not 
dismay  you,  for  the  huge  volume  and  changing  variety  of  the  busi- 
ness of  supplying  the  youngsters  with  amusement  is  your  assurance 
of  a  constant  market  always  ready  for  the  old  reliable  products  and 
eager  for  the  new  items  you  may  introduce. 

You  can  get  plans  by  the  hundreds,  and  technical  advice  when 
needed,  from  project  books  and  the  popular  science  magazines  and 
elsewhere.  And  if  you  have  original  ideas,  you  may  make  a  fortune— 
although  that  would  be  the  exception.  One  of  many  who  have  made 
fortunes  in  this  field  is  Vernon  Eisel,  who  invented  a  Cradle  Gym 
for  one  of  his  twins  who  had  damaged  neck  muscles.  Mr.  Eisel  put 
a  chain  through  a  rubber  tube  and  attached  brightly  colored 
handles  and  bells.  He  fastened  it  across  the  crib.  The  child  stretched 
for  the  dangling  items,  and  in  less  than  two  months  had  exercised 
the  neck  muscles  and  made  marked  progress  toward  recovery.  The 
father  sold  the  device  to  Childhood  Interests,  Inc.,  toy  manufac- 
turers, and  is  reported  to  have  received  more  than  $100,000  in 
royalties.  His  oft-told  story  is  spectacular,  but  by  no  means  an 
isolated  instance  of  home-shop  profits  prompted  by  children's  needs 
and  desires. 

Instead  of  planning  to  make  a  fortune  suddenly  you  may  be  well 


82  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

advised  simply  to  select  a  project  for  which  you  believe  there  is  a 
local  market,  and  lay  your  plans  for  products  you  can  produce  in 
your  own  shop  in  your  spare  time  for  a  sound  supplement  to  your 
income.  If  you  prefer  to  work  with  metal  or  plastics,  that  may  be 
the  field  for  you.  If  you  are  a  wood  craftsman,  there  are  many  op- 
portunities. Consider  the  materials  and  the  type  of  work  you  prefer 
and  study  the  toy-  and  play-equipment  markets  carefully;  they 
offer  one  of  the  best  chances  for  money-making  in  your  home  shop. 

Your  project  may  be  as  simple  as  devising  masks  or  puzzles  or 
tricks  and  games  and  game  boards.  It  may  be  more  intricate,  and 
involve  magnets,  electrical  devices,  and  other  scientific  toys.  Perhaps 
your  choice  will  lie  with  mechanical-movement  toys,  educational 
toys,  or  models  and  miniatures.  You  may  make  toys  that  produce 
loud  noises  or  play  tunes,  toys  for  the  beach  or  yard  or  garden;  or 
puppets  for  entertainment.  Whatever  you  do,  don't  overlook  the 
childhood  desire  to  take  things  apart  and  put  them  together— there 
will  never  be  an  end  to  the  market  for  such  toys. 

You  may  consider  developing  a  family  shop  project.  M.  L.  Hill 
was  in  Chicago  working  for  the  government  as  an  accountant  a  few 
years  ago  when  inflation  began  to  shrink  the  buying  power  of  his 
salary.  He  and  his  wife  decided  that  they  should  try  to  develop  a 
home  shop  product  or  line  of  products  that  would  supplement  and 
perhaps  supplant  the  government  salary. 

For  the  first  year  of  the  enterprise  Hill  worked  daily  at  the  office 
and  almost  every  night  in  his  makeshift  home  workshop,  making 
outdoor  gyms.  He  had  no  power  equipment,  and  few  low-cost  tools, 
and  even  had  to  secure  his  materials  on  credit,  paying  for  the 
materials  as  sales  were  made.  Gradually  his  sales  increased,  and 
after  a  year  of  part-time  work  he  gave  up  his  job  to  devote  full  time 
to  building  swings,  slides,  merry-go-rounds,  gliders,  sandboxes,  and 
seesaws. 

Then  the  Hills  took  a  big  step.  They  acquired  more  tools  and 
additional  equipment,  setting  it  up  near  an  outdoor  display  of  the 
products  which  attracted  the  curious  and  the  customers.  It  was  not 
all  a  bed  of  roses,  and  at  one  time  they  were  down  to  their  last 
dollar.  But  they  had  faith  in  their  products  and  their  abilities,  and 
Mrs.  Hill  concentrated  on  sales  while  her  husband  was  busy  in  his 
shop. 

Later  they  moved  to  Texas,  where  expenses  would  be  lower,  and 
they  had  to  start  their  business  all  over  again.  They  did  this  so 


ARTS,    HOBBIES,     AND    HANDCRAFTS  83 

successfully  that  in  ten  years  they  had  so  much  business  they  re- 
quired fifteen  helpers  to  turn  out  their  products,  with  a  score  or  more 
pieces  of  power  equipment  such  as  saws  and  sanders,  drill  presses 
and  paint  sprayers.  They  developed  a  nationwide  market  for  their 
sturdy,  safe  equipment,  and  revel  in  the  results  of  their  part-time 
home-workshop  venture. 

Designers  and  makers  of  toys  should  pay  strict  attention  to  the 
various  age  classifications  and  shifting  interests  of  children.  The 
Toy  Guidance  Council,  Inc.,  in  New  York,  where  educators  pool 
their  erudition  with  that  of  toy  manufacturers,  has  pointed  out  that 
the  trend  is  more  and  more  toward  realistic  toys.  These  toys  let 
youngsters  imitate  the  activities  of  mother,  father,  dentist,  doctor, 
etc.,  with  kits  and  toys  that  permit  imitation  in  great  detail— but 
safely.  For  more  than  fifteen  years  this  council  annually  sifts  through 
nearly  1000  playthings  to  select  the  safest  and  most  durable  with 
popular  play  appeal.  Their  selections  are  published  in  The  Toy 
Yearbook,  which  is  sent  each  year  to  four  million  children  and 
parents  from  Council  headquarters  at  1124  Broadway,  New  York 
City. 


HELPFUL    BOOKS    AND    PAMPHLETS    FOR 
TOY     AND     PLAY     EQUIPMENT     MAKERS 

Toys,  Plans,  and  Blueprints.  Get  list.  Home  Craftsman  Publishing  Corp., 
115  Worth  St.,  New  York  13,  N.Y. 

Make  It  and  Ride  It,  by  C.  J.  Maginley.  Harcourt,  Brace  &  Co.,  Inc.,  383 
Madison  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 

Make  It  for  the  Children,  by  Page  Kirk.  Association  for  Childhood  Edu- 
cation, 1200  15th  St.,  Washington  5,  D.C. 

Toy  Making:  200  Projects  for  Fun  and  Profit,  by  S.  Palestrant  Home- 
crafts, 799  Broadway,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 

Western  Pine  Handicraft  Plans  Instruction  Sheets.  Free.  Western  Pine 
Association,  Yeon  Bldg.,  Portland  4,  Oreg. 

What  to  Make  for  Children.  Popular  Mechanics  Press,  200  East  Ontario 
St.,  Chicago  11,  111. 

Doll's  Furniture,  by  William  Klenke.  McKnight  &  McKnight,  109  West 
Market  St.,  Bloomington,  111. 

Toys  You  Can  Make  from  Wood,  by  Lawry  Turpin.  Greenberg  Publisher, 
201  East  57th  St.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 

Wooden  Toy  Making,  by  Winifred  Horton.  Charles  A.  Bennett  Co.,  Inc., 
234  North  Monroe  St.,  Peoria,  111. 

Dressed  Soft  Toys,  by  Edith  Moody.  Charles  A.  Bennett  Co.,  Inc.,  237 
North  Monroe  St.,  Peoria,  111. 


84  MONEY-MAKINCID 

M<irk<-thi£  Toijs  and  Allied  Products.  Toys  and  Novelties  Magazine,  200 
r,ll,  A  v«.,  New  York,  N.Y. 

Merchandising  Facts  to  \\c\\t  You  ,SV//  7V;//.s.  I'ainpMri.  Edited  by  Re- 
search Bureau  for  Retail  Training,  University  of  Pittsburgh,  Pitts- 
burgh, Pa. 


CHAPTER     FOURTEEN 

Dollmaking  for  an  Income 


INVESTIGATION  HEVKALS  that  dollmaking  is  one  of  the  steadiest  and 
surest  methods  of  making  money  at  home  in  any  part  of  the  country. 
Ever  since  there  have  been  darling  children  there  has  been  a  demand 
for  darling  dolls.  The  demand  continues  and  increases.  Although 
factories  turn  out  dolls  by  the  millions,  they  can  never  deprive  men 
or  women  working  at  home  from  profiting  from  their  handmade 
products. 

Plain  little  rag  dolls  selling  for  a  dollar  and  up,  and  flossy  little 
character  dolls,  elaborately  gowned  collectors'  items,  selling  for  a 
hundred  dollars,  have  a  universal  appeal.  The  field  is  open  to  any 
woman  who  wants  to  teach  herself  at  home;  and,  oddly  enough, 
this  particular  craft  seems  to  be  largely  limited  to  women  practi- 
tioners. Although  thousands  of  women  profit  from  their  dollmaking 
at  home,  there  are  extremely  few  men  who  offer  competition. 

Any  competition  seems  to  rnelt  at  the  appearance  of  new  dolls, 
which  are  in  constant  demand.  Home  craftsmen  turn  out  individual 
items,  or  make  dolls  by  the  dozen  or  the  gross  or  the  thousands, 
depending  on  whether  they  take  the  hobby  or  pin-money  approach 
or  set  out  to  establish  a  small  business. 

Such  a  small  business  can  become  amazingly  large  if  your  dolls 
have  originality  and  an  appeal  of  their  own.  Mary  Gait  and  Anne 
Walton  got  scraps  of  chenille  from  a  bedspread  factory  in  their 
Georgia  town.  They  devised  some  original  rag  dolls  and  sold  a  dozen 
at  Miami  Beach.  Taking  their  doll  money,  they  went  to  New  York 
with  samples  and  secured  orders  for  thirty  dozen.  They  were  bent 
on  establishing  more  than  pin-money  income. 


ARTS,    HOBBIES,    AND    HANDCRAFTS  85 

With  virtually  no  capital  but  their  resourcefulness  they  experi- 
mented with  a  variety  of  rag  dolls,  finally  concentrating  on  the  most 
popular  of  the  types  they  had  devised.  Their  dolls  became  so  popu- 
lar they  were  able  to  build  and  pay  for  their  factory.  Now  the  Mary 
Anne  Novelty  Company  produces  character  dolls— dolls  representing 
various  characters  in  folklore  and  fiction— and  elephants,  lambs, 
ducks,  and  rabbits.  They  varied  their  designs  from  year  to  year  to 
lend  originality  and  draw  repeat  sales,  and,  as  is  so  often  the  case 
with  resourceful  women,  were  no  longer  in  a  home  business. 

Getting  a  start  in  dollmaking  is  rather  simple.  You  may  already 
have  a  head  start  if  you  have  fashioned  a  sock  or  rag  doll  for  a  child 
of  your  own  or  some  little  neighbor.  Even  if  you  never  made  a  doll 
from  a  clothespin  and  a  bit  of  silk  or  cotton,  you  can  get  into  the 
business  by  simply  studying  the  dolls  on  the  counters,  perhaps  re- 
calling the  dolls  you  liked  best  as  a  child,  and  then  devising  your 
own  creation. 

Should  you  prefer  to  work  from  step-by-step  directions  and  pat- 
terns, such  as  those  developed  by  Edith  F.  Ackley,  for  years  a  doll- 
maker  of  distinction,  you  can  secure  detailed  guidance  in  cloth  and 
cotton  dollmaking  from  her  book,  Dolls  To  Make  for  Fun  and  Profit. 

If  you  have  ideas  for  your  own  designs  you  may  emulate  May 
Le  San  (Mrs.  R.  O.  Bilse),  whose  yarn  figures  have  been  displayed 
at  America  House  gallery,  32  East  52nd  St.,  New  York,  and  in  swank 
Fifth  Avenue  shops.  She  used  wire  and  yarn  to  fashion  a  cocky 
little  image  of  Popeye.  Aviators  hung  the  little  yarn  Popeye  in  their 
cockpits  as  war  mascots,  and  they  became  popular  elsewhere.  The 
Le  San  figures  had  a  strange  beginning.  She  saw  a  newsboy  taking 
baling  wire  from  a  pile  of  papers  and  thought  there  should  be 
another  use  for  the  wire.  She  twisted  some  into  a  rough  skeleton, 
wrapped  it  in  cotton,  crepe  paper,  and  kapok,  and  wove  yarn  for 
a  covering  on  her  little  four-inch  loom.  After  the  war  she  abandoned 
Popeye  and  made  little  yarn  gnomes,  dragons,  tigers,  and  a  variety 
of  grotesque  figures  that  have  been  popular. 

Another  woman  who  has  made  figure-making  an  art  is  Mrs. 
Marietta  Larsen  of  New  York,  who  makes  miniatures  of  dogs 
modeled  from  photos  of  the  pets.  She  developed  this  into  a  mail- 
order business. 

Dolls  are  made  from  an  almost  endless  variety  of  materials:  rags, 
wire,  socks,  wood,  papier-mach6,  gold  and  silver  laminated  paper, 
Latex,  cardboard,  oilcloth,  wire  armatures,  clay,  plastics,  foam  rub- 


86  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

her,  balloons,  leatherette,  denim,  silks,  satins,  shells,  beads,  china, 
clothespins,  pipe  cleaners,  paper,  gnarled  tree  branches.  One 
woman  even  uses  dried  wishbones  to  represent  the  bowed  legs  of 
cowboys.  It  remained,  however,  for  Mrs.  Marietta  Bate  of  Branson, 
Missouri,  to  use  fruit. 

The  fruit  bin  needed  cleaning.  Mrs.  Bate  had  been  putting  it  off 
for  days  and  finally  she  got  to  it.  The  bottom  was  messy  indeed 
with  dried,  old  fruit,  and  Mrs.  Bate  shook  her  head  in  anger  at  her- 
self. She  was  about  to  dump  a  handful  into  the  garbage  can  when 
her  eye  caught  one  apple. 

It  was  an  apple  all  right,  but  unlike  any  she  had  ever  seen.  It 
looked  exactly  like  the  face  of  a  wizened  old  man!  The  thing  had 
been  in  the  fruit  bin  since  goodness  knows  when  and  the  skin  had 
become  dried  and  puckered  into  an  amazing  resemblance.  She  sat 
down,  juggling  the  apple  in  her  hand,  and  slowly  the  idea  came  to 
her. 

She  was  going  to  make  dolls  out  of  dried  apples.  It  took  nearly  six 
months  to  develop  a  method.  First  step  is  the  selection  of  the  round- 
est, firmest  apples  she  could  find.  Next,  she  lets  them  stay  for  six 
to  eight  weeks,  pinching  the  skin  each  day,  smoothing,  puckering, 
until  the  face  emerges.  Third  step  is  the  creation  of  bodies— made 
from  wood  and  wire— and  fourth  is  the  clothing,  hill-country  style. 
She  calls  her  dolls  Apple  Jacks  and  Apple  Sues,  and  now  has  a 
thriving  business  by  mail.  Her  dolls  have  also  gone  to  customers  in 
Canada  and  Europe. 

All  work  is  done  at  home.  Business  is  fine,  and  all  because  Mrs. 
Bate  neglected  to  clean  out  her  fruit  bin  on  time. 

Variety  is  the  spice  of  business  life  in  the  making  of  dolls,  and, 
again,  only  limits  of  imagination  restrict  the  devising  of  dolls  that 
walk,  talk,  cry,  growl,  bark,  wink,  blink,  sleep,  eat  and  drink,  and 
wear  diapers  and  jump  out  of  boxes.  Then  there  are  the  pets  that 
go  with  the  dolls  and  furniture  and  house;  there  are  also  doctor, 
nurse,  and  dentist  sets. 

The  doll  types  include  storybook,  Biblical,  and  historical  figures, 
lapel  miniatures,  giant  size,  all  the  animals  in  the  zoo,  beanbag,  and 
nursing  and  wetting  dollies.  There  are  dolls  that  by  means  of  photo 
transfers  resemble  their  owners,  dolls  that  wear  a  little  girl's  own 
curls,  doll  miniatures  of  stage,  screen,  television,  and  comic  strip 
characters,  dolls  painted  to  resemble  closely  real  mammas  and 
daddies. 


ARTS,    HOBBIES,     AND    HANDCRAFTS  87 

There  are  dolls  with  dress  materials  that  match  that  of  their  little 
owners,  and  that  involves  the  entire  range  of  the  wardrobe  for  some 
of  the  better-dressed  set  of  dolldom— hats,  shoes,  gloves,  play  suits, 
overalls,  swim  suits,  evening  dresses,  diapers,  coats  of  fur,  silk  or 
satin,  wedding  dresses.  And  that  will  remind  you  of  Mrs.  Corinne 
Friedman  of  the  Bronx,  New  York,  who  made  a  Hungarian  bridal- 
costume  doll  for  a  displaced  niece  she  had  brought  to  her  home. 
This  led  to  her  creation  of  doll  brides  of  all  nations,  properly 
costumed.  That  forced  her  to  hire  assistants,  and  her  hobby  became 
a  small  business. 

Dolls  have  a  way  of  establishing  home  businesses.  Buy  a  new  doll 
or  stuffed  animal  for  a  child  and  in  no  time  at  all  it's  dirty  and 
grimy.  Not  to  say  unsanitary,  especially  when  children  hug  them, 
kiss  them,  and  even  sleep  with  them.  What  to  do  about  that?  At 
least  two  women  who  knew  the  answer  are  Mrs.  Grace  Clark,  a 
Chicago  grandmother,  and  Mrs.  John  A.  Gann,  Jr.,  of  Midland, 
Michigan. 

Mrs.  Clark  applied  the  slip-cover  idea  to  the  requirements  of  toys. 
She  makes  muslin-stuffed  animal  dolls  and  turkish-towel  "skins" 
that  zip  on. 

Mrs.  Gann  went  to  work  in  her  home  and  created  a  little  stuffed 
bear.  So  far,  no  different  than  countless  other  toys  of  the  same  kind. 
But  this  stuffed  bear  came  equipped  with  a  removable  cover.  Just 
zip  the  zipper  and  off  comes  the  bear's  "hide,"  which  can  be 
laundered  every  time  it  gets  dirty! 

Mrs.  Gann  did  not  stop  at  bears.  She  created  an  entire  line  of 
stuffed  animals  at  home,  all  with  the  same  removable  washable-hide 
feature.  Business  grew  to  such  a  point  that  Mrs.  Gann  distributed 
the  cutting  and  sewing  jobs  to  a  number  of  neighbors,  who  did  the 
work  in  their  own  homes.  Mrs.  Gann  did  the  stuffing  herself.  She 
calls  the  animals  Tidy  Toys,  and  her  business  the  Tidy  Toy  Com- 
pany. 

How  does  she  sell  them?  First,  as  with  many  home  businesses,  to 
friends  and  acquaintances,  and  their  friends.  Then  she  goes  to  shops 
that  carry  specialty  merchandise  for  children.  One  look  and  the 
owners  take  a  shipment.  Mrs.  Gann  has  learned  an  important  fact— 
when  to  approach  the  stores.  Her  Tidies  are  excellent  Christmas 
items,  she  knows,  but  what's  the  best  time  to  hit  the  shops  for 
Christmas  sales?  She  learned  that  shops  in  the  Southwestern  part 
of  the  country  buy  in  July,  when  the  large  buyers'  shows  are  held 


88  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

in  Dallas,  Texas.  But  this  isn't  so  in  the  Eastern  and  Central  part  of 
the  country— there  the  stores  depend  on  the  New  York  market  and 
buy  in  February  and  March.  Knowing  this  is  vital,  because  no 
matter  how  excellent  the  product,  buyers  won't  buy  after  the 
Christmas  stock  has  been  purchased  up  to  the  hilt  of  the  budgets. 


HELPFUL  BOOKS  FOR  DOLLMAKERS 

How  to  Make  Dolls  and  Doll  Houses,  by  Tina  Lee.  Doubleday  &  Co., 

Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 

The  Complete  Book  of  Doll  Making  and  Collecting,  by  Catherine  Christo- 
pher. Greystone  Press,  100  6th  Ave.,  New  York  13,  N.Y. 
How  to  Make  'Your  Own  Dolls  for  Pleasure  and  Profit,  by  Grace  L. 

Schauffler.  American  Crayon  Co.,  200  5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
On  Making,  Mending  and  Dressing  Dolls,  by  Clara  E.  Fawcett.  Lindquist 

Publications,  2  West  46th  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
Paper  Dolls,  by  Edith  F.  Ackley.  J.  B.  Lippincott  Co.,  East  Washington 

Sq.,  Philadelphia  5,  Pa. 
DolTs  Furniture,  by  William  Klenke.  McKnight  &  McKnight,  109-111 

West  Market  St.,  Bloomington,  111. 
Dolls  To  Make  for  Fun  and  Profit,  by  Edith  F.  Ackley.  J.  B.  Lippincott 

Co.,  East  Washington  Sq.,  Philadelphia  5,  Pa. 


CHAPTER     FIFTEEN 


Needle,  Thread,  and  Jam  Profits 
for  the  Skillful 


A  MULTITUDE  of  American  women  have  professional  skill  with 
needles  and  threads  and  yarns  that  will  enable  them  to  make  pin 
money  at  home  or  develop  products  that  place  them  in  the  small- 
business  class.  Nevertheless  comparatively  few  of  these  women 
actually  do  use  their  sewing  skill  and  sales  ability  to  profit  in  this 
way. 

Failure  to  augment  the  family  income  with  needlework  may  be 
due  to  the  overwhelming  supply  of  mass-produced  articles  that 
flood  the  markets.  Obviously  few  women  plying  the  needle  at  home 
can  compete  with  mass  producers  of  simple  articles.  The  opportu- 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  89 

nity  for  home  sewers  lies  in  production  of  handmade  articles  in  the 
luxury  field,  where  individuality  merits  a  luxury  price. 

One  young  woman  who  set  out  to  secure  fancy  prices  for  her  fine 
needlework  is  Anna  Edwards  Moszczynski,  who  fled  from  Poland 
with  her  husband  after  the  war,  coming  to  New  York.  While  her 
husband  studied  medicine  she  plied  her  needle.  She  embroidered 
beautifully  decorated  cigarette  cases,  pincushions,  velvet  compacts, 
and  other  small  articles  that  finally  attracted  attention  of  small-shop 
operators.  Her  market  increased,  her  output  increased,  and  finally 
she  had  to  employ  others  to  help  her  and  still  others  to  contact  and 
develop  additional  markets.  She  has  had  to  work  hard  and  use  her 
imagination,  and  while  she  hasn't  purchased  Long  Island  she  has 
developed  a  steady-going  small  business. 

Indicative  of  the  field  for  needleworkers  is  the  following  list, 
which  may  open  the  door  to  home  profits  for  you: 


Accessories 

Alterations 

Applique 

Aprons 

Art  needlework 

Bags 

Beading 

Blouses 

Bookmarks 

Cases 

Children's  wear 

Cigarette  cases 

Cloths 

Compacts 

Costumes 

Custom  orders 

Designs 

Doilies 

Dolls 

Dresses 

Embroidery 

Felt  novelties 

Gloves 

Handbags 


Handkerchiefs 

Hats 

Holders 

Knitting 

Laces 

Layettes 

Lingerie 

Masquerade  costumes 

Millinery 

Mittens 

Monogramming 

Napkins 

Novelties 

Personalizing 

Petit  point 

Pillowcases 

Pincushions 

Purses 

Remodeling 

Quilts 

Sachets 

Samplers 

Scarves 

Services 


QO  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Sewing  bags  Table  covers 

Slippers  Tea  sets 

Smocks  Towels 

Spreads  Toys 

According  to  your  individual  talents  and  desires,  you  may  be 
fortunate  enough  to  develop  a  sewing  specialty  of  your  own,  as  did 
Mrs.  Albert  Bailey  of  Orzona,  Texas.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bailey  were 
operating  a  sheep  ranch  and  wanted  to  increase  their  flocks.  The 
resourceful  Mrs.  Bailey  had  made  a  pair  of  scuffs  from  quilting 
material  as  an  accommodation  for  a  neighbor.  Others  saw  the 
quilted  scuffs,  open-toed  and  artistically  embellished  with  artificial 
flowers,  and  ordered  more  of  the  same  kind.  Her  daughter  showed 
samples  to  a  Dallas  store  buyer  and  came  home  with  an  order  for 
two  hundred  pairs.  The  size  of  the  ranch  increased,  but  the  scuff 
business  increased  more  rapidly  and  mounted  to  a  $75,000  annual 
gross. 


HATS,     HOME     MADE     FOR     FIFTY     CENTS     AND     UP, 
WEARABLE,     SALABLE 

Home  needleworkers  are  perfectly  capable  of  turning  out  beauti- 
ful, salable  hats  at  a  cost  of  less  than  one  dollar.  In  case  you  think 
that  is  an  optimistic  statement,  why  is  it  that  the  millinery  manu- 
facturers of  the  country  became  so  excited  and  apoplectic  when 
Good  Housekeeping  magazine  published  a  feature  telling  how  to 
make  hats  for  fifty  cents— and  featuring  designs  by  the  famous  names 
such  as  Lilly  Dache,  John  Frederics,  Laddie  Northridge,  Beatrice 
Martin,  and  Sally  Victor? 

Millinery  Research,  trade  paper  for  the  industry,  carried  a  front- 
page editorial  of  protest.  "Have  They  Gone  'Nuts'  Uptown?"  the 
editorial  was  entitled,  and  it  went  on,  "You  couldn't  begin  to  add 
up  the  subconscious  damage  such  a  section  can  bring  about  to 
millinery  manufacture  and  selling.  The  cost  of  making  each  hat 
was  shown  and  in  some  instances  they  ranged  down  to  ...  50 
cents.  What  woman  in  her  right  mind  will  pay  normal  prices  for 
millinery  when  top  designers  give  her  slants  on  a  draped  hat  for 
50  cents  .  .  .  T 

If  the  big  manufacturers  are  fearful  of  home  hatmaking,  it  is  clear 
indication  of  their  confidence  that  American  needlewomen  can 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  Ql 

produce  highly  salable  hats  that  will  sell  for  less  than  the  big 
operators  charge.  And  that,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  should  encourage 
you  to  consider  the  possibilities  of  a  millinery  department  in  your 
own  home. 

Sally  Victor,  one  of  the  famed  hat  designers  mentioned  above,  got 
her  start  with  a  needle  in  her  own  home.  She  was  born  in  Scranton, 
Pennsylvania,  one  of  nine  children  in  the  family,  and  learned  how 
to  sew  and  to  make  doll  dresses  and  make  her  own  hats.  She  twisted 
buckram  into  a  shape  she  liked,  and  before  long  was  the  unofficial, 
unpaid  milliner  in  her  own  neighborhood.  She  took  a  night  course  in 
dressmaking,  but  preferred  millinery,  and  followed  her  preference 
to  the  point  where  she  became  famous. 

Never  underestimate  the  resourcefulness  of  women  when  it  comes 
to  millinery  (or  anything  else  for  that  matter).  One  day  while  fish- 
ing, Mrs.  Maye  J.  Day  of  St.  Petersburg,  Florida,  age  67  and  a 
widow,  noticed  other  fisherwomen  wearing  plain  straw  hats,  and 
visualized  a  more  colorful  headgear.  She  bought  some  plain  straws, 
added  color  and  ribbon  and  a  few  twists  and  turns  that  still  per- 
mitted protection  from  the  sun,  but  added  beauty  and  style.  She 
wore  samples.  Women  ordered  her  hats,  and  before  long  she  had 
neighbors  assisting  her  in  supplying  the  demand.  Another  of  the 
resourceful  is  Mrs.  Hazel  Laird  of  Pawnee,  Oklahoma.  Her  husband 
runs  a  gobbler  farm,  and  she  used  turkey  feathers  to  decorate  hats 
that  found  a  ready  market. 

SEWING     AND     STYLING     OF     GARMENTS 
FO  R     MONEY 

Home  sewing  and  styling  of  garments,  costumes,  and  accessories 
has  become  a  major  industry  The  competent  seamstress  has  little 
difficulty  in  making  money  at  home  in  almost  all  communities,  and 
the  demand  for  home  sewing  is  clearly  increasing  rapidly.  The 
demand  for  patterns  in  recent  years  has  more  than  doubled,  to 
around  1,250,000  annually,  and  the  National  Cotton  Council  has 
reported  sales  of  around  700,000,000  yards  of  cotton  goods  alone  in 
one  year. 

The  revival  of  home  sewing  for  a  family's  own  garments  and  for 
sale  is  not  restricted  to  parents  and  grandparents.  Miss  Lucille 
Rivers,  in  a  single  year,  enrolled  more  than  one  million  women  in 
home  sewing  classes  throughout  the  country  on  behalf  of  McCalTs 


Q2  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

Pattern  Book  and  at  the  behest  of  the  government.  She  reports  that 
35  per  cent  of  the  women  who  sew  at  home  are  from  26  to  35  years 
of  age;  21  per  cent  under  25;  and  only  17  per  cent  more  than  46 
years  old. 

Miss  Rivers,  stylist  for  pattern  companies  and  department  stores, 
says  that  some  years  ago  "the  whole  trouble  was  that  most  of  the 
women  were  using  methods  handed  down  to  them  by  their  mothers 
and  grandmothers.  Making  one's  own  clothes  took  too  long  for  our 
speeded-up  society.  When  I  showed  them  how  they  could  sew  a 
dress  in  one  day  instead  of  a  week,  home  sewing  enjoyed  a  revival." 

The  competent  home  dressmaker  who  wants  to  make  a  side  in- 
come—or a  full-time  income— can  rather  rapidly  get  the  money 
coming  in  simply  by  advising  friends  and  neighbors  of  the  products 
she  is  willing  to  make  and  showing  a  few  samples  of  her  finished 
work.  Many  women  have  established  a  small  home  business  by  this 
simple  expedient;  others  use  the  telephone;  or  insert  small  classified 
advertisements  in  newspapers;  others  place  their  products  in  gift 
shops  or  local  specialty  shops,  and  women's  exchanges. 

One  of  the  good  points  about  home  dressmaking  is  the  fact  that 
so  many  women  already  have  virtually  all  of  the  equipment  needed, 
so  that  the  only  investment  necessary  is  to  secure  dress  goods  on 
special  order,  or  plan  an  output  large  enough  to  permit  purchase  of 
bolts  of  cloth  at  wholesale.  In  broadening  out  the  home  business  the 
investment  can  be  increased,  but  not  exorbitantly,  to  permit  an 
immediate  supply  of  various  accessories  that  can  be  sold  at  a  profit. 

While  profits  are  waiting  for  the  taking  by  the  woman  who  wants 
to  be  a  home  dressmaker  along  routine  lines,  the  greater  profits 
come  to  those  who  develop  a  specialty  to  serve  the  off-sized  folk 
who  can't  slip  into  almost  any  standard-sized  costume  that  comes  off 
a  shop  rack.  They  sew  for  the  hard-to-fit,  the  short  body  with  long 
legs,  and  the  reverse,  the  shorties  and  the  skyscrapers,  and  those 
requiring  special  costumes  at  special  periods.  And  in  the  process  of 
meeting  such  special  requirements  some  resourceful  women  develop 
their  own  designs  that  are  eminently  salable  to  the  pattern  com- 
panies. 

Many  are  familiar  with  the  story  of  Peg  Newton,  formerly  of 
Lebanon,  Missouri,  who  saw  a  special  need  and  took  steps  to  supply 
that  need.  Miss  Newton  was  tall  and  had  difficulty  in  finding  be- 
coming clothes.  She  was  a  court  stenographer,  and  much  of  her 
good  salary  went  to  supply  her  wardrobe  properly.  She  reasoned 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  93 

that  others  as  tall  and  taller  than  she  had  the  same  difficulties  she 
had,  quit  her  job  to  develop  dresses  that  made  tall  women  look 
shorter  and  appear  to  their  best  advantage.  This  move  resulted  in 
development  of  many  special  designs  for  skyscrapers,  and  the  estab- 
lishment of  her  shop  on  an  extremely  successful  basis.  Others  in 
various  communities  followed  her  lead  and  provided  special  dress- 
making services  for  the  tall. 

Other  resourceful  women  have  specialized  on  other  shapes  and 
requirements.  Two  leaders  among  the  many  who  have  concentrated 
on  maternity  garments  are  Mrs.  Lena  Himmelstein  Bryant  and  Miss 
Elsie  Frankfort. 

Mrs.  Bryant  had  done  some  sewing  for  a  young  woman  who  came 
to  her  one  day  and  said,  "I'm  going  to  have  a  baby,  Mrs.  Bryant. 
You  make  all  kinds  of  things.  Can't  you  make  me  something  that 
will  be  both  pretty  and  practical  and  in  which  I  can  entertain  at 
home?" 

Now  that  was  back  in  1904,  at  a  time  when  a  pregnant  woman 
felt  she  must  hide  in  confinement.  Mrs.  Bryant  met  her  challenge 
with  an  attractive  and  concealing  tea  dress  and  an  accordion-pleated 
skirt  attached  to  a  bodice  with  an  elastic  band.  She  was  under  way 
with  a  line  of  dresses  that  became  a  $50,000,000  business,  despite 
the  fact  that  only  about  one  customer  in  twenty  is  expectant. 

Elsie  Frankfort  of  Dallas,  Texas,  is  another  who  has  catered  to 
the  special  needs  of  prospective  mothers.  Her  sister  was  having 
difficulty  in  locating  suitable  clothes  for  the  period,  so  Elsie  Frank- 
fort with  her  two  sisters  began  designing  and  producing  satisfactory 
costumes,  and  their  line  soon  brought  profits.  In  ten  years  they  had 
a  million-dollar  annual  business. 

Although  shops  may  carry  such  established  lines,  there  is  always 
room  for  the  neighborhood  home  dressmaker  to  turn  her  skill  to 
custom  designing  and  sewing  for  friends  and  neighbors. 

Sometimes  smaller  communities  do  not  have  the  shops  to  meet  the 
special  requirements  of  the  womenfolk  who  love  attractive  costumes 
for  themselves  and  their  children.  The  dressmaker  in  such  a  com- 
munity has  customers  ready,  willing,  and  waiting  for  her  services. 

Many  small  town  folk  are  as  style-conscious  as  the  Park  Avenue 
ladies— sometimes  more  so.  Mrs.  Grace  Wilson  Van  Brunt  had  diffi- 
culty locating  the  clothes  she  wanted  for  a  tiny  daughter,  and  as  a 
result  she  now  employs  about  one  third  of  the  1000  population  of 
Belton,  Mo.,  helping  her  do  a  million-dollar  business. 


94  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

Not  finding  what  she  wanted,  Mrs.  Van  Brunt  designed  a 
"crawler"  for  her  baby  that  gave  the  child  more  room,  and  in  other 
ways  was  more  suitable  than  available  rompers  and  creepers.  Taking 
her  little  daughter  and  some  of  her  home-designed  clothes,  Mrs.  Van 
Brunt  called  on  a  buyer  in  a  Kansas  City  store.  Margaret  con- 
tentedly modeled  the  crawler,  and  dozens  of  orders  piled  in  from 
various  cities.  The  orders  heaped  up  and  the  entire  community  of 
Belton  became  interested.  Prominent  citizens  raised  money  for 
equipment  and  the  city  hall  was  turned  into  a  factory. 

You  may  not  want  to  turn  your  own  town  upside  down  with  your 
home  sewing  project,  and  can  rest  content  with  pin  money  or  a  more 
sizable  income.  But  if  you  keep  on  the  alert  for  something  with  a 
"different"  appeal,  you  may  find  yourself  acquiring  a  greater  income 
than  you  anticipated. 

Your  own  community  or  your  own  interests  may  prompt  your 
selection  of  a  specialty.  Like  so  many  women,  Leslie  Alderman  of 
Milford,  Connecticut,  had  creative  yearnings.  She  had  no  desire  to 
ply  a  needle,  but  she  was  interested  in  sewing  products.  She  loved 
the  sea,  and  had  ideas  of  her  own  regarding  seagoing  togs.  She  de- 
signed a  line  of  clothes  she  calls  "Shipshapers"— halters,  skirts, 
shorts,  etc.  She  collects  royalties  from  her  designs.  Another  woman 
who  drew  on  her  area  for  ideas  is  Marge  Riley,  who  spent  years  in 
the  wide-open  spaces  of  Wyoming  and  South  Dakota.  When  she 
was  a  schoolgirl,  an  Indian  had  taught  her  to  lace  with  thongs,  and 
she  had  made  Western-style  clothes  for  herself  and  her  friends.  As 
the  population  of  dude  ranches  grew  she  saw  a  place  for  Western 
fashions,  and  developed  designs  for  costumes  that  won  the  attention 
and  patronage  of  Gene  Autry,  Roy  Rogers,  and  others.  It  took  time 
and  work  and  resourcefulness,  but  the  result  was  that  the  demand 
for  Marge  Riley's  products  grew  and  grew.  One  shop  overflowed  and 
a  second  shop  was  required,  despite  the  fancy  prices  attaching  to 
handmade  special  costumes. 

KNITTING     AND     CROCHETING 
FOR     FUN     AND    PROFIT 

Women,  young  and  old,  in  all  sections  of  the  country,  have  the 
opportunity  to  turn  their  skill  with  knitting  needles  and  crochet 
hooks  into  home  incomes.  There  are  literally  hundreds  of  projects 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  95 

available  in  books  and  pattern  pamphlets,  ranging  from  booties  and 
sweaters  for  babies  to  expensive  dresses  for  milady. 

Woman's  exchanges,  local  dress  and  specialty  shops,  and  depart- 
ment stores  are  logical  markets  for  knitted  and  crocheted  products 
that  are  popular  in  a  particular  area.  The  hook  or  needle  wielder 
will  find  that  materials  may  cost  no  more  than  10  per  cent  of  the 
value,  time  and  skill  and  commissions  and  profits  coming  from  the 
balance  of  the  sales  dollar.  The  best  general  market  is  for  beautifully 
made  small  articles  that  sell  for  only  a  few  dollars,  but  some  special- 
ists aim  at  much  higher  stakes. 

Diana  Nadell  was  recovering  from  an  illness  when  she  recalled 
her  abandoned  hobby  of  knitting.  She  decided  to  resume  that  activ- 
ity, but  not  with  the  customary  argyles  and  sweaters  and  scarves. 
Diana  Nadell  produced  elaborately  made  evening  gowns  with  daz- 
zling metallic  threads  running  through.  One  such  gown  was  pur- 
chased by  the  wife  of  a  motion  picture  producer  in  Hollywood.  The 
gown  made  other  women  envious,  and  orders  mounted  until  Diane 
Hand  Knits  became  famous.  The  demand  was  so  great  that  she  had 
to  train  others  to  help  produce  the  garments,  and  this  proved  a  home 
money-making  bonanza  for  dozens  of  handicapped  women.  The 
dresses  range  in  price  from  $275  to  $1000  for  elaborate  productions 
fashioned  from  imported  yarns. 

On  a  smaller  scale,  when  in  her  eighties,  Mrs.  Casey  Jones,  of 
Tennessee,  widow  of  the  engineer  of  ballad  fame,  made  much  of 
her  income  by  crocheting  souvenir  doilies. 

In  various  communities  there  are  women  ready  to  turn  their  knit- 
ting and  crocheting  hobbies  to  profit,  and  others  with  the  flair  for 
organizing,  styling,  and  selling.  They  might  well  consider  combining 
talents  to  establish  small  home  businesses. 


FELT-CRAFT     ARTICLES      ARE     READILY      SALABLE 

Many  home  needleworkers  have  found  that  felt  craft  is  one  of  the 
easiest  and  most  profitable  activities.  They  secure  low-priced  kits 
from  supply  houses  as  a  starter,  get  scraps  from  milliners  and  mills 
in  some  areas,  from  department  stores  almost  anywhere,  and  fashion 
attractive  articles  that  find  a  ready  market  in  local  shops  and  among 
neighbors  and  friends. 

Salable  felt  articles  include:  handbags,  toy  animals,  lapel  decora- 
tions, table  mats,  hot-dish  pads,  holders,  little  boots  or  big  stockings 


96  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

for  the  mantel  at  Christmas  (and  often  these  can  be  filled  with 
minor  gifts  and  priced  up  accordingly),  felt  letters  for  costumes, 
sweaters,  and  the  like,  and  scuffs  and  slippers. 

The  New  York  craft  outlet,  America  House,  has  for  years  mar- 
keted slippers,  beautifully  designed  and  made  personally  or  under 
direction  of  Mrs.  Maginel  Wright  Barney,  who  has  made  a  business 
of  felt  products.  There  are  others  in  various  localities  who  operate 
on  a  lesser  scale. 

While  still  in  high  school,  Sharon  Koehnke  of  Glen  Ellyn,  Illinois, 
a  champion  at  table  tennis,  tennis,  swimming,  and  speed  skating, 
decided  to  make  wool  felt  handbags  at  home.  She  designed  a  num- 
ber of  attractive  bags  that  she  makes  in  her  spare  time,  and  has  sold 
them  throughout  the  United  States,  Canada,  and  some  foreign 
countries.  She  gives  each  bag  an  individual  touch.  Her  initialed 
handbags  are  particularly  popular. 

QUILTING    AND    TUFTING    FOR    HOME    INCOME 

Old-fashioned  quilting  and  tufting  is  enjoying  renewed  popular- 
ity, and  consequently  is  a  source  of  income  for  home  needleworkers. 
Although  quilt  covers  or  the  entire  quilt  in  plain,  applique,  or  patch- 
work are  the  mainstay  of  quilting  craftsmen,  there  are  needlework- 
ers who  use  the  quilting  processes  to  profit  from  short-time  projects 
such  as  bibs,  quilted  oilcloth  toys  and  animals,  holders  and  mats. 
Others  apply  the  quilting  and  tufting  process  to  linen,  curtains, 
cushions  and  purses. 

The  beginner  in  quilting  may  order  ready-cut  quilting  blocks  from 
craft  houses  and  through  service  magazines,  thus  speeding  up  the 
process  of  producing  a  finished  product.  The  experienced  workers, 
however,  prefer  to  use  uncut  pieces,  making  their  own  designs  or 
using  available  patterns. 

Although  a  good  deal  of  time  goes  into  quilting,  it  is  a  type  of 
work  that  can  be  picked  up  and  put  down  without  difficulty,  and 
thus  turns  many  otherwise  wasted  hours  into  profitable  activity.  Go 
shopping  and  you  will  probably  find  that  locally  you  may  pay  from 
$15  to  $50  for  well-made  quilt  tops,  and  there  is  a  steady  market. 

Some  women  specialize  in  producing  quilts  for  children  from 
scrap  pieces,  frequently  relieved  with  storybook  figures  traced  from 
books  or  from  ready-made  patterns  that  are  published  in  newspapers 
and  magazines. 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  97 

It  is  important  that  you  gauge  your  time  as  well  as  the  cost  of 
good  basic  materials  in  figuring  your  prices  on  quilts.  While  the 
prices  are  high,  the  return  for  your  labor  may  be  low  unless  you  are 
a  fast  and  systematic  worker,  or  enjoy  the  craft  so  much  you  don't 
require  a  high  rate  of  pay  for  the  time  devoted  to  it 

HELPFUL    BOOKS    AND    PAMPHLETS    FOR 
NEEDLEWORKERS 

Embroidery 

The  Complete  Book  of  Embroidery  and  Embroidery  Stitching,  by  Cath- 
erine Christopher.  Greystone  Press,  100  6th  Ave.,  New  York  13,  N.Y. 

Embroidery  and  Needlework,  by  Gladys  W.  Fry.  Pitman  Publishing  Corp., 
2  West  49th  St.,  New  York  19,  N.Y. 

Crocheting 

Crocheting  pamphlets.  Get  list.  The  Spool  Cotton  Co.,  745  5th  Ave.,  New 
York  22,  N.Y. 

Crocheting  pamphlets.  Get  list.  James  Lees  &  Sons,  Bridgeport,  Penn. 

This  Is  Crocheting,  by  Ethel  Evans.  The  Macmillan  Co.,  60  5th  Ave., 
New  York  11,  N.Y. 

The  Complete  Book  of  Crochet,  by  Elizabeth  L.  Mathieson.  World  Pub- 
lishing Co.,  2231  West  110  St.,  Cleveland  2,  O. 

Gloves  and  Mittens 
You  Can  Make  Your  Own  Gloves,  by  Edith  M.  Hummell.  Fairchild  Books, 

distributed  by  A.  A.  Wyn,  23  West  47th  St.,  New  York  19,  N.Y. 
Scandinavian  Mittens,  by  Kajsa  Lindquist.  Plays,  Inc.,  8  Arlington  St., 

Boston  16,  Mass. 

Hats 
How  to  Design  and  Make  Your  Own  Hats,  by  Eve  Tartar.  Homecrafts, 

799  Broadway,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
How  to  Make  Hats  and  Accessories,  by  Vee  W.  Powell.  Greystone  Press, 

100  6th  Ave.,  New  York  13,  N.Y. 
200  Ways  to  Trim  a  Hat,  by  Virginia  A.  Mclntire.  Mclntire  Co.,  5225 

Wilshire  Blvd.,  Los  Angeles  56,  Calif. 

Knitting 

Knitting  pamphlets.  Get  list.  Spinnerin  Yam  Co.,  230  5th  Ave.,  New 
York  1,  N.Y. 

The  Big  Book  of  Knitting,  Isabelle  Stevenson,  editor.  Greystone  Press, 
100  6th  Ave.,  New  York  13,  N.Y. 

The  Complete  Book  of  Knitting,  by  Elizabeth  L.  Mathieson.  World  Pub- 
lishing Co.,  2231  West  110th  St.,  Cleveland  2,  O. 

Complete  Book  of  Progressive  Knitting,  by  Ida  R.  Duncan.  Liveright  Pub- 
lishing Corp.,  386  4th  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 


98  MONEY-MAKINGIDEAS 

Book  of  Knitting  Patterns,  by  Mary  H.  Thomas.  The  Macmillan  Co.,  60 

5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
The  Baby  Book  of  Knitting  and  Crochet,  by  Elizabeth  L.  Mathieson. 

World  Publishing  Co.,  2231  West  110th  St.,  Cleveland  2,  O. 

Lace 
Filet  Crochet  Lace,  by  Margaret  Techy.  Harper  &  Bros.,  49  East  33rd  St., 

New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Bobbin  Lace,  by  Elsie  H.  Gubser.  Mrs.  N.  J.  Gubser,  647  North  Denver 

St.,  Tulsa  6,  Okla. 

Quilting  and  Tufting 
The  Standard  Book  of  Quilt  Making  and  Collecting,  by  Marguerite  Ickis. 

Greystone  Press,  100  6th  Ave.,  New  York  13,  N.Y. 
One  Hundred  One  Patchwork  Patterns,  by  Ruby  S.  McKim.  McKim 

Studios,  1212  West  Lexington  Ave.,  Independence,  Mo. 
Old  Patchwork  Quilts  and  the  Women  Who  Made  Them,  by  Ruth  E. 

Finley.  Grosset  &  Dunlap,  Inc.,  1107  Broadway,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
31  Quilt  Designs.  Booklet.  Taylor  Bedding  Mfg.  Co.,  Taylor,  Tex. 

Sewing 
Golden  Treasury  of  Needlecraft,  Isabelle  Stevenson,  editor.  Greystone 

Press,  100  6th  Ave.,  New  York  13,  N.Y. 
McCalFs  Complete  Book  of  Dressmaking,  by  Marian  Corey.  Greystone 

Press,  100  6th  Ave.,  New  York  13,  N.Y. 
Sew  It  Yourself,  by  Madelyn  Grisby.  Barnes  &  Noble,  Inc.,  5th  Ave.,  at 

18th  St.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Singer  Sewing  Book,  by  Mary  B.  Picken.  Grosset  &  Dunlap,  Inc.,  1107 

Broadway,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
Sewing  for  the  Baby,  by  Kay  Hardy.  Garden  City  Publishing  Co.,  575 

Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Sewing  for  the  Home,  by  Mary  B.  Picken.  Harper  &  Bros.,  49  East  33rd 

St.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 

Home  Decoration  with  Fabric  and  Thread,  by  Ruth  W.  Spears.  M.  Bar- 
rows &  Co.,  425  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Tailoring  and  Dressmaking  Made  Easy,  by  Simon  Palestrant.  Homecrafts, 

799  Broadway,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
How  to  Make  Draperies  and  Slipcovers,  by  Ethel  Brostrom  and  Harry 

Marinsky.  Crown  Publishers,  419  4th  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 


CHAPTER    SIXTEEN 

Weaving,  Hooking,  and  Braiding 


HAND  WEAVING  and  allied  crafts  such  as  hooking  and  braiding  pro- 
vide opportunities  for  both  men  and  women  who  have  patience  and 
creative  ability.  These  crafts  offer  a  good  market  with  a  demand  for 
original  or  personalized  designs  in  hand-loomed  fabrics  and  associ- 
ated products. 

Comparatively  few  should  expect  to  make  a  full  living  with  such 
crafts.  The  mass  of  some  300,000  home  loom  operators  is  content 
with  making  pin  money  or  a  few  hundred  dollars  yearly,  plus  the 
gratification  of  their  creative  yearnings.  Here  is  a  word  for  beginners 
from  Margaret  E.  Hamilton,  private  instructor  and  for  several  years 
weaving  instructress  of  the  Bradley  Weavers  at  the  Bradley  Home, 
Meriden,  Conn.:  "In  my  opinion  weaving  is  one  of  the  most  satis- 
factory crafts.  The  cost  of  equipment  may  seem  high  but  the  ability 
to  make  something  special  more  than  compensates  for  the  outlay. 
The  sales  of  small  articles  soon  pay  for  the  cost  of  materials  used. 
The  new  weaver  should  not  think  she  will  make  a  living  with  her 
loom  but  it  will  provide  many  an  extra  dollar,  so  Good  Luck,  Be- 
ginners, have  fun!" 

Almost  anyone,  including  the  blind  and  otherwise  handicapped, 
can  learn  the  weaving  technique  and  make  silk  and  linen,  even  suit- 
ing twills,  tweeds,  herringbones,  etc.,  at  the  rate  of  a  yard  an  hour 
after  the  slower  process  of  preparing  the  loom  and  shuttles. 

The  well-known  writer,  T.  E.  Murphy,  in  telling  about  the  new 
table-model  hand  loom  invented  by  Elphege  Nadeau  of  Woon- 
socket,  Rhode  Island,  reported  in  The  Saturday  Evening  Post  that 
"with  only  five  minutes'  instruction  I  undertook  to  weave  material 
for  a  sport  jacket.  The  yarn  cost  less  than  twelve  dollars.  Yet  when  I 
took  my  finished  material  to  a  tailor  and  asked  him  to  appraise  it, 
he  said,  1  can't  buy  cloth  like  that.  If  I  could,  it  would  be  worth  at 
least  twelve  dollars  a  yard/  " 


100  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

The  Nadeau  loom  he  used  is  a  revolutionary  model  and  available 
in  only  limited  numbers  at  around  $150.  There  are  other  models 
available  through  mail-order  houses  and  craft  supply  stores  at  from 
$20  to  several  hundred  dollars.  For  that  matter  you  can  rig  up  your 
own  table-loom  frame  by  nailing  together  four  strips  of  wood  in  a 
rectangle,  or  you  can  use  all  or  half  of  an  old  screen  door  frame  for 
beginning  operations. 

You  can  learn  the  weaving  processes  from  instruction  booklets 
provided  by  loom  manufacturers,  from  books,  or  better  yet,  from 
established  craft  centers  that  may  be  available  in  your  community. 
It  is  pointed  out  in  a  manual  issued  by  the  Readers  Digest  that, 
"the  work  may  be  done  at  home  and  sold  through  gift  shops  and 
department  stores,  or  through  a  small  shop  on  a  well-traveled  high- 
way, or  in  a  resort  hotel.  Success  depends  on  the  weaver's  skill, 
speed,  creative  ability,  and  reputation,  and  how  well  he  can  develop 
the  craft  into  an  art. 

"In  a  small  Pennsylvania  town  Gallinger  Crafts  has  developed  a 
profitable  center  for  the  weaving  craft  which  includes  a  factory  for 
making  looms  and  other  equipment  used  in  weaving,  a  school  for 
teaching  the  use  of  looms,  a  highway  gift  shop,  and  a  national  sales 
organization.  In  one  year  $9,000  worth  of  household  linens  were 
sold  to  New  York  department  stores  and  some  350  shops  in  other 
parts  of  the  country. 

"Through  the  school,  home  weavers,  art  directors,  school  teachers, 
hobbyists  and  craftsmen  in  general  learn  weaving  or  learn  to  teach 
spinning,  weaving,  fabric  darning,  lace-making,  and  basketry.  Gal- 
linger  Crafts  has  been  the  means  of  starting  hundreds  in  the  busi- 
ness of  selling  their  handwoven  products." 

Although  such  a  center  may  not  be  available  to  you,  the  manual 
points  out  that  loom  craft  can  be  learned  by  correspondence,  and  it 
suggests  that  "a  handicrafts  business  might  be  worked  out  by  a 
group  of  disabled  veterans,  working  together  and  sharing  the  over- 
head of  a  common  shop,  dividing  the  tasks  of  designing,  weaving 
and  selling." 

But  whether  you  want  to  aim  at  establishment  of  a  small  business 
or  not,  you  have  the  experience  of  thousands  of  others  that  shows 
that  you  can  develop  a  home  money-making  project.  According  to 
your  skill  and  ambitions,  you  can  select  any  of  a  number  of  market- 
able products  that  is  merely  suggested  by  the  following  list: 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  1O1 

Afghans  Luncheon  sets 

Baby  and  crib  blankets  Mats 

Bedspreads  Neckties 

Belts  Novelties  unlimited 
Cane,  rush,  reed,  seats,  and  bas-     Pillowcases 

kets  Rugs,  large  and  small 

Draperies  Runners 

Dress  goods  Scarves 

Hats  Silks 

Knitting  bags  Suitings 

Lace  Table  spreads 

Linen  guest  towels  Tapestries 

Craft  and  other  supply  stores  make  available  varied  sizes  and 
colors  of  fibers,  threads,  and  yarns  necessary  for  weaving  materials 
such  as  cotton,  wool,  linen,  silk,  metallic  threads,  etc.,  to  meet  the 
demands  of  the  most  artistic  home  loom  operator.  Patterns  and  de- 
signs by  the  thousand  are  available  in  special  books  for  those  who 
do  not  create  their  own  specialties. 

Weaving  is  basically  a  very  simple  operation.  Plain  darning  is 
something  of  a  weaving  process.  Primitive  people  wove  reeds,  strips 
of  skins,  and  yarns  without  frames  at  all.  In  your  frame  or  on  your 
loom  you  have  a  series  of  vertical  threads  called  warp.  With  a 
shuttle  you  pass  horizontal  threads  called  woof  or  weft  across  one 
warp  thread  and  under  the  next  one,  over  and  under,  over  and  un- 
der. In  practice,  harnesses  operated  by  hand  or  foot  treadles  lift  or 
lower  odd  and  even  warp  threads  so  that  the  shuttle  can  be  passed 
straight  across  in  one  quick  movement.  This  process  on  the  simple 
two-harness  loom  involves  one  harness  for  all  warp  threads  and  the 
other  harness  carrying  all  the  woof  threads,  with  color  and  patterns 
being  provided  by  colored  threads  according  to  the  design  being 
used.  To  weave  a  simple  black  and  white  checked  mat,  for  instance, 
you  might  use  fifteen  warp  threads  of  white,  then  fifteen  warp 
threads  of  black,  alternating  across  the  loom.  Then  one  shuttle 
would  be  threaded  white  and  another  black.  By  passing  the  shuttles 
back  and  forth  the  black  and  white  squares  would  be  woven.  More 
intricate  designs  result  according  to  the  pattern  and  threading  of 
your  loom. 

There  is  a  fascination  to  weaving  that  can  grip  the  hobbyist  or 
home  money-maker,  and  hand-loom  work  appeals  to  men  as  well  as 


102  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

women.  It  takes  practice  to  turn  out  finished  work,  but  the  learning 
process  is  interesting,  and  reasonable  skill  can  be  developed  by 
almost  anyone  who  is  truly  interested.  Ruth  A.  Quinan  has  done  ex- 
ceptional work  with  the  Blindcraft  Organization  in  San  Francisco, 
teaching  the  blind  braille  and  typewriting  and  weaving.  She  tells  of 
a  woman  of  eighty-four  who  makes  exquisite  hand-woven  afghans 
which  provide  her  with  a  steady  income  so  that  she  does  not  need 
government  help;  and  another  blind  woman  of  seventy-six  who 
completed  seventy-six  pairs  of  socks  and  numerous  afghans  in  one 
year.  Mr.  Murphy,  who  in  an  hour  made  the  material  for  a  sport 
jacket,  tells  about  J.  H.  K.  Davis  of  Hartford,  Connecticut,  a  retired 
army  officer,  who  turns  out  homespun  suitings  for  his  married  sons, 
and  Charles  Sheldon  of  Wrentham,  Massachusetts,  who  makes  beau- 
tiful chenille  rugs  at  the  rate  of  a  yard  of  cloth  an  hour  on  his  Na- 
deau  loom. 

Boy  Scouts  and  Girl  Scouts,  the  blind  and  the  halt,  men  and 
women  of  all  ages,  make  up  the  army  of  hand-loom  craftsmen 
already  at  work,  and  their  ranks  are  being  enlarged  steadily  as  more 
people  come  to  realize  the  value  of  this  craft  for  part-time  or  full- 
time  employment  and  as  a  hedge  against  boredom. 

The  serious  weaver  of  rugs  and  coverlets  that  may  sell  for  from 
$40  to  $80  should  not  be  satisfied  with  any  loom  smaller  than  four  or 
six  harnesses.  Prices  will  be  determined  by  your  local  markets,  but 
as  a  rule  of  thumb  many  weavers  figure  the  finished  price  at  four 
times  the  cost  of  the  thread. 


CHAIR-SEAT     BASKET     WEAVING 

There  are  men  and  women  who  prefer  weaving  with  materials 
other  than  thread,  although  textile  weaving  is  most  common.  These 
folk  usually  turn  to  chair-seat  and  basket  weaving.  The  basic  prin- 
ciples are  simple  and  easy  to  learn. 

The  materials  used  include  rattan  or  cane,  rush,  twisted  paper, 
wooden  splints,  reeds,  willow  shoots,  and  vines.  Usually  the  mate- 
rials are  imported  in  natural  colors  or  dyed  with  native  colors. 

Equipment  required  is  very  simple— almost  as  simple  as  when  the 
ancient  native  craft  was  begun.  The  investment  is  negligible.  All  you 
need  is  a  model  or  book  of  instructions  and  designs,  a  sharp  knife 
or  razor  blades  with  holders,  sharp  scissors,  sandpaper,  string,  a 
bucket  of  water  for  soaking  to  make  the  materials  pliable. 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  1O3 

With  those  simple  tools  and  with  materials  obtained  from  craft 
supply  houses,  the  ardent  seat  or  basket  weaver  can  turn  out  amaz- 
ingly appealing  baskets  and  vases,  seatings,  mats,  and  other  novel- 
ties. 

HOOKED  AND  BRAIDED  RUGS  AND  NOVELTIES 

Teen-agers  and  grandmothers,  men  and  boys,  home  craftsmen  of 
all  ages  and  in  large  numbers  find  that  hooked  and  braided  rugs  that 
are  rather  easily  well  made  have  a  constant  market  in  local  shops 
and  stores.  Although  some  of  the  designs  for  hooked  or  braided  rugs 
have  "gone  modern/'  the  chief  appeal  is  in  the  old  period  motifs. 

It  isn't  necessary  for  the  hook  and  braid  brigade  to  have  great 
artistic  talent,  for  there  are  many  popular  designs  available  for  your 
own  stenciling,  or  you  can  secure  stenciled  burlap  to  guide  you  in 
making  a  very  salable  product.  If  you  have  an  artistic  bent  you  can 
alter  the  designs  or  create  your  own,  or  you  may  be  as  resourceful 
as  Grandma  Hanson  of  Rochester,  New  Hampshire,  who  combined 
her  hobby  of  genealogy  with  her  hobby  of  rug  hooking.  She  hooks 
genealogical  rugs  that  picture  the  ancestral  homes  of  the  Hansons. 

Rug  hooking  is  basically  a  simple  process.  Generally  you  use  a 
frame,  square  or  oblong,  such  as  can  be  easily  hammered  together 
at  home.  To  the  frame  you  fasten  a  base  of  burlap,  canvas,  coarse 
linen,  or  other  coarse  material.  You  can  buy  stenciled  burlap  in  craft 
supply  stores.  Using  a  simple  rug  hook,  you  pull  the  pile  through  the 
burlap.  The  pile  is  customarily  woolen  yarn,  but  some  rug  hookers 
use  strips  of  cloth.  Not  long  ago  a  method  of  rug  hooking  without  a 
frame  was  introduced  at  Wanamaker's  by  Mrs.  Hannah  Sampson, 
consultant  and  lecturer  on  rug  making.  The  new  method  involves  a 
canvas  that  is  simply  rested  on  a  table  or  in  your  lap  as  you  go  to 
work  with  a  hook-latch  stitch. 

Braided  rugs  can  be  produced  with  almost  startling  speed.  There 
are  rug  braiders  who  can  produce  small  braided  rugs  at  the  rate  of 
one  an  hour— seven  or  eight  or  even  more  in  one  day.  The  basic 
principles  are  easy.  You  fold  over  strips  of  rags  or  waste  ends  from 
blanket  factories  and  other  sources,  taper  the  ends,  and  sew  them 
together.  According  to  the  material,  braid  three  to  five  strands  to- 
gether, sew  or  lace  the  braids  together  with  a  strong  carpet  thread 
and  a  lacer. 

Although  the  smaller  rugs  and  mats  can  be  produced  rapidly, 


104  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

there  are  home  braided-rug  makers  who  devote  six  weeks  to  three 
months,  according  to  the  time  available,  to  producing  nine  by  twelve 
rugs,  which,  when  well  designed  with  established  or  home-created 
patterns,  are  readily  salable  in  shops  and  at  roadside  stands  in  many 
areas. 

Small  braided  rugs  are  sold  at  prices  ranging  from  $1.00  to  $10 
each,  and  established  home  rug  makers  find  they  can  make  a  dollar 
or  two  per  hour  braiding  rugs  on  order,  when  the  customer  provides 
the  rags.  The  prices  vary,  of  course,  with  the  size  of  the  rug. 

Braided  novelties  include  hot-dish  mats,  lamp  and  vase  mats,  slip- 
pers, handbags,  toilet-seat  covers,  seat  covers,  and  back  rests. 


HELPFUL     BOOKS     FOR     WEAVERS,     BRAIDERS, 
AND     HOOKERS 

Braiding  and  Knotting  for  Amateurs,  by  Constantine  A.  Belash.  Charles 
T.  Branford  Co.,  551  Boylston  St.,  Boston  16,  Mass. 

Art  of  Hooked  Rug  Making,  by  Martha  Batchelder.  Charles  A.  Bennett 
Co.,  Inc.,  237  North  Monroe  St.,  Peoria  3,  111. 

Creating  Hooked  Rugs,  by  Vera  B.  Underbill  and  Arthur  Burks.  Coward- 
McCann  Inc.,  210  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 

Hooked  Rugs  for  Fun  and  Profit:  With  Original  Hooked  Rugs,  Designs 
and  Patterns  from  Famous  Museum  Collections,  by  Bettina  Wilcox. 
Homecrafts,  799  Broadway,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 

Weaving  You  Can  Do,  by  Edith  L.  Allen.  Charles  A.  Bennett  Co.,  Inc., 
237  North  Monroe  St.,  Peoria  3,  111. 

Hand  Loom  Weaving  for  Amateurs,  by  Kate  Van  Cleve.  Charles  T.  Bran- 
ford  Co.,  551  Boylston  St.,  Boston  16,  Mass. 

Key  to  Weaving:  A  Textbook  of  Hand-Weaving  Techniques  and  Pattern 
Drafts  for  the  Beginning  Weaver,  by  Mary  E.  Black.  Bruce  Publishing 
Co.,  400  North  Broadway,  Milwaukee  1,  Wis. 

Handweaver's  Pattern  Book,  by  Marguerite  P.  Davison.  Author,  Box  299, 
Swarthmore,  Pa. 

Hand  Weaving  With  Reeds  and  Fibers,  by  O.  Gallinger  and  O.  H.  Ben- 
son. Pitman  Publishing  Co.,  2  West  45th  St.,  New  York  19,  N.Y. 


CHAPTER     SEVENTEEN 


Hand  Painting,  Decorating,  and  Printing 
for  You 


HAND  DECORATING  is  an  easy,  fascinating,  and  profitable  hobby.  The 
beauty  of  this  craft  is  that  you  don't  need  to  have  a  lot  of  previous 
experience— you  can  start  today  and  quickly  learn  how  to  personal- 
ize and  glamorize  ordinary  objects  to  make  them  readily  salable. 
Glance  around  you  in  the  gift  shops  and  you  will  see  tables  and 
shelves  loaded  with  hand-decorated  gifts  and  novelties.  The  hand 
decorating,  even  when  not  of  the  highest  artistic  quality,  makes 
what  would  be  twenty-five-cent  articles  sell  for  a  dollar  to  several 
dollars.  You  don't  need  more  than  a  card  table,  a  kitchen  sink,  or  a 
little  basement  or  attic  workplace  to  go  into  this  home  business,  and 
the  cost  of  supplies  is  very  small.  You  don't  even  have  to  be  able 
to  work  out  original  designs,  since  prepared  stencils  and  designs  are 
readily  available. 

The  records  abound  with  illustrations  of  men  and  women  who 
have  never  had  a  knack  for  drawing,  who  were  unskilled  in  "art" 
work,  but  who  through  short  classes  of  instruction  or  from  books 
and  magazines  and  pleasant  experiment  quickly  taught  themselves 
how  to  use  readily  available  materials. 

You  can  paint  almost  anything:  metal,  wood,  china  and  glass, 
plastics,  cork,  textiles,  with  stencils  or  freehand.  Artists'  tube  oil  can 
be  used  to  paint  almost  any  surface.  You  can  secure  waterproof  tex- 
tile paints  in  sets.  Enamels  and  glazes  are  available  and  are  particu- 
larly good  for  wood,  metal,  or  leather  decorating.  There  are  plastic 
glazes  that  give  much  of  the  appearance  of  expensive  enameling 
processes.  These  glazes  can  be  painted  on  metal,  china,  or  glass  and 
the  object  baked  in  your  ordinary  home  oven. 

A  list  of  articles  that  are  ordinary  to  begin  with,  but  the  value  of 
which  is  doubled  or  quadrupled  by  a  few  minutes  or  a  few  hours  of 
hand  painting,  would  be  almost  limitless.  A  partial  list  of  articles 
that  are  made  salable  at  a  profit  to  the  hand  decorator  includes  jugs, 


106  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

trays,  tumblers  with  names  or  monograms  or  initials,  individualized 
coasters,  greeting  cards,  holiday  or  anniversary  greetings,  stools  and 
other  furniture,  tin  cans  and  wastebaskets  and  bottles  and  boxes, 
toys,  and  dishes. 


PAINTING    ON    GLASS,    CHINA,    PLASTICS, 
AND    TILE 

If  you  know  red  from  black  or  white  from  blue  and  have  a  reason- 
ably steady  hand  and  a  little  patience,  you  can  buy  some  clear  glass 
or  china  or  tiles,  a  set  of  enamel,  some  colored  and  clear  glaze 
paints,  a  little  brush,  and  you  are  in  business. 

You  don't  have  to  be  an  artist.  You  don't  have  to  be  a  designer. 
You  can  teach  yourself  how  to  paint  and  personalize  china,  glass, 
plastics,  and  tiles  for  profit  in  very  short  order,  because  it  is  no 
longer  necessary  to  mix  special  paints  and  utilize  expensive  special 
ovens.  No  doubt  you  have  more  than  once  paid  two  to  ten  dollars 
for  a  dollar's  worth  of  glassware  that  has  been  hand  painted  to  en- 
hance its  value.  Shops  move  such  articles  rapidly  and  at  a  profit  to 
both  shop  operator  and  home  craftsman. 

It's  as  simple  as  this,  for  instance,  to  put  colorful  figures  or  initials 
on  a  set  of  plain  cocktail  glasses.  You  get  the  items  mentioned  and 
some  draftsman's  tracing  paper.  You  trace  on  tracing  paper  the  ini- 
tials or  the  bird  or  the  flower  you  want  to  paint.  You  slip  your  trac- 
ing inside  of  the  glass  and  there  you  have  a  pattern  to  follow.  You 
do  the  painting  with  one  of  the  new  glaze  paints.  After  painting  the 
design  on  the  glasses  you  place  them  in  an  ordinary  oven  for  an  hour 
at  250°  temperature,  then  open  the  door  and  let  articles  and  oven 
cool  off.  There  is  your  hand-painted  cocktail  set.  It  is  now  worth  sev- 
eral times  what  it  cost  you. 

The  plastic  glazes  you  use  come  in  a  large  variety  of  colors.  Trade 
names  for  some  of  them  available  at  craft  supply  houses  are  Marco 
Hard  Surface  Paints,  Dek-Al,  Delia  Robbia  Glaze,  and  there  are 
others. 

These  glazes  make  it  possible  for  an  amateur  to  begin  easily  to 
turn  out  salable  articles  in  a  very  short  time.  The  extent  to  which  you 
may  develop  this  craft  is  limited  only  by  your  own  resourcefulness. 

Consider  the  resourcefulness  of  Mrs.  John  Hamilton  of  Old  Green- 
wich, Connecticut.  She  was  intrigued  by  wise  and  witty  sayings. 
She  snipped  them  from  newspapers,  copied  them  from  books,  stored 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  1QJ 

them  away.  How,  you  will  ask,  could  a  profitable  home  business 
stem  from  this?  In  this  way: 

Mrs.  Hamilton  went  out  and  bought  some  squares  of  unpainted 
tile.  At  her  left,  she  placed  her  file  of  epigrams.  At  her  right,  a  brush 
and  some  paints.  She  flipped  through  the  file,  picked  out  a  cute, 
pithy  saying,  and  then  set  to  work  drawing  some  pixyish  figures, 
illustrating  it. 

For  example:  She  drew  a  comfortably  plump  woman  sitting  at  a 
soda  fountain,  happily  guzzling  a  sundae.  The  lettering  around  it 
was  the  late  Alexander  Woollcott's  tart  but  very  true  statement: 
"Everything  I  like  is  either  illegal,  immoral  or  fattening." 

And  she  drew  a  frowning  gentleman  lying  in  bed,  nightcap  on 
head  and  quilt  pulled  up  to  his  chin.  He  is  grumbling:  "What  good 
can  come  of  a  day  that  begins  with  getting  up  in  the  morning?" 
Then  she  created  a  crooked  house,  windows  and  shutters  awry,  roof 
at  a  crazy  angle.  "Houses  go  mad  when  women  gab"  was  the  com- 
ment. 

Simple?  Very,  and  the  completed  tiles  are  selling  enormously  well 
as  wall  decorations,  pads  for  hot  dishes,  and  a  variety  of  other  uses. 
In  addition,  Mrs.  Hamilton  letters  recipes  on  tiles,  mighty  handy  for 
the  housewife. 

Mrs.  Hamilton  does  her  work  in  her  spare  time,  before  and  after 
housework,  in  her  own  home.  And  she's  way  out  of  the  pin-money 
class. 

You  can  paint  six-inch  glaze  tiles  purchased  from  hardware  or 
other  supply  stores  as  bases  for  potted  plants,  or  smaller  tiles  or  clear 
glass  or  china  for  coasters,  ash  trays,  etc.  The  painting  of  one  tile 
shouldn't  take  more  than  an  hour  or  two  at  the  outside. 

Your  processes  of  tracing  and  painting  can  be  used  on  a  wide 
variety  of  glass,  china,  plastic,  containers,  water  pitchers,  and  lunch- 
eon dish  sets,  bottles  and  bowls,  cups  and  vases,  trays  and  teapots, 
or  what  have  you. 


HELPFUL  BOOKS  FOR  HAND  PAINTERS, 
AND  DECORATORS 

Teacher  of  China  Painting,  by  D.  M.  Campana.  D.  M.  Campana  Art  Co., 

442  North  Wells  St.,  Chicago,  IU. 
300  Projects  for  Hand  Decorating,  by  Julienne  Hallen.  Homecrafts,  799 

Broadway,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 


1O8  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

The  Painted  Tray  and  Free  Hand  Bronzing,  by  Elizabeth  S.  Hoke.  Mrs. 

C.  Naaman  Keyser,  Plymouth  Meeting,  Pa. 
How  to  Paint  Trays,  by  Roberta  R.  Blanchard.  Charles  T.  Branford  Co., 

551  Boylston  St.,  Boston  16,  Mass. 


PAINTING    AND    DECORATING    WOOD,    CORK, 
AND    METAL 

Using  stencils  or  your  own  or  adapted  designs  with  carbon  paper 
and  tracing  on  wood,  cork,  or  metal,  the  home  decorator  can  glam- 
orize almost  any  household  article.  Paints  in  a  variety  of  colors, 
glazes,  enamels,  and  varnishes  are  used  to  give  commonplace  articles 
brilliance  and  beauty  that  make  them  salable. 

Some  of  the  wooden  articles  that,  when  sanded  smoothly,  take  on 
beautiful  finishes  are  buckets,  handkerchief,  candy,  and  cigarette 
boxes,  chests,  magazine  racks,  lamps,  candleholders,  trays,  scrap- 
book  covers,  napkin  holders,  salt  boxes,  string  holders,  shelves,  book 
ends,  and  plaques. 

Such  articles  can  be  given  base  coats  of  red,  blue,  yellow,  green, 
or  black.  Designs  or  stencils  can  be  Scotch  Taped  to  the  surface 
and  traced,  the  design  then  being  painted  or  enameled  or  glazed  in 
the  colors  desired. 

Similar  processes  are  used  on  sheets  of  cork  that  have  been  cut 
for  special  purposes.  You  can  use  liquid  glazes,  crayons,  water 
colors,  and  waterproof  drawing  inks  on  cork.  Application  of  designs 
enhances  the  appearance  of  cork  place  mats,  hot  pads,  coasters, 
plaques,  memo  pads,  album  covers,  etc.  Cork  is  easy  to  work  with 
and  many  of  these  articles  can  be  decorated  rapidly  so  that  your 
output  permits  of  reasonable  prices  and  a  ready  market. 

Pyrogravure— using  a  hot  wood-burning  tool— is  another  method 
of  applying  designs  and  initials  to  other  wood  or  cork  articles,  such 
as  book  ends,  trays,  and  coasters,  to  personalize  and  individualize 
the  pieces  for  gift-shop  marketing. 

In  addition  to  painting  the  hand-decorating  crafts  include  silk- 
screen  printing  and  linoleum-block  printing,  which  are  easy  to 
master  as  money-making  crafts,  but  first  you  should  explore  the 
possibilities  of  textile  painting. 

A  helpful  book  is : 

Coloring  and  Painting  Wood,  by  Adnah  C.  Newell.  Charles  A.  Bennett 
Co.,  237  North  Monroe  St.,  Peoria  3,  111. 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  1OQ 


TEXTILE     PAINTING     AND     PERSONALIZING 

Mrs.  Irene  Gorman  hasn't  got  a  workshop  in  her  Brooklyn,  New 
York,  home,  but  she  does  have  a  table  in  her  living  room.  That  table, 
parlayed  with  Mrs.  Gorman's  ingenuity  at  textile  painting,  is  helping 
increase  the  family  income  comfortably  and  has  won  her  widespread 
recognition. 

Every  free  moment  she  gets,  Mrs.  Gorman,  a  young  housewife, 
spreads  her  fabrics  and  fabric  paints  on  that  table  and  hand-paints 
aprons,  scarfs,  blouses,  and  assorted  wearables  which  she  sells  to 
stores  for  as  much  as  $20  each— and  this  all  started  with  only  a  few 
dollars  invested  in  paint  and  a  few  blouses  and  aprons. 

Mrs.  Gorman  always  felt  she  would  like  to  paint.  It  wasn't  a  deep, 
consuming  ambition,  nor  was  it  a  large  talent— but  she  did  have  the 
urge  to  do  something  with  brushes  and  colors.  So  a  few  years  ago 
she  took  a  white  blouse  from  her  closet  and  proceeded  to  daub  a 
flower  on  the  material.  It  came  out  fine,  and  Mrs.  Gorman  got  out 
her  husband's  ties,  her  own  aprons,  and  whatever  presented  itself, 
and  brightened  them  with  designs  of  all  kinds. 

People  began  noticing,  and  the  inevitable  happened.  Would  she 
paint  a  tie  for  some  hubby's  birthday  present— a  blouse  for  some 
wife's  anniversary?  For  money,  of  course.  A  little  dubiously  Mrs. 
Gorman  agreed.  The  work  caught  on  and  orders  began  multiplying. 
Soon  she  was  turning  them  out  all  day  long. 

Now  Mrs.  Gorman  had  no  more  business  experience  than  most 
attractive  young  wives,  but  she  had  an  idea:  Why  not  try  to  sell 
hand-painted  things  to  the  stores?  She  timidly  approached  a  few 
neighborhood  establishments,  which  took  the  products  on  consign- 
ment—which means  she  would  be  paid  for  those  sold,  but  would 
have  to  take  back  those  unsold.  There  were  few  if  any  returned. 

A  newspaper  was  informed  of  her  work  and  ran  a  feature  story 
about  it.  A  television  program  manager  put  her  on  with  some  of  her 
work  for  all  to  see.  The  publicity  was  valuable.  Her  next  step  was 
to  seek  a  series  of  outlets  in  the  larger  stores.  Now  she  has  a  number, 
including  an  exclusive  Park  Avenue  establishment.  She  recently 
filled  an  order  received  from  Hawaii.  Her  aprons  sell  from  $3.50  up 
and  blouses  range  from  $7.00  to  $20.  She  buys  her  materials  care- 
fully, figures  out  the  basic  costs  and  the  time  involved,  and  from 
no  experience  in  business  and  no  experience  at  hand  decorating  she 


HO  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

has  developed  a  successful  enterprise.  She  is  now  working  out  ways 
and  means  of  selling  her  products  by  direct  mail  to  expand  her  mar- 
kets. 

You  can  try  your  own  hand  at  textile  painting  with  an  expenditure 
of  less  than  $5.00  for  a  few  tubes  of  paint,  a  couple  of  brushes,  some 
thinner,  a  T-shirt,  or  old  shorts  or  neckties  or  aprons.  You  can  cut 
out  your  designs  in  paper  or  cardboard  or  secure  stencils  or  cutout 
initials  to  personalize  the  article.  You  can  copy  or  alter  designs  from 
magazines  or  wallpaper  or  nature  books.  By  handpainting  initials 
or  monograms  or  figures  you  can  turn  a  $2.00  necktie  into  a  $5.00 
product  in  about  an  hour.  Or  you  may  be  even  more  resourceful,  as 
were  Mrs.  Betty  Hunt  and  Mrs.  Helen  Dillard  of  La  Junta,  Colo- 
rado, who  hand-paint  ties  that  advertise  the  business  of  the  wearer 
and  his  products—clouds  and  an  airplane  on  the  tie  of  an  airlines 
executive,  for  example. 

Stencil  painting  is  one  of  the  simplest  and  easiest  ways  to  apply 
color  to  fabrics.  The  paint  is  applied  with  pad  or  brush  to  the 
open  areas  of  the  stencil.  Stencils  are  available  in  craft  supply 
shops. 

A  helpful  book  is: 

Textile  Painting  for  You,  by  A.  M.  Olsen.  Author,  3308  4th  St.,  Tulsa  4, 
Okla. 


SILK-SCREEN     PRINTING 

To  the  uninitiated  mere  mention  of  silk-screen  printing  sounds 
complicated  and  difficult.  Actually,  however,  the  process  is  easily 
learned  and  can  be  self-taught  rather  quickly  to  a  point  where  the 
home  hobby  becomes  an  income  producer.  This  process  can  be 
readily  marketed,  particularly  in  small  towns  and  cities  where  there 
are  not  large,  established  silk-screen  printers. 

Although  silk  screening  was  used  by  the  Chinese  thousands  of 
years  ago,  it  continues  to  be  one  of  the  most  versatile  methods  of 
stenciling  and  is  enjoying  an  increased  popularity  with  home  crafts- 
men. It  is  a  process  used  for  print  goods  and  wallpapers  and  lends 
itself  to  economical  production  of  special  displays,  posters,  show 
cards,  greeting  cards,  skirts,  scarves,  dress  goods,  programs,  person- 
alized place  cards,  and  other  items  where  the  cost  of  engravings  and 
plates  would  be  prohibitive. 

Silk  screening  is  simply  a  method  of  printing  by  stencils  through 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  111 

tautly  stretched  silk  in  a  frame.  The  stencil,  cut  for  special  designs 
or  a  stock  stencil  of  lettering,  ornamental  borders,  illustrations  etc., 
is  shellacked  and  pressed  with  hot  iron  to  the  fine-mesh  silk  screen. 
Once  the  stencil  is  placed  the  silk  screen  is  laid  against  the  fabric 
or  paper  and  the  paint  is  quickly  squeezed  through  the  stencil.  The 
technique  permits  rapid  duplication.  While  the  process  is  excellent 
for  two  or  three  working  together,  Craft  Horizons  has  reported  that 
Eleanor  Finch,  working  alone,  turns  out  a  thousand  sheets  of  orna- 
mental wrapping  paper  in  a  day. 

Some  of  the  silk-screen  craftsmen  shift  to  use  of  an  airbrush  to 
spray  the  paint  through  the  stencil  instead  of  using  the  squeegee 
brush.  And  some  of  the  craftsmen  carry  the  processes  to  the  point 
where  they  use  many  colors  and  thus  qualify  as  fine  artists. 


HELPFUL      BOOKS      FOR      SILK-SCREEN      CRAFTSMEN 

Silk  Screen  Color  Printing,  by  Harry  Steinberg.  McGraw-Hill  Book  Co., 

330  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
Silk  Screen  Stencil  Craft  as  a  Hobby,  by  Jacob  I.  Biegeleisen.  Harper  & 

Bros.,  49  East  33rd  St.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Silk  Screen  Stenciling  as  a  Fine  Art,  by  Jacob  I.  Biegeleisen  and  Max  A. 

Conn.  McGraw-Hill  Book  Co.,  330  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
From  Old  Stencils  to  Silk  Screening,  by  Jessie  Bane  Stevenson.  Charles 

Scribner's  Sons,  597  5th  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 


BLOCK     PRINTING     WITH     LINOLEUM,     WOOD, 
AND     POTATOES 

Printing  with  linoleum  or  wood  blocks  and  even  the  lowly  potato 
is  easy  to  learn,  requires  little  room  or  outlay  of  cash,  and  is  the 
method  used  by  many  home  craftsmen  to  step  up  the  family  income. 
Although  the  Chinese  learned  block  printing  centuries  ago  by  press- 
ing carved  and  inked  wood  blocks  on  their  bamboo  paper,  it  is  the 
easier  linoleum  block  and  potato  block  printing  that  attracts  home 
craftsmen  today. 

The  process  is  simply  to  cut  letters  or  other  designs  in  relief  on  the 
surface  of  linoleum  or  wood  or  a  fresh  potato.  The  block  is  then 
inked  evenly  and  applied  with  pressure  to  the  fabric  or  paper  you 
wish  to  decorate. 

Linoleum  is  the  material  most  commonly  and  satisfactorily  used. 
You  don't  use  any  old  piece  of  linoleum  which  may  be  dry  or 


112  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

cracked.  You  secure  a  piece  of  new  battleship  linoleum.  Trace  your 
design.  Because  of  the  softness  of  the  material,  it  is  easy  to  cut  away 
the  parts  you  don't  want  to  print.  The  printing  surface  remaining  on 
your  block  has  a  hard,  smooth  surface  that  takes  the  ink  or  paint 
evenly  and  smoothly  from  your  rubber  roller.  After  carving  the  lino- 
leum is  glued  to  a  block  of  wood  about  one  inch  thick,  and  then, 
when  inked,  is  ready  for  application. 

If  you  have  an  old  press  or  can  get  one,  you  are  in  business.  If  in 
the  early  stages  you  want  to  work  without  a  press,  you  can  use  a 
workbench  vise,  place  your  fabric  or  paper  on  a  smooth  surface  and 
step  on  top  of  your  block,  or  use  a  rolling  pin  on  more  thinly  backed 
blocks.  The  processes  are  very  much  the  same  for  either  linoleum 
or  wood  block  printing.  Good  blocks  can  be  carved  from  fresh 
potatoes,  but  you  are  restricted  in  the  use  of  colors  because  oils  and 
printers'  ink  are  eliminated.  Potatoes  print  water  colors  easily  and 
well.  Another  disadvantage  of  the  potato  is  that  it  dries  out  in  a  day, 
whereas  wood  or  linoleum  blocks  have  a  long  life. 

In  block  printing  you  can  use  colors  and  tints  to  your  heart's  con- 
tent, applying  color  patterns,  initials  or  monograms,  figures  or 
flowers,  to  shirts  and  neckties,  skirts  and  blouses,  play  suits  and 
pillow  slips,  scarves  and  party  dresses,  napkins  and  tablecloths, 
drapes  and  wallpaper,  curtains,  bedspreads,  paper  for  framing,  bags 
and  linens,  stationery,  greeting  cards,  display  cards  and  posters,  and 
a  wide  range  of  other  paper  or  fabric  novelties.  Examination  of 
articles  in  "expensive"  stores  will  reveal  that  linoleum-blocked  ar- 
ticles acquire- an  amazing  value  for  the  gift  buyer,  and  the  person 
who  wants  something  individual  and  different  will  pay  the  price  for 
the  hand  craftsmanship  involved. 

Home-shop  block  printers  are  active  from  coast  to  coast.  They 
work  as  individuals  or  in  groups.  One  of  the  most  outstanding  and 
successful  of  such  groups  is  the  Folly  Cove  Designers  of  Gloucester, 
Massachusetts.  There  a  group  of  neighborly  women  work  individ- 
ually and  together  in  their  homes,  printing  their  designs  by  press  or 
by  bare  feet  on  a  variety  of  fabrics.  They  market  their  yard  goods 
and  garments  on  a  scale  limited  only  by  their  high  requirements  of 
perfection  and  the  time  they  want  to  devote  to  their  project. 

For  less  than  ten  dollars  you  can  equip  yourself  for  your  home 
block-printing  project.  Some  of  the  simpler  designs  can  be  cut  in 
the  blocks  in  less  than  one  hour,  and  you  can  turn  out  articles  for 
your  own  pleasure,  your  own  gifts  and  bridge  prizes,  and  for  sale 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  113 

to  your  friends  and  to  local  shops  or  by  direct  mail.  Needed  working 
materials  can  be  secured  in  most  craft  supply  stores. 

HELPFUL  BOOKS  FOR  BLOCK  PRINTERS 

Essentials  of  Linoleum-Block  Printing,  by  Ralph  W.  Polk.  Charles  A. 

Bennett  Co.,  Inc.,  237  North  Monroe  St.,  Peoria  3,  111. 
Linoleum  Block  Printing  for  Amateurs,  by  Charlotte  D.  Bone.  Charles  T. 

Branford  Co.,  551  Boylston  St.,  Boston  16,  Mass. 
Block  Printing  Craft,  by  Raymond  W.  Perry.  Charles  A.  Bennett  Co.,  Inc., 

237  North  Monroe  St.,  Peoria  3,  111. 
Hand  Block  Printing  on  Fabrics,  by  T.  J.  Corbin.  Pitman  Publishing 

Corp.,  2  West  45th  St.,  New  York  19,  N.Y. 


CHAPTER     EIGHTEEN 


Leathercraft—Easy,  Profitable,  Fascinating 


LEATHERCRAFT  is  a  fascinating  hobby  that  is  easy  to  learn  to  the  point 
where  you  can  turn  out  finely  finished  and  eminently  salable  articles. 
It  lends  itself  beautifully  to  part-time  work,  and  tie  costs,  even  in 
the  beginning  stage,  are  small  for  simple  tools  and  leathers  and 
accessories  available  in  the  craft  supply  houses. 

Some  beginners  take  courses  of  instruction  and  find  that  they 
quickly  learn  the  essentials,  as  did  Betty  Bisch  of  New  York.  She 
took  up  the  hobby  and  before  long  the  belts  and  handbags  and  brief 
cases  she  laced  and  stamped  and  tooled  attracted  her  friends'  ad- 
miration. As  she  turned  out  more  products  they  urged  her  to  make 
them  available  in  the  shops,  and  her  products— as  many  as  she  cares 
to  produce— sell  for  amazingly  high  prices  at  Saks  Fifth  Avenue  and 
elsewhere.  Other  beginners  simply  buy  books  of  instruction  and  use 
the  designs  and  leaflets  provided  by  supply  houses  to  teach  them- 
selves the  basically  simple  processes.  They  find  leather  as  easy  to 
work  with  as  paper  or  textiles,  simply  cutting  out  pieces  with  shears, 
or  knife,  or  razor  blade,  and  fastening  the  pieces  together  with  zip- 
pers, snap  fasteners,  leather  or  nylon  laces,  staples,  or  rivets.  For 


114  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

more  elaborate  products  the  leathercraftsman  traces  prepared  or 
original  designs  on  the  leather  and  presses  down  the  background  to 
make  the  design  stand  out  in  relief  in  the  process  known  as  tooling. 
Others  use  stamping  tools  to  stamp  designs,  initials,  etc.,  into  the 
surface  of  the  leather. 

The  variety  of  salable,  serviceable,  beautiful  products  craftsmen 
make  with  leather  is  almost  limitless.  Some  of  the  most  salable  items 
that  are  favorites  with  beginners  and  professionals  as  well  are  book- 
marks, key  cases,  billfolds  and  wallets,  book  ends,  blotter  corners, 
purses  and  handbags  in  infinite  variety,  sheaths,  and  belts.  The 
possibilities  go  on  to  include  laced  leather  highball  glass  holders, 
coasters,  table  tops,  checkbook  covers,  secretary  sets,  coin  holders, 
match  cases,  picture  frames,  tobacco  pouches,  jewel  cases,  paper- 
weights, photo  albums,  tie  holders,  buttons,  leashes,  holsters,  moc- 
casins, gloves.  All  of  the  necessary  accessories  are  readily  available 
in  supply  shops  or  can  be  ordered  from  catalogues. 

Leather  such  as  calf,  sheep,  or  goat  is  bought  by  the  whole  or 
half  skin  and  is  usually  priced  by  the  square  foot.  Various  weights 
or  thicknesses  are  recommended  by  the  supply  houses  for  various 
purposes. 

Indicative  of  the  way  in  which  spare  time  can  be  turned  to  profit 
is  the  case  of  Joe  Caruso,  a  "bit"  actor  who  practices  opera  in  his 
spare  time  at  home,  but  when  in  the  theater  has  time  between  brief 
appearances  that  he  wanted  to  turn  to  profit.  He  did  this  with  his 
leathercraft  hobby  while  appearing  in  The  King  and  I. 

In  less  than  four  square  feet  of  space  in  a  corner  of  his  tiny  dress- 
ing room,  Joe  Caruso  tucked  in  a  vise  and  various  tools,  some  cow- 
hide, suede,  buckskin,  and  elkskin.  Between  appearances  he  cut  and 
tooled  and  stamped  and  laced  belts  and  handbags  which  he  sold  to 
pay  for  singing  lessons  and  to  help  support  his  family.  He  is  one  of 
the  many  who  have  discovered  that  a  hobby  and  otherwise  wasted 
half  hours  and  hours  can  be  turned  into  profit. 

Hobbies  have  a  way  of  becoming  so  fascinating  and  profitable 
they  virtually  force  a  change  of  careers.  Arthur  Berne,  a  young 
lawyer,  was  drawn  into  war  service,  where  he  contracted  a  tropical 
disease  that  required  a  few  months  of  hospitalization.  While  bed- 
bound  he  became  interested  in  leather  craftsmanship  and  readily 
learned  the  processes.  While  propped  up  in  bed,  he  produced  belts, 
handbags,  wallets,  and  cigarette  cases.  The  work  became  so  interest- 
ing that  when  he  was  discharged  from  the  service  he  abandoned  the 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  115 

law  and  worked  for  three  months  in  a  craft  shop,  turning  out  leather 
products.  He  "graduated"  from  established  designs,  worked  out  his 
own,  and  sold  his  handmade  products  for  fancy  prices.  Leading 
stores  took  his  output  of  belts  at  $3.50  to  $10,  handbags  at  $15  to 
$35.  His  methods  of  production  kept  the  prices  low  and  the  demand 
increased  so  that  within  six  months  he  needed  a  larger  shop  and  his 
sales  ran  beyond  $6000  annually. 

Another  veteran,  in  the  hospital  at  March  Field,  Riverside,  Cali- 
fornia, for  a  few  weeks,  became  interested  in  leatherworking.  His 
first  two  or  three  billfolds  were  not  academy-award  winners,  but 
the  fourth  one  was  good  and  salable.  He  made  a  bit  of  money  before 
leaving  the  hospital,  and  by  that  time  he  was  wedded  to  leather- 
craft.  At  his  home  at  Mentor-on-the-Lake,  Ohio,  he  carried  on  the 
hobby  until  he  was  turning  out  Hall-Craft  Leather  Creations.  The 
line  includes  tooled  and  carved  billfolds,  key  cases,  coin  purses, 
pocket  secretaries,  purses,  and  handbags.  He  "drafted"  his  wife  and 
sons  as  assistants.  While  he  carves  and  stamps  the  leather  his  wife 
does  the  lacing  and  sewing  of  pieces  he  has  prepared.  In  addition 
he  gives  instructions  to  others  interested  in  the  craft  and  sells  sup- 
plies to  his  students. 

Leathercrafting,  however,  is  not  restricted  to  army  men  held  for 
a  short  time  in  hospitals.  The  women  love  the  craft  too.  Mrs.  Lillian 
Kahlen  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  enrolled  in  a  leathercraft  class, 
and  after  a  few  lessons  had  mastered  the  rudiments  and  was  asked 
to  assist  in  the  instruction. 

Mrs.  Kahlen  was  more  interested  in  producing  than  teaching,  and 
decided  to  work  out  some  designs  of  her  own  instead  of  using  the 
craft-store  patterns.  She  adapted  designs  from  pictures  and  cata- 
logues and  wallpaper,  and  her  wallets  sell  for  $10  and  handbags  for 
around  $70.  Her  first  buyers  were  friends  and  neighbors,  and  her 
work  attracted  the  attention  of  local  newspaper  and  radio  program 
people  who  gave  her  invaluable  publicity. 

Another  "designing"  woman  is  Ginny  Brown,  who  works  out  her 
designs  in  the  third-floor  workshop  of  her  Hollywood  Hills  home  in 
California.  She  turned  her  interest  in  leatherwork  to  designing  and 
producing  sandals  and  slippers  and  such,  for  which  Hollywood  stars 
and  others  pay  around  $50  a  pair. 

Leather  has  its  way  of  rewarding  those  who  become  interested  in 
working  with  it  as  a  craft  product,  and  perhaps  that  is  why  it  is  one 
of  the  most  popular  of  all  craft  materials.  From  one  end  of  this  land 


Il6  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

to  the  other  there  are  leatherworkers  who  profit  from  their  efforts. 
Within  a  few  days  or  weeks  these  craftsmen  begin  turning  out  sala- 
ble products  from  the  standard  designs  available  to  all,  or  through 
their  own  resourcefulness  developing  their  own  products,  as  did 
Karl  and  Dorothy  Fueller  of  Bucks  County,  Pennsylvania. 

Now  Dorothy  Fueller,  as  any  woman  will  understand,  saw  noth- 
ing amiss  in  eying  a  leather  belt  she  wanted— for  $25.  Now  Karl 
Fueller,  as  any  man  will  understand,  saw  that  as  quite  a  price,  and 
went  wandering  down  to  the  barn  of  their  farm  home.  Thinking 
about  paying  $25  for  a  leather  belt,  he  noticed  an  old  harness  hang- 
ing on  a  wall.  He  became  fascinated  by  an  idea.  Using  some  of  the 
harness  and  its  brass  fitting,  he  fashioned  a  right  appealing  belt.  He 
didn't  stop  there.  He  worked  out  a  leather  handbag  to  go  with  it. 
Mrs.  Fueller  showed  her  belt  and  bag  to  a  department  store  buyer, 
and  came  home  with  orders  for  a  half  dozen,  and  the  Fuellers  went 
into  business.  They  make  their  beautiful  products  together,  and  the 
orders  flow  in  for  more. 


HELPFUL      LEATHERCRAFT       BOOKS,       INSTRUCTION, 
DESIGNS 

Leather  Braiding,  by  Bruce  Grant.  Cornell  Maritime  Press,  Cambridge, 
Md. 

Leaihercraft,  by  Robert  L.  Thompson.  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co.,  250  4th 
Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 

Leather  Tooling  and  Carving,  by  Chris  H.  Groneman.  International  Text- 
book Co.,  1001  Wyoming  Ave.,  Scranton  9,  Pa. 

Leatherwork,  by  L.  Johnson.  Charles  T.  Branford  Co.,  551  Boylston  St., 
Boston  16,  Mass. 

General  Leathercraft,  by  Raymond  Cherry.  McKnight  &  McKnight,  109 
West  Market  St.,  Bloomington,  111. 

Leathercraft  Techniques  and  Designs,  by  J.  W.  Dean.  McKnight  & 
McKnight,  109  West  Market  St.,  Bloomington,  111. 

Designs  for  Leathercraft,  by  Bernice  T.  Kirton.  Portfolio.  Savage  &  Sav- 
age, 1206  Maple  Ave.,  Los  Angeles  15,  Calif. 


CHAPTER     NINETEEN 

Plastic  Craftwork  Opens  New  Doors  to  Profits 


HOBBYISTS  and  home  shop  craftsmen  who  devote  full  or  part  time  to 
their  specialties  are  turning  more  and  more  to  the  use  of  the  com- 
paratively new  plastics.  They  are  fascinated  with  the  beautiful 
novelties  that  can  be  turned  out  with  ease.  And  because  of  their 
inherent  appeal  these  products  sell  with  little  difficulty. 

Crystal  clarity  and  brilliant  coloring  give  plastic  articles  charming 
characteristics  that  are  hard  to  equal  in  any  other  medium.  Too, 
some  of  the  plastic  materials  lend  themselves  to  carving  and  paint- 
ing, thus  lending  variety  and  enhancing  their  appeal. 

Beginners  who  have  thought  of  plastic  craftwork  as  something  too 
complicated  for  any  but  highly  skilled  workmen  are  agreeably  sur- 
prised to  learn  that  plastic  fabricating  is  rather  easy  to  learn.  At  the 
outset  it  is  this  simple:  You  buy  from  supply  houses  flat  sheets  of 
plastic  material,  or  rods,  or  tubing.  These  materials  can  be  sawed 
and  sometimes  bent  to  desired  shapes,  and  the  pieces  cemented  to- 
gether almost  as  simply  as  though  you  were  working  with  wood.  To 
begin  with,  all  you  need  in  the  way  of  tools  is  a  coping  saw,  a  drill, 
a  file,  and  a  stylus.  If  you  have  motor-driven  saws,  grinders,  and 
polishers,  that  is  your  good  luck,  but  you  don't  have  to  have  them 
to  turn  out  salable  articles. 

In  addition  to  fabricating  plastic  articles  you  can  easily  learn  to 
pour  liquid  plastic  into  available  molds,  producing  a  large  variety  of 
beautiful  birds  and  animals  and  other  figures,  plaques  of  intricate 
design  and  sheer  beauty— and  all  in  your  home  kitchen.  By  use  of 
molds  you  can  turn  out  article  after  article  from  the  same  mold, 
ready  to  market  by  the  dozen  or  the  gross,  each  item  professional  in 
appearance  and  readily  marketable.  Sometimes  these  little  figures, 
costing  no  more  than  fifteen  or  twenty  cents  to  make,  are  salable  at 
five  and  more  times  that  price.  By  plastic  molding  you  can  produce 
ornamental  figures  and  designs  to  attach  to  other  products  of  your 


Il8  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

shop.  Or  they  may  be  added  to  articles  that  can  be  purchased  at 
low  prices  but,  when  decorated,  will  sell  at  much  higher  prices. 

The  products  you  can  turn  out  in  a  small  home  workshop  or  at  a 
card  table  or  the  kitchen  sink  are  limited  only  by  your  imagination 
or  the  prepared  designs  and  molds  that  are  available  to  you.  Among 
the  commonly  popular  and  salable  items  are  cigarette  boxes,  jewel 
boxes,  penholders,  paperweights,  picture  holders,  candleholders, 
coasters,  book  ends,  dishes,  spoons,  flowers,  ornamental  plaques  and 
figures,  costume  jewelry. 

Plastic-jewelry  making  is  only  one  of  the  hobbies  enjoyed  by  Mrs. 
Eva  Mack  of  Union  Springs,  New  York,  who  says,  "One  of  my 
favorite  hobbies  is  making  plastic  jewelry  with  fine  copper  wire, 
representing  all  kinds  of  flowers  and  leaves  to  correspond.  They  are 
then  dipped  in  liquid  plastic  and  set  aside  to  dry.  When  dry,  I  hand 
paint  them  on  the  back  in  colors  to  match  flowers.  Then  a  plain  color 
over  all.  I  make  earrings  to  match  the  brooches.  There  are  many 
beautiful  designs  and  if  beginners  go  slowly  until  they  have  per- 
fected their  skill  they  can  sell  to  friends  and  in  the  gift  shops." 

If  you  have  a  little  home  workshop  where  you  putter  around  with 
gimmicks  of  all  kinds,  and  if  you  have  uncorked  your  imagination, 
you  may  turn  up  a  new  novelty  product  to  be  made  with  the  avail- 
able plastic  materials.  And  if  you  do,  you  are  flirting  with  a  fortune, 
as  did  Milton  Dinhoffer.  He  is  a  young  man  whose  Sip-N-See  straws 
are  selling  by  the  millions.  His  plastic  novelty  is  nothing  more  than 
a  unique  drinking  straw  which  encourages  toddlers  to  guzzle  their 
milk  or  fruit  juices.  As  the  child  sips,  the  liquid  flows  through  a 
piece  of  transparent  acetate  wound  around  the  figure  of  a  cowboy, 
an  elephant,  or  a  clown. 

These  straws  are  the  outgrowth  of  Mr.  Dinhoffer's  idea  to  put  two 
established  tubing  ideas  together  for  a  different  use.  One  day  he 
noticed  the  tubing  on  a  neon  sign  and  he  thought  of  plastic  tubing 
and  figured  there  might  be  a  market  for  an  unusual  drinking  straw. 
His  first  creation  in  his  little  workshop  was  just  a  piece  of  plastic 
tubing  bent  into  a  unique  shape;  it  was  followed  by  the  idea  of 
winding  the  tubing  around  a  figure.  In  the  cowboy,  for  example,  the 
straw  represents  the  lasso  he  is  holding  and  as  the  child  drinks,  he 
sees  the  liquid  flowing  through  the  plastic  "rope." 

Naturally  it  took  Mr.  Dinhoffer  some  time  to  develop  and  market 
his  product.  He  worked  at  it  in  his  shop  and  it  took  only  a  minimum 
of  cash  he  had  saved.  He  believes  that  gadgets  should  be  simple 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  lig 

enough  to  manufacture  so  that  they  will  sell  in  the  twenty-nine-cent 
to  ninety-eight-cent  price  range,  which  is  the  big  volume  market  in 
the  novelty  shops,  drugstores,  and  super  markets.  Says  he:  "If  the 
gadget  does  something,  if  it  serves  a  specific  purpose,  its  sales  appeal 
will  be  greatly  enhanced." 

At  the  outset  you  don't  need  to  develop  a  novelty  of  your  own— 
unless  the  idea  knocks  and  demands  admittance.  You  can  develop  a 
home  craft  income  by  using  established  designs  and  the  available 
materials.  There  are  more  than  a  hundred  types  of  plastic  materials, 
but  most  of  them  are  not  available  for  home  craftsmen  and  many  of 
them  do  not  lend  themselves  to  small-shop  work,  as  they  require 
power  presses  and  drills.  There  are  two  classifications  of  plastics: 
thermoplastics  that  can  be  shaped  and  reshaped,  bent  and  rebent 
without  heating;  and  thermosetting  materials  that  cannot  be  shaped 
without  heat  molding. 

Workability  of  thermoplastics  makes  them  preferable  for  most 
home  craftsmen,  and  perhaps  the  most  popular  of  materials  in  this 
broad  group  are  Plexiglas  and  Lucite. 

SOURCES     OF     PLASTICS     MATERIALS     AND     SUPPLIES 

Some  sources  of  plastics  supplies  and  materials  are  listed  below, 
and  others  may  be  found  in  the  classified  section  of  your  telephone 
directory.  Ask  for  catalogues. 

American  Handicrafts  Co.,  Inc.,  12  East  41st  St.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 

Berton  Plastics,  Inc.,  585  6th  Ave.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 

Carmen-Bronson  Co.,  165  East  3rd  St.,  Mount  Vernon,  N.Y. 

Craftsman  Supply  House,  Scottsville,  N.Y. 

Fry  Plastics  Co.,  606  South  Vermont  Ave.,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

House  Beautiful  Plastics,  Dept.  K2,  5534  West  Harrison  St.,  Chicago  44, 

111. 
Plastics  Parts  and  Sales,  1157  South  Kings  Highway,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

HELPFUL  PLASTIC  CRAFT  BOOKS,  INSTRUCTIONS, 
DESIGNS 

Adventures  with  Plastics,  by  Newirk,  Hewitt,  and  Zutter.  D.  C.  Heath  & 

Co.,  285  Columbus  Ave.,  Boston  16,  Mass. 
Fun  With  Plastics,   by  Joseph   Leeming.   J.   B.   Lippincott   Co.,   East 

Washington  Sq.,  Philadelphia  5,  Pa. 
Plastic  Arts  Crafts,  by  John  V.  Adams.  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co.,  Inc.,  250 

4th  Ave.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 


12O  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Plastics:  In  the  School  and  Home  Workshop,  by  Andrew  J.  Lockrey.  D. 
Van  Nostrand  Co.,  Inc.,  250  4th  Ave.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 

General  Plastics,  by  Raymond  Cherry.  McKnight  &  McKnight,  109  West 
Market  St.,  Bloomington,  111. 

How  to  Buy  and  Sell  Plastics.  Free  Booklet.  Plastic  Materials  Manufac- 
turers Assn.,  Inc.,  Tower  Bldg.,  Washington  5,  D.C. 

Plastics  Made  Practical,  by  Chris  H.  Groneman.  Bruce  Publishing  Co., 
400  North  Broadway,  Milwaukee  1,  Wis. 

Plastic  Craft,  by  Ernest  S.  De  Wick  and  John  Cooper.  The  Macmillan 
Co.,  60  5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 

Plastic  Products  and  Processes.  Pamphlet.  U.  S.  Department  of  Com- 
merce, Government  Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 


CHAPTER     TWENTY 

Pottery  Craft  Products  That  Sell 


PERHAPS  BECAUSE  the  word  ceramics  sounds  arty  and  forbidding,  you 
have  never  given  it  much  thought.  Basically  it  is  the  ancient  potter's 
craft  of  primitive  peoples,  and  very  young  children  can  turn  out 
interesting  products  after  proper  instruction.  There  are  few  com- 
munities where  some  man  or  woman  is  not  engaged  in  pottery.  Any- 
one can  learn  the  craft,  either  through  books  and  pamphlets  or,  bet- 
ter yet,  by  attending  classes  offered  by  many  colleges  and  adult 
school  classes.  Those  who  join  the  classes  usually  acquire  the  tech- 
niques fastest  and  also  enjoy  the  companionship  of  fellow  potters 
while  learning  a  fascinating  hobby. 

The  income  from  pottery  is  usually  not  large  for  the  part-time 
worker,  but  occasionally  the  home  ceramics  worker  acquires  skills 
that  lead  to  establishment  of  home  shops  or  shops  outside  the  home, 
where  sufficient  speed  and  volume  are  developed  to  provide  a  siza- 
ble income. 

Some  years  ago  indulgence  of  this  hobby  was  rather  expensive 
because  it  required  costly  kilns  and  other  equipment;  but  today  the 
craft  supply  houses  have  kits  and  clays  available  that  make  it  possi- 
ble to  experiment  with  this  craft  for  less  than  ten  dollars.  These 
clays  can  be  baked  in  ordinary  ovens,  and  well-designed  products 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  121 

are  readily  salable  to  friends  and  neighbors  and  in  specialty  shops. 

Some  of  the  kits  are  very  simple  and  permit  the  beginner  to  turn 
out  tiles  for  walls  or  tables  and  begin  very  soon  to  fashion  other 
salable  products.  A  somewhat  more  elaborate  kit  was  developed  by 
Tom  Twitty  when  the  doctors  ordered  him  to  give  up  his  work  as 
White  House  correspondent  for  the  New  York  Herald  Tribune. 

Twitty  "drifted"  into  pottery.  His  young  son  broke  his  leg  and  was 
kept  busy  in  bed  with  some  potter's  clay.  Mr.  Twitty  took  some  of 
the  boy's  creations  to  the  Saranac  [New  York]  Craft  Guild  to  be 
baked.  He  became  so  interested  in  the  entire  craft  that  he  devised 
a  low-cost  potter's  wheel  for  home  craftsmen.  As  a  further  step  he 
planned  a  complete  home  potter's  kit  with  air-hardening  clay  that 
could  be  beautifully  painted.  Paints  and  simple  shaping  tools  and 
all  are  included  in  the  set,  and  if  the  ambitious  home  potter  wants 
to  make  pieces  of  firing  clay  he  provides  professional  service  for 
glazing  and  firing. 

Pottery  products  that  find  a  ready  market  include  a  large  variety 
of  gaily  decorated  tiles  for  various  purposes— decoration  of  fire- 
places, for  use  under  hot  teakettles  and  under  potted  plants,  for 
framing  and  hanging  on  walls,  etc.,  cigarette  boxes,  ash  trays,  can- 
dlesticks, jugs,  novelty  hats,  novelty  jewelry,  bowls,  vases  and  jugs 
in  great  variety,  and  some  of  the  more  ambitious  pottery  workers, 
such  as  Jessie  Harris  in  Itawamba  County,  Mississippi,  have  set  up 
shops  for  production  of  larger  articles  such  as  churns  made  from  the 
available  local  clays.  Many  such  shops  are  scattered  through  the 
country,  and  there  are  thousands  of  women  who  turn  their  work 
with  ceramics  to  profit. 

One  who  worked  up  a  tidy  income  from  her  home  workshop  is 
Mrs.  Louis  Angell  of  Mendham,  New  Jersey.  During  the  war  her 
husband,  Theodore,  was  stationed  at  Alfred  University,  Alfred,  New 
York,  with  an  army  unit.  Time  hung  heavily  on  Mrs.  AngelTs  hands, 
so  she  enrolled  in  a  ceramics  class  at  the  university.  Her  interest  was 
kindled,  then  she  got  really  excited.  When  the  war  ended,  the 
Angells  moved  to  a  big,  two-hundred-year-old  farmhouse  and  Mrs. 
Angell  bought  a  small  kiln  for  $40  and  began  creating  items  of  pot- 
tery for  the  home. 

One  day  a  friend  picked  up  a  decorative  little  ash  tray  Mrs. 
Angell  had  made  and  asked  her  to  make  something  special  for  a 
wedding  present.  Mrs.  Angell  did.  Word  began  seeping  around  and 
a  few  more  requests  came  in.  Friends,  neighbors,  even  strangers 


122  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

dropped  by  and  commissioned  her  to  make  cigarette  boxes,  little 
pitchers,  beer  mugs,  and  other  objects.  It  wasn't  too  long  before  a 
thriving  little  business  sprang  up. 

Now  she  gets  orders  from  restaurants  for  personalized  ash  trays 
and  college  alumni  groups  for  special  mugs  with  which  to  toast  the 
good  old  days. 

Mrs.  Angell  has  invested  in  a  larger  kiln  and  has  established  a 
workshop  in  the  old  kitchen  of  the  big  farmhouse,  where  she  creates 
and  decorates  her  doodads.  Does  it  pay  off?  She  just  bought  a  power 
mower  the  size  of  a  small  tractor  to  let  husband  Theodore  take  care 
of  the  grounds  more  easily. 

Husbands  who  are  very  content  in  their  present  work  should  be 
careful  about  giving  kilns  to  their  wives.  When  women  find  that  they 
can  roll  clay  with  their  hands  or  rolling  pins  and  shape  it  rather 
easily,  bake  it,  and  make  money,  their  husbands  are  sometimes 
forced  to  give  up  their  work  and  go  into  pottery  production. 

Georgia  Fields  of  Pasadena,  California,  asked  her  husband,  Wil- 
liam, for  a  kiln  as  a  birthday  present.  It  cost  $125,  set  up  in  the 
back  yard  near  where  the  roses  climbed  over  the  fence-and  that 
prompted  the  name  Roselane  for  her  products.  She  designed  "Petey 
the  Mule,"  molded  and  baked  and  glazed  him,  and  people  de- 
manded more.  It  kept  William  firing  the  kiln  each  night,  and  the 
figures  sold  and  sold.  Mrs.  Fields  added  other  products— candle- 
holders,  flower  bowls,  vases,  small-  and  jumbo-sized  ash  trays, 
giraffes,  swans,  and  finally  "embroidered  ceramics"  pieces  selling 
for  $24  and  $48  per  dozen.  They  added  up  to  a  $200,000  annual 
business. 

Kay  Campbell,  designer  and  writer,  reports  what  pottery  did  to 
the  Charles  Smith  family  on  their  ranch  near  Phoenix,  Arizona.  Alice 
Smith  took  a  course  in  pottery  in  the  schools.  Charles  gave  her  a 
kiln  for  Christmas.  She  turned  out  bowls  and  what  not.  He  had  to 
quit  his  job  to  help  her  fill  her  orders.  They  multiplied  so  fast  that 
in  ten  years  the  gross  from  her  hobby  was  $300,000  annually. 

Gentlemen,  don't  say  you  haven't  been  warned.  Kay  Campbell 
also  tells  us  about  Betty  Cleminson,  who  became  bored  by  house- 
work, helped  a  neighbor  model  and  bake  and  glaze  figurines.  She 
soon  learned  the  craft  and  her  husband  set  up  a  kiln  for  her  by  their 
garage.  She  made  figurines  for  gifts  to  friends.  A  salesman  saw  them 
and  urged  her  to  go  into  larger  production.  She  did.  They  ran  a 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  123 

hose  through  the  kitchen  window  and  out  to  the  garage  to  provide 
water  for  the  clay.  Orders  piled  up  and  George  Cleminson  gave  up 
his  work  as  a  teacher  to  help  his  wife  fill  the  orders  and  manage 
things  on  a  larger  scale.  In  a  year  or  two  they  moved  operations  to 
a  barn  in  the  country.  Mrs.  Cleminson  wrote  verses  for  tags  for  the 
gift  ceramic  articles,  and  designed  some  pieces  around  the  verses. 
The  barn  became  too  small.  Demand  for  their  products  finally  re- 
sulted in  establishment  of  a  fourteen-thousand-foot  plant  with  one 
hundred  employees. 

These  are  exceptional  cases,  but  the  number  of  potters  who  profit 
from  their  craft  is  legion— and  most  of  them  started  with  a  home 
kitchen  or  back-yard  project. 

All  of  the  minor  equipment  a  beginner  needs  can  be  acquired  in 
department  stores  and  craft  supply  shops  or  ordered  from  craft  cata- 
logues. If  you  are  not  content  with  air-hardening  clays,  there  are 
some  available  for  baking  in  your  home  oven.  Or  if  you  increase 
your  investment  to  $100  or  more,  you  can  acquire  an  electric  kiln 
and  other  equipment  for  more  ambitious  projects. 


HELPFUL  BOOKS  AND  PAMPHLETS  FOR  POTTERS 

Ceramics  for  All,  by  Jimmie  A.  Stewart.  Barnes  &  Noble,  Inc.,  5th  Ave. 

at  18th  St.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Creative  Ceramics:  A  Primitive  Craft  Becomes  a  Fine  Art,  by  Katharine 

M.  Lester.  Charles  A.  Bennett  Co.,  Inc.,  237  North  Monroe  St.,  Peoria 

3,  111. 
Ceramics  Handbook,  by  Richard  Hyman.  Sterling  Publishing  Co.,  215 

East  37th  St.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Ceramics  Sculpture,  by  Ruth  H.  Randall.  Watson-Guptil  Publications, 

Inc.,  24  West  40th  St.,  New  York  18,  N.Y. 

Fun  With  Clay,  by  Joseph  Leeming.  J.  B.  Lippincott  Co.,  East  Washing- 
ton Sq.,  Philadelphia  5,  Pa. 
Ceramics  for  the  Potter,  by  Ruth  H.  Home.  Charles  A.  Bennett  Co.,  Inc., 

237  North  Monroe  St.,  Peoria  3,  111. 

Pamphlets.  C.  M.  Campana  Art  Co.,  442  North  Wells  St.,  Chicago,  111. 
Pottery  Making  from  the  Ground  Up,  by  York  Honore.  Viking  Press,  Inc., 

18  East  48th  St.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 
Potters  Primer,  by  Jane  Snead.  Snead  Ceramic  Studio,  1822  Chestnut  St., 

Philadelphia  3,  Pa. 
How  to  Make  Pottery  and  Ceramic  Sculpture,  by  Julia  H.  Duncan  and 

Victor  D'Amico.  Museum  of  Modem  Art.,  11  West  53rd  St.,  New 

York  19,  N.Y. 
How  to  Make  Pottery  and  Other  Ceramic  Ware,  by  Muriel  P.  Turoff. 

Crown  Publishers,  419  4th  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 


124  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

The  Complete  Book  of  Pottery  Making,  by  John  B.  Kenny.  Greenberg 

Publisher,  201  East  57th  St.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
The  Potters  Craft,  by  Charles  F.  Binns.  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co.,  Inc.,  250 

4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Pottery  Made  Easy,  by  John  W.  Dougherty.  Bruce  Publishing  Co.,  400 

North  Broadway,  Milwaukee  1,  Wis. 
Pottery  Handicrafts,  by  H.  and  D.  Wren.  Pitman  Publishing  Corp.,  2 

West  45th  St.,  New  York  19,  N.Y. 
Craftsman  s  Instruction  Handbook.  Book  One,  by  Toni  Parisi.  Educational 

Materials,  Inc.,  46  East  llth  St.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Glassware  and  Pottery,  Leaflet.  Free.  U.  S.  Department  of  Commerce, 

Basic  Information  Sources,  Washington  25,  D.C. 


CHAPTER     TWENTY-ONE 

How  to  Cash  In  on  Yowr  Camera  Hobby 

AMERICANS  ARE  the  most  camera-conscious  people  in  the  world.  It 
seems  a  fair  assumption  that  at  least  nine  out  of  ten  of  you  who 
read  this  book  have  taken  pictures  and  had  fun  exercising  your 
hobby.  The  national  investment  in  camera  equipment  is  tremendous, 
and  many  already  have  all  the  equipment  needed  to  turn  the  hobby 
into  side-line  income.  Professional  photographers  and  free-lance 
cameramen  and  women  assure  us  that  albums  of  the  amateurs  con- 
tain pictures  that,  properly  marketed,  would  have  been  fine  sources 
of  extra  income  for  the  shutterbugs. 

So  if  you  have  the  camera  hobby  or  want  to  adopt  it,  and  also 
want  to  make  money  from  your  hobby,  it  behooves  you  to  give 
thought  to  the  steps  necessary  to  get  the  cash.  Every  professional 
photographer  and  free-lancer  started  as  an  amateur,  but  those  who 
cashed  in  on  the  hobby  gave  thought  to  attaining  a  greater  perfec- 
tion and  to  the  study  of  good  markets  for  their  output. 

There  are  multiple  markets,  but  until  you  are  known  the  buyers 
won't  come  to  you.  You  have  to  seek  the  buyers.  There  is  no  mystery 
in  the  process,  but  it  does  require  steady  searching  and  the  exercise 
of  a  certain  amount  of  resourcefulness.  Imagine  contemplating  your 
dashing  out  to  take  a  picture  of  a  little  girl  looking  cross-eyed  at  a 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  125 

caterpillar  crawling  up  her  nose— at  a  time  when  caterpillars  were 
in  the  news;  sending  it  to  Life  magazine  and  getting  a  fat  check  in 
payment.  Life  did  publish  such  a  picture.  It  could  happen  to  you, 
but  the  chances  are  many  thousands  to  one  against  you.  The  reason 
is  that  Life  has  a  huge  staff  of  experts  throughout  the  world,  and  is 
the  goal  of  other  professionals.  That,  however,  should  not  discourage 
the  amateur  who  wants  to  turn  professional  free-lancer.  There  is  a 
broad  field  of  profit  open  to  the  hobbyist  and  that  is  the  field  to  be 
explored  in  these  pages. 

Comparatively  minor  markets  were  the  first  ones  opened  up  by 
my  friend,  Edwin  Way  Teale,  when  he  began  his  transition  from 
amateur  hobbyist  to  the  professional  ranks.  He  sold  his  pictures  to 
comparatively  obscure  journals  and  used  them  as  stepping  stones  to 
a  position  as  staff  writer  and  photographer  for  Popular  Science 
Monthly.  He  didn't  need  thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of  equipment 
and  long  journeys.  Some  of  his  best  initial  work  was  done  near  home 
when  he  became  interested  in  the  crawling  insect  life  in  a  fascinat- 
ing world  of  its  own.  With  telescopic  and  magnifying  lenses  he  got 
the  pictures  for  his  noted  book,  Grass  Root  Jungles,  which  is  only 
one  of  the  volumes  that  have  made  him  one  of  the  outstanding 
naturalists  of  generations.  He  rode  his  hobby  to  fame,  and  his  ex- 
tensive files  of  pictures  are  in  constant  demand. 

The  camera  hobby  is  obviously  something  to  conjure  with.  Did 
you  ever  hear  of  Levon  West,  of  Minneapolis  and  New  York?  Prob- 
ably not,  but  he  was  by  way  of  being  an  outstanding  etcher  whose 
hobby  was  photography.  He  took  pictures  with  a  miniature  camera 
with  a  fast  lens,  and  a  friend  suggested  that  some  of  the  pictures  be 
published.  That  was  all  right  with  him,  but  he  was  an  artist,  a  dis- 
tinguished etcher.  So  he  pulled  a  name  out  of  his  hat  that  you  un- 
doubtedly do  know,  for  it  is  famous  in  the  realm  of  photography- 
Ivan  Dimitri.  His  color  pictures  have  adorned  covers  and  features  of 
magazines  such  as  the  Saturday  Evening  Post.  Now  Ivan  Dimitri  is 
an  artist  with  the  camera  and  etching  is  his  hobby! 

Neither  Teale  nor  Dimitri  rode  his  hobby  to  fame  in  a  moment. 
They  perfected  their  techniques  as  amateurs  and  became  wise  in 
the  way  of  selecting  their  subjects  and  in  studying  their  possible 
markets.  You  may  not  aspire  to  their  outstanding  positions  at  the 
outset,  but  it  is  well  to  dream  no  little  dreams,  for  what  has  hap- 
pened to  others  could  happen  to  you.  And  the  best  first  step  is  to 


126  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

consider  the  possibilities  within  your  grasp  right  in  your  home  area. 

If  you  aspire  to  become  a  free-lance  photographer  it  is  important 
that  you  adopt  the  attitude  of  the  professional.  You  will  no  longer 
be  content  simply  to  "shoot"  carelessly  and  hope  for  the  best.  You 
will  study  your  technique  and  you  will  study  your  markets.  If  already 
your  friends  have  commented  that  yours  is  outstanding  work  and 
seek  your  advice,  you  are  at  a  point  where  you  can  seriously  con- 
sider turning  "pro."  You  will  stop  shooting  just  for  fun,  you  will  stop 
doing  work  for  others  just  for  the  cost  of  materials.  You  will  want 
to  earn  money  with  your  time  and  your  skill.  When  the  amateur 
begins  to  sell  his  products  and  services  he  is  no  longer  an  amateur, 
but  a  professional. 

At  the  outset  you  should  have  in  mind  that  if  you  use  a  model  or 
take  a  picture  of  individuals  to  be  used  for  advertising  or  other 
commercial  purposes,  you  should  have  a  formal  release  for  the  pro- 
tection of  both  the  buyer  and  yourself.  Even  if  friends  have  posed 
for  you  and  wave  off  the  suggestion  of  a  release  with  a  laugh,  you 
should  have  that  release.  Many  markets  will  refuse  to  consider  your 
work  unless  the  release  is  available.  Some  markets  have  their  own 
forms  of  release.  Here  is  a  sample  release  recommended  by  the 
Photographers'  Association  of  America: 


City Date 


For  value  received,  I  hereby  consent  that  the  pictures  taken  of  me 
by  (photographer's  name),  proofs  of  which  are  hereto  attached,  or 
any  reproduction  of  same,  may  be  used  or  sold  by  (photographer's 
name)  for  the  purpose  of  illustration,  advertising,  or  publication  in 
any  manner.  I  hereby  certify  and  covenant  that  I  am  over  twenty- 
one  years  of  age.  (A  parent  or  legal  guardian  must  sign  for  a 
minor. ) 


(Signature  of  model  or  subject) 


Witness 


PICTURES     YOU     CAN     SELL 


In  making  your  transition  from  the  amateur  whose  hobby  costs 
money  to  the  status  of  free-lance  photographer  whose  hobby  brings 
in  revenue,  you  should  begin  to  adopt  the  searching,  critical,  edi- 
torial attitude,  and  be  ever  on  the  alert  for  unusual  subjects  and 
situations  within  reach  of  your  own  lenses. 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  127 

You  will  want  to  focus  on  pictures  that  have  human  interest,  that 
tell  a  story  in  one  shot  or  in  a  series,  pictures  that  call  for  attention. 
The  camera  eye  will  seek  the  very  new,  the  very  old,  strange  con- 
trasts, the  unusual,  first  and  last  and  biggest  and  smallest,  fastest 
and  slowest,  the  pitiful  and  the  hilarious,  shots  that  are  startling, 
revealing,  dramatic. 

You  will  observe  by  studying  the  picture  markets  that  the  shots 
that  sell  are  good  pictures  of  almost  anything,  including  the  follow- 
ing sampling  of  subjects: 

People— young,  old,  active,  inactive,  at  work,  and  at  play 
Animals  and  birds  and  insects 

Homes  and  gardens,  finished,  in  process  of  building,  in  sections 
Stores  and  store  windows,  before  and  after  changes 
Factory  products 
Documents 
Contests 
Postcards 
Film  letters 
Entertainments,  weddings,  parties,  playgrounds,  club  and  sport 

activities 

Class  and  reunion  groups 
How-to-do-it  pictures  of  new  processes  in  the  kitchen  or  the  building 

of  various  articles  or  gadgets  in  home  shop  or  factory— before, 

during,  and  after  illustrations  that  tell  a  story  with  brief  captions. 
Nature  in  its  infinite  variety,  its  natural  beauty,  and  its  freaks 
Travel 

Local  historical 

Local  slums  and  silk-stocking  wards 
Local  ancients,  celebrities,  the  unusual,  the  interesting 

This  listing  could  be  almost  endless,  and  there  are  amateurs  in 
virtually  every  locality  who  have  taken  and  simply  put  into  their 
albums  eminently  salable  pictures  along  the  lines  indicated.  These 
albums  should  be  reviewed  for  the  finest  shots,  and  if  they  are  not 
now  outdated  they  can  still  be  offered  for  sale  to  the  picture  editors 
of  magazines,  newspapers,  and  trade  journals.  These  sources  are 
constantly  hungry  for  technically  good,  eye-catching  illustrations. 
The  reason  so  many  fine  pictures  have  gone  unsold  is  due  to  a  large 
extent  to  the  casual  interest  of  the  shutterbug  who  hasnt  adopted 
the  professional  attitude  and  given  serious  thought  to  consistentlij 
endeavoring  to  market  his  wares.  Every  day  full  time  professional 


128  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

and  part-time  free-lance  photographers  are  selling  their  pictures  for 
from  $2.50  to  $100  for  a  single  or  for  a  group  of  three  or  four— be- 
cause their  pictures  are  technically  good  and  because  they  send 
these  pictures  off  to  market;  not  necessarily  because  their  pictures 
are  any  better  than  those  often  taken  by  good  amateurs.  But  the 
amateurs  don't  market  their  product.  This  is  where  you  come  in  to 
make  some  money  at  home  with  your  camera  hobby. 


WHERE     TO     SELL     YOUR     PICTURES     AND     SERVICES 

Almost  every  publication  using  illustrations  is  a  possible  market 
for  your  pictures  Even  though  many  of  the  larger  publications  have 
their  established  sources  of  supply  and  are  not  listed  as  open 
markets,  they  are  nevertheless  open  to  temptation  by  unusually 
striking  photographs.  In  the  larger  markets,  however,  the  beginning 
free-lancer  is  up  against  the  stiffest  of  competition  and  would  be 
well  advised  to  concentrate  first  on  local  sources  of  camera  revenue 
while  becoming  more  experienced  in  marketing. 

In  a  fine  burst  of  enthusiasm  the  new  free-lancer  may  make  an 
investment  in  postage  and  prints  and  mailing  folders  and  rush  off 
to  market  a  miscellaneous  assortment  of  his  best  pictures.  That  is  the 
hard  way  to  make  money  and  would  probably  result  in  loss.  The 
importance  of  studying  your  market  cannot  be  overemphasized. 
Study  the  markets  and  you  will  save  time  and  money  and  become 
sales-wise  and  have  a  better  chance  of  making  money.  Every  mail 
to  a  popular-science  magazine  contains  stray  shots  of  almost-no- 
bathing-suit  beauties  that  might  have  a  market  in  the  "cheesecake" 
field  but  not  a  chance  in  the  "science"  market.  Analysis  of  market 
would  eliminate  lost  postage  and  disappointment. 

If  you  have  a  specialty  you  will  obviously  study  the  publications 
in  that  particular  field.  Lacking  a  specialty,  you  can  consider  these 
possible  markets: 

Local  newspapers— The  editor's  interest  is  in  spot-news  and  fea- 
ture illustrations.  Spot-news  shots  of  fires,  accidents,  immediately 
current  local  events  may  well  win  payment,  as  many  of  the  smaller 
local  papers  have  but  one  or  perhaps  no  staff  photographer,  but  still 
want  newsy  pictures.  The  feature  pictures  do  not  necessarily  have 
spot-news  interest  of  today,  but  tie  in  to  current  interest.  Pictures  of 
prominent  local  citizens  or  distinguished  visitors  to  the  community 
and  their  various  photogenic  activities  may  win  checks  for  the  free- 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  12Q 

lancer.  Once  you  have  demonstrated  your  interest  and  ability  you 
may  make  special  arrangements  for  covering  features  that  the  editor 
wants  developed.  Probable  payment:  $3.00  to  $5.00. 

Other  local  publications— In  your  town  or  city  you  can  identify 
the  house  organs,  club  publications,  business  houses  issuing  occa- 
sional illustrated  pamphlets.  You  can  suggest  possible  picture  fea- 
tures you  could  deliver  and  request  assignments,  thus  narrowing 
down  the  possibility  of  lost  time  and  materials.  Sometimes  such  con- 
tacts lead  to  steady  hobby  income.  Probable  payment:  $3.00  to 
$5.00. 

Regional  publications— There  may  be  regional  magazines  cir- 
culated in  your  home  area,  and  if  so  you  should  study  their  picture 
requirements,  submit  possible  pictures,  suggest  pictures  you  can 
take  in  your  locality  that  might  be  of  interest  to  the  readership  of 
the  regional  magazine.  Again,  after  proving  your  ability  to  provide 
publishable  prints,  you  may  be  able  to  secure  special  assignments. 
Probable  payment:  $3.00  to  $10. 

Trade  journals,  house  organs— These  publications,  containing  ma- 
terial of  particular  interest  in  special  trade  fields,  offer  one  of  the 
very  best  possible  markets  for  the  beginning  free-lance  photog- 
rapher. Your  local  automobile  agency  may  have  a  special  window 
display  and  a  shot  of  it,  together  with  the  local  dealer  and  with  a 
few  lines  of  description  or  comment,  may  bring  a  check  from  an 
automotive  trade  journal.  If  the  Ford-Lincoln-Mercury  dealers  are 
engaged  in  some  special  activity,  for  instance,  your  market  might 
well  be  Ford  Field,  407  East  Michigan  St.,  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin. 
Virtually  every  trade  has  its  special  journals.  Writers'  magazines 
often  list  these  markets,  and  nearly  every  merchant  can  show  you 
samples  of  the  journals  in  his  particular  field.  Local  tradesmen  are 
usually  co-operative,  for  they  welcome  recognition  in  their  various 
lines  of  activity.  Probable  payment:  $3.00  to  $10. 

Metropolitan  newspapers— The  large  newspapers  are  interested 
in  what  goes  on  anywhere  within  their  circulation  area.  You  can 
make  inquiry  to  determine  if  there  is  adequate  camera  coverage  in 
your  immediate  locality.  Even  if  there  is,  you  might  have  excellent 
news  shots  of  some  unusual  news  event.  If  so  it  is  imperative  that 
you  work  fast.  Spot  news  waits  for  no  photographer  and  spot  news 
dies  an  early  death.  The  feature  shots  for  Sunday  editions  may  prove 
to  be  the  best  money-makers  for  the  beginner  free-lancer,  opening 
his  contacts  with  a  metropolitan  daily.  You  can  send  samples  of 


130  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

your  pictures  to  the  editors  in  charge  of  your  locality  and  let  them 
know  of  your  availability  for  special  assignments.  Probable  pay- 
ment: $3.00  to  $5.00. 

Magazines— Most  of  the  larger  magazines  using  photographs  are 
not  dependent  on  free-lancers.  They  arrange  with  photographic 
syndicates  and  professional  photographers  and  their  own  staffmen 
and  women,  to  secure  their  requirements  for  stories  and  articles  and 
features.  Nevertheless  they  are  all  open  to  temptation  when  some- 
thing unusual  and  technically  good  is  made  available  to  them.  The 
group  of  popular-science  magazines  listed  in  the  bibliography  of  this 
book  offers  a  particularly  good  market  for  the  free-lancer  who  is 
interested  in  how-to-do-it-series  illustrations  and  is  alert  to  new 
scientific,  inventive,  and  industrial  developments.  The  free-lancer 
can  often  team  up  with  a  home  shop  specialist,  making  photographs 
of  the  various  steps  in  the  building  of  a  newsworthy,  photo-worthy 
product.  Probable  payment:  $3.00  to  $25. 

Contests— The  free-lance  photographer  should  constantly  be  on 
the  alert  for  contests  offering  cash  prizes,  for  most  of  the  contestants 
will  be  less  experienced.  While  there  is  always  a  long  chance  in  con- 
tests, the  prizes  are  frequently  substantial.  These  contests  may  be 
announced  in  various  magazines'  editorial  or  advertising  sections. 
For  instance,  Mechanics  Illustrated  has  offered  cash  prizes  for  work- 
bench projects,  and  as  much  as  $25  for  a  sharp  glossy  of  owners  with 
ancient  automobiles.  The  Saturday  Evening  Post  has  solicited  en- 
tries for  a  regular  feature,  *Tm  Proud  of  This  Picture,"  and  paid 
$100  for  each  one  accepted.  Not  long  ago  the  magazines  carried  a 
paid  advertisement  of  Kleinert's  offer  of  $5000  in  cash  prizes  for 
baby  pictures.  Snap  your  shutter  on  a  prize.  Not  long  ago  a  Water- 
bury,  Connecticut,  machinist  earning  $50  a  week  won  the  grand 
prize  of  $1000  in  the  annual  National  Newspaper  Snapshot  Contest. 

Syndicates— Syndicates  that  regularly  supply  newspapers  and 
some  magazines  with  photographs  offer  a  rather  open  market  to 
free-lancers  because  of  their  constant  demand  to  fulfill  contracts 
with  hundreds  of  newspapers.  The  requirements  of  the  syndicates 
are  constantly  changing,  and  their  chief  interest  is  in  spot-news 
shots.  The  free-lancer  can  study  their  requirements  by  noting  the 
identifying  line  that  accompanies  the  syndicates  pictures  in  news- 
papers. Names  and  addresses  of  a  large  number  of  the  syndicates 
can  be  secured  in  classified  directories  in  large  cities,  or  in  Editor 
and  Publisher,  the  Fourth  Estate,  International  Year  Book  and  other 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  13! 

sources  frequently  available  in  public  libraries.  A  few  of  the  larger 
syndicates  are: 

Acme  Newspictures,  461  8th  Ave.,  New  York  1,  N.Y. 

Associated  Press,  The,  50  Rockefeller  Plaza,  New  York  20,  N.Y. 

International  News  Photo  Service,  235  East  45th  St.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 

Keystone  Pictures,  Inc.,  219  East  44th  St.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 

N.E.A.  Service,  Inc.,  1200  West  3rd  St.,  Cleveland,  O. 

Press  Association,  Inc.   (features),  50  Rockefeller  Plaza,  New  York  20, 

N.Y. 
Universal  Trade  Press  Syndicate   (trade  journals),  724  5th  Ave.,  New 

York  19,  N.Y. 

Calendar  publishers  and  advertising  agencies— These  markets  are 
so  specialized  and  requirements  so  technical  and  restricting  that 
they  are  not  recommended  to  beginners  except  those  who  may  have 
some  special  contact  or  highly  developed  skill. 

Miscellaneous  markets— There  is  a  broad  field  of  markets  that  can 
be  opened  by  the  free-lancer  who  is  restricted  only  by  his  own 
energy  and  resourcefulness.  Random  instances  of  these  possibilities 
are  the  following: 

Informal  wedding  pictures— Harold  K.  White,  who  was  skillful 
with  his  camera,  worked  part  time  for  a  Canadian  newspaper,  and 
in  his  spare  time  specialized  in  taking  informal  wedding  pictures. 
He  succeeded  so  well  that  he  established  a  business  employing  eight 
girls  to  develop  and  print  his  pictures  of  an  average  of  sixty-five 
weddings  a  month,  according  to  a  Readers  Digest  Manual  account 
of  his  activities.  In  making  informal  photographs  of  weddings  White 
takes  thirty  or  more  from  the  arrival  at  the  church  to  the  final  con- 
fetti-sprayed dash  out  the  door;  also  the  wedding  service,  the  entire 
wedding  party,  relatives  and  other  guests,  gifts,  the  bride  and  groom 
signing  the  register,  cutting  the  wedding  cake,  etc.  The  prints 
(averaging  twenty  pictures)  are  mounted  in  an  album  which  is 
priced  at  $20  to  $35,  depending  upon  the  number  of  pictures.  Orders 
for  reprints  bring  the  average  sale  up  to  $45.  Orders  sometimes  total 
$200.  Many  couples  return  to  White  for  pictures  of  their  children  in 
various  stages  of  growth.  In  starting  such  a  business  it  may  be  neces- 
sary at  first  to  take  pictures  on  speculation  in  order  to  establish  a 
reputation. 

Printing,  developing,  enlarging— It  you  are  fortunate  enough  to 
have  facilities  for  good  darkroom  work  in  your  home  or  garage,  you 
can  turn  up  business,  finishing  the  pictures  of  amateurs.  Frequently 


132  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

such  work  leads  to  assignments  for  more  professional  photography. 
You  can  promote  this  service  with  small  classified  advertisements, 
and  sometimes  you  can  get  free  publicity  in  local  newspapers. 
Charles  G.  Willoughby  of  New  York,  founder  of  one  of  the  world's 
foremost  camera  stores,  got  his  start  in  this  way. 

Real  estate  photography— Real  estate  agencies  and  individuals 
who  have  residential  or  business  property  for  sale  need  pictures  to 
show  their  clients,  or  for  reproduction  in  sales  pamphlets  and  other 
forms  of  advertising.  Owners  of  beautiful  homes  and  gardens  are 
often  in  the  market  for  free-lance  photographers  who  have  the  pro- 
fessional touch. 

Christmas  and  announcement  cards— Many  individuals  are  inter- 
ested in  pictures  of  their  homes  or  children  or  the  entire  family  for 
prints  on  postal  cards  or  folders  for  Christmas  use.  Owners  of  new 
homes  also  welcome  fine  postal  reproductions  on  which  they  advise 
their  friends  of  their  change  of  address.  The  new  baby  often  opens 
up  a  new  market  for  photo  cards.  Alert  free-lancers  watch  the 
papers  for  announcements  of  various  sentimental  family  anniver- 
saries and  offer  their  camera  services  to  make  the  record  complete. 

Microfilming— Many  banks,  merchants,  and  professional  people 
welcome  a  service  to  microfilm  their  documents  to  permit  abandon- 
ment of  ever-growing  files  that  require  expensive  storage  space. 
There  are  individuals  who  particularly  fear  fire  and  possible  war- 
time destruction  of  important  family  papers  who  have  such  docu- 
ments put  on  microfilm  that  can  be  stored  in  small  space  in  safety 
vaults.  You  don't  require  expensive  equipment  for  such  a  service. 
Any  camera  capable  of  close  focusing  can  be  used.  If  you  develop 
good  accounts  you  would  want  special  cameras  for  faster,  more 
economical  work.  Complete  information  and  even  rental  equipment 
can  be  secured  through  an  Eastman  Kodak  Company  subsidiary, 
the  Recordak  Corporation,  444  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 

Local  postal  cards— The  free-lancer,  investigating  the  most  impor- 
tant landmarks  of  his  community,  places  of  historical  interest,  etc., 
can  experiment  with  a  dozen  prints  of  each  such  place  and  market 
the  cards  in  local  gift  shops  and  drugstores.  This  often  develops  into 
a  "repeat  order"  side-line  business. 

Yow  special  talent?— Experiment,  experiment,  experiment!  Search 
for  your  special  talents  with  a  camera,  and  don't  be  easily  discour- 
aged. Lena  Towsley  became  a  noted  photographer  of  children,  but 
when  she  first  seriously  studied  photography  she  wasn't  very  sue- 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  133 

cessful.  An  instructor  told  her  to  photograph  landscapes,  and  when 
he  saw  her  product  he  told  her  they  were  the  worst  photographs  of 
landscapes  he  had  ever  seen.  It  was  not  until  she  turned  the  lens  on 
children  that  she  found  she  could  secure  exceptional  results  and  had 
also  found  the  field  that  interested  her  most.  That  opened  the  way 
to  her  success. 

Distortions— Local  clubs  and  some  individuals  are  customers  for 
freak-angle,  distorted  photographs  of  officers  or  friends.  The  clever 
photographer  can  distort  nose,  eyes,  head,  figures— distorting  or 
making  beautiful  the  subject  before  the  lens.  Not  long  ago  This 
Week  Magazine  laid  good  payment  on  the  line  for  a  group  of 
weirdly  distorted  pictures  of  New  York  skyscrapers  and  other  freak 
effects.  Freaking  of  pictures  in  your  own  home  locality  may  easily 
open  a  market  for  individual  shots  or  postcards. 

Writers— Many  writers  for  magazines  and  trade  journals  require 
photographs  to  illustrate  their  texts.  The  free-lancer  can  contact 
writers  in  his  home  community.  Frequently  his  pictures  will  help 
the  writer  sell  his  wares,  and  frequently  the  writer  will  help  the 
photographer  sell  his  products.  There  are  many  cases  in  which  the 
photographer-writer  team  profits  handsomely.  The  free-lance  pho- 
tographer should  always  make  notes  to  accompany  his  shots,  and 
train  himself  in  making  those  notes  interesting  and  clear  and  accu- 
rate. Accuracy  is  a  must.  Often  the  co-operating  writer  can  evolve 
a  series  of  captions  or  brief  story  linking  photographs  into  a  unit, 
and  thus  open  up  a  market  where  there  was  no  market  for  the  pic- 
tures alone. 

Rental  services— Many  camera  enthusiasts  have  acquired  elabo- 
rate equipment  at  considerable  expense.  When  they  turn  free-lancers 
they  can  insert  small  ads  in  local  newspapers  offering  the  equipment 
for  rental,  deposits  being  required  to  insure  care  of  the  camera  or 
other  devices. 

Film  instruction  and  entertainment— One  of  the  soundest  possible 
sources  of  income  for  the  free-lance  photographer  is  to  take  colored 
movies  of  subjects  of  specialized  local  interest,  show  them  for  rea- 
sonable prices  to  interested  groups,  and  so  secure  income  directly  in 
addition  to  securing  publicity  and  meeting  individuals  who  may 
become  steady  customers. 

One  New  York  woman,  well  along  in  years,  specialized  in  films  of 
places  of  local  interest  and  tied  in  a  rambling  lecture  that  became 
popular  with  local  club  groups.  Films  of  outstanding  gardens  pro- 


134  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

vide  a  feature  for  garden-club  meetings.  Civic  clubs  are  interested 
in  films  that  center  on  projects  of  civic  interest. 

The  free-lancer  can  also  secure  a  wide  variety  of  special  rental 
films  to  be  shown  to  interested  groups.  There  are  some  10,000  films 
available  for  nominal  rental,  and  sometimes  for  no  charge.  These 
films  include  fine  reels,  and  often  with  sound,  of  interest  to  almost 
any  club  or  group  or  industry.  You  can  plan  your  program  and  insert 
cartoons  and  short  features  to  round  out  the  program  offered. 

The  only  equipment  you  need  is  a  screen  or  blank  wall  and  a 
16-mm.  sound  projector.  And  if  you  don't  have  a  projector  you  can 
rent  one  in  many  localities.  Films  are  made  available  by  the  govern- 
ment, private  industries,  a  few  special  movie-producing  organiza- 
tions, and  others.  You  can  study  the  indices  that  include  features  of 
various  industrial  operations,  history,  science,  health,  travel,  cooking, 
farming,  and  numerous  other  subjects. 

You  can  get  catalogues  and  learn  the  conditions  on  which  you  can 
borrow  films  from  these  big  distributors: 

Modern  Talking  Picture  Service,  Inc.,  45  Rockefeller  Plaza,  New  York  20, 

N.Y. 

Association  Films,  Inc.,  347  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 
United  World  Films,  Inc.,  1445  Park  Ave.,  New  York  29,  N.Y. 

An  amazing  array  of  subjects  is  filmed  by  the  government  and 
sold  outright  to  schools  or  libraries  which  rent  or  lend  them.  You 
can  write  for  "3,434  U.  S.  Government  Films,"  Federal  Security 
Agency  Bulletin  1951,  No.  2.  This  is  available  for  seventy  cents  from 
the  Superintendent  of  Documents,  Washington  25,  D.C.,  and  will 
give  descriptions  and  instructions  as  to  how  to  get  the  films. 

Members  of  the  Motion  Picture  Producers  Association  provide 
films  on  non-profit  basis— some  six  hundred  films  of  Hollywood  clas- 
sics such  as  "Romeo  and  Juliet."  Write  to  Teaching  Film  Custodians, 
25  West  43rd  St.,  New  York  18,  N.Y.,  for  their  publication  "Films 
for  Classroom  Use." 

Films  for  entertainment,  technical,  and  educational  uses  are  avail- 
able for  small  rental  from  Coronet  Films,  Coronet  Bldg.,  Chicago  1, 
111.,  and  Encyclopaedia  Britannica  Films,  Inc.,  202  East  44th  St., 
New  York  17,  N.Y. 

Your  own  local  library  or  public  schools  may  have  available  the 
various  indices  to  the  thousands  of  films  available  for  your  use. 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  135 


HELPFUL     BOOKS,     PAMPHLETS,   PERIODICALS 
FOR     PHOTOGRAPHERS 

How  to  Make  Money  With  Your  Camera,  by  Harrison  Forman.  McGraw- 
Hill  Book  Co.,  330  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 

Marketing  Your  Pictures,  How  and  Where,  by  J.  W.  McManigal.  U.  S. 
Camera  Publishing  Corp.,  420  Lexington  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 

Tested  Money-Making  Ideas  for  Photographers,  by  Charles  Abel.  Green- 
berg  Publisher,  201  East  57th  St.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 

Mechanix  (sic)  Illustrated  Plans  (for  building  photographic  equipment). 
Get  list  from  publisher.  Fawcett  Publications,  Inc.,  67  West  44th  St., 
New  York  36,  N.Y. 

Photography.  Little  Library  of  Useful  Information.  Get  list  from  pub- 
lisher. Popular  Mechanics  Press.  200  East  Ontario  St.,  Chicago  11,  111. 

How  to  Make  Good  Pictures.  Eastman  Kodak  Co.,  343  State  St.,  Roches- 
ter 4,  N.Y. 

A  Guide  to  Better  Photography,  by  Bernice  Abbott.  Crown  Publishers, 
419  4th  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 

Photography  for  All,  by  Duane  Featherstonhaugh.  Barnes  &  Noble,  Inc., 
5th  Ave.  at  18th  St.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 

Your  Camera,  by  W.  D.  Emanuel.  Pitman  Publishing  Corp.,  2  West  45th 
St.,  New  York  19,  N.Y. 

Develop,  Print,  and  Enlarge  Your  Own  Pictures,  by  Jack  O.  Flynn,  Albert 
J.  Rosenberg,  Alan  Kellock.  McGraw-Hill  Book  Co.,  330  West  42nd 
St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 

How  to  Develop,  Print  and  Enlarge  Pictures,  by  Samuel  Epstein  &  David 
W.  DeArmand.  Franklin  Watts,  Inc.,  699  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  21, 
N.Y. 

Fundamentals  of  Photography,  with  Laboratory  Experiments,  by  Paul  E. 
Boucher.  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co.,  Inc.,  250  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 

Make  Your  Pictures  Sing:  How  To  Perfect  Your  Technique,  by  Paul  L. 
Hexter.  Camera  Craft  Publishing  Co.,  95  Minna  St.,  San  Francisco  5, 
Calif. 

Photography,  Its  Principles  and  Practice,  by  Carroll  B.  Neblette.  D.  Van 
Nostrand  Co.,  Inc.,  250  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 

Photographic  Facts  and  Formulas,  by  Edward  J.  Wall  &  Franklin  I.  Jor- 
dan. American  Photographic  Publishing  Co.,  607  Guardian  Bldg.,  St. 
Paul  1,  Minn. 

1 001  Ways  to  Improve  Your  Photographs.  Willard  D.  Morgan,  editor. 
National  Educational  Alliance,  37  West  47th  St.,  New  York  19,  N.Y. 

Say  It  with  Your  Camera,  by  Jacob  Deschin.  McGraw-Hill  Book  Co.,  330 
West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 

Mortensen  on  the  'Negative,  by  William  Mortensen.  Simon  &  Schuster, 
Inc.,  630  5th  Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.Y. 

Complete  Book  on  Enlarging,  by  Morris  Gurrie.  Greenberg  Publisher,  201 
East  57th  St.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 


136  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Retouching  and  Finishing  for  Photographers,  by  J.  S.  Adamson.  Pitman 

Publishing  Corp.,  2  West  45th  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
Flash  Photography,  by  Gordon  Parks.  Franklin  Watts,  Inc.,  699  Madison 

Ave.,  New  York  21,  N.Y. 
Fred  Archer  on  Portraiture,  by  Fred  Archer.  Camera  Craft  Publishing 

Co.,  95  Minna  St.,  San  Francisco  5,  Calif. 
The  Model,  by  William  Mortensen.  Camera  Craft  Publishing  Co.,  95 

Minna  St.,  San  Francisco  5,  Calif. 
Taking  Yowr  Baby's  Picture,  by  Amanuele  Stireri.  Greenberg  Publisher, 

201  East  57th  St.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Children  Before  My  Camera,  by  Adolf  Morath.  American  Photographic 

Publishing  Co.,  607  Guardian  Bldg.,  St.  Paul  1,  Minn. 
Creative  Table-Top  Photography,  by  Ernest  Heimann,  The  Macmillan 

Co.,  60  5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
Natural  Color  Processes,  by  Carleton  E.  Dunn.  American  Photographic 

Publishing  Co.,  607  Guardian  Bldg.,  St.  Paul  1,  Minn. 
16-mm.  Sound  Motion  Pictures:  A  Manual  for  the  Professional  and  the 

Amateur,  by  William  H.  Offenhauser.  Interscience  Publishers,  Inc., 

250  5th  Ave.,  New  York  1,  N.Y. 
Copying  Technique,  by  Frank  R.  Fraprie  &  Robert  H.  Morris.  American 

Photographic  Publishing  Co.,  607  Guardian  Bldg.,  St.  Paul  1,  Minn. 


PERIODICALS 

American  Photography,  136  East  57th  St.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
The  Camera,  217  East  25th  St.,  Baltimore,  Md. 
Modern  Photography,  251  4th  Ave.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
Photography,  185  North  Wabash  Ave.,  Chicago,  111. 
U.  S.  Camera,  420  Lexington  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 


CHAPTER     TWENTY-TWO 


Collecting  Is  Fun  and  Sometimes  Profitable 


MEN  AND  WOMEN  are  natural-born  collectors.  Ancients  collected 
tigers'  teeth  and  beads  and  jewels.  As  a  boy  or  a  girl  you  probably 
collected  something— birds'  eggs,  carnelians,  wild  flowers,  playing 
cards— and  perhaps  you  specialized  in  cards  picturing  animals  only. 
This  almost  instinctive  desire  to  collect  has  made  this  hobby  the 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  137 

most  popular  of  all  the  hundreds  available.  The  hobby  can  be  of 
small  cost,  but  frequently  it  is  rather  expensive!  My  friend,  Ed 
Hungerford,  for  instance,  was  a  collector  of  locomotives— old-timers. 
His  collection  was  shown  at  the  World's  Fair  in  New  York. 

Collecting  of  locomotives  or  rare  jades  is  not  recommended  as  a 
profitable  home  hobby.  And  indiscriminate  collecting  is  not  recom- 
mended if  you  have  profit  in  view.  However,  if  you  adopt  the  pro- 
fessional approach  rather  than  that  of  the  amateur,  you  have  your 
best  chance  to  profit  from  a  fascinating  hobby.  The  amateur  simply 
collects  things  in  which  he  is  interested.  Someday  his  collection 
might  become  valuable,  but  very  possibly  he  would  never  get  his 
money  back;  and  anyway  collecting  is  not  a  field  for  quick  profits. 
The  professional  collector  specializes.  The  professional  rarely  loses 
sight  of  four  basic  guides:  1.  Rarity.  2.  Condition.  3.  Completeness. 
4.  Classification. 

Among  the  most  popular  of  items  for  collections  are  stamps,  old 
glass,  antique  furniture,  books,  and  prints.  Collectors'  items  do  not 
need  to  come  from  the  ancient  tombs  of  Egypt.  Year  after  year  the 
antique  shows  in  White  Plains,  N.Y.,  and  elsewhere  are  displaying 
items,  desirable  items  to  fill  out  collections,  that  were  common- 
place in  country  corner  stores  no  more  than  forty  years  ago.  These 
items  are,  of  course,  mixed  with  others  of  colonial  days  and  some 
perhaps  centuries  old.  If  you  are  interested  in  examining  collectors' 
items  that  may  already  be  in  your  home,  or  in  adopting  this  most 
popular  of  hobbies,  you  can  study  the  following  list— a  list  that 
could  not  be  entirely  complete  in  any  single  book: 

Anecdotes— general  or  in  specific  Beads— general    or    Indian    or 
fields  or  attaching  to  one  fa-  Egyptian,  etc. 
mous  person  or  period  Books— first  editions,  early  print- 
Antiques— of  all  kinds  ings,    almanacs,    Americana, 
Armor-ancient  items  manuscripts,  horn  books,  old 
Association— items        associated  school    volumes,    miniatures, 
with   someone   or   group   of  etc. 

persons— Washington,   Roose-  Bottles-scores     of     specialties, 
velt,  colonial  settlers,  regional  liquor,   flasks,  perfume,  etc., 
Autographs— general  and  specific  some  of  rare  beauty  and  de- 
fields  sign 

Banks— old     penny     banks     of  Buttons— general     and     specific 

metal,  china,  etc.  collections 


Cameos— if  you  can  afford  them 

Carved  ivories— if  you  can  afford 
them 

Chess  pieces 

China— ancient  and  also  Grand- 
ma's tea  sets,  pitchers,  jugs, 
etc. 

Cigarette  cards 

Circus  items— pieces  of  equip- 
ment, posters,  etc. 

Clocks 

Covers— old  spreads,  patchwork, 
etc. 

Coins— old  general  collections 
and  specialized  and  complete 
branches 

Curios— of  all  types 

Decanters 

Dime  novels 

Dolls 

Figurines 

Fossils 

Furniture 

Glassware— old  glass  in  general 
and  specific  categories 

Guns 

Hallmarks 

Hooked  rugs 

Images 

Iron 

Jade 

Lace 

Lamps 

Locks  and  keys 

Maps 


MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Miniatures 

Models 

Musical  instruments 

Newspapers— old  papers,  period- 
icals, catalogs,  etc. 

Paper  money 

Pewter 

Phonograph  records 

Pictures,  paintings,  prints 

Playing  cards 

Postcards 

Pottery 

Rocks 

Rugs  and  carpets 

Samplers 

Scarabs 

Sculpture 

Sheet  music 

Shells 

Silver 

Snuff  boxes 

Songs 

Stamps— postage,  revenue,  etc. 
Sometimes  stamps  are  the 
most  valuable  part  of  a  collec- 
tor's property  or  estate 

Steins 

Tapestries 

Tear  bottles 

Tiles 

Toys 

Watches 

Weapons— medieval,  savage,  ar- 
rowheads, bows,  arrows, 
knives,  etc. 


One  of  the  quickest  ways  to  cash  in  on  collections  is  to  be  on  the 
alert  for  collections  deliberately  or  unwittingly  made  by  others  and 
stashed  away  in  attics  and  old  barns.  What  was  junk  yesterday  may 
be  a  collector's  item  today.  Frequently  that  old  trunk  or  box  in  the 


ARTS,    HOBBIES,    AND    HANDCRAFTS  139 

attic  contains  autographs,  stamps,  papers,  Americana,  for  which 
there  is  a  ready  market,  sometimes  worth  hundreds  of  dollars,  if 
you  are  collector-conscious  and  seek  out  the  special  markets.  Re- 
member this:  if  it  is  old  it  may  be  valuable!  You  may  have  access 
to  "junk"  collections  in  your  own  family.  If  not  you  can  watch  for 
auctions  in  old  homes  or  on  farms.  If  you  are  one  of  the  first  collec- 
tors to  select  valuable  items  you  may  very  well  pick  up  some  extra 
cash.  And  if  you  are  handy  in  a  home  workshop,  and  resourceful, 
you  may  discover  materials  that  can  be  converted  into  hundreds  of 
usable  and  salable  items. 


HELPFUL   BOOKS    AND   PAMPHLETS    FOR    COLLECTORS 

Lock,  Stock  and  Barrel:  The  Story  of  Collecting,  by  Douglas  &  Elizabeth 

Rigby.  J.  B.  Lippincott  Co.,  East  Washington  Sq.,  Philadelphia  5,  Pa. 
First  Reader  of  Antique  Collectors,  by  Carl  W.  Drepperd.  Doubleday  & 

Co.,  Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Autographs:  A  Key  to  Collecting,  by  Mary  A.  Benjamin.  R.  R.  Bowker 

Co.,  62  West  45th  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
American  Book  Prices  Current.  R.  R.  Bowker  Co.,  62  West  45th  St.,  New 

York  36,  N.Y. 
Invitation  to  Book  Collecting,  by  Colton  Storm  &  Howard  Peckham.  R. 

R.  Bowker  Co.,  62  West  45th  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
American  Clocks  and  Clockmakers,  by  Carl  W.  Drepperd.  Doubleday  & 

Co.,  Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 

The  Clock  Collector's  Handbook,  by  Kenneth  S.  Karsten.  Author,  Middle- 
port,  N.Y. 
Coin  Collecting,  by  Joseph  Coffin.  Coward-McCann,  Inc.,  210  Madison 

Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 

Domestic  Coin  Manufactured  by  Mints  of  the  United  States  Since  Organi- 
zation to  Include  the  Year  1935.  Pamphlet  U.  S.  Mint.  Government 

Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 
Information  Relating  to  United  States  Coins  and  Medals.  Pamphlet.  U.  S. 

Treasury  Dept,  Government  Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 
First  Steps  in  Collecting  Furniture,  Glass,  China,  by  Grace  M.  Vallois. 

Medill  McBride  Co.,  200  East  37th  St.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Two  Hundred  Years  of  American  Blown  Glass,  by  Helen  &  George 

McKearin.  Doubleday  &  Co.,  Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22, 

N.Y. 
Old  Glass  and  How  to  Collect  It,  by  I.  Sydney  Lewis.  Medill  McBride 

Co.,  200  East  37th  St.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
American  Glass:  A  History  of  the  Fine  Art  of  Glass-Making  in  America, 

by  George  &  Helen  McKearin.  Crown  Publishers,  419  4th  Ave.,  New 

York  16,  N.Y. 


140  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Price  Guide  to  Pattern  Glass,  by  Ruth  W.  Lee.  M.  Barrows  &  Co.,  Inc., 
425  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 

5000  "fears  of  Gems  and  Jewelry,  by  Frances  Rogers  &  Alice  Beard.  J.  B. 
Lippincott  Co.,  East  Washington  Sq.,  Philadelphia  5,  Pa. 

Mineral  Collectors  Handbook,  by  Richard  M.  Pearl.  Mineral  Book  Co., 
Box  183,  Colorado  Springs,  Colo. 

Gem  Hunters  Guide,  by  Russell  P.  McFall.  Science  &  Mechanics  Publish- 
ing Co.,  450  East  Ohio  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

Chats  on  Old  Pewter,  by  Henri  J.  Masse.  A.  A.  Wyn,  Inc.,  23  West  47th 
St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 

Old  Pewter,  Copper  if  Sheffield  Plate,  by  Hannah  Moore.  Garden  City 
Publishing  Co.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 

Pottery  and  Porcelain:  A  Guide  to  Collectors,  by  Frederick  Litchfield.  The 
MacmiUan  Co.,  60  5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 

Van  Nostrand-Faber  Monographs  on  Ceramic  Arts.  Get  list.  D.  Van 
Nostrand  Co.,  Inc.,  250  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 

Early  American  Pottery  &  China,  by  John  Spargo.  Garden  City  Publishing 
Co.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 

Rock  Book,  by  Carroll  &  Mildred  Fenton.  Doubleday  &  Co.,  Inc.,  575 
Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 

Handwoven  Carpets,  Oriental  and  European,  by  Albert  F.  Kendrick  & 
C.  E.  Tattersall.  Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  597  5th  Ave.,  New  York  17, 
N.Y. 

Handbook  for  Shell  Collectors,  by  Walter  F.  Webb.  Author,  202  West- 
minster Rd.,  Rochester,  N.Y. 

Shell  Collectors  Handbook,  by  Alpheus  H.  Verrill.  G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons, 
210  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  19,  N.Y. 

The  Practical  Book  of  American  Silver,  by  Edward  Wenham.  J.  B.  Lip- 
pincott Co.,  East  Washington  Sq.,  Philadelphia  5,  Pa. 

Old  Silver  and  Old  Sheffield  Plate,  by  Howard  P.  Okie.  Doubleday  &  Co., 
Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 

The  Book  of  Snuff  and  Snuff-Boxes,  by  Mattoon  M.  Curtis.  Liveright 
Publishing  Corp.,  386  4th  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 

Stamp-Collecting:  A  Handbook,  by  Richard  Curie.  Alfred  A.  Knopf,  Inc., 
501  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 

Romance  of  Stamp  Collecting,  by  Ernest  A.  Kehr.  Thomas  Y.  Crowell 
Co.,  432  4th  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 

Scott's  Standard  Postage  Stamp  Catalogue:  The  Encyclopedia  of  Phi- 
lately. Scott  Publications,  Inc.,  1  West  47th  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 

Cavalcade  of  Toys,  by  Ruth  &  Larry  Freeman.  Century  House,  Watkins 
Glenn,  N.Y.  * 

The  Handbook  of  Old  American  Toys,  by  Louis  H.  Hergz.  Mark  Haber 
&  Co.,  Wethersfield,  Conn. 

Dictionary  of  Discards,  by  Frank  M.  Rich.  Association  Press,  291  Broad- 
way, New  York  7,  N.Y. 

Treasures  in  Truck  &  Trash,  by  Morgan  Towne.  Doubleday  &  Co.,  Inc., 
575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 


CHAPTER     TWENTY-THREE 

Nature  Hobbies  That  Pay 

BEEKEEPING     IS     PLEASANT     AND    PROFITABLE 

BEEKEEPING  is  one  of  the  most  widespread  and  dependable  of  home 
money-raising  projects.  The  market  is  not  glutted  so  there  is  plenty 
of  room  for  more  folk  to  join  in  this  fascinating  activity.  The 
processes  can  be  easily  learned,  and  profits  are  assured  for  anyone 
who  seriously  adopts  this  hobby  for  part-time,  or  even  full-time, 
profits. 

Properly  handled,  bees  rarely  sting  you,  and  in  return  for  the  low- 
cost  housing  you  provide,  they  work  industriously  to  produce  a  de- 
lectable product.  They  put  in  a  tremendous  amount  of  time  pro- 
ducing for  you,  and  yet  they  require  very  little  of  your  time.  They 
almost  work  for  you  while  you  sleep.  Also  they  have  this  tremendous 
advantage— they  feed  themselves!  Most  living  things  you  may  raise 
put  you  to  the  labor  and  cost  of  feeding.  Not  so  with  bees. 

You  can  raise  bees  almost  anywhere  within  two  or  three  miles  of 
field  and  garden.  You  can  even  raise  bees  in  your  bedroom— if  you 
want  to!  The  Associated  Press  is  authority  for  the  report  on  Henry 
Lawrence  of  Ballymena,  Ireland,  who  installed  a  beehive  in  his 
bedroom  and  acquired  a  colony  of  approaching  70,000  bees,  most 
of  them  flying  empty  to  flowers  and  returning  swollen  and  loaded 
with  nectar  to  deposit  for  his  gain.  You,  in  all  likelihood,  don't  want 
bees  in  your  belfry,  but  this  instance  emphasizes  the  possibilities. 

Taking  fullest  advantage  of  the  possibilities,  you  who  live  in  areas 
where  there  are  blossoms  can  study  special  opportunities  for  getting 
the  most  desirable  flavors.  The  honey  flavor  is  dependent  on  the 
source  of  the  nectar-bearing  flowers.  Sweet  clover,  one  of  the  most 
popular,  is  mild  flavored,  while  Florida  honey  may  have  a  spicy 
flavor.  Blends  are  popular  and  beekeepers  frequently  get  the  great- 
est profit  by  packaging  assorted  flavors  in  a  half-dozen  little  jars  for 


142  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

gift  packages.  These  are  sold  direct  by  mail,  at  roadside  stands,  in 
local  shops,  or  from  the  home  front  porch  or  yard.  Profits  are  high- 
est if  you  work  out  ways  and  means  to  sell  your  own  product  with- 
out having  to  absorb  the  profit  of  the  middleman.  Honey  is  also  sold 
in  the  comb  or  as  bulk  comb  and  packed  in  pails,  glass  jars,  or  jugs. 

To  get  into  business,  you  don't  have  to  locate  your  own  bee  trees. 
You  can  buy  bees  by  the  package— complete  with  a  beautiful  young 
queen,  hard-working  young  worker  bees,  and  a  few  drones.  The 
whole  outfit  works  hard  except  you  and  the  drones.  The  queen  for 
about  five  years  is  devoted  to  living  on  nectar  and  laying  as  many  as 
3000  eggs  a  day.  The  workers  provide  the  groceries  for  her  and  for 
the  drones  (the  males  who  keep  the  queen  happy  and  do  nothing 
else  but  li ve  on  honey  secured  by  others ) .  Come  fall,  however,  when 
nectar  is  hard  to  find,  the  busy  worker  bees  throw  out  the  drones  to 
die. 

You  can  experiment  with  initial  packages  of  bees  as  you  learn  how 
to  handle  them.  Ten  or  a  dozen  hives  will  produce  hundreds  of 
pounds  of  honey.  The  time  to  get  your  package  bees  is  in  the 
spring.  You  can  start  with  a  package  or  two  and  without  any  great 
area  of  ground  available,  get  into  a  truly  sizable  stage  of  production 
—increasing  your  production  as  you  work  out  your  markets. 

Your  county  agricultural  agent,  your  state  agricultural  college,  or 
the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  in  Washington  will  provide  you 
with  pamphlets  and  advice  on  beekeeping. 

HELPFUL    BOOKS    AND    PAMPHLETS    FOR    BEEKEEPERS 

ABC  and  XYZ  of  Bee  Culture.  Encyclopedia.  A.  I.  Root  Co.,  Medina,  O. 

Beginning  with  Bees  Booklets.  Dadant  &  Sons,  Hamilton,  111. 

Starting  Right  with  Bees,  by  H.  G.  Howe,  others.  A.  I.  Root  Co.,  Medina, 

Beekeeping  as  a  Hobby,  by  Kyle  Onstott.  Harper  &  Bros.,  49  East  33rd 

St.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Beekeeping  for  Profit  and  Pleasure,  by  Addison  Webb.  The  Macmillan 

Co.,  60  5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
A  Living  from  Bees,  by  Frank  C.  Pellett.  Orange  Judd  Publishing  Co., 

Inc.,  15  East  26th  St.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
Gleanings  in  Bee  Culture.  Magazine.  A.  I.  Root  Co.,  Medina,  O. 
American  Bee  Journal  Magazine.  Hamilton,  111. 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  143 


RAISING    CANARIES,    PARAKEETS, 
BUDGEREEGAHS,     OR     MYNAS 

Undoubtedly  one  of  the  easiest  and  most  fascinating  ways  to  make 
money  at  home  is  in  raising,  breeding,  training  canaries,  parakeets, 
budgereegahs  or  mynas.  If  you  have  one  sunny  room  you  can  buy 
cages  or  make  them  from  orange  crates  or  plywood  and  wire  fronts. 
You  can  start  with  a  pair  or  two  of  birds,  feed  them  prepared  food 
(they  eat  little— like  birds)  or,  in  some  cases,  weeds;  breed  them  and 
sell  your  product  for  amazingly  high  prices. 

These  profit-making  birds  will  fill  your  home  with  color  and 
music  and  talk.  Birds  do  have  their  definite  requirements  that  need 
to  be  studied,  but  anyone  can  easily  learn  how  to  care  for  them. 
They  require  little  room  if  you  are  seeking  only  pin  money— but 
beware!  You  may,  as  many  others  have  done,  find  them  so  profitable 
and  pleasant  to  handle  you  will  want  to  expand  your  operations  to 
help  fill  the  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  cages  that  are  sold  an- 
nually in  the  United  States  and  Canada.  The  birds  are  rather  easily 
sold  to  friends,  through  signs  in  your  front  window,  little  advertise- 
ments in  local  papers,  by  direct  mail,  or  in  local  shops  and  stores. 

Canaries  can  be  raised  in  almost  any  climate  where  they  are  not 
exposed  to  severe  weather  conditions.  They  need  sunlight  and  can 
be  fed  birdseed  or  special  preparations  on  sale  in  shops.  The  initial 
pair  or  pairs  can  be  secured  from  reliable  pet  stores.  They  breed 
from  February  to  June,  producing  five  to  ten  or  more  chicks,  and 
if  handled  with  reasonable  care  the  mortality  rate  is  small.  They 
will  breed  for  six  or  seven  years  to  your  profit.  You  can  properly 
care  for  a  hundred  or  more  canaries  in  an  hour  a  day. 

The  beginner,  especially,  should  concentrate  on  one  breed.  Pop- 
ular breeds  are  the  Yankee  warblers,  choppers,  rollers.  Usually  you 
can  buy  good  singers  for  three  to  fifteen  dollars  each,  the  higher 
price  for  top  breeders,  although  the  prices  vary  according  to  location 
and  season. 

Many  canary  breeders  eventually  branch  out  to  raise  lovebirds, 
finches,  cockateels,  and  the  talking  birds.  The  talking  birds  will  cost 
more  but  produce  greater  profits.  You  may  pay  as  much  as  $75 
each  for  myna  birds,  and  perhaps  more  for  those  who  have  acquired 
a  vocabulary  of  more  than  one  hundred  words.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Carveth  Wells  owned  a  myna  that  became  a  celebrity  on  radio.  One 


144  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

evening  at  a  party  given  by  Margery  Wilson  the  Wells'  talking 
myna  gave  a  breath-taking  performance  ranging  from  wolf  whistles 
to  singing  of  "The  Star-Spangled  Banner." 

Parakeets  have  become  very  popular  in  recent  years  and  usually 
can  be  purchased  for  $8.00  to  $10  each.  You  need  a  pair  for  com- 
panionship and  breeding,  but  if  you  think  that  mamma  is  the  one 
who  does  the  talking  you  are  mistaken.  Only  the  male  goes  in  for  the 
gift  of  gab.  You  can  give  him  that  gift  of  gab  in  only  a  few  days, 
teaching  as  many  as  twenty-five  to  perhaps  fifty  words.  The  process 
is  to  repeat  the  words  over  and  over  and  over;  or  better  yet,  to  repeat 
one  or  two  or  three  words  over  and  over  on  a  recording.  Make  your 
purchase  only  from  reliable  dealers.  It  is  difficult  to  distinguish  a 
mamma  from  a  papa,  especially  when  they  are  young.  The  grown 
male  has  a  blue  color  around  the  nostrils  while  the  female  nostril 
coloring  is  gray,  tan,  or  brown. 

Budgereegahs,  like  the  parakeets,  were  originally  imported  from 
Australia,  and  have  become  very  popular.  Mrs.  E.  B.  Hudelson  of 
Indianapolis  became  interested  in  budgereegahs  as  a  hobby.  She 
found  they  require  no  very  special  care  and  thrived  on  canary  food 
—only  a  few  pounds  a  year  for  a  pair.  She  turned  her  hobby  to  profit 
by  training  them  to  talk. 

You  may  bag  a  pair  of  budgereegahs  for  as  little  as  $25,  but  the 
trained  talkers  bring  prices  of  from  $200  to  $300  per  pair.  Figure 
that  out  for  yourself! 

Mrs.  Ada  W.  Sanford  of  Philadelphia  has  a  budgereegah  with  a 
reputed  vocabulary  of  more  than  three  hundred  words.  Her  pet 
Budgie,  at  four  years  of  age,  won't  argue  politics  with  you  or  carry 
on  a  running  conversation,  but  you  would  be  surprised  at  some  of 
the  appropriate  words  or  phrases  Budgie  utters  so  clearly.  Phrases 
such  as  one  to  a  schoolgirl,  "Going  to  school?  Sad,  isn't  it?"  "Pretty 
Budgie  loves  you." 

HELPFUL     PUBLICATIONS     FOR     BIRD     RAISERS 

Canary  Breeding  for  Beginners,  by  Claude  St.  John.  David  McKay  Co., 
Inc.,  225  Park  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 

Parakeets,  Their  Care  and  Breeding.  Universal  Aviaries,  South  Bend,  Ind. 

Teaching  Tricks  to  Canaries  and  Cage  Birds,  by  Carolyn  Knapp.  Univer- 
sal Aviaries,  South  Bend,  Ind. 

American  Canary  Magazine.  2829  North  Halsted  St.,  Chicago  14,  111. 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  145 


BUTTERFLIES     AND     MOTHS     FOR 
ART     AND     LABORATORY 

Perhaps  because  the  "raw  materials"  are  not  so  readily  available, 
there  are  comparatively  few  who  indulge  in  the  arts  and  crafts  in- 
volving the  use  of  butterflies  and  moths.  For  that  very  reason  this 
field  may  be  particularly  lucrative  for  you  if  the  hobby  appeals  to 
you.  There  is  a  constant  market  for  beautiful  butterfly  novelties. 
There  are  also  markets  for  those  whose  interest  centers  on  moths. 

There  are  a  number  of  rarely  beautiful  articles  that  can  be  made 
by  use  of  brilliantly  colored  butterflies  and  some  of  the  more  vivid 
night-flying  moths.  The  moths  are  usually  more  subdued  in  coloring 
and  can  be  used  for  contrast  tones  in  your  arrangements.  Either 
against  plain  backgrounds  or  arranged  with  dried  leaves,  twigs, 
ferns,  and  grasses,  the  shimmering  beauty  of  butterflies  can  be  used 
for  pictures,  for  plaques,  jewel  and  glove  boxes,  paperweights,  within 
glass  hanging  against  a  window,  for  book  ends,  and  other  novelties. 

Artistry  in  butterfly  ware  has  reached  a  high  plane  with  the  prod- 
ucts of  Margaret  Sherbaum  of  New  York.  Mrs.  Sherbaum  became 
interested  in  butterflies  as  a  hobby  many  years  ago.  For  some  time 
she  worked  in  her  home  producing  pictures  that  delighted  her 
friends  and  neighbors.  The  natural  result  was  that  markets  broad- 
ened and  finally  she  opened  a  small  shop  on  Madison  Avenue  where 
she  makes  and  displays  her  wares. 

Not  content  with  simply  mounting  her  beauties,  now  secured  from 
all  parts  of  the  world  and  in  all  possible  hues,  Mrs.  Sherbaum  de- 
veloped her  own  art  using  tiny  knives  and  sharp  scissors  to  cut  the 
colors  she  wants  from  her  collection.  Using  these  fragments  of  colors, 
she  prepares  pictures  of  amazing  beauty  for  her  customers.  For  more 
than  thirty  years  Mrs.  Sherbaum  has  quietly  been  profiting  from  her 
hobby,  and  in  so  doing  contributing  to  the  beauty  of  many  homes, 
for  her  products  retain  their  beauty  indefinitely.  Friends  and  others 
send  butterflies  to  her  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 

Equipment  required  for  butterfly  craft  work  is  inexpensive  and 
easy  to  assemble.  You  can  purchase  or  make  your  own  net  and 
capture  your  own  supply  of  butterflies.  If  you  don't  find  enough  of 
them  you  can  lure  them  by  painting  a  mixture  of  water,  brown 
sugar,  and  rum  on  trees  and  plants.  Stale  beer  and  molasses  daubed 
on  trees  will  lure  and  hold  drunken  night-flying  moths.  Once  netted, 


146  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

the  butterflies  can  be  popped  into  killer  jars  with  a  coating  of  sodium 
or  potassium  cyanide  on  the  bottom  and  covered  with  cotton.  This  is 
POISON.  Be  careful  in  handling  and  storing  it.  Dry  the  butterflies 
by  spreading  the  wings  on  board  or  cardboard.  Use  forceps  in 
handling.  Slit  the  body  to  make  it  thinner  for  mounting  purposes. 
Frames  must  be  deep  enough  to  keep  the  glass  far  enough  from  the 
mat  to  give  room  for  the  butterfly. 

Another  way  to  make  money  with  moths— not  the  beauties,  but 
the  ones  that  use  your  choice  woolens  for  dining  purposes— has  been 
developed  by  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Holmes  of  New  Brunswick,  N.J.  Does 
that  lady  have  moths!  Millions  of  them.  Deliberately  and  for  profit. 
She  even  feeds  them  willingly  and  keeps  them  warm  with  a  tempera- 
ture of  80°  and  humidity  at  60  in  series  of  two-quart  jars.  For  a 
time  she  does  everything  possible  to  make  them  contented  and 
happy  and  to  make  them  grow  fruitful  and  multiply.  Then  she  ex- 
poses them  to  moth  repellent  materials  for  a  manufacturer— testing 
ways  and  means  of  destroying  them. 

HELPFUL     BOOKS     FOR     INSECT     HOBBYISTS 

The  Butterfly  Book,  by  William  J.  Holland.  Doubleday  &  Co.,  Inc.,  575 
Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 

Field  Guide  to  the  Butterflies,  by  Alexander  B.  Klots.  Houghton  Mifflin 
Co.,  2  Park  St.,  Boston  7,  Mass. 

How  to  Collect  and  Preserve  Insects.  Free  Pamphlet  No.  466.  Illinois 
Natural  History  Survey,  Urbana,  111. 

Field  Book  of  Insects  of  the  United  States  and  Canada,  by  Frank  E.  Lutz. 
G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  210  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 

The  Insect  Guide,  by  Ralph  B.  Swain.  Doubleday  &  Co.,  Inc.,  575  Madi- 
son Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 

Introducing  the  Insect,  by  Frederick  A.  Urquhart.  Henry  Holt  &  Co.,  Inc., 
383  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 

FISHPOND   "FARMING"   is   ON   THE   INCREASE 

Literally  thousands  of  fishponds  have  been  established  and 
stocked  and  put  into  profitable  production  within  the  last  decade, 
and  the  number  is  growing  constantly,  often  with  government  as- 
sistance. This  comparatively  new  method  of  making  money  at  home 
is  worth  serious  consideration  by  landholders  who  have  ponds  of  a 
half  acre  or  more,  or  lowland  fed  by  a  creek  that  can  be  dammed 
for  flooding  to  produce  a  pond. 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  147 

In  some  areas  this  source  of  income  is  so  new  or  so  little  known 
that  holders  of  such  land  believe  it  would  be  necessary  to  establish 
plant  life  in  the  ponds  to  put  them  to  such  use.  Today  large  numbers 
of  artificial  fishponds  are  producing  great  tonnage  of  fish  without 
established  plant  life.  The  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  in  a 
bulletin  on  fishpond  management,  reports  that  greatest  fish  produc- 
tion can  be  secured  when  ponds  have  no  rooted  aquatic  plants  at  all, 
but  are  stocked  with  a  few  kinds  of  fish  and  fertilized.  Commercial 
fertilizer,  when  added  to  pond  water,  increases  the  amount  of  plank- 
ton—double the  amount  of  plankton  and  the  amount  of  fish  sup- 
ported in  the  pond  is  approximately  doubled. 

Farmers  and  others  with  sizeable  ponds  or  locations  for  potential 
ponds  can  expect,  with  proper  guidance  and  operation,  to  make 
several  hundred  dollars'  worth  grow  each  year  where  nothing  grew 
before.  Technical  details  can  be  mastered  by  ordinary  folk,  and  in- 
formation and  assistance  can  be  secured  through  government 
agencies.  Write  to  your  Agricultural  Extension  Service  or  the  U.  S. 
Department  of  Agriculture  in  Washington,  where  experts  are  at 
your  service. 

Sizable  fishponds  provide  income  from  the  fish  taken  out  for 
market  and  from  fees  secured  from  individuals  and  clubs  for  fishing 
privileges. 

Some  of  the  types  of  fish  best  suited  for  artificial  ponds  are:  large- 
mouth  blackbass,  brown  or  yellow  bullheads,  black  or  white  crap- 
pies,  bream  and  sunfish.  There  are  regulations  regarding  the  tak- 
ing of  game  fish  in  some  states,  and  the  laws  should  be  investi- 
gated by  querying  your  own  state  Game  and  Fish  Department, 
which  will  also  give  advice  on  securing  stock  for  planting  from 
federal  or  state  hatcheries. 


HELPFUL     PAMPHLETS     FOR     FISH     FARMERS 

How  to  Build  a  Farm  Pond.  Miscellaneous  Publication  No.  259 

Farm  Fishponds  for  Food  and  Good  Land  Use.  Farmers'  Bulletin  No. 
1983 

Techniques  of  Fishpond  Management.  Miscellaneous  Publication  No.  528 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture.  Government  Printing  Office,  Wash- 
ington 25,  D.C. 

Farm  Ponds,  by  August  D.  Pistilli.  Cornell  University  Extension  Bulletin 
771.  Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  N.Y. 


148  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 


FROG     FARMING     IS     A     PROFITABLE     HOBBY 

If  you  establish  a  fish  farm  you  may  have  additional  swampy 
area  for  the  raising  of  frogs,  or  you  can  raise  them  independently— 
if  you  sleep  well  and  won't  be  disturbed  by  the  frog  symphony. 

Aside  from  their  choral  efforts  frogs  are  inoffensive,  multiply 
profusely,  produce  very  edible  and  marketable  saddles,  virtually, 
take  care  of  themselves,  and  to  a  large  extent  get  their  food  from 
Mother  Nature  without  running  up  huge  feed  bills.  Frogs  eat  live 
crawfish,  worms,  and  all  kinds  of  insects;  tiny  fish,  and— the  canni- 
bals—other frogs  and  tadpoles.  This  cannibal  tendency  makes  it 
advisable  to  have  separate  pools  if  at  all  possible. 

You  can  get  good  breeder  frogs  for  around  $12  a  pair,  and  tad- 
poles for  around  $60  a  thousand.  They  reproduce  at  about  three 
years  of  age,  the  female  laying  ten  to  fifteen  thousand  eggs  in  the 
spawning  season.  It  takes  fifteen  months  to  two  years  for  frogs  to 
reach  the  market  stage,  depending  on  local  conditions.  Frogs  are 
very  easy  to  dress,  and  according  to  market  conditions,  sell  for  from 
$3.00  to  $5.00  per  dozen. 

Mrs.  Marie  Doisaki,  who  started  raising  frogs  as  a  hobby,  has 
developed  her  frog  farm  on  the  outskirts  of  Los  Angeles  to  the 
point  where  she  sells  around  20,000  annually  for  breeders  and  for 
the  market. 

A  helpful  book  is: 

Handbook  of  Frogs  and  Toads:  The  Frogs  and  Toads  of  the  United  States 
and  Canada,  by  Anna  &  Albert  Wright.  Comstock  Publishing  Co.,  124 
Roberts  PL,  Ithaca,  N.Y. 


FLY     TYING     AND     OTHER     LURES     FOR     FISHERMEN 

Fishermen  who  become  fussy  and  tie  their  own  flies,  or  make 
other  lures  to  deceive  and  capture  fish  sometimes  find  that  their 
hobby  has  virtually  forced  them  into  a  lucrative  side-line  or  full- 
time  business.  Although  there  is  a  multitude  of  lures  from  the 
assembly  lines  of  big  companies,  there  are  numerous  fishermen  who 
are  never  satisfied  with  the  commercial  products  and  want  custom- 
made  lures.  That  is  where  the  hobbyist  profits. 

Bill  Powell  of  Kansas  City  was  an  adept  fisherman,  but  sometimes 
that  big  one  never  struck,  or  nibbled,  and  he  believed  he  could 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  149 

make  better  lures  than  he  found  in  the  tackle  counters.  So  he  set  to 
work  designing  and  producing  his  own  lures  and  then  into  the  busi- 
ness of  setting  them.  His  lures  were  popular  and  he  had  to  draft 
members  of  the  family  and  neighbors  to  help  him  on  a  part-time 
basis. 

The  story  of  the  beginnings  of  the  Hoef er  Lures  and  other  fly  tiers 
is  told  by  P.  A.  Ford  in  Success  Today  magazine:  "Leo  Hoefer  re- 
calls: 'I  used  to  sit  in  my  boat  out  on  a  lake  and  make  flies.  I  made 
hundreds  of  them,  sitting  there  with  a  small  vise  attached  to  the  side 
of  the  boat.  My  best  idea  I  patented/  He  calls  it  Hoef-Te-Doo. 

"Mr.  Hoefer  is  very  particular  about  the  materials  he  uses.  The 
feathers  must  come  from  the  necks  of  roosters  not  more  than  a  year 
old  and  they  must  be  unscalded.  Then  they  must  be  dyed  an  exact 
shade.  Fish,  he  thinks,  like  yellow,  red,  and  brown  better  than  other 
colors.  Hoefer  Lures,  as  a  business,  is  only  as  big  as  Mr.  Hoefer 
wants  it  to  be.  He  just  can't  let  it  interfere  with  his  fishing. 

"Then  there  is  the  company  in  Prescott,  Wisconsin,  operated  by 
H.  A.  Petzold  and  his  three  young  veteran  sons.  They  make  among 
other  lures  their  famous  Cock-A-Toush  flies. 

"But  it  hasn't  been  only  men  who  have  found  fortunes  in  this 
way.  Women  have  the  patience,  skill,  and  dexterity  the  tying  of 
flies  requires.  Elizabeth  Greig  can  take  bits  of  feather,  fur,  silk, 
wool,  and  tinsel  and  whip  up  a  fly  that  will  fool  any  fish.  She  works 
in  a  little  workshop  in  New  York  known  as  Angler's  Roost. 

"And  don't  forget  Miss  Jo  Ann  Durant,  of  Denver,  who  attained 
fame  and  fortune  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  fourteen  by  tying  a  tricky 
trout  fly.  During  1946,  although  she  was  forced  by  lack  of  manu- 
facturing capacity  to  turn  down  four-fifths  of  her  orders,  she  still 
sold  something  like  10,000  dozen  flies  in  Canada,  Scotland,  Ger- 
many, South  Africa,  and  all  states  of  the  United  States." 

Another  angle  to  profit  making  with  fly  tying  has  been  remarkably 
demonstrated  by  H.  J.  Noll,  who  has  a  fascinating  roadside  shop  on 
Route  202  near  Doylestown,  Pennsylvania.  During  the  big  depres- 
sion Mr.  Noll,  who  is  an  analytical  chemist,  found  himself  out  of 
work.  He  had  been  an  ardent  fisherman,  making  his  own  flies.  He 
started  selling  his  tailor-made  temptations  for  trout  and  bass,  but 
soon  discovered  that  many  of  his  customers  were  more  interested  in 
the  materials  than  the  finished  product.  So,  with  $15  worth  of 
feathers,  he  went  into  the  business  of  supplying  materials  which 
he  now  secures  from  the  far  corners  of  the  earth.  His  hobbies  of 


15O  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

fishing  and  fly  tying  have  for  many  years  provided  a  fine  income. 

A  large  number  of  fishing  enthusiasts  have  found  that  it  is  easy 
to  learn  how  to  tie  trout  and  bass  flies  and  bugs.  More  often  than 
not  they  prepare  their  special  flies  as  a  hobby,  and  occasionally 
present  them  to  friends,  but  do  not  make  a  practice  of  selling  them. 
Actually,  as  has  been  demonstrated  by  those  who  want  to  profit 
from  the  hobby,  there  is  a  good  market  for  well-made  flies  and  bugs 
with  sales  being  made  in  tackle  stores  and  by  direct-mail  advertising. 
A  vise  and  assortment  of  hooks,  feathers,  silk  thread,  etc.,  in  neces- 
sary colors  costs  a  very  few  dollars.  Instructions  to  beginners  are 
usually  included  with  kits  of  equipment  from  such  organizations  as 
Flylike,  122  West  National  Ave.,  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin;  the  Sierra 
Tackle  Company,  4083  Mission  Rd.,  Los  Angeles,  California;  and 
others. 

Wood  and  plastic  craftsmen  have  little  difficulty  in  making  fishing 
lures  for  casting  and  fly  rods,  the  spinners  and  spoons  and  the  like 
that  appeal  to  both  the  fisherman  and  the  fish.  Again,  the  makers  of 
lures  have  but  to  study  the  marketing  processes  of  others  and  those 
suggested  in  this  book  to  turn  their  hobby  into  part-time  or  full-time 
profits. 


HELPFUL     BOOKS     FOR     TACKLE     MAKERS 

Fly-tying,  by  William  B.  Sturgis.  Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  597  5th  Ave., 

New  York  17,  N.Y. 
The  Complete  Fly  Tier,  by  Reuben  Cross.  Dodd,  Mead  &  Co.,  432  4th 

Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
The  Fly  Tier's  Handbook,  by  Horace  G.  Tapply.  Oliver  Durrell,  Inc.,  257 

4th  Ave.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
Tackle  Tinkering,  by  Horace  G.  Tapply.  A.  S.  Barnes  &  Co.,  Inc.,  232 

Madison  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 


EARTHWORMS     TURN     A 
SQUIRMING     HOBBY     INTO     CASH 

Take  a  handful  of  earthworms,  study  their  diet,  home  and  sex 
life,  and  you  have  a  fascinating  hobby.  Invest  $10  or  $20  and  con- 
struct a  few  makeshift  boxes,  and  in  a  few  months  you  may  have 
not  only  a  hobby  but  a  home  income.  Tackle  your  project  on  a 
somewhat  larger  scale  and  follow  instructions  on  mail-order  ad- 
vertising, and  you  are  on  your  way  to  development  of  a  small 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  1$1 

business  of  your  own— and  you  don't  have  to  be  on  the  job  seven 
days  a  week! 

If  earthworms  have  never  squirmed  their  way  into  your  life  you 
may  be  skeptical  of  their  possibilities.  This  investigator  had  many 
doubts  about  turning  worms  into  profits  until  the  facts  revealed  that 
earthworms  can  put  a  man  through  college.  They  keep  men  and 
women  busy  in  basement  or  apartment  "farming"  or  utilizing  acres 
for  the  projects— importing  worms  from  equatorial  Brazil  and  ship- 
ping them  in  dated  containers  to  fishing  and  gardening  areas  as  far 
away  as  Africa. 

Consider,  for  instance,  the  worms  that  helped  to  put  George 
Spanton,  war  veteran  of  Long  Island  City,  through  his  course  in 
business  administration  in  New  York  University's  School  of  Com- 
merce. After  the  war  Mr.  Spanton  wanted  additional  income  for 
himself  and  his  wife  so  he  could  complete  his  education.  He  met  a 
worm  while  fishing  in  a  city  reservoir  and  ordered  more  from  a 
Wisconsin  breeder.  He  studied  government  bulletins  on  the  subject 
of  worm  farming  and  decided  to  become  a  worm  merchant.  He 
raised  his  stock  in  containers  in  the  basement. 

It  must  immediately  be  made  clear  to  the  uninitiated  that  the 
stock  raised  in  the  Spanton  basement  beds  are  not  just  ordinary 
garden  worms.  They  are  flat-tailed  English  reds  and  for  trade  pur- 
poses he  calls  them  "Ketch-ems."  He  sells  them  as  products  of  the 
Spanton  Sport  Sales  Company.  Ordinary  garden  worms  don't  breed 
fast  or  large  enough  for  sound  commercial  purposes.  He  sells  the 
worms  to  fishermen  and  sporting  goods  stores  in  clear,  plastic, 
labeled  containers,  largely  on  a  wholesale  basis— over  half  a  million 
worms  in  a  summer  season.  The  worms  are  packed  in  a  moist  mix- 
ture of  peat  moss  and  humus.  They  are  guaranteed  to  live  for  sixty 
days  after  delivery.  The  retail  price  for  a  plastic  package  of  worms 
is  eighty-five  cents;  a  smaller  thirty-worm  pack  is  offered  for  fifty 
cents. 

The  label  tells  a  good  part  of  the  story:  "Ketch-ems  are  preferred 
over  garden  worms  and  nightcrawlers  because:  Their  red  color 
attracts  fish;  they  do  not  turn  white  in  water.  Attached  under  collar, 
they  remain  alive  hours  longer  in  water.  Extremely  tough;  they  will 
not  cast  off  hook  or  break  easily.  Less  expensive;  no  loss  due  to  dead 
bait;  save  leftovers  for  next  trip.  No  odor  or  mess;  clean,  easy  to 
handle.  It's  been  proven  even  the  largest  fish  feed  mostly  on  small 
worms  and  insects.  A  small  active  worm  will  invite  strikes  from  the 


1^2  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

laziest  fish,  even  when  they  aren't  biting.  Ketch-ems  are  raised  ex- 
clusively for  fishing.  You  may  find  some  too  small  to  use.  These  were 
not  packed  but  have  hatched  in  the  can." 

Incidentally,  worm  raising  is  a  quiet  procedure,  as  worms  don't 
bark,  howl,  bawl,  or  bray.  You  don't  have  to  sit  up  with  them  nights. 
You  can  leave  them  and  go  on  vacations  without  hiring  a  sitter  or 
sending  them  to  a  wormy  hotel. 

Worms  don't  demand  that  they  be  raised  in  a  teeming  New  York 
area.  You  can  raise  them  almost  anywhere,  and  more  and  more  peo- 
ple are  becoming  interested  in  supplying  the  bait  market,  some  of 
them  inspired  by  the  success  of  the  Hughes  Worm  Ranch. 

The  story  of  this  ranch  is  recounted  in  the  Readers  Digest  manual 
on  small  businesses:  "C.  H.  Hughes,  a  musician  who  played  on 
showboats,  returned  to  Tennessee  to  help  the  family  run  its  general 
store.  He  liked  to  fish,  so  he  paid  some  boys  to  dig  worms,  which 
he  put  in  a  long  box  full  of  soil.  Soon  other  fishermen  began  calling 
on  him  for  bait.  That  gave  him  an  idea  for  an  earthworm  farm. 
Going  to  the  Bureau  of  Zoological  Research  at  Peoria,  111.,  he  took 
a  course  in  the  care  and  feeding  of  earthworms. 

"Hughes  started  in  1940,  and  has  developed  a  flourishing  direct- 
by-mail  business.  At  the  Hughes  Worm  Ranch,  seven  persons  dig, 
count,  pack  and  ship  15,000  to  20,000  worms  a  day  during  the 
season  (March  15  to  November  15)  to  bait  dealers  and  individual 
fishermen  in  every  state  and  Alaska.  The  Ranch  has  40  brick-en- 
closed beds  3  feet  deep,  which  contain  7,500,000  worms.  Bottoms  are 
lined  with  fine  copper  screen  to  prevent  worms  from  escaping;  tops 
are  covered  with  poultry  wire  to  keep  out  pests.  In  November  the 
beds  are  covered  with  leaves  and  the  worms  are  left  to  breed.  A 
temperature  of  40  degrees  or  warmer  is  essential." 

Leslie  Palmer,  Harland,  Wisconsin,  manufacturer  and  sportsman, 
also  established  worm  ranching  on  a  sizable  scale— doing  a  $25,000 
annual  business.  He  started  it  all  with  three  worms  imported  from 
near  the  equator. 

That  was  an  unusually  small  shipment.  Some  of  the  worm  cow- 
boys and  cowgirls  report  an  average  shipment  of  1500  worms  for 
about  $15.  That  is  the  experience  credited  to  Bernice  Warner,  who 
started  with  basement  boxes  of  worms  and  developed  an  average 
annual  sale  of  around  2,000,000  from  her  Ohio  Earthworm  Hatchery 
at  Worthington,  Ohio. 

Miss  Warner  learned  the  finer  points  of  earthworm  raising  by 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  153 

mail  from  specialists  and  sells  most  of  her  hatchery  product  by 
direct  mail.  Perhaps  you  heard  her  tell  about  it  and  also  heard  her 
worms  when  she  appeared  on  the  radio  show,  "Hobby  Lobby."  For 
a  laugh  the  master  of  ceremonies  asked  her  if  she  had  ever  heard  a 
worm  turn.  She  said  she  had  put  some  on  a  sheet  of  thin  paper  so 
the  sound  "like  running  water"  could  be  broadcast.  All  of  her  worms 
are  raised  in  her  home  garden  in  four  low  wooden-framed  pits 
roughly  ten  feet  square.  The  pits  are  filled  with  weeds,  waste, 
manure,  earth— and  worms. 

Worms  lead  an  interesting  life.  Each  one  is  both  mamma  and  papa 
but  needs  to  meet  another  mamma-papa  worm  to  become  fertile. 
Then  each  lays  an  egg  capsule  that  hatches  in  about  twenty-one 
days  into  from  two  to  sixteen  tiny  threadlike  worms  that  begin 
almost  immediately  their  customary  practice  of  eating  their  weight 
in  soil  daily  and  casting  off  a  "compost"  that  is  a  by-product  for  sale 
by  some  breeders.  A  month  or  more  later  they  are  ready  for  canning. 
It  is  usually  two  or  three  months  before  the  worms  are  large  enough 
to  be  good  fishing  or  breeding  worms.  Any  well-mated,  well-fed, 
self-respecting  worm  can  be  expected  to  lay  at  least  two  egg  capsules 
monthly,  and  they  are  believed  to  live  for  ten  or  fifteen  years  under 
ideal  conditions— if  not  used  for  baitl 

There  are  many  reports  of  investments  of  a  few  dollars  in  the 
worm  hobby  being  turned  into  steady  incomes  of  several  hundred 
a  year.  If  interested,  start  small.  When  you  have  enough  stock  to 
sell,  place  a  small  advertisement  in  a  sports  or  garden  magazine;  or, 
if  you  are  in  fishing  territory,  in  your  local  papers.  It  is  advisable  to 
aim  at  the  bait  and  breeder  markets  first.  Later  you  can  direct  your 
attention  to  possible  other  outlets,  such  as  game-bird  breeders, 
laboratories,  zoos,  etc. 

A  compact  booklet,  Raising  Hybrid  Earthworms  for  Profit,  is  published  by 
Earl  B.  Shields,  Mountain  Home,  Arkansas. 

TAXIDERMY  FOR  FUN  AND  PROFIT 

Because  the  technical  processes  of  taxidermy  can  be  easily  and 
quickly  learned,  and  because  investment  in  tools  and  materials  is 
very  small  and  no  great  space  is  required,  many  thousands  of  hobby- 
ists have  found  this  to  be  one  of  the  most  profitable  of  home 
projects. 

Five  to  ten  dollars  for  one  evening  or  afternoon  of  labor  and  less 


154  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

than  a  dollar's  worth  of  materials  is  a  commonplace  for  taxidermists 
who  mount  game  birds  and  fish  for  proud  sportsmen. 

Once  they  become  interested  in  this  hobby  the  enthusiasts  fre- 
quently specialize  in  one  branch,  such  as  mounting  or  tanning  or 
arrangement  of  groups.  In  the  arrangement  of  groups  the  hobbyist 
has  excellent  opportunity  for  creative  work  that  can  be  carried  to  a 
point  of  true  art.  The  study  of  mountings  in  museums  and  in  books 
often  leads  the  way  for  the  beginner.  Animals  or  birds  arranged  in 
a  natural  setting  on  occasion  draw  a  fancy  price. 


HELPFUL     BOOKS     AND     PAMPHLETS 
FOR     TAXIDERMISTS 

Taxidermy,  by  Leon  L.  Pray.  The  Macmillan  Co.,  60  5th  Ave.,  New  York 
11,  N.Y.  ' 

Taxidermy,  by  J.  W.  Moyer.  Popular  Mechanics  Press,  200  East  Ontario 
St.,  Chicago  11,  111. 

Home  Taxidermy  for  Pleasure  and  Profit,  by  Albert  B.  Farnham.  Harding 
Publishing  Co.,  174  East  Long  St.,  Columbus,  O. 

Trapping,  Tanning  and  Taxidermy,  by  Frank  Tose.  Hunter-Trader-Trap- 
per Co.,  372  South  4th  St.,  Columbus,  O. 


PRESERVED     FLOWERS,     WEEDS,     CONES, 
GOURDS,     AND     DRIFTWOOD 

A  spare-time  hobby  for  imaginative  folk  that  often  turns  into  a 
business  of  sizable  proportions  is  the  preserving  of  flowers,  weeds, 
cones,  gourds,  and  driftwood  for  decorative  purposes.  These  prod- 
ucts frequently  find  a  ready  market  in  specialty  shops  and  flower 
stores. 

Illustrative  of  the  possibilities  is  this  account  from  the  Readers 
Digest  manual  of  small  business:  "As  a  boy  of  15,  working  in  a 
florist's  shop,  Herman  Woodward  of  New  Hampshire  decided  he 
could  create  novel  effects  with  local  wild  plants  and  weeds.  He 
began  experimenting  with  dyes  and  preservatives,  and  achieved  in- 
teresting results.  He  uses  native  balsam,  fir,  cones,  alder  berries, 
window  balls,  bittersweet,  blue  juniper,  bayberries,  etc. 

"Today  the  establishment  which  represents  florist  Woodward's 
lifelong  dream  includes  a  factory,  woodworking  shop  and  dye  house, 
in  addition  to  the  usual  greenhouses.  The  bouquets  he  sells  are  made 
of  such  common  growths  as  milkweed,  cat-tails,  hay,  acorns,  and 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  155 

bittersweet,  as  well  as  pine  cones  and  bayberry.  Materials  are 
gilded  or  dyed  in  bright  colors  by  special  processes  which  leave 
them  pliable,  and  are  combined  to  make  winter  corsages,  or  to  fill 
the  miniature  sleighs,  watering  troughs,  bowls  and  wheelbarrows 
made  in  his  workshop  and  hand-painted  in  gay  designs.  In  the 
factory,  roping  machines  produce  miles  of  balsam  and  pine  rope 
for  festooning  stores  and  city  streets  at  holiday  time. 

"The  business  illustrates  the  opportunities  for  using  the  materials 
at  hand  to  start  an  enterprise." 

Woodward  started  as  a  young  florist,  but  others  have  utilized 
native  materials  without  even  his  brief  professional  background. 
Mrs.  Mae  Delano  of  Los  Angeles,  California,  developed  her  own 
inexpensive  hobby  to  the  point  where  she  produced  works  of  art 
to  grace  any  wall.  She  uses  locally  available  flowers,  such  as  cocks- 
combs, larkspurs,  pansies  and  delphiniums,  which  she  dries  in 
sprinkled  layers  of  sand.  When  the  flowers  are  dry,  she  designs 
bouquets,  fixes  them  with  transparent  glue  on  heavy  cardboards, 
and  frames  the  beautiful  result  under  convex  glass. 

There  are  specialty-minded  gardeners  who  have  profited  from 
raising  and  packaging  dried  four-leaf  clovers.  Some  of  them  culti- 
vate their  selected  plants  in  greenhouses,  and  at  the  Daniels'  clover 
"farm"  at  St.  Petersburg,  Florida,  they  are  grown  in  chemical  solu- 
tions in  trays  two  feet  square. 

C.  T.  Daniels  and  his  family  became  interested  in  clover  raising 
while  he  was  chief  of  the  government's  telephone  system  in  the 
Canal  Zone.  As  a  hobby  they  cultivated  a  strain  of  clover  that  pro- 
duced four  leaves.  They  used  the  clovers  for  greeting  cards  that  at- 
tracted attention  to  the  point  where  a  greeting-card  manufacturer 
ordered  500,000  four-leaf  clovers.  An  insurance  company  bought 
1,000,000  for  business  cards.  Today  the  Daniels'  "farm"  ships  three 
to  four  million  a  year.  The  lucky  clovers  are  used  by  jewelers  in  key 
rings,  charms,  and  tie  clasps;  and  there  are  novelty  products  that 
include  the  clovers  in  bill  clips  and  calendars. 

Other  producers  of  the  lucky  leaves  have  evolved  a  number  of 
ways  in  which  the  clovers  can  be  used  in  little  cellophane  folders, 
for  package  decorations,  and  the  like. 

There  are  some  who  "paint"  pictures  with  flower  seeds  glued  to 
mats;  others  who  use  the  common  bracken  fern,  wheat,  cattails, 
foxtails,  pine  cones,  and  a  great  variety  of  other  local  growths  for 
creation  of  pictures  or  foliage  displays  or  dried  flower  arrangements. 


156  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Aleene  Hershman  of  Los  Angeles  started  with  $12  worth  of 
Formosan  wood  fiber  which  she  used  for  artificial  flower  arrange- 
ments and  developed  her  hobby  into  the  Fibre  and  Floral  Co.,  gross- 
ing nearly  $1,000,000  a  year.  Your  own  source  of  supply  for  this 
profitable  hobby  may  be  right  in  your  own  garden  or  in  the  fields 
not  far  away. 

If  you  are  reasonably  patient  you  can  invest  ten  or  fifteen  cents  hi 
a  packet  of  seeds  and  raise  gourds  that,  when  dried,  lend  themselves 
to  a  variety  of  novelty  products,  such  as  birdhouses,  jewel  boxes, 
bowls,  vases,  and  rattles.  Invest  another  nickel  and  you  can  get 
Farmers  Bulletin  1849  from  the  Government  Printing  Office,  Wash- 
ington 25,  D.C.,  and  it  will  give  you  technical  detail  on  how  to  grow 
and  use  gourds  for  ornamental  purposes. 

Beachcombing  and  driftwood  collecting  have  become  popular 
hobbies,  and  many  turn  them  to  profit.  Artists  and  amateurs  have 
found  that  driftwood,  etched  by  water  and  sands  in  the  surf  and 
bleached  by  the  sun,  can  be  used  for  a  multitude  of  decorative 
articles  for  sale.  Keen  eyes  discern  peculiar  bird,  animal,  and  human 
shapes  in  gnarled  driftwood.  Some  of  the  pieces  are  wired  for  ex- 
pensive lamps;  others  are  fashioned  into  bowls,  table  and  wall 
decorations,  chairs  and  stools. 

Pioneers  with  this  hobby— and  they  have  been  followed  by  thou- 
sands of  others— are  the  Weldom  Eli  Hedleys.  Thomas  Dreier  tells 
about  them:  "Everybody  in  Seminole,  Oklahoma,  liked  Weldom 
Eh*  Hedley,  but  they  all  thought  he  was  a  sort  of  screwball.  He  took 
few  things  seriously.  He  laughed  his  way  through  the  days.  A  girl 
who  was  teaching  English  in  Junior  High  married  him  because,  as 
she  explained,  1  loved  him  because  he  was  crazy,  too/  Both  of  them 
dreamed  of  escaping  from  small-town 'monotony.  They  didn't  get 
away  until  they  had  failed  three  times  in  the  grocery  business. 

"With  less  than  $1,000  in  cash,  and  some  clothing  and  odds  and 
ends  they  could  pack  into  a  car,  the  Hedleys  and  their  three  daugh- 
ters started  for  the  Pacific  Coast.  They  had  no  plan.  They  were  out 
to  enjoy  themselves.  They  wandered  about  in  carefree  fashion. 

"When  they  got  to  the  coast  the  kids  got  excited  over  the  sight  of 
a  rainbow.  Their  dad,  in  characteristic  fashion,  said,  'Let's  go  to  the 
end  of  it  and  find  the  pot  of  gold/ 

"With  shouts  and  laughter  they  drove  in  the  car  to  the  top  of  the 
cliff  where  the  end  of  the  rainbow  seemed  to  be.  Of  course,  there 
was  no  rainbow  on  the  cliff  top,  but  there  was  an  old  house  they 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  157 

were  able  to  rent  for  $15  a  month.  Having  nothing  else  to  do,  and 
because  it  was  great  fun,  they  began  collecting  things  brought  in 
by  the  sea— old  bottles,  sun-bleached  driftwood,  pieces  of  nets,  all 
sorts  of  odds  and  ends.  They  used  some  of  these  to  furnish  the 
house.  Hedley  had  imagination  and  skilled  hands. 

"Believe  it  or  not,  the  Hedleys  have  built  a  business  of  around 
$100,000  a  year.  They  make  all  sorts  of  unusual  useful  objects  out 
of  what  the  sea  brings  them  and  others.  Their  Trade  Winds  Trading 
Company  in  Hollywood  is  quite  a  shop.  Department  stores  put  in 
Beachcomber  Shops  to  sell  their  wares.  The  Hedleys  prove  that  it  is 
possible  to  make  money  and  have  a  whale  of  a  lot  of  fun/' 


CHAPTER     TWENTY-FOUR 

More  Hobbies  and  Crafts  for  Profit 

METALCRAFT     PRODUCTS     ARE     MARKETABLE 

MEN  AND  WOMEN  who  become  engrossed  in  popular  metalcraft  work 
as  a  hobby  or  as  a  home  income  producer  find  themselves  involved 
in  one  of  the  most  interesting  of  all  home  projects.  Although  instruc- 
tion in  local  craft  courses  is  desirable,  there  are  many  who  have 
found  that  it  is  not  difficult  to  learn  how  to  turn  out  salable  products 
by  use  of  books  of  design  and  instruction.  Beginners  are  customarily 
rather  surprised  to  learn  that  the  necessary  tools  are  not  expensive 
and  that  heavy  tables  or  workbenches,  a  vise,  and  an  anvil  make  it 
possible  for  them  to  turn  out  work  that  pleases  them  and  their 
friends  and  customers— once  they  have  mastered  the  easily  learned 
processes. 

Although  there  are  many  metals  that  can  be  used,  most  craftsmen 
confine  themselves  to  the  use  of  a  half  dozen  most  easily  worked 
materials  that  can  be  sawed,  cut,  bent,  or  hammered  into  various 
depths,  frequently  without  heating.  Pewter  and  tin  are  the  most 
easily  worked,  and  because  of  low  cost  are  popular  with  beginners. 
Copper  and  sterling  and  German  silver  are  also  easily  manipulated, 


158  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

but  because  of  the  higher  cost,  silver  is  frequently  used  for  jewelry; 
other  materials  for  the  larger  pieces.  Brass  is  also  used  to  advantage, 
but  because  it  is  brittle,  is  more  apt  to  crack  in  work.  Metal  is  bought 
in  sheets,  sometimes  as  thin  as  this  page,  from  craft  supply  organi- 
zations. 

By  cutting,  hammering,  bending,  soldering,  etching,  and  other 
processes,  a  multitude  of  marketable  items  are  produced.  After  a 
few  weeks  or  months  of  experimenting,  women  and  men  who  have 
never  used  tools  before  turn  out  beautiful  articles.  Henry  Steig,  a 
writer  and  cartoonist,  made  jewelry  for  his  friends,  and  some  of  his 
wrought-silver  pieces  attracted  so  much  attention  that  the  demand 
for  them  virtually  forced  him  to  establish  his  shop  in  New  York. 
Many  craftsmen  make  exquisite  gifts  for  their  friends  and  need  only 
adopt  the  business  attitude  and  methods  of  operation  to  turn  their 
hobbies  into  profit.  Mrs.  Frances  Schimpff  and  Mary  Schimpff  of 
Bloomington,  Illinois,  carried  their  craftsmanship  to  the  point  of 
metal  art  work.  They  produce  coats  of  arms  as  jewelry  for  some  of 
their  clients  who  order  their  work  by  mail.  But  it  is  not  necessary 
to  open  a  shop  or  make  special  designs  to  produce  salable  metal 
objects. 

Metalcraft  products  include  ever-popular  ash  trays,  coasters, 
cigarette  and  jewel  boxes,  plaques,  vases,  bowls,  silverware,  book 
ends,  a  large  variety  of  rings,  bracelets,  lapel  ornaments,  and  other 
jewelry,  paper  knives,  desk  sets,  plates,  wall  brackets,  platters,  wall 
pockets,  lamps,  and  other  products  desirable  as  gifts  that  last  in- 
definitely. Yow  can  be  a  metal  craftsman  if  you  want  to. 

HELPFUL    BOOKS     FOR     M E T A L C R A F T S M E N 

Art  Metalwork  with  Inexpensive  Equipment,  by  Arthur  F.  Payne.  Charles 

A.  Bennett  Co.,  Inc.,  237  North  Monroe  St.,  Peoria  3,  111. 
Interesting  Art  Metal  Work,  by  Joseph  J.  Lukowitz.  Bruce  Publishing  Co., 

400  North  Broadway,  Milwaukee  1,  Wis. 
Metal  Art  Crafts,  by  John  G.  Miller.  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co.,  Inc.,  250  4th 

Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Working  with  Aluminum,  by  Douglas  B.  Hobbs.  Bruce  Publishing  Co., 

400  North  Broadway,  Milwaukee  1,  Wis. 
Copper  Work,  by  Augustus  F.  Rose.  Metal  Crafts  Supply  Co.,  10  Thomas 

St.,  Providence,  R.I. 
Pewter— Spun,  Wrought  and  Cast,  by  Burl  N.  Osburn  &  Gordon  O. 

Wilber.  International  Textbook  Co.,  1001  Wyoming  Ave.,  Scranton  9, 

Pa. 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  159 

Tin-Craft  as  a  Hobby,  by  Enid  Bell.  Harper  &  Bros.,  49  East  33rd  St., 
New  York  16,  N.Y. 


COSTUME     JEWELRY     IS     BIG     HOME     BUSINESS 

The  making  of  costume  jewelry— sometimes  called  "junk"  jewelry 
in  the  trade— has  become  a  more  than  $350,000,000  annual  business. 
Much  of  the  output  is  from  factories  and  much  of  it,  with  special 
and  regional  appeals,  from  the  home  shops  of  hobbyists. 

Anyone  observing  the  glittering  heaps  of  costume  jewelry  in  de- 
partment stores,  gift  shops,  and  roadside  stands  may  be  bewildered 
by  the  intricate  designs  and  variety  of  materials  such  as  stones, 
beads,  shells,  plastics  and  metal.  Perhaps  you  already  make  individ- 
ual pin  backs,  foundations,  etc.,  without  knowing  that  virtually 
everything  needed  for  the  making  of  beautiful  costume  jewelry  can 
be  secured  in  craft  shops.  All  materials  are  available— the  pin  backs, 
screws  for  earings,  dress  clips,  beads  and  shells  and  stones  by  the 
dozen  or  the  pound. 

This  is  a  craft  where  machinery  has  never  done  away  with  the 
need  for  hand  skills,  and  hence  this  is  a  field  in  which  the  home 
craftsman  can  make  pin  money  or  more  from  his  products.  Stones 
may  be  hand-set  with  a  lacquer  that  dries  rapidly,  or  may  be  placed 
with  the  hand-prong  method.  Wire  by  the  mile  is  manufactured  by 
brass  and  copper  mills,  and  glass  or  imitation  stones  may  be  had  in 
bulk  from  suppliers.  Designs,  materials,  and  detailed  instructions 
are  readily  available,  and  the  craft  can  be  learned  rather  easily  in 
your  kitchen  or  parlor  or  bedroom. 

Shellcraft  costume  jewelry  has  become  particularly  popular  in 
recent  years.  Anyone  living  near  a  beach  can  secure  a  supply  of 
shells  for  his  home  workshop;  or  shells  from  all  parts  of  the  world  are 
available  in  beautiful  form  and  color.  There  are  some  70,000  identi- 
fied species  of  shells,  with  hundreds  of  types  harvested  by  the  ton 
off  the  Florida  coast,  particularly  on  the  island  of  Sanibel,  a  few 
miles  from  Fort  Myers.  The  shell  products  include  lapel  pins,  artifi- 
cial flowers,  novelty  animals,  dress  clips,  barrettes,  buttons,  earrings, 
and  other  marketable  items  to  lure  the  dollars  of  ladies  whose  cos- 
tumes are  no  longer  complete  without  some  special  touch  of  jewelry. 


l6o  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

HELPFUL     BOOKS     AND     PAMPHLETS 
FOR    COSTUME    JEWELERS 

Creating  Jewelry  for  Fun  and  Profit,  by  Andrew  Dragunas.  Harper  & 

Bros.,  49  East  33rd  St.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Jewelry  and  Enameling,  by  Greta  Pack.  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co.,  Inc.,  250 

4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
How  to  Make  Modern  Jewelry,  by  Charles  J.  Martin  &  Victor  D'Amico. 

Simon  &  Schuster,  Inc.,  630  5th  Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.Y. 
Hand  Made  Jewelry:  A  Manual  of  Techniques,  by  Louis  Wiener.  D.  Van 

Nostrand  Co.,  Inc.,  250  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Handbook  on  Jewelry  Making  and  Design,  by  Augustus  F.  Rose  &  An- 

tonia  Cirino.  Davis  Press,  44  Portland  St.,  Worcester  8,  Mass. 
Small  Jewelry,  by  F.  R.  Smith.  Pitman  Publishing  Corp.,  2  West  45th  St., 

New  York  36,  N.Y. 

Jewelry,  Gem  Cutting,  and  Metalcraft,  by  William  T.  Baxter.  McGraw- 
Hill  Book  Co.,  330  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
Gem  Hunters  Guide.  Science  &  Mechanics  Publishing  Co.,  450  East  Ohio 

St.,  Chicago  11,  111. 

Shellcraft  Publications.  Bay  Pines,  Fla.  Get  list  of  pamphlets. 
Shellcraft  Jewelry.  Florida  Supply  House,  Bradenton,  Fla. 
How  to  Make  Shell  Jewelry  and  Novelties.  Gibson's  Shellcraft,  P.O.  Box 

565,  St.  Petersburg,  Fla. 

MODEL     MAKING     IN     YOUR     HOME     SHOP 

One  of  the  most  fascinating  and  popular  of  all  hobby  craft  proj- 
ects is  that  of  model  making.  Although  this  craft  requires  skill  and  a 
high  degree  of  patience,  it  can  be  turned  to  profit  by  the  resource- 
ful. 

Sometimes  model-craft  profit  is  considerable  on  an  individual  item 
of  special  appeal  in  a  selected  field.  In  his  spare  time  Ralph  Babbitt, 
a  hotel  proprietor  in  Livingston,  Montana,  hammered  out  beautiful 
silver  and  copper  trays  and  novelties,  but  he  was  at  his  best  as  a 
model  maker.  One  of  his  accurate  wooden  models  of  an  old  Yellow- 
stone Park  stagecoach  that  preceded  the  motor  busses  caught  the 
fancy  and  the  pocketbook  of  a  collector  for  a  very  high  price. 

Other  craftsmen  produce  airplane  models  of  almost  every  type, 
model  automobiles,  locomotives  and  railroad  cars,  ships  of  many 
kinds  including  the  ones  with  full  sail  in  bottles.  Some  specialize  on 
home  or  factory  models  in  natural  settings  for  architects  and  others 
planning  new  structures  and  who  want  aid  in  studying  proportions 
and  visualizing  the  finished  project. 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  l6l 

Models  are  produced  in  paper,  cardboard,  plywood,  plaster,  plas- 
tics, metal,  and  other  materials. 

Many  of  the  models,  worked  out  in  fine  detail,  are  time-consum- 
ing, and  prices  run  high  so  they  must  be  sold  by  special  arrange- 
ment. Many  models  of  a  simpler  nature  can  be  produced  for  sale  in 
gift  shops  and  specialty  stores. 


HELPFUL    BOOKS    AND    PAMPHLETS 
FOR     MODEL     MAKERS 

The  Craft  of  Model  Making,  by  Thomas  Baley.  Charles  A.  Bennett  Co., 

Inc.,  237  North  Monroe  St.,  Peoria  3,  111. 
Ship  Model  Building,  by  Gene  Johnson.  Cornell  Maritime  Press,  P.O. 

Box  386,  Cambridge,  Md. 
How  To  Make  a  Ship  in  a  Bottle,  by  Clive  Monk.  Studio  Publications, 

Inc.,  432  4th  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Mechanix  Illustrated  Plans.  Get  list.  Fawcett  Publications,  67  West  44th 

St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
Airplane  Model  Building,  by  Gene  Johnson.  Cornell  Maritime  Press,  P.O. 

Box  386,  Cambridge,  Md. 
Model  Railroad  Cyclopedia,  by  A.  C.  Kalmbach.  Kalmbach  Publishing 

Co.,  1027  North  7th  St.,  Milwaukee  3,  Wis. 


MILLIONS     OF     DOLLARS     IN     CONTESTS  — BUT     .      .      . 

Contests  attract  millions  of  hobbyists  annually.  You  can't  consider 
contests  without  dealing  in  statistical  millions.  Millions  are  paid  in 
cash  prizes  and  more  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  property  is 
awarded  annually  to  contest  winners.  Most  of  the  contests  are  on  the 
level,  for  the  reason  that  big  companies  do  not  put  up  big  money 
with  any  risk  of  phony  operations— and,  besides,  the  government 
postal  and  lottery  laws  have  teeth  in  them.  But,  to  stay  with  the 
millions  for  a  moment,  any  contestant  should  remember  that  there 
are  millions  of  competitors,  some  just  dabbling  at  it,  others  striving 
very  seriously  for  the  awards.  More  than  25,000,000  entries  may 
keep  hundreds  of  postmen  busy  in  one  big  national  contest.  Your 
statistical  chances  of  winning  are  small,  but  that  doesn't  prevent 
your  indulging  in  the  hobby  so  long  as  you  don't  start  a  charge 
account  on  your  expectancies. 

'  There  are  smaller  contests  in  which  the  number  of  entrants  is 
much  smaller,  and  if  you  are  resourceful  or  happen  to  have  a  special 
skill,  you  may  cut  down  the  competition  immeasurably.  A  huge  per- 


l62  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

centage  of  entrants  in  virtually  any  contest  is  ruled  out  simply  be- 
cause they  don't  follow  the  rules.  Contest  managers  know  how  to 
insert  requirements  that  assist  in  ruling  out  the  careless.  They  aren't 
tricking  you.  They  simply  know  their  contestants. 

If  you  become  contest  conscious  you  can  rule  out  many  of  the 
stories  you  read  about  people  who  make  a  fat  living  year  in  and  year 
out  by  entering  contests.  And  one  word  of  warning:  Don't  get 
"hooked"  by  "insiders"  who  purport  to  offer  solutions. 

Many  do  win  contests.  You  read  about  them  daily.  Mrs.  Nita 
Parks  of  Pasadena,  California,  won  a  $25,000  first  prize  in  a  soap 
contest.  Others  win  hundreds  or  thousands  in  baby-picture  contests, 
cooking  contests,  contests  without  end.  But  one  of  the  best  "contests" 
for  any  man  or  woman  to  enter  is  the  suggestion  boxes  in  offices  and 
factories.  There  are  a  lot  of  snide  remarks  about  such  boxes,  but 
nevertheless  more  than  $1,500,000  has  been  paid  in  suggestion- 
system  awards  in  the  plants  of  the  Eastman  Kodak  Company.  In 
1953,  Kenneth  F.  Downs,  a  toolmaker,  made  a  suggestion  for  shop 
operation  and  was  paid  $5000  for  it.  The  New  York  State  Employees' 
Merit  Award  Board  paid  $600  to  Fred  G.  Kimball  for  one  of  his 
suggestions;  part  of  hundreds  of  thousands  awarded  by  this  board. 
This  type  of  suggestion  contest  with  fellow  employees  is  one  of  the 
soundest  for  the  hobbyist  to  consider.  While  not  essentially  prize 
contests,  the  worker  simply  takes  advantage  of  his  special  location 
on  the  job  and  may  well  consider  these  awards  in  the  light  of  prize 
returns.  This  may  tempt  you:  the  total  of  such  awards  has  been 
estimated  at  $75,000,000  annually. 

If,  however,  you  prefer  stiffer  competition  and  make  a  hobby  of 
prize  contests,  do  this:  Read  the  rules  carefully  and  follow  them  in 
exact  detail;  study  the  product  carefully;  work  hard  on  your  entry 
and  don't  be  careless;  make  it  neat  and  clear  and  get  your  entry  in 
on  time. 

A  helpful  book  for  contestants  is: 

How  to  Win  Prize  Contests,  by  William  Sunners.  Arco  Publishing  Co., 
480  Lexington  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 

CANDLEMAKING     IN     KITCHEN     OR     BASEMENT 

Candlemaking  can  be  your  home  craft  in  kitchen  or  cellar  or 
wherever  else  you  may  have  facilities  to  keep  kettles  boiling.  The 
hobby  can  be  easily  learned  and  practiced  for  profit.  There  are  in- 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  163 

stances  in  which  candlemaking  virtually  forced  hobbyists  into  estab- 
lishing small  factories  to  meet  the  demand  for  their  products.  It 
happened  to  the  Bakers. 

"One  Christmas  Mrs.  Mabel  Kimball  Baker,  wife  of  a  Cape  Cod 
merchant,  made  some  hand-dipped  candles  from  the  wax  of  local 
bayberries  for  presents  for  her  friends,"  according  to  a  Readers 
Digest  pamphlet,  A  Business  of  Your  Own.  "So  enthusiastically  were 
they  received  that  she  employed  a  few  neighbors  and  began  to  make 
candles  to  be  sold  in  her  husband's  store,  gathering  the  bayberries 
by  day  and  rendering  the  wax  and  dipping  the  candles  during  the 
long  evenings.  A  Boston  stationer,  sensing  the  salability  of  these 
novel  candles,  ordered  12  boxes— and  a  new  Cape  Cod  industry  was 
born. 

"Mr.  Baker  sold  his  store,  built  a  modem  candle  factory,  hired 
several  salesmen,  and  appointed  distributing  agents.  Many  of  the 
candles  were  produced  which  were  solid  color  throughout.  A  wide 
variety  of  interesting  shapes  was  developed— well-known  colonial 
characters,  lighthouses,  etc.  Other  Cape  Cod  souvenirs  were  added 
to  the  line. 

"The  Colonial  Candle  Co.,  which  became  a  flourishing  business 
employing  between  70  and  80  people  in  the  busy  season,  was  built 
on  a  shrub  which  had  grown  in  that  region  before  the  Mayflower 
landed.  Many  other  parts  of  the  country  doubtless  offer  similar  op- 
portunities for  novelties  characteristic  of  the  section." 

Basic  principles  of  candlemaking  are  easy  to  master  in  your  own 
home.  Your  success  will  depend  on  your  own  ingenuity  in  manufac- 
ture and  resourcefulness  in  marketing.  Hand-dipped  candles  such 
as  your  forebears  fashioned  can  be  made  by  using  a  large  kettle.  For 
a  foot-long  candle  you  should  fill  the  kettle  a  foot  deep  with  water. 
When  the  water  boils  reduce  your  flame  to  keep  it  hot  and  add  a 
half  pound  or  so  of  paraffin,  which  will  soften  quickly  and  melt  and 
float  in  a  layer  atop  the  water.  Dip  your  string  or  wick  down  into 
the  kettle  and  pull  it  out  and  let  the  layer  of  paraffin  on  the  wick 
harden.  Dip  and  harden.  Dip  and  harden.  Build  the  candle  to  the 
desired  thickness.  You  speed  up  such  a  process  by  fastening  several 
wicks  to  a  frame  so  that  several  candles  are  dipped  at  once. 

Resourceful  candle  dippers  work  out  a  variety  of  candles,  often 
using  colored  and  perfumed  mixes.  Home  candlemaking  can  be 
made  an  art. 

Danny  and  Patty  Perlmutter  of  Woodstock,  New  York,  became  so 


164  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

fascinated  with  candle  craft,  and  they  developed  figures  of  such 
artistry  that  buyers  kept  them  as  showpieces  and  refused  to  burn 
them.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perlmutter  decided  that  home  was  too  small  for 
their  operations  and  invested  $22  in  cash  for  equipment  of  their 
initial  factory  in  an  abandoned  schoolhouse  in  Woodstock.  Demand 
for  their  products  grew  and  tourists  flocked  to  view  their  processes. 

Home  craftsmen  who  don't  want  to  make  their  own  candles  can 
buy  plain  candles  and  by  application  of  designs  and  decorations, 
ribbons  and  figures,  bells,  sequins,  and  colors  multiply  the  original 
candle  value  many  times.  Specially  designed  and  decorated  candles 
for  special  occasions  such  as  holidays  and  anniversaries  frequently 
find  a  ready  market. 

There  is  always  a  market  for  other  than  hand-dipped  candles,  and 
many  craftsmen  find  it  easier  and  quicker  to  mold  the  paraffin  wax 
in  containers  such  as  jelly  and  cookie  tins.  Molds  can  also  be  bought 
from  supply  houses,  and  with  them  candlemakers  can  form  statu- 
ettes, animal  models,  and  a  variety  of  other  shapes.  Large-base 
candles  can  be  made  by  using  muffin  tins,  centers  of  wax  forms 
being  hollowed  out  to  permit  insertion  of  pieces  of  commercial 
candles.  Wanted  colors  can  be  secured  by  melting  colored  wax 
crayons  with  the  paraffin.  Many  delightful  combinations  of  colors 
are  possible  and  make  these  home  products  salable. 

A  helpful  book  is: 

Candlemaking,  by  William  W.  Klenke.  Charles  A.  Bennett  Co.,  237  North 
Monroe  St.,  Peoria  3,  111. 

LAMPS  AND  SHADES  ARE  PROFITABLE 

No  great  craftsmanship  is  required  to  produce  lamps  from  almost 
anything,  and  lamp  shades  can  be  made  from  a  variety  of  materials 
such  as  parchment,  linen,  paper,  silk,  and  plastics.  Unusual  lamps 
that  are  well  made  find  a  ready  market  in  shops  and  sometimes  at 
the  roadside.  These  non-assembly-line  lamps  can  be  made  from 
chunks  of  tree  limbs,  driftwood,  old  bottles,  jars,  coffee  or  beer  cans, 
or  from  a  large  variety  of  glassware  available  in  "dime"  stores.  Once 
transformed,  wired,  and  given  attractive  shades,  lamps  that  cost  a 
few  cents  may  sell  for  several  dollars.  Frequently  they  sell  for  many 
times  the  material  costs. 

Harry  J.  Miller,  whose  summer  place  is  in  Bucks  County,  near 
the  famous  colony  at  New  Hope,  Pennsylvania,  has  reported  in 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND     HANDCRAFTS  165 

Mechanic  Illustrated  magazine  that  he  makes  around  $3000  a  year 
in  spare  time  and  summer  vacations  when  he  is  not  teaching.  His 
artistic  products  range  in  price  from  a  few  dollars  to  as  much  as  $50 
for  a  lamp  that  may  have  cost  $12  including  materials.  Frequently 
he  makes  his  valued  lamps  from  junk  pipe  and  bottles  that  he  has 
retrieved  from  trash. 

Women  have  joined  the  ranks  of  the  lamp  and  lamp-shade  makers 
who  profit  from  their  spare-time  hobby.  Mrs.  Mary  Corson  of  Plym- 
outh Meeting,  Pennsylvania,  using  a  discarded  lamp  shade  as  a 
pattern,  simple  instruments  such  as  shears  and  razor  blades,  and 
tracing  papers,  taught  herself  to  make  artistic  lamp  shades.  She 
tailors  some  of  her  special-order  shades  to  match  decorations  in 
specific  rooms  and  makes  $6.00  to  $10  each  for  the  shades. 

Pennsylvania  craftsmen,  and  they  are  legion,  have  no  patent  on 
craft  profits.  Charles  Hall,  who  was  stricken  with  arthritis,  went  to 
California.  He  went  into  Death  Valley  in  a  trailer  and  finally  moved 
his  family  to  Arizona  and  was  confronted  with  making  a  living  in 
the  desert  areas  that  made  life  bearable  for  him.  He  collected  col- 
ored sands  in  souvenir  tubes  and  began  to  make  desert  novelties 
with  the  materials  available.  As  his  products  sold,  he  puts  his  opera- 
tions on  a  business  instead  of  a  hobby  basis. 

He  found  that  he  could  make  attractive  lamps  from  gnarled  cac- 
tus, but  the  one-at-a-time  method  slowed  down  his  production.  He 
adopted  factory  methods  that  permitted  him  to  produce  ten  lamps 
instead  of  one  in  the  same  period.  He  had  others  collect  raw  cactus, 
bought  electrical  supplies  wholesale,  handled  each  process  of  strip- 
ping, cutting,  and  wiring,  etc.,  on  an  assembly-line  basis.  By  such 
means  he  was  able  to  produce  rapidly  enough  to  sell  his  products 
wholesale.  He  expanded  his  line,  produced  stencils  and  his  own 
lamp  shades,  and  set  up  his  Hallcraft  Company,  doing  a  comfortable 
business. 

The  popular-science  magazines,  Profitable  Hobbies,  and  others 
frequently  present  plans  for  making  lamps  out  of  unusual  materials. 

HELPFUL     READING     FOR     LAMP-SHADE     MAKERS 

How  to  Make  Lampshades  of  Plastics,  Parchment  or  Paper.  Bulletin  No. 

298,  by  J.  E.  Marion  &  R.  J.  Peck.  Michigan  State  College  Extension 

Service,  East  Lansing,  Mich. 
Lamp  Shades  and  How  to  Make  Them,  by  E.  Kropp.  D.  M.  Campana 

Art  Co.,  442  North  Wells  St.,  Chicago,  111. 


l66  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 


COSMETICS     FROM     KITCHEN,     ATTIC, 
OR     BASEMENT 

Although  many  of  the  new,  highly  publicized  cosmetics  come 
from  the  laboratories  of  established  specialists,  there  are  experi- 
mentally minded  men  and  women  who  develop  new  and  profitable 
beauty  preparations  almost  anywhere  in  the  home.  And  it  was  from 
old  and  guarded  or  new  and  guarded  recipes  developed  in  the  home 
that  most  of  the  outstanding  cosmetic  queens  got  their  starts.  Eliza- 
beth Arden,  Helena  Rubinstein,  and  Dorothy  Gray  first  mixed  their 
batches  of  beauty  by  hand. 

Mary  Boffey,  a  West  Coast  newspaper  writer,  years  ago  devised 
her  first  beauty  creams  at  home,  and  later  established  her  Belcano 
plant  in  Jersey  City,  sending  specialist  saleswomen  from  door  to 
door,  tailoring  beauty  products  to  individuals. 

The  field,  however,  is  not  restricted  to  women  only.  Soon  after  he 
was  graduated  from  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  George  Barr  was 
in  an  automobile  accident  that  forced  him  out  of  his  first  job.  De- 
spite his  handicap  resulting  from  the  accident  he  worked  out  a  new 
formula  for  a  hair-wave  set.  He  made  it  at  night  and  sold  it  during 
the  day  to  drugstores  and  beauty  shops.  Within  four  years  he  had 
nearly  a  score  of  helpers,  and  in  later  years  his  drug  and  cosmetic 
line  was  a  multimillion-dollar  Chicago  business. 

Even  if  you  haven't  training  in  chemisry,  by  observation  and  de- 
velopment of  an  idea  you  may  find  yourself  in  the  cosmetic  business. 
A  Cincinnati  surgeon  developed  a  formula  to  keep  his  hands  from 
perspiring  during  operations.  His  daughter,  Edna  Murphy,  knowing 
her  women,  had  an  idea  that  the  preparation  could  be  sold  to 
women  to  prevent  underarm  perspiration  and  odor.  Using  her 
father's  formula  as  a  foundation,  she  worked  out  her  preparation, 
Odo-ro-no,  making  the  product  in  her  kitchen  at  night.  Daytimes 
she  sold  the  preparation  from  door  to  door  to  women  who  recog- 
nized that  she  had  a  product  that  met  a  need.  Before  long  she  had 
help  in  manufacturing  and  distributing,  and  had  developed  a  busi- 
ness worth  a  fortune. 

Although  the  cosmetic  field  is  one  of  the  most  highly  competitive, 
the  very  fact  that  so  many  millions  are  spent  annually  for  beauty 
preparations  makes  it  a  field  well  worth  study  by  those  who  are  in- 
terested. There  is  always  room  for  a  new  product  that  catches  the 


ARTS,     HOBBIES,     AND    HANDCRAFTS  l6/ 

public  fancy,  and  it  is  well  known  that  the  buyers  of  such  products 
will  try  and  try  again  to  capture  the  elusive  qualities  of  personal 
attraction.  You  may  develop  a  preparation  that  can  be  launched 
locally  and  then  attract  sectional  and  national  markets.  All  along 
the  way,  however,  you  should  carefully  investigate  the  laws  govern- 
ing the  advertising  and  sale  and  labeling  of  such  products. 

Cosmetics  and  How  to  Make  Them,  by  Robert  Bushby.  Pitman  Publish- 
ing Corp.,  3  West  45th  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 

Formulas  for  Toilet  and  Household  Preparations.  Free  leaflet.  U.  S.  De- 
partment of  Commerce,  Office  of  Domestic  Commerce,  Washington 
25,  D.C. 


Part  Four 


MONEY   FOR   YOUR    KITCHEN 
PRODUCTS    AND    SERVICES 


CHAPTER     TWENTY-FIVE 

What  Are  You  Waiting  For? 


WHAT  ARE  YOU  waiting  for?  If  you  can  cook,  whether  you  live  in  city, 
small  town,  or  country,  you  can  go  into  business  at  home  with  your 
skill,  some  recipes,  a  few  pots  and  pans,  and  wood,  coal,  gas,  or 
electric  flames.  There  are  thousands  of  men  and  women  the  country 
over  who  are  making  good  supplemental  incomes  in  this  way,  and 
many  have  developed  their  home  projects  into  substantial  full-time 
business  operations. 

Naturally  you  won't  rush  to  the  kitchen  and  start  turning  out  your 
own  delectable  product  without  first  developing  a  plan  for  your 
project.  One  of  your  steps  after  deciding  to  test  this  field  is  to  deter- 
mine about  how  much  time  you  want  to  devote  to  your  enterprise— 
an  hour  or  two  a  day,  a  hah0  day,  nearly  full  time?  This  will  be  deter- 
mined by  your  own  situation  and  whether  you  are  seeking  a  com- 
paratively small  money-maker  or  intend  to  strive  for  sizable  income. 
This  decision  is  of  the  utmost  importance,  for  it  will  have  a  direct 
bearing  on  the  selection  of  the  item  or  items  you  want  to  produce 
and  sell. 

You  may  be  of  professional  status  in  your  kitchen,  but  an  amateur 
at  packaging  and  marketing,  so  it  is  recommended  that  serious  con- 
sideration be  given  to  making  a  start  on  a  small  money-making 
project  which  may  involve  the  perishable  products,  such  as  cakes 
and  pies  and  candies,  that  require  no  addition  to  your  equipment, 
and  an  extremely  small  investment  for  the  various  tests  you  will 
want  to  make.  You  can  later  graduate  into  the  luxury  products  that 
require  more  investment  in  packaging  and  marketing.  Even  if  you 
decide  on  only  a  part-time  project,  it  is  amazing  how  often  such  a 
home  business  grows  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  or  months,  so  you 
can  scarcely  resist  expanding  your  operations.  Frequently  a  woman 
starts  such  a  home  activity  and  winds  up  with  her  husband  deserting 
his  regular  employment,  neighbors  drafted  to  help  fill  orders,  and 
the  entire  family  involved  in  an  independent  home  enterprise. 

Another  important  step  is  consideration  of  your  market.  If  you 


MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 


see  a  good  beginning  market  among  your  friends  and  in  your  own 
immediate  neighborhood,  you  may  select  items  that  are  rather 
perishable;  but  if  you  are  in  the  country  you  may  want  to  specialize 
in  products  that  can  be  canned  or  bottled  or  crated  and  preserved 
so  that  marketing  waste  is  minimized.  There  is  almost  always  room 
for  a  new  and  high-quality  homemade  food  specialty  in  the  women's 
exchanges,  at  the  corner  grocery  or  delicatessen,  gift  shops,  and  the 
like.  Your  own  connections  can  open  these  doors.  There  is  also  the 
realm  of  direct  mail,  discussed  in  other  chapters,  and  display  adver- 
tising for  special  items.  You  should  keep  in  mind  that  your  product 
should  be  one  that  others  would  find  impossible  to  make  because  of 
their  own  lack  of  skill  or  facilities,  or  because  it  is  something  that 
takes  more  time  than  they  want  to  devote  to  cooking.  If  possible, 
offer  a  product  that  sells  in  many  communities,  but  is  not  available 
in  your  local  area. 


FOUR    MAJOR    CHOICES    FOR    YOU 

There  are  four  rather  basic  divisions  for  you  to  consider  in  plan- 
ning your  kitchen  money-maker: 

1.  Fancy  specialty  items  of  the  kind  you  find  in  the  premium-price 
food  stores—  luxury  specialties  where  often  the  flossy  packages 
cost  more  than  the  items  enclosed.  For  instance,  you  may  have 
seen  special  reusable  bottles  of  a  few  ounces  of  mustard  packed 
in  reusable  baskets,  priced  at  nearly  $5.00.  That  is  extreme,  but 
soon  you  will  read  about  fruitcake  bites  dipped  in  rum  and  pack- 
aged like  bonbons  for  a  beautiful  gift,  and  other  such  items. 

2.  Good  basic  homemade  foods  of  better  quality  than  most  women 
can  produce,  such  as  cookies  and  cakes  and  bread,  and  other 
items  that  many  women  avoid  making.  These  items  often  have 
the  ingredients  and  appearance  and  old-fashioned  appeal  of  foods 
not  flowing  from  production-line  machine  bakers. 

3.  Regional'  specialties  which  may  be  involved  in  the  other  two 
divisions,  but  produced  to  lure  the  dollars  of  tourists  and  others 
seeking  change—  pralines  and  shrimp  in  the  South,  beach  plum 
jellies  on  Cape  Cod,  maple  syrup  and  maple  sugar  in  Vermont, 
and  the  like. 

4.  Catering  services  and  products. 

In  selecting  your  item  or  line  of  products  you  should  give  first 
consideration  to  things  you  like  to  make;  some  specialty  that  has 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  173 

won  the  favor  of  family  and  friends  and  neighbors;  a  product  you 
are  sure  of;  a  product,  especially,  that  isn't  easy  for  others  to  make 
because  of  lack  of  skill  or  inclination.  If,  however,  you  are  simply 
a  good  all-purpose  cook  and  have  no  special  inclinations,  that 
shouldn't  stop  you  at  the  kitchen  door;  pick  something  for  which 
you  are  sure  there  is  a  need  and  demand,  and  adopt  it  as  your  spe- 
cialty, and  make  it  better  than  almost  anyone  else  can  make  it 

The  items  from  which  you  may  select  your  specialty  are  almost  as 
limitless  as  the  resourcefulness  of  an  enterprising  woman— or  man— 
who  can  cook.  Some  of  the  old  reliables  include  various  jellies  and 
preserves  that  are  better  than  the  "mill  run";  spiced  crab  apples  and 
peaches;  pickles  like  Grandmother  used  to  make;  homemade  bread 
and  cakes  and  cookies  with  imagination  in  the  presentation  to  cus- 
tomers. The  ingeniously  mixed  sauces  and  luxury  items  may  involve 
more  difficulty,  but  may  invite  a  more  exclusive  group  of  customers, 
and  when  produced  in  quantity  provide  greater  profits  for  the  time 
and  small  investment  expended. 

As  you  develop  your  plan  for  operation,  you  will  see  the  need  for 
keeping  accurate  records  of  the  costs  involved.  When  you  come  to 
setting  the  prices  to  repay  your  investment  of  materials  and  time  you 
will  be  somewhat  on  your  own,  but  reasonably  safe  if  you  hold  to 
the  rough  formula  of  a  price  that  is  triple  the  cost  of  the  ingredients. 
You  will,  no  doubt,  find  that  your  return  for  your  time  is  lower  when 
small  quantities  are  involved,  and  that  income  mounts  as  your 
volume  of  production  and  sales  increases.  And,  of  course,  com- 
petitive prices  have  a  bearing  on  your  charges— but  never  under- 
estimate a  willingness  of  customers  to  pay  well  for  especially  appeal- 
ing homemade  items  that  definitely  rate  a  premium  price. 

Another  business  angle  that  is  involved  makes  it  advisable  for  you 
to  check  at  your  village  or  city  hall  to  determine  if  any  licenses  are 
required  in  your  area.  A  visit  or  a  telephone  call  to  your  local  health 
authorities  will  give  you  information  regarding  any  special  require- 
ments that  may  prevail  locally. 

City,  county,  state  and  federal  experts  by  the  thousands  are  stand- 
ing by,  ready  to  help  you  with  competent  advice  on  virtually  every 
problem  that  may  arise  in  connection  with  your  home  business.  Use 
them.  Yowr  business  adventure  is  their  business.  They  will  work  for 
you  with  kindness  and  understanding  and  specialized  knowledge. 
Send  your  letters  with  specific  inquiries,  and  if  one  specialist  can't 
help  you,  or  you  have  addressed  the  wrong  department,  you  will  be 


1/4  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

guided  to  an  expert  best  able  to  help  with  your  special  problems. 
The  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  in  Washington, 
through  its  Bureau  of  Human  Nutrition  and  Home  Economics,  and 
its  Production  and  Marketing  Administration,  will  be  extremely 
helpful.  You  can  also  rely  on  the  Small  Business  Advisory  Unit, 
Bureau  of  Domestic  Commerce,  U.  S.  Department  of  Commerce, 
Washington  25,  D.C.,  for  pamphlets  and  specific  advice  on  any 
peculiar  business  problems  that  may  arise.  There  are  also  your  state 
department  of  health,  state  department  of  commerce,  state  depart- 
ment of  agriculture,  university  extension  departments,  and,  in  many 
areas,  county  home-demonstration  agents  are  available  for  direct 
personal  service.  Inquiries  at  the  city  hall  and  county  courthouse  will 
put  you  in  touch  with  the  proper  departments  and  individuals  in 
your  local  area. 

Many  illustrations  of  the  successful  operation  of  home  kitchen 
businesses  by  other  women  and  men  will  be  found  in  the  following 
chapters.  The  cases  include  many  beginners,  and  there  are  also  illus- 
trations, worth  careful  study,  of  individuals  and  groups  who  started 
as  amateurs  and  developed  highly  remunerative  lines  of  food  prod- 
ucts. 


CHAPTER     TWENTY-SIX 

Fancy  Food  Specialties  from  Home  Kitchens 


FANCY  FOOD  specialties  produced  in  your  own  home  kitchen  with 
present  equipment  and  sold  at  fancy  prices  in  local  shops  and  by 
direct  mail,  even  before  opening  the  general  markets  of  the  large 
specialty  shops,  invite  the  study  and  analysis  of  man-and-woman  or 
husband-and-wife  teams  who  want  to  make  money  at  home.  There  is 
no  better  preliminary  to  such  operations  than  to  review  a  few  cases 
of  those  who  have  successfully  shown  the  way  to  others  and  proved 
beyond  any  doubt  the  large  profits  and  pleasure  to  be  had  in  this 
field. 

Before  examining  the  possibilities,  however,  you  should  heed  this 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  175 

warning.  You  may  start  such  a  small  home  business  and  find  before 
long  that  your  home  business  demands  expansion,  and  it  is  no  longer 
a  home  activity,  but  a  more  or  less  full-time  profitable  business  that 
commands  your  attention.  If  your  product  is  unique  and  extra  spe- 
cial, and  you  are  resourceful,  you  may  be  amazed  at  how  others  will 
give  you  a  helping  hand  and  almost  force  you  into  a  larger  business 
activity  than  you  originally  contemplated.  You  find  that  pattern  of  a 
part-time  home  kitchen  start,  with  almost  forced  development  into 
a  thriving  business,  running  through  case  after  case  of  the  fancy 
food  producers. 

Typical  snapshots  of  home-kitchen-mto-thriving-business  are 
these: 

"It  all  started  when  I  worked  out  a  mixture  of  sugar,  lemon  and 
orange  that  would  make  a  base  for  better  old  fashioned  cocktails 
and  other  uses,"  says  Eleanor  C.  Coolidge,  who,  with  her  husband, 
William  H.  Coolidge,  has  developed  the  Kettle  Cove  Products. 

It  all  started  when  Dorothy  Chase  "invaded"  her  housekeeping 
funds  for  $10  and  put  her  herring  in  cream  into  jars  and  began  the 
Betty  Lee  Food  Products. 

It  all  started  when  Mrs.  George  Riker  and  Mrs.  C.  Mortimer 
Roberts,  in  their  home  kitchens,  started  producing  sauces  for  sale 
to  raise  funds  for  a  church  guild— and  now  they  have  eight  rich 
sauces  for  ice  cream  coming  from  Holiday  House  and  selling  from 
coast  to  coast. 

It  all  started  in  the  home  kitchen!  That  is  the  beginning  of  the 
story  for  countless  individuals  who  are  today  cashing  in  on  their 
food  specialties.  So  let's  examine  some  of  these  developments  in  de- 
tail and  see  what  makes  them  "tick."  As  you  read  these  cases  con- 
sider your  own  possibilities— the  old  family  recipes,  the  specialty 
you  may  have  used  to  the  delight  of  your  friends,  or  the  fancy  foods 
others  may  have  served  to  you  that  could  be  put  on  the  market. 

MONEY-MAKING     ORANGE     SLICES 

Bill  and  Eleanor  Coolidge  were  thoughtful  hosts.  They  tried  to 
have  things  nice  for  their  guests,  and  Eleanor  was  one  who  enjoyed 
experimenting  to  develop  tasty  morsels.  Bill  prepared  refreshments 
carefully.  Both  were  a  bit  bothered  by  the  waste  of  fruit  when  a 
few  old-fashioneds  were  mixed  for  a  group.  And  Bill  wanted  to  sim- 
plify serving  of  the  fruit  on  their  cruiser.  They  studied  the  problem 


1/6  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

and  put  fruit  in  jars  for  cruises.  It  remained  good  for  a  time,  but 
would  later  ferment.  That  problem  was  finally  solved  by  experiment 
in  the  Coolidge  kitchen.  Friends  wanted  jars  of  the  easy-to-use  pre- 
served mixing  fruit.  They  urged  the  Coolidges  to  prepare  more  and 
for  sale.  One  day  Eleanor  Coolidge  put  up  several  jars  that  were  sold 
as  gifts  by  a  nearby  specialty  shop.  Repeat  orders  flowed  in,  but  at 
that  time  the  Coolidges  were  only  toying  with  the  idea  of  a  home 
product  business. 

One  day  Mrs.  Coolidge  had  a  letter  from  the  noted  fancy  grocer, 
S.  S.  Pierce  of  Boston,  asking  for  prices  on  several  gross  of  the  jars. 
She  knew  she  hadn't  the  equipment  to  turn  out  such  quantities  and 
tossed  the  letter  into  a  wastebasket.  The  Pierce  company  later  sent 
a  representative  to  see  her  to  urge  a  large-scale  production  of  the 
product,  and  there  she  had  a  beginning  large  market  assured  and 
the  home  kitchen  operators  were  forced  to  establish  a  business 
kitchen  and  plant  outside  their  home. 

Such  ideas  and  businesses  have  a  way  of  "breeding,"  and  today 
the  Kettle  Cove  Industries,  Inc.,  of  Manchester,  Massachusetts,  has 
a  score  of  delightful  food  products  and  a  national  and  foreign  mar- 
ket. With  folksy  mailing  pieces  that  tell  the  story  of  the  development 
of  their  products  the  Coolidges  use  magazines  and  direct-letter  mail- 
ings to  reach  their  growing  market.  Their  products  include  beauti- 
fully packaged  and  ribboned  assortments;  and  individual  items  such 
as  candied  orange  peels,  treats  for  the  breakfast  and  tea  tray,  choco- 
late-dipped orange  peel,  samples  for  the  barman  which  include 
orange  or  lime  slices,  mint  syrup,  maraschino  cherries  in  orange 
syrup,  cherries  flambe,  butterscotch  sauce,  etc.  Some  of  the  products 
are  in  daintily  decorated  jars  good  for  reuse,  and  acetate  boxes,  also 
good  for  other  purposes.  Included  with  their  products  are  a  number 
of  recipes  that  call  for  use  of  their  specialties.  The  quality  of  the 
products  is  kept  high  and  is  priced  to  pay  for  the  quality  and  the 
especially  inviting  gift  packaging  that  has  resulted  in  multiple  repeat 
orders. 

One  of  the  "secrets"  of  the  success  of  Kettle  Cove  Industries  is 
revealed  by  Mr.  Coolidge.  They  have  quality  mixtures  and  recipes 
that  give  them  a  "monopoly  value"  in  their  products.  At  one  time 
they  produced  a  simple  rum-flavored  chocolate,  and  within  a  few 
months  after  it  was  on  the  market  it  was  being  imitated  by  others 
who,  with  mass  production,  could  undersell  them  and  make  their 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  1/7 

product  commonplace.  They  chopped  the  item  immediately  and 
have  concentrated  since  then  on  their  own  exclusive  formulas. 

It  follows,  of  course,  that  when  a  home  business  expands  to  the 
point  where  additional  help  must  be  employed,  there  is  a  rash  of 
bookkeeping  detail  involving  taxes;  and  also  there  are  the  regula- 
tions that  apply  to  confections  and  other  foodstuffs  offered  for  sale. 
The  Coolidges  feel  that  no  comparatively  small  operator  can  afford 
to  employ  legal  and  other  special  help,  and  that  state  and  federal 
agencies  are  very  helpful  in  working  out  problems  with  the  smaller 
producers. 

PROFITABLE     SAUCES     FOR    ICE     CREAM 

Illustrative  of  the  way  in  which  one  successful  home  business  can 
inspire  another  is  the  story  of  Rosemary's  Delicacies  from  a  kitchen 
in  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan.  Ginnie  Riker  and  Kitty  Roberts,  friends, 
knew  two  women  who  had  experienced  an  early  success  in  selling 
a  French  dressing  called  Ep-i-say.  When  they  wanted  to  participate 
in  a  fund-raising  campaign  for  the  woman's  guild  of  Grace  Episco- 
pal Church  they  decided  to  work  in  their  kitchens  producing  sauces 
for  use  on  ice  cream. 

Their  sauces  sold  so  well  their  kitchens  were  dominated  by  pro- 
duction, to  the  delight  and  dismay  of  their  husbands,  who  soon  en- 
couraged them  to  secure  a  separate  kitchen  for  their  operations. 
Using  home-style  methods,  these  enterprising  women  produce 
sauces  in  eight  flavors:  chocolate  rum,  chocolate  Mocha,  chocolate 
peppermint,  chocolate  fudge,  butter  rum,  butterscotch,  sherry  but- 
terscotch, and  caramel. 

As  each  of  the  enterprisers  has  a  daughter  named  Rosemary  "for 
remembrance,"  they  named  their  sauces  Rosemary's  Delicacies. 
They  package  the  product  in  ten-ounce,  wide-mouthed,  screw- 
topped  jars,  priced  at  about  $1.00  each.  They  have  also  developed 
specially  designed  gift  packages  and  strong  mailing  cartons  to  serve 
the  mail-order  trade  as  well  as  the  shops  specializing  in  gift  pack- 
ages. 

FRENCH    DRESSING     SMARTLY     PACKAGED 

Mrs.  Donald  Ross  created  her  own  French  dressing,  subtly  fla- 
vored so  that  it  is  equally  usable  on  fruits,  tossed  green  salads,  or 


178  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

deviled  eggs.  The  big  secret  of  her  success— an  imaginative  con- 
tainer. She  calls  it  55  French  Dressing,  from  her  home  address  (55 
Remsen  St.,  Brooklyn)  and  the  label  displays  her  doorway.  She 
packages  it  in  a  handsome  apothecary  jar  that  can  be  served  on  the 
table,  and  sells  refills  in  larger  containers.  She  came,  product  in 
hand,  to  the  Department  of  Commerce  for  marketing  aid.  She  got 
help  on  economical  sources  of  supply  for  ingredients,  shipping  con- 
tainers, possible  retail  outlets.  Altaian's  in  New  York  and  Abraham 
and  Straus  in  Brooklyn  were  enlisted  as  customers.  Many  other 
stores  followed.  When  she  began,  she  sold  twelve  jars  a  week— now 
she  sells  sixty  dozen  in  a  slow  week. 

HERRING  IN  CREAM  AND  THE  SUCCESS  PATTERN 

A  pattern  as  clear  as  the  A  B  C's  emerges  from  study  of  large  num- 
bers of  successful  home  kitchen  productions  of  food  specialties.  One 
of  the  best-known  and  most  dramatic  stories  of  such  operations  in- 
volves Mrs.  Dorothy  Chase  and  her  Mamaroneck,  New  York,  home 
basement  business  beginning. 

Here  is  the  pattern  in  rough: 

1.  The  need  or  desire,  or  both,  for  additional  pin-money  income. 
Mr.  Chase  is  severely  ill  and  doctor  and  druggist  bills  are  in  the 
mails! 

2.  A  resourceful  woman  considers  possible  ways  to  make  money  at 
home. 

3.  Decision,  with  a  neighbor,  to  sell  to  friends  and  relatives  jars  of 
tasty  herring  in  cream  that  they  make  from  a  recipe  found  in  an 
ordinary  cookbook. 

4.  Systematizing  of  their  work  in  the  home  kitchen;  positive  action 
in  support  of  their  decision;  production  of  the  specialty  in  a 
small  way. 

5.  Solution  of  the  problem  of  packaging  by  rounding  up  jars  of 
their  own  and  from  the  attics  and  basements  of  friends.  A 
simple,  home-improvised  label  for  the  jars. 

6.  Notifying  of  friends  and  relatives  that  they  are  "in  business." 

7.  Repeat  orders!  They  are  in  business,  holding  always  to  a  high- 
quality  product  as  a  basic  policy  of  the  business,  buying  the 
cream  and  herring  at  retail,  which  put  their  costs  and  prices 
comparatively  high  at  the  outset. 

8.  An  order  for  a  sizable  shipment  from  a  specialty  food  store,  and 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  1/9 

now  they  really  are  in  business.  Mrs.  Chase  gets  advice  from 
the  New  York  Woman's  Program  consultants  on  labels,  packag- 
ing, and  marketing. 

9.  The  business  outgrows  the  home  kitchen  facilities  and  the 
friends-and-neighbors  stage  of  development,  and  Mrs.  Chase 
buys  out  her  partner. 

10.  The  setting  up  of  a  "home  kitchen"  with  meager  investment  in 
equipment  in  a  low-rental  store  space,  and  employment  of  two 
women  to  help  prepare  and  package  the  product. 

11.  With  facilities  available  to  increase  volume,  the  first  year's  gross 
business  was  nearly  $10,000,  and  in  five  years  around  $100,000. 
Mr.  Chase  was  drafted  as  a  partner.  The  herring  is  now  pur- 
chased wholesale  by  the  ton  and  onions  by  the  shipload,  and 
other  ingredients  in  proportion  for  processing  in  a  modern 
kitchen-factory.  Some  fifty  employees  turn  out  about  a  thousand 
jars  a  day.  The  product  is  packaged  in  specially  designed  jars 
proudly  bearing  professionally  designed  labels  in  hundreds  of 
food  stores. 

12.  The  original  food  specialty  item  almost  demanded  the  addi- 
tion of  other  products,  such  as  herring  in  wine  sauce,  smorg&s- 
bord  herring  "bits,"  and  a  specially  developed  spaghetti  sauce. 


SPAGHETTI     SAUCE 

FROM     A     HOME     BASEMENT     KITCHEN 

Because  of  the  necessity  for  a  large  volume  of  sales  it  might  seem 
that  it  is  easier  for  a  Mrs.  Chase  to  link  spaghetti  sauce  to  an  estab- 
lished line  of  products  than  to  start  with  it  as  a  single  item.  How- 
ever, Mrs.  Louis  Boucher  of  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  put  it  over.  Inter- 
estingly enough,  all  husbands  should  be  warned  that  they  may  find 
themselves  in  a  new  business  once  the  missus  goes  after  a  home 
product  income.  Note  what  happened  to  various  husbands  in  the 
foregoing  illustrations. 

Mr.  Boucher  was  minding  his  own  business  and  doing  all  right  as 
a  salesman  for  a  Minneapolis  milling  company  when  his  wife  de- 
cided to  make  and  sell  spaghetti  sauce  from  her  home  kitchen.  Mr. 
Boucher  was  in  line  for  a  vice-presidency  in  his  company,  but— 
almost  before  he  knew  what  was  going  on— his  wife  had  proved  the 
salability  of  her  sauce  and  he  quit  his  work  to  set  up  a  factory- 
kitchen  to  take  over  the  business  that  grew  out  of  the  home  kitchen. 


l8o  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

The  story  repeats  itself.  Mrs.  Boucher  had  entertained  groups  of 
friends  with  her  spaghetti  dinners.  The  friends  asked  her  to  make 
sauce  for  them.  They  told  their  friends  about  her  delicious  sauce. 
Friends  of  friends  told  friends  of  friends.  The  Bouchers  lined  up  ten 
small  laundry  stoves  in  the  basement  and  began  production.  In  less 
than  two  months  orders  exceeded  capacity  of  the  basement  stoves 
and  it  was  at  this  stage  that  the  milling  industry  lost  a  good  potential 
vice-president  and  the  Booshay  Spaghetti  Sauce  was  launched  on  a 
large  scale  that  attracted  the  attention  of  radio  and  television  sta- 
tions and  food  editors  of  newspapers  and  magazines.  The  new  prod- 
uct was  given  invaluable  free  publicity.  This  home  project  not  only 
uprooted  Mr.  Boucher  from  his  milling  career;  it  finally  resulted  in 
their  moving  to  Banning,  California,  and  setting  up  their  Western 
plant 


VIRGINIA-CURED    HAM    AND    PUBLICITY 

More  than  once  the  home  money  earner  finds  that  when  an  excep- 
tionally good  product  is  made  available  there  are  numerous  folk 
who  help  to  open  markets.  In  the  preceding  cases  there  was  the  in- 
valuable free  publicity  given  by  friends,  and  that  extends  to  the  air 
waves  and  published  columns  and  even  books  such  as  this. 

Harry  Botsford,  whose  magazine  articles  turn  taste  buds  into 
fountains,  related  in  Jour  Life  magazine  how  Clementine  Paddle- 
ford,  noted  food  commentator,  helped  a  woman  sell  her  Virginia- 
cured  hams.  But  let  Botsford  tell  the  story: 

"Down  in  the  little  town  of  Halifax,  Virginia,  there's  a  charming 
and  busy  woman  who  can  tell  you  that  it  does  pay  to  take  a  second 
look  at  the  cupboard.  Her  name  is  Mary  Watkins  McLaughlin.  She 
suddenly  found  herself  faced  with  the  responsibility  of  raising  two 
children.  She  was  confronted  with  the  inescapable  fact  that  she 
must  make  her  living  and  do  it  at  home.  As  she  looked  through  her 
cupboard  she  found  that  it  was  indeed  rather  barren  of  assets.  Her 
second  look  revealed  a  recipe  for  curing  and  cooking  country  hams, 
a  treasured  formula  that  had  been  in  the  possession  of  the  Watkins 
family  even  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  War. 

"She  set  to  work  with  this  single  asset.  She  purchased  hams  from 
lean,  peanut-fed  hogs— and  they  had  to  be  good  hams  to  pass  her 
critical  examination.  She  cured  them  in  the  traditional,  unhurried 
manner.  It  meant  waiting  two  years  before  the  hams  were  properly 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  l8l 

aged  and  ready  to  market,  for  a  true  Virginia  ham  can't  be  hurried. 
She  refused  to  take  a  single  short-cut;  she  made  time  her  ally,  not 
her  enemy. 

"Clementine  Paddleford,  food  commentator  to  millions  of  readers, 
tasted  Mary  McLaughlin's  Smokehouse  Hams,  cheered  mightily, 
and  said  nice  things  about  the  product.  Other  food  experts  tasted 
and  were  convinced.  Orders  started  to  flow  into  Halifax.  Mary  Wat- 
kins  McLaughlin  came  to  New  York  in  1950  and  rather  timidly  ap- 
proached a  food  distributor  who  specializes  in  luxury  and  semi- 
luxury  items.  She  left  with  an  order  for  300  of  her  famous  hams!  She 
visited  another  such  establishment  and  again  walked  out  with  a 
substantial  order.  Most  of  her  troubles  are  now  over— thanks  to  that 
second  look  in  the  cupboard." 


PROFITABLE     SEAFOOD     SPECIALTIES 

Home  income  makers  who  live  in  or  near  the  seacoast  areas  where 
nature  has  done  the  "planting"  and  all  man  must  do  is  harvest  and 
prepare  and  market  can  find  opportunities  in  preparation  of  seafood 
specialties. 

On  the  East  Coast  Rose  Vergano  decided  to  desert  her  skill  as  a 
fine  dressmaker  and  concentrate  on  seafood  recipes  she  and  her 
friends  enjoyed.  That  was  in  1946,  and  a  very  few  years  later  she  had 
developed  a  line  of  twelve  seafood  specialties  and  had  ten  to  twenty 
employees,  according  to  pressure  of  seasonal  demands.  She  bought 
seafood  at  the  fish  markets  and  prepared  appetizers,  caviar  made 
from  sea  urchins,  broiled  eels,  etc.,  that  became  a  $200,000  annual 
business. 

Nature  planted,  fishermen  harvested,  and  Ellen  Grey  dusted  off 
Grandma's  recipe  for  deviled  crab  and  went  to  work  in  her  home 
kitchen.  That  was  not  long  after  she  was  graduated  from  college  in 
1943.  She  made  arrangements  with  a  local  fish  market  to  devil  some 
of  their  crab  meat  and  sell  it  for  good  prices.  She  began  using  so 
many  crabs  that  it  is  inaccurately  claimed  that  the  crabs  themselves 
spread  the  word  and  became  harder  to  find.  At  any  rate  that  was 
the  beginning  of  her  line  of  seafood  specialties,  which  became  so 
popular  she  had  to  branch  out  and  open  a  little  shop  of  her  own  in 
New  York  City,  providing  not  only  crab  meat  specialties,  but  im- 
ported products  and  additional  homemade  foods,  such  as  turtle  and 
onion  soups. 


l82  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 


SELECTION    OF    YOUR    OWN    FOOD    SPECIALTY 

Nearly  all  of  the  food  specialties  on  the  market  today  can  be 
traced  to  beginnings  such  as  those  outlined  in  these  pages.  In  mak- 
ing your  own  selection  you  should  keep  in  mind  that  it  is  advisable 
to  start  small  and  then  build  according  to  your  own  resourcefulness 
and  the  appeal  of  your  specialty. 

In  selecting  your  own  specialty  you  should  consider  examination 
of  cookbooks,  old  and  new,  and  revival  of  unusual  and  appealing 
items.  You  should  consider  any  special  items  for  which  you  may 
have  been  praised  by  family  or  friends— items  you  may  have  had 
featured  at  club  and  church  affairs,  or  with  which  you  have  won 
ribbons  in  fairs  and  other  exhibits.  You  should  consider  the  items 
served  by  friends  that  have  had  special  appeal  to  the  palate. 

And  in  making  your  selection  give  careful  consideration  to  possi- 
ble advertising  appeals  attached  to  the  item.  These  appeals  may  be 
to  the  eye  and  the  mind  if  an  interesting  background  story  attaches 
to  your  product;  they  may  be  regional,  a  stressing  of  the  old-fash- 
ioned, the  homey,  something  that  lifts  your  product  out  of  the 
ordinary.  For  instance,  there  is  just  plain  ordinary  smoked  turkey. 
So  where  is  the  special  appeal?  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Max  Blitzer  market 
over  20,000  specially  smoked  turkeys  annually  at  about  $10  each. 
The  difference  between  the  ordinary  product  and  the  Blitzer  tur- 
keys is  that  they  use  a  formula  for  curing  that  was  used  by  the  royal 
houses  of  Austria-Hungary  and  Germany  centuries  ago;  a  formula 
given  to  the  Blitzers  by  an  old  neighbor  they  had  befriended  during 
his  long  illness.  Their  fine  product  and  the  appeal  of  the  ancient 
formula  makes  their  turkeys  more  desirable  and  distinctive  and  more 
readily  marketable. 

Make  sure  that  the  food  specialty  you  offer  has  some  definite 
appeal  of  its  own.  Keep  the  quality  high,  the  packaging  inviting,  so 
that  it  will  appeal  to  buyers  who  seek  something  different,  some- 
thing not  found  on  the  ordinary  chain-store  counters,  a  quality  prod- 
uct of  special  appeal  that  makes  it  possible  for  you  to  charge  the 
premium  prices  many  are  willing  to  pay  for  especially  entrancing 
foods. 

Following  are  suggestions  designed  to  help  you  in  selecting  your 
home  food  specialty: 
1.  Have  you  a  special  recipe  or  formula  of  your  own  creation,  or 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  183 

can  you  develop  a  secret  process  of  your  own,  as  did  the  Kettle 
Cove  Coolidges? 

2.  Study  your  recipe  books.  Is  there  some  recipe  that  with  your 
own  special  touch  you  can  make  your  own,  something  deli- 
ciously  different  and  appealing? 

3.  Haunt  your  libraries,  searching  for  old  cookbooks.  If  you  have 
or  can  find  in  the  attic  or  basement  or  old  desk  drawers  the  old 
cookbooks  your  mother  or  grandmother  used,  you  may  have  a 
gold  mine  in  your  grasp.  Try  some  of  the  old  concoctions,  even 
if  it  is  difficult  to  get  the  same  old  ingredients. 

4.  Do  some  research  in  old  literature— and  the  new— for  mention  of 
old  dishes.  A  few  years  ago  Kenneth  Roberts  gave  the  recipe  for 
hot  buttered  rum  in  one  of  his  noted  novels  and  started  a  revival 
of  interest  in  that  concoction.  Talk  with  your  own  grandma  or 
grandmas  in  your  neighborhood  or  in  old-folks  homes,  and  they 
may  give  you  leads  on  the  foods  that  appealed  to  the  men  and 
women  of  another  generation. 

5.  Just  as  many  folk  yearn  for  antique  furniture,  they  go  for  old 
foods— if  delicious.  You  may  have  to  take  special  action  to  get 
the  old-style  ingredients,  because  so  many  of  the  modern  foods 
have  been  so  refined  they  have  lost  their  original  flavors  and 
qualities.  Much  of  this  has  been  due  to  desire  to  remove  oils, 
etc.,  and  make  modern  foods  less  subject  to  spoilage  in  storage. 
In  most  stores,  for  instance,  just  try  to  find  the  coarse-ground 
corn  meal  such  as  Grandma  used  to  use.  If  you  use  old  processes 
you  may  have  an  advertising  appeal  that  will  help  to  sell  your 
product. 

6.  When  your  search  narrows  down  you  may  find  that  you  have  a 
number  of  recipes  for  use  on  cards,  or  printed  on  sheets  or  in  a 
little  booklet,  to  include  as  an  added  attraction  with  your  spe- 
cialty offering. 

7.  Consider  and  search  the  books  dealing  with  foreign  delicacies— 
the  French,  the  German,  Italian,  Spanish,  etc. 

8.  Play  with  the  possibilities  of  offering  the  international  recipe  or 
food  specialty  of  the  month  for  the  exploring  and  enterprising 
hostess. 

9.  Go  to  the  luxury  food  specialty  stores  and  loiter  by  their  shelves 
and  counters.  Study  the  items  being  offered,  the  high  prices,  the 
packages,  the  labels.  Despite  the  broad  array  of  items  you  may 


184  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

find  the  one  that  is  missing  that  you  can  supply,  or  a  product 
you  can  make  better. 

10.  Discuss  your  desire  for  a  food  specialty  with  your  friends.  Fre- 
quently there  are  men  and  women  who  are  more  than  generous 
with  suggestions  they  never  intend  to  use  for  themselves,  or 
they  may  have  heard  of  some  rare  and  delicious  food  that  you 
can  adopt  for  your  own  exploitation. 

HELPFUL  BOOKS  FOR  FANCY  FOOD  SPECIALISTS 

A  B  C  of  Spice  Cookery,  Betty  Lane,  editor.  American  Spice  Trade  Assn., 

350  5th  Ave.,  New  York  1,  N.Y. 
The  Art  of  Cooking  With  Herbs  and  Spices,  by  Milo  Miloradovich. 

Doubleday  &  Co.,  Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
The  Standard  Wine  Cook  Book,  by  Anne  Director.  Doubleday  &  Co., 

Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
American  Wine  Cook  Book,  by  Ted  Hatch.  G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  210 

Madison  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Ida  Bailey  Aliens  Wines  and  Spirits  Cook  Book,  by  Ida  Bailey  Allen. 

Simon  &  Schuster,  Inc.,  630  5th  Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.Y. 
The  Wine  Cook  Book,  by  Cora  Brown  &  Others.  Little,  Brown  &  Co.,  34 

Beacon  St.,  Boston  6,  Mass. 
The  Art  of  Fish  Cookery,  by  Milo  Miloradovich.  Doubleday  &  Co.,  Inc., 

575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
The  Book  of  Sauces,  by  Ambrose  Heath.  Transatlantic  Arts,  Forest  Hills, 

N.Y. 
See  helpful  books  listed  in  other  food  chapters. 


CHAPTER     TWENTY-SEVEN 

How  to  Profit  from  Homemade  Confections 


MANY  OF  THE  principles  applying  to  the  home-kitchen  food  special- 
ties apply  to  homemade  confections.  Countless  thousands  of  men 
and  women  are  skillful  in  making  of  candies,  but  they  are  content 
to  maintain  their  amateur  standing  with  production  for  their  own 
pleasure  and  that  of  their  friends.  There  are  many  of  these  who 
from  time  to  time  put  their  products  on  the  market  and  develop  a 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  l8$ 

steady  home-kitchen-made  income.  Those  who  succeed  at  it  are  the 
ones  who  are  resourceful  in  their  packaging  and  marketing  of  supe- 
rior products. 

One  such  success  is  Mrs.  Julia  Stevens  Kraft  of  Chicago.  Her  story 
is  one  that  may  well  inspire  others  to  make  a  small  beginning  that 
can  have  an  amazing  growth.  Mrs.  Kraft  wanted  a  part-time  home- 
kitchen  project  that  would  bring  in  some  pin  money.  When  she 
stirred  up  a  fire  in  her  wood-burning  stove  in  her  farm  kitchen  and 
put  on  some  of  her  favorite  fudge,  she  didn't  have  any  idea  that  she 
was  starting  a  home  business  that  would  eventually  employ  some 
five  hundred  people  and  do  a  business  of  more  than  $5,000,000  an- 
nually. 

That  old  wood  burner  on  her  farm  near  Wheaton,  Illinois,  turned 
out  the  first  batches  of  her  fudge.  She  asked  a  Wheaton  baker  to 
pay  her  90/  a  pound  and  sell  the  candy  at  $1.00  a  pound.  Those 
prices  allowed  her  only  a  tiny  margin  of  profit,  and  most  dealers 
would  require  a  great  deal  larger  mark  up,  but  nevertheless  that  is 
the  way  it  att  began  for  Mrs.  Kraft.  And  it  worked  phenomenally 
well. 

Having  made  the  transition  from  amateur  to  professional  candy- 
maker,  Mrs.  Kraft  knew  that  she  would  have  to  become  a  salesman 
as  well,  and  expand  her  line.  Expand  it  she  did,  an  item  at  a  time, 
until  she  was  offering  some  thirty  varieties  of  sweets— and  selling 
them  at  a  profit.  One  day  she  went  to  Chicago  and  found  that  she 
didn't  have  to  be  an  experienced  salesman  to  get  a  hearing  from  the 
buyer  for  a  chain  store.  He  tried  her  candy!  He  urged  her  to  leave 
her  farm  kitchen  and  establish  headquarters  in  Chicago,  and  turn 
out  her  home-style  candy  on  a  wholesale  basis.  Her  early  small  start 
made  this  possible,  and  finally  she  established  her  own  factory.  Her 
line  became  one  of  the  best  known  in  the  country. 

Obviously  there  is  a  lot  of  detail  in  the  way  of  development  of  a 
superior  product.  Resourcefulness  and  courage  and  personal  drive, 
disappointment  and  encouragement,  constant  striving  are  involved 
in  graduating  from  a  kettle  of  fudge  over  a  wood-burning  stove  to  a 
multimillion-dollar  business.  That,  however,  is  the  story  that  makes 
clear  again  that  thriving  businesses  are  not  built  from  the  top,  but 
are  developed,  frequently,  from  the  small  start  in  the  home  kitchen. 

But  perhaps  you  have  no  desire  for  a  large  candy  business  and 
want  only  some  home-earned  money  for  a  special  purpose.  Mrs. 
Dana  Hammer,  in  her  farm  home  near  Galesburg,  Illinois,  wanted 


l86  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

extra  shopping  money  for  surprise  Christmas  gifts  one  year.  She 
turned  out  great  batches  of  her  favorite  candy  recipe  in  her  home 
kitchen,  packaged  it  neatly  but  simply.  The  candy  was  sold  in  a 
shop  in  town  and  she  made  several  hundred  dollars  that  one  pre- 
Christmas  season. 


PRALINES     FOUND     A     MAIL-ORDER     BUSINESS 

Others  have  had  similar  experience  with  varying  degrees  of  suc- 
cess, and  that  is  why  you  are  justified  in  giving  serious  consideration 
to  this  very  sweet  approach  to  home-kitchen  profits.  Consider,  for 
instance,  the  story  of  Mrs.  Green  and  her  pralines,  as  reported  in  a 
Readers  Digest  manual  by  Clementine  Paddleford,  foods  editor  of 
the  New  York  Herald  Tribune: 

"Starting  with  two  spoons,  two  pots,  some  nuts  and  brown  sugar, 
Clara  Barton  Green  of  Summit,  N.J.,  founded  a  successful  confec- 
tion business.  In  1932,  when  her  architect  husband's  business  stalled, 
Mrs.  Green  began  to  make  pralines,  using  a  recipe  handed  down 
200  years  through  her  Louisiana  family.  She  sold  them  through  the 
local  Women's  Exchange  at  15  cents  each. 

"When  a  tea-room  asked  for  them  box-packed  by  the  dozen,  Mrs. 
Green  got  old  candy  boxes,  relined  and  retrimmed  them.  To  make 
them  distinctive  she  cut  green  and  white  checked  gingham  into 
strips,  handf ringed  the  edges,  and  used  this  to  tie  the  boxes.  This 
kind  of  ribbon  still  serves  as  an  attractive  trade-mark.  At  the  end  of 
her  first  year,  104  tea-rooms  in  a  50-mile  area  were  selling  Mrs. 
Green's  pralines.  Left-overs,  collected  from  the  tea-rooms  when  she 
delivered  fresh  pralines  twice  each  week,  were  a  considerable  loss 
until  ingenuity  solved  the  problem.  Mrs.  Green  ran  these  returned 
pralines  through  her  food  grinder,  packed  the  resulting  crumbs  in 
jars,  and  sold  them  profitably  as  a  filling  for  cakes. 

"Mrs.  Green  has  built  up  a  mail  order  business,  and  today  her  file 
totals  over  5,000  names  from  all  states  of  the  Union.  In  1944,  Christ- 
mas gift  mailing  totaled  3,582  boxes  of  her  'Southern  Confections/ 
Orders  the  year  around  averaged  200  sales  weekly." 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  187 


MEN     CAN     CRACK     NUTS     AND     MAKE 
CONFECTIONS     TOO 

These  women  who  succeed  with  confections  have  had  to  solve 
many  a  problem,  but  they  don't  have  a  corner  on  the  confection 
market,  as  is  made  clear  by  Harry  Botsford  in  a  report  on  two  suc- 
cessful men: 

"Karl  Pitschner  worked  in  a  steel  mill  in  Warren,  Ohio.  One  day 
a  friend  sent  him  a  box  of  pinon  nuts  from  New  Mexico.  The  meats 
were  sweet,  delicately  and  distinctively  flavored— a  nut  so  good  that 
it  was  calculated  to  win  the  hearty  approval  even  of  the  gourmet. 

"Pinon  nuts  are  the  seeds  of  the  nut  pines  which  grow  abundantly 
in  the  area  around  Albuquerque,  New  Mexico.  By  the  time  Pitschner 
had  cracked  a  few  of  the  armour-plated  nuts  and  struggled  patiently 
to  secure  the  meat,  he  had  discovered  why  most  people  outside  of 
New  Mexico  knew  little  about  this  great  delicacy.  Getting  the  meat 
from  the  shell  was  a  project  that  took  time,  patience,  and  no  little 
skill.  The  Indians  of  the  Southwest,  to  whom  time  is  seldom  a  fac- 
tor, had  long  enjoyed  these  nuts. 

"Pitschner  became  very  fond  of  pinon  nuts— so  fond,  in  fact,  that 
he  decided  to  try  to  overcome  their  one  great  drawback,  the  armour 
plate  in  which  they  are  encased.  He  experimented  endlessly  with 
box  after  box  of  pirion  nuts  until  his  efforts  met  with  success.  He 
designed  and  built  a  machine  that  shelled  the  nut  in  less  than  one 
per  cent  of  the  time  required  by  the  most  expert  Indian  hand  sheller. 

"Then  he  went  to  work.  He  and  his  wife  made  candy  from  the 
nuts  and  sold  it  to  acquaintances.  The  candy  quickly  became  popu- 
lar and  the  demand  for  more  and  more  convinced  them  that  the 
practical  thing  to  do  was  to  move  to  Alburquerque,  close  to  the 
supply  of  pinon  nuts.  Today,  Karl  Pitschner  owns  the  prosperous 
and  growing  Pinon  Nut  and  Candy  Company. 

"Every  nut  can  be  cracked.  A  little  patience,  hard  work,  and  in- 
telligence will  work  wonders.  For  centuries  pinon  nuts  were  known 
only  to  the  people  who  lived  where  they  grew  and  the  difficulty  of 
shelling  them  kept  them  from  becoming  popular.  Karl  Pitschner 
whipped  the  problem,  came  up  with  a  machine  whose  operation  is 
still  a  closely  guarded  secret,  built  himself  a  thriving  business— and 
the  world  now  has  a  new  confection. 

"There's  a  limited  market  for  coconut  products,  but  a  genius  has 


l88  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

recently  come  up  with  a  spanking  new  idea  that  is  coining  money 
by  proving  that  the  coconut  can  be  most  versatile  under  proper 
treatment.  This  man  produces  toasted,  paper-thin  flakes  of  coconut 
that  have  been  impregnated  with  salt— and  the  result  is  a  very  popu- 
lar appetizer.  This  new  way  of  using  coconut  is  one  of  the  few  ad- 
vances that  have  been  made  in  this  field  for  twenty  centuries— and 
so  another  nut  was  cracked  by  an  individual  with  an  inquiring  mind 
and  a  rich  imagination." 

Various  members  of  one  family  worked  together  to  turn  Elmer 
Doolin's  $100  and  a  not  so  corny  idea  into  an  international  million- 
dollar  business,  and  they  owe  it  all  to  Mr.  Doolin's  observation  and 
planning  and  his  mother's  kitchen. 

This  started  back  in  the  depression  years  when  Doolin,  in  San 
Antonio,  Texas,  stopped  in  a  little  cafe  and  noticed  some  poorly 
packaged  corn  chips.  He  bought  a  package  and  liked  the  crisp  chips 
and  salty  flavor.  They  had  been  made  by  a  Mexican  who  wanted  to 
return  home,  and  sold  his  recipe  and  a  potato  ricer  adjusted  to 
squeeze  out  ribbons  of  his  corn  mash.  Doolin  got  his  father  and  his 
brother  Earl  and  mother  Daisy  to  help,  and  in  the  family  kitchen 
began  producing  Fritos.  It  wasn't  long  before  they  devised  more 
efficient  machinery  for  faster  production,  and  the  kitchen  was  out- 
grown, the  business  expanding  into  plants  at  Dallas,  Houston,  Tulsa, 
and  Los  Angeles.  The  business  grew  and  more  products  were  added 
and  franchises  were  issued  for  operation  of  nearly  a  score  of  plants 
in  various  parts  of  the  world. 

Another  family  project  is  reported  in  the  Readers  Digest  manual 
of  ideas  for  small  businesses;  the  case  of  man  and  wife  starting  the 
small  way  and  winning  profits:  "An  Iowa  man  and  his  wife  started 
shelling  pecans  for  the  retail  trade,  with  a  hammer  and  a  nut  pick. 
The  husband  cracked  the  nuts  while  his  wife  picked  out  the  kernels. 
It  took  7  hours  to  crack  100  pounds  of  nuts.  After  four  months,  the 
couple  invested  $5  of  their  profits  in  a  handcracker  which  cut  the 
time  in  half.  The  next  step  was  to  put  the  shelled  nuts  in  10-cent 
cellophane  bags,  which  they  sold  to  grocers  at  90  cents  per  dozen 
packages.  Profits  mounted,  and  they  bought  a  second-hand  electric 
cracker  for  $75. 

"After  exhausting  this  field,  the  husband  took  orders  from  whole- 
salers for  shelled  nuts  in  cellophane  bags.  Two  more  cracking  ma- 
chines were  purchased;  all  three  machines  were  operated  at  night 
by  one  man  to  supply  the  next  day's  work  for  20  girls  who  did  the 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  189 

packing.  Presently  the  Ottumwa  Nut  Co.  was  working  to  capacity, 
filling  wholesale  orders  secured  by  mail.  Five  electric  crackers  and 
21  workers  were  kept  busy  shelling  and  packaging  nuts  in  cello- 
phane bags  for  the  wholesale  trade.  Ultimately  the  business  was 
moved  to  a  larger  city.  There  are  opportunities  in  the  wholesale 
preparation  and  packaging  of  nuts  and  other  items  of  food  in  many 
sections,  provided  the  price  can  be  made  low  enough.  Efficient 
methods,  specialized  machinery,  large  volume  and  low  unit  profits 
are  necessary  for  success." 


NUTS     AND     SWEETS     FROM     SUGAR     BUSH    FARM 

Ways  and  means  of  using  nuts  in  confections  are  almost  limitless 
in  city  or  village  or  on  back-road  farms,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Jack 
Ayres  of  Vermont.  Some  miles  out  from  Woodstock  is  the  Sugar 
Bush  Farm,  from  which  comes  a  variety  of  mail-order  foods,  includ- 
ing the  maple  butternut  fudge  that  was  the  foundation  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ayres'  farmstead  kitchen  business. 

In  the  autumn  the  butternuts  are  gathered  and  shelled  and  stored 
in  a  big  freezer  from  which  they  are  drawn  from  time  to  time  for 
use  in  the  fudge  that  has  become  noted.  The  fudge  is  sold  by  direct 
mail  at  $1.50  for  a  twelve-ounce  box  postpaid,  and  in  shops  and  at 
roadside  stands  in  various  New  England  states. 

Other  sweets  from  Sugar  Bush  Farm  include  twin  jugs,  one  with 
eleven  ounces  of  Champlain  honey  and  the  other  with  eight  ounces 
of  Vermont  maple  syrup.  The  jugs  are  gift-boxed  and  sell  at  $2.95 
each  postpaid.  The  product  is  inviting  and  the  packaging  assists  in 
building  popularity.  The  Ayres  selected  the  jugs  in  brown,  green, 
turquoise,  and  red,  and  made  them  so  attractively  that  they  can  be 
used  for  flowers  and  ivy  after  being  emptied  of  their  contents. 

Similar  thoughtfulness  in  packaging  is  revealed  in  the  little  sugar- 
house-shaped  jug  for  maple  syrup.  This  glazed  stoneware  jug  is 
modeled  after  the  Ayres'  sugar  house  atop  a  wooded  hill.  The  syrup, 
for  which  customers  pay  $2.95  postpaid  for  ten  ounces,  pours  from 
the  chimney  of  this  little  house,  which  can  grace  the  table  and  be 
put  to  other  uses  when  emptied. 

Although  sweets  are  the  mainstay  of  the  farm  kitchen  business 
conducted  by  this  Vermont  couple,  there  has  been  increasing  de- 
mand for  their  other  products,  which  include  natural  Cheddar 
cheeses  in  two  sizes. 


19O  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 


PICK     YOUR     OWN     CONFECTION     SPECIALTY 

You  probably  have  favorite  recipes  of  your  own  for  preparing 
candies,  nuts,  or  fruit  confections.  If  you  haven't  there  are  hundreds 
of  recipes  available  in  special  and  standard  cookbooks.  If  you  are  a 
good  cook,  and  especially  if  you  have  a  flair  for  packaging,  putting 
your  product  in  colored  foil  or  cellophane  to  make  each  bite  look 
like  a  little  treasure  of  sweetness,  you  can  soon  be  in  business. 
Marketing  may  be  done  at  the  roadside,  to  friends  and  neighbors, 
through  local  shops  or  women's  exchanges,  or  by  direct  mail. 

Study  the  packages  you  see  on  sale.  Keep  the  homemade  touch  for 
your  product,  but  adapt  the  professional  packaging  ideas.  The  possi- 
bilities for  "dolling  up"  your  product  are  almost  endless.  We  recently 
received  a  little  gift  box  of  hand-decorated  sugar  lumps  in  a  clean- 
cut  little  package  of  Mountain  Sweets.  There  were  sixteen  lumps 
each  proudly  bearing  a  colorful  little  flower  made  from  egg  albu- 
men and  sugars  and  U.S.  certified  colors.  They  are  hand-decorated 
and  distributed  by  Berea  College  students  from  their  Candy  Kitchen 
at  Berea,  Kentucky. 

There  is  little  limit  to  the  confections  you  can  make  and  market 
at  a  profit  if  you  follow  the  rules.  Consider,  for  instance,  the  possi- 
bilities in  production  of  candied  fruits  and  candied  fruit  peels,  cara- 
mels, divinity,  fondants,  fudge,  lollipops,  mints,  nut  brittles,  penuche, 
pralines,  and  taffy,  all  with  many  varieties. 


HELPFUL  BOOKS  FOR  CONFECTION  MAKERS 

Antoinette  Pope  School  Candy  Book,  by  Antoinette  &  Francois  Pope.  The 

Macmillan  Co.,  60  5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
The  Holiday  Candy  Book,  by  Virginia  Pasley.  Little,  Brown  &  Company, 

34  Beacon  St.,  Boston  6,  Mass. 
Candy  Recipes,  by  May  B.  Van  Arsdale  &  Casa  Emellos.  Blue  Ribbon 

Books,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Candy  and  Candy  Making,  by  Mary  B.  Bookmeyer.  Charles  A.  Bennett 

Co.,  Inc.,  237  North  Monroe  St.,  Peoria  3,  111. 
New  Favorite  Honey  Recipes.  American  Honey  institute,  Commercial 

State  Bank  Bldg.,  Madison  3,  Wis. 
See  helpful  books  listed  in  other  food  chapters. 


CHAPTER    TWENTY-EIGHT 


Quick-Selling  Jams,  Jellies,  Preserves, 
and  Juices 


mGH-QUALTTY  JAMS,  jellies,  preserves,  and  juices  are  dependable  as 
quick  profit  makers  from  the  home  kitchen.  They  are  items  that 
every  housewife  wants  on  her  shelves  and  table.  But  not  every 
housewife  can  turn  out  a  fine  quality.  And  comparatively  few  want 
the  chore  of  making  these  delicacies.  That  is  where  the  home  kitchen 
money-maker  comes  into  a  profit. 

There  are  few  communities  where  these  products  cannot  be  mar- 
keted among  friends  or  at  the  local  stores  and  at  the  roadside.  Gift- 
packaged  and  advertised  by  display  or  direct  mail,  such  products 
have  frequently  been  profit  makers— particularly  when  given  names 
and  illustrations  that  make  the  mouth  water.  Here  is  a  ready-made 
and  constant  market  that  may  intrigue  the  interest  of  many  an  enter- 
prising woman. 

Such  a  woman  should  plan  ahead  and  watch  her  seasons  so  that 
she  is  ready  to  go  into  production  when  the  fruits  and  berries  she 
wants  are  in  season  and  the  prices  are  lowest.  Many  women  buy  at 
the  peak  season  and  can  the  juices  and  meats  for  later  conversion. 
Then,  marketing  when  fresh  fruits  are  not  available,  prices  for  her 
products  are  highest. 

The  range  of  product  is  limited  only  by  the  variety  of  desirable 
types  of  jellies  and  preserves,  spiced  crab  apples,  spiced  peaches, 
etc.  The  fruits  and  berries  are  either  grown  at  home  or  purchased 
directly  at  orchards  and  farms  where  prices  are  lowest.  Specialists 
in  this  field  are  always  on  the  alert  for  the  wild  fruits  they  can 
gather  personally  or  purchase  in  season— beach  plums,  choke  cher- 
ries, wild  crab  apples,  wild  blueberries,  and  the  like.  The  reason  is 
that  the  wild  varieties  are  not  as  readily  available  and  premium 
prices  can  be  obtained. 

An  additional  premium  is  available  for  the  housewife  who  is  re- 
sourceful in  selecting  unusual  glasses  and  crocks  and  jars,  and  as- 


1Q2  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

sembles  her  product  with  three  or  four  or  a  half-dozen  jars  invitingly 
boxed  for  gift  purposes  during  the  year-round  market. 

FRUIT    PRESERVES     FROM     HOME     GARAGE 

The  jelly-jam-preserve  specialist  can  often  make  additional  money 
by  home  preparation  of  the  products  on  order  for  her  less  ambitious 
neighbors.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  such  a  service  can  be  developed  on  a 
rather  large  scale,  as  reported  by  Clara  Belle  Thompson  and  Mar- 
garet Lukes  Wise  in  Jour  Life  magazine. 

"Mrs.  Eva  Elliott  was  a  woman  who  tried  the  oft-dreamed-of 
refuge  for  the  gentlewoman  in  distress.  1  guess  I'll  make  jellies.'  She 
made  them,  with  a  novel  twist.  Years  ago  she  went  to  a  medium- 
sized  midwest  town  as  a  bride.  Her  husband  was  a  real  estate  expert 
who  rose  swiftly  in  his  field.  There  were  two  cars  in  the  garage,  two 
maids,  and  his  wife  became  a  leading  light  in  women's  clubs  and 
the  town  social  life. 

"Then  the  crash  came— and  what  a  crash!  The  big  realty  company 
failed,  the  stock  market  went  nose-diving,  all  within  a  week.  It 
wasn't  a  case  of  things  going  from  bad  to  worse.  They  went  from 
good  to  terrible.  Action  had  to  be  immediate. 

"Mrs.  Elliott  walked  out  to  the  big  garage,  empty  of  its  fine,  ex- 
pensive cars.  She  measured  and  planned.  A  carpenter  soon  lined 
the  room  with  wooden  work  tables.  Gas  burners  were  set  up,  a 
sterilizer,  wash-boilers  for  the  jams,  and  handy  shelves.  The  Jelly 
Shop  was  founded. 

"But  what  about  capital?  What  about  the  money  for  fruit  and 
sugar  and  fuel?  That  was  the  ingenuity  of  the  idea.  Mrs.  Elliot  sent 
out  dozens  of  postcards  to  her  housekeeping  friends,  saying  she 
would  put  up  all  the  fruit  they  wanted  on  a  share  basis.  They  were 
to  supply  the  fruit,  she  the  sugar  and  service,  and  each  would  get 
half  of  the  results.  Her  half  she  sold  to  customers  in  the  Jelly  Shop. 
That  gave  her  a  good  basic  stock  on  her  shelves  for  the  price  of 
about  50  pounds  of  sugar. 

"In  winter,  Mrs.  Elliott  makes  marmalades— grapefruit,  orange, 
pineapple;  and  some  of  the  fruit,  nut  and  raisin  conserves.  She  has 
built  a  steady  year-round  business  with  country  clubs  and  other 
clubs  in  the  community.  But  her  main  source  of  income  continues 
to  be  that  little  self -starting  Jelly  Shop." 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  1Q3 


FAMILY-SIZE     JARS     OF     HOMEMADE     MARMALADE 

Mrs.  Caesar  Searthinger's  husband  was  an  avid  marmalade  fancier 
—he  loved  a  certain  old-fashioned  deep  orange  marmalade.  But  the 
last  war  interfered  drastically  with  the  supply.  Mr.  Searthinger  was 
unhappy  and  his  wife  found  herself  tracking  down  every  scent.  She 
couldn't  unearth  any,  so  she  did  the  next  best  thing— she  started 
making  it  herself.  She  got  hold  of  a  recipe,  concocted  some  in  her 
own  kitchen,  and  hubby  was  delighted.  So  were  a  few  neighbors 
who  got  a  taste.  Mrs.  Searthinger  heard  of  the  New  York  State  De- 
partment of  Commerce  Woman's  Program,  brought  down  a  sample, 
and  was  encouraged  to  go  into  business.  She  did— making  up  batches 
on  an  old  two-burner  oil  stove.  Soon  profits  enabled  her  to  buy  a 
shiny  modern  stove  and  the  stuff  is  being  turned  out  there,  in  her 
Bedford  Village,  New  York,  home.  The  product,  Old  Sussex  Marma- 
lade, is  sold  in  family-size  jars,  the  label  of  which  reproduces  a 
picture  of  the  four-hundred-year-old  Sussex  cottage  where  Mrs. 
Searthinger  lived  as  a  girl. 


FRUIT    JUICES     AND     RELISHES 

Countless  women  from  coast  to  coast  are  at  work  preparing  fruit 
juices,  pickles,  and  relishes.  And  there  are  few  communities  where 
the  woman  who  is  adept  in  preparing  and  packaging  such  items  can- 
not find  a  market  for  her  products  that  brings  in  seasonal  or  steady 
income.  In  some  cases  these  women,  as  in  the  case  of  Frances  Hall 
Perrins  of  Massachusetts,  develop  a  large  line  of  products  and  estab- 
lish full-fledged  businesses.  They  even  cash  in  on  fruit  juices  on  a 
wholesale  basis,  as  in  this  case  reported  in  the  Readers  Digest 
Manual  of  Small  Businesses: 

"Using  her  own  kitchen  as  a  workshop,  Mrs.  Bertha  Bobbitt  of 
Colorado  supplies  hotels,  restaurants,  bars,  and  schools  with  citrus 
fruit  juices,  squeezed  from  ripe  fruit  and  delivered  fresh  daily  in 
gallon  jars.  She  started  in  1939  with  an  investment  of  $15  in  a  sec- 
ond-hand commercial-size  juicer  and  the  necessary  enamel  pails  and 
glass  jars.  The  fruit  must  be  extracted  fresh  every  day.  No  preserva- 
tive is  used  and  the  juice  does  not  have  the  bitter  taste  of  rind  that 
results  when  the  whole  fruit  is  put  in  a  press. 

"The  price  is  determined  by  the  cost  of  the  fruit,  which  is  bought 


1Q4  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

from  wholesalers,  who  keep  a  two  weeks'  supply  in  storage  to  insure 
Mrs.  Bobbitt  against  shortage.  In  normal  times  she  sells  between  40 
and  50  gallons  of  juice  daily,  at  a  profit  of  about  50  cents  per  gallon. 
Her  enterprise  provides  employment  for  two  women.  A  coarse 
strainer  is  used  for  orange  juice,  and  cheesecloth  for  lemon  and  lime 
juices, 

"Sipping  straws,  cocktail  cherries,  olives  and  crackers  are  a  side- 
line. 

"Because  her  store  license  calls  for  wholesaling  only,  Mrs.  Bobbitt 
sells  only  in  quantity,  but  she  has  many  calls  from  private  families 
for  a  pint  or  quart  of  fresh  fruit  juice  to  be  delivered  daily,  and 
believes  that  a  retail  juice  service  would  be  profitable  in  some  com- 
munities. Principal  equipment  needed  is  a  commercial-size  extractor, 
glass  jars,  and  a  small  truck  or  car  for  delivery." 

Here  is  another  illustration  from  the  same  source:  "Only  $60  stood 
between  W.  M.  Fairbanks  and  a  breadline  in  1929,  when  he  invested 
in  16  pounds  of  honey  and  100  pounds  of  horse-radish.  He  put  the 
honey  in  pint  and  quart  jars,  ground  and  bottled  the  horse-radish, 
then  loaded  these  food  products  into  his  Chevrolet  and  made  house- 
to-house  calls.  He  netted  $13.45  the  first  day. 

"Soon  he  added  catsup,  pickles,  sauerkraut,  relishes  and  various 
other  items,  bought  in  bulk  and  packaged  in  his  kitchen  with  the 
help  of  his  wife.  In  the  Fall  he  sold  33  50-gallon  barrels  of  vinegar 
for  pickling,  and  added  mincemeat,  sandwich  spread,  salad  dressing, 
etc.,  to  his  line.  By  the  end  of  the  year  Fairbanks  was  employing  two 
helpers  and  grossing  $50  to  $75  a  day. 

"This  type  of  business  can  be  started  in  a  home  by  a  couple;  the 
wife  cooking  and  packaging,  the  husband  soliciting  and  delivering. 
Success  depends  on  quality  products,  unusual  in  their  freshness  and 
flavor,  and  offered  at  a  reasonable  price.  Inexpensive  waxed  card- 
board containers  and  paper  bags  can  be  used  for  many  products. 
Buying  must  be  done  in  bulk  from  wholesalers,  farmers  or  other 
sources. 

"House-to-house  selling  requires  careful  selection  of  prospects, 
regular  calls,  a  line  broad  enough  to  insure  a  sale  of  one  item  at  least 
on  each  call.  Suitable  items  include  fresh-roasted  coffee;  home-made 
jams,  jellies  and  preserves;  fresh  and  cured  meat  specialties.  Cash 
payment  should  be  insisted  upon. 

"Inspection  regulations  for  food  packaging  and  local  license  re- 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  1Q5 

quirements  should  be  carefully  investigated  before  starting  such  an 
enterprise." 

SELECTING  YOUR  PRESERVING  SPECIALTIES 

Consider  the  scores  and  scores  of  marketable  possibilities  among 
preserved  products,  some  of  which  you  may  already  make  expertly. 
You  may  have  your  own  special  recipe.  If  not,  the  special  and  stand- 
ard cookbooks  are  readily  available. 

Consider  the  possibilities  in  brandied  fruits,  canned  or  jarred 
fruits,  canned  juices  and  nectars,  fruit  butters,  preserves,  jams,  fruit 
jellies,  conserves,  marmalades,  spiced  fruits,  relishes,  pickles,  herb 
and  wine  vinegars,  meats  and  fowl. 

HELPFUL    BOOKS    AND    PAMPHLETS    FOR    PRESERVERS 

Canning,  Preserving  and  Jelly  Making,  by  Janet  M.  Hill  &  Sally  Larkin. 

Little,  Brown  &  Co.,  34  Beacon  St.,  Boston  6,  Mass. 
The  Pocket  Book  of  Home  Canning,  by  Elizabeth  Beveridge.  Pocket 

Books,  Inc.,  630  5th  Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.Y. 
Home-made  Jellies,  Jams,  and  Preserves.  Fanner's  Bulletin  No.  1800. 

Free.  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington  25,  D.C. 
How  to  Make  Perfect  Jams  and  Jellies.  Pamphlet.  Meredith  Publishing 

Co.,  1716  Locust  St.,  Des  Moines  3,  la. 
How  to  Preserve  Food,  by  Walter  W.  Chenoweth.  Houghton  Mifflin  Co., 

2  Park  St.,  Boston  7,  Mass. 
See  helpful  books  listed  in  other  food  chapters. 


CHAPTER     TWENTY-NINE 

Cakes,  Cookies,  Pies,  and  Profits  at  Home 


BIG  BAKERIES  have  developed  a  multitude  of  so-called  "just  as  good 
as"  cakes  and  cookies  and  pies  that  they  sell  at  a  price,  and  often,  by 
some  magic  of  chemists'  laboratories,  make  their  products  instantly 
identifiable  as  "bakery  stuff."  Probably  they  are  worth  the  price,  but 
because  so  many  bakery  products  have  eliminated  or  minimized  the 


196  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

elements  many  people  love,  there  is  a  steady  market  almost  every- 
where for  good  old-fashioned  home-baked  products.  And  people 
are  willing  to  pay  a  premium  price  for  the  premium  home  product 
that  involves  the  home  cook's  individual  resourcefulness. 

Good  old  reliable  homemade  fruitcake  is  still  selling  throughout 
the  land  despite  the  competition  of  mass  producers.  Sometimes  an 
old  reliable  recipe  simply  forces  women  into  a  home  kitchen  busi- 
ness. A  couple  of  good  illustrations  in  point  are  given  by  Eleanor 
M.  Marshall  in  Woman's  Life  magazine. 

Mrs.  Jewel  Bradt  of  Sherburn,  Minnesota,  wanted  to  fill  in  time, 
of  which  she  had  an  excess,  after  her  children  married  and  she  was 
left  alone.  Because  she  was  deservedly  famous  for  her  wine  fruit- 
cakes, she  baked  a  dozen  of  them  to  ship  to  friends  and  relatives  all 
over  the  world.  They  were  so  well  received  that  she  found  herself  in 
business— a  business  that  was  soon  earning  as  much  as  $35,000  an- 
nually. 

Mrs.  Grace  Rush  is  another  successful  businesswoman  who  might 
never  have  capitalized  on  her  knowledge  of  baking  had  it  not  been 
for  the  efforts  of  a  clerk  in  a  fine  New  York  grocery  store  to  sell  her 
a  fruitcake.  She  claimed  that  she  could  bake  a  fruitcake  that  was  far 
superior  to  the  one  the  store  carried,  and  her  refusal  to  buy  it  was 
so  emphatic  that  the  matter  was  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  man- 
ager. He  demanded  proof  that  Mrs.  Rush  was  not  talking  through 
her  hat.  Her  proof  was  strong  enough  to  found  a  business. 

The  manager  was  so  well  pleased  with  the  sample  cake  that  Mrs. 
Rush  submitted  to  him  that  he.  placed  an  order  for  five  hundred. 
She  called  in  her  neighbors  to  help  her  fill  the  order  when  she 
arrived  home  in  Cincinnati.  Her  kitchen  soon  proved  too  small  to 
handle  her  volume  of  business,  and  she  built  a  factory  where  she 
employs  thirty  neighbors  and  all  of  her  family.  Today  Grace  A. 
Rush,  Inc.,  is  a  thriving  enterprise. 

Although  it  frequently  happens  that  home  kitchen  businesses  soon 
outgrow  the  home,  there  are  resourceful  operators  who  prefer  to 
hold  to  the  home  kitchen  appeal  and  by  streamlining  their  opera- 
tions avoid  rental  of  space  or  cost  of  erecting  factories.  A  case  in 
point  is  that  of  the  sisters  Anne  and  Rachel  Mauger,  who  still  pro- 
duce Guernsey  House  products  from  a  suburban  home  kitchen  in 
New  Jersey,  supplying  individuals  and  exclusive  stores  with  their 
fruitcake  products. 

For  two  hundred  years  the  womenfolk  of  the  Mauger  households 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  1Q7 

had  been  producing  a  highly  desirable  fruitcake  from  an  ancient 
recipe,  and  the  New  Jersey  sisters  were  no  exceptions.  They,  how- 
ever, decided  to  offer  their  cake  for  market,  and  sought  the  advice 
of  an  expert  of  the  New  York  Woman's  Council.  Although  first-rate 
fruitcake  does  sell,  the  competition  is  keen,  and  the  Mauger  sisters 
drew  on  their  resourcefulness  to  offer  something  different  and  more 
appealing,  an  offshoot  product  that  was  more  their  own  and  harder 
to  imitate.  So  the  Maugers  turned  out  little  bite-size  individual  fruit- 
cakes, hand-dipped  in  rum  and  packaged  like  candies  in  little  silver- 
foil  cups.  They  also  market  what  they  call  "Rum  Crumbles,"  broken 
little  bits  of  fruitcake  soaked  in  rum  for  flavoring.  The  crumbles  are 
used  on  ice  cream  and  as  topping  for  other  desserts.  Later  on  they 
added  plum  puddings  packaged  in  attractive  bowls,  fruitcake  slices, 
and  little  containers  of  whole-strawberry  jam.  All  of  the  products 
are  beautifully  packaged  and  premium-priced  and  sold  in  luxury 
food  stores,  such  as  Charles  and  Company,  and  by  direct  mail.  They 
were  helped  along  the  way  by  the  New  York  and  Brooklyn  Woman's 
Exchanges. 

Individualization  of  the  product  was  also  an  important  factor  in 
the  success  of  Mrs.  Roy  Braden  of  Dallas,  Texas.  Many  years  ago  she 
began  baking  and  selling  six  cakes  a  week,  but  it  was  not  until  she 
specialized  in  bite-size  tea  cakes  that  the  orders  started  flowing  in 
in  large  numbers  and  volume  mounted  steadily.  Besides  the  quality 
of  her  product,  it  was  the  originality  and  appeal  of  the  tiny  cakes 
that  put  her  offerings  away  out  front.  Finally  Mrs.  Braden  opened  a 
$200,000  bakery  and  turned  out  a  thousand  cakes  daily. 

Although  there  will  always  be  markets  for  excellent  home-baked 
products,  if  you  can  glamorize  or  specialize  your  product  you  may 
find  it  easier  to  sell  more,  and  at  a  larger  profit.  Violinist  Eva  Block 
had  that  "extra  ingredient"  that  made  it  possible  for  her  to  open  her 
Kitchen  Cadenza  in  New  York.  She  is  a  violinist,  a  teacher,  a  lec- 
turer on  music  appreciation— and  also  an  excellent  cook.  From  her 
kitchen  come  fine  cakes  made  to  special  order  and  each  one  with  a 
musical  name:  Fruitcake  Humoresque,  Cheesecake  Fantasia,  Wal- 
nut Cream  Concerto,  Marble  Cake  Intermezzo,  Sunshine  Symphony 
Spongecake.  The  cakes  are  produced  on  twenty-four-hour  advance 
notice  for  area  delivery  and  the  Fruitcake  Humoresque  is  a  mail- 
order item. 

An  extremely  rich  chocolate  cake,  so  different  from  other  choco- 
late cakes  that  it  is  virtually  a  confection,  turned  the  Forest  Hills, 


198  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Long  Island,  kitchenette  of  Mme.  Colette  Herbert  into  a  home  busi- 
ness. Mme.  Herbert  learned  to  cook  in  her  home  in  France.  She 
came  to  this  country  a  few  years  ago,  a  widow.  Not  long  ago  a  friend 
asked  her  to  make  a  rich  chocolate  cake  for  a  special  occasion.  The 
guests  all  wanted  more  of  the  same  and  Mme.  Herbert  was  in  busi- 
ness at  home.  This  particular  cake  is  not  the  towering,  many-storied 
cake  so  often  offered.  It  is  only  seven  inches  in  diameter  and  an  inch 
and  a  half  thick.  It  is  sprinkled  with  chocolate  shavings  and  is  made 
from  a  family  recipe  that  calls  for  French  rice  flour  and  other  in- 
gredients that  make  it  an  exceptionally  delightful  and  rich  dessert 
for  anyone  who  is  not  on  a  reducing  diet.  It  has  its  own  special 
appeal. 

This  matter  of  special  appeal  could  not  be  overemphasized.  It  is 
highly  important  for  every  home  kitchen  baker  to  consider  ways  and 
means  of  making  the  product  offer  something  special,  something 
different  for  the  particular  market  in  mind.  While  Patricia  Chamber- 
lain's navy  veteran  husband  was  studying  at  Yale  with  government 
assistance,  he  protested  to  her  that  there  were  no  good  old-style 
home-baked  cookies  available  at  the  campus  milk  bar.  There  were 
plenty  of  neatly  packaged  commercial  baker  varieties,  but  nothing 
with  that  old  homemade  appeal  to  the  young  men  on  the  campus. 
Instead  of  merely  listening  to  the  gripe  and  offering  sympathetic 
comment,  Patricia  Chamberlain  recognized  a  good  idea  and  did 
something  about  it.  She  dug  up  a  good  cookbook  and  went  to  work 
making  old  home-style  cookies  that  vanished  rapidly  from  the  milk 
bar  where  her  husband  had  them  put  on  sale.  The  Yale  men  liked 
her  cookies  so  well  that  the  Chamberlains  averaged  $400  a  month 
on  their  sale  until  he  was  graduated. 

The  housewife  who  turns  to  her  home  oven  for  part-time  profits 
needs  also  to  become  sales-minded.  Although  she  should  not  expect 
to  adopt  all  of  the  "tricks"  of  the  professionals,  she  should  keep  in 
mind  that  there  is  much  to  be  learned  from  their  sales  appeals,  and 
that  almost  invariably  the  professional  started  just  as  she  is  doing— 
in  her  home  kitchen.  There  are,  for  instance,  many  tips  to  be  found 
in  the  well-known  story  of  celebrated  Nesselrode  pies  and  cookies 
produced  by  the  Spiers— Hortense,  her  daughter  Ruth,  and  Ruth's 
sister-in-law  Mildred. 

Hortense  Spier  started  it  all  over  thirty  years  ago.  She  was  a  home 
cook  whose  family  and  friends  praised  as  they  consumed.  There 
came  a  day  when  the  family  encountered  financial  pressure,  and  to 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  1Q9 

stretch  the  family  income,  Mrs.  Spier  opened  a  bakeshop  and  res- 
taurant in  their  old  New  York  brownstone-front  home.  It  was  her 
Nesselrode  pie  that  caught  the  main  fancy  of  customers  and  the 
word  spread.  It  is  a  high  pie  from  her  own  old  and  secret  recipe,  a 
pie  that  no  man  can  describe  without  benefit  of  sparkling  eyes  and 
animal  sounds  of  delight,  a  pie  with  a  cream  filling  and  mixed  fruits 
whipped  into  a  dream  and  topped  with  bits  of  shaved  chocolate  and 
packed  into  an  almost  tissue-thin  crust  or  shell  that  remains  crisp 
and  flaky.  It  is  a  pie— well  it  is  one  of  the  Spiers'  thirty-five  pies  that 
are  featured  in  more  than  five  hundred  restaurants  in  the  New  York 
area.  A  housewife  turned  her  home  kitchen  product  into  revenue 
and  a  highly  profitable  business  resulted. 

But  here  we  go  all  over  again  with  the  old  story  of  a  product  for 
self  and  friends  that  is  commercialized.  The  Spier  sisters  had  been 
going  along  for  twenty  years  as  pie  specialists,  but  baking  cookies 
only  for  home  consumption  and  for  friends.  One  day  they  took  a 
box  of  their  cookies  to  a  hospital  and  the  nurse  later  informed  them 
that  their  patient  friend,  who  had  no  appetite,  had  rapidly  consumed 
the  cookies  with  milk.  And  an  idea  was  born.  Cookies  packed  like 
candies  for  gifts! 

There  you  have  it.  Not  just  plain  cookies.  Something  special  has 
been  added.  You  may  have  seen  these  cookies— tiny  little  fellows, 
petits  fours,  looking  like  candies  row  on  row,  forty-four  to  forty- 
eight  of  them,  hand-packed  in  a  one-pound  box,  protected  and 
separated  and  cellophane-sealed  to  keep  them  fresh  for  six  weeks  if 
unopened.  The  rose  and  lavender  cooky  box  is  decorated  with  a 
Paris  street  scene.  The  cookies  themselves  are  individually  shaped 
and  decorated  and  resemble  exquisite  candies.  They  are  essentially 
butter  cookies,  but  some  are  sprinkled  with  shaved  hazel  nuts  and 
sugar  and  spice,  a  chocolate  puff,  a  triangle  topped  with  other  com- 
binations, half  circles,  sandwiches,  and  the  like.  Resourceful  women 
have  here  taken  the  old  home  butter  cooky  and  glamorized  it  and 
made  it  a  prized  item  that  draws  a  special  price  for  the  special  offer- 
ing. 

Although  friends  and  neighbors,  local  shops,  and  women's  ex- 
changes will  probably  always  provide  a  market  for  first-class,  cello- 
phane-packaged cookies,  the  resourceful  housewife  is  urged  to  con- 
sider the  possibilities  in  development  of  more  appealing  packages 
and  novelty  that  will  make  her  product  desirable  for  reasons  beyond 
sheer  "eatability." 


200  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Every  mother  knows  that  even  the  ravenous,  all-consuming  belly 
of  a  little  boy  or  girl  welcomes  a  gingerbread  Christmas  tree  or 
gingerbread  man  in  preference  to  the  good  old  round  standard 
product.  Some  time  ago  Irene  Glenn  began  to  become  famous  for 
her  gingerbread  characters,  particularly  her  Mother  Goose  designs. 

It  was  a  good  idea  then  and  it's  a  good  idea  now,  and  offers  possi- 
bilities for  development  restricted  only  by  your  own  ingenuity.  A 
very  few  years  ago  Janet  Dunkelbarger  of  Poughkeepsie,  New  York, 
decided  that  she  wanted  to  make  out-of -routine  cookies  as  her  home 
kitchen  career,  and  got  in  touch  with  Irene  Glenn,  who  helped  her, 
and  with  representatives  of  the  New  York  Woman's  Program,  who 
also  helped  her. 

Perhaps  you  have  seen  and  tasted  the  Story  Book  cookies  that  re- 
sulted from  Janet  Dunkelbarger's  research  and  energy  and  resource- 
fulness. They  are  handled  by  a  Woman's  Exchange  in  Brooklyn, 
America  House  in  New  York  City,  and  other  outlets.  Janet's  ginger- 
bread family  involves  special  designs  for  every  major  holiday  and  a 
variety  of  trains  and  Teddy  bears,  hobbyhorses,  and  other  animals 
and  toys  designed  to  be  used  as  gifts  or  party  favors  or  just  plain 
good  eating. 

Homemade  cookies,  cakes,  and  pies  can  be  sold  through  small 
classified  or  display  advertisements  announcing  their  availability 
for  parties  or  regular  occasions;  by  letters  and  postal  cards  sent  to 
friends  and  neighbors;  by  telephone;  and,  probably  best  of  all,  by 
display.  Many  home  bakers  have  arranged  with  local  shops,  delica- 
tessens, and  groceries,  or  with  women's  exchanges,  to  display  their 
wares.  The  more  sales-minded  housewives  will  use  the  telephone 
and  postal  cards  to  notify  friends  and  neighbors  that  their  products 
are  on  sale,  either  regularly  or  on  special  days  at  specified  stores. 
This  added  sales  push  sends  customers  to  the  stores  and  increases 
your  profits,  and  it  also  serves  to  notify  the  store  proprietor  that 
there  is  a  definite  demand  for  your  product.  On  occasion  this  will 
result  in  the  store  operator  giving  your  products  a  choice  counter 
display  that  is  certain  to  increase  sales  and  step  up  volume  and 
total  profits. 


CHAPTER     THIRTY 

How  to  Turn  Dough  into  "Dough"  at  Home 

MODERN  MILLING  and  manufacturing  methods  have  kept  millions  of 
our  people  from  ever  having  tasted  the  delights  of  good  old- 
fashioned  homemade  bread,  and  also  deprived  them  of  the  rich 
fragrance  that  makes  taste  buds  drool.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  modern 
breads,  many  of  them,  have  been  so  refined  in  order  to  make  long 
storage  of  ingredients  possible  that  many  modern  bread  eaters  have 
to  go  to  the  family  doctor  and  then  to  the  corner  drugstore  and  buy 
in  bottles  the  minerals  and  vitamins  of  which  they  have  been  de- 
prived. This  modern  mass-manufacturing  process  has  made  it  possi- 
ble for  many  women  from  coast  to  coast  to  turn  out  batches  of 
homemade  bread  and  sell  it  at  a  premium  to  those  who  appreciate 
the  fine  taste  and  texture  and  rich  food  values  of  old-fashioned 
home-baked  bread. 

Periodically  my  wife  turns  out  golden  loaves,  and  at  holiday 
seasons  I  have  seen  men  and  women  guests  slight  their  desserts  and 
beg  for  more  of  the  good  old-fashioned  staff  of  life.  Others  do  the 
same  for  their  own  satisfaction.  And  others  carry  the  process  further 
and  let  friends  and  neighbors  know  that  on  order  and  on  certain 
days  homemade  bread  is  available  at  a  price.  Here  is  the  opportunity 
for  women  who  do  not  want  to  specialize  in  fancy  food  specialties- 
women  who  already  know  how  to  make  bread. 

Women,  however,  are  not  the  only  ones  who  cash  in  on  home- 
made, hand-kneaded  loaves.  Allan  Keller,  staff  writer  for  the  New 
York  World-Telegram  and  Sun,  reports  the  case  of  Dan  Casey, 
retired  on  pension.  "My  wife  was  buying  regular  bread  from  a  store 
and  throwing  it  out  half  eaten  because  it  tasted  like  blotting  paper," 
said  Mr.  Casey.  "I  started  thinking  about  how  to  make  a  better 
loaf." 

His  taste  for  good  bread  and  search  for  a  better  loaf  prompted 
keen  interest  in  outdoor-hearth-type  ovens  used  by  the  women  in 


202  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

French  Canadian  areas.  The  hearth-baking  method  intrigued  him 
and  for  a  long  time  the  Casey  kitchen  in  Orange,  New  Jersey,  was 
a  place  of  experimentation.  "I  decided  honey  was  better  than  sugar, 
for  a  lot  of  reasons,  most  of  them  chemical,"  he  said.  "Then  I  used 
whole  milk  and  wheat  germs.  The  day  the  family  ate  three  loaves  in 
one  afternoon  without  waiting  for  it  to  cool,  I  knew  I'd  hit  the  jack- 
pot." 

Mr.  Casey  prevailed  upon  a  local  baker  to  install  soapstone  slabs 
in  his  ovens  and  step  up  production  that  brought  in  profits.  "No 
more  of  this  lily-livered,  pasty  white  plastic  stuff  for  me,"  he  said. 
"On  my  tombstone  I  want  'em  to  carve  these  words,  'He  made  bread 
that  tasted  good!'  What  more  do  you  want?" 

Somewhat  different  motives  prompted  the  development  of  the 
Pepperidge  Farm  loaves  from  Norwalk,  Connecticut.  You  have 
probably  read  the  story  of  Margaret  Rudkin's  success,  but  it  is 
worth  repeating.  Several  years  ago  the  Rudkins'  child  was  suffering 
from  asthma.  A  friend  told  Mrs.  Rudkin  of  a  noted  doctor  who  ap- 
parently secured  good  results  by  having  allergy  patients  eat  a  high 
protein  diet.  The  doctor  told  her  that  sometimes  we  are  starved  for 
lack  of  right  food  values,  such  as  are  available  in  stone-ground 
whole-wheat  flour. 

Mrs.  Rudkin  had  never  in  her  life  made  a  loaf  of  bread,  but  she 
decided  she  would  try  to  produce  an  old-fashioned  homemade  prod- 
uct using  the  old  cookbook  recipes  calling  for  stone-ground  whole- 
wheat flour,  pure  honey,  fresh,  whole  dairy  milk,  pure  butter,  and 
the  like,  seldom  used  in  making  bread  today.  The  first  batch  was 
soggy  and  uninviting,  but  continued  practice  soon  resulted  in  a 
delicious  loaf  and  the  asthmatic  child  loved  it.  There  is  no  flat  claim 
that  the  home-baked  bread  alone  cured  the  child,  but  nevertheless 
the  child  grew  stronger. 

Friends  who  tasted  the  bread  urged  Mrs.  Rudkin  to  put  it  on  the 
market.  She  made  eight  loaves  and  asked  a  local  grocer  to  taste  it. 
That  was  all  that  was  needed  to  start  her  in  business.  The  loaves 
sold  almost  immediately  and  the  grocer  ordered  more.  One  of  her 
difficulties  was  in  securing  stone-ground  flour,  but  Mrs.  Rudkin 
learned  of  a  Connecticut  man  who  as  a  hobby  ground  his  own 
flour  in  a  little  old-fashioned  mill.  Henry  Rudkin,  successful  on  Wall 
Street,  had  been  amused  by  his  wife's  commercial  efforts,  but  as  the 
volume  grew  he  stepped  in  to  help  her  establish  business  methods 
of  operation  and  technical  procedures.  The  Street  lost  him  and  he 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  2O3 

became  an  outstanding  milling  expert  as  volume  increased  to  several 
thousands  of  loaves  a  day.  The  home  kitchen  forced  moving  of 
operations  to  the  renovated  stables,  then  to  a  deserted  gas  station, 
and  eventually  to  a  new  plant  in  which  the  old  hand-kneading 
methods  still  prevail. 

Home-mixed  dough  also  appealed  to  Mrs.  Mary  B.  Merritt  of 
Montgomery,  Alabama,  many  years  ago.  Circumstances  made  it 
necessary  for  her  to  earn  a  living  for  her  two  children  and  herself. 
She  knew  nothing  about  business,  but  that  didn't  stop  her,  and  she 
had  an  idea.  The  results  of  that  idea  are  reported  by  Clementine 
Paddleford  in  a  Readers  Digest  small-business  manual. 

"She  recalled  that  in  her  attic  was  a  small,  hand-operable  machine 
for  making  beaten  biscuit,  which  had  been  given  to  her  and  which 
she  had  never  used.  Why  not  make  and  sell  beaten  biscuit,  a  prized 
delicacy  that  most  people  found  were  too  much  trouble  to  make? 

"An  invention  of  some  forgotten  Negro  cook  of  the  old  South, 
beaten  biscuits  were  originally  made  by  pounding  the  dough  at 
least  100  times  with  a  club.  The  crank-turned  beater,  then  a  recent 
innovation,  made  the  job  easier  and  quicker,  but  few  people  owned 
one. 

"Since  she  was  then  several  hundred  dollars  in  debt,  Mrs.  Merritt 
bought  on  credit  the  necessary  ingredients:  flour,  shortening,  milk, 
sugar,  salt.  With  this  modest  start  began  a  venture  that  now  does 
business  with  6,000  stores  in  42  states,  and  earns  a  handsome  net 
profit. 

"Mrs.  Merritt's  grocer  agreed  to  try  to  sell  her  first  batch.  He  was 
successful.  Orders  began  to  come  from  other  Southern  cities,  and 
then  people  in  remote  states  wrote  to  her  for  biscuits.  In  a  few 
years  a  Southern  delicacy  became  nationally  famous  .  .  . 

"The  business  gives  employment  to  about  18  men  and  women. 
From  the  start,  Mrs.  Merritt  has  increased  wages  as  each  of  her 
workers  deserved.  She  cut  working  hours  long  before  Alabama 
passed  labor  laws. 

"Steadily  mounting  profits  have  been  returned  to  the  workers  in 
higher  wages,  and  to  the  business  in  the  form  of  improved  equip- 
ment for  the  kitchen,  which  is  still  housed  in  the  Merritt  home.  In 
her  garden  has  been  built  a  little  white  bungalow  which  serves  as 
an  office.  The  average  daily  output  is  3,000  dozen  biscuits,  and  Mrs. 
Merritt  has  plans  for  expansion/' 

It  was  some  twenty-five  years  ago  that  Mrs.  Merritt  launched  her 


2O4  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

small  home  business  with  biscuits,  but  it  was  only  back  in  about 
1949  that  Mrs.  George  Malcom  of  Norfolk,  Connecticut,  did  the 
same  thing  with  a  different  biscuit  that  within  three  years  was  sell- 
ing in  the  specialty  stores  such  as  Charles  &  Company,  and  tomor- 
row it  may  be  many  of  you,  in  various  sections  of  the  country,  who 
will  be  starting  a  home  business  that  will  grow  apace. 

Mrs.  Malcom  found  a  recipe  for  a  special  biscuit.  She  tried  the 
recipe  just  for  a  lark.  She  made  it  again  and  altered  the  ingredients 
somewhat,  finally  developing  a  neat  little  diamond-shaped  cracker 
called  "Karat."  It  is  used  for  various  snack  spreads  such  as  caviar 
for  cocktail  bites.  She  has,  in  her  home  kitchen,  developed  and  pro- 
duced a  very  new  food  specialty  and  a  homemade  income. 

What  are  you  waiting  for? 


HELPFUL     BOOKS     PROVIDING     THOUSANDS     OF 
RECIPES     AND     POSSIBILITIES     FOR 
HOME-PROFIT     COOKS 

Better  Homes  6-  Gardens  Cook  Book.  Meredith  Publishing  Co.,  1716 

Locust  St.,  Des  Monies  3,  la. 
Boston  Cooking-School  Book,  by  Fannie  M.  Farmer;  revised  by  Wilma  L. 

Perkins.  Little,  Brown  &  Co.,  34  Beacon  St.,  Boston  6,  Mass. 
Home  Institute  Cook  Book,  New  York  Herald  Tribune  Home  Institute. 

Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  597  5th  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 
The  Settlement  Cook  Book,  by  Lizzie  B.  Kander.  Settlement  Cook  Book 

Co.,  715  North  Van  Buren  St.,  Milwaukee  2,  Wis. 
The  American  Woman's  Cook  Book,  by  Ruth  Berolzheimer.  Garden  City 

Publishing  Co.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
The  Good  Housekeeping  Cook  Book,  Dorothy  B.  Marsh,  editor.  Rinehart 

&  Co.,  Inc.,  232  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Woman's  Home  Companion  Cook  Book,  Dorothy  Kirk,  editor.  Greystone 

Press,  100  6th  Ave.,  New  York  13,  N.Y. 
Antoinette  Pope  School  Cookbook,  by  Antoinette  and  Francois  Pope.  The 

Macmillan  Co.,  60  5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
Betty  Crocker's  Picture  Cook  Book.  McGraw-Hill  Book  Co.,  330  West 

42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
The  Complete  Book  of  Home  Baking,  by  Ann  Seranne.  Doubleday  &  Co., 

Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Everybody's  Cook  Book,  by  Isabel  E.  Lord.  Harcourt,  Brace  &  Co.,  Inc., 

383  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 
The  Gold  Cook  Book,  by  Louis  P.  de  Gouy.  Greenberg  Publisher,  201 

East  57th  St.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
The  Complete  Menu  Book,  by  Gladys  T.  Lang.  Houghton  Mifflin  Co., 

2  Park  St.,  Boston  7,  Mass. 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  2O$ 

Culinary  Arts  Institute  Encyclopedic  Cookbook,  Ruth  Berolzheimer,  edi- 
tor. Grosset  &  Dunlap,  Inc.,  1107  Broadway,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
Modern  Encyclopedia  of  Cooking,  by  Meta  Givens.  Garden  City  Publish- 
ing Co.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Making  Money  in  Your  Kitchen,  by  Helen  Stone  Hovey.  Wilfred  Funk, 

Inc.,  33  West  46th  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
The  Brown  Derby  Cook  Book.  Brown  Derby  Restaurants.  Doubleday  & 

Co.,  Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Soups,  Salads  and  Gravies,  by  Cora  Brown  &  others.  J.  B.  Lippincott  Co., 

East  Washington  Sq.,  Philadelphia  5,  Pa. 
The  Art  of  Egg  Cookery,  by  Ann  Seranne.  Doubleday  &  Co.,  Inc.,  575 

Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
The  Art  of  Cheese  Cookery,  by  Nika  Standen.  Doubleday  &  Co.,  Inc., 

575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Fish  and  Game  Cook  Book,  by  Harry  Botsford.  Cornell  Maritime  Press, 

Box  386,  Cambridge,  Md. 
Reducers  Cook  Book,  by  Ann  Williams-Heller.  Wilfred  Funk,  Inc.,  33 

West  46th  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
Frozen  Food  Cook  Book,  by  Jean  J.  Simpson  &  Demetria  M.  Taylor. 

Simon  &  Schuster,  Inc.,  630  5th  Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.Y. 
Pressure  Cooking,  by  Ida  Bailey  Allen.  Garden  City  Publishing  Co.,  575 

Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Cooking  for  Christ:  The  Liturgical  Year  in  the  Kitchen,  by  Florence  S. 

Berger.  National  Catholic  Rural  Life  Conference,  3801  Grand  Ave., 

Des  Moines  12,  la. 
Date  with  a  Dish:  A  Cook  Book  of  American  Negro  Recipes,  by  Freda  de 

Knight.  Hermitage  House,  Inc.,  8  West  13th  St.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
Jewish  Cookery,  by  Leah  W.  Leonard.  Crown  Publishers,  419  4th  Ave., 

New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Jewish  Cook  Book,  by  Mildred  G.  Bellin.  Tudor  Publishing  Co.,  221  4th 

Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 

Regional  Cooking 
America  Cooks:  Favorite  Recipes  from  the  48  States,  by  Cora  Brown  & 

others.  Blue  Ribbon  Books,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
American  Regional  Cookery,  by  Sheila  Hibben.  Little,  Brown  &  Co.,  34 

Beacon  St.,  Boston  6,  Mass. 
The  Countryman's  Cookbook,  by  Hay  den  S.  Pearson.  McGraw-Hill  Book 

Co.,  330  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
United  States  Regional  Cook  Book,  by  Ruth  Berolzheimer.  Garden  City 

Publishing  Co.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Secrets  of  New  England  Cooking,  by  Ella  Bowles  &  Dorothy  Towle.  M. 

Barrows  &  Col.,  Inc.,  425  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
The  New  Connecticut  Cookbook:  Being  a  Collection  of  Recipes  from 

Connecticut  Kitchens.  Women's  Club  of  Westport.  Harper  &  Bros., 

49  East  33rd  St.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 

Good  Maine  Food,  by  Marjorie  Mosser.  Doubleday  &  Co.,  Inc.,  575  Madi- 
son Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 


206  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

The  Pennsylvania  Dutch  Cook  Book,  by  Ruth  Hutchinson.  Harper  & 

Bros.,  49  East  33rd  St.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
The  Best  from  Midwest  Kitchens,  by  Ada  B.  Lothe  &  others.  William 

Morrow  &  Co.,  Inc.,  425  4th  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Food  of  My  Friends,  by  Virginia  Safford.  University  of  Minnesota  Press, 

10  Nicholson  Hall,  Minneapolis  14,  Minn. 
The  California  Cook  Book  for  Indoor  and  Outdoor  Cooking,  by  Genevieve 

Callahan.  M.  Barrows  &  Co.,  Inc.,  425  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Out  of  Kentucky  Kitchens,  by  Marion  Flexner.  Franklin  Watts,  Inc.,  699 

Madison  Ave.,  New  York  21,  N.Y. 
200  "fears  of  Charleston  Cooking,  by  Blanche  Rhett.  Random  House,  Inc., 

457  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
New  Orleans  Cook  Book,  by  Lena  Richard.  Houghton  Mifflin  Co.,  2  Park 

St.,  Boston  7,  Mass. 
The  Texas  Cookbook,  by  Arthur  &  Bobbie  Coleman.  A.  A.  Wyn,  Inc.,  23 

West  47th  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
A  Taste  of  Texas:  A  Book  of  Recipes  Compiled  for  Neiman-Marcus,  Jane 

Trahey,  editor.  Random  House,  Inc.,  457  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22, 

N.Y. 

Foreign  Cooking 
Recipes  of  All  Nations,  by  Marcelle  Morphy.  Wm.  H.  Wise  &  Co.,  Inc., 

50  West  47th  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
Cooking  with  a  Foreign  Flavor,  by  Florence  L.  Harris.  M.  Barrows  &  Co., 

Inc.,  425  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
The  Real  Dutch  Cook  Book,  by  Ada  Boni.  Crown  Publishers,  419  4th 

Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Good  Food  from  the  Near  East,  by  Joan  Rowland.  M.  Barrows  &  Co.,  Inc., 

425  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Far  Eastern  Cookery,  by  Elinor  Burt.  Little,  Brown  &  Co.,  34  Beacon  St., 

Boston  6,  Mass. 
Hawaiian  and  Pacific  Foods,  by  Katherine  Bazore.  M.  Barrows  &  Co.,  Inc., 

425  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
New  Chinese  Recipes:   Using  Only  Ingredients  Easily  Obtainable  in 

Neighborhood  Stores,  by  Fred  Wing.  Edelmuth  Co.,  6  Beekman  St., 

New  York  7,  N.Y. 

Chinese  Cookery:  A  Hundred  Practical  Recipes,  by  M.  P.  Lee.  Trans- 
atlantic Arts,  Forest  Hills,  N.Y. 
Japanese  Cookbook:  One  Hundred  Favorite  Japanese  Recipes  for  Western 

Cooks,  by  Aya  Kagawa.  P.  D.  &  lone  Perkins,  Box  167,  South  Pasa- 
dena, Calif. 
Louis  Diat's  Home  Cookbook:  French  Cooking  for  Americans,  by  Louis 

Diat.  J.  B.  Lippincott  Co.,  East  Washington  Sq.,  Philadelphia  5,  Pa. 
Home  Book  of  French  Cookery,  by  Germaine  Carter.  Doubleday  &  Co., 

Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Andre  Simons  French  Cook  Book,  by  Andr6  Simon  &  Crosby  Gaige. 

Little,  Brown  &  Co.,  34  Beacon  St.,  Boston  6,  Mass. 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  £07 

The  Cordon  Bleu  Cook  Book,  by  Dione  Lucas.  Little,  Brown  &  Co.,  84 

Beacon  St.,  Boston  6,  Mass. 
Escoffier  Cook  Book,  by  Auguste  Escoffier.  Crown  Publishers,  419  4th 

Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
The  Art  of  Italian  Cooking,  by  Maria  Lo  Pinto  &  Milo  Miloradovich. 

Doubleday  &  Co.,  Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Italian  Cooking  for  the  American  Kitchen,  by  Garibaldi  M.  Lapolla.  Wil- 
fred Funk,  Inc.,  153  East  24th  St.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
Talisman  Italian  Cook  Book,  by  Ada  Boni.  Crown  Publishers,  419  4th 

Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Treasured  Polish  Recipes  for  Americans,  Irene  Jasinski  &  Marie  Soko- 

lowski,  editors.  Polanie  Publishing  Co.,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 
Samovar:  A  Russian  Cook  Book,  by  Elizabeth  Dmitrovna.  Dietz  Press, 

112  East  Gary  St.,  Richmond  19,  Va. 
Modern  Swedish  Cookbook,  by  Anna  O.  Coombs.  A.  A.  Wyn,  Inc.,  23 

West  47th  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
Scandinavian  Cookery  for  Americans,  by  Florence  Brobeck  &  Monika  B. 

Kjellberg.  Little,  Brown  &  Co.,  34  Beacon  St.,  Boston  6,  Mass. 
Spanish  Mexican  Cookbook,  by  Charles  P.  Leahy.  Murray  &  Gee,  3630 

Eastham  Dr.,  Culver  City,  Calif. 
See  helpful  books  listed  in  other  food  chapters. 


CHAPTER     THIRTY-ONE 

How  to  Become  a  Caterer 


HUNDREDS  OF  WOMEN,  and  men  as  well,  are  receiving  income  regu- 
larly from  their  activity  as  caterers  to  the  special  needs  of  bachelors 
and  business  girls,  harried  mothers,  hostesses  who  want  to  shed  all 
responsibility  for  canapes  and  wedding  cake  and  other  food,  those 
who  hunger  for  quick  one-dish  hot  meals,  and  factory  and  office 
workers  who  crave  boxed  lunches. 

It  is  comparatively  easy  for  anyone  who  knows  how  to  handle 
food  well  to  establish  a  catering  service  on  a  small  scale  for  pin 
money,  and  on  that  foundation  expand  to  the  acquisition  of  special 
funds  for  a  new  car  or  fur  coat,  to  reduce  the  mortgage,  or  secure 
college  tuition  for  Junior  and  Sister.  In  many  instances  Junior  and 
Sister  are  in  a  position  to  assist  in  development  of  such  a  home 


208  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

activity.  That  does,  of  course,  involve  work  and  planning,  enterprise 
and  imagination. 

The  desirability  of  imagination  is  stressed  by  Jane  H.  Todd,  re- 
nowned deputy  commissioner  of  the  Woman's  Program  of  the  New 
York  State  Department  of  Commerce  in  a  free  pamphlet,  So  You 
Want  To  Be  a  Caterer,  issued  by  the  department.  Miss  Todd  states: 
If  your  food  has  imagination;  if  your  wedding  cake  is  made  for 
dreaming;  if  Junior  is  coining  money  selling  sandwiches  from  his 
lunch  box;  if  every  garden  party  affair  starts  with,  'Let's  ask  Maud 
to  do  the  food'  .  .  .  your  imagination  may  mean  business  in 
catering." 

New  York  women  are  particularly  fortunate  in  having  the  state- 
established  Woman's  Program,  which  offers  women  of  the  state 
business  consultant  service  and  skilled  guidance  for  beginning  and 
developing  a  business.  Requests  for  interviews,  advice,  and  booklets 
are  directed  to  the  New  York  City  office  at  342  MadisOn  Ave.  New 
York  17,  N.Y.,  or  the  Albany  office  at  112  State  St.,  Albany  7,  N.Y. 

This  service  is  being  utilized  regularly  by  thousands  of  New  York 
women  and,  as  it  is  a  model  for  other  states,  by  women  throughout 
the  country  who,  in  increasing  numbers,  are  working  out  ways  and 
means  of  supplementing  family  income. 


FOOD    SPECIALISTS 

AND     PREPARED     MEAL     EXPERTS 

While  there  are  four  basic  types  of  caterers,  the  beginner's  interest 
will  center  in  two,  becoming  either  a  food  specialist  or  a  prepared- 
meal  expert. 

The  food  specialist  relies  largely  on  providing  sandwiches  or 
canapes  and  hors  d'oeuvres,  hot  and  cold,  and  such  items.  The  sand- 
wich is  the  mainstay— sandwiches  hot  and  cold,  open  and  closed, 
in  every  shape,  and  with  every  filler  that  is  calculated  to  make  the 
taste  buds  active.  The  sandwiches  and  other  tasty  items  are  made 
available  for  special  occasions  and  "save  the  life"  of  many  a  hostess 
in  areas  where  servants  are  unavailable  or  not  required  steadily. 

The  Woman's  Program  reports  that  "sandwiches  on  an  assembly 
line  are  Mrs.  N.'s  unique  catering  idea.  She  combines  a  talent  for 
highly  imaginative  concoctions— her  wedding  specialty  is  a  sliced 
strawberry  sandwich— with  factory  organization.  She  knows  to  a 
fraction  the  time  and  material  each  sandwich  takes.  Customers 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  2OQ 

bring  the  ingredients,  Mrs.  N.  rolls  the  sandwiches  off  the  assembly 
line  at  75  cents  an  hour,  packs  them  in  lined  dress  boxes,  ready  to 
serve.  No  waste  motion  and  a  cash-and-carry  trade  make  the  perfect 
business  for  Mrs.  N.'s  time,  taste  and  talent." 

Simpler  types  of  sandwiches  are  constantly  in  demand  in  small 
towns  and  communities  where  there  is  considerable  entertaining. 
Every  big-city  suburb  has  many  such  services  available,  but  there 
always  seems  to  be  room  for  another,  particularly  if  the  food 
specialist  establishes  a  reputation  for  reliable  products  and  services. 

The  Readers  Digest  Manual  of  ideas  for  small  business  cites  this 
somewhat  typical  case  of:  "A  catering  service  for  cocktail  parties, 
teas  and  receptions,  supplying  sandwiches,  canapes,  and  hors 
d'oeuvres,  was  developed  by  an  Ohio  woman,  Mrs.  Fred  Hoffman. 
She  called  it  the  Canape  Cupboard. 

"Canapes  were  made  in  the  shop,  delivered  to  the  customer's 
home,  and  arranged  on  serving  dishes.  Specialties  were  sandwiches 
daintily  decorated.  Tea  sandwiches,  tightly  wrapped  in  wax  paper 
and  chilled,  could  be  kept  fresh  two  or  three  days. 

"The  Cupboard  also  took  orders  for  cakes,  cookies,  mints,  nuts 
and  cheeses,  and  sold  delicacies  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  Ad- 
vertising for  the  Canape  Cupboard  was  done  with  attractive  little 
folders,  and  by  satisfied  customers. 

"An  enterprise  of  this  type  can  be  carried  on  by  a  family,  stay-at- 
home  members  preparing  the  sandwiches  and  canapes,  others  de- 
livering and  perhaps  serving.  It  pays  to  use  only  the  best  ingredients 
and  build  a  reputation  for  quality,  as  well  as  for  flavor  and  eye 
appeal." 

Illustrative  of  the  family  participation  in  establishment  of  a 
thriving  catering  service  is  the  case  of  the  Stearn  family  of  West- 
field,  New  Jersey.  Mrs.  Margaret  Stern,  an  active  party-giver  and 
party-goer,  was  persuaded  to  help  a  frightened  navy  bride  give  a 
"must"  party  by  helping  her  with  the  refreshments.  That  led  to 
catering  to  others  who  recognized  her  interest  and  ability.  She  used 
no  particular  advertising  except  the  word-of-mouth  comments  on 
her  fine  service  and  through  a  period  of  a  year  her  activity  developed 
steadily  until  she  expanded  her  business  and  called  it  the  Party 
Corner. 

Food  was  prepared  in  the  family  kitchen,  which,  as  the  service 
developed,  was  augmented  with  extra  equipment.  Her  husband  and 
children  helped  with  shopping,  packing  of  glassware,  and  securing 


210  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

other  help.  The  family  station  wagon  was  called  into  service  for 
delivery. 

As  the  service  expanded  Mrs.  Stern  promised  on  twenty-four-hour 
notice  to  provide  canapes,  waitresses,  or  butler,  or  both,  dishes,  etc., 
for  as  many  as  two  hundred  guests.  (As  an  added  service  she  would 
take  care  of  mailing  of  invitations.)  For  one  party,  as  illustration, 
Mrs.  Stern  provided  scores  of  puffs  filled  with  creamed  mushrooms 
or  welsh  rarebit,  tarts  with  crab  meat  Newburg,  cheese,  onion 
rounds,  caviar,  olives,  anchovies,  and  the  like. 

Customers  also  multiplied  for  the  Southern  woman  who  became 
known  for  her  particularly  delicious  cakes.  The  cakes,  made  from 
rich  ingredients,  were  not  low  in  price,  but  her  promise  of  delivery 
in  virtually  one  hour  after  an  order  won  many  friends  among 
women  who  suddenly  required  a  cake  to  dress  up  a  hurry-up  meal 
for  guests  or  hungry  husbands. 

The  prepared  meal  expert  who  delivers  either  a  full  meal,  or  most 
of  it,  or  one  hot  dish  as  the  foundation  of  a  good  meal,  is  in  in- 
creasing demand,  particularly  in  crowded  areas  where  kitchens 
are  small  or  non-existent.  The  prepared-meal  expert  charges  a  flat 
price  which  is  usually  figured  on  the  basis  of  the  number  of  servings. 
The  range  of  possibilities  in  the  one-dish  service  is  limited  only  by 
popularity  of  certain  foods  and  the  ingenuity  of  the  expert:  beans 
and  brown  bread;  spaghetti  and  meat  balls;  goulash;  chicken 
fricassee;  chile  con  came;  fish  dishes;  beef  or  lamb  or  chicken  pie; 
for  two  or  four,  six  or  eight  servings.  Delivery  can  be  in  leakproof 
cartons  or  hot  casseroles  with  deposits  made  on  the  casserole  to  in- 
sure its  return. 

Indicative  of  the  potentialities  of  such  services,  although  it  is  an 
exceptional  case,  is  the  business  story  of  Bill  Rosenberg  of  Quincy, 
Massachusetts.  When  he  was  working  hi  the  shipyards  during  the 
war,  he  saw  the  need  for  better  feeding  of  workers.  He  borrowed 
some  money  and  cashed  in  some  savings  bonds  and  bought  a  truck, 
and  started  delivering  sandwiches  and  coffee  to  employees  in  indus- 
tries. He  started  in  1946  and  within  four  years  had  developed  a 
$2,000,000  a  year  business  selling  sandwiches  and  coffee  or  com- 
plete hot  meals  to  half  a  million  New  England  factory  hands-the 
food  prepared  and  delivered  by  two  hundred  and  fifty  persons  in  his 
organization. 

Women  as  well  as  men  can  put  such  services  on  a  large  paying 
basis.  "A  novel  lunch  service  for  office  workers,  successfully  operated 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  211 

by  Mrs.  S.  B.  Pickett  in  New  York  City,  might  be  duplicated  in  any 
sizeable  city,"  according  to  the  Readers  Digest  Manual.  "Appetizing 
box  lunches  of  home-style  sandwiches,  iced  or  hot  drinks  in  covered 
paper  cups,  and  home-made  desserts,  were  delivered  by  messenger 
boys. 

"Mrs.  Pickett  started  in  a  small  apartment  on  a  capital  of  $15.00, 
and  did  all  the  cooking  and  packing.  On  the  first  day,  two  boys  dis- 
tributed 1,000  menus  in  nearby  office  buildings.  At  once  Mrs. 
Pickett's  telephone  began  to  jingle,  and  her  enterprise  had  been 
launched  successfully.  Receipts  from  the  first  day's  collections  pro- 
vided capital  for  the  next  day.  Within  a  year  she  moved  to  larger 
quarters  and  was  employing  two  cooks,  a  man  to  pack  boxes,  and  a 
general  utility  boy. 

"Regular  lunches  were  55  cents,  and  she  offered  two  Budget 
Luncheons  for  85  cents.  Sales  ranged  from  50  boxes  on  Saturdays  to 
300  on  rainy  days,  all  ordered  on  subscription  or  by  telephone  before 
11  a.m.  Attractive  leaflets  with  menus  for  the  next  day  were  enclosed 
with  each  lunch.  Picnic  and  auto-trip  lunches  were  features,  as  well 
as  home-made  fudge  and  cookies.  Gross  annual  business  topped 
$20,000,  with  a  net  return  of  $60  to  $70  per  week." 

Naturally  prices  for  such  lunches  vary  in  different  times  and  loca- 
tions and  should  be  calculated  carefully  by  the  caterer.  The  manual 
also  points  out  that  "such  an  enterprise  should  be  confined  to  a  few 
city  blocks  for  speedy  and  economical  delivery.  Success  depends 
on  quality  foods,  appetizingly  prepared  and  packed,  and  interest- 
ingly varied  from  day  to  day,  and  certain  specialties  that  are  always 
available.  Weather  predictions  have  to  be  carefully  studied  as  a 
guide  to  ordering  food  supplies  to  avoid  spoilage  losses." 

Alert  home  cooks  looking  for  a  home  kitchen  business  that  will 
send  Junior  or  Junior  Miss  through  college  can  profitably  study 
ways  and  means  of  adapting  to  their  own  abilities  and  localities  the 
experience  of  Ann  Honeycutt,  summarized  by  the  Reader's  Digest 
Manual:  "Crowded  restaurants  and  the  shortage  of  domestic  help  in 
1944  led  Ann  Honeycutt  to  start  a  business  in  New  York  City  which 
she  named  Casserole  Kitchen.  The  Kitchen  is  a  rented  store  with  a 
kitchen  in  the  rear  where  evening  meals  are  cooked  and  are  then 
delivered  in  casseroles  so  that  customers  can  re-heat  the  food  before 
serving.  [The  neighborhood  woman  actually  doesn't  need  the  rented 
store  kitchen.  She  or  He  or  the  Children  can  deliver.] 

"The  menu  for  each  day  consists  of  a  choice  of  a  meat  or  fowl 


212  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

dish  (Fridays,  meat  or  fish);  two  vegetables,  one  green  and  one 
starchy;  home-made  rolls;  a  green  salad;  a  dessert.  Limitation  to 
two  main  dishes  permits  quantity  buying,  efficiency  in  cooking,  and 
speed  in  handling. 

"The  menu  is  posted  in  the  store  window;  regular  customers  ob- 
tain it  by  phone.  Orders  are  taken  as  late  as  5:00  and  are  delivered 
between  5:30  and  8:00  by  boys  on  bicycles.  A  basket  holds  dinners 
for  two.  Deliveries  are  confined  to  a  radius  of  12  blocks  from  the 
kitchen.  Prices  range  from  $1.10  to  $1.65.  A  deposit  of  $1  per  dinner 
is  required  for  equipment  which  the  customer  is  required  to  return. 

"The  business  was  started  with  an  investment  of  $3,000  and  equip- 
ment consisting  of  one  stove,  an  ice-box,  cooking  utensils,  12  dozen 
casseroles,  and  baskets.  It  now  grosses  between  $800  and  $1,000  per 
week.  The  staff  consists  of  a  chef  and  two  assistants,  three  delivery 
boys,  a  part-time  bookkeeper,  and  a  girl  who  looks  after  customers 
and  takes  phone  orders. 

"Miss  Honeycutt  limits  her  daily  output  to  125  dinners.  'The  best 
advice  I  can  give/  she  says,  'is  not  to  be  afraid  to  say  "We've  sold 
out."  It's  a  temptation  to  cut  portions  to  make  them  stretch  on  busy 
nights,  or  to  whip  up  something  in  a  hurry  to  make  a  few  dollars, 
but  that's  short-sighted.'" 

A  woman  contemplating  her  own  neighborhood  Casserole  Kitchen 
can  tailor  the  Honeycutt  service  to  suit  her  own  requirements.  The 
matter  of  pricing  will  vary  with  the  times  and  the  locality.  Fewer 
dinners  would  require  no  additional  help.  Start  small  and  learn  as 
you  go! 

The  small  start  became  a  fine  business  for  Mrs.  Sally  Warren  of 
Larchmont,  New  York,  who  is  an  inspiring  example  of  the  resource- 
fulness of  women  confronted  by  difficult  circumstances.  The  New 
York  Daily  News,  not  long  ago,  reported  the  story  of  her  activity 
when  left  a  widow  with  two  school-age  children.  "One  day  while 
reminiscing,"  the  story  goes,  "she  recalled  her  mother  had  been 
famous  as  a  cook.  Her  mouth  watered  as  she  remembered  the  fancy 
dishs  her  Ma  could  make  and  had  taught  her  to  make.  She  thought 
that  busy  matrons  might  like  some  of  these  delicacies  when  they 
entertained.  Out  went  about  a  dozen  postcards  offering  to  supply 
party  sandwiches,  chicken  pies,  baked  beans,  tasty  casseroles  and 
canapes.  She  got  results  and  she  was  in  business. 

"Her  tiny  two-by-four  kitchen,  in  which  she  prepared  all  the  party 
food,  soon  became  too  small  to  handle  her  orders.  She  opened  a  shop 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  213 

at  132  Boston  Post  Road,  Larchmont,  and  hired  two  helpers  .  .  . 
Mrs.  Warren  now  has  a  pool  of  10  waiters  and  waitresses.  Her 
daughters  aid  her  as  hostesses.  From  the  time  she  gets  an  order  to 
cater  a  wedding,  reception  or  cocktail  party,  she  or  one  of  her 
daughters  sees  tie  party  through,  even  to  supplying  glasses,  dishes 
and  cutlery. 

"Mrs.  Warren  expects  to  move  into  larger  quarters  to  handle  her 
expanding  business.  'Now  we're  nice  and  busy/  she  says.  'It's  a  pre- 
carious business  with  long  and  hard  hours  but  I  love  to  cook  and 
serve' * 

SPECIAL-OCCASION    SERVICE      AND    ORGANIZERS 

Two  other  basic  types  of  catering  involve  the  special-occasion 
service  where  the  caterer  takes  over  party  meals  for  large  affairs. 
Alone,  or  with  assistants,  the  organizer,  for  a  flat  fee,  will  plan  and 
supply  all  details,  from  invitations  to  elaborate  service.  These  more 
highly  specialized  forms  of  catering  can  well  be  developed  from 
smaller  starts. 

Obviously  there  are  many  individualized  forms  of  catering  serv- 
ices to  meet  the  needs  of  a  given  community  and  depending  on  the 
capabilities  of  the  caterer.  Suggestive  of  other  possibilities  are  the 
following  tips: 

Regular  lunches  for  school  children 
Casserole  dinners  for  bachelors  and  business  girls 
Box  or  basket  lunches  for  picnickers 
Dinners  for  newlyweds 

Packaged  meals  for  mothers  just  returned  from  maternity  wards 
Special  Sunday  meal  services 
Special  products  such  as  pies,  cakes,  boxes  of  cookies,  doughnuts, 

etc. 
Birthday  cakes 

At  Ithaca,  New  York,  an  enterprising  man  gets  the  birth  dates  of 
Cornell  University  students  and  circularizes  the  parents,  who  order 
special  delivery  to  college  rooms. 

When  Sally  Goldberg  and  Patty-Bo  Harvie  were  attending  Boston 
University  they  got  the  idea  of  supplying  cakes  and  arranged  with 
a  Boston  bakery  for  the  product.  They  delivered  cakes  to  Harvard, 
M.I.T.,  Wellesley,  and  other  New  England  colleges  for  $3.00  to  $5.00 
each  at  a  profit. 


214  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

Special  opportunities  include:  various  anniversaries,  dances, 
sports  events,  office  parties,  business  openings. 

If  a  catering  service  is  to  be  your  home  money-maker  it  is  urged 
that  you  start  small  to  gain  experience,  plan  carefully,  study  costs 
of  materials  and  fair  return  for  your  own  time  and  skill  and  work; 
keep  records,  expand  slowly  as  you  put  your  kitchen  on  an  efficiently 
productive  basis. 

TIPS     ON     GETTING     CATERING    BUSINESS 

The  New  York  Woman's  Program  gives  these  helpful  tips  on 
ways  to  get  into  the  catering  business: 

"Select  a  list  of  likely  customers  in  your  neighborhood  and  send 
them  a  special  announcement. 

"List  your  name  and  type  of  service  with  local  society  editors, 
radio  commentators,  hotels,  schools,  shops,  linen  supply  houses, 
caterer's  supply  houses,  local  bakers  with  no  party  service,  and 
frozen  dessert  manufacturers. 

"Call  on  ministers  and  churches  to  be  recommended  for  weddings 
and  special  church  activities.  Also  the  Y.M.C.A.  and  the  Y.W.C.A. 
and  similar  youth  organizations. 

"Contact  the  presidents  of  women's  clubs,  men's  clubs,  community 
clubs,  fraternal  organizations,  university  and  country  clubs,  Cham- 
bers of  Commerce,  also  schools  and  universities,  principals,  teachers, 
and  the  PTA  for  school  affairs. 

"Make  special  arrangements  with  hotels,  inns,  and  restaurants  not 
equipped  to  do  parties. 

"Contact  executives  of  local  businesses  who  may  give  parties  for 
customers,  buyers,  personnel. 

"Occasionally,  donate  a  prize  concoction  to  important  community 
or  charity  functions. 

"Contact  local  specialty  shops,  children's,  bridal,  gift,  book, 
jeweler,  florist,  greeting  card  and  trousseau  departments." 

One  of  the  strong  points  to  contemplate  in  connection  with  pos- 
sible catering  is  the  fact  that  if  you  have  a  reasonably  well-equipped 
kitchen  you  do  not  require  any  special  facilities  for  a  beginning 
operation.  You  can  order  your  supplies  carefully  as  the  need  de- 
velops. You  will,  however,  need  to  do  some  telephone  investigation 
regarding  regulations.  No  federal  or  state  licenses  are  required  for 


KITCHEN     PRODUCTS     AND     SERVICES  215 

catering,  but  you  should  check  with  your  local  or  state  health  de- 
partments regarding  regulations,  including  possible  zoning  laws 
which  will  be  explained  by  your  town  clerk  or  zoning  board.  You 
will  also  need  to  inquire  about  local  or  state  sales  taxes  and  state  and 
federal  income  taxes,  getting  information  from  your  state  or  regional 
office  of  internal  revenue  collectors.  This  investigation  may  seem  to 
be  a  nuisance,  but  it  is  necessary.  The  details  have  been  mastered  by 
others  and  shouldn't  stop  you.  It  is  simple  detail  work  such  as  this 
that  stops  many  from  getting  started  and  that  lessens  your  own 
competition. 


HELPFUL  BOOKS  FOR  CATERERS 

Chef's  Guide  to  Quantity  Cookery,  by  John  H.  Breland.  Harper  &  Bros., 

49  East  33rd  St.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Recipes  and  Menus  for  Fifty,  by  Frances  Smith  &  Florence  Stoddard. 

M.  Barrows  &  Co.,  425  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Food  for  Fifty,  by  Sina  F.  Fowler  &  Others.  John  Wiley  &  Sons,  Inc., 

440  4th  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Group  Feeding,  by  Clifford  A.  Kaiser.  McGraw-Hill  Book  Co.,  330  West 

42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
The   Smorgasbord  Cookbook:   Over  200  New  Recipes,   by   Anna   O. 

Coombs.  A.  A.  Wyn,  Inc.,  23  West  47th  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
BUI  McGee's  Western  Barbecue  Cookbook,  Ed  Ainsworth,  editor.  Murray 

&  Gee,  3630  Eastham  Dr.,  Culver  City,  Calif. 
The  Fireside  Cookbook,  by  James  Beard.  Simon  &  Schuster,  Inc.,  630 

5th  Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.Y. 
Menus  and  Recipes  for  Discriminating  Hostesses,  by  Ella  L.  Lambert. 

Charles  A.  Bennett  Co.,  Inc.,  237  North  Monroe  St.,  Peoria  3,  111. 
400  Salads,  by  Florence  A.  Cowles  &  Florence  L.  Harris.  Little,  Brown  & 

Co.,  34  Beacon  St.,  Boston  6,  Mass. 
The  Salad  Book,  by  Louis  P.  de  Gouy.  Greenberg  Publisher,  201  East 

57th  St.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Mary  Hunt's  Salad  Bowl,  by  Mary  Hunt.  M.  Barrows  &  Co.,  425  4th  Ave., 

New  York  3,  N.Y. 
10,000  Snacks,  by  Cora  Brown  &  others.  Garden  City  Publishing  Co., 

575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
A  Book  of  Hors  D'Oeuvre,  by  Lucy  G.  Allen.  Little,  Brown  &  Co.,  34 

Beacon  St.,  Boston  6,  Mass. 
Hors  D'Oeuvre  and  Canapes,  by  James  Beard.  M.  Barrows  &  Co.,  425 

4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
The  Lunch  Box:  And  Every  Kind  of  Sandwich,  by  Florence  Browbeck. 

M.  Barrows  &  Co.,  425  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
100!  Sandwiches,  by  Florence  A.  Cowles.  Little,  Brown  &  Co.,  34  Beacon 

St.,  Boston  6,  Mass. 


2l6  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

The  Art  of  Serving  Food  Attractively,  by  Mary  Albert  Wenker.  Doubleday 

&  Co.,  Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
The  Soup  Book,  by  Louis  P.  de  Gouy.  Greenberg  Publisher,  201  East 

57th  St.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Some  Shrimp  Recipes,  by  Helen  E.  Brown.  Castle  Press,  136  West  Union 

St.,  Pasadena,  Calif. 
501  Easy  Cocktail  Canapes,  by  Olga  de  Laslia  Leigh.  Thomas  Y.  Crowell 

Co.,  432  4th  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Dessert  Cookbook,  by  June  Platt.  Houghton  Mifflin  Co.,  2  Park  St.,  Boston 

7,  Mass. 
Ice  Cream  Desserts,  by  Louis  P.  de  Gouy.  Greenberg  Publisher,  201  East 

57th  St.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Serve  It  Buffet,  by  Florence  R.  Brobeck.  M.  Barrows  &  Co.,  425  4th  Ave., 

New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Take  It  Easy  Before  Dinner,  by  Ruth  L.  Holberg.  Thomas  Y.  Crowell  Co., 

432  4th  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Cook  It  In  a  Casserole:  With  Chafing  Dish  Recipes  and  Menus,  by 

Florence  R.  Brobeck.  M.  Barrows  &  Co.,  425  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3, 

N.Y. 
Casserole  Cookery,  by  Marian  &  Nino  Tracy.  Viking  Press,  Inc.,  18  East 

48th  St.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 
Standard  Cocktail  Guide,  by  Crosby  Gaige.  M.  Barrows  &  Co.,  425  4th 

Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
See  helpful  books  listed  in  other  food  chapters. 


Part  Five 


SCORES   OF  HOME   SERVICES 
FOR   CASH 


CHAPTER     THIRTY-TWO 

Tourist  Lodging  for  a  Night  or  Longer 


VACATIONING  MOTORISTS  spend  approximately  one  and  one  half  bil- 
lion dollars  annually  for  their  lodgings,  and  less  than  one  half  of 
that  goes  to  hotels.  More  than  one  half  of  that  huge  estimated  melon 
goes  to  motor  courts  and  tourist  homes.  Home  money-makers  can 
eye  those  figures  calculatingly.  How  big  a  slice  of  that  melon  should 
be  yours?  Despite  the  fact  that  the  number  of  tourist  courts  is  near 
50,000  and  the  tourist  homes  are  legion,  there  is  room  for  a  tremen- 
dous expansion  of  clean,  well-located,  intelligently  managed  places 
where  a  motorist  and  his  family  can  rest  cleanly  and  comfortably. 
The  emphasis  is  on  the  words  cleanly  and  comfortably,  because  the 
day  of  the  dollar-a-night  room  with  a  cornhusk  mattress  and  the 
flimsy  dollar-or-two-a-night  cabin  is  gone,  probably  forever.  The 
motorist  wants  and  is  ready  to  pay  for  better  accommodations. 

Because  of  this  demand  for  truly  comfortable  cabins  or  rooms, 
coupled  with  high  construction  costs,  the  investment  required  to  pro- 
vide lodging  is  higher;  but  it  is  offset  by  the  higher  rates  that  pre- 
vail. Individuals  with  large  farm  homes,  or  with  large  homes  on  or 
near  highways  in  the  smaller  towns,  can  garner  the  tourist  dollar 
with  less  investment  than  the  motel  or  cabin-camp  operator.  But 
even  in  the  tourist  homes  it  is  now  required  that  comfortable  mat- 
tresses and  adequate  bathing  facilities  be  installed. 

Let  us  face  it.  While  you  may  be  situated  where  you  can  turn 
your  own  residence  into  a  tourist  home  with  a  very  modest  outlay, 
the  tourist  court  is  not  for  you  unless  you  have  considerable  funds 
or  are  able  to  secure  adequate  financing,  or  can  start  small  under 
special  conditions,  such  as  ideal  location.  The  U.  S.  Department  of 
Commerce  informs  us  that  "the  average-sized  motor  court  with  its 
excellent  opportunities  for  gradual  expansion,  has  a  future  that 
seems  assured  and  permanent/'  But  we  find  that  many  tourist  courts 
represent  an  investment  of  $30,000  to  $50,000  and  the  owner-opera- 
tor can  expect  a  net  profit  of  $4,000  to  $12,000  annually,  depending 
on  the  size  of  the  project.  Some  tourist-court  owners  figure  that  they 


22O  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

make  high  profit  In  proportion  to  investment,  but  they  are  apt  to  be 
slighting  the  charge-off  for  depreciation  and  obsolescence  and 
figuring  that  rising  property  values  more  than  offset  those  charges. 
They  may  be  correct,  but  theirs  is  not  a  recommended  method  of 
business  accounting.  The  Department  of  Commerce  advises  tourist- 
cabin  owners  to  write  off  65  per  cent  of  their  investment  in  the  first 
10  years. 

Even  though  the  full-fledged  tourist  court  represents  a  compara- 
tively large  investment,  you  can  seek  out  your  own  way  to  start  with 
a  small  investment  and  develop  your  business  as  circumstances 
warrant.  You  will  want  to  consider  these  divisions  of  the  motorists' 
one  and  one  half  billion  for  lodging  each  year: 

1.  The  tourist  home.  Approximately  13  per  cent  of  touring  motorists 
stay  in  the  tourist  home— this  including  the  farm  home,  the  road- 
side residence  in  small  towns  and  on  the  outskirts  of  cities.  This 
bid  for  the  tourists'  lodging  dollar  permits  you  to  get  started  with 
the  minimum  of  investment. 

2.  The  motor  court.  Which  gets  about  38  per  cent  of  the  business. 

A.  The  motel  is  the  glamor  girl  in  this  department  of  the  business, 
usually  charging  the  highest  rates  and  requiring  the  largest 
investment.  The  motel  makes  the  most  insistent  demands  on 
the  time  and  resources  and  ingenuity  of  the  owner-operators. 
The  typical  motel  is  a  series  of  attached  units,  sometimes  with 
two  or  three  second-story  units  and  a  sun  deck  atop  the  struc- 
tures. 

B.  Tourist  cabins,  attractively  arranged  in  separate  units,  come 
next.  The  cabin  court  lends  itself  to  a  smaller  start  for  later 
development  than  does  the  motel,  and  depending  on  local 
building  conditions,  may  be  launched  with  less  investment. 

3.  Vacation  cabins,  trailer  and  tourist  camps.  Often  designed  not 
only  for  overnight  or  week-end  stops,  but  for  vacationing  families 
who  want  a  two  or  three-room  cabin  for  a  week  or  more  in  resort 
areas;  or  who  want  available  camping  equipment  where  they  set 
up  their  own  tents;  or  who  want  to  park  their  trailers  by  pressure 
water  and  electric-light  lines  for  a  few  days  or  a  season. 

Many  of  the  requirements  and  important  angles  in  securing  the 
motorists'  lodging  dollars  apply  to  all  of  the  above  classifications, 
but  each  has  its  own  particular  characteristics.  The  entire  field 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  221 

should  be  considered  first,  before  centering  special  attention  on  your 
own  individual  plans. 


IF     YOU     WANT    TO     RUN     A     MOTOR     COURT 

You  may  dream  of  running  a  flashy  motor  court,  leading  the  life 
of  Reilly  in  your  own  snug  suite  while  motorists  drive  in  and  the 
cash  register  tinkles  an  entrancing  tune  of  profits  and  independence. 
You  may  so  dream  and  make  it  come  true.  The  more  intelligently 
and  cautiously  you  approach  the  picture,  the  more  likely  you  are 
to  realize  its  peaceful  fulfillment.  Give  your  dream  a  helping  hand 
and  a  helping  mind.  The  fact  that  thousands  of  motor  courts  do 
provide  a  fine  home  and  fine  living  for  the  owners  should  encourage 
your  investigation.  The  fact  that  many  motor  courts  are  for  sale 
outright  should  encourage  even  closer  examination  of  the  field.  The 
court  for  sale  may  be  your  success  where  it  was  the  present  owner's 
failure.  Let's  raise  a  number  of  questions  and  examine  several  fac- 
tors that  may  help  to  make  your  dream  come  true. 

What  previous  experience  is  needed?  It  will  help  if  you  have  had 
any  experience  in  the  hotel  business  or  have  been  reasonably  suc- 
cessful in  some  other  business,  for  the  successful  motor  court  must 
be  operated  on  basically  sound  business  principles.  In  addition,  you 
should  be  sure  you  enjoy  dealing  with  people,  for  the  master  of  the 
motor  court  is  both  host  and  servant  of  the  public,  and  the  successful 
ones  enjoy  providing  the  best  service  they  possibly  can. 

If  you  haven't  had  such  experience,  man  or  wife  or  son  or  daugh- 
ter or  all  four  should  consider  getting  jobs  in  some  well-operated 
motor  court  and  learning  from  actual  practice.  Special  training  in 
short  courses  or  regular  enrollment  are  provided  at  Cornell  Univer- 
sity, Ithaca,  New  York;  Washington  State  College,  Pullman,  Wash- 
ington; Michigan  State  College,  East  Lansing,  Michigan;  The  Uni- 
versity of  Houston,  Houston,  Texas;  The  University  of  California, 
Berkeley,  California;  Florida  State  University,  Tallahassee,  Florida; 
The  Motel  Managers  Association,  Los  Angeles,  California. 

Your  state  highway  department,  local  chambers  of  commerce, 
state  tourist  bureaus,  local  bankers  and  businessmen  are  all  available 
for  information  and  advice,  as  are  your  state  field  offices  of  the  U.  S. 
Department  of  Commerce  which  has  issued  a  handbook,  Establish- 
ing and  Operating  a  Year-Round  Motor  Court.  This  handbook  is 


222  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

available  from  the  Government  Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.G. 
Additional  sources  of  information  include: 

Tourist  Court  Journal,  107  South  1st  St.,  Temple,  Tex. 

American  Motel  Magazine,  5  South  Wabash  Ave.,  Chicago  3,  111. 

The  American  Motor  Hotel  Assn.,  306  New  Moore  Bldg.,  San  Antonio  5, 

Tex. 

Best  Western  Motels,  4217  East  Ocean  Blvd.,  Long  Beach  3,  Calif. 
Travelers  United  Hosts,  Inc.,  712  State  Tower  Bldg.,  Syracuse,  N.Y. 
N.Y.  State  Department  of  Commerce,  Albany,  N.Y. 
International  Motor  Courts  Assn.,  c/o  Comfort  Cabins,  West  Campton, 

N.H. 
American  Hotel  Assn.,  Mills  Bldg.,  17th  St.  and  Pennsylvania  Ave.,  N.W., 

Washington,  D.C. 
American  Hotel  Assn.,  220  West  57th  St.,  New  York  19,  N.Y. 

The  man  who  is  handy  with  tools  and  plumbing  and  carpentering 
has  a  distinct  advantage  in  minimizing  maintenance  and  repair  and 
adjustment  expenses.  Such  men  have  been  able,  with  the  aid  of 
skilled  builders  in  laying  out  cabins,  to  complete  the  work  and  add 
to  the  number  of  rental  units  in  tourist-cabin  camps.  Thus  from  a 
small  start  he  may  increase  the  revenue  possibilities  and  enhance 
the  value  of  the  court  as  a  whole. 

How  large  a  court  and  what  will  it  cost?  You  might  as  well  ask 
"How  high  is  up?"  or  "How  long  is  a  piece  of  string?"  Cabin  camps 
have  been  started  with  one  rental  unit,  with  others  added  year  after 
year.  Ten  units  is  considered  the  most  feasible  minimum.  So  much 
depends  on  design  and  local  conditions  and  your  own  plans,  no  one 
can  give  precise  figures.  Roughly,  you  will  probably  find  that  $2000 
per  unit  or  room  is  a  minimum.  If  you  plan  for  de  luxe  units,  the 
construction  cost  may  well  be  $5000  and  the  cost  of  furnishing  $400 
to  $600  per  room.  Experts  advise  that  if  you  have  20  units  or  less, 
the  income  will  not  permit  a  payroll  for  assistants  other  than  per- 
haps a  chambermaid  or  one  young  helper.  As  previously  stated, 
many  courts  cost  $30,000  to  $50,000.  There  is  a  range  for  one,  or  a 
very  few,  costing  say  not  over  $10,000  to  the  not  uncommon  invest- 
ment of  $200,000  and  $300,000  in  the  most  elaborate  courts  where 
rooms  and  suites  are  comparable  in  comfort  and  appointments  to 
similar  quarters  in  the  most  expensive  hotels. 

Many  cabin  developments  have  been  started  with  one  or  prefer- 
ably three  or  four  cabins  on  farms  bordering  desirable  highways. 
Other  cabins  are  then  added  as  business  warrants.  Whether  placing 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  223 

one  or  a  dozen  cabins,  it  is  obvious  that  the  careful  planner  will  look 
ahead  to  enlargement  and  have  the  layout  provide  for  logical  ex- 
pansion. 

Operators  who  can  convince  bankers  or  others  of  their  competence 
may  find  that  with  an  investment  of  their  own  of  around  $5000  they 
can  get  additional  financing  of  many  thousands  to  permit  immediate 
installation  of  more  units  than  would  otherwise  be  possible.  The 
mortgage,  however,  is  an  added  business  burden,  and  not  to  be 
undertaken  lightly.  With  $5000  to  $10,000  to  invest  you  may  find  it 
entirely  feasible  to  get  additional  financing  to  permit  establishment 
of  a  10-unit  camp. 

The  beginner,  with  available  roadside  land,  might  well  consider 
making  a  small  start  with  a  little  group  of  good  cabins.  As  he  gains 
experience  in  their  operation  he  could  then  consider  additional 
financing  and  expansion  in  the  business  he  has  learned.  The  pro- 
spective court  manager  who  doesn't  have  land  available  but  wants 
to  establish  his  home  in  connection  with  a  court  can  contact  motor- 
court  consultants  for  planning  service  and  assistance  in  finding  a 
location.  But  always  be  on  guard  with  sizeable  investments. 

Is  it  wiser  to  buy  an  established  motor  court?  I  don't  know  a  flat 
answer  to  that  question  that  you  could  depend  on  but  can  suggest 
possible  advantages  and  disadvantages  that  will  be  of  service. 

Among  the  advantages  of  buying  an  established  court  are  these: 
You  eliminate  a  lot  of  the  preliminary  detail  necessary  in  starting 
from  scratch.  You  can  tell  from  the  books  what  costs  and  profits  you 
can  logically  expect.  You  get  the  numerous  advantages  of  an  estab- 
lished, listed  operation,  involving  a  reasonable  business  the  moment 
you  take  over.  You  are  in  business  at  once  instead  of  investing  time 
and  money  in  establishing  a  new  enterprise.  You  probably  have  an 
opportunity  to  work  with  the  seller  for  a  few  weeks  before  taking 
over,  thus  gaining  an  intimate  working  knowledge  of  the  property 
and  its  requirements.  If  the  business  has  been  well  managed,  you 
acquire  a  certain  number  of  regular  customers,  established  contacts 
with  help,  with  various  suppliers,  identification  with  other  camps 
and  garages  and  filling-station  attendants  who  route  inquiring 
motorists  to  recognized  camps. 

Among  possible  disadvantages  in  acquiring  a  "going  business"  is 
that  it  may  be  known  to  the  present  owner  to  be  a  going  business, 
going  into  the  red  in  a  year  or  two.  The  records  may  not  have  been 
carefully  kept  and  may  present  a  misleading  picture— examine  the 


224  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

books  very  carefully  and  have  them  checked  by  local  bankers  or 
businessmen.  The  camp  which  is  put  up  for  sale  may  have  been 
permitted  to  run  down  in  the  previous  year  or  so— have  an  ex- 
perienced appraiser  check  the  buildings,  plumbing,  wiring,  furnish- 
ings, etc.,  so  you  can  estimate  what  you  need  to  bring  the  place  up 
to  par.  You  may  be  misled  regarding  the  reputation  of  the  court- 
make  a  careful  personal  check  with  neighboring  businessmen,  local 
and  state  police  officials,  suppliers,  and  others  you  think  might  be  of 
assistance.  The  seller  may  have  information  he  doesn't  give  you  that 
is  prompting  the  sale— he  may  have  "wind"  of  prospective  highway 
changes  three  or  four  years  hence,  the  plans  of  some  big  operator 
to  establish  a  plush  motel  nearby,  plans  for  building  a  fertilizer 
plant  within  smelling  distance,  a  road  project  some  miles  away 
that  may  for  a  season  or  more  re-route  customary  traffic  or  cut  it 
down. 

Whatever  you  may  decide  regarding  purchase  of  an  established 
court,  DON'T  LET  ANYONE  RUSH  YOU.  Don't  make  any  firm  commit- 
ment and  don't  sign  any  papers  without  the  advice  of  a  lawyer— 
your  own  lawyerl 

What  are  the  marks  of  a  good  location  for  a  motor  court?  The 
U,  S.  Department  of  Commerce  and  highway  and  motor-court  ex- 
perts offer  these  pointers  for  consideration: 

The  natural  stop  is  the  most  desirable  location,  preferably  with  a 
clear  view  of  at  least  1500  feet  from  either  direction  on  the  highway. 
This  natural  stop  may  be  at  the  base  of  a  hill,  or  an  expansive  eleva- 
tion offering  a  fine  view  of  the  countryside,  or  the  center  of  an  at- 
tractive valley.  Most  motorists  slow  down  for  the  curves  and  while 
slowed  down  they  have  a  chance  to  observe  the  motor  court,  make  a 
decision,  and  stop,  instead  of  breezing  by  and  on  to  another  court. 

A  location  near  the  outside  of  a  sweeping  curve  or  a  V  intersec- 
tion or  the  crossing  of  two  main  highways  may  be  ideal. 

The  setting  is  important.  Road-weary  travelers  welcome  the  view 
of  a  court  with  trees  or  hills  in  the  background.  If  the  property  is 
near  a  lake  or  a  river,  so  much  the  better. 

When  Mama  and  the  kids  make  a  slow  decision,  Papa  has  to  work 
fast,  so  it  is  desirable  that  there  be  adequate  roads  leading  in  to  the 
court. 

There  should  be  adequate  ground  for  the  roadways,  parking, 
inviting  layout  of  the  court  buildings,  and  attractive  landscaping. 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  22$ 

And  never  overlook  the  desirability  of  space  for  expansion  when 
and  if  the  popularity  of  the  court  permits  addition  of  rental  units, 
a  lunch  counter,  or  restaurant. 

Situation  not  too  far  from  a  good  eating  place  is  important.  (At 
some  courts  a  "continental  breakfast"  is  offered  as  an  extra  service. 
It  consists  simply  of  orange  juice,  good  hot  coffee,  doughnuts,  and 
rolls  to  start  the  wayfarer  off  in  the  morning  without  an  additional 
stop.) 

Locations  at  or  near  points  of  special  scenic  or  historic  interest 
are  especially  desirable,  as  the  traveler  is  tempted  to  linger  for  more 
than  one  night. 

The  great  majority  of  motor  courts  are  open  the  year  round,  but  in 
colder  states  the  business  is  largely  done  in  the  summer  season;  the 
warm  and  resort  states  of  the  South  and  West  are  assured  of  a  more 
steady  year-round  patronage.  And  if  you  aren't  assured  of  average 
occupancy  of  about  75  per  cent,  you  want  to  do  some  careful  arith- 
metic. 

The  most  desirable  locations  are  in  states  and  on  highways  where 
there  is  a  great  deal  of  "foreign"  traffic. 

It  is  well  to  make  an  accurate  traffic  count,  and,  where  possible,  to 
locate  on  the  side  of  the  highway  with  the  heaviest  travel. 

Frequently  the  location  about  200  to  250  miles  from  a  larger  city 
is  good,  for  that  represents  a  comfortable  day's  travel. 

Naturally,  a  location  without  too  much  direct  competition  may  be 
advisable  or  if  there  are  several  other  tourist  courts,  a  study  of 
"Vacancy"  and  "No  Vacancy"  signs  may  well  indicate  whether  the 
location  is  saturated  or  open  to  the  new  enterpriser. 

In  studying  your  location,  keep  in  mind  the  need  for  electric 
power,  adequate  water,  and  other  services  that  may  be  available 
from  nearby  small  towns. 

If  your  own  country  or  small-town  location  offers  many  such  ad- 
vantages, you  have  a  good  start  toward  your  tourist  court;  if  not,  you 
may  consider  sale  or  trade  for  a  location  better  suited  to  your  proj- 
ect. 

Whenever  possible,  locate  where  you  can  arrange  for  "placement  of 
signs  a  half  mile  or  more  in  each  direction  on  the  highway  to  give 
motorists  advance  notice  of  the  availability  of  your  court. 

Before  deciding  on  your  location  it  would  be  well  to  refresh  your 
experience  by  hitting  the  highways  for  a  few  days  or  weeks  and 
noting  the  courts  that  attract  your  attention;  stop  at  those  places; 


226  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

study  them;  ask  questions,  then  incorporate  the  most  desirable  fea- 
tures in  your  own  court. 

What  is  the  future  of  the  motor  court?  Tremendous!  An  additional 
million  motor-court  rooms  are  anticipated  within  20  years  in  the 
motor-court  handbook  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Commerce 
which  has  this  to  say  on  the  future  of  the  courts: 

"Personalized  transportation,  provided  by  the  automobile,  is  grad- 
ually revolutionizing  many  businesses,  and  is  directly  affecting  the 
accommodation  industry.  Traveling  America  is  becoming  more  and 
more  interested  in  places  to  stay  along  the  highways,  away  from  the 
centers  of  cities  with  their  present  traffic  difficulties. 

"Motor  courts  with  their  utility,  accessibility,  economy,  comfort, 
informality,  beauty,  privacy,  and  cleanliness  are  capturing  the  atten- 
tion of  highway  travelers.  Resort  courts  are  beginning  to  show  a 
marked  popularity  with  vacationists. 

"The  building  of  an  average-size  motor  court,  with  its  excellent 
opportunity  for  gradual  expansion,  has  a  future  that  seems  assured 
and  permanent. 

"The  owner's  success  or  failure  in  this  business  depends  on  his 
own  efforts.  Internal  and  external  causes  that  could  result  in  failure 
should  be  well  known  to  the  newcomer  as  he  enters  this  industry. 

"The  two  most  important  external  causes  of  failure  are  the  rerout- 
ing of  the  main  highway  that  runs  in  front  of  the  court,  and  legisla- 
tion affecting  roadside  businesses. 

"It  cannot  be  overemphasized  that  the  longevity  and  constant  use 
of  the  highway  in  front  of  the  proposed  court  is  the  most  important 
single  factor  to  be  considered  in  the  original  planning. 

"Certain  types  of  legislation  can  be  detrimental  to  motor  courts. 
Some  bills  may  try  specifically  to  limit  the  types  of  business  that  can 
be  operated  along  certain  highways,  or  to  set  the  distance  they  must 
be  located  from  the  highway. 

"Like  all  other  citizens,  the  motor  court  owner  should  find  out 
about  proposed  legislation  that  could  affect  his  business.  This  can 
be  done  through  membership  and  cooperation  with  motor  court 
associations.  Positive  action  is  the  only  way  he  can  help.  The  asso- 
ciation to  which  he  belongs  will  advise  what  he  can  do  and  his 
wholehearted  cooperation  should  be  freely  given. 

"Other  external  causes  for  failure  could  be  disasters,  change  of 
neighborhood,  depressions,  and  competition. 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH 

"The  losses  that  could  result  from  disaster  can  be  offset  to  a  very 
large  extent  by  carrying  the  type  of  insurance  needed  in  the  area 
where  the  court  is  located.  In  some  places  it  may  be  necessary  to 
add  tornado  and  earthquake  policies.  Others  may  find  it  feasible  to 
carry  flood  insurance.  Know  thoroughly  every  type  of  disaster  that 
can  be  expected  in  the  area  being  considered  for  the  court,  and 
guard  against  them  with  the  proper  policies  and  augment  these  with 
the  kind  of  construction  and  consideration  of  location  sometimes 
necessary.  For  example,  it  is  not  advisable  to  build  in  an  area  that 
has  frequent  dust  storms,  or  on  low  land  where  floods  can  occur. 

"The  change  in  the  neighborhood  can  definitely  affect  the  busi- 
ness done  at  a  first-class  transient  court.  It  is  imperative  to  know  the 
future  plans  for  the  land  adjacent  to  the  proposed  site. 

"Depressions  can  be  weathered  by  sound  businesses,  operating  on 
a  reduced-cost  basis,  if  their  operation  during  the  years  ahead  of 
the  depression  maintained  a  healthy  relationship  between  assets 
and  liabilities  and  proper  reserves  were  set  aside  for  depreciation 
and  obsolescence.  A  depression,  and  even  a  temporary  letdown  of 
usual  business,  must  be  recognized  at  once  and  operating  costs 
pared  down  to  meet  it.  Not  much  can  be  done  about  fixed  charges, 
but  careful  management  coupled  with  increased  salesmanship  and 
promotion  can  have  a  lot  to  do  with  weathering  an  economic  storm. 

"The  motor  court  has  an  advantage  during  times  of  poor  business 
not  common  in  some  other  fields.  During  the  last  major  depression, 
most  retail  sales  decreased,  but  the  sale  of  gasoline  did  not.  Ameri- 
cans are  ever  on  the  go,  during  good  times  and  bad. 

"Competition  enters  every  new  business  and  it  is  entering  this 
industry  too.  Competition  has  already  caused  better  courts  to  be 
constructed. 

"This  will  continue  to  be  true  and  courts  will  continue  to  be  built 
until  the  saturation  point  is  reached.  Where  that  point  is  no  one 
knows,  but  various  estimates  have  placed  the  ultimate  growth  in  the 
next  20  years  at  1,000,000  more  motor  court  rooms  than  there  are  at 
present. 

"In  addition  to  transient  courts  which  will  probably  predominate, 
there  will  also  be  resort  courts  catering  to  vacationists  and  sky  courts 
which  will  be  motor  courts  with  a  landing  field. 

"Meanwhile  a  location  should  be  found  where  competition  is  not 
severe.  There  is  no  reason  to  buck  competition  before  it  may  be 
forced  upon  the  court  by  later  developments.  There  are  many  places 


228  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

throughout  the  country  where  good  motor  courts  are  needed  and 
could  do  a  good  business.  It  is  not  necessary  to  build  new  courts 
next  to  others.  In  some  businesses  adjacent  locations  may  be  desir- 
able. But  except  in  isolated  cases  this  cannot  be  said  about  this  in- 
dustry. 

"When  the  motor  court  owner  is  established  and  has  a  going  con- 
cern of  his  own,  he  is  his  own  boss  in  that  he  owns,  controls,  and 
operates  the  court,  purchases  the  supplies,  and  hires  and  fires  the 
employees.  But  in  life  there  is  no  one  entirely  his  own  boss.  In  this 
industry  the  guests  are  the  boss  and  the  owner  the  servant.  This 
relationship  cannot  be  overemphasized. 

"On  the  other  hand,  since  there  is  no  one  to  tell  the  owner  that 
he  should  do  this  or  should  not  do  that,  he  must  make  many  deci- 
sions, often  without  warning,  and  he  has  to  be  right  a  good  per- 
centage of  the  time. 

"It  is  essential  that  the  motor  court  owner  keep  up  with  what  is 
going  on  in  his  industry.  New  ideas  have  to  be  studied  and  the  court 
kept  up  to  date.  Conventions  of  the  association  to  which  the  court 
belongs  should  be  attended.  The  owner  will  also  make  many  con- 
tacts with  sources  of  business,  and  is  necessarily  away  from  the  court 
some  of  the  time.  Several  excellent  contacts  in  the  nearby  com- 
munity could  be  made  through  membership  in  the  chamber  of  com- 
merce and  a  local  service  club. 

"The  motorist  has  recognized  that  most  courts  have  one  owner 
who  is  generally  the  manager,  and  he  is  looked  to  when  there  are 
any  special  arrangements  to  be  made,  or  misunderstandings  to  be 
adjusted.  The  owner  will  have  to  arrange  his  day  to  be  on  hand 
when  most  of  the  guests  ordinarily  look  for  him.  At  most  courts  this 
could  be  during  the  late  afternoon,  early  evenings,  and  early  morn- 
ing hours. 

"This  industry  is  still  in  its  early  stages  and  there  is  not  a  wealth 
of  material  for  the  newcomer  to  study. 

"Some  ways  for  the  owner  to  keep  abreast  of  trends  in  the  indus- 
try once  he  has  constructed  or  purchased  a  court  include: 

(a)  Joining  local,  State,  and  national  trade  associations; 

(b)  Subscribing  to  the  trade  magazines; 

(c)  Keeping  posted  on  current  development  which  may  have  an 
effect  on  the  motor  court  industry;  and 

(d)  Meeting  with  other  motor  court  operators.  In  addition  to  the 
national  trade  associations,  local  and  State  groups  of  motor  courts 


HOME    SERVICES    FOR    CASH  22Q 

are  being  formed  which  can  be  of  great  assistance  to  each  member. 

"If  you  have  read  and  considered  the  many  factors  governing  the 
construction  and  operation  of  a  year-round  transient  motor  court 
you  now  know  that  the  three  essentials  that  can  spell  success  are: 
the  right  location;  ability  to  get  along  with  people;  and  hard  work. 

"The  motor  court  industry  is  a  new  horizon  in  itself,  and  is  on  the 
verge  of  tremendous  growth. 

"Your  future  in  this  industry  can  be  assured,  permanent,  interest- 
ing, and  successful  if  you  are  fortunate  in  the  original  location  of 
your  court,  provide  land  for  expansion,  advance  slowly  within  set 
budgets,  get  along  well  with  both  your  guests  and  employees,  and 
are  willing  to  work  hard." 

Is  a  tourist  court  a  good  retirement  project?  The  answer  must  be 
"yes"  and  "no"  with  some  emphasis  on  the  negative.  The  tourist 
court  is  offering  a  greater  and  greater  appeal  to  folk  in  their  fifties 
and  facing  retirement.  The  analysts  assure  us  that  three  out  of  four 
near  retirement  want  to  continue  working  on  their  present  jobs  or 
get  into  some  part-time  activity  that  will  keep  them  busy.  A  tourist 
court  will  keep  them  busy  all  right— probably  busier  than  they  have 
ever  been  before.  The  couple  who  can  conduct  a  court  while  also 
running  a  small  farm  may  well  continue.  The  couple  getting  started 
on  a  court  while  in  vigorous  middle  or  late  middle  age  may  find  it 
the  answer  to  their  dreams.  But  the  elderly  couple  might  find  such 
a  project,  except  a  very  small  one,  more  than  they  can  manage.  The 
retiring  couple,  however,  that  has  financing  for  a  full-fledged  court 
with  enough  units  to  make  a  few  helpers  possible,  may  seriously  con- 
sider the  possibilities.  The  larger  court  permits  them  to  act  as  host 
and  hostess  and  supervisors  while  others  do  the  detailed  work  in- 
volved. 

A  check  list  for  a  prospective  court  operator.  "No  list  could  pos- 
sibly cover  all  contingencies,"  according  to  the  U.  S.  Department  of 
Commerce  handbook.  "However,  50  points  are  raised  here  to  guide 
you  in  your  decision  about  entering  this  industry,  and  once  in  it,  in 
the  economical  management  of  a  first-class  up-to-date  court: 

1.  Have  you  chosen  a  permanent  location,  one  where  the  poten- 
tialities for  long-term  prosperity  are  high?  For  the  life  of  the 
court's  buildings? 


230  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

2.  Do  you  like  people?  Can  you  greet  them  graciously?  Do  you 
have  the  ability  to  make  friends? 

3.  Are  you  willing  to  work  hard?  Long  hours?  Seven  days  a  week? 

4.  Can  you  maintain  standards? 

5.  Are  you  a  good  conversationalist?  A  good  listener? 

6.  Can  you  maintain  an  even  poise  when  emergencies  arise? 

7.  Are  you  a  good  salesman?  For  yourself?  For  your  business? 

8.  Can  you  win  the  loyalty  of  your  employees? 

9.  Do  you  have  sufficient  capital  to  handle  60  per  cent  or  more  of 
an  investment  that  will  give  you  at  least  10  salable  rooms  to 
start? 

10.  Do  you  have  enough  capital  to  purchase,  at  the  outset,  suffi- 
cient land  for  expansion? 

11.  Will  there  be  capital  left  to  meet  all  operating  obligations  for 
at  least  6  months? 

12.  Do  you  have  the  final  completed  court  in  mind  at  the  outset? 
Are  you  planning  in  that  direction,  step  by  step? 

13.  Are  you  locating  in  a  climate  where  year-round  business  is 
assured?  If  not,  are  you  planning  your  operations  to  meet  con- 
ditions? 

14.  Are  the  grounds,  office,  and  rooms  easily  accessible  from  the 
highway? 

15.  Do  you  have  space  for  a  car  next  to  each  room? 

16.  Are  the  rooms  comfortably  furnished  in  good  taste?  Well 
equipped? 

17.  Have  you  included  the  services  of  a  landscape  architect? 

18.  Have  you  complied  with  all  zoning  regulations?  Building  regu- 
lations? 

19.  Are  there  natural  surroundings? 

20.  Is  the  court  near  a  good  restaurant? 

21.  Can  you  obtain  public  utilities  at  the  site? 

22.  Is  the  court  near  some  points  of  interest? 

23.  Has  the  court  complied  with  all  laws?  Obtained  necessary  per- 
mits? Licenses? 

24.  Is  the  investment  adequately  covered  by  insurance? 

25.  Has  a  budget  been  made  defining  clearly  the  limits  of  expendi- 
tures for  the  court?  For  each  room?  For  each  department? 

26.  Is  all  purchasing  done  with  future  maintenance  and  repair 
costs  in  mind? 

27.  Are  supplies  kept  up  to  date? 


HOME    SERVICES    FOR    CASH  231 

28.  Can  you  operate  economically? 

29.  Are  you  going  to  offer  economical  room  rates? 

30.  Have  you  selected  the  employees  carefully?  Trained  them  for 
their  jobs? 

31.  Have  the  selling  clerks  been  trained  thoroughly  in  the  art  of 
showing  and  selling  rooms?  Do  you  have  each  one  of  them  sell 
you  a  room  from  time  to  time? 

32.  Has  the  reservation  procedure  been  determined?  Fully  ex- 
plained to  all  concerned? 

33.  Is  the  night  clerk  giving  the  court  full  protection  during  the 
night? 

34.  Do  you  have  regular  meetings  with  all  the  employees  once  a 
week? 

35.  Is  there  a  good  cooperative  relationship  between  the  selling 
office  and  housekeeping  department? 

36.  Are  periodic  room  inspections  made? 

37.  Has  a  plan  for  the  rotation  of  linens  been  put  into  effect? 

38.  Has  the  court  retained  the  services  of  an  attorney? 

39.  Have  you  obtained  the  part-time  services  of  an  accountant  to 
set  up  the  books? 

40.  Can  you  work  toward  a  definite  budget  on  advertising  expendi- 
tures? Make  it  pay  for  itself?  Has  the  highway  sign  program 
been  carefully  laid  out? 

41.  Have  you  included  the  services  of  an  architect  in  your  over-all 
planning  and  building  program? 

42.  Has  your  court  been  accepted  by  a  motor  court  organization? 
Recommended  by  an  automobile  association? 

43.  Have  you  subscribed  to  the  trade  magazines? 

44.  Have  you  taken  the  time  to  get  to  know  your  neighbors? 

45.  What  have  you  decided  to  do  about  pets? 

46.  Have  you  decided  to  operate  on  a  pay-in-advance  basis? 

47.  Do  you  deposit  the  court's  receipts  every  day? 

48.  If  you  are  thinking  of  purchasing  a  court  already  established, 
have  you  found  out  why  the  owner  wants  to  sell?  Studied  the 
books  in  detail?  Had  an  attorney  determine  the  extent  of  its 
liabilities?  Made  a  thorough  inspection  of  all  buildings?  Equip- 
ment? Supplies?  Learned  the  competition?  Ascertained  future 
possibilities? 

49.  Are  you  meeting  with  other  court  operators  to  discuss  prob- 
lems of  mutual  interest? 


232  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

50.  Have  you  the  four  goals  in  mind:  A  profit  at  the  end  of  the 
year?  Reduction  of  borrowed  capital?  Writing  off  65  per  cent 
of  the  original  costs  in  10  years?  Expansion?" 

IF     YOU     WANT     TO     RUN     A     VACATION     CABIN, 
TRAILER,     OR     TOURIST     CAMP 

Much  of  the  information  applying  to  the  more  elaborate  motor 
courts  applies  as  well  to  vacation  cabins,  trailer  parks,  and  motor- 
ists' camp  sites.  However,  this  approach  to  the  vacationist's  pocket- 
book  and  pleasure  can  be  established  with  lesser  investment  and  in 
many  instances  somewhat  off  the  concrete  and  blacktop  highways. 

In  the  resort  sections  along  the  coasts  and  in  lake  and  river  fishing 
and  recreation  areas,  there  is  a  general  demand  for  good  vacation 
cabins  that  usually  exceeds  the  supply.  The  cabins  do  not  have  to 
offer  the  elaborate  construction  and  finishing  and  furnishing  of  the 
motels  and  super  motor  courts— as  a  matter  of  fact  the  vacationers 
who  want  a  cabin  for  a  week  or  more  often  prefer  a  more  rustic, 
though  comfortable,  building  and  location. 

It  is  easier  for  the  part-time  operator  to  set  up  one  or  several 
cabins  and  maintain  them  because  the  vacationers  want  to  prepare 
their  own  meals  and  do  what  housekeeping  is  immediately  required, 
and  are  not  demanding  first-class  hotel  service.  Furthermore,  as  the 
vacation  cabins  are  advertised  and  filled  by  word-of -mouth  recom- 
mendations and  vacationers  who  sometimes  return  year  after  year, 
and  are  rented  usually  for  at  least  a  week  to  one  group  of  occupants, 
there  is  better  assurance  of  steady  occupancy  during  the  vacation 
season.  This  season  is  short  in  many  states— usually  12  weeks  at 
most.  Sometimes  in  hunting  and  skiing  areas  the  cabins  are  in  winter 
demand  as  well  for  brief  periods. 

The  vacation  camp  usually  has  cabins  for  couples  and  for  larger 
groups  as  well.  Some  camps  are  operated  on  the  same  scale  as  the 
popular  motor  courts  with  a  minimum  of  10  units  and  20  or  more 
preferred  for  a  full-time  operation.  But  it  is  possible  for  the  small 
operator  to  begin  with  fewer  cabins  and  enter  the  field  in  a  small 
way,  devoting  only  part  of  each  year  to  the  operation.  If  he  is  handy 
with  tools  and  paint  brush,  he  can  develop  a  plan  for  three  or  five 
or  10  years'  development,  erecting  from  scratch  or  with  prefabri- 
cated sections,  and  add  a  cabin  or  two  each  year. 

While  the  slick  motel  charges  $10  or  $12  a  night,  and  even  higher 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  233 

in  best  seasons,  the  rental  in  a  cabin  camp  varies  from  around  $25 
for  a  small  cabin  to  $35  or  more  per  week.  Profits  vary  according  to 
the  desirability  of  the  cabins  and  the  location  and  number  of  units 
available. 

In  particularly  desirable  resort  areas  the  cabin-camp  operator  may 
set  up  lightly  constructed  summer  bungalows  for  seasonal  rental 
which  may  range  from  $600  a  season  and  up,  according  to  length 
of  season,  the  location,  and  the  size  of  cabins  and  their  furnishings. 

Separately,  but,  on  occasion,  in  conjunction  with  vacation  cabins, 
the  operator  establishes  a  trailer  park  where  motorists  with  trailers 
may  stop  for  a  -week  or  month  or  season.  Such  parks,  too,  require 
investment,  and  involve  more  than  the  land.  The  trailer  park  often 
represents  an  investment  of  $250  or  more  per  space,  the  outlay  being 
involved  in  grading,  driveways,  water  and  electricity,  septic  tanks, 
and  in  the  more  elaborate  places,  sidewalks  and  little  lawns  and 
even  flower  and  vegetable  gardens.  These  sites  rent  for  around  $18 
per  month,  but  with  variation,  of  course,  according  to  the  facilities 
involved  and  the  location.  Closely  allied  to  the  trailer  park  is  the 
tent-camp  site  for  motorists. 

High  rents,  high  costs  of  housing,  high  costs  of  city  living,  are 
driving  more  and  more  people  into  the  ranks  of  the  mobile  home 
dwellers  from  all  classes  of  population,  ranging  from  factory  workers 
to  retired  executives.  Nearly  2,000,000  people  are  now  living  in 
houses  on  wheels— and  the  number  is  increasing  at  the  rate  of 
200,000  annually. 

This  trend  is  causing  increased  demand  for  trailer  parks.  The 
number  of  such  parks  was  estimated  in  1953  to  be  approximately 
12,000  in  all  48  states,  with  an  increase  of  about  1000  parks  a  year. 
The  average  park  accommodates  from  200  to  300  trailers  and  there 
are  a  few  in  the  South  and  West  that  have  locations  for  as  many  as 
1000  to  2000  coaches.  In  such  trailer  communities  there  are  even 
mobile  offices  for  doctors  and  dentists,  and  beauty  parlors  and  other 
services  for  the  trailer  dwellers. 

In  the  early  1930s,  when  trailers  began  moving  in  considerable 
numbers,  most  of  the  coaches  were  less  than  15  feet  long,  but  today 
only  three  per  cent  of  the  coaches  made  are  under  23  feet.  Nearly 
70  per  cent  of  coaches  made  today  are  30  or  more  feet  long  and 
many  include  built-in  television,  radiant  heating,  streamlined 
kitchens,  electric  water  heaters  and  Venetian  blinds. 

Supplemental  income  is  secured  at  the  several-unit  camp  by  rental 


234  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

of  washing  machines,  sale  of  cigarettes  and  bottled  drinks  and  other 
supplies  for  the  vacationer  and  his  family. 

Stop,  look,  and  listen  to  sound  advice  before  indulging  in  your 
dream  of  a  motor  court  or  tourist  camp.  Thousands  have  found  this 
type  of  business  to  be  ideal  for  them,  but  don't  forget  that  many 
have  failed  and  lost  slices  of  their  investments.  There  are  many 
other  ways  to  make  as  much  or  more  money  easier  than  in  this  field. 
This  book  offers  hundreds  of  easier  ways  to  make  money  with  a  tiny 
fraction  of  the.  investment  required  in  courts.  If  the  tourist  dollar 
interests  you,  it  can  be  secured  more  quickly  and  surely  and  with 
less  investment  in  operation  of  a  tourist  home. 

TOURIST    AND    VACATION    HOMES 
FOR    QUICK    CASH    INCOME 

One  of  the  quickest  and  surest  ways  to  make  money  at  home  if 
you  don't  object  to  surrendering  privacy  for  cash  is  to  rent  one  or 
more  of  your  sleeping  rooms.  Depending  on  the  size  of  your  place, 
you  can,  as  many  thousands  do  from  coast  to  coast,  make  from  $25 
to  $200  or  more  a  month. 

In  a  general  way,  this  type  of  operation  is  divided  into  these  three 
classifications: 

1.  The  roadside,  overnight,  tourist  home.  Location  on  or  near  a  well- 
traveled  highway  is  vital  for  a  successful  overnight  tourist  home, 
whether  it  be  farm,  village,  or  outskirt  home.  Weary  motorists  to- 
ward the  end  of  the  day,  wanting  only  overnight  accommodations, 
don't  like  to  go  exploring  off  their  main  route  of  travel.  They  want 
to  pull  off  the  road  easily,  quickly,  get  their  quarters,  wash,  eat, 
drink,  sleep,  and  get  away  on  schedule  in  the  morning.  This  type  of 
traveler  is  flagged  down  by  roadside  signs  clearly  visible  in  daytime 
and  well  lighted  at  night.  It  costs  little  to  run  a  cable  to  your  "Tour- 
ists—Vacancy" (or  "No  Vacancy")  lighted  sign. 

Many  overnight  tourist  homes  have  only  one  bedroom  to  rent,  but 
if  several  rooms  are  available  you  are  able  to  finance  adequate  help 
in  handling  the  work  of  cleaning  the  rooms.  If  your  home  is  located 
on  a  main  thoroughfare,  you  have  only  to  check  your  local  zoning 
laws  and  the  facilities  available  to  begin  your  tourist-home  opera- 
tion. Obviously,  your  income  will  be  limited  if  only  one  room  is 
available  and  you  might,  after  experimentation,  decide  to  secure  a 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  235 

larger  house,  well  located  for  your  purposes,  and  thus  set  out  to 
have  the  family  make  as  much  as  $2400  annually  at  home. 

One  of  your  most  important  considerations  before  launching  your 
enterprise  is  whether  you  are  willing  to  surrender  the  privacy  of 
your  home  to  a  constantly  changing  flow  of  overnight  guests.  Most 
of  them  will  be  reasonable;  some  of  them  unduly  demanding  and 
needing  to  "be  put  in  their  places/'  Many  people  thoroughly  enjoy 
the  visitors  and  the  brief  contacts  because  they  enjoy  people.  Others 
are  so  set  in  their  ways  they  resent  interruptions,  even  for  pay.  If 
you  are  one  of  the  latter,  the  operation  of  a  tourist  home  is  not  for 
you. 

2.  Off-roadside,  overnight,  tourist  homes.  There  is,  in  many  areas,  an 
increasing  demand  for  tourist  homes  that  are  not  located  on  main 
highways.  In  such  cases  business  is  secured  by  listing  with  local 
chambers  of  commerce,  garages,  filling  stations,  etc.  Particularly  in 
towns  and  larger  places  where  there  are  schools  and  other  institu- 
tions drawing  visitors,  the  off-highway  tourist  home  can  secure 
guests  by  listing  with  the  institutions.  Many  such  localities  have  only 
one  smaU  hotel  or  an  inn  or  two,  and  especially  at  school-opening 
and  -closing  periods  there  is  a  shortage  of  comfortable  rooms.  Such 
institutions  keep  lists  of  available  rooms  to  accommodate  visitors. 

3.  Off-roadside  vacation  homes  and  farms.  Particularly  in  or  near 
resort  areas  there  is  an  increasing  business  in  rental  of  rooms  in  big, 
old  farmhouses  that  have  been  remodeled.  These  places  take  the 
overflow  from  the  more  desirably  located  places  and  attract  the  fam- 
ily groups  that  can't  pay  the  higher  rates  of  cottages  on  the  water, 
for  instance.  Included  in  this  category  are  the  farm-vacation  homes 
for  famiHes  or  individuals  that  want  quiet  and  rest  away  from  the 
excitement  of  more  crowded  spots. 

In  many  areas  in  New  England  and  elsewhere  there  are  large,  old 
farmhouses  available  for  around  $5000,  which  require  perhaps  $3000 
for  remodeling  to  provide  as  many  as  10  or  a  dozen  guest  rooms,  as 
well  as  quarters  for  the  operating  family.  If  such  a  place  is  acquired, 
you  have  the  chance  to  establish  a  more  or  less  year-round  business, 
charging  from  $25  to  $50  per  guest  per  week  for  board  and  room. 
The  board  can  be  simple  and  family  style  but  must  be  good.  It  is 
necessary  that  such  a  place  have  a  "living"  room  available  to  the 
guests. 

There  are  few  readers  who  will  not  at  one  time  or  another  have 


236  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

used  tourist  or  vacation  homes,  so  you  can  draw  up  your  own  specifi- 
cations of  desirable  features.  Depending  on  the  type  and  scope  of 
your  operations  your  list  of  essential  pointers  will  undoubtedly  in- 
clude these: 

Adequate  nearby  parking  is  particularly  important. 

The  place  should  preferably  have  enough  rooms  so  you  can  em- 
ploy help. 

It  must,  above  all,  be  comfortable  and  clean.  The  middle-income 
groups  will  not  necessarily  require  private  bathrooms,  but  the  traffic 
should  not  be  heavy  and  cleanliness  of  bath  and  room  and  home  is 
essential.  Showers  are  more  economical  to  install  and  maintain. 

House  rules,  simple,  to  the  point,  should  be  posted. 

Furnishing  should  be  comfortable  and  simple  and  should  include 
waste  baskets  and  plenty  of  ash  trays.  The  writer  once  stayed  at  a 
tourist  home  in  Andover,  Massachusetts,  in  a  room  filled  with  an- 
tiques worth  thousands  of  dollars,  but  with  a  mattress  filled  with 
petrified  cornhusks— and  not  an  ash  tray  in  the  place.  Tourist  homes 
get  the  best  advertising  from  personal  recommendations,  and  ob- 
viously such  a  place  would  never  be  recommended,  even  to  enemies. 


CHAPTER    THIRTY-THREE 

Ways  to  Make  Money  with  Yow  Typewriter 
and  Other  Business  Services 


YOUR  TYPEWRITER,  and  the  ability  to  use  it  accurately,  offers  one  of 
the  quickest  and  easiest  ways  to  increase  your  income  at  home. 
Thousands  of  men  and  women  have  found  typing  to  be  the  door 
opener  to  other  sources  of  home  income.  If  you  haven't  the  ability 
to  type,  you  would  be  well  advised  to  consider  a  two  to  three 
months'  course  in  a  business  school,  or,  for  that  matter,  you  can 
teach  yourself  to  be  an  expert  typist  by  taking  a  mail-order  course 
or,  through  any  typewriter  company,  securing  pamphlets  and  advice 
on  selection  of  low-priced  booklets  that  teach  you  at  home.  The 
ability  to  type  is  one  of  the  best  insurances  of  income  that  is  known. 
One  hundred  dollars  or  less  will  put  you  into  the  home-lettershop 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  237 

business.  If  you  have  a  typewriter  with  a  good  roll  and  well-aligned, 
clean  type,  you  already  have  the  major  part  of  your  equipment.  You 
can  rent  typewriters  from  agencies  listed  in  classified  sections  of 
most  telephone  books.  In  addition,  you  will  need  carbon  paper, 
canary-yellow  second  sheets,  a  box  of  good  white  8/2"  x  11"  bond 
copy  paper.  Some  of  your  clients  will  supply  their  own  letterheads. 
You  can  make  your  own  filing  cabinets  with  use  of  corrugated  paper 
cartons,  although  steel  letter  files  are  more  desirable  and  service- 
able. With  such  equipment  you  are  ready  for  business  in  town  and 
city  and  country,  and  with  a  little  ingenuity  can  make  hundreds  and 
even  thousands  of  dollars'  profit  annually  and  be  on  your  way  to  a 
larger  business  of  your  own. 

You  can  operate  from  your  own  house  or  apartment,  and  there 
are  rarely  any  local  requirements  for  licenses  and  other  permissions. 
Or,  if  you  prefer,  you  should  have  no  great  difficulty  in  securing  free 
office  space  in  exchange  for  answering  telephone  calls.  Many  real 
estate  offices,  young  lawyers,  small  shops  and  stores,  welcome  ex- 
change of  desk  space  for  such  supplemental  service. 

You  secure  your  clients  by  placing  small  classified  advertise- 
ments in  local  newspapers  and  by  sending  postal  cards  to  profes- 
sional people,  club  presidents,  authors,  stores,  and  other  logical 
places,  advertising  your  service— and  keep  in  mind  that  it  is  a  service 
for  which  there  is  a  constant  demand  and  one  that  offers  larger 
opportunities. 

Those  greater  opportunities  were  quickly  recognized  by  Lorna 
Slocombe  of  Cambridge,  Massachusetts.  She  started  a  typing  service 
that  soon  forced  her  into  larger  business.  At  the  beginning  when 
she  had  extra  time  she  used  her  typewriter  for  writing  for  magazines 
such  as  Yowr  Life  and  Good  Housekeeping,  and  now  she  has  her 
typing  business  and  is  a  very  successful  author  as  well. 

Not  writing  for  publication,  but  simply  making  pertinent  notes  in 
a  memorandum  to  assist  others  interested  in  typing  services,  Lorna 
Slocombe  gives  us  this  helpful  fruit  of  her  own  successful  experi- 
ence: 

"Typing:  smallest  overhead  in  the  world.  You  can  do  it  at  home 
with  a  typewriter.  Office  model  is  better  than  the  portable  because  it 
makes  better  carbons.  Or  set  up  shop  in  a  college  town  or  business 
center.  You  can  get  free  space  in  return  for  taking  calls. 

"To  set  your  rates,  call  up  the  other  typists,  public  stenographers, 
etc.,  to  get  an  idea  of  prevailing  rates.  Give  rates  by  the  1000  words, 


238  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

rather  than  by  the  page,  since  one  page  might,  in  the  eye  of  the 
customer,  have  either  200  or  400  words  on  it.  Or  you  can  stipulate 
'A  dollar  a  thousand  words,  25  cents  for  a  double-spaced  page  of 
250  words/ 

"On  any  tough  job,  dictation,  etc.,  charge  by  the  hour.  Set  your 
hourly  rate  by  the  number  of  pages  you  type  in  the  average  hour. 
Charge  extra  for  carbons,  single-spacing,  foreign  languages,  and 
revisions  made  not  through  your  errors  but  at  the  customer's  re- 
quest. Charge  overtime  for  rush  jobs  that  have  to  be  done  evenings 
and  Sundays. 

"To  drum  up  trade:  send  out  postcards  to  students,  businessmen, 
doctors,  etc.,  living  near  you.  Have  office  hours  when  they  can  reach 
you,  even  if  it's  just  two  hours  a  day. 

"If  you  are  doing  thesis  typing  for  students,  get  a  good  book  which 
will  give  you  the  correct  form  for  footnotes,  bibliography,  the  use 
of  op.  tit.,  ibid.,  etc.  This  is  very  important,  and  students  rely  on  the 
typist  for  help. 

"Use  paper  with  an  erasable  finish,  such  as  Eaton's  Corrasible  in 
the  16-lb.  weight.  F.  S.  Webster  Company,  Cambridge,  Massachu- 
setts, makes  a  carbon  paper  called  Micrometric  with  numbers  down 
the  sides— a  great  help  when  typing  footnotes. 
"Biggest  headache:  customers  in  a  hurry. 
"Most  fun:  meeting  the  great  variety  of  people." 
There  we  have  one  voice  of  experience.  And  the  experience  ex- 
pands. The  home  typist  can  confine  the  operation  to  the  one  field  but 
soon  the  man  or  woman  finds  that  the  service  branches  into  secre- 
tarial duties  and  additional  income. 

Some,  but  by  no  means  all,  of  the  ways  in  which  your  home  type- 
writer can  make  money  for  you  include  the  following: 
Typing  letters 

Typing  manuscripts  for  authors,  theses  for  students 
Copying  mailing  lists 
Addressing  envelopes  for  mailing 

Addressing  envelopes  and  inserting  bills  for  professional  people  and 
small  businesses  with  limited  staffs,  or  supplementing  staffs  of 
larger  operators  during  seasonal  peak  periods.  This  is  often  a  re- 
peating monthly  business. 
Filling  in  multigraphed  letters  to  match 
Typing  speeches  and  sermons  from  handwritten  copy 
Typing  notices  of  meetings  for  local  clubs.  A  good  "repeat"  business. 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  239 

Cutting  mimeograph  stencils 

Addressing  labels  for  special  mailings 

Cutting  stencils  for  mailing  lists 

Writing  for  newspapers  and  magazines 

A  dictate-by-telephone  service  for  professional  people,  contractors, 

bookstores,  real  estate  agents,  and  other  small-staff  organizations. 

If  you  are  branching  out  and  secure  a  second-hand  mimeograph 
for  $100  to  $200,  you  open  up  the  field  of  reproduction  by  this  and 
other  means  for  various  businesses,  small  or  large. 

If  you  are  really  a  first-rate  typist,  you  can  cut  stencils  for  $1.00  to 
$1.50  a  page  and  run  off  on  a  mimeograph  the  bulletins  for  churches 
and  clubs,  menus  for  restaurants,  and  a  wide  variety  of  other  notices. 

Potentialities  in  the  field  under  consideration  are  almost  limitless. 
Large  numbers  of  men  and  women  with  and  without  previous  broad 
training  have  made  themselves  independent  through  their  type- 
writers and  the  allied  services  that  typing  makes  possible.  Such  po- 
tentialities were  "seen"  in  the  mind  of  C.  Rodney  Demarest  of  Stam- 
ford, Connecticut,  blind  since  1940. 

This  man  related  at  a  Kiwanis  club  meeting,  as  reported  in  Green- 
wich (Conn.)  Time,  how  he  turned  a  one-room  business  into  an 
organization  that  within  three  years  was  grossing  more  than  $50,000. 

"After  secretarial  training,  including  courses  in  touch  typing  and 
braille  shorthand,  I  was  ready  for  a  job/'  said  Mr.  Demarest.  "But  it 
seemed  to  me  that  none  of  the  chances  to  work  with  someone  else 
were  as  good  as  my  own  chances  if  I  were  to  go  into  business  for 
myself.  So  I  borrowed  $400  from  my  parents  and  rented  one  room  in 
a  Stamford  office  building. 

"I  furnished  the  room  with  four  desks  and  had  three  main  goals  in 
my  mind.  The  first  was  to  provide  desk  space  in  a  central  location 
for  three  other  businessmen  who  would  rent  these  desks  from  me. 
My  second  plan  was  to  start  a  daytime  telephone-answering  service. 
The  third  idea,  an  outgrowth  of  the  other  two,  was  to  act  as  a  public 
stenographer.  I  also  arranged  to  act  as  a  broker  for  mimeograph 
work  at  15  per  cent  commission. 

"The  first  three  months  were  very  discouraging.  In  fact,  at  the 
end  of  that  time  I  had  to  borrow  another  $100  to  keep  going.  But 
soon  after  that  things  began  to  look  very  encouraging.  I  got  15 
telephones  which  I  answered  and  also  obtained  several  dictation 
clients. 

"The  business  grew  so  that  in  December,  less  than  one  year  after 


240  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

I  had  started,  I  was  taking  out  $200  a  month  for  myself  and  had  paid 
off  all  my  debts.  My  brother  then  became  interested  and  joined  me, 
putting  more  money  into  the  firm.  With  this  money  we  bought  our 
own  mimeographing  machine. 

"In  April  of  1947  the  Stamford  Letter  Service  wanted  us  to  take 
over  their  firm  and  operate  it  on  a  share-the-profit  deal.  But  we 
didn't  want  to  build  up  a  business  for  anyone  else  and  so  we  ar- 
ranged to  buy  that  firm.  We  then  expanded  to  three  rooms  and  got 
a  girl  to  help  with  the  typing. 

"We  then  got  a  client  who  wanted  us  to  mail  out  110,000  letters  a 
month.  My  father,  who  had  worked  for  someone  else,  then  came 
into  the  firm  and  we  incorporated  as  'Demarest  Incorporated  Serv- 
ices/ We  moved  into  larger  quarters  and  got  10  girls  to  help  us. 

"We  also  acted  as  broker  for  a  printing  firm  which  we  now  own 
ourselves.  In  our  fiscal  year  ending  in  July  1949  we  grossed  more 
than  $50,000  and  it  looks  like  we  are  going  to  do  even  better  in  1950. 

"I  now  have  69  subscribers  to  my  phone-answering  service.  I 
locate  our  own  phones  by  the  sound  of  the  bells  and  the  distance 
and  direction  from  which  the  sound  travels. 

"I  have  no  sympathy  with  anyone  who  says  they  haven't  got  a 
chance  today.  In  spite  of  government  regulations,  which  can  be 
pretty  annoying,  I  will  admit,  there  is  no  reason  for  anyone  to  be 
afraid  to  go  into  business  for  himself.  We  have  unlimited  opportuni- 
ties in  the  United  States  today  for  anyone  who  will  go  out  and  get 
them." 

Those  unlimited  opportunities  are  yours  for  the  taking.  You  can, 
in  your  own  home,  set  up  your  own  letter  shop  along  the  lines  ex- 
plained by  Lorna  Slocombe,  or  you  can  apply  at  home  many  of  the 
steps  followed  by  C.  Rodney  Demarest.  Once  you  have  started  in  a 
small  way  you  may  well  have  the  experience  of  many  others  that 
your  home  business  will  grow  and  make  possible  the  establishment 
of  supplemental  lines  of  income.  Sometimes  these  added  money- 
makers in  allied  lines  are  virtually  forced  upon  the  home-lettershop 
operator. 

Any  home  typist,  particularly  those  who  have  had  any  general 
experience  in  business  offices,  can  rather  easily  take  on  additional 
services  that  help  to  buy  that  new  car  or  fur  coat.  Obviously  there 
are  a  variety  of  clerical  and  other  services  that  assist  individuals, 
small-shop  and  store  owners  in  your  own  community,  and  frequently 
supplement  the  staffs  of  larger  businesses  during  peak  periods. 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  24! 

Illustrative  of  these  services,  depending  on  your  own  past  experi- 
ence or  skill  you  can  acquire  as  you  go  along,  are  these: 

The  girl  who  advertised  that  she  would  be  a  secretary  on  call  at 
your  own  home.  With  her  shorthand  notebook  and  portable  type- 
writer she  would  bob  up  on  call  at  the  home  of  a  harassed  club- 
woman or  club  secretary  and  do  her  letter  writing  at  $2.00  per  hour. 

The  men  and  women  who  offer  a  notary  public  service.  Many 
legal  and  other  papers  require  notarization.  States  have  varying 
regulations  governing  appointment  of  notaries.  Among  other  things, 
you  must  be  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  over  21  years  of  age,  and 
a  resident  of  the  county  where  appointment  is  made. 

The  former  legal  secretary  who  assisted  local  residents  in  filling 
out  their  income  tax  returns. 

The  young  man  who  steeped  himself  in  social  security  regulations 
and  state  and  federal  law  regarding  employment  and  used  the  tele- 
phone and  postal  cards  and  classified  advertisements  to  secure 
nearly  a  score  of  small  employers  as  clients. 

Various  individuals  who  use  direct-letter  mailing  to  offer  part- 
time,  but  complete,  bookkeeping,  accounting,  and  tax  services  for 
small  operators.  One  of  these  is  the  Abbott  Accounting  Company  of 
New  York  that  for  $10  a  month  and  up  provides  a  variety  of  such 
services. 

The  lowan  who,  by  letters,  telephone,  and  personal  calls,  applied 
tactful  pressure  as  a  collection  agent  for  a  dozen  professional  men 
and  small  retailers. 

The  home-letter-service  woman  who  knows  how  to  research  in 
libraries  and  official  records  and  digs  out  birth  and  marriage  records 
and  helps  to  develop  genealogies  for  old  families.  This  is  a  thriving 
part-time  business  in  colonial  settlement  areas  of  New  England  and 
the  South. 


HELPFUL     BOOKS 

Touch  Typewriting  for  All,  by  John  C.  Evans.  Barnes  &  Noble,  Inc.,  5th 

Ave.  at  18th  St.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Touch  Typing  in  10  Lessons,  by  Ruth  Ben'ary.  Grosset  &  Dunlap,  Inc., 

1107  Broadway,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
Personal  Typing  in  24  Hours,  by  Philip  S.  Pepe,  McGraw-Hill  Book  Co., 

330  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 


CHAPTER    THIRTY-FOUR 


How  to  Make  Recordings  Make  Money 
for  YOM 


YOUR  OWN  NAME  either  spoken  or  in  print  has  a  tremendous  appeal, 
but  perhaps  even  stronger  is  the  sound  of  your  own  voice  or  the 
voices  of  those  you  know  and  love.  There  is  a  powerful,  ready-made 
sales  appeal  for  the  person  who  wants  to  establish  a  home  money- 
making  service.  You  can  establish  such  a  service  for  about  $200  and 
up  for  used  or  new  equipment,  or  even  less  if  you  want  to  test  it  first 
by  renting  both  a  tape  and  a  disk  recorder.  It  is  advisable  to  have 
both  types  of  recorders,  so  that  you  can  record  first  on  tape  and  then 
make  an  edited  transfer  to  a  regular  phonograph  record,  the  editing 
eliminating  undesirable  sounds  and  silent  periods.  The  technique 
of  recording  is  not  difficult  to  learn,  and  you  have  the  added  attrac- 
tion of  fun  and  entertainment  with  the  equipment  you  secure  for 
the  home-recording  business. 

This  home  service  lends  itself  to  expansion  outside  of  the  home  in 
your  spare  time.  Once  you  have  the  equipment  and  the  quickly  ac- 
quired experience,  you  may  find,  if  you  are  reasonably  resourceful, 
that  you  have  more  business  available  than  you  want  to  handle.  For 
instance,  Cecil  Charles,  a  commercial  photographer  in  Los  Angeles, 
had  experienced  the  stiff  competition  of  other  photographers,  and 
after  taking  on  recording  as  a  side  line  was  startled  to  find  that 
clients  sought  him  instead  of  his  having  to  seek  clients. 

Ample  instructions  for  use  of  the  equipment  are  received  with  the 
sets.  You  begin  by  experimenting  with  your  own  voice— speaking, 
singing,  whistling,  reading  aloud,  pretending  you  are  an  actor.  You 
can  also  gain  experience  quickly  by  recording  for  your  friends  and 
members  of  your  family.  There  is  also  the  ever-available  radio 
broadcast  that  may  later  bring  you  revenue,  but  you  must  not  repro- 
duce commercial  programs  for  sale  or  rental. 

The  sources  of  potential  revenue  are  multiple,  and  clients  can  be 
reached  by  use  of  classified  advertising,  telephone,  letters  and  postal 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  243 

cards,  and  personal  references  from  satisfied  users  of  your  service. 
Here  is  a  sampling  of  the  various  ways  in  which  you  can  make 
money  as  a  recording  specialist: 

For  music  teachers.  You  can  arrange  to  record  pupils'  voices  or 
instrumental  playing  for  the  purpose  of  record  and  for  teacher  and 
self-analysis. 

For  public  speakers.  Lecturers,  preachers,  politicians,  club  lead- 
ers, performers  of  all  types  of  recordings  of  special  performances. 

For  weddings.  The  actual  ceremony,  toasts  at  wedding  parties,  the 
sound  and  the  fury  of  the  reception,  the  wedding  march,  etc.  are 
treasured  on  records.  The  recorder  can  often  tie  in  his  or  her  services 
with  those  of  the  photographers. 

For  local  radio.  Much  of  the  music  and  performances  of  profes- 
sionals on  the  big  radio  programs  is  protected  by  copyright.  Local 
speakers  and  performers,  however,  are  good,  logical  customers.  Take 
off  their  broadcasts  and  by  telephone  or  letter  tell  them  that  you 
have  the  recording  available  and  set  your  price  according  to  your 
costs.  Five  dollars  is  not  uncommon  for  a  single  recording.  Of  course, 
if  retained  for  several  recordings  you  could  adjust  your  charges 
accordingly. 

For  proud  parents.  You  can  arrange  with  parents  to  bring  their 
children  to  your  home  or  you  can  go  to  their  homes  to  record  little 
Susie's  rendition  of  "Twinkle,  Twinkle,  Little  Star,"  or  Johnny  and 
his  violin.  Some  parents  want  recordings  of  the  early  speech  of  their 
children,  and  when  the  boy  or  girl  is  ready  for  a  recital  they  want  to 
record  the  masterpiece  for  posterity. 

For  local  orchestras  and  entertainers.  They  frequently  can  use 
recordings  to  give  prospective  clients  a  sample  of  their  wares. 

For  parties.  Neighbors  and  others  enjoy  having  conversations  at 
a  party  recorded  and  played  back  later  in  the  evening,  much  to  the 
amusement  or  consternation  of  their  guests.  Party  recordings  can  be 
used  in  a  variety  of  ways  by  letting  guests  indulge  their  desires  to 
be  entertainers.  Often,  permanent  records  of  the  family  or  larger 
group  in  a  home  for  special  occasions  are  well  worth  the  price  of 
your  services. 

For  banquets.  Eulogies  for  guests  of  honor  at  banquets  and  spe- 
cial meetings  are  worth  the  price  of  recordings. 

For  gifts.  There  is  a  huge  and  not  oversold  market  that  can  be 
tapped  by  telephone  and  postal  card.  Mothers  and  fathers  can  now 
send  records  to  their  children  who  are  far  away  from  home,  and  the 


244  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

absent  sons  and  daughters  can  send  records  to  be  played  on  wedding 
anniversaries  and  Father's  and  Mother's  days. 

For  song  writers.  Eden  Ahbez  employed  a  singer  to  make  a 
phonograph  record  of  his  popular  "Nature  Boy."  That  helped  him, 
until  then  an  unknown,  to  sell  the  song  that  produced  a  fortune. 

RECORDINGS     FOR     RENTAL     AS     WELL     AS     SALE 

Obviously  there  are  many  ways  in  which  a  resourceful  and  crea- 
tive home  sound  recorder  can  turn  his  equipment  and  ideas  into 
income.  Nearly  every  locality  has  its  favorite  barbershop  quartet,  its 
teller  of  dialect  stories,  and  other  amateur  entertainers  who  would 
not  be  averse  to  the  making  of  records  that  can  be  offered  for  sale 
in  local  stores  and  used  to  liven  up  a  party.  Combinations  of  animal 
sounds  offer  possibilities  for  the  creative  recorder  who  can  develop 
a  group  of  records  for  rental. 

In  building  such  a  library,  the  home  recorder  should  consider 
adding  to  his  library  a  series  of  Bible  stories  as  recorded  by  some 
local  pastor  or  some  man  or  woman  who  is  experienced  in  telling 
stories  to  groups  of  children.  The  field  is  open  for  the  recording  of 
seasonal  pieces  for  Christmas,  Easter,  the  Fourth  of  July,  and  for 
both  serious  and  humorous  old  ballads. 

This  procedure  was  followed  by  Arthur  Becker  of  New  York  and 
used  as  the  basis  of  a  thriving  business.  He  established  Bibletone, 
which  offers  records  of  favorite  hymns,  dramatized  versions  of  Bible 
stories  for  children,  familiar  passages  from  the  Bible.  But  establish- 
ment of  nation-wide  business  of  this  kind  involved  problems  worth 
considering. 

One  of  his  problems  was  whether  to  continue  as  an  insurance 
salesman  or  turn  his  hobby  of  recording  into  a  business.  The  hobby 
won.  After  making  certain  that  he  had  a  supplier  of  records,  a  manu- 
facturer in  Scranton,  Pennsylvania,  Becker  quit  his  insurance  job. 
But  that  was  in  1941,  and  just  as  he  was  ready  to  operate  on  a  large 
scale  there  came  the  attack  on  Pearl  Harbor,  government  restrictions 
on  the  material  in  records  and  the  machinery  to  make  disks,  and  his 
supplier  was  unable  to  fulfill  its  contracts. 

After  considerable  research  and  expense,  Becker  developed  a  for- 
mula for  making  his  own  records.  By  that  time  the  record-making 
company  in  Pennsylvania  paid  him  $25,000  for  his  machinery  and 
formula,  which  would  have  made  him  a  competitor,  and  assured 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  245 

him  of  1,000,000  disks  yearly.  At  first,  his  selections  of  hymns  were 
drably  packaged  and  not  very  popular.  But  some  fortunate  sales 
made  it  possible  for  him  to  improve  his  packaging  and  marketing, 
and  after  the  initial  struggle  he  was  using  his  full  quota  of  a  million 
disks  a  year. 

Problems  of  supply,  such  as  those  encountered  by  Becker,  need 
not  concern  the  home  operator.  Cheap  record  blanks  that  have  a 
paper  base  cost  little  more  than  a  dime  and  can  be  used  to  get 
families  interested.  Regular  disks  for  permanent  records  may  cost 
60  cents  or  more.  But  you  can  sell  the  permanent  records  for  $3.00 
to  $5.00  each  and  $1.50  or  more  for  additional  copies. 

A  Middle  Westerner,  who  was  along  in  years  and  confined  to  his 
home,  taught  himself  how  to  make  tape  and  disk  recordings.  He 
tuned  in  on  local  radio  broadcasts  and  selected  possibilities  for  his 
tape  recorder.  Following  the  broadcasts,  he  telephoned  or  sent  notes 
to  his  prospective  customers  offering  disk  recordings.  When  orders 
were  received  he  transferred  the  sound  from  the  tape  to  the  disk. 
The  sound  on  the  tape  could  then  be  "erased"  and  the  tape  used 
again  and  again.  This  man  offered  his  disks  at  $3.00  each  and  re- 
ported a  high  percentage  of  sales. 

Mrs.  Neta  Kaye  Stokely  of  Oklahoma  City,  a  housewife  and 
mother  of  two  children,  wrote  two  little  stories,  one  about  "The 
Absent-Minded  Cricket"  and  the  other  about  "Butterfly  Heaven."  She 
recorded  them  on  tape  and  wove  in  the  names  of  various  children 
who  were  delighted  to  hear  their  names  on  a  record  player.  Mrs. 
Stokely  developed  sales  of  these  records,  filling  in  the  names  of  chil- 
dren in  whom  buyers  were  interested.  Instead  of  making  her  own 
disks,  she  sends  the  tape  to  a  recording  studio  where  the  personalized 
stories  are  transcribed  to  bright  red  plastic  disks  that  catch  the  eyes 
of  children.  She  sells  the  records  for  $3.50  each. 

A  wedding  is  a  turning  point  in  the  life  of  a  young  person.  The 
clergyman's  words,  the  responses  of  the  bride  and  groom,  form  an 
indelible  part  of  memory. 

A  testimonial  dinner  to  a  man  who  has  achieved  outstanding  suc- 
cess and  is  being  honored  by  his  colleagues  and  friends  is  an  evening 
to  be  remembered.  A  religious  confirmation,  an  installation  of 
officers,  a  school  graduation— these  are  all  highspots  recalled  long 
after  the  moments  are  past. 

Robert  Rosenfield  and  Hillel  Folkman  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  were 
only  sophomores  in  high  school  five  years  ago,  but  they  knew  even 


MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

then  how  important  all  these  things  were  to  people.  And  this  knowl- 
edge was  the  germ  of  a  business  which  has  paid  off  handsomely. 

The  secret?  Record  these  events  for  the  persons  concerned,  so  that 
they  would  have  a  lasting  memento  for  all  time.  How  to  do  it?  Sim- 
ple—they invested  $25  each  in  a  wire-recording  machine  with  money 
saved  from  allowances  and  errand  running.  Then*  fathers  came 
across  with  the  balance,  with  the  understanding  that  they  would  be 
repaid  at  once  with  the  initial  proceeds. 

Off  went  Rosenfield  and  Folkman  to  assemblies,  organizations, 
and  individuals.  And  the  jobs  came  flowing  in.  Soon  they  found 
themselves  busy  every  moment  of  their  spare  time,  making  perma- 
nent records  of  proceedings  all  over  town. 

If  you  decide  to  go  into  the  recording  business  after  investigating 
your  possible  local  market,  you  can  have  cards  printed  with  your 
name  and  "Sound  and  Recorder"  and  your  address  and  telephone 
number.  These  cards  can  be  mailed  to  prospective  customers,  music 
teachers,  parents,  and  others;  or  you  can  experiment  with  classified 
advertising  in  your  local  papers. 

A  helpful  book  is: 

How  to  Make  Good  Recordings.  Audio  Devices,  Inc.,  444  Madison  Ave., 
New  York  22,  N.Y. 


CHAPTER     THIRTY-FIVE 


Your  Share  of  the  Multibillion-Dollar 
Business  of  Services  for  Frantic  Parents 


MILLIONS  OF  BABIES  and  youngsters  have  millions  of  adoring  parents 
who  pay  more  than  five  billion  dollars  annually  to  satisfy  the  con- 
stant demands  of  the  little  dimpled  darlings.  This  all  involves  big 
business  of  the  tried-and-true,  and  sometimes  mishandled,  baby- 
sitting, catering,  entertainment,  feeding,  instruction,  beautifying, 
mending,  and  multiple  services  which  provide  a  cash  harvest  for 
those  who  want  to  make  money  at  home. 

These  services  are  on  a  hit-or-miss  basis  in  many  communities. 
There  are  few  localities  where  there  is  no  opportunity  for  a  steady 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  247 

cash  income  in  these  fields.  Any  man  or  woman  of  reasonable  in- 
telligence, and  serious  intent  to  earn  by  being  of  service,  can  make 
from  a  few  dollars  a  week  to  thousands  a  year— the  latter  income  if 
you  have  some  ability  to  organize  and  set  up  services  with  others 
working  under  your  direction.  According  to  the  scope  of  your 
activity,  you  can  devote  a  few  hours  a  week  or  full  time  to  profiting 
by  serving  parents. 

SITTING   "IN"   OR   "OUT" 

In  exploring  the  profitable  field  of  aiding  parents,  the  beginner 
may  think  first  of  baby  sitting  and  exclaim:  "Oh,  baby  sitting!  Any- 
one can  do  that.  I've  already  done  it  for  chicken  feed."  True  enough, 
but  have  you  given  serious  consideration  to  its  full  potentialities,  to 
development  of  a  plan  with  a  goal  of  $100  or  more  every  month  that 
can  result  from  such  a  plan?  Instead  of  occasionally  accommodating 
a  neighbor  or  casually  taking  a  stray  telephone  call,  have  you  con- 
sidered a  steady  home-income  project  set  up  to  mesh  with  your  own 
convenience  and  requirements? 

First,  you  can  determine  just  how  many  days,  afternoons,  or  eve- 
nings you  want  to  devote  to  keeping  the  children  alive  while  their 
parents  escape  for  a  few  hours  from  youngsters'  constant  demands 
and  keep  their  social  fences  mended,  or  find  other  recreation.  You 
determine  whether  you  have  the  space  to  let  parents  park  their  off- 
spring with  you  in  your  own  home,  or  whether  you  would  prefer  to 
go  to  the  home  of  your  clients— and  provision  can  frequently  be 
made  that  you  be  called  for  at  your  home  and  returned  by  automo- 
bile. You  set  rates  according  to  the  prevailing  charges  of  the  com- 
munity. You  use  your  telephone  and  spread  the  word  through  your 
first  clients.  You  can  have  cards  printed  stipulating  your  hours, 
charges,  and  qualifications.  You  can  list  your  services  for  very  little 
expenditure  in  classified  sections  of  your  local  newspaper.  You  can 
send  postal  cards  to  parents  of  children  in  your  general  neighbor- 
hood. You  can  perform  a  real  service  for  your  community.  By  pro- 
viding your  safe  and  intelligent  services,  you  do  your  share  in 
averting  the  disasters  that  have  occurred  in  the  realm  of  baby  sitting. 

Probably  you  have  read  of  the  sitters  who  calm  down  squalling 
babies  by  giving  them  a  touch  of  oven  gas;  the  teen-age  sitters  who 
raid  iceboxes  and  entertain  boys  with  the  house  liquor;  the  Nahant, 
Massachusetts,  girl  who  stole  $18,000  from  the  home  of  a  client  who 


248  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

later  committed  suicide;  the  15-year-old  boy  sitter  who  assaulted  an 
8-year-old  child  left  to  his  mercies;  the  incompetent  young  sitter 
who  danced  with  her  boy  visitor  while  her  young  charge  suffocated 
in  its  crib.  Stories  such  as  these  have  not  banished  sitting  jobs  for 
teen-agers,  but  they  make  it  easier  for  responsible  men  and  women 
of  any  community  who  want  a  steady  part-time  income. 

CARING  FOR  GROUPS  OF  CHILDREN 

More  often  than  not,  sitting  with  babies  requires  that  you  leave 
your  own  home,  but  if  you  concentrate  on  older  children  who  need 
watching,  you  can  have  the  children  and  the  income  brought  to  your 
own  home.  This  also  permits  multiplying  the  rates  you  receive.  If 
you  have  a  group,  you  can  charge  individuals  less  but  make  several 
times  as  much  per  hour  for  your  time. 

One  illustration  among  thousands  is  that  of  the  teacher  in  a  small 
Pennsylvania  town  who  makes  $20  a  week  for  only  four  or  five  hours 
of  work  in  her  own  home.  She  says  it  would  be  easy  for  her  to  make 
$50  or  more  weekly  if  she  wanted  to  devote  more  time  to  her  home- 
sitting  service.  Mothers  bring  their  children  to  her  home  at  9  A.M. 
and  call  for  them  at  11  or  11:30.  While  the  mothers  are  shopping  or 
having  beauty  treatments  or  catching  up  on  their  housework,  the 
teacher  reads  stories  and  organizes  games  for  the  children,  who 
enjoy  the  group  activity.  She  insists  that  it  isn't  necessary  to  have 
had  a  teacher's  training  and  that  she  could  do  as  well  with  afternoon 
hours  if  that  suited  her  own  schedule. 

A  somewhat  similar  plan  is  followed  by  a  grandmother  whose  two 
children  left  her  with  empty  upstairs  rooms  and  a  comparatively  in- 
active day.  She  likes  children,  and  let  friends  and  others  know  that 
she  would  care  for  children  from  9  A.M.  to  noon— children  from  tod- 
dlers to  kindergarten  age.  She  started  with  four  and  read  to  them 
and  provided  games.  Later  she  organized  a  routine  schedule  of 
activities  that  simplified  her  own  operations,  and  found  she  could 
accommodate  a  score  of  youngsters.  The  service  filled  her  life  and 
her  purse. 

Another  woman,  the  young  mother  of  three  children,  found  the 
family  income  virtually  halted  when  her  husband  became  incapaci- 
tated. She  advertised  in  the  local  papers,  used  the  telephone,  and 
put  cards  in  the  neighborhood  drugstore,  and  soon  had  mothers 
parking  their  children  with  her  for  the  full  afternoon  and  supper. 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  249 

She  charged  $1.00  an  afternoon,  and  her  income  was  $15  a  day,  less 
the  modest  cost  of  the  suppers.  In  many  communities  the  charge 
could  be  higher,  especially  with  the  supper  included. 

A  college  girl  in  Scarsdale,  New  York,  scheduled  summer  after- 
noons to  care  for  a  group  of  children.  She  kept  them  busy  in  her 
home  yard  or  on  trips  to  parks  and  beaches  on  sunny  days.  When  it 
rained  she  took  them  indoors  or  into  the  garage  where  she  organized 
their  play.  Her  activity  provided  a  summer  interest  for  herself  and 
cash  for  extras  at  college.  As  the  surprising  bonus,  the  parents  of 
two  of  the  youngsters  wanted  to  take  them  abroad  and  still  be  free 
for  their  own  sightseeing  pursuits.  They  took  the  college  girl  with 
them— all  expenses  paid.  Of  course  she  had  to  watch  the  children 
some  of  the  time,  but  she  had  ample  time  for  her  own  enjoyment  of 
the  trip. 

You  can  earn  your  own  trip  to  Europe,  unburdened  by  little 
charges,  if  you  develop  your  plan  for  baby  sitting  or  older-child  care 
and  bank  your  earnings. 

You  can  start  as  a  sitter  in  your  own  home  or  in  the  child's  home 
and  have  the  responsibility  of  only  one  or  two  children. 

You  can  graduate  from  that  small  start  to  handling  groups  of  older 
children.  And  if  you  want  to  operate  on  a  large  scale,  you  can  organ- 
ize a  full-fledged  sitter  service  that  can  be  managed  from  your  own 
home,  or  from  office  space  you  can  secure  free  in  small  downtown 
shops  or  offices  by  being  available  to  take  telephone  calls  for  your 
"landlord." 


SITTING     SERVICES     ON     A    LARGER     SCALE 

Two  larger-scale  operations  serve  to  illustrate  approaches  to  siza- 
ble income:  one  an  entirely  home-operated  service,  the  other  an  in- 
corporated business 

The  Baby  Sitters  Club  was  organized  by  a  woman  who  was  con- 
fined to  a  wheel  chair.  She  advertised  in  a  local  newspaper  for  girls 
who  were  interested  in  baby  sitting.  She  selected  10  as  most  desira- 
ble and  made  a  card  record  of  their  ages,  qualifications,  addresses, 
telephone  numbers,  when  available,  etc.  Then  she  advertised:  "Baby 
Sitters  Available.  Call  the  Baby  Sitters  Club.  References  if  re- 
quested. Telephone  00000."  She  also  mailed  several  hundred  mimeo- 
graphed postal  cards  to  mothers  in  the  community.  The  telephone 
began  ringing  soon  after  the  advertising  was  released.  Customers 


250  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

multiplied  and  the  woman  organizer  had  40  sitters  on  her  list  to 
supply  the  demand. 

This  operator  required  reference  information  from  her  customers 
as  well  as  her  sitters,  and  set  up  a  list  of  rules  that  included:  Parents 
must  leave  telephone  numbers  so  they  can  be  reached  in  emer- 
gencies; telephone  number  of  the  family  physician,  a  close  friend  or 
relative.  Clients  must  not  expect  sitters  to  be  available  after  agreed- 
upon  hours  although  they  would  never  leave  an  assignment;  must 
not  expect  sitters  to  do  mending  or  dishes  or  cooking  without  extra 
compensation.  The  sitters  were  required  to  be  attentive,  not  enter- 
tain visitors,  not  raid  the  icebox  or  liquor  cabinet.  The  manager  took 
20  per  cent  of  the  sitters'  fees  as  her  commission. 

Another  woman,  Mary  Ellen  Goodman,  established  Sitters  Service, 
Inc.,  in  White  Plains,  New  York,  with  a  capital  expenditure  of  little 
more  than  $100  and  developed  a  thriving  service  welcomed  by  the 
entire  area.  The  expenses  included  the  cost  of  incorporation,  $50; 
business  telephone  and  a  local  answering  service,  $19;  stationery, 
circulars,  advertising,  incidentals. 

"When  I  had  selected  about  20  sitters  in  White  Plains  and  an 
equal  number  from  nearby  towns,"  says  Mrs.  Goodman,  "I  invited 
them  all  to  a  meeting  at  my  home  office  to  discuss  our  arrangements 
and  to  talk  with  a  representative  of  the  National  Safety  Council  who 
was  delighted  to  further  my  project." 

The  specialist  suggested: 
"1.  Always  check  to  find  the  back  exit  in  case  a  fire  should  occur  in 

the  front. 

"2.  Locate  the  nearest  fire-alarm  box. 
"3.  If  cooking  is  to  be  done,  make  sure  you  know  the  correct  way  to 

operate  the  stove. 
"4.  Do  not  administer  any  medicine  without  speaking  directly  to  the 

doctor." 

Mrs.  Goodman  added  a  few  instructions  of  her  own: 
"1.  Ask  that  all  instructions  be  in  writing,  so  that  there  can  be  no 

argument. 

"2.  Do  not  use  television  or  raid  the  icebox  without  the  parents'  ex- 
press permission. 

"3.  Arrive  promptly  for  all  assignments— as  a  parent  I  know  how 

frustrating  it  is  to  wait  for  a  sitter  who  comes  late  or  not  at  all." 

Mrs.   Goodman   made   careful   investigation   of   mature   sitters, 

arranged  for  a  doctor  on  call,  notified  women's  club  groups,  the 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  2$1 

schools,  Parent-Teacher  Associations,  and  others  of  the  service.  The 
charges  were  set  at  $1.00  an  hour  during  the  day  and  85  cents  at 
night,  and  later  the  fees  were  increased.  The  sitters  were  paid  70 
cents  in  the  day  and  60  cents  after  8  P.M.  As  the  result  of  careful 
planning  and  organization  the  service  was  put  on  a  sound  basis. 

Any  enterpriser  with  such  services  should  consider  the  possibility 
of  local  or  state  license  requirements  and  the  advisability  of  insur- 
ance coverage,  which  is  not  expensive.  In  all  promotion,  statements 
and  references  of  responsibility  are  advisable,  and  boost  profits. 

Security,  as  well  as  service,  should  be  a  prime  aim  of  every  baby 
sitter.  A  step  in  this  direction  might  well  be  the  formulation  of  re- 
quirements along  the  lines  laid  down  by  Mrs.  Goodman,  and  the 
baby-sitter  pledge  that  comes  at  the  end  of  a  10-week  course  for 
sitters  established  by  the  Sisters  of  Charity  at  Laboure  Center  in 
South  Boston.  This  is  the  pledge: 

"I  have  one  of  the  most  responsible  jobs  in  the  world.  I  am  in 
charge  of  a  priceless  possession.  From  the  moment  I  start  my  duties 
until  the  parents  return  I  will  keep  awake,  alert,  watchful.  I  will  be 
prepared  to  meet  any  emergency,  accident  or  illness.  I  will  know 
how  and  where  to  call  the  doctor,  the  police,  the  fire  department, 
the  telephone  number  where  the  parents,  near  friends  or  neighbors 
may  be  reached. 

"I  will  know  how  to  properly  care  for  simple  burns,  cuts,  and 
bruises.  When  entering  a  strange  house  I  will  take  careful  note  of 
my  surroundings,  and  will  observe  and  if  possible  correct  any  con- 
dition that  may  cause  an  accident  during  my  presence.  I  am  fully 
aware  that  a  child's  life  is  in  my  hands.  I  will  do  all  in  my  power  to 
protect  that  life." 

FORMULA     SERVICES     FOR     HUNGRY     BABIES 

Retired  nurses  and  dieticians  and  home-economics  teachers  and 
others  with  special  training  can  start  in  a  small  way  to  provide  a 
formula  service  for  bottle  babies  and  distracted  mothers.  Such  serv- 
ices, however,  usually  require  licensing  by  local  or  state  health  de- 
partments and  the  inspection  of  equipment  and  its  surroundings  is 
usually  penetrating.  No  one  should  enter  this  service  field  without 
detailed  investigation  and  without  adequate  funds  for  initial  new 
and  special  equipment.  Those  who  are  qualified  at  the  beginning 
may  duplicate  the  successful  operation  of  Mrs.  Dorothy  McClennen 


252  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

of  Paterson,  New  Jersey,  who  established  McClennen's  Baby  For- 
mulas, or  Sidney  D.  Ingram  and  his  brother  Allan,  who  established 
their  business  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  after  Sidney  figured  there 
must  be  a  better  way  to  service  his  own  child.  The  Ingrams,  how- 
ever, invested  in  a  laboratory  and  retained  services  of  a  nurse  and 
worked  out  a  delivery  service  that  feeds  baby  its  special  formula  on 
time. 


MISCELLANEOUS     SERVICES     FOR     PARENTS 

Careful  consideration  of  your  past  or  present  training  and  location 
and  interests  may  well  open  up  a  part-time  or  full-time  home  busi- 
ness with  fair  payment  for  you  in  any  one  of  numerous  special 
branches  of  service  to  relieve  parents  and  provide  for  their  children. 
Among  other  ways  of  cashing  in  on  the  multibillion-dollar  baby 
business  are  the  following: 

Start  in  a  small  way  in  your  home  to  do  what  Miss  Mabel  E. 
Wheeler  did  in  Texas  on  a  larger  scale.  Her  experience,  as  reported 
in  a  Readers  Digest  Manual,  offers  tips  to  others.  Miss  Wheeler 
"developed  a  successful  day  nursery  and  boarding  home  for  children 
whose  parents  are  suddenly  called  out  of  town,  are  stricken  with  ill- 
ness, need  a  vacation,  or  are  obliged  to  work.  The  Wheeler's  Chil- 
dren's Cottage  is  run  like  a  hotel  for  adults,  except  that  the  children 
sleep  in  dormitories  rather  than  private  rooms,  and  are  under  con- 
stant supervision.  There  are  three  classes  of  guests:  permanent  resi- 
dents, or  children  who  practically  live  at  the  cottage  from  babyhood 
through  high  school;  day  boarders,  whose  parents  leave  them  for  a 
week  or  month;  and  children  left  there  for  an  afternoon  or  evening. 

"Parents  are  required  to  provide  references  for  themselves,  to  be 
employed,  to  pay  in  advance,  and  to  provide  complete  information 
about  the  child's  health.  Rates  for  regular  and  day  guests  are  $2.00 
per  day.  Rates  for  transients  are  25  cents  an  hour,  or  75  cents  for  all 
day  and  lunch;  $1.00  for  overnight;  and  $1.25  for  overnight  and 
breakfast.  The  Cottage  averages  25  regular  guests  and  10  to  20 
transients."  Such  a  service  requires  licensing  and  inspection,  and 
obviously  conditions,  costs,  and  prevailing  rates  would  vary  accord- 
ing to  location. 

Investigate  your  local  needs  and  regulations  and  you  may  set  up 
a  foster  home  for  one  or  more  children  who  are  wards  of  the  state. 
The  income  is  small,  depending  on  the  community,  little  more  than 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  253 

$30  monthly  with  an  additional  clothing  allowance,  but  it  is  steady 
and  the  service  fills  a  void  in  the  lives  of  many  women  who  have 
good  home  surroundings. 

Diaper  services  have  spread  rapidly  throughout  the  land,  but  in 
communities  where  none  is  available  there  is  still  opportunity  to 
relieve  overburdened  mothers  and  profit  by  so  doing. 

William  R.  Fleischer,  Mitchell  Barash,  and  Harry  Minkoff  cashed 
in  on  the  stork  by  arranging  with  Long  Island  hospitals  to  distribute 
packages  of  samples  of  baby  accessories  they  secured  from  manu- 
facturers. They  secured  payment  from  the  manufacturers  for  each 
sample  distributed  and  established  a  business.  They  registered  the 
sample-kit  idea  under  the  name  of  Gift-Pax. 

Mrs.  Bea  Bell  set  up  a  children's  bookstore  and  lending  library  in 
her  home  in  Philadelphia.  Her  husband  constructed  the  shelves,  and 
as  the  library  service  developed,  a  line  of  toys  was  added,  and  Mr. 
Bell  created  designs  for  toys  he  constructed  in  his  home  workshop. 
The  line  of  toys  and  children's  library  became  so  popular  the  Bells 
were  forced  to  move  their  operations  into  a  store  of  their  own. 

In  Torrington,  Wyoming,  there  was  no  public  school  kindergarten. 
Mrs.  Lucille  Beede  wanted  her  five-year-old  daughter  to  have  pre- 
school training,  so  she  set  up  a  kindergarten  in  her  own  home.  Fif- 
teen five-year-olds  were  enrolled  at  $5.00  per  month  each.  Mrs. 
Beede's  expenses  for  decorations  and  supplies  and  lunches  outran 
income  by  $50  that  first  year.  On  demand  of  the  parents,  she  con- 
tinued the  kindergarten  and  after  several  years  had  three  groups 
including  55  children  and  a  profitable  and  fine  community  service. 

If  you  want  to  avoid  the  steady  and  stringent  requirements  of  a 
kindergarten,  you  should  consider  one  or  two  afternoons  weekly 
devoted  to  entertaining  young  children  in  your  home  or  garden  or 
garage,  offering  the  reading  of  stories  and  organized  play.  Hundreds 
of  ways  to  entertain  youth  are  provided  in  Handbook  for  Recreation 
Leaders,  which  can  be  ordered  from  the  Superintendent  of  Docu- 
ments, U.  S.  Government  Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 
Through  your  local  librarian  you  can  arrange  for  free  or  rental  enter- 
tainment and  recreation  films  for  home  projection. 


CHAPTER     THIRTY-SIX 

Fixing,  Mending,  and  Cleaning  for  Money 


EVERY  FAIR-SIZED  community  needs  a  part-time  or  full-time  fix-it  man 
or  woman.  Soaring  costs  of  household  goods,  appliances,  and  houses 
have  made  the  services  of  competent  menders,  more  in  demand  than 
ever  before.  Many  men  and  many  women  and  frequently  husband 
and  wife  teams  can  supplement  their  incomes  or  establish  full-time 
financing  by  utilizing  their  ordinary  skills  for  mending  damaged 
articles. 

The  need  for  such  service  was  recognized  not  long  after  World 
War  II  by  Mrs.  Charles  Meunier  of  Great  Neck,  New  York.  Her  hus- 
band had  successfully  manufactured  roofing  supplies,  but  onset  of 
the  war  stripped  his  plant  of  employees.  After  the  war  there  were 
conditions  that  prevented  re-establishment  of  his  business.  Mrs. 
Meunier  recalled  that  for  many  of  his  nearly  sixty  years  her  husband 
had  frequently  mended  articles  that  their  friends  thought  were  be- 
yond repair.  She  suggested  that  he  establish  himself  as  a  professional 
fixer.  They  tested  the  idea  by  sending  postal  cards  to  friends  and 
acquaintances  in  their  home  town.  Almost  immediately  they  were  in 
business— so  busy,  in  fact,  that  Mr.  Meunier  trained  his  wife  to  help 
him  fix  the  articles  that  customers  brought.  The  variety  of  articles 
needing  repair  was  amazing,  ranging  from  the  usual  household 
appliances  to  antiques.  The  Meunier  reputation  for  mending  spread 
by  word  of  mouth  from  one  satisfied  customer  to  another.  The  busi- 
ness grew  to  the  point  where  broken  articles  were  shipped  to  them 
from  far  places. 

Women  as  well  as  men  would  seem  to  be  natural-born  fixers. 
Kathleen  Norris,  the  noted  novelist  and  columnist,  has  reported 
knowing  a  woman  of  82  who  sits  in  the  sunny  front  window  of  a 
hotel  and  earns  $50  for  a  five-day  week,  mending  towels  and  sheets, 
and  at  the  end  of  the  day  repairs  to  her  little  apartment  in  the  same 
neighborhood.  Other  women,  young  or  old,  can  equal  or  surpass 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  2$$ 

that  income  if  they  are  skillful  with  their  needles,  and  in  many  cases 
the  mending  can  be  done  at  home. 

Never  underestimate  the  resourcefulness  of  a  woman  in  mending 
or  in  any  field  of  activity!  Starting  without  experience,  a  foot-pow- 
ered sewing  machine,  a  small  loan,  and  her  idea  that  she  could  set 
up  a  repair  business  at  home,  Mrs.  Ethel  Marvid  of  Los  Angeles, 
California,  is  an  inspiring  example.  The  depression  of  many  years 
ago  virtually  ruined  Monte  Marvid's  dry-cleaning  business.  It  was 
then  that  Mrs.  Marvid  figured  that  schools  and  colleges  were  hit  by 
the  depression  as  well  and  would  welcome  a  service  to  repair  sport- 
ing goods. 

Her  husband  went  out  and  sold  the  idea  to  the  local  schools  and 
took  home  the  battered  football  helmets,  footballs,  and  other  sports 
paraphernalia.  Mrs.  Marvid,  without  special  instruction,  figured  out 
ways  of  making  the  repairs.  The  Marvids  began  with  an  idea  and  a 
few  dollars'  worth  of  leather.  Twenty  years  later  they  were  reported 
to  be  grossing  about  $50,000  a  year  and  employing  several  assistant 
repairers  to  take  care  of  work  sent  to  them  from  western  and  middle- 
western  schools  as  well  as  their  local  institutions. 

Beware,  gentlemenl  If  there  is  a  mending-minded  woman  in  your 
household,  shell  put  you  to  work.  And  she'll  mend  the  family 
finances  in  the  process.  Even  if  she  isn't  skilled  at  mending,  she  can 
become  so— and  this  little  tale  involves  more  women.  Mrs.  Lillian 
Baldwin  and  Mrs.  Grace  K.  Liebman,  perhaps  despairing  for  wives 
of  husbands  who  fight  shy  of  fixing  damaged  articles,  established  a 
school  they  call  the  Know-How  Workshop,  Inc.,  in  New  York.  This 
school  for  other  women  resulted  when  they  found  themselves  paying 
exorbitant  prices  to  get  things  fixed  and  then  having  to  repair  them 
again  before  long.  It  is  this  situation  in  numerous  communities  that 
makes  it  possible  to  make  money  mending  at  home,  and  as  you  have 
seen,  home  mending  can  well  become  a  fix-it  workshop  on  a  larger 
scale. 

The  transition  from  home  mending  to  workshop  was  skipped  years 
ago  by  Mrs.  Dorothy  Rodgers,  who  founded  Repairs,  Inc.  Returning 
from  a  trip  to  California,  Mrs.  Rodgers  found  her  home  in  a  sham- 
bles and  needing  multiple  repairs  on  drapes  and  rugs  and  furniture 
and  bric-a-brac.  It  took  her  months  to  find  individuals  to  fix  one 
article  or  another.  She  decided  there  should  be  one  place  where 
competent  craftsmen  were  available  to  take  over  all  or  any  part  of 
needed  repairs.  Through  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  she 


MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

located  the  craftsmen  she  wanted  and  opened  a  small  shop  that  ex- 
panded to  the  point  where  it  served  people  in  nearly  every  state. 

Before  men  scream  "Leave  it  to  the  ladies,"  and  throw  the  book 
away,  consider  the  case  of  Arthur  P.  Chamberlain,  a  onetime  Wall 
Street  broker,  who  established  a  remarkable  reputation  as  a  Mend- 
ing Man  in  Greenwich,  Connecticut.  He  started  out  with  $400  in 
cash  and  about  $200  worth  of  tools  in  his  home-basement  workshop. 
Through  the  years  he  built  up  a  business  employing  assistants  and 
doing  some  $30,000  business  year. 

"iF     IT     CAN    BE     FIXED,     W  E '  L  L     FIX     IT*' 

At  the  outset  he  hung  up  a  sign  stating,  "If  it  can  be  fixed,  we'll 
fix  it."  He  also  made  modest  outlays  for  advertising  in  the  local 
newspapers  and  sent  out  postcards  urging  prospects  to  call  the  Fix-it 
Man  when  needed.  He  included  pre-paid  reply  cards  with  his  mail- 
ings. Mr.  Chamberlain  had  hundreds  of  replies  to  his  first  major 
mailing  of  1500  cards  to  local  home  occupants— a  result  that  is  amaz- 
ing, as  ordinarily  only  a  very  small  per  cent  of  a  list  responds. 

The  full-fledged  fix-it  service  is  most  successful  if  it  promises  and 
maintains  service  at  all  times  including  week  ends,  but  many  operate 
with  specified  hours.  The  part-time  fix-it  man  or  woman  should 
specify  times  for  calling.  If  you  have  contact  with  various  folk  handy 
with  tools  and  with  specialists  in  various  fields,  you  can  accept 
assignments  and  "farm"  them  out  for  a  commission,  and  thus 
broaden  your  range  of  services  and  secure  repeat  calls.  Although 
there  are  many  specialized  services,  such  as  radio  and  television 
repairs  only,  it  is  easier  to  develop  a  full-fledged  mending  service  if 
you  and  your  associates  can  accept  almost  any  repair  problem  and 
solve  it  competently  at  a  fair  price  for  time,  skill,  and  supplies. 

Indicative  of  this  complete  service  is  the  story  of  Norman  L.  Sam- 
mis,  who  more  than  20  years  ago  heard  a  friend  say  that  it  had  be- 
come too  costly  for  the  small-home  owner  to  call  one  mechanic  to 
patch  a  hole  in  the  plaster,  another  to  hang  wallpaper,  another  to 
mend  a  broken  door,  and  still  another  to  set  a  pane  of  glass.  "The 
all  around  handyman,  or  several  of  them  under  one  management," 
according  to  a  Readers  Digest  Manual,  "should  do  all  these  small 
things  and  make  it  mutually  worthwhile  to  himself  and  the  home 
owner. 

"From  this  idea  came  Home  Service,  Inc.,  of  Rhode  Island,  owned 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  257 

by  Sammis,  which  does  a  volume  of  business  as  high  as  $40,000  a 
year." 

Charges  of  the  Home  Service  were  based  on  actual  working  time, 
plus  materials  used  at  a  cost-plus-percentage. 

"Sammis  supplements  his  own  mechanical  knowledge  with  spe- 
cialists of  various  kinds  as  needed,"  the  Digest  reported,  "plumbers, 
painters,  carpenters,  masons,  tinsmiths,  each  furnishing  his  own  tools 
but  working  under  close  supervision.  The  business  employs  six  to 
ten  workmen  on  a  full  or  part-time  basis,  operates  four  trucks,  and 
serves  some  3000  customers. 

"To  succeed  in  such  a  service  the  owner  should  himself  be  able 
to  turn  his  hand  to  almost  any  minor  repair  or  maintenance  job.  He 
needs  a  small  truck  or  converted  passenger  car,  tools  for  carpentry, 
painting,  masonry,  plumbing;  ladders  and  other  equipment  depend- 
ing on  the  nature  of  the  jobs  to  be  undertaken.  A  small  shop  with 
power  saw,  lathe,  etc.,  would  be  helpful,  though  not  essential  at  the 
start. 

"The  business  can  be  promoted  by  small  advertisements  in  local 
newspapers  giving  a  check-list  of  all  the  services  offered;  also  by 
sending  out  postcard  reminders  to  a  list  of  householders  twice  a 
year,  featuring  seasonal  services.  Pitfalls  to  be  avoided:  extending 
credit  to  poor-paying  customers;  carrying  too  much  material  in 
stock;  taking  on  large  jobs  which  tie  up  too  many  men  for  too  long; 
lack  of  intelligent  planning  to  give  prompt  service  to  customers  and 
keep  the  working  force  profitably  busy/' 

Another  illustration  of  how  a  mending  service  can  be  developed 
into  a  business,  as  reported  in  the  Digest  Manual,  is  that  of  "William 
Mesal,  who  came  to  this  country  as  an  immigrant,  has  built  a  busi- 
ness based  on  reconditioning  of  all  kinds  of  bags  and  sacks.  It  em- 
ploys 25  people,  and  is  housed  in  a  modern  two-story  building  in  an 
Oregon  city.  The  idea  came  to  him  while  he  was  working  in  a  furni- 
ture factory.  His  employer  asked  him  to  dispose  of  some  gunny 
sacks;  he  was  surprised  to  find  that  a  junk  dealer  would  pay  him  only 
3  cents  apiece  for  them.  Believing  he  saw  possibilities  for  a  business 
of  his  own,  he  bought  the  bags  at  that  price. 

"With  an  investment  of  25  cents  in  a  sack  needle  and  50  cents  in 
twine,  he  neatly  mended  300  sacks  in  a  single  day,  and  sold  them  to 
a  grain  dealer  for  7  cents  each.  Today  he  sells  reconditioned  sacks 
in  carload  lots  to  grain,  potato,  onion  and  feed  raisers  and  dealers. 
With  the  growth  of  the  business  he  has  added  machinery  for  each 


258  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

operation— sewing  machines,  suction  cleaner,  and  power  compressor. 
Women  do  the  reconditioning,  which  includes  suction  cleaning,  sort- 
ing by  size  and  quality  (50  grades),  patching,  printing  labels  if  de- 
sired, and  baling  for  shipment.  The  annual  output  is  now  3,000,000 
sacks,  representing  a  business  of  $250,000." 

PICK     YOUR     OWN     SPECIALTY 

It  is  obvious  that  nearly  everything  involved  in  a  home  and  home 
grounds  and  the  appliances  and  articles  it  contains  need  repair  or 
alteration  or  adjustment  at  one  time  or  another.  Consider  the  work 
you  have  done  in  your  own  home,  and  the  services  you  can  quickly 
learn  how  to  perform  expertly,  and  you  can  establish  your  own  profit 
maker.  Even  though  your  community  has  central  servicing  establish- 
ments, home  owners  despair  of  waiting  on  the  convenience  of  the 
workmen,  and  that  makes  it  possible  for  many  to  establish  reliable 
home-neighborhood  repair  services  profitably.  You  can  get  started 
with  as  little  as  $10  or  as  much  as  $1000  or  more  for  equipment  and 
promotion,  depending  on  the  size  of  your  project.  If  you  have  con- 
vinced yourself  and  others  that  you  are  handy  with  tools  and  re- 
sourceful when  confronted  with  repair  problems,  you  can  easily  ex- 
pand your  operations,  for  there  are  handbooks  and  manuals,  a  few 
of  which  on  your  shelves  will  give  you  the  methods  and  advice  of 
experts  in  almost  every  field,  some  of  which,  such  as  electrical  and 
plumbing  repairs,  may  require  licensing. 

Indicative  of  the  possibilities  are  these  tested  ways  in  which  home- 
fix-it  specialists  have  augmented  their  incomes: 

Altering— clothes,   cabinets,   and  Clothes  mending 

what  not  Concrete  work 

Appliance  repairs  of  all  kinds  Electrical  repair 

Awning-repair  work  Exterminating 

Bachelor  mending  services,  in-  Floor    maintenance— repair,    re- 
eluding  sewing  on  of  buttons,          finishing,  floor  coverings 

turning  of  collars  and  cuffs,  Glazing 

sock  darning,  altering,  patch-  Insulating 

ing,  special  cleaning  Lace,  curtain,  tapestry  mending 

Carpentry  of  all  kinds  Landscaping 

China  and  glass  repairing  Lawnmower  sharpening  and  re- 
Cleaning  pair 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH 

Locksmithing  Roof  and  eaves  repair 

Needle  repairs  of  all  kinds,  local  Screen  repair  and  installation 

or   for   transients.    Cards    in  Television  repair 

rented  rooms  bring  work  at  Tiling 

$1.00  minimum  for  a  stitch  in  Tool  sharpening  and  repair 

time.  Toy  and  doll  repair 

Painting  Upholstering  and  retying  springs 

Plastering  Venetian-blind  repair  and  clean- 
Plumbing  ing 

Radio  repair  Wall    washing    and    wallpaper 
Refrigerator  repair  cleaning 

Resilvering  (A  Larchmont,  New  Waterproofing 

York,  woman  secures  work  by  Weatherstripping 

telephone   and  her  husband  Welding 

does   replating  in  his   spare  Well  drilling 

time.)  Window  washing 

Reweaving  fabrics  Zipper  repair  and  installation 

Such  a  list  of  things  to  be  fixed  could  be  almost  endless  and  you 
may  select  your  own  specialty,  which  could  involve  mending  and 
altering  of  children's  things.  Papa  and  Mama  get  the  stuff,  but  the 
children  wear  it  through,  tear  it,  jam  zippers,  outgrow  their  clothes, 
and  all  of  them  are  working  destructively  to  provide  home-business 
income  for  a  woman  who  is  skilled  in  use  of  needle  and  sewing 
machine.  And  if  such  a  woman  also  wants  to  get  baby-sitter  income, 
she  can,  within  reason,  get  her  own  price. 

The  cost  of  additional  supplies  of  various  colored  threads,  zippers, 
and  the  like  is  very  low  for  the  woman  with  a  needle  who  sets  out 
to  pick  up  additional  income.  She  secures  her  customers  by  classi- 
fied-ad listing  in  the  local  paper,  by  telephone  calls,  or  postal  cards 
addressed  to  mothers  of  growing  families.  Mothers*  talk  with  their 
friends  is  the  best  of  advertising.  She  lists  as  specifically  as  possible 
the  types  of  mending  she  is  willing  to  do— darning  of  socks;  altering 
and  patching  of  snow  suits,  coats,  and  dresses;  buttons;  zipper  re- 
placement; and  such.  She  sets  a  minimum  charge  of  $1.00  for  minor 
mending  and  varies  her  scale  according  to  her  own  speed  and  skill 
to  give  an  adequate  hourly  return  for  her  labor. 

Men  who  are  handy  in  their  basement  or  garage  shop  and  with 
tools  are  also  in  demand  to  fix  the  toys  and  other  gadgets  of  child- 
hood. Some  of  them  even  become  specialists,  as  did  Lou  Shur,  who 


260  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

for  many  years  has  had  ailing  toy  trains  sent  from  all  over  the  world 
for  servicing  and  fixing  in  his  little  New  York  City  shop.  Another  of 
the  specialists  in  a  Southern  town  became  interested  in  repairing 
dolls  for  his  own  daughters.  One  day  he  published  a  series  of  little 
two-inch  advertisements  to  the  effect  that  he  was  in  the  business  of 
doctoring  broken  dolls,  and  soon  his  clinic  was  overflowing  with 
dolls  straight  from  the  playroom  battle  fronts. 

CLEANING    SERVICES    PAY    OFF 

Actually,  many  cleaning  processes  are  not  difficult,  but  they  do 
take  time,  and  many  men  and  women  think  the  processes  are  more 
formidable  than  they  really  are— and  are  glad  to  pay  well  to  have  the 
work  done  expertly.  Cleaning  and  laundry  services  are  among  the 
best  of  the  home-profit  makers  for  those  who  are  interested. 

Many  specialize  in  laundering  curtains  and  laces  that  other 
women  are  afraid  to  handle— or  haven't  the  time  or  the  inclination. 
This  permits  the  establishment  of  a  profitable  home  business.  And 
among  those  who  have  neither  the  skill  nor  the  time  nor  inclination 
to  service  their  fabrics,  are  bachelors.  Some  years  ago  Mrs.  Anna  M. 
Miller  did  mending  for  men  in  Kansas  City.  A  Readers  Digest 
Manual  of  Small  Businesses  reports  that  "one  day  a  customer  sug- 
gested that  Mrs.  Miller  start  a  laundry  for  men  which  would  take 
care  of  their  mending  and  darning.  She  did  so— with  $50  borrowed 
from  a  bank,  and  with  one  employee.  Her  'Bachelor  Laundry*  grew 
steadily  until  it  became  a  substantial  enterprise  handling  over 
100,000  bundles  yearly  for  3500  patrons.  Service  includes  turning 
collars  or  cuffs,  darning,  mending,  sewing  on  buttons,  all  without 
extra  charge."  The  business  was  finally  moved  into  its  own  building 
with  modern  equipment,  many  employees,  and  delivery  trucks.  The 
Digest  Manual  reports,  "It  is  a  type  of  enterprise  which  might  be 
started  in  many  communities  on  a  modest  basis." 

HELPFUL     BOOKS     AND     PAMPHLETS 
FOR     REPAIR     AND     CLEANING     SERVICE 

Altering  of  Men's  Clothing,  by  David  Carlin.  A.  A.  Wyn,  23  West  47th 

St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
ABC's  of  Mending.  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture.  Fanners'  Bulletin 

1925.  Government  Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 
Mending  Made  Easy:  The  ABC  and  XYZ  of  Fabric  Conservation,  by 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  26l 

Mary  B.  Picken.  Harper  &  Bros.,  49  East  33rd  St.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
How  to  Restore  Antiques,  by  Raymond  F.  Yates.  Harper  &  Bros.,  49  East 

33rd  St.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Elements  of  Automotive  Mechanics,  by  Joseph  Heitner  &  others.  D.  Van 

Nostrand  Co.,  Inc.,  250  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
How  to  Clean  Everything:  An  Encyclopedia  of  What  to  Use  and  How  To 

Use  It,  by  Alma  C.  Moore.  Simon  &  Schuster,  Inc.,  630  5th  Ave.,  New 

York  20,  N.Y. 
Methods  and  Equipment  for  Home  Laundering.  U.  S.  Department  of 

Agriculture.    Farmers'   Bulletin    1497.    Government  Printing   Office, 

Washington  25,  D.C. 
New  Washday,  by  Eleanor  Ahern.  M.  Barrows  &  Co.,  Inc.,  425  4th  Ave., 

New  York  3,  N.Y. 
On  Making,  Mending  and  Dressing  Dolls,  by  Clara  E.  Fawcett.  Lindquist 

Publications,  2  West  46th  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
Practical  Electricity  and  House  Wiring:  A  Practical  Book  of  Instruction 

Covering  in  Detail  Every  Branch  of  Electrical  Work  as  Applied  to  the 

Wiring  of  Small  Buildings,  by  Herbert  P.  Richter.  Frederick  J.  Drake 

&  Co.,  117  Green  Bay  Rd.,  Wilmette,  111. 
Complete  Home  Repair  Handbook,  by  Amanuele  Stieri.  Prentice-Hall, 

Inc.,  70  5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
Home  Repairs  Made  Easy,  Lee  Frankl,  editor.  Doubleday  &  Co.,  Inc., 

575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
The  Home  Mechanics  Handbook,  by  Ray  E.  Haines  &  others.  D.  Van 

Nostrand  Co.,  Inc.,  250  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Elementary  Radio  Servicing,  by  William  R.  Wellman.  D.  Van  Nostrand 

Co.,  Inc.,  250  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Drake's  Refrigeration  Service  Manual:  An  Instruction  and  Reference  Book 

Covering  Maintenance,  Trouble  Shooting  and  Repair,  Domestic  and 

Commercial  Systems,  by  Harold  P.  Manly.  Frederick  J.  Drake  &  Co., 

117  Green  Bay  Rd.,  Wilmette,  111. 
Television  and  F-M  Receiver  Servicing,  by  Milton  S.  Kiver.  D.  Van 

Nostrand  Co.,  Inc.,  250  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Be  Your  Own  Television  Repair  Man,  by  William  E.  Prior.  Greenberg 

Publisher,  201  East  57th  St.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
The  Watch  Repairers  Manual,  by  Henry  B.  Fried.  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co., 

Inc.,  250  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 

Establishing  a  Diaper  Service.  Free  leaflet.  U.  S.  Department  of  Com- 
merce, Office  of  Domestic  Commerce,  Washington  25,  D.C. 
Laundering  and  Dry  Cleaning.  Free  leaflet.  U.  S.  Department  of  Com- 
merce, Office  of  Domestic  Commerce,  Washington  25,  D.C. 


CHAPTER     THIRTY-SEVEN 

Swap  Services  Make  Money  at  Home 


THERE  is  definite  need  for  a  "swap"  or  exchange  service  in  every 
community  in  the  land.  Many  have  been  established,  but  large  areas 
are  still  open.  Anyone  interested  can  soon  find  by  inquiry  and  tele- 
phone directories  whether  there  is  competition  near  by.  If  none  is 
available,  it  may  be  the  home  money-maker  you  have  been  search- 
ing for.  Nearly  everyone  likes  to  swap,  and  if  they  can  save  by 
swapping  a  real  service  is  performed.  You  buy  nothing  for  your 
stock.  You  profit  every  time  you  sell  an  article. 

A  swap  service  can  be  established  at  home  and  on  the  basis  of  its 
success  may  very  well  branch  out  into  a  small  shop.  The  principles 
of  operation  are  the  same  whether  it  is  a  home  enterprise  or  a  little 
shop  in  town  or  village  neighborhood. 

The  outgrown  clothing  of  her  own  children  was  the  first  stock  in 
trade  for  Mrs  S.  J.  Diamond,  who  established  a  Children's  Wear 
Exchange  in  Minneapolis.  She  placed  a  small  ad  in  a  newspaper  to 
dispose  of  perfectly  usable  outgrown  clothing.  The  venture  was  so 
successful  that  within  three  months  she  secured  10,000  items  and 
2500  customers  and  was  forced  time  and  again  to  move  into  larger 
quarters.  Mothers  came  to  her  to  dispose  of  garments  their  own 
children  had  outgrown  and  to  purchase  other  clothing  that  would 
fit.  The  operation  is  quite  simple.  Those  who  wish  to  sell  agree  on  a 
price  not  more  than  half  of  the  original  cost.  Mrs.  Diamond  makes 
no  payment  but  accepts  the  garments  on  consignment,  if  they  are 
clean  and  salable.  She  adds  enough  to  the  price  to  cover  her  costs 
and  a  reasonable  profit  and  when  the  items  are  sold  makes  payment 
to  the  original  owner.  In  this  way  she  avoids  piling  up  an  investment 
in  inventory. 

Anyone  desiring  to  establish  such  a  service  should  check  with 
local  city  authorities  to  see  if  town  or  state  laws  require  licensing. 
As  illustrated,  the  goods  for  a  beginning  may  already  be  available 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  263 

in  your  own  closets  and  attic.  In  any  event,  beginning  capital  would 
be  very  small,  and  advertising  costs  could  be  controlled  and  ad- 
justed to  requirements.  The  classified  sections  are  best  for  a  begin- 
ning in  a  venture  of  this  kind. 

Such  a  service  lends  itself  to  development  into  an  exchange  with 
more  items  to  offer.  Parents  with  children  outgrowing  their  clothing 
may  also  be  interested  in  disposing  of  outgrown  play  pens  and  chairs 
and  skates,  etc.  Mrs.  Edith  Drever,  of  Chicago,  mother  of  a  boy  and 
a  girl,  regretted  the  need  to  dispose  of  outgrown  nursery  furniture, 
high  chair,  etc.,  stored  in  her  home.  She  rented  a  shack  in  North 
Side  Chicago  and  stocked  it  with  an  accumulation  of  her  own  and 
friends'  furniture  and  what  she  could  find  through  advertising.  She 
cleans  and  paints,  and  if  desirable,  alters  the  stock,  and  then  either 
sells  it  outright  or  trades  it  for  other  items  she  wants  in  stock.  In 
less  than  two  years  she  developed  a  business  that  forced  her  to 
larger  quarters  in  a  modern  shop. 

The  exchange-shop  idea  lends  itself  to  toys,  sporting  goods,  dishes 
and  kitchen  ware,  books,  evening  dresses  and  cloaks,  and  other  gar- 
ments for  adults.  Two  enterprising  young  men  even  set  up  a  necktie 
exchange,  charging  15  cents  for  each  tie  exchanged,  and  at  last  re- 
port had  exchanged  nearly  40,000  ties. 

Fuller  possibilities  in  the  realm  of  swapping  are  revealed  in  the 
operations  of  the  Barter  Mart  in  Denver,  Colorado.  This  Mart  was 
started  when  the  McConnell  family  moved  into  a  new  home  in  Den- 
ver, and  Mrs.  McConnell  was  confronted  with  the  disposal  of  a  large 
number  of  odds  and  ends  of  household  goods,  too  good  to  throw 
away,  too  difficult  to  market  for  a  fair  price.  She  wrote  to  scores  of 
women  discussing  her  problem  and  found  that  they  all  had  similar 
collections  they  would  be  glad  to  trade  for  more  immediately  needed 
items.  Mrs.  McConnell  went  "into  business"  with  a  score  of  items 
in  one  room  of  her  home  barter  mart,  and  within  three  weeks  had  a 
thousand  articles  for  swapping.  That  did  it.  They  had  a  business  on 
their  hands  that  in  two  years  provided  an  income  of  more  than 
$6000. 

The  barter  service  has  grown  to  include  some  200,000  items. 
Under  the  Barter  Mart  plan,  items  are  paid  for  with  Wampum,  the 
McConnells'  own  patented  "currency."  When  articles  are  disposed 
of  by  trade  or  sales  there  is  final  settlement  with  the  owners.  The 
Barter  Mart  methods  became  popular,  and  nine  branch  stores  in 


264  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

other  cities  have  secured  franchises  from  the  McConnells  who  report 
not  one  failure  and  anticipate  a  considerable  expansion. 

Another  profitable  trader  is  Floyd  Hawthorne,  as  reported  in  a 
Readers  Digest  Manual.  "He  buys  or  trades  old  iceboxes,  furniture, 
rugs,  stoves,  phonographs,  plumbing  equipment,  musical  instru- 
ments, antiques— anything  that  can  be  salvaged  and  used  in  the 
home.  He  also  sells  some  articles  that  had  been  discarded.  The 
enterprise  draws  customers  from  a  wide  area  and  is  profitable/' 

Quick  profits  were  secured  by  two  women  in  a  Tennessee  city  who 
opened  a  "Swap  Shop"  for  good  used  clothing  for  women  and  chil- 
dren. "In  the  first  three  months,"  the  Digest  reports,  "they  had  sold 
$2000  worth  of  merchandise,  and  in  the  fall,  turnover  was  $4000.  A 
commission  of  25  per  cent  was  charged. 

"The  Shop  is  in  the  guest  room  in  the  home  of  one  of  the  partners. 
The  only  initial  expenditures  were  $20  for  a  dress  rack  and  a  few 
dollars  for  stationery.  All  clothing  accepted  for  sale  must  be  clean 
and  in  good  repair.  The  Shop  is  open  three  months  in  the  spring  and 
three  in  the  fall." 


CHAPTER     THIRTY-EIGHT 

Home-Grown  Travel  Services 


ONE  AFTERNOON  an  elderly,  sad-appearing  woman  sat  next  to  Mrs. 
Ann  Miller  on  a  park  bench  in  Los  Angeles,  California,  and  be- 
wailed the  fact  that  she  was  alone  and  lonely  in  a  strange  city,  wish- 
ing that  she  had  never  left  home.  Mrs.  Miller  cheered  her  as  best 
she  could,  and  that  night  decided  that  there  must  be  many  more 
lonely  folk  who  would  welcome  some  plan  to  give  them  companion- 
ship and  recreation. 

Sigmund  Miller,  her  optometrist  husband,  suggested  that  she  use 
a  small  advertisement  in  the  local  paper  and  find  out  how  many 
would  respond.  The  Millers  recalled  that  when  he  was  in  army  camps 
and  she  was  with  him,  there  had  been  a  demand  for  sightseeing 
tours  for  servicemen.  She  had  helped  arrange  the  tours.  She  planned 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  265 

to  offer  bus  tours  for  visitors  in  Los  Angeles,  and  launched  Wagon 
Wheel  Trips  with  a  small  ad.  Sixty  people  called  in  that  they  wanted 
to  take  the  first  projected  Sunday  trip.  That  was  more  than  the  bus 
arranged  for  could  accommodate. 

Mrs.  Miller,  after  the  first  successful  trip,  had  stationery  printed 
and  used  the  slogan:  "See  scenic  Southern  California  with  friendly 
people  on  Wagon  Wheel  Trips."  She  notified  her  overflow  travelers 
and  a  growing  list  of  prospects.  Buses  and  drivers  were  chartered 
from  a  transportation  company,  lunches  and  an  accordion  player 
were  engaged  to  put  pep  into  the  party,  and  soon  Mrs.  Miller  was 
offering  two  and  three-day  trips  to  the  Mexican  border  and  else- 
where. Wagon  Wheel  Trips  secured  a  commission  from  hotels  used 
for  the  groups,  and  the  experiment  launched  in  the  Miller  apartment 
home  became  a  profitable  business. 

A  more  ambitious  plan  for  a  travel  service  was  launched  by  Mary 
Ann  Fisher  in  Denver,  Colorado.  As  a  young  school  teacher  Miss 
Fisher  had  done  considerable  traveling  and  had  made  mental  and 
written  notes  of  difficulties  encountered  that  could  have  been  elimi- 
nated by  careful  planning.  She  believed  she  could  do  that  planning 
and  after  scheming  out  her  project  at  home  she  opened  a  small 
office  downtown.  She  offered  a  "One-phone-call  service"  so  that  all 
arrangements  could  be  made  for  trips  anywhere  on  the  basis  of  one 
call.  Her  home  planning  had  been  done  so  well  that  she  made  a 
profit  the  very  first  week  and  developed  her  business  by  offering  a 
travel  library  to  clients,  taking  her  commissions,  of  course,  from  hotels 
and  transportation  lines.  Miss  Fisher  developed  a  number  of  travel 
plans  such  as  her  "Trip-of-the-Month,"  providing  a  week  end  for 
nominal  rates  every  month;  "The  Fisher  Five-Year  Vacation  Plan;" 
"Specialized-Tours  Plan"  for  hunters,  fishermen,  skiers,  camera  fans, 
etc.;  "Gift  Trips"  for  special  occasions;  "Junior  Travel  Groups"  for 
teen-agers;  and  other  lures  to  travelers,  all  of  which  bring  her  com- 
missions. 

Travelers  helped  to  put  a  Harvard  sophomore  through  school  with 
more  in  his  pocket  than  his  other  resources  provided.  He  had  the 
idea  that  there  were  many  sightseers  who  would  welcome  a  guided 
bus  tour  along  the  route  of  the  famous  ride  by  Paul  Revere.  He  made 
his  arrangements,  advertised,  superintended  the  tours,  pocketed  the 
profits.  It  doesn't  require  a  Harvard-trained  mind  to  see  the  possi- 
bilities of  adapting  this  idea  in  other  historical  areas. 

The  travel-service  idea  lends  itself  to  development  into  a  full- 


266  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

fledged  one-man  or  one-woman  business.  W.  Sayer  Beakes  started 
out  with  only  $100  of  capital  and  established  the  Beakes  Travel 
Service,  a  one-man  service,  in  Middletown,  New  York,  and  devel- 
oped a  $5000  business,  sending  travelers  to  all  parts  of  the  world. 

Illustrative  of  the  opportunity  to  establish  services  for  travelers 
without  exhaustive  previous  business  experience  is  the  case  reported 
in  the  Readers  Digest  Manual.  "So  many  friends  valued  their  sug- 
gestions about  where  to  spend  a  vacation  that  two  university 
teachers,  Gertrude  Bilhuber  and  Idabelle  Post,  resigned  their  posi- 
tions, spent  several  months  visiting  interesting  places  in  every  sec- 
tion of  this  country  and  established  a  personal  acquaintance  with 
the  owners  of  hotels,  dude  ranches,  etc.  .  .  .  They  opened  an  office 
in  New  York  City  under  the  name  'Vacation  Advisers/  They  plan 
trips,  suggest  resorts  and  make  reservations.  Their  list  of  vacation 
places  includes  camps,  farms,  plantations,  ranches,  convalescent 
homes,  resort  hotels,  and  fishing  and  hunting  clubs. 

"The  Vacation  Advisers  knew  nothing  about  business  when  they 
began,  and  five  years  were  required  to  make  the  agency  succeed. 
The  first  three  years  the  business  had  hard  sledding,  for  it  takes  time 
and  money  to  acquire  the  necessary  information,  and  keep  it  up-to- 
date. 

"The  owners  of  vacation  places  pay  a  commission  to  Vacation 
Advisers;  clients  pay  only  the  regular  rates  for  accommodations.  The 
agency  serves  nearly  3000  vacationists  a  year,  and  provides  a  com- 
fortable income  for  its  owners.  The  business  has  grown  most  through 
the  recommendations  of  satisfied  clients." 


CHAPTER     THIRTY-NINE 


More  Money -Making  Services  in  Demand 


REMINDER     SERVICES     FOR     YOU     AND     OTHERS 

Remember  this:  there  is  home-earned  money  to  be  made  by  estab- 
lishing reminder  services.  Such  services  can  be  delivered  without 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  267 

your  being  committed  to  certain  hours  of  the  day  or  night  and  they 
also  "tie-in"  well  with  conduct  of  a  typing  or  lettershop  service.  You 
can  seek  your  clients  by  telephone,  postal  card  or  letter,  and  listing 
in  the  classified  sections  of  local  newspapers. 

A  typical  reminder  service  was  successfully  established  by  Mar- 
garet Horan  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  who  was  confined  to  her 
home  by  a  handicap  and  had  time  on  her  hands.  She  assumed  the 
responsibility  of  mailing  Christmas  and  other  holiday  cards,  as  well 
as  birthday  and  wedding  and  other  anniversary  cards,  for  a  list  of 
regular  customers.  She  kept  carefully  the  lists  of  names  and  ad- 
dresses supplied  by  her  clients  and  on  their  instructions  went 
through  all  of  the  detail  mailing.  Sometimes  the  customers  supplied 
their  own  cards;  others  asked  her  to  make  her  own  selection  for 
their  use.  Most  of  the  customers  retained  her  by  the  year,  and  pay- 
ment was  based  on  the  cost  of  the  cards  and  envelopes,  postage, 
and  a  moderate  service  charge  to  cover  the  time  required  for  a 
given  list. 

Another  woman  conducted  a  similar  service,  and  added  to  it  the 
chore  of  sending  engagement  and  wedding  announcements.  She 
secured  customers  through  a  small  classified  ad  inserted  weekly 
and  had  a  minimum  charge  of  $2.00  for  15  dates  or  mailings  and 
10  cents  for  each  additional  name  or  date  to  be  remembered.  Her 
service  proved  to  be  a  boon  to  forgetful  husbands. 

Mrs.  Heda  von  Meysenbug  of  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  combined 
the  elements  of  reminder  services  with  the  sending  of  acknowl- 
edgments of  various  kinds  for  customers  of  her  Personal  Service 
Bureau.  The  broader  services  she  offered  included  conducted  trips 
for  tourists,  supervision  of  rentals  and  servant  services,  taking  of 
inventories,  and  being  hostess  for  visiting  celebrities. 

Potentialities  of  reminder  services  are  indicated  by  the  experience 
of  Thomas  E.  Neuberger,  who  founded  Anniversaries,  Inc.,  in 
Chicago  in  1946  with  less  than  $2000  of  capital.  He  built  up  the 
business  to  the  point  where  he  sends  greeting  cards  and  gift  certifi- 
cates to  approximately  200,000  customers  of  various  stores  and 
services  for  21  cents  per  customer  per  mailing.  Using  lists  supplied 
by  his  clients  and  systematically  filed  in  his  own  shop,  Neuberger 
sends  a  greeting  card  from  a  store  together  with  facsimile  check 
filled  out  as  a  gift  certificate.  Anniversaries,  Inc.  sends  the  card  and 
"checks"  by  first-class  mail  in  window  envelopes.  The  typing  is  done 
by  a  secretarial  service,  such  as  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  book, 


MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

which  makes  it  unnecessary  for  Anniversaries,  Inc.  to  maintain 
typists  and  supplement  them  in  peak-service  periods.  Neuberger 
has  issued  franchises  in  13  cities,  permitting  the  use  of  his  system 
and  promotion  plans  and  materials. 

FLOWER     SERVICES     THAT    BLOOM 

Either  as  a  separate  venture  or  as  a  side  line  to  typing  and  re- 
minder services,  the  home  money-maker  should  consider  the  possi- 
bilities offered  by  establishing  a  regular  flower  service.  Logical 
customers  are  husbands  and  sweethearts,  cafes,  and  professional 
and  business  offices. 

Your  own  garden  in  season,  and  wholesale  florists  in  or  out  of 
season,  provide  the  source  of  supply.  The  customers  are  secured  by 
use  of  postal  cards,  letters,  classified  ads,  telephone  and  personal 
calls. 

With  a  capital  of  less  than  $10,  one  girl  found  businessmen  cus- 
tomers who  would  pay  15  cents  daily  for  a  flower  for  the  lapel,  and 
from  that  start  she  developed  a  comfortable  business.  Another  girl 
concentrated  on  supplying  bouquets  once  or  twice  weekly  for  wait- 
ing rooms  of  professional  offices.  She  arranged  for  discounts  from 
florists  and  established  a  regular  clientele.  She  obtained  bouquets 
at  around  25  cents  each  and  sold  them  on  a  regular-service  basis  for 
double  and  treble  her  stock  cost. 

Some  years  ago,  when  just  out  of  college,  Valerie  Arnold  of  San 
Francisco,  California,  teamed  up  with  a  friend  and  visited  more 
than  1000  doctors'  offices  offering  a  weekly  flower  service.  They  had 
little  success  at  the  outset,  but  Miss  Arnold  stubbornly  held  to  her 
idea  and  eventually  secured  a  number  of  satisfactory  accounts.  Her 
business  grew  through  the  years  until  the  Arnold  Floral  Service 
was  supplying  hundreds  of  customers  and  had  a  downtown  shop 
attracting  a  steady  flow  of  business. 

In  a  smaller  way  there  are  many  women  in  communities  across 
the  land  who  draw  on  their  abilities  for  pin  money  on  a  scale  limited 
only  by  the  amount  of  time  they  want  to  devote  to  providing  flowers 
from  their  gardens  or  flower  arrangements  for  their  less  ambitious 
and  less  able  neighbors.  Mrs.  Adele  Du  Brueil  of  Scarsdale,  New 
York,  makes  a  hobby  of  flower  gardening  and  arrangements  in  bases 
of  her  own  devising.  She  has  never  made  a  business  of  her  hobby, 
but  her  arrangements,  which  take  prizes  in  flower  shows  and  at- 


HOME    SERVICES     FOR    CASH  269 

tract  the  admiration  of  visitors,  have  forced  orders  upon  her  from 
time  to  time.  She  fills  orders  only  as  often  as  she  wants  to.  Her 
hobby  led  to  invitations  from  clubs  that  pay  her  for  lectures  on 
flower  growing  and  arrangements  and  to  conducting  a  course  in 
flower  arrangement  in  her  local  adult  night  school. 

There  is  scarcely  a  community  in  the  land  where  there  is  not 
opportunity  for  development  of  a  special  flower  or  flower-arrange- 
ment service.  In  communities  where  such  services  already  exist, 
there  is  always  opportunity  for  side  income  for  the  skillful. 


PLANT    BOARDING 

An  eastern  suburban  village  woman  offers  her  services  with  a 
plant  boarding  house  for  families  going  on  vacations.  In  summer 
seasons  her  home  is  crowded  with  plants  brought  to  her  door  and 
retrieved  when  the  owners  return.  The  charges  vary  according  to 
the  number  of  plants  involved,  but  she  found  a  minimum  of  a  dollar 
a  month  was  reasonable. 


HER  GENERAL  PERSONAL  SERVICES  PAY  OFF 

An  idea,  the  drive  to  get  started,  her  need  for  income,  and  $75  in 
cash  put  Jane  English  into  a  thriving  small  business  in  New  York 
City.  Her  idea  was  to  set  up  a  service  that  would  relieve  others  of 
annoying,  time-taking  things  like  shopping  and  dog  walking  and 
meeting  trains,  and  other  chores  that  drive  busy  or  lazy  folk  to  dis- 
traction. 

She  talked  her  plan  over  with  two  friends  and  planned  a  letter 
and  a  list  of  prospective  customers,  including  busy  school  teachers 
and  fully  employed  folk,  busy  housewives,  and  others  who  might  be 
interested.  "Have  you  ever  wished  that  you  had  someone  to  meet 
relatives  at  the  train,  find  them  lodging,  and  escort  them  about 
town?"  the  letter  asked.  "Have  you  longed  for  the  services  of  some 
person  with  discriminating  taste  whom  you  could  commission  to 
purchase  gifts  for  every  occasion?''  Miss  English  assured  her  letter 
readers  that  she  was  ready  to  serve  with  a  competent  staff  "prepared 
to  tackle  anything  from  the  most  annoying  odd  job  to  the  furnish- 
ing of  an  entire  house.  At  an  hour's  notice  we  shop  for  you,  deliver 
personal  packages,  address  announcements  and  invitations,  care  for 
children,  read  for  invalids,  teach  mah-jongg,  walk  dogs,  make  reser- 


2/O  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

vations  for  trains,  night  clubs  and  the  like,  plan  parties— in  short, 
anything  and  for  a  very  nominal  fee." 

Miss  English  and  her  two  friends  were  in  business  in  a  hurry  and, 
after  securing  a  number  of  regular  customers,  the  demand  for  her 
services  spread  so  that  offices  were  opened  on  Madison  Avenue 
and  15  regular,  full-time  assistants  and  scores  of  specialists  on  a 
part-time  basis  were  required  to  fill  the  orders.  There  was  one  order 
she  declined,  however:  a  man  wanted  her  to  call  a  neighbor  to  the 
telephone  at  ten-minute  intervals  between  8  and  10  P.M.  He  figured 
that  would  make  the  neighbor  tune  down  her  loud  radio. 

Miss  English  set  a  minimum  service  fee,  and  charged  10  per  cent 
of  the  purchase  price  of  articles;  $1.00  an  hour  for  general-service 
work. 


POLL     AND     MARKET    RESEACHERS     WANTED 

Thousands  of  men  and  women  throughout  the  land  make  spare- 
time  and  sometimes  full-time  income,  by  interviewing  for  various 
polls  and  market  researchers.  Your  fees  would  be  about  $1.00  per 
hour  plus  expenses.  If  you  are  interested  in  interviewing  others  by 
telephone  or  in  person,  you  should  list  your  availability. 

National  research  organizations  often  seek  help  of  local  chambers 
of  commerce,  so  make  application  there.  You  can  also  look  up  such 
organizations  in  your  classified  telephone  directories,  and  in  your 
library  or  newspaper  office  or  advertising  agency  you  will  usually 
find  the  Editor  ir  Publisher  Yearbook,  which  lists  market  research 
organizations,  including: 

National  Analysts,  Inc.,  1425  Chestnut  St.,  Philadelphia  2,  Pa. 

Market  Research  Company  of  America,  444  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22, 

N.Y. 
American  Institute  of  Public  Opinion  (Gallup),  110  East  42nd  St.,  New 

York,  N.Y. 

Crossley,  Inc.,  330  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
Dale  System,  1776  Broadway,  New  York,  N.Y. 
C.  E.  Hooper,  Inc.,  10  East  40th  St.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Opinion  Research,  10  Rockefeller  Plaza,  New  York  20,  N.Y. 
Psychological  Corp.,  522  5th  Ave.,  New  York,  N.Y. 
Elmo  Roper,  30  Rockefeller  Plaza,  New  York  20,  N.Y. 
Student  Marketing  Institute,  152  East  40th  St.,  New  York,  N.Y. 

These  and  other  organizations  can  be  contacted  by  letter  to  de- 
termine their  requirements  and  rates  of  payment. 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR    CASH  2/1 


AT    YOUR    SERVICE,    INC. 

"A  Pittsburgh  woman  with  a  flair  for  organizing,  skill  as  a  shopper, 
and  a  natural  spirit  of  helpfulness,  established  a  business  known  as 
'At  Your  Service,  Inc./"  according  to  a  Readers  Digest  Manual. 
"This  bureau  takes  complete  charge  of  weddings,  from  addressing 
invitations  to  arranging  for  music,  flowers  and  refreshments;  super- 
vising rehearsals,  cataloguing  the  presents,  and  making  travel  ar- 
rangements for  the  wedding  trip. 

"It  also  packs  and  unpacks  trunks;  opens  and  closes  houses;  shops 
for  gifts  and  wraps  and  mails  them;  takes  messages  and  receives  mail 
for  business  men  who  are  out  of  town;  provides  singers,  entertainers 
and  orchestras  for  parties;  procures  tickets  for  theaters,  concerts  and 
sporting  events;  provides  secretarial  and  translating  service;  and  in 
normal  times  operates  a  complete  travel  service. 

"The  business  has  provided  a  good  income  for  two  people  for 
several  years.  In  some  cases  a  flat  fee  is  charged;  in  others  10  and 
15  per  cent  is  added  to  the  total  bill;  in  still  others,  all  or  part  of  the 
fee  is  the  customary  commission  allowed  by  those  who  provide  a 
particular  service.  The  bureau  maintains  a  list  of  people  in  many 
trades  and  professions  as  its  'working  force/  " 

This  shows  clearly  how  various  service  enterprises  can  be  com- 
bined after  a  small  beginning  in  an  apartment  or  residence.  Such 
an  enterprise  can  be  started  with  a  desk  or  card  table,  telephone 
and  typewriter,  in  any  sizable  city.  When  developed  to  the  scope 
of  this  Pittsburgh  operation,  the  service  has  grown  out  of  the  home 
and  into  desk  room  in  a  shop  or  professional  office,  hotel  or  store 
that  is  centrally  located. 


NEIGHBORHOOD    RENTAL     SERVICES 

What  do  you  have  for  rental  in  your  neighborhood?  Many  in- 
dividuals make  a  small  annual  income  renting  equipment  and  sup- 
plies. This  type  of  service  is  restricted  to  your  present  possessions, 
as  you  wouldn't  want  to  make  a  heavy  investment,  at  least  until 
after  having  tested  it  on  a  low-cost  basis. 

Sometimes  such  a  service  can  be  conducted  as  a  side  line  to  your 
other  home-earning  activities.  A  home  milliner,  for  instance,  might 
find  that  there  was  a  demand  in  her  area  for  occasional  hat  rental, 


2/2  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

and  such  a  service  can  lead  to  an  independent  business.  Renee 
Boetschi  of  Beverly  Hills,  California,  made  hats  for  her  friends,  and 
high  prices  prompted  her  to  offer  rental  hats  for  smart-dressing  girls 
who  wanted  a  special  hat  for  some  special  occasion.  She  requires 
deposits,  a  rental  of  around  $5.00  a  day,  conditions  and  sterilizes  the 
hats  after  each  rental. 

Small  classified  advertisements  and  postal  cards,  covering  a  neigh- 
borhood, help  the  home  rental  service  to  get  started.  The  items 
rented  are  many  and  varied,  including  various  articles  of  home 
equipment,  chairs  and  card  tables;  playground  equipment;  ap- 
pliances such  as  washing  machines,  hair  driers,  television  or  radio 
sets,  sewing  machines,  typewriters,  floor  waxers  and  sanders,  calk- 
ing guns,  etc. 

Owners  of  power  tools  and  sizable  workshops  in  basement,  shed, 
or  garage,  have  a  good  opportunity  to  rent  the  equipment  on  a 
come-in-and-make-it-or-fix-it-yourself  basis;  or  to  rent  the  equip- 
ment to  go  out  for  a  day  or  a  week  in  the  neighborhood.  Such  opera- 
tions can  lead  to  establishment  of  one  of  the  increasingly  large 
number  of  small  businesses  devoted  to  renting  special  equipment  to 
individuals  who  don't  want  to  invest  in  expensive  tools  for  one  or 
two  special  projects. 

Home  rental  libraries  are  a  money-making  convenience  in  some 
communities.  Some  such  libraries  are  general,  others  are  for  chil- 
dren's books  only,  with  a  side  line  of  games  and  toys  for  rental  at 
reasonable  fees. 

Most  of  these  services,  except  where  they  are  put  on  an  extensive 
business  basis  with  considerable  investment,  are  good  for  only  oc- 
casional fees  and  depend  to  a  large  extent  on  what  you  have  to  offer 
and  your  individual  resourcefulness  in  drumming  up  business. 

PET    PAMPER    SERVICES    BRING    IN    THE    DOLLARS 

Millions  of  people  own  and  love  many  millions  of  pets.  They 
pamper  these  pets.  That  makes  home  business  on  a  rather  assured 
and  sizable  scale  for  home  money-makers.  The  feeding,  training, 
equipping,  housing,  bathing  and  beautifying,  boarding,  and  general 
pampering  of  these  legions  of  pets  make  it  possible  for  those  with 
the  time,  space,  and  understanding  of  pets  to  make  money  at  home. 
Even  in  areas  where  there  are  elaborate  establishments,  there  is  room 
for  the  home  operator,  for  many  pet  owners  don't  like  to  place  their 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  2/3 

pampered  darlings  in  large  homes-they  want  "restricted"  places 
and  "private  schools"  for  them. 

One  of  the  most  popular  ways  of  making  money  from  pets  is  to 
provide  boarding  facilities  in  the  way  of  a  few  kennels  and  runs  for 
dogs,  or  boxes,  baskets,  cages,  etc.  for  other  pets.  You  charge  fees 
according  to  the  local  market,  and  the  facilities  you  have  to  offer- 
rarely  less  than  $1.00  a  day  per  "guest."  You  require  the  owner  to 
give  you  full  details  regarding  the  pet,  and  to  agree  in  writing  to 
hold  you  blameless  should  the  pet  become  ill  or  die  in  your  care. 
You  get  the  name  of  their  veterinarian  and  have  one  of  your  own  on 
call.  Make  it  explicit  that  the  owner  takes  the  risk— and  refuse  to 
accept  any  pet  that  appears  to  be  in  poor  health.  The  very  fact  that 
you  go  into  some  of  these  details  tends  to  give  the  pet  owner  con- 
fidence in  your  establishment.  Such  boarding  services  are  frequently 
very  profitable  in  any  community  where  you  can  comply  with  the 
restrictions,  or  near  cities  and  prosperous  suburbs.  Some  pet  owners 
want  cozy,  small  places;  others  may  prefer  the  wide-open  spaces 
such  as  are  offered  by  Mrs.  Gladys  Shipman  Diaz  on  her  ranch  at 
Pasadena,  California— The  Bone  X  Dude  Ranch  for  Dogs.  Small  or 
large,  it  takes  a  lot  of  places  to  provide  temporary  homes  for  the 
pampered  among  the  20,000,000  dogs  in  the  United  States. 

If  you  have  some  special  training  you  have  acquired  in  the 
services  or  by  caring  for  your  own  pets,  you  have  a  head  start  with 
a  pet  pamper  service.  A  Readers  Digest  Manual  of  Small  Businesses 
cites  this  dog-training  service:  "Ray  Prescott  is  a  good  example  of 
how  an  ex-serviceman  can  utilize  Army  training  and  discharge  pay 
to  launch  a  new  enterprise  that  fills  a  general  need.  Prescott  served 
with  the  famous  K-9  Corps.  He  liked  dogs,  and  the  Army  taught  him 
proper  methods  of  training  them. 

"With  the  $200  he  received  as  discharge  pay,  he  rented  a  small 
house  in  a  well-to-do  Florida  community,  spent  $100  on  kennels  and 
equipment,  and  inserted  an  advertisement  in  the  local  paper  offering 
to  care  for  dogs  and  train  them  at  reasonable  rates.  In  three  days 
he  was  boarding  8  dogs  at  $5.00  a  week,  and  training  3  of  them  at 
rates  ranging  up  to  $60  for  5  days'  training.  He  thought  the  bulk  of 
his  trade  would  come  from  wealthy  local  residents,  who  might  want 
their  pedigreed  pets  trained,  but  he  soon  found  himself  training  un- 
pedigreed  dogs  from  communities  for  miles  around. 

"Prescott  housebreaks  a  dog  in  5  days  for  $15,  results  guaranteed. 


2/4  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

For  $25,  dogs  are  taught  in  one  week's  time  to  come  to  heel,  retrieve, 
sit  up,  stand  guard,  and  obey  every  reasonable  command.  Another 
'course,'  house-guarding,  is  $25.  Three  months  after  he  started  out, 
Prescott  was  grossing  over  $100  a  week/' 

Obviously  rates  for  services  vary  with  costs  of  food  and  other 
services  connected  with  care. 

There  are  a  variety  of  special  services  for  pets  that  include: 
psychiatric  treatment  such  as  that  offered  by  Charles  E.  Harbison 
of  Noroton,  Connecticut;  clipping  and  washing.  One  side  service  was 
established  by  Daisy  Miller  of  New  York  City.  She  set  up  an  Animal 
Protection  Union— $25  for  life  membership— for  hunting  lost  dogs, 
and  it  is  reported  that  she  is  responsible  for  the  recovery  of  lost  or 
stolen  dogs  worth  $2,000,000. 

HELPFUL     BOOKS 

Standard  Book  of  Household  Pets,  by  Jack  Baird.  Garden  City  Publishing 

Co.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
The  Complete  Book  of  Cat  Care,  by  Leon  F.  Whitney.  Doubleday  &  Co., 

Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
The  Complete  Book  of  Dog  Care,  by  Leon  F.  Whitney.  Doubleday  &  Co., 

Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 

TUTORING     AND     OTHER     SPECIAL     INSTRUCTIONS 

Nearly  everyone  has  some  field  of  experience  that  is  more 
thorough  and  skilled  than  that  possessed  by  others.  It  only  remains 
for  those  of  special  skill  to  organize  their  thoughts  on  the  matter 
and  reach  out  for  customers  to  whom  they  can  impart  their  knowl- 
edge. Fees  for  special  tutoring  run  high,  and  there  are  few  com- 
munities where  clients  cannot  be  secured  by  means  of  advertising 
in  classified  sections  of  local  papers,  sending  out  announcement 
cards,  or  registering  with  schools  and  clubs. 

If  you  have  ever  had  teaching  experience,  you  can  "brush  up"  and 
register  with  your  local  school  officials  who,  on  occasion,  want  and 
pay  well  for  substitutes,  or  you  can  establish  your  own  classes  at 
home,  or  conduct  some  one  of  the  special  night  classes  of  which 
there  are  many.  School  children  fall  behind  in  their  work  for  many 
reasons,  including  illness,  and  need  special  tutoring  to  enable  them 
to  catch  up  with  the  classwork.  The  fields  are  well  known— mathe- 
matics, languages,  etc.  It  is  also  possible  to  set  up  your  own  home 


HOME     SERVICES     FOR     CASH  2/5 

classes  in  commercial  subjects  such  as  typing,  bookkeeping,  ele- 
mentary accounting,  etc. 

Those  who  have  a  good  sports  background  and  the  knack  of 
teaching  can  with  comparative  ease  secure  well-paying  pupils  who 
want  to  develop  their  own  skill  or  make  a  sound  beginning  in  learn- 
ing a  sport.  What  is  your  sports  specialty?  If  you  are  very  good  at 
tennis,  golf,  fencing,  fly  casting,  canoeing,  skiing,  archery,  badmin- 
ton, croquet,  or  some  other  popular  sport,  you  may  find  it  easy  to 
secure  a  sizable  side  income. 

Adult  evening  courses  organized  by  schools  and  clubs  may 
welcome  your  instruction,  or  you  can  organize  your  own  home 
courses  for  groups  interested  in  the  various  arts  and  crafts  that  at- 
tract thousands. 

The  field  for  special  instruction  is  as  broad  as  the  interests  of 
thousands  in  your  community.  Tap  dancing,  square  dancing,  the 
introduction  of  newer  dances;  car  driving;  bridge,  canasta,  chess, 
checkers;  music;  baby  care— these  are  only  a  few  of  the  possible 
fields  open  to  you. 

NEIGHBORHOOD  BEAUTY  SALONS 

Women  who  have  spent  a  fortune  on  their  facials  and  hair  treat- 
ment and  dressing  and  have  learned  the  processes  involved  have 
often  found  it  possible  to  develop  a  sizable  home  beauty  business 
in  house  or  apartment.  Such  a  business  usually  involves  zoning 
restrictions  and  licensing  that  should  be  investigated  before  open- 
ing. If  you  have,  or  acquire,  the  necessary  training  and  are  located 
where  your  "salon"  is  convenient  to  busy  housewives,  you  may  do 
as  others  do  and  acquire  a  good  side-line  income.  One  of  the  ad- 
vantages is  that  your  work  can  be  controlled  by  requiring  appoint- 
ments. 


ENTERTAINERS     ARE     IN     DEMAND 

Entertainers  are  always  in  demand  for  big  parties  and  club  func- 
tions. If  you  are  something  of  a  showman,  having  developed  your 
amateur  entertainment  stunts,  you  are  in  a  position  to  reach  out  and 
secure  supplemental  income. 

Some  of  the  possibilities  followed  up  by  specialists  who  watch 
for  announcements  of  coming  parties  and  offer  their  services,  in- 


2/6  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

elude:   card  tricks,  special  movies,  speaking  on  special  subjects, 
puppets,  music  specialties,  palm  and  tea-leaf  reading. 

There  are  other  and  quieter  fields  of  entertainment,  including 
being  available  as  an  emergency  fourth  at  bridge,  reading  to  chil- 
dren or  to  shut-ins,  companion  for  the  elderly,  telephone  visiting 
with  the  lonely. 

MISCELLANEOUS     SERVICES     UNLIMITED 

Services  for  which  people  will  pay  satisfactory  rates  are  unlimited 
—or  restricted  only  to  the  many  services  people  want  performed. 
Individuals  with  special  skills,  frequently  men  and  women  who  have 
retired  or  partially  retired,  should  carefully  study  their  community 
and  the  best  way  of  finding  people  who  will  pay  for  their  skills. 
Frequently,  this  way  is  the  simple  listing  of  the  services  offered  in 
the  classified  section  of  your  local  newspapers.  Suggestive  of  a 
number  of  miscellaneous  services  which  are  making  money  today 
are  the  following:  home  employment  agency;  genealogical  research; 
lettering;  part-time  social  secretary;  modeling;  package  wrapping; 
bridal  service;  menu  planning;  comparison  shopping;  fishing  or 
hunting  guides;  home  finding;  garden  spraying;  clipping  services; 
car  repainting  and  waxing;  household-inventory  taking;  package 
delivery;  consultation  on  taxes  and  in  other  special  fields;  odd  jobs 
without  end. 


Part  Six 


HOMEMADE   PROFITS   IN 
COUNTRY,   TOWN,   AND 
OUTSKIRTS 


CHAPTER    FORTY 


A  Bit  of  Good  Earth,  an  Acre  or  So, 
and  Security 


OPPORTUNITIES  for  pleasure  and  profit  in  rural  areas  have  never  been 
more  plentiful  than  today.  A  bit  of  the  good  earth,  an  acre  or  more, 
may  well  provide  you  with  the  truest  form  of  security  the  material 
world  has  to  offer.  Increasing  thousands  of  young  people  and  older 
folk  are  fleeing  from  congested  city  areas. to  the  modern  comforts  of 
country  living  that  permits  development  of  fine  homes,  independent 
incomes,  and  richer  daily  living  than  the  cities  afford. 

Continuing  development  of  highways  and  increasing  mobility  of 
millions  of  spending  travelers  give  reasonable  assurance  that  this 
return  to  the  good  earth  will  be  desirable  and  profitable  for  many 
years  to  come.  Even  industries  in  many  areas  have  joined  the  back- 
to-the-country  movement  and  thus  opened  up  many  more  oppor- 
tunities for  men  and  women  to  work  in  those  industries  and  also, 
in  spare  time,  supplement  their  incomes  in  country  homes  they  are 
developing  for  a  more  desirable  way  of  life. 

Thousands  are  following  up  successfully  their  plans  for  country 
living.  If  You  re  Thinking  of  a  Little  Place  in  the  Country  is  the  title 
of  a  leaflet  by  A.  B.  Genung,  economist  with  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of 
Agricultural  Economics,  issued  by  the  Department  of  Agriculture. 
"Many  veterans  and  others,"  he  writes,  "are  wondering  about  the 
possibility  of  working  at  jobs  in  town  but  living  out  in  the  country, 
within  driving  distance,  where  they  can  have  a  little  land,  a  few 
chickens,  and  a  garden.  They  want  to  know  what  the  prospects  are 
for  such  part-time  farming. 

"The  answer,  in  a  nutshell,  is  that  the  prospects  for  that  kind  of 
country  life  are  good.  The  United  States  is  rich  in  just  such  oppor- 
tunity. We  have  the  combination  of  a  large  number  of  widely  spaced 
industrial  towns,  paved  highways,  and  widespread  ownership  of 
automobiles,  which  makes  it  possible.  Moreover,  some  of  the  chief 
hazards  which  face  the  large-scale,  commercial  farmer  are  escaped 
by  the  man  who  grows  things  for  home  use  mostly  and  whose  main 
income  comes  from  his  job  in  town.  All  told,  this  idea  is  a  good  one 


28O  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

—good  for  the  people  who  like  it  and  for  the  community  at  large." 
You  may  yearn  to  join  the  throng  and  have  a  better  home  and 
home  life  and  higher  income,  but  protest:  "Me  a  farmer?  What  do 
I  know  about  raising  corn  and  wheat  and  being  chauffeur  to  a 
plow?"  The  answer  is  that  you  can  increase  your  income  in  the 
country  and  not  do  any  fanning  whatever  if  you  so  desire.  There 
are  many  ways  to  make  money  in  the  country  that  don't  involve 
your  use  of  the  soil  at  all  and  those  ways  will  be  delineated  in  fol- 
lowing pages.  There  are  also  many  ways  to  profit  in  the  country 
from  only  part-time  and  side-line  farming  projects,  and  you  will 
have  the  chance  here  to  explore  many  of  these  possibilities. 

You  can  open  up  a  new  way  of  life  if  you  want  to.  You  don't  need 
to  have  a  lot  of  money.  And,  after  all,  you  have  to  live  somewhere, 
and  country  living  is  better  and  taxes  are  lower  and  grocery  and 
meat  bills  are  lighter.  Amazingly  small  investments  can  produce 
considerably  increased  incomes.  Nature  will  work  on  your  side  if 
you  develop  a  reasonably  sound  plan  and  lend  a  helping  hand. 


THE  STORY  OF  JOE  AND  HIS  TEN  ACRES 

Consider,  if  you  will,  the  following  story  of  Joe  and  his  ten  acres, 
as  related  in  his  leaflet  by  economist  Genung,  a  story  without  any 
gilding  of  field  lilies: 

"Let  us  call  this  man  Joe  Smith.  That  is  not  his  name  but  it  is  near 
enough.  Joe  is  about  40  years  old,  has  three  young  children,  works  in 
a  factory  making  chains  and  gears. 

"He  had  had  enough  of  life  in  a  city  flat.  About  six  years  ago  he 
bought  a  'farm*  near  a  small  village  ten  miles  from  his  work.  It  had 
a  house— none  too  large  and  none  too  good,  but  comfortable— a  small 
and  rather  dilapidated  barn,  ten  acres  of  cleared  land,  and  a  stretch 
of  woods  that  came  nearly  to  the  house  on  one  side.  It  was  a  little 
like  a  pioneer  homestead. 

"Joe  had  about  $1,200  saved  up.  He  makes  somewhere  around 
$50  a  week  and  saves  money.  He  has  Saturday  afternoons  and  Sun- 
days off.  He  paid  $900  cash  for  his  new  home. 

"The  first  year  he  bought  a  Jersey  cow  with  one  injured  quarter- 
that  is,  she  gave  milk  from  three  teats.  He  paid  only  $35  for  her.  The 
cow  was  already  bred,  and  from  her  he  raised  a  fine  heifer  calf.  He 
still  has  that  old  cow,  with  three  heifers  from  her  in  six  years. 

"Having  some  skimmed  milk  to  feed,  he  naturally  started  keeping 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  28l 

a  couple  of  pigs  and  some  chickens  soon  after  he  bought  the  cow. 
Now  he  has  two  sows  and  sells  20  or  25  young  pigs  a  year  beside 
fattening  and  killing  two  or  three  shoats  for  family  meat. 

"Joe  hired  his  land  worked  until  four  years  ago,  when  he  bought 
a  small  tractor  and  outfit,  including  plow,  harrow,  mower,  and  rake. 
He  gradually  acquired  at  auctions  a  wagon  with  box  and  hayrack, 
and  various  other  tools  needed  around  a  farm,  so  that  in  latter  years 
he  has  done  virtually  all  his  own  work  on  the  land. 

"At  odd  times  he  has  been  able,  by  himself,  to  make  some  repairs 
and  add  improvements  to  the  buildings.  In  such  fashion,  working  in 
installments,  he  got  the  barn  fixed  up  and  a  new  roof  on  it.  In- 
cidentally, the  scaffolding  for  that  job  as  well  as  some  other  jobs  on 
the  home  and  hen  house  was  all  made  of  poles  cut  from  the  woods. 
He  has  a  very  good  barnyard  fence  likewise  made  of  peeled  poles- 
looks  something  like  a  western  corral. 


JOE    S     ENTIRE     FAMILY     HELPS 

"His  woods  are  a  constant  reservoir  of  useful  things.  The  family 
goes  to  the  woods  for  firewood,  fence  posts,  huckleberries,  nuts, 
leaves  for  bedding  in  dry  season,  and  Christmas  trees— not  to  men- 
tion rabbits,  for  he  can  go  out  with  a  shotgun  and  knock  over  one 
in  the  woods  for  table  use  almost  any  evening  in  the  season. 

"Joe's  own  tillable  field  is  patterned  off  in  different  crops  much 
like  a  larger  farm— in  this  case  soybeans,  corn,  oats,  and  grass.  He 
usually  has  to  get  some  extra  hay  from  a  neighbor  to  carry  his  cows 
through  the  winter;  this  is  always  obtainable  on  shares  or  in  ex- 
change for  work  with  his  tractor. 

"Out  between  house  and  barn  lies  the  garden,  and  a  splendid 
garden  it  is.  Mrs.  Smith  puts  up  hundreds  of  cans  of  vegetables  and 
fruit— and  meat— every  summer  and  of  course  the  family  lives  out 
of  the  garden*  all  summer. 

"The  springhouse  is  near  the  garden.  Joe  now  has  that  excellent 
spring  water  piped  into  the  kitchen. 

"It  must  be  admitted  that  this  isn't  one  of  those  complete  '3  acres 
and  liberty*  stories  that  you  read  about.  They  don't  make  an  easy 
living  from  goats,  bees,  squabs,  nor  mushrooms.  There  isn't  anything 
very  romantic  about  this  place.  It's  just  an  ordinary  worker's  home 
along  the  road. 

"But,  by  and  large,  how  has  Joe's  venture  in  country  living  worked 


282  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

out?  The  answer  is,  extremely  well.  That  is  the  substance  of  his  own 
verdict  and  that  of  his  wife. 

"They  live  more  cheaply.  In  town  they  paid  $35  a  month  for  a 
very  modest  apartment.  Carfare  was  about  $5  a  month,  clothes  were 
a  larger  item,  and  of  course  every  morsel  of  food  meant  a  cash  out- 
lay. 

"Now,  there  is  no  rent  to  pay.  Taxes  and  insurance  on  the  'farm' 
amount  to  about  $75  a  year,  roughly  $6  to  $7  a  month. 


THEY    ALL    LIVE    BETTER 

"On  the  whole,  the  Joe  Smiths  live  more  comfortably.  They  will 
not  have  a  bathroom  for  a  while— that  is  the  one  big  disadvantage— 
but  otherwise  they  have  more  room,  are  warmer  in  winter,  far  cooler 
in  hot  weather,  have  a  cellar  and  ample  other  storage  space,  and 
'all  outdoors'  to  use  in  summer.  They  think  they  enjoy  a  better  diet 
now  than  formerly.  They  have  plenty  of  cream  and  butter  as  well 
as  milk,  they  have  fresh  eggs,  chicken  when  they  want  it,  pork  and 
veal  of  their  own  raising,  and  vegetables  and  fruit  in  abundance. 
Mrs.  Joe  says  there  are  weeks  at  a  time  when  the  only  groceries  she 
buys  are  such  things  as  oranges,  coffee,  sugar,  and  salt. 

"The  children  go  to  school  in  the  nearby  village.  Mrs.  Smith  is 
quite  certain  that  they  lead  a  healthier  and  more  wholesome  life  in 
the  country  than  they  did  in  town.  Each  child  has  certain  chores  to 
do  around  the  place.  They  play  outdoors  the  year  round  and  their 
playgrounds  are  the  fields,  the  woods,  and  the  stream— rather  than 
traffic-ridden  streets,  vacant  lots,  and  movies.  She  thinks  the  country 
is  the  place  to  bring  up  children. 

"Of  course  Joe  has  to  have  a  car  to  drive  to  and  from  work  and  the 
expense  of  that  travel  more  than  offsets  trolley  fare  in  town.  But 
they  have  a  lot  of  pleasure  out  of  the  car.  In  town  they  didn't  have 
one,  largely  because  of  no  place  to  keep  it  and  the  feeling  that  there 
it  was  an  unwarranted  luxury.  It  takes  Joe  about  20  minutes  to  drive 
to  work— about  the  same  time  it  used  to  take  in  town  by  trolley  car 
and  afoot.  They  are  on  a  macadam  road,  which  is  cleaned  of  snow  in 
winter,  so  there  is  no  difficulty  about  getting  out. 

"Summing  it  all  up,  the  Joe  Smiths  consider  that  they  did  a  wise 
thing  when  they  moved  out  to  their  little  'farm.'  They  would  not  go 
back  to  life  in  town  unless  forced  to  by  circumstances  beyond  their 
control.  The  one  big  thing  they  both  emphasize  about  their  life  in 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  283 

the  country  is  its  independence.  They  have  a  feeling  that  now  they 
can  weather  economic  storms  like  pay  cuts  or  temporary  lay-offs 
without  much  worry.  The  elemental  necessaries  of  life  are  under 
better  control  now.  No  landlord  is  going  to  turn  them  outdoors  on 
30  days'  notice.  They  have  fuel  and  food  and  'what  it  takes'  for  their 
family  to  live  comfortably  for  a  long  time  without  much  cash  in- 
come. At  least,  that's  the  way  they  feel  about  it." 

Well,  there  is  one  man's  story  reported  by  an  agricultural 
economist,  one  of  many  to  whom  we  are  indebted,  one  of  many  who 
will  help  you.  You  can  "write"  or  rather  live  your  own  story  and  if 
you  don't  like  to  raise  stock  as  does  Joe  Smith,  there  are  many  other 
ways  in  which  you  can  have  a  rewarding  life  in  the  country,  ac- 
cording to  your  location,  initial  means  in  acquiring  your  own  small 
acreage,  and  according  to  your  own  ingenuity. 

Ingenuity  was  one  of  the  assets  possessed  by  Lillian  Collins  when 
she  turned  from  her  city  career  and  went  in  for  plain  dirt  farming. 
She  had  studied  home  economics  at  the  University  of  Nebraska,  in- 
dulged in  sewing  and  ceramics  as  hobbies,  and  built  a  city  career 
as  an  accountant  and  secretary  in  Long  Beach,  California.  She  had 
another  asset— 40  acres  of  dormant  land  near  Boise  that  her  father 
had  given  to  her.  She  quit  her  job  in  1950  and  went  to  this  land.  For 
a  house  she  bought  and  moved  an  old  cow  barn  for  about  $250,  put 
it  on  concrete  blocks  and  insulated  it  with  used  fiberboard  boxes, 
etc.,  secured  free  from  a  store.  She  painted  and  moved  in.  She 
asked  the  local  FHA  for  about  $1200  to  get  started.  The  male  ex- 
perts were  skeptical  until  she  told  them  how  much  she  expected  to 
pay  for  a  cow,  turkey  poults,  sows,  chicks,  brooders,  etc.  She  knew 
what  she  was  talking  about  and  what  she  wanted.  She  got  the  loan 
and  the  stock  and  began  raising  her  own  feed,  and  won  the  admira- 
tion of  neighboring  farm  women  and  men  as  well.  She  works  hard, 
but  made  good  on  her  flight  from  the  city. 

YOUR     SAMPLING     OF     COUNTRY     MONEY-MAKERS 

This  survey  of  many  ways  to  make  money  in  the  country  is  pre- 
sented for  exploration  by  four  major  groups: 

1.  Those  who  want  to  trade  the  treadmill  of  congested  and  meager 
and  prospectless  city  living  for  a  country  home  for  self  and 
family,  commuting  by  bus  or  automobile  to  office  or  factory  or 
shifting  employment  to  smaller  communities  or  the  increasing 


284  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

number  of  factories  and  laboratories  and  offices  that  have  joined 
the  flight  from  the  cities;  those  who  want  to  get  away  from  tiny 
little  apartments  or  tiny  homes  without  enough  soil  to  raise 
vegetables  for  the  home  table,  and  instead  acquire  a  bit  of  the 
good  earth  and  a  side-line  income  that  helps  in  the  acquisition 
of  a  fine  country  home  that  earns  as  they  enjoy  it.  There  are 
many  money-making  projects  for  the  country  home  owner  who 
has  as  much  as  a  half  acre  of  land. 

2.  Those  who  want  and  are  in  a  position  to  acquire  an  acre  or  two— 
or  even  five  or  ten  acres  or  more— for  more  ambitious  projects. 

3.  Folk  who  are  retired  or  approaching  retirement,  but  are  still 
vigorous  and  want  to  stretch  their  retirement  dollars  and  supple- 
ment their  incomes  for  their  declining  years. 

4.  Those  who  are  now  located  where  they  have  a  half  acre  or  more 
and  want  to  take  on  profitable  projects.  There  are  many  who  are 
ideally  situated  and  simply  haven't  carefully  explored  the  possi- 
bilities to  turn  their  home  into  income  property.  For  that  matter 
there  are  many  rather  large-scale  farmers  who  are  toiling  for  less 
income  than  they  would  make  if  they  dropped  some  major  proj- 
ects and  adopted  some  of  these  side  lines  that  have  been  proved 
to  be  both  practical  and  very  profitable. 

You  may  find  yourself  in  one  of  the  above  categories,  or  in  a 
special  situation  of  your  own.  You  are  entitled  to  study  these  sug- 
gested, proved,  practical  projects.  If  you  find  yourself  particularly 
interested  in  one  or  more,  you  should  consider  whether  you  are 
presently  qualified  to  go  ahead,  and  if  not,  put  in  some  time  investi- 
gating, visiting  similar  projects  in  operation,  reading  books  and 
pamphlets  and  priming  your  mind  with  the  available  details  of 
operation.  You  can  often  continue  in  your  present  occupation  while 
experimenting  in  a  small  way  and  learning  to  become  expert  in  one 
or  more  of  the  projects  presented.  And  even  aside  from  your  skills 
and  varied  abilities,  one  of  the  most  important  considerations  is 
whether  there  is  reasonable  family  agreement,  particularly  between 
husband  and  wife,  as  to  your  objectives  and  desire  for  a  suburban 
or  country  way  of  life.  After  all,  there  are  some  folk  in  lower  Man- 
hattan who  have  lived  and  died  with  the  smell  of  hot  asphalt  in  their 
nostrils  and  who  have  never  gone  about  Forty-second  Street,  let 
alone  to  New  York's  Central  Park.  If,  however,  you  have  investi- 
gated and  the  tingle  of  country  air  and  living  is  in  your  veins,  this 
exploration  is  meant  for  you. 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  285 

Suggestive  of  the  many  non-farming  and  many  small  and  part- 
time  farming  ways  to  make  money  at  home  in  rural  areas  is  this 
sampling  of  ways  in  which  thousands  are  now  profiting  and  more 
thousands  can  improve  their  standard  of  living  in  the  future— and 
this  may  include  you: 

1.  Roadside-stand  feeding  of  ravenous  tourists  in  tearooms,  or 
with  sandwiches,  cold  drinks,  hot  dogs,  full  meals. 

2.  Housing  of  tourists  in  rooms,  cabins,  motels. 

3.  Poultry  and  game  bird-raising  for  meat  and  breeders,  feathers 
and  fertilizers. 

4.  Small-animal  raising  in  small  area  for  meat  or  fur  or  breeders 
or  pets  or  for  laboratories. 

5.  Raising,  training,  boarding  of  pets. 

6.  Picnic  grounds,  camps,  fishing  lakes,  hunting  ranges. 

7.  Small-fruit  and  big  branch-fruit  growing. 

8.  Roadside  marketing  of  fruits,  vegetables,  honey,  juices,  antiques. 

9.  Direct  mail,  other  advertising,  roadside  marketing  of  home 
kitchen  products  of  all  kinds,  smoked  hams  and  turkeys,  etc. 

10.  Raising  and  marketing  of  nursery  and  forest  products. 

11.  Making  and  selling  of  nearly  all  of  the  salable  homecraft  prod- 
ucts. 

IT'S     A     LIFE     FIT     FOR     A     KING! 

These  samples  indicate  the  doors  that  can  be  opened  according  to 
your  individual  desires  and  inclinations,  and  in  all  instances  you 
should  consider  these  pointers  on  part-time  farming  cited  in  a  De- 
partment of  Agriculture  leaflet: 

1.  It  is  possible,  practicable,  and  profitable  for  many  a  man  to  work 
in  a  moderate-sized  or  small  city  and  live  out  where  he  can  have 
a  few  acres  of  land  and  what  goes  with  it.  Thousands  of  city 
workers  are  actually  doing  this  very  thing,  with  pleasure  and 
benefit  to  themselves  and  their  families. 

2.  Remember,  it  takes  money  to  own  a  farm,  however  smah1.  You 
ought  to  have  a  little  saved  up— $500,  say;  $1000  would  be  better. 
Veterans  and  many  others  can  get  credit,  of  course.  But  in  the 
long  run  there  isn't  any  real  reserve  outside  your  own  money. 

3.  A  great  deal  depends  upon  your  judgment  in  choosing  a  home 
place.  Be  sure  to  get  on  an  all-weather  road,  and  see  that  the 
place  has  ^  fairly  comfortable  house,  good  water  supply,  and 


286  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

electricity  in  or  near.  If  you  ignore  any  of  these  four  things,  you'll 
be  sorry. 

4.  Don't  try  to  undertake  more  farming  than  you  can  handle.  That  is 
one  of  the  most  common  mistakes.  If  your  job  in  town  is  really 
the  main  thing,  keep  it  so  in  your  plans.  Don't  think  of  the  "farm" 
as  anything  more  than  a  secondary  job.  Don't  aim,  at  first,  any- 
how, for  much  more  than  a  good  garden  and  perhaps  a  few  hens. 
Later  you  may  want  pigs,  cow,  more  poultry,  and  fruit.  But  don't 
get  yourself  out  on  a  limb  at  the  very  start. 

5.  Do  a  lot  of  thinking  about  the  future  of  your  job  before  you 
anchor  yourself  to  a  little  country  place.  If  the  job  should  fold 
up,  is  it  a  place  that  you  could  sell  readily  if  you  wanted  to  move 
somewhere  else?  Few  part-time  farms  will  return  a  living  unless 
there  is  a  dependable  source  of  outside  income. 

6.  Take  your  time  about  buying  a  farm,  whether  one  acre  or  a 
hundred.  Talk  it  over  with  your  wife.  Talk  it  over  again  and 
again.  When,  as,  and  if  you  get  to  the  point  of  really  wanting  to 
find  such  a  place,  look  around.  Then  look  around  some  more. 
Keep  on  looking.  Don't  let  any  glib  seller  persuade  you  to  take 
something  off  on  a  dirt  side  road;  or  something  that  hasn't  elec- 
tricity right  close  by,  or  good  water,  or  a  fairly  good  house,  or 
that  costs  too  much.  You'll  find  what  you  want  if  you  look  long 
enough. 

7.  Finally,  if  you  want  to  live  on  the  land,  go  to  it!  With  ordinary 
common  sense  used  in  getting  established,  and  with  pluck  and  a 
willing  family,  it's  a  life  fit  for  a  king! 

Furthermore,  if  you  follow  that  sound  advice  from  a  Department 
of  Agriculture  specialist,  you  may  also  find  the  large  number  of  ways 
in  which  your  part-time  venture  may  be  turned  into  a  full-time 
operation  so  that  you  can  desert  the  city  entirely  and  develop  your 
independent  living  in  the  country. 


HELPFUL     BOOKS     AND     PAMPHLETS 
FOR     A    LIFE     IN     THE     COUNTRY 

Pamphlets.  Hundreds  of  authoritative  pamphlets  on  farm  and  country  life 
projects.  Get  lists.  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Government  Print- 
ing Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 

A  Few  Acres  and  Security,  by  L.  W.  Steelman.  Greenberg  Publisher,  201 
East  57th  St.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  287 

How  To  Make  a  Living  in  the  Country,  by  Fred  Tyler.  Harian  Publica- 
tions, Greenlawn,  N.Y. 
15  Ways  to  Make  Money  in  the  Country,  by  Haydn  S.  Pearson.  Grosset 

&  Dunlap,  Inc.,  1107  Broadway,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
The  "Have-More"  Plan,  by  Ed  and  Carolyn  Robinson.  The  Macmillan 

Co.,  60  5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
How  to  Live  in  the  Country  without  Farming:  Planning  and  Establishing 

a  Productive  Country  Home,  by  Milton  Wend.  Garden  City  Publishing 

Co.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Successful  Part-Time  Farming,  by  Haydn  S.  Pearson.  McGraw-Hill  Book 

Co.,  330  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
Five  Acres  and  Independence,  by  Maurice  G.  Kains.  Greenberg  Publisher, 

201  East  57th  St.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Buying  Country  Property,  by  Herbert  R.  Moral.  The  Macmillan  Co.,  60 

5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
Home  Freezing  and  Storage  of  Food,  by  Boyden  Sparkes.  Doubleday  & 

Co.,  Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
The  Complete  Book  of  Home  Freezing,  by  Hazel  Meyer.  J.  B.  Lippincott 

Co.,  East  Washington  Sq.,  Philadelphia  5,  Pa. 
Home  Freezing  for  Everyone,  by  Lura  J.  AUdre  &  Stanley  Schuler.  M. 

Barrows  &  Co.,  Inc.,  425  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Popular  Mechanics  Home  Freezer  Plans.  Popular  Mechanics  Press,  200 

East  Ontario  St.,  Chicago  11,  111. 
Mechanix  Illustrated  Plan  No.  HJ-15:  Deep  Freeze.  Fawcett  Publications, 

Inc.,  67  West  44th  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
Freezing  to  Preserve  Home-Grown  Foods.  Circular  709.  U.  S.  Department 

of  Agriculture,  Government  Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 
Building  a  Home  Freezer,  by  Frederick  S.  Erdman.  Cornell  Extension 

Bulletin  705.  Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  N.Y. 
The  Home  Freezer  Handbook,  by  Gerald  ].  Stout.  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co., 

Inc.,  250  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
See  other  helpful  books  listed  in  other  chapters. 


CHAPTER     FORTY-ONE 

Raising  Small  Animals  for  Fun  and  Profit 


THE  RAISING  of  small  animals  as  a  part-time  or  full-time  source  of 
income  is  an  excellent  side  line  to  other  activities.  Such  ventures 
offer  a  wide-open  field  for  men  or  women,  young  or  old,  who  like 


288  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

animals  and  devote  a  bit  of  time  to  studying  the  easily  mastered 
details  of  feeding,  breeding,  raising,  and  selling  procedures.  Be- 
cause they  are  easy  to  feed  and  handle  and  can  be  housed  or 
penned  with  small  outlay  of  capital  (almost  none  at  all,  except  for 
wire  if  you  are  handy  with  tools )  small  animals  are  not  only  com- 
paratively easy  side-line  money-makers,  they  are  splendid  as  retire- 
ment income  supplements.  It  costs  little  to  experiment  with  a  few  as 
pets.  Then  if  you  enjoy  the  process,  you  can  easily  expand  your 
operation  into  a  sizable  money-maker. 

The  income  is  derived,  according  to  the  animal  raised,  from  these 
sources: 

Meat  for  the  home  table  and  markets  in  your  locality 
Fur  sold  to  fur  buyers  or,  as  in  the  case  of  rabbit  fur,  direct  to  hat- 
makers 

Breeding  stock  for  others  who  want  to  get  into  the  business 
Pets  for  old  and  young,  sold  to  individuals  and  pet  stores,  and  in 
some  cases  you  may  develop  a  side-line  sale  of  accessories,  such 
as  cages,  leashes,  collars 

Laboratories  that  use  rabbits,  guinea  pigs,  hamsters,  white  mice, 
and  rats  for  experimental  purposes  and  to  meet  the  rising  de- 
mands for  penicillin  and  other  medical  products 
Wool 

Milk,  butter,  and  cheese  (in  the  case  of  goats) 
Fertilizer 

Many  of  the  money-making  small  animals  can  be  raised  in  cities 
and  towns,  but  to  develop  a  sizable  operation,  you  need  to  be 
located  in  small  towns  with  few  zoning  restrictions,  or  on  the  out- 
skirts where  you  have  more  land  and  no  restrictions,  or  in  the 
country.  In  these  pages  you  can  explore  the  possibilities  of  several 
major  money  producers  and  make  your  selection.  Having  done  so, 
you  would  do  well  to  develop  a  definite  plan  of  operation  which 
would  involve  a  small  start,  with  as  little  outlay  as  possible.  During 
this  process  you  should  get  in  touch  with  breeders'  associations, 
which  will  be  listed,  to  make  sure  you  start  with  good  stock,  and 
with  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington  25,  D.C.  The 
latter  will  provide  you  with  invaluable  pamphlets  dealing  with  the 
raising  of  the  particular  animals  in  which  you  are  interested.  You 
may  begin  your  exploration  with  rabbits,  with  which  we  are  all 
familiar  as  pets  or  as  garden  pests— but  we  may  have  overlooked 
their  potentialities  for  profits. 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  289 


RABBITS,     RABBITS,     RABBITS,     RABBITS! 

Is  it  true  what  everyone  says  about  rabbits?  It's  true.  You  take  one 
buck.  You  take  one  doe.  If  you  are  wise  you  will  take  the  doe  to  the 
buck  for  a  happy  mating.  If  you  take  the  buck  to  the  doe's  hutch 
she  may  enthusiastically  kick  the  stuffing  out  of  him,  but  when  she 
goes  visiting  everything  is  serene.  In  a  few  weeks  you  will  have 
eight  to  twelve  rabbits  instead  of  two:  and  this  can  happen  four 
times  a  year  with  the  same  doe.  If  you  have  one  buck  and  eight  or 
ten  does  you  can  multiply  this  production  by  several  times.  You  re 
in  business.  Now  you  have  pets  for  sale,  or  in  a  couple  of  months 
you  have  fryers  for  your  table  or  the  market.  Suppose  you  take  a 
hundred  rabbits— well,  you  take  them  if  you  can  build  hutches  and 
pens  fast  enoughl  I  suggest  that  you  take  them  on  the  basis  of  my 
own  childhood  experience.  One  day  my  father  asked  me  how  many 
rabbits  I  thought  I  had  and  I  said,  "Oh,  six  or  eight."  He  said:  "I 
just  counted,  fifty-seven."  I  didn't  argue,  as  Dad  had  an  uncom- 
fortable way  of  being  right.  These  were  just  rabbits  coming  out  of 
holes  beneath  the  pen,  and  raised  only  for  fun  and  for  barter  with 
other  lads. 

Mrs.  Louis  L.  Van  Valkenburgh  of  Houston,  Texas,  put  a  gift  pair 
of  Easter  bunnies  to  better  use.  She  kept  them  properly  and  raised 
the  offspring  to  twelve  or  fourteen  pounds  each.  She  has  handled 
as  many  as  a  thousand  in  her  operation,  and  sold  them  as  pets,  as 
meat  for  gourmets  who  enjoy  the  chickenlike  flavor  and  fine  texture, 
and  pelts  to  manufacturers. 

Rabbits  won't  send  you  shopping  for  a  new  Cadillac  each  year, 
but  they  can  provide  fun,  good  eating,  reasonable  profits. 

Your  initial  stock  should  be  secured  from  reputable  breeders  to 
be  sure  you  get  disease-free  animals  and  the  ones  to  best  produce 
young  and  gain  weight  with  proper  feeding.  There  are  fifty  or  more 
breeds  and  varieties  of  rabbits.  Some  of  the  more  popular  are  the 
New  Zealand,  Flemish,  or  Checker  Giant,  whose  does  at  maturity 
weigh  ten  to  fifteen  pounds;  and  the  somewhat  lighter  weight 
Chinchilla,  French  Silver,  Angora  Wooler,  and  Belgian  hare.  It  is 
recommended  by  professionals  that  the  beginner  should  select  one 
breed.  Unless  your  operation  is  on  a  large  scale  there  is  no  great 
advantage  in  a  large  variety. 

Although  rabbits  can  be  raised  in  makeshift  hutches,  the  beginner 


290  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

will  save  time  and  trouble  and  stock  by  building  well-lighted  and 
-aired  hutches  that  are  easy  to  keep  sanitary,  and  thus  minimize  the 
feeding  and  watering  and  cleaning  processes.  A  hutch  should  have 
a  floor  space  of  2%  by  4  feet  and  be  about  2  feet  high.  This  popular 
size  is  often  built  three  high  in  six  rows  side  to  side,  with  a  slanting 
shed  roof.  Wire  mesh  should  cover  the  hutch  inside  of  the  wood  or 
the  rabbits  will  chew  their  houses  down. 

The  rabbit  fancier  will  derive  income  from  fryers  and  roasters, 
fur  and  wool,  breeding  stock,  pets,  laboratories,  and,  if  the  opera- 
tion is  on  a  large  scale,  fertilizer. 

Rabbit  raising  often  turns  into  a  full-time  business,  as  in  the  case 
of  Linwood  Darling  of  Cumberland  Center,  Maine.  He  has  re- 
ported in  Mechanix  Illustrated  magazine  that  he  was  successfully 
operating  a  chicken  farm  when  his  craving  for  hasenpfeffer  brought 
about  a  switch  of  careers. 

Back  in  1947  Mr.  Darling  started  with  a  pair  of  rabbits  to  raise 
enough  meat  for  an  occasional  service  of  hasenpfeffer  at  the  family 
table.  By  1952  he  was  raising  about  3000  rabbits  and  had  estab- 
lished himself  as  a  rabbit  butcher,  processing  more  than  250  rabbits 
weekly.  His  first  markets  were  neighbors  and  a  local  grocer.  The 
demand  increased  so  rapidly  he  had  to  expand  his  original  small 
pens  into  a  barn.  He  established  modern  breeding  houses  and  an 
efficient  assembly-line  method  of  preparing  his  products  for  market, 
and  reports  that  in  1951  his  business  processed  more  than  15,000 
rabbits  and  realized  over  $25,000. 

Illustrative  of  more  varied  possibilities  in  rabbit  raising  is  the 
experience  of  Miss  Clara  May  Hemenway,  a  schoolteacher,  who 
started  with  $500  capital  to  raise  pedigreed  angora  rabbits.  She 
developed  her  project  to  the  raising  of  about  400  animals  and  estab- 
lishment of  a  store  on  her  Wailiilii  Farm  in  Manchester  Center, 
Vermont.  "She  sells  angora  wool  and  pedigreed  stock,"  according  to 
the  Readers  Digest  small-business  manual.  "Some  of  the  wool  is 
home  spun  on  a  flaxwheel;  some  of  the  yarn  is  knit  or  woven  into 
angora  products  to  retail  from  her  own  small  store,  or  to  sell  to  city 
gift  shops  and  department  stores.  Except  for  occasional  help,  Miss 
Hemenway  does  all  of  the  work  herself. 

"Raising  angora  rabbits  for  both  wool  and  meat  is  a  comparatively 
new  industry.  Since  the  wool  is  very  light,  shipping  costs  are  small. 
Mills  buy  unspun  wool  in  quantities  ranging  from  hundreds  to  thou- 
sands of  pounds  at  a  time.  Some  growers  sell  to  individuals  who  ac- 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  2Q1 

cumulate  enough  volume  to  sell  to  the  mills;  others  sell  through  co- 
operative marketing  organizations. 

"Culls  (animals  unprofitable  to  keep  for  breeding  or  wool)  may 
be  sold  as  fresh  dressed  or  as  frozen  meat. 

"The  manure  is  easily  dried  and  pulverized,  and  may  be  whole- 
saled to  fruit  growers  and  florists  or  retailed  to  home  owners  for 
lawns  and  gardens. 

"Angora  breeding  may  be  started  with  as  little  capital  as  $100, 
preferably  as  a  sideline  until  experience  is  gained.  Pedigreed  stock- 
two  does  and  a  buck— should  be  bought  from  a  reliable  breeder. 
Breeding  should  be  slow  the  first  two  years  while  the  owner  learns 
how  to  feed,  breed  and  care  for  the  animals.  Records  must  be  kept 
on  each  animal.  Labor  is  the  highest  cost  of  the  business." 

GUINEA    PIGS    MULTIPLY     HOBBY    PROFITS 
RAPIDLY 

Cavies,  or  guinea  pigs,  as  they  are  commonly  known,  are  becom- 
ing increasingly  popular  as  a  simple  side-line  profit  source.  They 
cost  little,  multiply  rapidly,  use  little  food,  and  are  easy  to  care  for 
in  very  small  quarters  in  attic,  basement,  shed,  or  small  outbuildings. 
They  are  gentle,  virtually  odorless,  and  fascinating. 

Many  thousands  in  virtually  all  sections  of  the  country  raise  cavies 
for  sale  as  pets  or  breeders,  and  primarily  for  sale  to  hospitals, 
laboratories,  medical  research  workers,  and  others  for  experimental 
work.  There  is  an  estimated  market  for  nearly  1,500,000  guinea  pigs 
for  laboratory  work.  The  demand  is  increasing  steadily.  They  are 
used  chiefly  for  testing  and  developing  various  serums  and  anti- 
toxins, so  the  raisers  make  a  real  contribution  to  the  life  of  the 
nation. 

If  you  decide  to  raise  guinea  pigs  as  a  side  line  for  laboratory  uses, 
you  should  be  especially  careful  in  selecting  your  breeding  stock, 
using  advice  of  established  breeder  associations.  Laboratory  buyers 
will  insist  on  cavies  that  are  not  descended  from  previously  tested 
animals.  Before  raising  them  on  any  sizable  scale  you  should  make 
inquiry  at  hospitals  and  laboratories  hi  your  area  for  instruction, 
and  to  determine  your  own  possible  markets.  Instructions  should  be 
followed  carefully,  as  laboratory  buyers  want  only  absolutely  reli- 
able sources  of  supply. 

Although  there  are  long-haired  varieties  of  cavies,  the  home  raiser 


2Q2  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

is  advised  to  stay  with  the  smooth-haired  breeds,  which  are  more 
popular  as  pets  and  very  easy  to  keep  clean.  As  pets,  the  brown, 
black,  white,  tawny,  or  mixed-colored,  short-haired  varieties  are 
easy  to  keep  and  cheap  to  feed.  They  need  only  a  few  minutes' 
attention  for  two  feedings  a  day.  The  pets  can  be  sold  by  roadside 
signs,  small  classified  advertising  in  local  newspapers  and  maga- 
zines. 

Prices  vary,  but  for  about  four  or  five  dollars  you  can  secure  a 
pair  of  cavies  for  a  meager  beginning,  or,  preferably,  one  male  and 
five  or  six  females  who  will  produce  litters  of  six  or  eight  at  the  rate 
of  five  or  six  litters  yearly.  The  cavies  can  be  sold  as  pets  in  about  a 
month  after  birth.  The  females  can  be  bred  after  a  very  few  weeks, 
but  five  or  six  months  is  most  desirable. 

Hutches  can  be  easily  fashioned  from  old  boxes  and  wire  netting, 
and  set  in  tiers.  Many  producers  keep  twenty-five  to  fifty  in  a  single 
colony  group,  allowing  ample  room  for  that  number.  Others  prefer 
the  tiers  of  hutches.  Each  compartment  about  2/zx3  feet  and  1/2  feet 
high  provides  room  for  four  females  and  their  litters.  Only  a  few 
square  feet  for  hutch  or  pen  space  are  required  for  forty  or  fifty 
cavies. 

Food  costs  are  low,  especially  if  you  have  a  supply  of  grass  cut- 
tings, vegetable  trimmings,  etc.,  to  provide  green  stuff  that  is  essen- 
tial. If  they  have  adequate  vegetable  wastes  cavies  don't  even  re- 
quire water.  Children  can  have  fun  with  cavies,  since  they  don't  bite. 
This  profitable  hobby  often  becomes  a  family  project  that  can  pro- 
vide $100  a  month  or  more  the  year  around. 

WHITE     MICE     AND     RATS     WILL     WORK     FOR     YOU 

Like  the  cavies,  white  mice  and  rats  are  valuable  as  laboratory 
animals,  and  also  for  determining  pregnancy  of  women.  Some  raisers 
sell  10,000  to  50,000  annually  to  various  laboratories. 

There  is  a  limited  demand  for  white  mice  as  pets  because  so  many 
mothers,  particularly,  object  to  having  rodents  around  the  place. 

Mice  and  rats  breed  rapidly  and  can  be  kept  in  well-ventilated, 
well-lighted  cages  of  wood  or  metal.  Approximately  twenty-five  mice 
can  be  kept  during  the  growing  period  in  a  cage  1x2  feet  and  8 
inches  high.  The  same  cage  will  house  half  as  many  adults.  The 
cages  can  easily  be  arranged  in  tiers.  The  cages  and  mice  are  light 
and  easily  portable.  The  feeding  costs  are  small.  The  side  income  is 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  2Q3 

welcome.  As  in  the  case  of  cavies,  your  market  should  be  studied 
carefully  before  going  into  a  large  operation. 

Ralph  E.  Plauth  was  a  businessman  without  the  slightest  interest 
in  rodents  until  he  found  that  several  government  departments,  as 
well  as  medical  and  pharmaceutical  houses  and  hospitals,  were  hunt- 
ing for  more  rodents  bred  to  specifications.  He  investigated  further, 
established  his  Blue  Spruce  Farms  place  near  Albany,  New  York, 
and  started  raising  rats  and  mice  by  the  hundreds  and  the  thousands 
—and  for  profit. 

HAMSTERS     ARE     CHAMPION     MASS     MULTIPLIERS 

Rabbits,  cavies,  and  mice  are  mere  amateurs  when  it  comes  to  re- 
production. They  are  completely  outclassed  by  the  champion 
golden-furred,  seven-inch-long  hamster,  which  reproduces  faster 
than  any  other  animal.  The  hamster,  as  pet  and  laboratory  animal, 
is  easy  to  raise  too.  If  you  are  a  mathematical  wizard  or  possess  a 
calculating  machine  you  can  go  to  work  on  this:  The  female  can  be 
bred  at  forty  days;  the  gestation  period  is  twelve  to  fourteen  days; 
the  result  is  a  litter  of  seven  to  twelve,  and  the  females  can  be  bred 
again  in  forty  days;  so  you  start  all  over. 

The  hamster  in  recent  years  has  become  increasingly  popular  as  a 
pet,  and  is  in  growing  demand  as  a  laboratory  animal  because  it 
reacts  to  more  human  diseases  than  does  any  other  animal. 

Breeders  are  not  costly  and  can  be  secured  through  guinea  pig 
and  rabbit  associations  listed  herein.  They  can  be  housed  in  very 
small  homemade  cages  and  pens. 

CHINCHILLA,     THE     GLAMOROUS     RODENT 

Chinchilla  breeding  is  for  you  only  if  you  can  afford  the  cost  and 
the  risk,  and  approach  the  project  with  wide-open  eyes.  The  chin- 
chilla in  recent  years  has  given  rise  to  amazing  stories  of  profit,  to- 
gether with  searching  questions  regarding  the  future  of  the  industry 
that  is  reported  to  be  worth  $125,000,000,  with  nearly  9000  breeders 
and  a  population  of  some  250,000  chinchillas  in  the  United  States. 
In  1951  these  breeders  did  a  $10,000,000  business,  selling  breeder 
stock  at  around  $1250  to  $1500  per  pair. 

Chinchillas  are  the  most  regal  of  all  fur-bearing  animals.  The 
aristocratic  little  fellows  were  introduced  to  the  United  States  by  an 


2Q4  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

American  engineer,  M.  F.  Chapman,  who  captured  and  brought  in 
eleven  live  ones  in  1923.  The  rich  blue-gray  fur  of  the  chinchilla  is 
about  an  inch  long,  the  softest  fur  of  any  animal,  with  as  many  as 
eighty  hairs  from  a  single  follicle.  The  body  of  a  chinchilla  is  about 
10  inches  long  and  weighs  1/2  pounds  at  maturity.  Only  the  animals 
that  die  are  pelted  for  coats,  some  of  which  are  sold  for  many  thou- 
sands of  dollars.  The  chinchillas  today  are  chiefly  valuable  as  fastidi- 
ous little  pets  and  for  the  breeding  of  three  to  fifteen  young  each 
year  during  about  twenty  years  of  life.  What  will  happen  to  prices 
when  the  breeding  has  continued  to  the  point  where  there  are 
enough  chinchillas  for  pelting  on  a  large  commercial  scale  no  one 
knows.  In  the  meantime  rich  revenue  is  being  cleared  by  the  breed- 
ers. 

Chinchillas  are  immaculate  and  can  be  kept  in  small  cages  in  attic, 
parlor,  or  basement,  and  can  be  fed  for  not  over  $3.00  per  year.  One 
of  the  most  successful  breeders  is  an  ex-Seabee,  Eugene  J.  Donoval 
of  Los  Angeles.  He  started  with  two  pairs  in  1948,  and,  by  buying 
and  breeding,  built  up  a  herd  of  1500  in  two  years.  In  1951  he  did  a 
business  of  $325,000  for  a  net  of  $97,000,  according  to  a  business 
report  in  Time  magazine.  There  are  numerous  other  stories  of  great 
financial  success  with  chinchillas,  including  those  of  groups  who 
share  the  initial  cost  of  the  breeding  stock  to  reduce  individual  in- 
vestment. Chinchillas  are  so  easy  to  house,  cheap  to  feed,  and  easy 
to  care  for  that  they  are  becoming  increasingly  popular  as  side-line 
and  sometimes  full-time  income  producers. 

MINK   "RANCHING"   FOR   PROFIT 

Mink— ferocious,  vicious  killers  as  they  may  be— are  becoming 
more  and  more  popular  with  fur  farmers.  Mink  raising  is  an  estab- 
lished industry  with  established  auction  markets,  and  residents  of 
cooler  sections  of  the  United  States  find  them  reasonably  easy  to 
raise  in  small  pens  and  cheap  to  feed. 

The  prices  vary  according  to  the  market,  but  for  about  $150  you 
can  get  started  with  a  male  and  two  females.  They  can  be  raised  in 
tightly  wire  meshed  pens  about  2  feet  long  by  4  feet  wide.  Because 
of  the  small  area  for  pens  it  is  possible  for  a  part-time  mink  rancher 
to  care  for  fifty  or  more  mink  in  a  series  of  small  pens  on  a  small 
place— if  he  has  the  price  of  the  breeders  or  has  raised  enough  of  his 
own. 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  2Q5 

One  male  will  breed  as  many  as  six  females,  and  once  a  year  each 
female  can  produce  four  to  ten  kits,  usually  in  June.  The  average 
litter  is  four  or  five,  and  born  in  June,  is  ready  for  pelting  in  Novem- 
ber, or  for  breeding  after  seven  months. 

Detailed  instructions  for  care,  feeding,  pelting,  and  often  even  the 
pens  themselves  are  provided  by  the  breeders  from  whom  stock  is 
obtained.  Because  of  the  widely  established  demand  for  mink  coats, 
in  Washington,  D.C.,  and  elsewhere,  there  is  a  steady  market  for  the 
mink  rancher's  product. 

Beginners  who  find  the  cost  of  breeding  stock  rather  high  can 
split  the  investment  and  make  a  start  in  the  business  on  shares, 
developing  their  own  stock  as  they  progress  toward  larger  returns. 
For  many,  mink  ranching  has  become  a  full-time  operation  with  a 
comfortable  income. 


SILVER    FOX,     BEAVERS,     MUSKRAT, 
AND     OTHER     FUR     ANIMALS 

There  are  a  number  of  other  fur-bearing  small  animals  that  can 
be  raised  as  a  hobby  or  for  profit,  but  prices  of  stock,  area  required, 
and  other  requirements  make  many  of  these  animals  a  real  problem 
for  the  beginner.  And  anyone  who  contemplates  raising  them  should 
conduct  a  very  thorough  investigation. 

Raising  of  silver  foxes,  beaver,  or  muskrats  is  difficult  when  area 
is  limited,  and  both  beaver  and  muskrat  require  special  land  and 
water  habitats.  There  are  those  who  experiment  in  raising  raccoons, 
skunks,  opossums,  fishers,  martens,  and  others,  but  except  in  very 
special  instances  these  animals  should  be  avoided. 

DOGS  AND  CATS  ARE  PROFIT  PRODUCERS 

A  multitude  of  dog  lovers  and  cat  lovers  ( and  some  folk  like  both ) 
have  raised  these  animals  for  many  years  and  have  a  good  head  start 
for  a  profit-making  side  line  or  full-time  business  at  home.  They 
have  only  to  put  their  hobby  on  a  systematic  basis  and  study  proc- 
esses of  advertising  and  selling— instead  of  simply  looking  for  friends 
and  neighbors  to  take  over  the  litters. 

Dogs  and  cats  are  in  constant  demand  as  pets,  and  those  who  put 
their  interest  in  these  animals  on  a  more  businesslike  basis  can  make 
it  pay.  Profits  are  derived  from  sale  of  pets,  training  of  pets,  board- 


2Q6  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

ing  of  pets.  Sales  are  made  through  advertising  in  nearby  papers, 
pet  journals,  by  roadside  signs,  and  sometimes  by  direct  mail. 

For  animal  lovers  there  are  few  more  enjoyable  profit-making 
hobbies  than  such  animal  breeding.  It  is  important  that  anyone 
going  into  this  field  should  concentrate  only  on  good,  sound,  pedi- 
greed stock.  While  some  raise  several  kinds  of  dogs  or  cats,  many 
of  the  most  successful  concentrate  on  one  or  two  specialties.  Both 
men  and  women  are  successful  in  this  field,  and  frequently  they 
select  the  breeds  they  personally  like  best  so  that  they  derive  even 
greater  enjoyment  from  the  business  that  they  can  establish  in  a 
small  way  for  less  than  $200. 

Once  they  have  translated  their  hobby  into  a  business,  they  fre- 
quently find  that  the  knowledge  they  have  gained  makes  it  possible 
for  them  to  derive  additional  profit  by  training  dogs  or  cats  for 
others.  Some  men  both  raise  and  train  field  dogs  for  hunters.  There 
is  always  the  additional  side  line  of  sale  of  equipment  for  the  pets, 
and  in  some  areas  in  towns  and  outskirts,  if  space  permits,  they  can 
board  animals  for  folk  who  must  periodically  be  away  from  their 
homes. 

As  almost  everyone  knows,  these  animals  can  be  raised  in  base- 
ments, garages,  sheds,  or  pens  with  easily  constructed  shelters. 

The  possibilities  in  the  raising  of  dogs  is  illustrated  by  the  case  of 
Eugene  Cokefair  of  Montclair,  New  Jersey,  as  reported  by  Edwin 
Diehl.  Mr.  Cokefair  became  utterly  weary  of  the  commuting  routine 
from  home  to  office  in  New  York,  and  despite  his  income  in  five 
figures,  he  decided  there  must  be  a  more  desirable  way  of  life  for 
him. 

"I'm  fed  up,"  he  exploded  to  his  wife  one  night.  "I'm  bored  with 
my  job  and  fast  deterioration  into  a  shallow  nincompoop  of  a  man. 
I'm  resigning  tomorrow  and  we're  going  to  figure  out  what's  best  for 
all  of  us.  Let's  begin  living." 

He  quit  his  job  and  decided  he  would  like  to  carry  out  his  dream 
of  raising  purebred  cocker  spaniels  and  boxers.  Selling  a  spacious 
home  in  Montclair,  they  moved  to  a  small  farm  in  Montville  Town- 
ship, New  Jersey.  He  named  his  place  Hillcrest  Kennels  and  hung 
out  a  sign  near  the  drive.  Even  though  he  had  moved  rather 
abruptly  in  changing  his  career,  he  made  it  work.  The  sharp  drop 
in  income  was  a  problem  for  a  time.  He  thoroughly  enjoyed  his  work 
in  raising  dogs,  but  had  to  look  around  for  some  way  to  augment  his 
income  sufficiently  to  provide  for  his  family.  The  step  he  took  was 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  2Q7 

a  natural  outgrowth  of  his  new  career.  He  opened  the  Madison  Pet 
Shop  in  Madison,  New  Jersey,  near  his  farm.  Dividing  his  time  be- 
tween the  kennels  and  the  shop,  he  had  in  1952,  two  years  after  his 
"strike,"  established  a  thriving  small  business.  Does  he  like  it?  "I 
wouldn't  go  back  to  textiles  again  for  $100,000  a  year,"  he  says. 
"What  if  I  do  work  longer  hours  or,  on  occasion,  all  day  Sunday?  I 
like  this  work.  I'm  living!" 

The  dog  business  hasn't  gone  to  the  dogs.  Instead  it  is  a  billion- 
dollar-a-year  business  for  canine  beauty  parlors,  licenses,  training, 
medicine,  food,  funerals,  adoption,  boarding  services,  clothing  and 
accessories— even  psychiatry  for  some  of  the  nervous  among  the 
more  than  twenty  million  dog  population. 


GOAT     RAISING     FOR     HOME-ACRES     PROFITS 

Anyone  searching  for  additional  sources  of  revenue  from  a  few 
home  acres  should  consider  the  merits  of  goat  raising.  There  are 
many  points  that  favor  goats,  including  the  fact  that  it  is  cheaper 
to  have  one  or  two  milk  goats  for  the  home  supply  than  to  have  a 
cow.  If  you  run  twenty  to  fifty  goats  on  a  small  acreage  you  have 
products  for  sale.  Goats  can  be  easily  housed  in  any  makeshift 
shelter  that  gives  protection  from  wind,  rain,  and  snow. 

Kids  can  often  be  purchased  for  $10  or  less,  but  purebred  does 
may  run  as  high  as  $100.  Grade  does  are  available  in  some  districts 
for  $20  to  around  $50  a  head. 

"How  much  milk  will  one  produce?"  is  a  common  question.  It  is 
answered  in  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  920,  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture.  "This  is,  of  course,  a  very  important  considera- 
tion, as  the  value  of  a  doe  is  estimated  largely  by  her  milk  produc- 
tion. Even  if  a  doe  is  purebred,  she  is  of  little  value  from  the  utility 
standpoint  unless  she  is  capable  of  giving  a  good  quantity  of  milk. 
Many  persons  in  purchasing  grade  or  even  purebred  goats,  have 
been  disappointed  to  find  that  the  milk  could  be  measured  in  pints 
and  not  quarts  or  gallons,  as  expected. 

"A  doe  that  produces  3  pints  a  day  is  considered  only  a  fair  milker, 
while  a  production  of  2  quarts  is  good,  and  a  production  of  3  quarts 
is  considered  excellent,  provided  the  lactation  is  maintained  for  from 
7  to  10  months.  Good  does  should  produce  from  8  to  15  times  then- 
weight  in  milk  in  a  lactation  period.  .  .  . 

"The  price  to  be  obtained  for  goats'  milk  depends  on  a  number 


2Q8  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

of  conditions.  If  the  milk  is  to  be  sold  for  ordinary  uses,  the  price, 
of  course,  will  be  much  lower  than  if  a  special  market  has  been 
developed.  In  the  past  the  price  has  ranged  from  10  to  50  cents  a 
quart,  and  the  highest  prices  have  been  obtained  when  the  milk  has 
been  supplied  for  the  use  of  infants  and  invalids.  The  demand  and 
the  cost  of  production  will  serve  as  a  guide  as  to  what  price  should 
be  obtained.  So  long  as  good  goats  are  scarce  and  high  priced,  it  will 
be  necesary  to  get  good  prices  for  the  products,  whether  in  the  form 
of  milk  or  cheese,  to  encourage  people  to  engage  in  the  industry. 
There  is  on  the  market  a  brand  of  evaporated  unsweetened  goats' 
milk  that  retails  for  25  cents  a  can  of  6  ounces,  which  is  equivalent 
to  about  65  cents  a  quart  for  the  original  milk." 

Sources  of  revenue  from  goats  include  the  sale  of  milk  to  hospitals 
and  invalids,  rental  of  does  for  specified  periods,  sale  of  evaporated 
milk,  butter,  cheese,  breeding  stock,  hides,  and  of  kids  for  pets. 

Before  expanding  the  raising  of  two  or  three  goats  for  home  use  of 
products  the  raiser  should  consider  location  carefully. 

In  investigating  this  revenue  prospect  for  various  areas  you  can 
secure  much  detailed  information  from  the  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture  and  the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry,  which  will  put  you 
in  touch  with  breeders*  associations  in  your  district 

ANIMAL  BREEDERS'  ASSOCIATIONS 
WILL  HELP   YOU 

There  are  a  number  of  animal  breeders'  associations  that  are  ex- 
cellent sources  of  information  regarding  your  selection  of  breeding 
stock,  the  quality  of  the  stock,  and  the  prices  you  will  have  to  pay 
for  sound  foundation  stock  for  your  enterprise.  In  writing  to  these 
associations  or  to  any  other  source  of  information  it  is  desirable  that 
you  make  your  requests  for  information  as  specific  as  possible. 

Animal  breeders'  associations  that  will  help  you  include: 

American  Angora  Breeders  Association  Rock  Springs,  Tex. 

American  Angora  Rabbit  Breeders  Cooperative  Palmer  Lake,  Colo. 

American  Cat  Association  Chicago,  111. 

American  Cavy  Breeders  Association  Kansas  City,  Kans. 

American  National  Fur  Breeders  Association  Wausau,  Wis. 

American  Rabbit  and  Cavy  Breeders  Association,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Inc. 

American  Kennel  Club  New  York,  N.Y. 

California  Angora  Wool  Growers,  Inc.  Lynwood,  Calif. 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  2Q9 

Cat  Fanciers  Association  Washington,  D.C. 

Federation  of  American  Angora  Breeders  San  Jose,  Calif. 

National  Board  of  Fur  Farm  Organizations  Salt  Lake  City,  Ut. 

National  Chinchilla  Breeders  of  America  Salt  Lake  City,  Ut. 

National  Domestic  Rabbit  Institute,  Inc.  Cleveland,  O. 


HELPFUL     BOOKS     AND     PAMPHLETS     FOR     SMALL 
ANIMAL     RAISERS 

How  To  Raise  Rabbits  for  Food  and  Fur,  by  Frank  G.  Ashbrook.  Orange 
Judd  Publishing  Co.,  Inc.,  15  East  26th  St.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 

Rabbit  Breeders'  Guide,  by  John  C.  Fehr.  Small  Stock  Magazine,  Lamoni, 
la. 

Angoras  for  Profit,  by  R.  G.  Hodgson.  American  Fur  Breeder,  Duluth  2, 
Minn. 

Rabbit  Raising  for  Profit,  by  Marcellus  W.  Meek.  Greenberg  Publisher, 
201  East  57th  St.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 

J  Chose  Rabbits,  by  E.  H.  Stahl.  American  Small  Stock  Farmer,  Pearl 
River,  N.Y. 

Rabbit  Production.  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  1730.  Government  Printing 
Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 

Raising  Small  Animals  for  Pleasure  and  Profit,  by  Frank  G.  Ashbrook. 
D.  Van  Nostrand  Co.,  Inc.,  250  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 

The  Hamster  Manual,  by  A.  D.  Banks.  Small  Stock  Magazine,  Lamoni, 
la. 

The  Hamster  Manual,  by  Albert  F.  Marsh.  Author,  1526  Basil  St.,  Mobile 
17,  Ala. 

Successful  Hamster  Raising,  by  Albert  Hayner.  Courier  Printing  Co.,  East 
Peoria,  111. 

Golden  Hamster  Manual,  by  L.  C.  Gale.  Author,  Concordia,  Kan. 

Cavies  for  Pleasure  and  Profit,  by  Edwin  F.  Deicke.  Small  Stock  Maga- 
zine, Lamoni,  la. 

Cavy  Management,  by  F.  G.  Carnochan.  Carworth  Farms,  Inc.,  New 
York,  N.Y. 

The  Guinea  Pig.  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  Leaflet  No.  252.  Gov- 
ernment Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 

The  Laboratory  Mouse,  by  Clyde  E.  Keeler.  American  Fur  Breeder, 
Duluth  2,  Minn. 

Raising  Laboratory  Mice  and  Rats.  U.  S.  Agriculture  Department  Leaflet 
No.  253.  Government  Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 

Practical  Mink  Ranching,  by  Morley  B.  Pirt.  American  Fur  Breeder, 
Duluth  2,  Minn. 

Mink  Raising,  by  L.  H.  Adams.  Harding  Publishing  Co.,  174  E.  Long  St., 
Columbus,  O. 

Mink  Raising.  U.  S.  Agriculture  Department  Leaflet  No.  801.  Govern- 
ment Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 

Practical  Muskrat  Raising,  by  E.  J.  Dailey.  Harding  Publishing  Co.,  174 
East  Long  St.,  Columbus,  O. 


3OO  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Practical  Beaver  and  Muskrat  Farming,  by  Wallace  Grange.  Sandhill 

Press,  Babcock,  Wis. 
Chinchilla  Raising.  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  Leaflet  No.  266. 

Government  Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 
Fur  Farming  for  Profit,  by  Frank  G.  Ashbrook.  Orange  Judd  Publishing 

Co.,  Inc.,  15  East  26th  St.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
Fur  Farming  Possibilities.  U.  S.  Agriculture  Department  Leaflet  No.  267. 

Government  Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 

The  Complete  Book  of  Dog  Care,  by  Leon  F.  Whitney,  D.V.M.  Double- 
day  &  Co.,  Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Our  Dogs:  A  Text-book  on  the  Feeding,  Training  and  Care  of  All  Breeds, 

by  Clarence  E.  Harbison.  Orange  Judd  Publishing  Co.,  Inc.,  15  East 

26th  St.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
Handy  Dog  Booklets.  Judy  Publishing  Co.,  3323  Michigan  Ave.  North, 

Chicago  16,  111. 

The  Care  and  Handling  of  Dogs,  by  Jack  Baird.  Permabooks,  575  Madi- 
son Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Care  and  Training  of  Dogs,  by  Arthur  F.  Jones.  Prentice-Hall,  Inc.,  70 

5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
Feeding  Our  Dogs,  by  Leon  F.  Whitney.  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co.,  Inc.,  250 

4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Training  the  Dog,  by  Will  Judy.  Judy  Publishing  Co.,  3323  Michigan 

Ave.  North,  Chicago  16,  111. 
Training  You  to  Train  Your  Dog,  by  Blanche  Saunders.  Doubleday  &  Co., 

Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Your  Dog:  The  Complete  Book  of  Selection,  Care,  Raising  and  Training, 

by  Jeanette  W.  Gillies  &  Blanche  Saunders.  Greystone  Press,  100  6th 

Ave.,  New  York  13,  N.Y. 
The  Modern  Dog  Encyclopedia.  Henry  P.  Davis,  editor.  Stackpole  & 

Heck,  100  Telegraph  Press  Bldg.,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 
Practical  Dog  Breeding,  by  Harry  C.  Peake.  The  Macmillan  Co.,  60  5th 

Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
Cats  and  All  About  Them,  by  L.  H.  and  Helen  G.  Fairchild.  Orange  Judd 

Publishing  Co.,  Inc.,  15  East  26th  St.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
Starting  Rigfit  with  Milk  Goats,  by  Helen  Walsh.  The  Macmillan  Co., 

60  5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
Aids  to  Goatkeeping,  by  Corl  A.  Leach.  Dairy  Goat  Journal,  Fairbury, 

Neb. 

Several  breeders'  associations  listed  above  have  leaflets  on  care 
and  raising  of  small  animals. 


PERIODICALS     FOR     ANIMAL    RAISERS 

American  Rabbit  Journal  Warrenton,  Mo. 

The  National  Rabbit  Raisers'  Magazine  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Small  Stock  Magazine  Lamoni,  la. 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  301 

American  Small  Stock  Farmer  Pearl  River,  N.Y. 

The  Goat  World  Stroudsburg,  Pa. 

American  Fur  and  Market  Journal  Wausau,  Wis. 

American  Kennel  Gazette  New  York,  N.Y. 


CHAPTER     FORTY-TWO 

Poultry  Profits  Can  Be  Made  Quickly 


SKY-HIGH  meat  prices  with  lower  costs  for  poultry  increased  the  na- 
tion's taste  for  chicken  alone  from  one  hundred  million  to  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  million  birds  a  year  in  recent  years.  The  poultry 
business  is  one  of  the  outstanding  methods  of  making  pin  money  or 
a  living  in  small-town  outskirts  and  on  the  farm— more  than  three 
billion  dollars  annually.  No  wonder  the  birds  are  cackling  and 
quacking  importantly.  The  cackle  boom  is  on,  and  it  is  one  of  the 
quickest  ways  to  profit  available  to  you.  You  can  get  started  today 
with  only  a  few  dollars  of  investment  and  have  profits  soon,  if  you 
operate  with  reasonable  intelligence.  You  can  start  your  day-old 
chicks  today,  in  any  season,  and  sell  them  as  broilers  at  a  profit  in  ten 
weeksl  Teen-age  boys  and  girls,  older  men  and  women  start  with  no 
experience  whatever  and  make  hundreds  and  thousands  of  dollars' 
profit  in  a  year. 

The  poultry  business  involves  the  raising  of  chickens  and  capons, 
turkeys,  ducks,  guineas,  geese,  pheasants,  and  squabs.  The  profits 
are  derived  from  eggs  for  eating  or  setting,  broilers,  friers,  roasters, 
pullets  or  layers,  breeding  stock,  dressed  poultry,  section  or  cut-up 
poultry,  frozen  or  cooked  or  smoked  wholes  or  parts,  and  fertilizer 
as  a  by-product.  The  products  are  sold  in  local  markets  or  by  direct 
mail  and  other  forms  of  advertising.  It  is  a  booming  business  that 
you  can  start  small,  as  did  Annie  Lee  Haynes  of  Webb,  Tallahatchie 
County,  Mississippi,  with  two  hens  and  a  rooster,  leading  to  sales  of 
$268;  or  start  in  a  shed,  as  did  Jesse  D.  Jewell,  who  after  sixteen 
years  had  2,000,000  chickens  under  his  wing  with  weekly  sales  of 
150,000  dressed  and  iced  birds. 

Even  though  you  can  start  with  two  hens  and  a  rooster,  today  it 


302  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

is  advisable  that  you  take  a  little  time  for  preparation.  James  D. 
Woolf  tells  in  the  Readers  Digest  about  one  inexperienced  man  who 
acquired  the  expert  knowledge  that  is  desirable  and  readily  avail- 
able. "Ray  Jackson,"  says  Woolf,  "runs  a  poultry  farm  in  the  Mid- 
west that  yields  him  a  good  income.  Before  he  started  he  didn't 
know  a  prairie  chicken  from  a  Rhode  Island  Red,  but  he  got  Govern- 
ment manuals  and  helpful  books  from  the  library.  He  had  talks  with 
poultry  men  at  an  agricultural  college.  He  enrolled  for  an  extension 
course  at  little  expense,  and  found  practical  poultrymen  willing  to 
give  their  advice.  His  county  agent  cooperated  generously.  After 
three  months  Jackson  knew  a  great  deal  about  chickens.  Then,  to  top 
off,  he  worked  on  a  poultry  farm  for  six  months.  After  that  he  was 
really  prepared  to  start  out  on  his  own.  No  matter  what  kind  of 
business  you  have  in  mind,  start  by  diligently  studying  it." 

Ray  Jackson's  approach  is  highly  recommended,  but  nevertheless 
there  are  many  who  have  successfully  launched  their  poultry  busi- 
ness with  a  less  thorough  investigation,  and  learned  while  doing. 


CASHING     IN     ON     CHEEPING,     CACKLING 
CHICKENS 

Chickens  roost  highest  on  the  ladder  of  poultry  profits.  Before 
considering  some  of  the  more  technical  aspects  of  the  business  let's 
view  rural  boys  and  girls  at  work  with  chickens  as  part  of  their  4-H 
Club  activities.  More  than  a  million  rural  young  people  take  this 
4-H  pledge  each  year:  "I  pledge:  my  Head  to  clearer  thinking,  my 
Heart  to  greater  loyalty,  my  Hands  to  larger  service,  and  my  Health 
to  better  living,  for  my  Club,  my  Community,  and  my  Country." 
The  clubs  have  a  number  of  slogans  including  "Learn  to  do  by  do- 
ing," and  "Plan  our  work  and  work  our  plan." 

Plan  your  work  and  work  your  plan!  There  is  a  proposal  for  any- 
one contemplating  the  poultry  business,  and  these  young  people 
have  part-time  accomplishments  that  their  elders  might  well  envy 
and  emulate.  That's  why  we  present  some  of  their  reports  herewith: 

"I  am  Franklin  N.  McNeil  of  the  McNeil  4-H  Club  of  Crawfords- 
ville,  Arkansas.  I  am  14  years  old  and  in  the  7th  grade.  This  is  my 
first  year  in  4-H  Club  work. 

"I  selected  poultry  raising  for  my  project  because  I  enjoy  working 
with  chickens.  I  have  a  brooder  house  equipped  with  an  electric 
brooder. 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  303 

"When  my  chicks  were  four  weeks  old,  their  feed  was  changed 
to  growing  mash  with  one  pound  of  scratch  added  for  every  four 
pounds  of  mash.  After  the  chicks  were  twelve  weeks  old,  growing 
mash,  grits,  scratch,  and  succulent  green  feed  were  kept  before  them 
all  the  time.  When  the  chicks  were  four  weeks  old,  low  roosts  were 
placed  in  the  house.  At  eight  weeks  old  most  of  the  chicks  used  the 
roosts  at  night.  Nine  chicks  were  lost  from  the  two  hundred. 

"I  have  sold  125  broilers  and  fryers,  and  12  hens.  They  brought  a 
total  of  $171.25.  The  hens  were  culled  often  to  get  rid  of  the  non- 
producers.  Total  receipts  from  my  chicken  project  was  $332.75.  Total 
cost  of  the  project  was  $181.60.  Net  profit  $151.15." 


TWO     HENS     AND     A     ROOSTER     FOR     MY     OWN 

"My  work  in  4-H  started  five  years  ago  with  yard  beautification. 
[This  is  from  Annie  Lee  Haynes  of  Webb,  Mississippi.]  My  mother 
gave  me  two  hens  and  a  rooster  for  my  own.  At  this  time,  we  had 
nothing  but  mongrels  in  our  yard.  I  set  my  hens  and  raised  29 
chickens.  I  was  very  proud  of  them.  My  Home  Demonstration  Agent 
visited  my  project  and  praised  me  for  my  work,  but  told  me  to  sell 
my  chickens  and  buy  some  purebred  chicks.  The  next  year  I  ordered 
100  baby  chicks  (White  Rock).  I  had  to  care  for  my  chicks  in  a 
better  way  than  I  did  before.  I  studied  my  poultry  book  and  learned 
about  their  feeding  and  care.  I  only  lost  two.  I  raised  98  of  these  and 
sold  34  for  $1.00  each.  We  ate  40  and  kept  24  pullets  for  laying  pur- 
poses. 

1  was  again  proud  of  my  success  and  wanted  to  do  a  better  job 
for  I  had  become  more  interested  in  poultry  than  ever  before.  I  saw 
where  I  could  really  earn  money  if  I  tried  hard.  I  ordered  200  chicks 
and  bought  some  turkey  eggs  and  set  them.  I  raised  15  turkeys  last 
year  and  200  chickens.  [Experts  advise  you  not  to  raise  chickens 
with  turkeys  but  this  lass  made  it  work  on  a  small  scale.]  I  sold 
$109.00  worth  to  one  man  and  deposited  the  check  in  the  bank  for 
my  education.  This  year  is  my  fourth  year  in  poultry  and  my  most 
successful  year  for  I  ordered  200  chicks,  hatched  156  and  have  in  the 
yard  today  256  chickens,  24  turkeys,  23  geese,  18  ducks.  I  have  100 
chickens  engaged  for  market,  100  for  table  use,  56  to  keep,  20  geese 
to  be  sold  to  one  man  for  $3.50  each,  21  turkeys  to  sell  from  $5.00 
and  up,  and  15  ducks  for  $1.50  each.  ...  I  have  received  the  co- 
operation of  my  parents  and  brother  with  my  project,  and  if  the 


304  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

sale  of  chickens  comes  out  all  right,  I  will  have  sales  this  fall  and 
winter  amounting  to  $268." 

James  T.  Hattern,  Dothan,  Alabama,  bought  250  chicks  from  the 
Alabama  State  Hatchery.  He  writes:  "I  put  the  chicks  in  two  lamp 
brooders  which  I  had  last  year.  During  the  first  seven  weeks  I  fed 
them  chick  starter  mash,  then  gradually  changed  to  growing  mash. 
I  kept  them  on  growing  mash  until  those  I  was  keeping  for  laying 
purposes  started  laying.  I  followed  the  advice  of  the  county  agent 
in  growing  chicks.  I  raised  238  of  the  250  chicks.  I  sold  205  fryers 
for  $179.00,  used  $20.00  worth  at  home,  replaced  and  built  up  my 
home  flock  to  25  hens  to  keep  our  family  supplied  with  eggs.  From 
August  through  the  middle  of  November  I  was  able  to  sell  54  dozen 
of  eggs  at  65  cents  per  dozen.  After  supplying  the  family  with  eggs, 
I  received  $35.00  for  eggs  sold.  My  expenses  other  than  the  cost  of 
the  chicks  amounted  to  $54.00." 

George  Van  Ette,  aged  18,  Schenectady,  New  York,  started  with 
125  baby  chicks  in  1945,  gradually  built  up  his  flocks  to  over  1000 
in  1950.  He  acquired  fine  equipment,  first  building  a  range  house, 
repairing  an  old  laying  house,  then  building  two  new  ones.  In  1951 
he  went  into  partnership  with  his  uncle  and  raised  7000  birds 
hatched  from  his  own  breeding  flock  of  600  hens.  George  sells  eggs 
and  chickens  and  has  the  equipment  to  help  him  sell  when  the  mar- 
ket is  right,  including  a  butchering  plant  and  a  walk-in  freezer.  His 
success  as  a  poultry  man  has  been  recognized  many  times. 

100,000     POUNDS     OF     BROILERS     ON     CONTRACT 

Louis  B.  Rymer,  aged  16,  Cleveland,  Tennessee,  raised  47,500 
broilers,  125  laying  hens  and  250  chicks  during  six  years  in  4-H, 
starting  with  a  fifty-chick  project.  He  has  sold  nearly  100,000  pounds 
of  broilers.  He  raises  them  under  contract  with  an  egg  company 
which  furnishes  the  feed  and  chicks  while  Louis  provides  the  care 
and  equipment.  This  includes  his  170-foot-long  concrete  block 
building  housing  5000  chicks.  He  has  a  small  laying  flock  housed  in 
another  building,  using  a  clean  range. 

Young  Rymer's  procedure  in  raising  chicks  on  contract  brings  us 
back  to  the  cackle  king  of  poultry dom,  Jesse  D.  Jewell,  who  raised 
contract  chicken  ranching  to  a  breath-taking  peak,  as  recounted  in 
Time  magazine.  Circumstances  almost  forced  Jewell  into  the  chicken 
business.  He  was  having  difficulty  selling  feed  for  his  mother's  feed, 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  305 

seed,  and  fertilizer  business  because  the  poor  farmers  in  his  Georgia 
area  could  not  afford  the  feed.  He  borrowed  $6000  from  a  local 
bank  and  fed  the  feed  to  chickens  and  sold  the  chickens  at  a  profit. 

Jewell  broadened  his  markets  by  eviscerating  the  chickens  and 
shipping  them  dressed  in  ice.  As  his  business  expanded  he  interested 
feed  companies  and  bankers  in  helping  to  establish  a  co-operative 
business  with  southern  farmers  who  were  too  poor  to  finance  a  busi- 
ness of  their  own,  and  his  methods  were  copied  by  some  other  big 
packers.  Jewell  provides  feed  on  credit  and  ships  chicks  on  credit  to 
about  1000  farmers  who  fatten  the  flocks  and  turn  them  back  to 
Jewell.  Jewell  pays  the  farmers  for  weight  gained  on  a  rough  for- 
mula that  an  average  flock  of  1000  chicks  should  weigh  2%  pounds 
each  in  11  weeks  on  9000  pounds  of  feed  for  the  flock.  The  farmer 
is  paid  $125  net  for  this  gain,  less  if  the  weight  isn't  up  to  par,  a 
bonus  if  the  gain  is  greater.  Jewell  also  has  more  than  50  farm  fami- 
lies tending  chickens  that  lay  165,000  eggs  weekly  for  his  Gaines- 
ville hatchery. 

Jack  Widmer  has  told  in  Country  Gentleman  how  he  put  and  kept 
his  hens  in  cages  for  concentration  on  egg  production.  His  cage 
system  allows  him  to  keep  2000  hens,  dry-clean  their  eggs  mechani- 
cally, and  make  an  annual  profit  of  $3.00  to  $4.00  per  bird  by  work- 
ing only  five  hours  a  day. 

SELL     EGGS     AND     BIRDS     AT     RETAIL 

These  illustrative  cases  show  that  there  is  part-time  or  full-time 
money  to  be  made  from  raising  poultry.  But  the  figures  given  for 
feeding-lot  operations  indicate  that  there  is  a  lot  of  work  for  a  rather 
small  net  profit,  even  though  all  risk  of  investment  in  birds  and  feed 
is  eliminated  for  the  fancier.  The  real  profits  in  raising  poultry  re- 
sult when  you  plan  your  operation  so  that  you  sell  your  eggs  and 
birds  at  retail  prices  at  roadside  stands  or  elsewhere.  On  that  basis 
you  make  both  the  wholesale  and  retail  profit  and  secure  a  really 
substantial  income  and  good  return  for  your  time.  Various  reports 
indicate  that  you  can  expect  to  net  $3.00  or  more  per  laying  hen  with 
flocks  of  1500  or  more,  making  $2.00  or  more  per  hour  for  your  time 
with  good-sized  flocks. 

Customary  sources  of  income  from  chickens  are  one  or  more  of 
the  following: 


306  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

1.  Broilers.  Young  birds,  usually  raised  in  confinement,  marketed 
while  very  tender. 

2.  Fryers.  Raised  like  broilers  but  marketed  when  heavier  than 
broilers. 

3.  Roasters.  Simply  fryers  raised  to  a  heavier  marketing  weight 

4.  Capons.  Male  chickens  that  had  reproductive  organs  removed. 

5.  Eggs.  There  is  a  huge  market  for  good-quality  fresh  eggs. 

6.  Pullets  or  layers.  Marketed  at  four  to  about  six  months  when 
ready  to  lay. 

7.  Breeding  stock  and  hatching  eggs.  Hatching  eggs  or  chicks  sold 
from  prize-quality  lines. 

8.  Dressed  poultry.  There  is  constant  demand  for  quality  chickens, 
drained  of  blood  and  with  feathers  removed  or  drawn  and  ready 
for  the  oven,  packed  in  ice  or  frozen. 

9.  Cut-up  poultry.  There  are  many  special  outlets  for  pieces  or 
combined  pieces  of  chicken,  halves,  quarters,  legs,  breasts, 
thighs,  wings,  etc. 

10.  Miscellaneous.    There   are   markets   for   frozen   chicken   pies, 

chicken  in  jars,  minced,  and  other  preparations  of  the  flesh. 
There  is  by-product  income  for  raisers  of  large  flocks  through  the 
sale  to  gardeners  and  nurseries  of  the  droppings  from  the  pens,  a 
valuable  fertilizer. 

BATTERY  BROILERS   CAN  BE   PROFITABLE 

If  you  want  to  make  a  low-cost  test  of  the  potentialities  of  chicken 
raising  in  your  area,  you  should  carefully  consider  the  profits  to  be 
had  from  battery  broilers.  Because  of  the  automatic  nature  of  bat- 
tery broilers,  there  are  many  who  operate  them  as  a  side  line  and, 
depending  on  the  size  of  the  operation,  net  hundreds  and  even  thou- 
sands of  dollars  a  year  profits. 

Battery  broilers  are  multiple-decked  "trays"  in  which  cheap  baby 
chicks  from  nearby  hatcheries  are  placed  for  care,  feeding,  and 
development,  moving  from  tray  to  tray  or  battery  to  battery.  In 
twelve  weeks  the  chicks,  properly  cared  for,  weigh  8/2  to  4/2  pounds; 
they  have  never  touched  the  ground  and  scratched  for  a  living,  they 
have  been  confined  so  they  haven't  tough  muscles.  They  are  tender 
and  eminently  marketable,  with  a  considerable  increase  in  pound- 
age. As  one  group  of  broilers  moves  along  in  the  trays  another  group 
of  chicks  is  moved  in  and  the  process  is  continued.  Your  chicks  and 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  307 

feeding  costs  may  average  about  one  half  of  the  retail  value  of  the 
broilers,  with  variations  according  to  cost  of  feed  and  the  retail 
market  prices. 

A  three-tray  battery  can  be  purchased  for  about  $50  and  up,  but 
in  selecting  your  battery  go  slowly  or  you  may  buy  an  obsolete  or 
impractical  piece  of  equipment.  Get  in  touch  with  your  county 
agent,  or  state  or  federal  department  of  agriculture,  and  talk  with 
the  people  in  your  nearest  feed  store,  who  will  be  interested  in  de- 
veloping the  success  of  another  customer.  You  would  be  well  ad- 
vised to  visit  a  broiler  battery  in  operation  and  get  additional  detail 
on  operation  from  the  Brower  Manufacturing  Company,  Quincy, 
Illinois;  Hawkins  Million  Dollar  Hen,  Mt.  Vernon,  Illinois.  You  may 
want  to  read  Better  Broilers  from  Batteries,  Country  Bookstore, 
Noroton,  Connecticut.  You  should  write  to  the  Agricultural  Econom- 
ics Department,  Purdue  University,  Lafayette,  Indiana,  for  the  bul- 
letin, Profitable  Broiler  Production  in  Indiana,  a  study  of  practice  on 
many  farms. 

You  will  need  a  reasonably  well-ventilated  and  -insulated  shed, 
garage,  or  section  of  a  barn  where  temperature  and  humidity  can 
be  regulated.  You  will  need  electricity  for  other  heating  equipment. 
Batteries  require  little  space— not  over  thirty  square  feet  for  some, 
and  of  course  additional  batteries  can  be  added  to  increase  your 
flow  of  broilers  to  market  according  to  the  size  of  operation  you 
decide  upon.  You  can  start  with  as  few  as  thirty  chicks  in  a  small 
battery,  and  keep  replacing  on  an  assembly-line  basis  as  the  growing 
birds  graduate  from  one  tray  to  another  until  they  go  off  to  market. 

If  your  first  single  battery  operation  proves  to  be  successful,  and 
your  interest  and  knowledge  of  the  process  so  indicates,  it  is  a  com- 
paratively easy  matter  to  increase  the  number  of  batteries.  Purdue 
University  studies  of  actual  operation  show  that  flocks  of  10,000 
broilers  yield  $2.00  per  hour  for  labor. 

When  you  consider  poultry  meat  production,  give  thought  to 
capons.  Capons  are  male  chickens  that  have  had  sex  organs  removed 
at  six  to  ten  weeks  of  age.  They  don't  grow  faster  than  cockerels,  but 
do  become  larger,  and  many  prefer  the  size  and  flavor  of  capons. 
They  can  be  desexed  in  the  yard,  or  starter  capons  can  be  secured 
from  breeders. 

You  may  have  seen  abandoned  chicken  ranches  and  decided  that 
since  so  many  such  dreams  have  burst  you  don't  want  to  risk  the 
venture.  It  is  true  that  many  chicken  fanciers  have  failed,  but  that 


308  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

is  largely  due  to  their  having  made  too  heavy  an  investment  at  the 
outset,  or  having  started  without  adequate  understanding  of  the 
various  phases  of  poultry  farming.  If  you  start  small,  investigate 
carefully,  utilize  the  government  services  established  to  assist  you, 
work  intelligently  and  diligently,  there  is  every  reason  for  you  to 
expect  a  successful  operation.  There  is  a  tremendous  and  growing 
market.  As  has  been  pointed  out,  boys  and  girls,  older  folk  as  well, 
are  steadily  profiting  by  cashing  in  on  cackles. 


RAISING     TURKEY     PROFITS     IN     YOUR 
OWN    BACK    YARD 

Under  modern  methods  turkeys  are  just  as  easy  to  raise  as 
chickens  except  for  one  thing.  Poults— baby  turkeys— are  more  diffi- 
cult to  train  to  eat.  They  seem  to  be  stupid  about  it,  but  it  may  be 
that  they  have  poorer  eyesight.  This  difficulty  can  be  overcome, 
however,  and  you  can  start  in  a  small  way  and  develop  your  opera- 
tion to  get  a  share  of  the  increasingly  large  turkey  market  that  in 
1952  involved  a  peak  production  of  nearly  60,000,000  birds. 

If  you  have  a  shed  or  construct  a  brooder  house  about  ten  feet 
square,  build  a  sun  porch  about  ten  by  ten  with  fine  mesh  floor 
above  the  ground  and  chicken  wire  enclosing  the  balance,  you  can 
start  raising  and  profiting  from  as  few  as  forty  poults.  Probably  you 
will  make  a  gross  profit  of  well  over  $3.00  a  bird  above  the  cost  of 
poults,  feed,  and  litter.  If  you  find  you  like  the  experiment  and  the 
profits,  you  can  enlarge  your  operation  to  develop  a  one-man,  one- 
woman,  or  family  turkey  farm  that  provides  a  living.  Furthermore 
you  can  control  your  own  operations  so  that  you  have  three  or  four 
months  of  comparative  leisure  each  year  after  your  spring,  summer, 
and  fall  seasonal  rush. 

Illustrative  of  the  possibilities  of  a  small  start  developed  into  a 
sizable  business  is  the  case  of  Mrs.  Agnes  H.  Hose  of  Millerton,  New 
York.  The  Hose  turkey  ranch  was  started  one  day  when  Mr.  Hose 
ordered  an  incubator  and  forty-five  young  turkeys  by  mail.  Mrs. 
Hose  became  so  fascinated  with  the  birds  that  she  studied  pam- 
phlets and  books  on  how  to  care  for  them  and  gave  heavy  thought 
to  profitable  marketing  methods.  The  first  year  they  hatched  1200 
eggs  and  by  that  time  were  so  interested  they  couldn't  stop.  They 
got  more  and  more  equipment  and  raised  more  and  more  birds  for 
market— to  the  point  of  30,000  turkeys  a  year.  Mrs.  Hose  was  not 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  3OQ 

content  simply  to  throw  the  birds  on  the  open  market.  She  set  up 
a  system  of  dressing,  canning,  and  direct  marketing  that  in  all  in- 
volved her  employment  of  nine  families.  The  men  raised  the  turkeys, 
their  wives  canned  them,  everyone  profited. 

Thousands  of  men  and  women  and  young  folk  the  country  over 
are  engaged  in  turkey  farming  for  full-time  or  part-time  profit. 

Allan  Lee  Hayes,  17,  of  Akron,  Colorado,  talks,  works,  and  eats 
turkey  as  part  of  his  4-H  Club  work.  Beginning  with  250  poults  in 
1946,  his  project  in  1951  involved  1000  birds.  By  holding  back  thin 
birds  for  forced  feeding  he  gets  them  on  the  market  as  "prime."  As 
twenty-five-pounders  are  a  drug  on  the  market,  he  dressed  them  into 
roasts,  steaks,  tenderloins,  and  broiling  parts;  then  freezing  solves 
the  leftover  problem  in  marketing.  His  exhibits  have  won  many 
honors,  and  in  1951  he  took  the  grand  championship  at  the  state 
fair  and  National  Western  Stock  Show. 

Another  4-H  member,  Tommy  Neal  Secrest,  18,  of  Monroe,  North 
Dakota,  has  marketed  4513  birds.  He  knew  the  turkey  business  was 
a  ticklish  one,  so  he  started  with  500  poults  in  1946,  increasing  the 
flock  to  2000  as  experience  and  confidence  grew.  He  learned  early 
that  turkeys  require  sanitation,  so  he  built  portable  roosts  for  fre- 
quent removal  to  fresh  pastures.  He  increased  his  housing  facilities 
until  in  1951  he  had  a  cement  block  house  and  twelve  new  water 
fountains.  Tommy  uses  every  care  to  prevent  disease,  and  his  records 
show  91.6  per  cent  livability.  Many  people  visit  his  place  to  look 
over  his  flocks  and  his  up-to-date  methods. 

Because  of  sanitation  problems  in  running  turkeys  on  an  open 
range  more  and  more  fanciers  keep  their  birds  confined  and  off  the 
ground  at  all  times  and  in  all  climates.  They  can  be  raised  almost 
anywhere,  according  to  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  1409,  issued  by  the 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  which  says:  "Turkey  raising  has 
long  been  an  important  enterprise  in  the  United  States  because  great 
quantities  of  turkey  meat  are  required  annually  and  its  use  through- 
out the  year  is  becoming  more  popular.  .  .  ."  The  enterprise  is  very 
adaptable,  extending  to  practically  all  parts  of  the  United  States. 

It  is  development  of  the  smaller  turkey  that  has  contributed  to  the 
spreading  of  the  market  from  the  old  Thanksgiving  and  Christmas 
peaks,  so  that  now  all  holidays  as  well  as  every  Sunday  are  involved 
in  the  demand.  The  turkey  raiser  can  easily  aim  at  his  market  by 
starting  the  poults  six  months  in  advance  of  the  holiday.  After  six 
months  of  age  a  turkey  eats  too  much  to  increase  poundage  profit- 


310  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

ably.  Many  turkey  raisers  now  plan  to  market  just  prior  to  every 
holiday,  such  as  Easter,  New  Year's,  Jewish  New  Year,  Yom  Kippur, 
Memorial  Day,  Independence  Day— almost  any  of  the  days  when 
families  and  friends  gather  with  big  appetites. 


DIRECT  SELLING  PREFERRED 

As  with  chickens,  the  best  profits  from  turkeys  can  be  made 
through  your  own  direct  sale  at  roadside  stands  and  by  mail  to  es- 
tablished customers.  There  are  a  number  of  customary  sources  of 
income  from  turkeys,  with  raisers  cashing  in  on  one  or  more  of  the 
following: 

1.  Broilers.  Young  turkeys  about  six  to  eight  pounds  in  weight  are 
tender  and  marketable,  but  many  raisers  have  figured  that  it  is  at 
about  this  weight  the  young  turkeys  begin  to  pile  up  the  pound- 
age that  in  propertion  to  feed  makes  it  uneconomical  to  market 
them  prior  to  about  six  months  of  age. 

2.  Roasters.  These  are  usually  six  months  old,  and  quick-frozen.  The 
whole  turkey  roasters  make  up  a  large  part  of  the  annual  turkey 
market.  In  this  category  are  included  the  cut-up  bird,  quartered 
and  packed  in  four  to  six  pound  packages  for  use  of  small  fami- 
lies, half  birds,  wings  only,  drumsticks  only,  steaks  made  by  de- 
boning  and  packaging  of  white  meat,  or  dark,  or  a  mixture  of  the 
two. 

3.  Stuffers.  These  are  whole  birds,  stuffed,  frozen,  ready  for  thawing 
and  the  oven. 

4.  Breeders  and  hatching  eggs.  There  is  a  good  market  from  excel- 
lent breeding  flocks. 

5.  Smoked. 


THERE     IS     MONEY     IN     SMOKED     TURKEY 

The  smoked-turkey  approach  to  profits  should  intrigue  men  and 
women  who  are  experimental-minded.  There  are  no  mysteries  in- 
volved in  smoking  turkeys,  and  a  number  of  varieties  are  on  the  mar- 
ket. The  individual  who  can  develop  his  own  special  way  of  pickling 
and  flavoring  with  wines  and  spices,  and  is  resourceful  in  direct- 
mail  marketing  of  the  specialty  may  open  up  a  market  of  his  very 
own. 

Such  a  special  product  was  developed  from  an  ancient  secret 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  311 

process  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Max  Blitzer,  as  recounted  in  the  chapter 
on  fancy  food  specialties.  But  if  you  like,  you  can  begin  with  an 
established  method  of  pickling  and  smoking  turkeys,  and  then  ex- 
periment with  ideas  of  your  own,  seeking  an  exclusive  formula. 

The  tested  and  established  formula  referred  to  is  published  by 
the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture.  It 
follows: 

"Turkeys  to  be  used  for  curing  and  smoking  should  be  well  fat- 
tened, equal  to  U.  S.  Grade  A  or  AA.  They  should  be  subjected  to 
the  usual  overnight  fasting  period  (with  access  to  water),  then  bled, 
brained,  and  carefully  picked  dry,  or  the  feathers  removed  by  the 
slack-scald  method,  about  30  seconds  agitation,  in  water  heated  to 
126°  F.  Care  should  be  taken  not  to  break  the  skin  in  the  dressing 
and  handling  process.  Birds  with  badly  torn  skin  should  be  rejected. 
The  full  scald  is  undesirable  since  the  skin  is  more  likely  to  be  in- 
jured when  this  method  is  used.  Immediately  after  being  picked,  the 
birds  should  be  drawn  as  for  roasting,  removing  all  viscera,  includ- 
ing the  giblets  which  are  not  utilized  for  curing  and  smoking,  and 
then  chilled  to  a  temperature  of  30°  to  40°  F.  In  preparation  for  cur- 
ing, the  head,  neck,  shanks,  and  feet  are  then  removed,  leaving  the 
body  cavity  open  at  both  the  front  and  rear  ends  with  an  unob- 
structed passageway  between  the  two  ends.  The  removal  of  the 
tendons  in  the  drumstick  is  suggested  to  provide  for  better  pene- 
tration of  the  curing  ingredients  into  the  meat  of  that  portion  of  the 
bird. 

"A  suitable  curing  mixture  consists  of: 
6  pounds  of  salt. 
3  pounds  of  brown  sugar. 
2  ounces  of  saltpeter  dissolved  in  4/2  gallons  of  water. 

This  pickle  contains  approximately  13  per  cent  of  salt  and  has  a 
salinometer  reading  of  about  70°  at  a  temperature  of  38°  F.  Expe- 
rience has  shown  that  about  four  times  this  indicated  quantity  of 
pickle  is  required  to  cover  100  pounds  of  moderately  large,  drawn 
turkeys  when  packed  carefully  in  a  50-gallon  barrel. 

The  drawn  turkeys  should  be  packed  carefully  and  close  together 
in  a  suitable  container,  such  as  a  crock  or  a  clean,  well-soaked,  odor- 
less hardwood  barrel,  and  weighted  down  with  a  clean  board  and 
brick  or  stone  so  they  will  not  float  when  the  curing  solution  is 
added.  Then  pour  the  solution  over  the  turkeys  until  they  are 


312  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

covered  with  a  slight  excess  of  liquid.  It  is  important  that  the  tem- 
perature of  both  the  meat  and  the  pickle  be  approximately  38°  when 
the  curing  process  is  begun  and  be  kept  at  that  point  throughout  the 
curing  period.  At  weekly  intervals  the  turkeys  should  be  removed 
from  the  container  and  repacked  in  order  to  remix  the  pickle  and 
insure  that  it  will  come  in  contact  with  all  parts  of  the  birds. 

"Our  experiments  indicate  that  turkeys  which  weigh  from  14  to 
20  pounds  after  removal  of  the  head,  neck,  shanks,  feet,  and  viscera, 
should  remain  in  the  curing  solution  approximately  1&  days  for  each 
pound. 

"The  cured  turkeys  should  be  washed  in  warm  water,  hung  up 
until  dry,  and  then  smoked,  using  hardwood.  A  smokehouse  tem- 
perature of  135°  to  140°  F.  for  16  hours  is  more  effective  in  produc- 
ing desirable  color  than  lower  temperatures.  However,  a  tempera- 
ture of  approximately  110°  F.  for  20  hours  results  in  about  3  per  cent 
less  weight  loss  in  the  smokehouse  than  the  higher  temperature  for 
the  shorter  period  of  time.  After  4  weeks'  aging  at  68°  the  difference 
is  even  more  striking,  the  birds  smoked  at  the  lower  temperature 
yielding  about  7  pounds  more  of  stored  product  per  100  pounds  of 
weight  prior  to  curing.  During  the  smoking  process  the  turkey 
should  be  hung  by  either  legs  or  wings  in  such  a  way  as  to  provide 
for  maximum  exposure  of  skin  as  well  as  an  opportunity  for  further 
drainage  of  curing  fluid,  especially  from  the  body  cavity.  The 
smoked  turkey  produced  by  this  process  must  be  cooked  before 
eating." 


INCOME     FROM     PHEASANTS,     GUINEAS, 
GEESE,     DUCKS,    AND    SQUABS 

Part-time  and  full-time  one-man  projects  on  one  to  ten  acres  are 
proving  profitable  for  many  who  are  interested  in  raising  pheasants, 
geese,  guineas,  ducks,  squabs,  and  other  birds.  Frequently  these 
ventures  start  with  an  investment  of  no  more  than  $50  for  brooders, 
pens,  eggs  or  breeders,  and  feed.  They  learn  while  indulging  in  the 
hobby,  and  then  expand  to  larger  and  more  profitable  operations. 

A  somewhat  typical  instance  of  how  raising  of  game  birds  on  a 
small  scale  developed  into  a  sizable  and  beneficial  business  is  re- 
counted in  a  Readers  Digest  manual  as  follows: 

"Harry  Warren,  a  California  veteran  of  World  War  I,  turned  to 
raising  game  birds  in  the  hope  of  recovering  his  health  in  out-of-door 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  313 

work.  His  first  market  was  high  grade  restaurants.  Later  he  sold  his 
birds  to  other  breeders  as  breeding  stock,  and  to  game  preserves. 
The  millinery  trade  and  fishing  fly  manufacturers  provided  a  mar- 
ket for  feathers. 

"Today  (1946)  Warren  has  a  stock  of  5,000  birds  of  50  species- 
the  largest  game  farm  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  It  provides  employment 
for  ten  persons.  His  sales  come  from  solicitation  in  person  and  by 
mail,  and  from  advertising  in  sportsmen's  and  game  breeders'  mag- 
azines. He  recommends  bird-farming  for  returning  veterans  who  like 
birds,  and  whose  physical  or  nervous  condition  makes  out-of-door 
work  advisable. 

"The  investment  depends  upon  the  scale  on  which  the  business  is 
started.  A  sizable  tract  of  land,  fencing,  housing,  tools,  hatching 
eggs,  and  feed  are  the  chief  requirements.  He  recommends  studying 
the  U.  S.  Department  of  Interior  Conservation  Bulletins  No.  10,  Bob- 
white  Quail  Propagation,  and  No.  29,  Propagation  of  Aquatic  Game 
Birds,  sold  by  the  Superintendent  of  Documents,  Washington  25, 
D.C." 

Since  Warren's  venture  began,  there  has  been  great  expansion  in 
quick-freezing,  which  has  fostered  development  of  such  rural  busi- 
nesses for  those  who  want  to  leave  it  to  the  birds  to  provide  for  their 
security.  Here  is  a  brief  survey  of  possibilities  with  a  variety  of 
birds: 


PHEASANTS     AND     GUINEAS 
FOR    FUN     AND     PROFIT 

Pheasants  are  not  only  profitable,  they  are  interesting  to  work  with 
and  beautiful  to  view,  making  a  show  place  of  many  a  small  farm. 
You  can  start  with  a  small  brooder  house  and  pens  in  your  own 
back  yard  with  a  dozen  or  more  one-week  to  ten-day-old  chicks  cost- 
ing around  seventy-five  cents  each.  Or  you  can  begin  with  setting 
eggs  at  twenty-five  to  fifty  cents  and  up  for  very  choice  breeds  and 
be  in  .experimental  business  for  about  a  $50  investment.  Pheasants 
are  prolific,  and  if  you  have  the  space  they  can  run  wild  on  the  farm 
and  be  marketed  at  $3.00  to  $5.00  a  bird. 

They  are  fascinating  birds.  Don't  get  started  unless  you  are  ready 
to  be  lured  into  a  lucrative  field.  See  what  happened  to  T.  A.  Frem- 
ming  of  Fairmont,  Minnesota.  He  was  sales  manager  for  a  cannery 
and  started  with  a  few  pheasants  in  his  own  back  yard  at  very  small 


314  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

cost.  The  birds  multiplied  and  his  interest  increased,  and  now  he 
has  forty  acres  devoted  to  raising  around  15,000  birds  annually,  with 
a  manager  in  charge. 

Pheasants  are  sold  to  exclusive  hotels  and  cafe's,  and  income  can 
be  derived  from  meat,  eggs,  chicks,  and  feathers.  Sales  are  made  by 
direct  mail  or  other  advertising,  and  by  direct  contact  with  eating 
places. 

Young  guineas,  or  keets,  can  be  started  in  the  same  brooder  equip- 
ment used  for  chicks.  They  have  a  gamy  flavor,  comparable  to  that 
of  pheasant,  and  weigh  over  two  pounds  in  fourteen  weeks.  Then 
they  are  ready  for  the  gourmet's  table. 

Whether  you  raise  pheasants  or  other  game  birds  for  hobby  or  for 
business  profit  or  both,  you  should  consult  your  state  game  laws  re- 
garding licenses  at  a  nominal  fee,  and  other  regulations  set  up  for 
wild-life  conservation. 


DUCKS  AND  GEESE  ARE  EASY  TO  RAISE 

Ducks  and  geese  are  easy  to  raise,  and  if  you  have  a  range  of  a 
half  acre  or  more  on  a  stream  or  small  lake,  their  feeding  cost  is  not 
exorbitant,  as  they  feed  themselves  to  some  extent  on  grass  and 
weeds.  They  are  an  excellent  side  line  on  many  poultry  farms.  Duck- 
lings require  heat  for  only  two  or  three  weeks,  and  goslings  almost 
take  care  of  themselves  on  the  range  after  two  weeks.  Chicken 
brooder  equipment  can  be  used  for  ducks,  but  incubators  aren't  very 
successful  with  geese.  The  female  goose  covering  a  dozen  to  fifteen 
eggs  or  a  heavy  breed  of  chicken  covering  four  or  five  eggs  is  best 
for  hatching  goose  eggs. 


SQUABS     REQUIRE     LITTLE     SPACE 

Squab  raising  for  your  home  table  and  the  special  local  markets  is 
possible  on  small  plots  of  ground.  A  back-yard  pen  with  a  building 
about  12  by  16  feet  will  accommodate  about  50  pairs  of  breeders. 
Small  flocks  can  be  fed  commercially  mixed  pigeon  food,  thus  elimi- 
nating the  chore  of  preparation.  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  1753,  issued 
by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  advises  that  "the  average 
annual  return  above  feed  cost  can  be  estimated  by  using  local  prices, 
allowing  an  annual  production  of  from  10  to  14  squabs  for  each  pair 
of  breeders,  and  a  feed  consumption  of  from  90  to  100  pounds  per 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  315 

pair.  Additional  income  may  often  be  obtained  from  the  sale  of 
breeding  stock,  especially  from  high-producing  flocks." 

The  pigeons  raise  the  squabs,  which  grow  rapidly  and  are  ready 
for  market  in  about  26  days.  The  more  prolific  breeders  of  good- 
sized  squabs  include  the  King,  Carneau,  Mondaine,  and  giant 
Homer.  The  squabs,  killed  when  about  ready  to  leave  the  nest, 
weigh  12  to  24  ounces  each,  live  weight. 

HELPFUL     BOOKS     AND     PAMPHLETS 
FOR     POULTRY     RAISERS 

The  U.  S.  Government  Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C.,  will 
send  a  free  list  of  low-priced  pamphlets  covering  all  phases  of  poul- 
try raising,  including  these  titles: 

Farm  Poultry  Raising.  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  1524 
Diseases  and  Parasites  of  Poultry.  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  1652 
Poultry  Houses  and  Fixtures.  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  1554 
Turkey  Raising.  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  1409 
Livestock  for  Small  Farms.  Farmers''Bulletin  No.  1753 
Goose  Raising.  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  767 

How  to  Run  a  One-Man  Poultry  Farm,  by  Haydn  S.  Pearson,  Grosset  & 

Dunlap,  Inc.,  1107  Broadway,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
Starting  Right  with  Poultry,  by  Guy  T.  Klein.  The  Macmillan  Co.,  60  5th 

Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
The  ABC  of  Poultry  Raising,  by  J.  H.  Florea.  Greenberg  Publisher,  201 

East  57th  St.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Profitable  Poultry  Keeping,  by  H.  C.  Knandel.  Orange  Judd  Publishing 

Co.,  Inc.,  15  East  26th  St.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
Successful  Poultry  Management,  by  Morley  A.  Jull.  McGraw-Hill  Book 

Co.,  330  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 

Raising  Turkeys,  Ducks,  Geese,  Game  Birds,  by  Morley  A.  Jull.  McGraw- 
Hill  Book  Co.,  330  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 
Domestic  Geese  and  Ducks,  by  Paul  P.  Ives.  Orange  Judd  Publishing  Co., 

Inc.,  15  East  26th  St.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
Starting  Right  with  Turkeys,  by  Guy  T.  Klein.  The  Macmillan  Co.,  60 

5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
Making  Pigeons  Pay,  by  Wendell  M.  Levi.  Orange  Judd  Publishing  Co., 

Inc.,  15  East  26th  St.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
Book  of  the  Pigeon,  by  Carl  A.  Naether.  David  McKay  Co.,  Inc.,  225 

Park  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 
The  National  Standard  Squab  Book,  by  Elmer  C.  Rice.  Squab  Publishing 

Co.,  Melrose,  Mass. 
Raising  Game  Birds  in  Captivity,  by  David  B.   Greenberg.   D.   Van 

Nostrand  Co.,  Inc.,  250  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 


CHAPTER     FORTY-THREE 

Gardening  for  a  Side-Line  Income 

ONE  OF  THE  BEST  ways  to  secure  income  from  part-time  efforts  is  to 
turn  to  the  soil.  If  you  have  a  big  back  yard  or  an  acre  or  so,  and  are 
willing  to  use  part  of  your  time  for  a  few  months,  profit  is  assured. 
Almost  anyone  can  learn  the  processes  necessary,  and  annual  profits 
will  range  from  a  few  hundred  dollars  on  an  acre  or  less  to  two  or 
three  thousand  or  more  if  five  to  ten  acres  are  available.  Your  indus- 
try and  your  resourcefulness  in  opening  up  various  markets  are  also 
a  factor. 

There  are  many  thousands  of  men  and  women  who  now  have  all 
of  the  knowledge  they  need  in  handling  growing  things;  all  they 
need  do  is  expand  their  home  growing  to  put  it  on  a  commercial 
basis.  Others  with  only  a  smattering  of  knowledge  of  gardening  can 
quickly  and  easily  learn  what  they  need  to  know  by  turning  to  the 
established  sources  of  instruction.  One  of  the  best  preliminary  steps 
is  to  visit  commercial  home  gardeners  who  are  operating  in  and  near 
towns  from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other,  observe,  ask  ques- 
tions, plan  an  operation,  and  get  started  on  your  own. 

You  may  be  lured  into  profits  from  the  good  earth  with  any  one 
or  more  of  these  chief  types  of  gardening: 

Vegetable  Flower  Fruit  Specialty 

The  markets  available  include  residents  in  your  immediate  area 
and  nearby  towns  and  cities,  roadside  stands  for  your  products  fresh 
or  prepared,  local  stores,  direct-mail  customers.  The  home  gardener 
who  is  reasonably  resourceful,  raises  good  products,  and  is  dependa- 
ble usually  has  no  great  difficulty  in  disposing  of  available  produce 
through  one  or  more  of  these  outlets.  There  is  also  the  profit  of  con- 
siderable savings  in  the  family  grocery  bills  as  well  as  side-line  gains. 

The  hard  way  to  garden  is  to  take  any  old  plot  of  ground,  spade 
it  up,  put  in  seeds  and  plants  indiscriminately,  and  trust  to  nature 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  317 

to  do  the  rest.  The  easiest  way  to  garden  is  to  study  the  experience 
of  others  and  never  overlook  these  ten  basic  tips  for  the  most  suc- 
cessful operation: 

1.  Layout.  Plan  the  use  of  your  garden  area  carefully,  laying  out 
plots  on  paper  before  preparing  the  soil  and  planting.  You  don't 
want  sweet  corn  shading  lettuce,  or  apple  trees  "hogging"  rich 
truck  soil.  According  to  your  selection  of  projects,  draw  up  a 
reasonably  precise  plan. 

2.  Test  the  soil.  Don't  make  snap  judgment  that  the  soil  "looks 
good."  It  may  "look"  good,  but  also  require  special  treatment  for 
your  special  crop.  You  can  send  samples  of  the  soil  for  free  test- 
ing at  your  nearest  agricultural  experiment  station,  or  for  two 
or  three  dollars  you  can  buy  a  soil-testing  kit  and  instructions 
that  will  tell  you  what  you  need  to  know  to  make  the  soil  most 
fertile.  Soil  frequently  shows  a  lack  of  nitrogen,  potash,  phos- 
phoric acid  or  lime. 

3.  Prepare  the  soil.  The  easiest  way  to  get  the  maximum  results 
from  your  labor  is  to  prepare  the  soil  properly  for  planting.  Com- 
post heaps,  manure  from  other  projects  on  your  place,  com- 
mercial fertilizers— all,  when  properly  used,  will  more  than  pay 
for  the  cost  and  the  labor  of  spreading  by  producing  more  abun- 
dant crops.  Proper  preparation  of  the  soil  reduces  the  area 
needed  for  a  given  crop  and  sharply  reduces  your  investment  of 
time  in  proportion  to  yield. 

4.  Plant  good  seeds  and  plants.  Be  sure  your  seeds  and  sets  are 
secured  from  reliable  sources,  or  much  of  your  investment  and 
work  may  be  lost.  Overorder  plants  and  discard  the  weaklings. 

5.  Control  blight  and  pests.  Dust,  spray,  and  poison  your  natural 
garden  enemies  regularly.  Dusts,  sprays,  and  poisons  will  largely 
eliminate  the  aphids,  beetles,  caterpillars,  slugs,  borers,  etc.,  and 
fungus  diseases  that  otherwise  would  rob  you  of  the  fruits  of 
your  investment  and  labor. 

6.  Cultivation  and  weeding.  When  you  get  into  the  cultivating  and 
weeding  stage  you  are  required  to  have  time  available,  espe- 
cially in  the  early  period  of  growth.  The  rows  are  weeded  and 
soil  broken  at  least  once  weeldy  and  after  all  rains.  At  this  stage 
you  will  be  rewarded  if  you  place  bedding  from  barns  and  other 
mulch  between  the  rows,  thus  conserving  moisture  and  mini- 
mizing weed  growth. 

7.  Watering.  In  most  areas  gardeners  depend  on  rainfall.  Sprin- 


318  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

kling  is  difficult  and  costly.  Only  a  soaking  sprinkling  is  of  much 
assistance  in  dry  spells.  In  semiarid  areas  where  irrigation  is  re- 
quired the  home  gardener  must  be  particularly  careful  with  his 
cost  estimates  and  water  requirements. 

8.  Harvest.  Your  products  will  come  at  irregular  times  and  daily 
picking  may  be  required.  You  may  harvest  early  for  local  mar- 
kets, but  the  roadside  marketing,  home  uses,  or  preserving,  you 
may  wait  for  almost  perfect  ripeness. 

9.  Records.  The  wise  gardener  keeps  careful  records  of  costs,  time 
expended,  taxes,  sales,  productivity  in  soil.  Analysis  of  such 
records  can  often  show  how  cost  and  labor  for  one  crop  run 
much  higher  than  for  another  for  which  you  have  a  good  market, 
and  point  the  way  to  greater  over-all  profit  from  the  use  of  your 
time,  land,  and  money. 

10.  Proper  timing  is  essential  for  successful  gardening.  If  you  are 
starting  your  seeds  in  hotbeds  or  greenhouse  or  otherwise  in- 
doors, you  should  have  a  careful  plan  to  have  them  ready  for 
transplanting  at  the  proper  season  in  your  particular  area  and 
soil.  Time  of  sowing  seeds  is  similarly  important.  And,  obviously, 
time  of  planting  has  a  definite  bearing  on  your  period  of  harvest 
for  home  use  and  marketing. 

Your  timing  problems  are  simplified  by  the  four  maps  and  two 
tables  presented  here  and  for  which  we  are  indebted  to  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture,  Home  and  Garden  Series  No.  9, 
a  bulletin  on  suburban  and  farm  vegetable  gardens  prepared  by 
James  H.  Beattie,  senior  horticulturist,  and  Robert  E.  Webster,  asso- 
ciate horticulturist,  of  the  Agricultural  Research  Administration. 

"A  gardener  anywhere  in  the  United  States  can  determine  his  own 
safe  planting  dates  for  different  crops,"  according  to  this  bulletin,  by 
using  the  maps  (Figs.  1  to  4)  together  with  Tables  1  and  2.  "The 
maps,  drawn  from  United  States  Weather  Bureau  originals,  show 
the  average  dates  of  the  last  killing  frosts  in  spring  and  the  average 
dates  of  the  first  killing  frosts  in  fall.  They  are  the  dates  from  which 
planting  times  can  be  determined,  and  such  determinations  have 
been  so  worked  out  in  Tables  1  and  2  that  any  gardener  can  use 
them,  with  only  a  little  trouble,  to  find  out  the  planting  dates  for  his 
locality. 

"Table  1,  for  use  with  the  maps  in  Figures  1  and  2,  shows  planting 
dates  between  January  1  and  June  30,  covering  chiefly  spring  and 
early-summer  crops.  It  shows  how  early  it  is  safe  to  plant;  it  also 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  319 

shows  the  spring  and  early-summer  dates  beyond  which  planting 
usually  gives  poor  results. 

"Opposite  each  vegetable  in  Table  1,  the  first  date  in  any  column 
is  the  earliest  generally  safe  date  that  the  crop  can  be  sown  or  trans- 
planted by  the  gardener  using  that  column.  (No  gardener  needs  to 
use  more  than  one  of  the  columns.)  The  second  date  is  the  latest 
date  that  is  likely  to  prove  satisfactory  for  the  planting.  Ah1  times  in 
between  these  two  dates  may  not,  however,  give  equally  good  re- 
sults. Most  of  the  crops  listed  do  better  when  planted  not  too  far 
from  the  earlier  date  shown." 

HOW    TO    DETERMINE    PLANTING    DATES 

To  determine  the  best  time  to  plant  any  vegetable  in  the  spring 
in  your  locality: 

1.  Find  your  location  on  the  map  in  Figure  1  or  2;  then,  the  solid 
line  on  the  map  that  comes  nearest  to  it. 

2.  Find  the  date  shown  on  the  solid  line.  This  is  the  average  date  of 
the  last  killing  frost.  The  first  number  represents  the  month;  the 
second  number,  the  day.  Thus,  3-10  is  March  10.  Once  you  know 
the  date  you  are  through  with  the  map. 

3.  Turn  to  Table  1;  find  the  column  that  has  your  date  over  it;  and 
draw  a  heavy  line  around  this  entire  column.  It  is  the  only  date 
column  in  the  table  that  you  will  need. 

4.  Find  the  dates  in  the  column  that  are  on  a  line  with  the  name  of 
the  crop  you  want  to  plant.  These  dates  show  the  period  during 
which  the  crop  can  safely  be  planted.  The  best  time  is  on  or  soon 
after  the  first  of  the  two  dates.  A  time  halfway  between  them  is 
very  good;  the  second  date  is  not  so  good. 

For  areas  in  the  Plains  region  that  warm  up  quickly  in  the  spring 
and  are  subject  to  dry  weather  very  early  planting  is  essential  to 
escape  heat  and  drought.  In  fact,  most  of  the  cool-season  crops  do 
not  thrive  when  spring-planted  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Great 
Plains  and  southern  Texas. 

Table  2  is  used  with  the  maps  in  Figures  3  and  4  in  the  same  way 
to  find  the  dates  for  late  plantings.  The  recommendations  for  late 
plantings  and  for  those  in  the  South  for  overwintered  crops  are  less 
exact  and  less  dependable  than  those  for  early  planting.  Factors 
other  than  direct  temperature  effects— summer  rainfall,  for  example, 
and  the  severity  of  diseases  and  insects— often  make  success  difficult, 


320 


MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 


S-30 


Figure  1— Latest  data  available  for  average  dates  of  the  last  killing 
spring  frosts  in  western  United  States.  Locate  the  line  nearest  to  the 
locality  in  which  you  live,  note  the  date  on  that  line  (the  first  figure 
indicates  the  month,  the  second  the  day;  thus  3-20  is  March  20), 
and  then  refer  to  Table  1.  Detailed  instructions  start  on  Page  318. 
This  map  and  Table  1  are  most  useful  in  the  absence  of  local  in- 
formation. ( Redrawn  from  U.  S.  Weather  Bureau  original. ) 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY 


321 


ILLING  FROST  LIABLE   ANNUALLY 


HO  MCCOftO  Of  KILLING  FROST 


Figure  2— Latest  data  available  for  average  dates  of  the  last  killing 
spring  frosts  in  eastern  United  States.  Locate  the  line  nearest  to  the 
locality  in  which  you  live,  note  the  date  on  that  line  (the  first  figure 
indicates  the  month,  the  second  the  day;  thus  3-10  is  March  10), 
and  then  refer  to  Table  1.  Detailed  instructions  start  on  Page  318. 
This  map  and  Table  1  are  most  useful  in  the  absence  of  local  in- 
formation. (Redrawn  from  U.  S.  Weather  Bureau  original.) 


322 


MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 


Figure  3— Latest  data  available  for  average  dates  of  the  first  killing 
fall  frosts  in  western  United  States.  Locate  the  line  nearest  to  the 
locality  in  which  you  live,  note  the  date  on  that  line  (the  first  figure 
indicates  the  month,  the  second  the  day;  thus  11-30  is  November 
SO),  and  then  refer  to  Table  2.  Detailed  instructions  start  on  Page 
318.  This  map  and  Table  2  are  most  useful  in  the  absence  of  local  in- 
formation. (Redrawn  from  U.  S.  Weather  Bureau  original.) 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY 


32,3 


^       r^NO  RECORD  OF  KltUNO  »«OSt 


Figure  4— Latest  data  available  for  average  dates  of  the  first  killing 
fatt  frost  in  eastern  United  States.  Locate  the  line  nearest  to  the 
locality  in  which  you  live,  note  the  date  on  that  line  (the  first  figure 
indicates  the  month,  the  second  the  day;  thus  11-10  is  November 
10),  and  then  refer  to  Table  2.  Detailed  instructions  start  on  Page 
318.  This  map  and  Table  2  are  most  useful  in  the  absence  of  local  in- 
formation. (Redrawn  from  U.  S.  Weather  Bureau  original.) 


324  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

especially  in  the  Southeast,  although  some  other  areas  having  the 
same  frost  dates  are  more  favorable.  A  date  about  halfway  between 
the  two  shown  in  Table  2  will  generally  be  best,  although  in  most 
areas  fair  success  can  be  expected  within  the  entire  range  of  dates 
shown. 

Along  the  northern  half  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  warm-weather  crops 
should  not  be  planted  quite  so  late  as  the  frost  date  and  table  would 
indicate.  Although  frost  comes  late,  very  cool  weather  prevails  for 
some  time  before  frost,  retarding  late  growth  of  crops  like  sweet 
corn,  lima  beans,  and  tomatoes. 

MONEY-MAKING     VEGETABLE     CROPS 

The  records  abound  with  stories  of  young  and  old  men  and 
women  who  have  taken  up  vegetable  gardening  to  provide  food  for 
the  family  table  and  for  market.  Youngsters  on  thousands  of  farms 
virtually  raise  their  own  requirements  for  cash.  Many  of  them  are 
engaged  in  4-H  projects  very  successfully.  What  have  these  young- 
sters that  you  haven't— granted  the  land  on  which  to  plant?  They 
start  "from  scratch"  and  use  their  heads  and  hands  and  hearts  to  earn 
income  with  their  part-time  efforts. 

Willie  W.  Woodall  of  Route  1,  Midland  City,  Alabama,  who  made 
a  profit  of  more  than  $1000,  tells  his  own  story  of  a  young  gardener 
at  work  for  experience  and  profit: 

"1947  was  the  first  year  that  I  took  gardening  for  a  4-H  project.  I 
planted  one  acre  of  cucumbers  on  fresh  new  ground.  I  used  the 
recommended  variety  of  seed  and  amounts  of  fertilizer.  The  season 
was  favorable  and  at  the  end  of  the  cucumber  pickling  season,  my 
records  showed  a  total  sales  of  $228.00.  The  cucumbers  were  sold  to 
the  W  &  W  Pickle  Company,  Dothan,  Alabama.  We  used  $20.00 
worth  of  the  cucumbers  at  home.  My  expenses  amounted  to  $31.50 
which  left  me  a  profit  of  $216.50.  That  sold  me  on  gardening  for  a 
4-H  project  and  I  planned  to  increase  the  size  of  my  garden  project 
for  1948.  I  kept  accurate  records  on  my  cucumber  project  and  re- 
ceived a  medal  for  having  the  best  garden  record  of  1947  for  Dale 
County. 

"For  the  year  1948  I  had  1&  acres  of  cucumbers,  %  acre  of  potatoes, 
and  %  acre  of  tomatoes  and  &  acre  of  corn  for  my  project.  When  I 
completed  my  cucumber  project  I  had  sold  $203.00  worth  and  used 
$15.00  worth  at  home.  I  made  $190.00  profit.  The  1948  growing  season 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  325 

wasn't  as  favorable  as  the  1947  season.  My  &  acre  of  potatoes  brought 
me  $50.00.  My  &  acre  of  tomatoes  was  used  at  home  and  was  valued 
at  $25.00.  My  X  acre  of  com  yielded  32  bushels.  $10.00  worth  of  this 
was  used  for  roasting  ears.  For  the  second  straight  year,  I  was 
awarded  the  county  medal  for  the  best  garden  record. 

"During  the  year  1949, 1  carried  more  projects  than  in  any  previ- 
ous 4-H  club  year.  My  1950  4-H  garden  project  included  %  acre  of 
Irish  potatoes  that  produced  800  pounds. 

"This  is  1951  and  is  my  fifth  year  to  take  gardening  for  my  project. 
I  have  already  produced  700  pounds  of  Irish  potatoes  from  %  of  an 
acre.  My  garden  produced  several  vegetables  this  winter.  At  the 
present  time  I  have  planted  /z  acre  of  vegetables  for  home  use.  These 
have  been  producing  for  several  months.  I  have  &  acre  of  peas  that 
are  beginning  to  bear.  I  plan  to  sell  peas  on  the  commercial  market. 
I  am  growing  %  acre  of  sweet  potatoes  that  will  be  used  at  home  and 
sold  on  the  commercial  market.  In  April  for  the  fifth  straight  year  I 
was  awarded  the  county  gardening  medal. 

"My  gardening  projects  have  produced  a  total  of  $1416.00  worth 
of  vegetables  for  market  and  home  use  during  the  past  five  years. 
The  total  profit  has  amounted  to  $1055.00.  A  large  part  of  this  profit 
has  been  invested  in  other  projects.  I  have  had  a  number  of  4-H 
projects  but  none  have  been  more  profitable  than  gardening." 

A  smaller-scale  part-time  gardening  activity  is  reported  by  Frank- 
lin R.  McNeal  of  Basin,  Wyoming:  "I  worked  eight  hours  a  day  in  a 
garage,  and  my  garden  became  my  leisure  time  project.  It  is  hard 
to  give  a  leisure  time  project  a  money  value,  but  this  one  was  a 
profitable  one  to  me.  I  surely  didn't  waste  my  time.  For  example: 

"A  ten-cent  investment  in  cauliflower  brought  me  $15.70  or  a 
150%  profit. 

"A  twenty-five  cent  investment  brought  me  $22.50  on  cucumbers. 

"Sixty  cents  of  seed  corn  brought  me  $38.50. 

"I  only  made  30%  profit  on  my  peppers  because  I  did  not  plant 
my  seeds  early  enough." 

Only  30%  profit!  What  now,  General  Motors?  Did  you  ever  do  as 
well  proportionally? 


326 


MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 


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332  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

WORK,      PROFIT,      TROUBLE,      COURAGE,    PROFIT 

Prize  money  as  well  as  sales  profits  were  banked  by  Nadine 
Thompson,  1041  Carr  Street,  Denver,  Colorado,  who  reports  a  4-H 
garden  project  as  follows: 

"'Tomatoes  and  You/  a  demonstration  on  the  growing  of  toma- 
toes, was  given  by  James  Rodgers  and  myself  in  the  local  4-H  con- 
test, which  we  won.  By  winning  the  district  contest  we  were  given 
a  six-day  all  expense  trip  to  4-H  Camp  Tobin  at  the  State  Fair.  This 
demonstration  represented  Colorado  at  the  National  Junior  Vege- 
table Growers  Association  demonstration  contest  in  Washington, 
D.C.,  December  1949.  Besides  the  free  trip  I  received  a  $10.00  State 
Scholarship. 

"My  entry  in  the  National  Junior  Vegetable  Growers  Association's 
vegetable  production  and  marketing  scholarship  contest  brought  me 
the  $200.00  Western  Regional  Award  and  an  all  expense  trip  by  air 
to  the  National  meeting  in  New  Orleans  in  December  1950.  This 
year  my  folks  purchased  a  16  acre  farm  and  I  used  1.8  acres  of  this 
land  for  a  garden.  I  grew  1.5  acres  of  sweet  corn  and  used  seven 
varieties.  Five  of  these  were  experimental  as  the  hybrid  corn  com- 
panies producing  them  have  not  marketed  the  seed  commercially.  I 
also  grew  9  varieties  of  tomatoes,  7  of  potatoes,  7  of  beans  and  6  of 
squash.  A  total  of  80  varieties  of  vegetables  were  grown,  as  I  wanted 
to  compete  in  three  Fairs  between  August  10  and  September  8. 

"I  bought  $28.00  worth  of  potted  tomatoes,  celery,  cucumbers, 
cabbage,  broccoli,  muskmelon  and  watermelon  plants  in  order  to 
hasten  the  maturity  dates  of  these  vegetables.  A  hail  killed  the 
melons  and  cucumbers.  It  caused  the  celery  to  go  to  seed  and  made 
spikes  out  of  the  tomato  plants.  After  this  there  were  no  early  ma- 
turity dates  on  these  expensive  plants.  The  rest  of  the  crop  was 
severely  damaged.  A  bumper  crop  of  protected  pheasants  moved 
into  my  corn  and  cleaned  out  several  areas.  As  a  result  of  these  set- 
backs I  had  to  replant  corn,  cucumbers,  squash,  muskmelon,  water- 
melon and  tomatoes.  Other  vegetables  were  late  in  maturing  and  the 
yield  was  reduced. 

"At  the  three  Fairs  I  exhibited  43  kinds  of  vegetables  and  won  65 
ribbons  and  $41.65  in  cash  awards.  I  was  County  Grand  Champion 
in  both  Garden  and  Foods.  At  the  State  Fair  I  placed  third  in 
Garden  and  became  the  State  Food  Champion. 

"My  garden  record  for  3  years  is  as  follows: 


TOWN    AND    COUNTRY  333 

YEAR          RIBBONS          PRIZE  MONEY          TOTAL  INCOME          TOTAL  PROFIT 

1949  12  $  14.95  $    71.62  $  33.29 

1950  31  211.50  388.73  297.62 

1951  65  41.65  733.90  322.10 
TOTALS  "108  $268.10  $1194.25  $653.01 

"My  garden  projects  have  been  enjoyable,  educational  and  profit- 
able." 

Youngsters  and  older  folk  too  are  making  a  few  hundred  dollars' 
profit  annually  with  their  part-time  gardening  projects.  They  prove 
that  many  garden  crops  are  profitable  on  an  acre  or  less  and  those 
who  have  five  to  ten  acres  and  devote  more  time  to  garden  gain  the 
larger  profits  by  concentrating  on  a  few  cash  crops  that  are  easy  to 
raise. 

Included  among  the  easy-to-grow-for-profit  vegetables  are  these: 

Asparagus  Green  peas  Potatoes 

Beans  Horse-radish  Pumpkins 

Beets  Jerusalem  Artichokes    Radishes 

Broccoli  Kale  Rhubarb 

Cabbage  Lettuce  Spinach 

Carrots  Okra  Sweet  corn 

Cauliflower  Onions  Tomatoes 

Celery  Mushrooms  Turnips 

Chard  Muskmelons  Winter  squash 

Cucumbers  Parsley 

Endive  Parsnips 

Any  person  with  ordinary  intelligence  and  vigor  and  the  available 
soil  can  profit  from  any  one  of  these  vegetables.  The  wise  gardener 
will  study  his  soil  and  area  and  pick  out  a  combination  of  crops  for 
development,  depending  on  the  type  of  land,  acreage  available,  and 
the  time  to  be  devoted  to  the  project.  Some  single  crops  and  also 
combinations  of  five  or  more  of  these  vegetables  can  reasonably  be 
expected  to  bring  in  a  profit  of  from  $300  to  $1000  per  acre  per 
season. 

ASPARAGUS     FOR     THE     FARSIGHTED 

A  half  acre  and  your  labor  can  bring  you  a  profit  of  $400  to  $500 
from  asparagus.  You  can  double  that  profit  with  a  full  acre.  But  this 


334  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

crop  is  not  for  you  unless  you  are  patient  enough  to  prepare  the  soil 
carefully  and  wait  two  years  for  a  small  crop  and  three  years  for  the 
first  full  crop.  Your  patience  will  be  rewarded  greatly,  however,  for 
once  your  asparagus  is  well  established  it  will  go  on  bearing  crops 
and  profits  for  as  long  as  twenty  to  twenty-five  years. 

" Asparagus  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  of  the  early  vegetables  and 
perhaps  the  most  important  of  the  perennial  vegetable  crops,"  says 
Farmers*  Bulletin  No.  1646,  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agri- 
culture. "It  is  healthful  and  palatable  as  a  canned  or  a  frozen  prod- 
uct and  as  a  fresh  vegetable.  Its  importance  as  a  home-garden,  truck, 
and  processing  crop  is  growing,  as  evidenced  by  the  increasing 
acreage  being  used  for  its  production.  .  .  . 

"The  States  leading  in  the  production  of  asparagus  are  California, 
New  Jersey,  Washington,  Illinois,  South  Carolina,  Michigan,  and 
Pennsylvania,  in  the  order  named.  Slightly  more  than  one-third  of 
the  asparagus  eaten  fresh  is  produced  in  California.  The  growing  of 
asparagus  for  canning  is  localized  almost  wholly  in  the  Sacramento 
and  San  Joaquin  Valleys  of  California.  Most  of  this  asparagus  is  of 
the  white  type.  Small  quantities  of  green  asparagus  are  canned  in 
some  of  the  eastern  producing  districts.  Asparagus  is  well  adapted 
to  processing  by  the  quick-freeze  method,  and  increasing  amounts 
of  it  are  being  processed  in  this  way/' 

Asparagus  will  reward  you  best  if  planted  in  well-drained  sandy 
loam,  although  it  will  prosper  in  a  variety  of  ordinary  garden  soils. 
It  will  thrive  in  soils  having  salt  content  too  high  for  many  other 
crops.  It  does,  however,  require  a  good  deal  of  humus. 

There  is  considerable  variation  in  planting  distances  used  by  dif- 
ferent growers.  Good  results  are  reported  from  setting  plants  in 
6-  to  10-inch  trenches  4  or  5  feet  apart,  with  the  plants  at  least  18 
inches  apart.  Top-grade  roots  should  be  secured  from  a  reputable 
nursery,  and  it  is  advisable  to  overorder  to  permit  discarding  of  the 
poorer  roots.  Some  planters  prefer  two-year-old  roots,  but  the  use  of 
one-year  roots  only  is  recommended  in  Home  and  Garden  Series 
Bulletin  No.  9  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture.  The  crowns 
are  covered  with  three  inches  of  soil  and  over  a  period  of  two 
months  soil  is  gradually  worked  into  the  trench  until  it  is  level. 

Asparagus  doesn't  require  irrigation,  but  does  need  frequent  culti- 
vation to  keep  down  weeds  and  retain  moisture.  Shoots  can  be  cut 
for  about  three  weeks  in  May  or  June  the  year  after  planting;  then 
let  the  tops  grow,  and  apply  manure  or  commercial  fertilizer. 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  335 

Varieties  that  are  popular  include  Mary  Washington  and  Para- 
dise. Some  experienced  growers  plan  about  5000  plants  to  an  acre 
to  produce  up  to  about  5000  pounds  per  acre  for  a  profit  of  approxi- 
mately $1000. 

GREEN     PEAS     FOR     TABLE     AND     MARKET 

As  with  other  popular  garden  products  you  will  undoubtedly 
want  green  peas,  tender  from  the  vines,  for  your  own  table  as  well 
as  for  the  roadside  and  other  markets. 

Some  experienced  growers  plan  three  plantings  a  season  to  net 
around  $400  per  acre.  They  plant  half  an  acre  early  to  catch  the 
premium  early  season  market;  a  quarter  acre  three  weeks  later;  the 
balance  two  weeks  later.  Other  growers  make  a  succession  of  a  few 
plantings  at  ten-day  intervals.  Successive  plantings  spread  your  re- 
quirements for  help  at  time  of  picking.  Later  plantings  are  not  as 
fruitful  as  early  plantings. 

Green  peas  are  often  planted  in  light  loam  soil  in  six-inch  furrows 
three  feet  apart  by  growers  who  prefer  semidwarf  or  dwarf  varieties, 
because  they  do  not  require  supports.  Marvel,  Improved  Gradus, 
and  Hundredfold  are  recommended  by  the  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture as  suitable  early  varieties  with  wrinkled  seeds.  Gradus  and  some 
other  early  varieties  produce  larger  crops  on  supports.  Supported 
peas  are  less  subject  to  attack  by  birds.  Heavy  fertilizing  is  not  re- 
quired. 

BEANS 

Both  snap  and  lima  beans  are  profit  makers  for  home  gardeners, 
with  snap  beans  taking  precedence.  Planted  in  succession,  they  pro- 
vide a  steady  supply  for  market  during  season. 

Green  beans  do  well  in  a  wide  range  of  soils  that  are  fertile  and 
well  drained.  Soil  that  has  had  manure  and  fertilizer  for  early  crops 
is  usually  well  enough  fed  for  beans. 

Good  bush  varieties  of  snap  beans  include  Stringless  Green  Pod, 
Topcrop,  Pencil  Pod  Black  Wax,  Tendergreen  and  Round  Pod  Kid- 
ney Wax.  The  best  pole  varieties  for  snap  pods  are  brown-seeded 
or  white-seeded  Kentucky  Wonders,  and  White  Navy,  White  or  Red 
Kidney  are  excellent  for  dry-shell  purposes,  according  to  Home  and 
Garden  Series  Bulletin  No.  9. 


336  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Roadside  stands,  your  own  customers,  stores,  and  eating  places  are 
your  logical  markets. 


SOYBEANS 

Soybeans  have  in  recent  years  become  an  increasingly  valuable 
basement  and  garden  food  crop  that  has,  besides  a  food  market, 
many  side  markets  for  other  uses.  Soybean  sprouts  can  be  grown  in 
basements  for  home  table  salads  and  for  the  market  comprised  of 
Chinese  restaurants  that  want  the  sprouts  for  use  in  chow  mein  and 
chop  suey  dishes.  In  maturity  the  beans  can  be  used  for  a  highly 
nourishing  flour  that  is  gaining  in  popularity.  The  beans  are  also 
used  in  the  manufacture  of  enamels,  varnishes,  paints,  plastics,  syn- 
thetic rubber,  detergents,  linoleum.  The  soybean  is  also  highly 
valued  for  pet  food,  livestock,  and  poultry  meals. 

Soybeans  have  about  the  same  soil  requirements  as  common  bush 
beans,  but  are  slower  growing  than  most  garden  beans.  Early,  small 
varieties  may  be  planted  in  rows  about  2  feet  apart;  later  ones  3  feet 
apart.  "As  this  crop  is  still  rather  new  to  gardeners,  large  seed  sup- 
plies of  many  varieties  are  not  generally  available,"  according  to 
Home  and  Garden  Series  Bulletin  No.  9  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture.  "Some  of  the  more  widely  grown  varieties  and  the  num- 
ber of  days  until  their  green  edible  stage  when  grown  in  the  Corn 
Belt  follow:  Giant  Gree,  90  to  95  days;  Vansei,  95  to  100  days;  Jogun, 
100  to  110  days;  Hokkaido,  100  to  115  days;  and  Imperial,  110  to 
120  days."  The  bulletin  suggests  that  plantings  be  made  principally 
when  tomatoes  and  other  long-season,  warm-weather  crops  are  put 
in  the  garden. 

Soybean  yields  are  about  the  same  as  for  peas. 


MUSKMELONS     ROLL      IN     THE     PROFITS 

For  a  total  expense  of  about  $300  an  acre  you  can  realize  a  profit 
of  approximately  $1000  from  muskmelons.  It  isn't  unusual  for  the 
grower  to  produce  9-10,000  melons  per  acre,  and  some  improve  on 
this  production  with  special  attention  to  irrigation,  fertilization  and 
timing. 

The  timing  can  be  particularly  important.  You  can  start  your 
plants  in  hot  beds  or  cold  frames  but  lose  time  after  transplanting. 
There  are  shrewd  growers  who  put  one-fourth  to  one-third  of  the 


TOWN     AND    COUNTRY  337 

hills  under  hot  caps  to  permit  early  marketing  when  the  prices  may 
be  double  the  figure  a  couple  of  weeks  later.  Housewives  and  eating 
places  are  always  on  the  alert  for  the  first  melons  of  the  season  and 
are  willing  to  pay  a  premium. 

The  crop  can  be  grown  successfully  over  a  wide  range  of  states  on 
almost  any  fertile,  well-drained  soil.  Melons  do  best  with  medium  to 
light  alluvial  soils  and  rich  sandy  loam.  The  casaba  and  honeydew 
are  popular  varieties,  but  there  are  so  many  special  strains  that  do 
well  that  listing  of  all  would  be  impractical.  A  pound,  about  13,600 
seeds,  is  adequate  for  planting  an  acre,  but  some  growers  use  double 
that  amount  and  plants  in  hifis  5  x  5  to  7  x  7  feet  with  ten  seeds  per 
hill,  later  thinning  out  the  plants  to  three  or  four  per  hill.  Where 
there  is  plenty  of  moisture  or  irrigation  the  seeds  are  planted  at  a 
depth  not  to  exceed  1  inch  and  in  light  sandy  soils  at  not  more  than 
Ds  inches. 

"Increase  in  automobile  travel  has  created  an  excellent  oppor- 
tunity for  local  production  and  sale  of  muskmelons,"  according  to 
Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  1468,  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agri- 
culture. "By  means  of  truck  transportation,  markets  up  to  several 
hundred  miles  from  the  point  of  origin  can  be  supplied  with  vine- 
ripened  melons  of  high  quality. 

"A  well-located,  well-managed  roadside  market  soon  gains  a 
patronage  that  takes  care  of  a  considerable  acreage  of  melons.  Often 
a  market  is  established  temporarily  on  a  main-traveled  highway  for 
the  sole  purpose  of  handling  a  muskmelon  crop.  Often,  also,  at  a 
roadside  market  that  is  more  or  less  permanent  and  offers  other  farm 
products  the  melons  can  be  made  special  during  their  season. 

"One  melon  grower  follows  the  practice  of  leasing  acreage  suita- 
ble for  muskmelon  production  within  a  mile  of  a  central  point  on  the 
main  highway  where  he  can  establish  his  market  during  the  period 
when  the  melons  will  be  ready  for  sale.  This  grower  plants  only  on 
land  that  has  not  been  in  melons  for  a  number  of  years  ( usually,  on 
land  in  bluegrass  or  clover  sod),  sprays  regularly,  and  produces 
high-class  melons.  He  hauls  the  melons  from  tie  fields  to  the  market 
in  small  motor  trucks.  There  he  grades  them  according  to  size  and 
freedom  from  defect  and  displays  them  in  bins  that  face  the  road- 
way. Many  of  his  best  customers  drive  from  the  nearby  city  pri- 
marily to  get  a  supply  of  fine  quality  melons,  and  they  usually  buy 
considerable  quantities,  including  melons  that  are  fully  ripe  and 
some  that  will  keep  for  3  or  4  days.  Usually  the  customers  bring 


338  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

baskets  with  them.  The  dealer  keeps  a  few  bushel  baskets  and  ham- 
pers on  hand  for  sale,  but  otherwise  does  not  provide  any  con- 
tainers." 


SQUASHES     AND     PUMPKINS     BY    THE    TON 

Squashes  and  pumpkins  are  most  commonly  grown  garden  plants 
and  can  be  marketed  advantageously. 

There  are  two  classes  of  squashes:  summer  and  winter. 

The  summer  class  must  be  used  while  young  and  tender.  This 
class  includes  the  Bush  Scallop  under  various  other  names,  and  the 
vegetable  marrows,  best  known  of  which  is  Italian  Vegetable  Mar- 
row. There  is  a  good  local  market  in  many  areas  for  summer 
squashes  which  move  fast  at  roadsides,  but  many  growers  prefer  the 
winter  varieties. 

Winter  squashes  include  the  Delicious,  Hubbard,  Table  Queen 
and  Boston  Marrow.  They  have  hard  rinds  and  are  adapted  for 
storage  on  racks  in  preference  to  piling.  The  Hubbard  squashes, 
large  and  popular  with  restaurants  and  hotels,  are  grown  to  advan- 
tage. Some  growers,  however,  prefer  the  smaller  types  such  as  Deli- 
cious, buttercup,  butternut,  and  acorn  for  roadside  and  home  mar- 
kets. 

The  smaller  winter  squashes  are  a  dependable  crop  that  may  be 
expected  to  produce  a  profit  of  $300  to  $400  per  acre  if  you  grow 
around  eight  tons  per  acre,  which  is  not  unusual. 

Both  squashes  and  pumpkins  are  sensitive  to  frost,  and  planting 
should  wait  until  the  soil  has  warmed  and  is  ready  to  germinate  the 
seed,  which  would  decay  if  planted  in  wet,  cold  soil.  The  U.  S.  De- 
partment of  Agriculture  Leaflet  No.  141  says:  "The  bush  and  small- 
vine  varieties  may  be  planted  in  hills  as  close  as  4  by  5  feet,  but  the 
varieties  having  long  running  vines  should  be  spaced  8  to  12  feet 
apart  each  way.  The  seed  is  sometimes  planted  in  drills  rather  than 
in  hills,  and  the  seedlings  are  thinned  to  about  4  feet  apart  in  the 
row.  The  amount  of  seed  required  to  plant  an  acre  varies  from  2  to 
4  pounds,  depending  on  the  size  of  the  seeds  and  the  planting  dis- 
tances. The  seed  should  be  covered  to  a  depth  of  about  1/2  inches." 

Gardeners  with  limited  area  are  not  advised  to  grow  pumpkins, 
because  the  same  space  will  yield  greater  returns  from  other  prod- 
ucts. They  thrive  under  partial  shade,  however,  and  can  follow  an 
early  crop  of  potatoes  or  be  grown  among  sweet  corn  or  other  taller 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  339 

plants.  Small  Suger  and  Connecticut  Field  are  two  well-known  varie- 
ties. Hills  of  pumpkins  should  be  about  ten  feet  apart  each  way  with 
one  or  two  plants  per  hill. 

Both  squashes  and  pumpkins  for  canning  are  grown  under  con- 
tract specifications  for  canning  companies. 

SWEET    CORN 

Sweet  corn,  which  is  quickly  swept  off  the  roadside  and  other 
markets  in  season,  is  easy  to  grow  in  a  variety  of  soils  in  nearly  all 
parts  of  the  United  States.  It  can  provide  a  profit  of  around  $400  per 
acre  if  you  win  the  battle  with  the  corn  borers.  That  can  be  done  if 
you  are  industrious  and  enlist  your  county  agent  as  commander  in 
chief.  Many  profit  from  this  crop  throughout  the  country. 

You  can  plant  sweet  corn  in  the  South  from  early  spring  to  late 
autumn,  but  in  the  North  you  must  wait  until  the  ground  is  thor- 
oughly warmed.  A  succession  of  plantings  is  desirable  for  a  steady 
supply.  It  may  be  grown  in  hills  or  drills  with  rows  at  least  3  feet 
apart.  It  is  seeded  thickly  and  thinned  to  single  stalks  14  to  16  inches 
apart. 

"Hybrid  sweet  corn  varieties,  both  white  and  yellow,  are  usually 
more  productive  than  the  open-pollinated  sorts,"  according  to  the 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture.  "As  a  rule  they  need  a  more  fertile 
soil  and  heavier  feeding.  Many  are  resistant  to  disease,  particularly 
bacterial  wilt.  Never  save  seed  from  a  hybrid  crop  for  planting.  Such 
seed  does  not  come  true  to  form  of  the  plants  from  which  it  was 
harvested. 

"Good  yellow-grained  hybrids,  in  the  order  of  the  time  required 
to  reach  edible  maturity,  are  Spancross,  Marcoss,  Golden  Cross  Ban- 
tam, and  loana.  White-grained  hybrids  are  logent  and  Evergreen 
hybrid.  Well-known  open-pollinated  yellow  sorts  are  Golden  Bantam 
and  Golden  Sunshine.  Open-pollinated  white  sorts,  in  the  order  of 
maturity,  are  Howling  Mob,  Early  Evergreen,  Country  Gentleman, 
and  Stowell  Evergreen/* 

GREENS     AND     SALAD     CROPS 
FOR     HOME     AND     MARKET 

Resourceful  gardeners,  by  studying  their  local  conditions  and  mar- 
kets, find  it  possible  to  profit  from  the  greens— leaves  and  stems  of 


340  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

immature  plants,  and  the  variety  of  vegetables  that  are  eaten  raw  or 
with  dressing.  At  roadside  stands  and  nearby  stores  there  is  often  a 
steady  market  for  these  garden  products,  most  of  which  are  rela- 
tively easy  to  grow  under  proper  conditions  for  the  specific  crop. 

CHARD 

Chard,  or  Swiss  chard,  for  a  family's  summer  supply,  can  be  pro- 
duced in  a  row  of  30  to  40  feet.  Larger  planting  provides  chard  for 
the  market.  It  is  a  beet  developed  for  tops  rather  than  roots,  and 
crop  after  crop  of  the  outer  leaves  can  be  cut  throughout  the  sum- 
mer. Chard  is  easy  to  cultivate  in  a  rich,  mellow  soil.  It  is  sensitive 
to  soil  acidity.  Plants  need  to  be  thinned  to  6  or  8  inches  apart  in  the 
rows. 

CHICORY 

Chicory,  or  French  endive,  is  a  hardy  plant  produced  for  both 
tops  and  roots.  The  culture  is  simple.  Seeds  are  sown  in  spring  or 
early  summer  in  drills  about  18  inches  apart,  and  the  plants  are  later 
thinned  to  6  or  8  inches  apart  in  the  rows. 

KALE 

Kale  (borecole)  is  a  good  cool-weather  green.  It  is  hardy  and 
thrives  as  far  north  as  northern  Maryland  and  southern  Pennsyl- 
vania. Scotch  Churled,  Dwarf  Blue  Scotch,  and  Siberian  are  gen- 
erally used.  It  can  be  planted  to  follow  early  vegetables  such  as 
beans,  peas,  or  potatoes.  The  seed  is  broadcast  thinly  and  lightly 
raked  into  the  soil  in  rows  1/2  to  2  feet  apart.  The  plants  are  later 
thinned  to  about  1  foot  apart. 

SPINACH 

Spinach  can  be  successfully  grown  only  where  moderate  tem- 
peratures prevail.  It  withstands  Southern  winter  conditions.  It  grows 
in  well-drained  fertile  soil  where  moisture  is  available.  Long  Stand- 
ing Bloomsdale  is  one  of  the  most  popular  varieties  for  spring  seed- 
ing. Virginia  Savoy  and  Old  Dominion  are  popular  for  fall  plant- 
ing. Spinach  can  be  drilled  by  hand  in  1-inch-deep  furrows  and 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  341 

covered  /2  inch  deep  with  fine  earth.  The  rows  should  not  be  less 
than  2  feet  apart.  Plants  are  thinned  to  3  or  4  inches  apart  in  the 


row. 


CELERY 


Celery  requires  more  work  than  many  garden  crops,  but  it  can  be 
grown  in  most  parts  of  the  country.  "It  is  a  cool-weather  crop  and 
adapted  to  winter  culture  in  the  lower  South,"  it  is  pointed  out  in 
Home  and  Garden  Series  Bulletin  No.  9  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture.  In  the  upper  South  and  in  the  North  it  may  be  grown 
either  as  an  early-spring  or  late-fall  crop.  Farther  north,  in  certain 
favored  locations,  it  can  be  grown  throughout  the  summer. 

"Rich,  moist  but  well-drained,  deeply  prepared,  mellow  soil  is 
essential  for  celery.  Soil  varying  from  sand  to  clay  loam  and  to  peat 
may  be  used  as  long  as  these  requirements  are  met.  Unless  the 
ground  is  very  fertile,  plenty  of  well-rotted  barnyard  manure,  sup- 
plemented by  liberal  applications  of  commercial  fertilizer,  is  neces- 
sary." 

The  bulletin  points  out  that  the  most  common  mistake  with  celery 
is  failure  to  allow  enough  time  for  growing  the  plants— about  10 
weeks.  Seedlings  are  planted  in  rows  10  or  12  inches  apart  with 
seedlings  1  to  1/2  inches  apart  in  the  row.  Early  celery  can  be 
blanched  by  use  of  boards,  paper,  tiles  to  exclude  light;  later  celery 
can  be  blanched  by  banking  with  earth. 

Golden  Self-Blanching  and  Golden  Plume  celery  is  adapted  for 
early  crops;  Emperor  and  Winter  Queen  for  late  fall  and  winter 
use. 


ENDIVE    AND     LETTUCE 

Endive  is  less  sensitive  to  heat,  but  otherwise  its  requirements  are 
similar  to  those  for  lettuce.  Good  varieties  are  the  Broad  Leaved 
Batavian  and  Green  Curled.  The  broad-leaved  variety  is  marketed 
as  escarole. 

Lettuce  thrives  in  almost  any  home  garden.  Its  growth  in  the 
North  is  limited  to  spring  and  autumn.  Spring  lettuce  is  started  in 
hotbed  or  indoors  and  transplanted  when  the  plants  have  four  or 
five  leaves.  Fall  crops  are  seeded  in  a  row  and  thinned.  For  tractor 
cultivation  the  plants  are  12  to  15  inches  apart  in  rows  20  to  36 


342  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

inches  apart.  For  hand  cultivation  the  plants  are  set  about  15  inches 
apart  each  way.  Black-Seeded  Simpson,  Grand  Rapids,  and  Slobot 
are  recommended  loose-leaf  kinds,  and  the  May  King  and  White 
Boston  for  heading. 


PARSLEY 

Parsley  requires  about  the  same  conditions  as  lettuce  and  spinach, 
and  with  some  protection  carries  through  the  winter  throughout 
most  of  the  North.  In  the  North,  parsley  is  seeded  indoors  for  trans- 
planting. In  the  South  it  is  seeded  directly.  Boards  can  be  laid  over 
the  rows  for  a  few  days  until  first  seedlings  appear.  The  rows  should 
be  14  to  16  inches  apart,  with  plants  4  to  6  inches  apart  in  the  rows. 

CRESS 

Upland  cress  is  hardy  and  sown  in  all  milder  parts  of  the  country 
in  autumn.  Plants  are  thinned  to  4  to  6  inches  apart  in  rows.  It  is  a 
short-season  crop  that  can  be  planted  in  quick  succession. 

Water  cress  can  be  grown  in  wet  surroundings.  Winter  is  its  best 
season  in  the  South  and  it  can  be  grown  nearly  the  year  round.  It 
can  be  grown  in  the  more  moderate  temperatures  of  the  North.  It 
is  easily  produced  in  water  from  springs  in  limestone  regions,  and 
in  pools  about  1  foot  deep,  and  in  spring-fed  brooks.  Water  cress 
starts  from  pieces  of  the  plant  or  seed  and  grows  in  a  wild  state. 

CUCUMBER 

Cucumbers,  a  warm-weather  crop,  require  constant  vigil  against 
beetles  and  other  pests.  They  grow  over  a  large  portion  of  the  coun- 
try, except  the  most  southerly.  They  require  very  fertile  and  mellow 
soil.  Seed  is  drilled  in  rows  6  or  7  feet  apart  and  plants  are  thinned 
to  2  to  3  feet  apart  in  the  rows.  If  the  hill  method  of  planting  is 
used,  the  hills  should  be  6  feet  apart  each  way  with  plants  thinned 
to  2  in  each  hill.  Eight  to  10  seeds  per  hill  are  planted  and  later 
thinned  out.  Seeds  are  covered  with  about  /2  inch  of  soil. 

Recommended  varieties  for  slicing  cucumbers  are  White  Spine 
and  Early  Fortune.  Recommended  special  small-size  pickling  varie- 
ties are  Chicago  Pickling  and  National  Pickling. 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  343 


TOMATOES 

Home  gardeners  in  almost  any  section  where  there  is  fertile  soil 
and  sufficient  moisture  will  find  tomatoes  profitable,  with  a  rather 
large  production  from  a  comparatively  small  area.  Tomatoes,  par- 
ticularly when  drawing  early  premium  prices,  are  stand-by  money- 
makers at  roadside  stands,  in  local  stores,  and  for  regular  customers 
who  can  depend  on  you  for  a  steady  supply  of  a  good  product. 

Except  for  early  spring  crops  tomato  plants  are  grown  in  outdoor 
seed  beds.  The  plants  are  started  5  to  7  weeks  before  transplanting. 
Seedlings  are  spaced  2  or  3  inches  apart  and  germinate  best  at  about 
70°  F.  The  plant  is  sensitive  to  cold,  and  there  are  varieties  best 
suited  to  your  particular  area. 


MUSHROOMS 

Although  mushroom  growing  requires  more  careful  preparation 
than  for  many  house  or  garden  plants,  there  is  a  growing  market 
for  fresh  mushrooms  and  they  lend  themselves  to  a  small  start  that 
can  be  developed  to  a  commercial  scale  of  production.  This  ap- 
proach to  home  profits  can  be  launched  in  the  central  and  northern 
states  wherever  you  may  have  a  basement,  cellar,  cave  or  dugout, 
or  outbuilding  where  you  have  some  control  of  humidity,  tempera- 
ture, and  ventilation. 

Mushrooms  can  be  grown  in  beds  a  few  feet  in  diameter  and  filled 
with  about  5  inches  of  compost,  or  in  trays  about  1/2  by  2  feet  placed 
in  tiers.  Mushroom  basements  or  caves  are  needed  to  provide  tem- 
perature of  from  not  less  than  45°  and  a  top  of  65°.  Darkness  is  not 
required,  but  humidity  should  be  70  to  80  per  cent.  Beds  will  pro- 
duce irregularly  for  four  or  five  months  in  what  amounts  to  two  or 
more  crops  per  season.  The  crop  may  vary  from  a  little  less  than  a 
pound  to  l/z  pounds  per  square  foot,  and  the  prices  range  up  to 
$1.00  a  pound,  depending  on  the  market  conditions. 

You  plant  bits  of  spawn  secured  from  seed  houses,  a  quart  being 
sufficient  for  a  5  x  8  foot  bed  or  its  equivalent  in  trays.  Detailed  in- 
structions for  preparation  of  beds  and  other  details  of  the  culture  and 
marketing  can  be  secured  from  Farmers*  Bulletin  No.  1875,  and 
Mushroom  Culture  for  Amateurs,  Bulletin  1587F,  issued  by  the  U.  S. 
Department  of  Agriculture.  Other  information  is  available  from 


344  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

various  seed  houses,  some  of  which  market  prepared  trays  that 
simplify  your  experimental  work,  and  from  the  book,  Mushroom 
Growing  Today,  by  F.  C.  Atkins,  published  by  The  Macmillan 
Company,  New  York. 

HORSE-RADISH 

A  back  yard  and  horse-radish  are  a  combination  that  can  be  de- 
pended upon  for  homemade  cash  incomes— and  perhaps  a  fortune 
will  result  if  you  are  resourceful  in  developing  and  marketing  your 
own  special  horse-radish  mix. 

There  was  a  man  in  Sharpsburg,  Pennsylvania,  who  raised  horse- 
radish in  his  backyard  garden  and  peddled  it  from  door  to  door. 
His  name  was  H.  J.  Heinz,  and  that  was  the  start  of  the  tremendous 
Heinz  pickle  business. 

There  was  a  man  in  Eau  Claire,  Wisconsin,  who  in  a  period  of 
inactivity  as  a  salesman  planted  horse-radish  in  his  half-acre  back 
yard  with  the  few  dollars  available.  He  scrubbed  the  roots  in  the 
home  kitchen  sink,  ground  them  and  mixed  them  with  vinegar  and 
sugar,  bottled  them,  and  sold  the  product  to  the  neighbors  for  a 
profit.  Today  the  Silver  Springs  Gardens,  Inc.,  operates  three  farms 
and  turns  out  thousands  of  jars  of  horse-radish  and  mustard  horse- 
radish daily. 

Home  gardeners  on  a  small  scale  have  found  that  there  is  a  ready 
market  for  freshly  dug  roots  and  that  home-prepared  horse-radish 
may  retain  a  tang  not  available  in  other  preparations.  As  soon  as 
ground,  the  horse-radish  begins  to  lose  its  power.  These  home  gar- 
deners can  reasonably  expect  a  yield  of  about  $300  worth  of  roots 
per  acre,  marketed  in  bags  or  barrels.  If  they  have  their  own  home- 
developed  process,  they  may  well  increase  the  profit  considerably 
by  grinding  and  bottling  at  home  and  selling  by  mail  or  direct  at 
the  roadside  to  satisfied  customers,  to  local  stores,  hotels,  restaurants. 

Horse-radish,  adapted  to  the  North  Temperate  regions  of  the 
country,  grows  in  almost  any  good  soil,  but  preferably  a  deep,  rich, 
moist  loam  supplied  with  plenty  of  organic  matter.  Fertilizing  at 
time  of  planting  is  advisable,  with  a  top  dressing  of  manure  each 
spring.  Old  gardens  may  be  expected  to  produce  well  without  much 
fertilizing. 

"Horseradish  is  propagated  either  by  crowns  or  by  root  cuttings," 
according  to  Bulletin  No.  9  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture.  "In 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  345 

propagating  by  crowns  a  portion  of  an  old  plant  consisting  of  a  piece 
of  root  and  crown  buds  is  merely  lifted  and  planted  in  a  new  place. 
Root  cuttings  are  pieces  of  older  roots  6  to  8  inches  long  and  of  the 
thickness  of  a  lead  pencil.  They  may  be  saved  when  preparing  the 
larger  roots  for  grating,  or  they  may  be  purchased  from  seedsmen. 
A  trench  4  to  5  inches  deep  is  opened  with  a  hoe  and  the  root  cut- 
tings are  placed  at  an  angle  with  their  tops  near  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  Plants  from  these  cuttings  usually  make  good  roots  the  first 
year.  As  a  rule,  the  plants  in  the  home  garden  are  allowed  to  grow 
from  year  to  year,  and  portions  of  the  roots  are  removed  as  needed. 
Pieces  of  roots  and  crowns  remaining  in  the  soil  are  usually  suffi- 
cient to  re-establish  the  plants/' 
Maliner  Kren  is  the  best-known  variety. 


HELPFUL  BOOKS  AND  PAMPHLETS 
FOR  GARDENERS 

Many  gardening  pamphlets.  Free  Price  Last  No.  72,  Government  Printing 

Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 
Many  gardening  pamphlets.  Publisher  supplies  list.  Home  Service  Bureau, 

Meredith  Bldg.,  Des  Moines  3,  la. 
The  Gardeners  Almanac,  by  Edward  L.  Farrington.  Oxford  University 

Press,  114  5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
The  Handy  Book  of  Gardening,  by  Albert  E.  Wilkinson  &  Victor  A.  Tie- 

djens.  Permabooks,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Learning  to  Garden,  by  Olive  M.  Gunnison.  Funk  &  Wagnalls  Co.,  153 

East  24th  St.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 
Better  Homes  and  Gardens  Gardening  Guide.  F.  B.  Woodroffe  &  G.  N. 

NefiF,  editors.  Meredith  Publishing  Co.,  1716  Locust  St.,  Des  Moines 

3,  la. 
Garden  Easily,  by  Harriet  K.  Morse.  Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  597  5th 

Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 
Gardening,  by  Montague  Free.  Harcourt,  Brace  &  Co.,  Inc.,  383  Madison 

Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 
Complete  Book  of  Garden  Magic,  by  Roy  E.  Biles.  Tudor  Publishing  Co., 

221  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Encyclopedia  of  Gardening.  Norman  Taylor,  editor.  Houghton  Mifflin 

Co.,  2  Park  St.,  Boston  7,  Mass. 
The  Complete  Garden  Handbook,  by  Maron  J.  Simon  &  others.  D.  Van 

Nostrand  Co.,  Inc.,  250  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
The  Flower  Encyclopedia  and  Gardeners  Guide,  by  Albert  E.  Wilkin- 
son. Halcyon  House,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
10,000  Questions  Answered.  Frederick  F.  Rockwell,  editor.  Doubleday 

&  Co.,  Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 


346  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

1001  Garden  Questions  Answered,  by  Alfred  C.  Hottes.  Dodd,  Mead  & 

Co.,  Inc.,  432  4th  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Americas  Garden  Book,  by  Louise  &  James  Bush-Brown.  Charles  Scrib- 

ner's  Sons,  597  5th  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 
Annual  Flowers  from  Seed  Packet  to  Bouquet,  by  Dorothy  H.  Jenkins. 

M.  Barrows  &  Co.,  Inc.,  425  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Book  of  Annuals,  by  Alfred  C.  Hottes.  Dodd,  Mead  &  Co.,  Inc.,  432  4th 

Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
How  to  Grow  Annuals,  by  Ann  R.  Robbins.  The  Macmillan  Co.,  60  5th 

Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
Perennials  Preferred,  by  Helen  V.  Wilson.  M.  Barrows  &  Co.,  Inc.,  425 

4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Sixty-five  Practical  Garden  Plans.  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co.,  Inc.,  250  4th 

Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Garden  Planning  and  Building,  by  H.  Stuart  Ortloff  &  Henry  B.  Ray  more. 

Doubleday  &  Co.,  Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
All  About  House  Plants,  by  Montague  Free.  Doubleday  &  Co.,  Inc.,  575 

Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 
Soils  and  Fertilizers  for  Greenhouse  and  Garden,  by  Alex  Laurie  &  D.  C. 

Kiplinger.  Dodd,  Mead  &  Co.,  432  4th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
The  Complete  Guide  to  Soilless  Gardening,  by  William  F.  Gericke.  Pren- 
tice-Hall, Inc.,  70  5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 
Gardeners  Bug  Book:  1,000  Insect  Pests  and  Their  Control,  by  Cynthia 

Westcott.  Doubleday  &  Co.,  Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22, 

N.Y. 
Plant  Disease  Handbook,  by  Cynthia  Westcott.  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co., 

Inc.,  250  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 
Just  Weeds,  by  Edwin  R.  Spencer.  Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  597  5th  Ave., 

New  York  17,  N.Y. 
25  Vegetables  Anyone  Can  Grow,  by  Anne  B.   Robbins.   Thomas  Y. 

Crowell  Co.,  432  4th  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
Grow  Your  Own  Vegetables,  by  Paul  Dempsey.  Houghton  Mifflin  Co., 

2  Park  St.,  Boston  7,  Mass. 
Pocket  Book  of  Vegetable  Gardening,  by  Charles  Nissley.  Pocket  Books, 

Inc.,  630  5th  Ave.,  New  York  20,  N.Y. 
Vegetable  Growing,  by  James  S.  Shoemaker.  John  Wiley  &  Sons,  440  4th 

Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 
See  helpful  books  listed  in  following  chapter. 


CHAPTER     FORTY-FOUR 


Raising  and  Preparing  Herbs,  Barks, 
and  Roots  for  Market 


MANY  MEN  AND  WOMEN  have  developed  profitably  their  hobby  of 
raising  herbs  and  roots  for  open  markets  or  for  their  own  mixtures, 
and  if  they  live  in  or  close  to  open  country  they  profit  by  the  hobby 
of  gathering  herbs  and  roots  and  barks  for  medicinal  and  other 
uses.  Careful  study  of  the  current  markets  or  resourceful  develop- 
ment of  your  own  products  that  can  be  sold  in  shops  or  direct  mail 
may  well  result  in  either  pin-money  income  or  development  of  a 
business  earning  many  hundreds  and  even  thousands  of  dollars 
annually. 

Most  clearly  indicative  of  the  potentialities  of  this  hobby  that 
can  become  a  business  is  the  oft-told  story  of  the  House  of  Herbs, 
which  is  concisely  reported  by  Clementine  Paddleford,  noted  food 
columnist,  in  a  Readers  Digest  Manual.  It  is  the  business  drama  of 
Mrs.  Patricia  Winter,  who  lives  on  a  farm  near  Canaan,  Connecticut, 
and  started  with  an  investment  of  only  $5.00  in  herb  seeds. 

"In  1940  Mrs.  Winter  planted  a  half-acre  plot  in  tarragon,  mar- 
joram, chervil,  rosemary  and  dill,  and  invested  $75  in  two  barrels  of 
wine  vinegar.  Packing  a  gift  box  combination  of  herb-scented  vine- 
gars and  six  kinds  of  dried  herbs,  she  suggested  to  a  Fifth  Avenue 
store  in  New  York  that  it  be  sold  there  as  a  Christmas  gift.  In  the 
four  weeks  before  Christmas,  the  store  sold  over  $700  worth  of  her 
gift  kits  at  $2  to  $5. 

"Busy  days  followed  in  the  Connecticut  kitchen,  as  Mrs.  Winter 
began  developing  her  'House  of  Herbs'  line.  She  planted  more 
varieties  of  herbs  and  experimented  endlessly  with  recipes  and 
mixtures.  Soon  she  had  seven  herb  vinegars.  Next  came  a  trio  of 
dried  herb  bouquets  for  use  as  seasonings  for  meat,  poultry,  veg- 
etables, eggs,  fish  and  cheese  dishes.  A  mixture  called  Herbacue  was 
created  for  barbecue  cooks.  A  non-fattening  herb  salad  dressing  was 
prepared  for  weight- watchers.  Next  she  invented  a  concentrated 


MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

sauce  for  basting,  flavoring  and  tenderizing.  Other  products 
followed. 

"Mrs.  Winter's  gift  boxes,  which  Ezra  Winter,  her  artist  husband, 
had  a  hand  in  designing,  set  the  style  pace  in  the  commercial  herb 
world.  Kitchen  Orchestra,  the  favorite,  is  a  kit  of  ten  items.  Ac- 
companying each  kit  is  a  50-page  cook  book  describing  herb-fra- 
grant dishes. 

"Mrs.  Winter  now  sells  her  'House  of  Herbs'  products  through 
stores  in  38  states,  Cuba,  Alaska  and  Honolulu.  In  1940  her  net 
sales  were  $900;  in  1945  they  were  $252,000.  A  ten-room  tenant 
farmhouse  has  been  remodeled  for  use  as  an  office  and  laboratory 
and  a  barn  reconditioned  for  a  factory." 

Others  may  well  contemplate  making  a  similar  small  start,  and 
study  of  the  marketing  problems  indicates  that  they  might  well 
consider  the  mail-order  possibilities  rather  than  the  opening  of  sales 
in  shops.  An  illustrative  case  of  such  an  approach  to  herb  marketing 
by  Frederick  Anderson  of  Pennsylvania  is  presented  in  the  chapter 
dealing  with  mail-order  possibilities. 

The  Pennsylvania  case  is  not  unique  by  any  manner  of  means. 
There  are  many  others  who  have  turned  herb  hobbies  to  profit,  in- 
cluding Mrs.  Beulah  Southwell,  who  conducts  a  nationwide  mail- 
order business  in  herbs  and  spices  from  her  small  shop  in  Albany, 
New  York. 

Most  of  the  savory  herbs  are  reasonably  easy  to  grow  from  seed. 
They  thrive  in  most  ordinary  gardens,  and  beginners  should  first 
consider  sweet  basil,  mint,  dill,  sweet  marjoram,  rosemary,  sage, 
winter  savory,  tarragon,  thyme,  summer  savory,  chive,  chervil,  pars- 
ley. After  mastering  these  most-easy-to-grow  herbs,  the  home  hobby 
profit  maker  should  investigate  anise,  lemon  balm,  caraway,  corian- 
der, fennel  and  lovage,  and  the  hundreds  of  other  herbs,  annuals, 
biennials  and  perennials. 

Your  markets  are  varied,  ranging  from  friends  and  local  shops  to 
the  local  groceries  and  delicatessens,  hotels  and  restaurants.  Also 
there  are  direct-mail  processes  for  those  who  have  developed  various 
packages  ranging  from  "raw"  bundles  to  little  cellophane  envelopes 
and  old-fashioned  spice  cabinets,  jugs,  bottles,  and  cans. 

Mrs.  Dorothy  Curtis  of  Butternut  Farm  at  Kinderhook,  New  York, 
who  built  a  home  kitchen  business  with  her  salted  nuts,  had  an  idea 
that  she  would  make  it  easier  for  other  cooks  to  use  herbs  called  for 
in  French  recipes.  She  experimented  with  a  mixture  of  her  own  and 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  349 

put  it  on  sale  as  Bouquet  Garni.  She  packaged  her  herb  mixtures  in 
little  gauze  bags  resembling  tea  bags,  so  that  the  proper  mixture 
could  be  dunked  without  trouble  in  soups  and  stews  and  dressings 
and  the  like.  The  bags  are  contained  in  cellophane  envelopes,  tied 
with  a  green  ribbon,  and  are  sold  by  direct  mail  and  in  many  ex- 
clusive shops  at  around  $1.00  the  package. 

The  records  and  advertisements  abound  with  the  names  of  those 
who  have  adopted  the  fascinating  hobby  of  herbs  for  fun  and  profit. 
Among  them  are  Mrs.  A.  A.  Maricle  of  Beebe,  Arkansas,  who  raises 
common  sage  and  sells  it  by  mail  and  in  stores;  Margaret  Thomas 
and  Mittie  Arnold  of  Green,  Rhode  Island,  who  established  a  cottage 
garden  business  with  small  initial  capital  but  considerable  sales  by 
direct  mail;  and  F.  C.  Fredericks  and  Julius  Rush  of  Whitehall, 
Wisconsin,  who  harvest  dandelion  roots  in  season  for  medicinal 
purposes. 

In  many  areas  there  are  wild  roots  and  barks  and  herbs  for  the 
harvesting  by  those  who  do  a  little  studying  of  the  possibilities. 
What  may  look  like  weeds  to  you  today  will  be  revealed  as  valu- 
able, salable  plants  needed  for  medicinal  purposes. 

Marketing  advice  is  contained  in  a  Readers  Digest  Manual  re- 
port of  a  Tennessee  man  who  "created  an  unusual  and  profitable 
business  out  of  the  wilderness  around  him.  Noting  the  profusion  of 
berries,  herbs  and  roots  in  the  woods,  he  gathered  several  of  those 
that  have  commercial  value  and  shipped  them  to  a  large  drug  supply 
firm.  The  company  ordered  large  quantities,  and  soon  hundreds  of 
mountain  people  were  working  for  him.  He  branched  out  into  furs 
from  small  animals  and  other  things.  Today  the  business  has  a  large 
warehouse,  four  collection  stations,  gives  employment  to  5,000  part- 
time  workers  in  three  states,  and  collects  about  300  varieties  of  wild 
plants  for  large  manufacturers. 

"A  pipe  maker,  hearing  that  the  business  would  'collect  anything/ 
asked  for  samples  of  the  hard  roots  of  rhododendron  plants  which 
abound  in  that  region,  and  sent  orders  for  pipe-blocks.  Now  Gray- 
beal  has  a  factory  employing  80  persons  and  turns  out  15,000  pipe 
bowl  blocks  daily. 

"Before  collecting  medicinal  plants,  samples  of  the  bark,  root, 
herb  or  other  available  material  should  be  submitted  to  reliable 
dealers  in  crude  drugs  to  learn  the  market  requirements  and  pre- 
vailing prices.  Special  knowledge  of  trade  requirements  is  neces- 


MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 


sary  in  collecting,  curing,  preserving  and  packing  such  raw  materials 
for  market." 


HELPFUL     BOOKS     AND     PAMPHLETS 

Helpful  information  for  the  many  home  gardeners  who  could 
readily  establish  most  unusual  gardens  in  their  own  communities 
and  at  the  same  time  make  home  profits  is  available  in  these  bulle- 
tins and  pamphlets  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture 
through  the  Superintendent  of  Documents,  Washington  25,  D.C.: 

American  Medicinal  Plants  of  Commercial  Importance  77MP 

Drying  Crude  Drugs  1231F 

Medicinal  Plants 

Condiment  Plants 

Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  1977,  Savory  Herbs. 

Other  helpful  books  and  pamphlets  are  the  following: 

The  Home  Garden  Book  of  Herbs  and  Spices,  by  Milo  Miloradovich. 
Doubleday  &  Co.,  Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 

Herbs,  Their  Culture  and  Uses,  by  R.  E.  Clarkson.  The  Macmillan  Co., 
60  5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 

Herbs,  How  to  Grow  Them  and  How  to  Use  Them,  by  Helen  Noyes 
Webster.  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society,  Horticultural  Hall,  Bos- 
ton, Mass. 

SO  Herbs  Will  Make  an  Herb  Garden,  by  H.  Lyman.  52  Santa  Clara  Ave., 
Oakland,  Calif. 

Herbs,  by  H.  N.  Webster.  Ralph  T.  Hale,  6  Beacon  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Gardening  with  Herbs  for  Flavor  and  Fragrance,  by  Helen  M.  Fox.  The 
Macmillan  Co.,  60  5th  Ave.,  New  York  11,  N.Y. 

Herbal  Delights,  by  Hilda  Leyel.  Houghton  Mifflin  Co.,  2  Park  St.,  Bos- 
ton 7,  Mass. 


CHAPTER     FORTY-FIVE 

Jour  Own  Fruit  Orchards  Can  Be  Profitabk 


FRUIT  FARMING  on  a  part-time  or  full-time  basis  can  produce  a  rea- 
sonably satisfactory  profit,  and  at  the  same  time  fulfill  your  dream 
—if  such  is  your  dream— of  beautiful,  flowering  and  later  fruit-bear- 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  3$1 

ing  acres  of  apples,  pears,  peaches,  cherries,  plums,  or  quinces.  With 
apples,  for  instance,  you  are  justified  in  expecting  a  profit  of  $300 
to  $400  per  acre— around  $2400  annually  from  eight  acres,  or  around 
$3000  a  year  from  ten  acres. 

Your  profits  will  be  leanest  if  you  expect  to  market  your  fruit  in 
quantity  to  wholesalers.  They  will  be  largest  if  you  can  arrange  to 
do  your  own  direct  marketing  at  roadside  stands  or  by  direct  mail, 
as  in  the  case  of  "Vermont's  Apple  and  Honey  Man."  Careful  selec- 
tion of  fine  fruits,  invitingly  displayed  and  sold  in  less  than  bushel 
lots,  brings  a  higher  profit  per  pound.  Your  own  resourcefulness  in 
marketing  will  be  of  the  utmost  importance  in  enlarging  your  profits 
from  your  labor  and  land. 

However,  there  are  fruit  farmers  who  do  some  of  the  work  but 
contract  with  others  to  cultivate  and  spray  and  harvest,  on  a  fixed 
price  basis,  and  some  of  these  part-work,  part-time  fruit  farmers 
are  delighted  with  the  arrangement.  One  such  is  George  Jackson, 
whose  story  is  related  by  A.  B.  Genung  of  the  Bureau  of  Agricultural 
Economics  in  a  leaflet  (A1S-14)  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture. 

ONE     MAN'S     PART-TIME     ORCHARD,     $500     A     YEAR 

George  Jackson  works  in  the  mechanical  department  of  an  Eastern 
city  newspaper,  and  moved  his  family  of  wife  and  six  young  chil- 
dren to  a  sixty-acre  farm  nearly  ten  miles  from  his  place  of  employ- 
ment. He  bought  the  old  but  sturdy  house,  a  barn  and  outbuildings, 
and  a  neglected  orchard,  for  $1000  down  and  a  mortgage  for  $2000. 

This  man's  idea  was  primarily  to  have  a  place  in  the  country  for 
his  family,  and  his  story  in  detail  is  fascinating,  as  related  by  Mr. 
Genung— a  story  of  apples  and  one  man's  family  in  the  country: 

**.  .  .  Gradually  George  Jackson  got  together  a  nice  flock  of 
Rhode  Island  Red  hens,  bought  a  Guernsey  cow,  which  the  oldest 
boy  learned  to  take  care  of,  and  a  couple  of  pigs.  Now,  after  8  years 
on  the  place,  that  is  still  about  the  extent  of  the  livestock— 2  cows, 
2  pigs,  100  hens,  and  a  few  guinea  hens  and  ducks.  The  youngsters 
also  have  a  pony  and  assorted  rabbits  and  other  pets. 

"There  was  one  real  asset  on  the  place,  an  apple  orchard  of  some 
125  trees,  chiefly  Baldwins,  Mclntosh,  and  Delicious.  It  had  grown 
up  to  weeds  and  the  trees  had  not  been  disturbed  by  a  pruning  saw 
in  a  dozen  years  at  least.  Yet  those  trees  were  right  in  their  prime. 


3S2  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

When  George  saw  them  in  blossom  the  first  May  after  he  bought  the 
place,  he  was  fired  with  enthusiasm  to  make  something  of  that  little 
orchard. 

"He  went  to  the  county  agricultural  agent,  wrote  to  his  State 
Agricultural  College  and  to  Washington  for  bulletins,  talked  to 
nearby  farmers  who  had  orchards.  In  short,  he  set  about  getting 
some  real  education  in  apple  growing.  His  old  friend  up  the  road 
played  a  part,  too,  helping  him  prune  the  trees  in  odd  spells  one 
winter,  advising  him  about  materials  and  tillage  and  lending  him  a 
spraying  machine.  In  time,  with  the  expenditure  of  some  hard  work 
and  a  little  worry  the  Jackson  orchard  became  what  might  fairly 
be  called  a  model  of  good  husbandry. 

"For  the  last  3  or  4  years  George  has  sold  his  apples  'on  the  tree* 
to  a  local  buyer.  That  is,  the  buyer  pays  so  much,  lump  sum,  sends 
his  own  pickers,  baskets,  and  truck,  and  assumes  the  entire  job  of 
harvesting.  Last  year  when  apples  were  high  the  crop  was  sold  in 
such  fashion  to  this  buyer  for  $500.  George  doesn't  have  to  touch 
the  orchard  after  the  final  spraying  is  done." 

There  you  have  a  small  investment  and  a  return  of  $4.00  per  tree 
with  someone  else  doing  the  harvesting  and  marketing.  But,  leaving 
the  orchard  for  a  few  minutes,  it  is  worth-while  to  consider  the  over- 
all family  picture  on  this  farm,  as  the  Jackson  story  continues: 

"The  rest  of  his  land  he  rents  out  to  a  neighbor  who  uses  the  pas- 
ture and  furnishes  him  with  enough  hay  to  keep  the  cows.  There  is 
a  good  wood  lot  back  on  one  corner,  from  which  George  gets  his 
wood  for  kitchen  stove  and  fireplace  and  even  cuts  a  few  pine  and 
hardwood  logs  most  every  winter  and  has  them  sawed  up  into  rough 
lumber  for  repair  work. 

"The  two  oldest  children  ride  into  town  every  day  with  their 
father  to  attend  high  school  located  at  a  little  crossroads  village. 
Here  also  is  a  general  store  where  Mrs.  Jackson  buys  part  of  her 
supplies;  here  they  go  to  church,  attend  Grange  meeting,  haul  logs 
to  a  sawmill. 

"The  Jacksons  are  devoted  to  their  little  farm.  They  are  especially 
attached  to  their  home— and  well  they  may  be,  for  under  the  in- 
fluence of  paint,  repairs,  shrubs,  and  flowers,  the  fine  old  house  has 
come  to  life  there  amid  its  noble  trees  in  a  way  to  inspire  pride  in 
any  owner.  It  is  a  big  house.  Every  youngster  has  his  or  her  own 
bedroom,  and  in  the  kitchen  are  all  the  conveniences  that  a  reason- 
able housewife  could  wish  for. 


TOWN    AND    COUNTRY  353 

"  'And  to  think,'  remarks  Mrs.  Jackson,  'that  all  those  years  before 
we  came  up  here  I  didn't  even  have  a  place  to  hang  out  the  Monday 
washing!' 

"Of  course  they  have  a  big  garden.  Mrs.  Jackson  takes  you  down 
cellar  in  the  fall  and  shows  with  pride  long  rows  of  canned  food, 
hams  and  sides  of  bacon  hanging  overhead,  vegetables  and  fruit 
in  the  bins,  cider  in  the  casks,  and  innumerable  good  things  to  take 
a  hungry  family  through  the  winter. 

"  'There  is  no  question  that  we  live  more  cheaply,  have  a  greater 
variety  of  food,  and  of  better  quality  than  we  used  to  in  the  city/ 
she  says.  That  is  her  view  of  the  matter,  whatever  anyone  else  may 
think. 

"George  still  doesn't  regard  himself  as  much  of  a  farmer.  His  job 
is  in  town.  He  looks  upon  the  farm  as  a  home,  a  place  to  be  out- 
doors after  the  confinement  of  his  daily  job  around  the  presses,  and 
finally  as  a  place  where  they  can  grow  a  good  part  of  their  own  food 
and  fuel,  and  where  the  children  can  have  a  more  wholesome  life 
than  they  could  have  in  the  city. 

"Nevertheless,  he  has  done  well  with  the  small  orchard.  It  now 
pays  the  taxes,  insurance,  ordinary  repairs,  and  virtually  all  similar 
expenses  of  the  'farm/ 

"He  has  paid  off  $1,000  of  his  mortgage  and  he  has  money  and  war 
bonds  sufficient  to  pay  the  other  half  of  it  soon.  He  now  feels  pretty 
independent. 

"Incidentally,  George  has  evidence,  too,  that  buying  his  farm 
wasn't  a  bad  investment,  purely  as  a  financial  proposition.  One 
night  he  stopped  for  gas  at  the  roadside  station  owned  by  a  neigh- 
bor. As  usual  they  spent  a  few  minutes  chatting  and  swapping  news. 

"Presently  the  neighbor  said  casually,  'Say,  George,  you  wouldn't 
be  interested  in  selling  your  place,  would  you?* 

"'Nope.'  The  answer  was  prompt.  As  an  afterthought  he  added, 
Wife  wouldn't  hear  of  it/ 

"  Well,  I  didn't  suppose  you  would.  But  I've  thought  a  good  many 
times  I'd  kind  of  like  to  have  it.  Ought  to've  bought  it  a  long  time 
ago,  back  there  before  you  came  along.  Matter  of  fact,  I  hope  you 
folks'!!  stay  right  here  in  the  neighborhood  as  long  as  you  live.  But 
just  in  case  you  should  ever  happen  to  take  a  notion  to  sell  out  some- 
time—keep me  in  mind/ 

"And  then  he  added  casually,  Til  give  you  five  thousand  cash  any 
time/ 


354  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

"The  Jacksons  won't  sell  their  home.  But  it  makes  George  feel 
good  to  think  that  probably  he  could  almost  double  his  money  on 
it" 

If  you  want  country  living  and  an  apple  orchard  you  may  be  able 
to  locate  one  already  established,  or  one  that  has  been  neglected  in 
the  hands  of  an  estate.  The  prices,  of  course,  will  vary  with  the 
time,  location,  the  land  involved,  the  condition  of  the  buildings.  You 
can't  pick  up  a  place  such  as  the  Jacksons'  just  any  afternoon.  It  will 
take  searching  such  as  thousands  of  others  have  experienced. 

SELECTING    OR     PLANTING    AND     MANAGING 
ORCHARDS 

By  careful  investigation  you  may  be  able  to  locate  a  place  with 
established  young  apple  orchards,  and  if  so  you  save  yourself  a 
considerable  period  of  waiting.  The  average  life  of  a  commercial 
orchard  in  the  United  States  is  not  over  forty  years,  and  standard 
trees  do  not  begin  to  bear  until  from  two  to  seven  years,  closer  to 
the  latter  figure  for  full  production.  Dwarf  varieties  for  your  own 
use  or  special  purposes  will  be  easier  to  prune  and  spray,  and  have 
a  full  crop  in  two  or  three  years.  Another  advantage  of  the  dwarf 
varieties  is  that  they  can  be  planted  15  feet  apart  or  193  trees  to  the 
acre,  while  the  standard  varieties  are  planted  35  feet  apart  or  35  to 
the  acre.  If  you  plan  to  establish  your  own  young  orchard,  you  may 
consider  the  advisability  of  cash  crops  such  as  strawberries,  rasp- 
berries, sweet  corn,  melons,  or  squashes,  etc.,  for  income  during  the 
period  before  the  orchards  begin  to  produce  satisfactorily.  Such 
crops  planted  between  the  trees  not  only  provide  income  during 
the  waiting  period,  but  make  the  cultivation  of  the  orchard  area 
pay  off. 

Location  near  a  well-traveled  highway,  topography,  and  soil  are 
three  of  the  foremost  considerations  to  keep  in  mind  in  selecting  a 
site  for  your  orchard. 

It  is  advisable  to  be  near  a  good  highway,  both  for  transportation 
purposes  and  to  have  a  good  site  for  roadside-stand  marketing, 
which  eliminates  a  middleman's  profit  and  thus  increases  your  own 
"fruit"  for  your  labors. 

"Too  much  emphasis  cannot  be  placed  on  the  importance  of  air 
drainage  from  the  standpoint  of  apple  production,"  according  to 
Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  1897,  dealing  with  the  establishing  and 


TOWN    AND     COUNTRY  355 

managing  of  young  apple  orchards.  It  is  issued  by  the  U.  S.  De- 
partment of  Agriculture.  "In  most  parts  of  the  United  States  spring 
frosts  or  freezes  shortly  before,  during,  or  after  bloom  constitute  a 
tremendous  hazard  in  apple  production.  This  hazard  can  be  re- 
duced by  selecting  the  most  favorable  sites  for  orchard  planting, 
although  in  most  parts  of  the  United  States  it  cannot  be  entirely 
eliminated. 

"It  is  a  well-known  principle  that  cold  air  is  heavier  than  warm 
air  and  that  cold  air  tends  to  settle  into  the  low  spots.  Thus  on  still, 
frosty  nights  the  temperature  in  valleys  or  depressions  surrounded 
on  all  sides  by  higher  land  may  be  many  degrees  colder  than  that 
in  more  elevated  locations.  Under  such  conditions  a  difference  of 
100  feet  in  elevation  may  make  a  difference  of  5°  to  10°  F.  in  the 
minimum  temperature  encountered.  In  many  seasons  such  differ- 
ences would  mean  the  difference  between  a  full  crop  and  a  crop 
failure.  Thus,  the  first  prerequisite  of  a  site  for  the  apple  orchard  is 
that  it  be  sufficiently  elevated  so  that  the  cold  air  can  settle  below 
rather  than  into  the  orchard. 

"Sites  above  good-sized  streams  or  lakes,  with  free  opportunity 
for  the  cold  air  to  settle  from  the  orchard  to  the  water,  are  par- 
ticularly favorable  from  the  standpoint  of  frost  protection.  .  .  . 
The  slopes  along  the  sides  of  ridges  are  frequently  more  desirable 
than  the  tops.  .  .  . 

"The  most  important  factors  to  consider  in  the  soil  are:  1.  Drain- 
age and  aeration;  apple  orchards  usually  are  not  successful  on  soils 
that  become  waterlogged  and  remain  in  that  condition  for  any 
appreciable  length  of  time,  particularly  during  the  growing  season; 
2.  Water-holding  capacity;  this  includes  a  consideration  of  both 
the  texture  of  the  soil  and  its  depth;  3.  Capacity  to  absorb  water 
readily  from  rain  or  irrigation;  and  4.  Fertility/' 

Establishment  of  a  young  orchard  takes  time  and  money,  and  any 
time  you  spend  with  your  local  agricultural  agents,  who  are  at  your 
service,  will  be  excellent  insurance  and  highly  rewarding. 

You  have  a  broad  choice  of  standard  varieties  of  apples  for  com- 
mercial orchards.  The  Red  Astrachan  bears  in  late  July  and  August; 
Red  Duchess  and  Yellow  Transparent  in  early  August;  the  Wealthy 
in  late  September;  Mclntosh,  Rhode  Island  Greening,  Baldwin,  De- 
licious, Jonathan,  Northern  Spy,  Stayman  Winesap  and  Rome 
Beauty,  all  bearing  in  October. 

On  the  average  a  good  mature  apple  tree  will  bear  about  six 


MOKKY-MAKIVC    IDEAS 


12  to  16  feet  apart. 


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CHAPTER    FOBTY-5IX 

Small  Fmif  Garde** 


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being  raised.  On 
to  get  away 
and 

of 


MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 


STRAWBERRIES 

The  strawberry  is  the  most  popular,  most  widely  grown,  and  most 
important  of  all  the  small-fruit  crops  in  the  United  States.  It  is  pro- 
duced in  home  gardens  in  all  sections  of  the  country,  and  on  a  large 
commercial  scale  in  the  eastern  half  of  the  United  States  and  irri- 
gated areas  in  the  West.  Strawberries  require  fertile,  well-drained, 
level  or  gently  sloping  ground. 

Early  spring  planting  follows  three  basic  systems:  1.  the  hill  sys- 
tem. 2.  the  spaced-row  system.  3.  the  matted-row  system.  Under  the 
hill  system  the  plants  are  commonly  set  12  to  18  inches  apart  in  rows 
3  to  3/2  feet  apart,  and  runners  are  removed  as  they  appear.  In  a 
spaced  row,  common  in  the  Cape  Cod  section,  the  runners  are  hand 
set  and  later  runners  are  removed  so  the  plants  are  spaced  rather 
uniformly  with  the  mother  plants  about  12  inches  apart  with  two 
runner  systems  permitted  to  form.  The  rows  are  usually  2  to  2/2  feet 
wide  and  this  method  produces  from  8000  to  11,000  quarts  per  acre 
under  proper  conditions. 

The  matted-row  system  is  the  one  more  commonly  used.  The  cost 
of  growing  an  acre  under  this  system  is  less  than  for  spaced  rows. 
Under  this  system  plants  are  set  1  to  2  feet  apart  in  the  row  and  the 
runners  that  form  during  the  summer  are  permitted  to  root  in  spaces 
between  the  mother  plants.  At  the  end  of  the  season  there  is  a  mat 
of  plants  varying  from  a  few  inches  to  as  much  as  3  feet  or  more, 
according  to  varying  conditions.  As  it  is  easier  to  harvest  berries 
from  narrow  rows,  many  growers  find  matted  rows  of  1  to  2  feet 
most  desirable. 

Unless  a  machine  planter  is  used,  position  of  rows  should  be  indi- 
cated by  use  of  markers.  This  marking  guides  the  setting  in  straight 
lines  and  lessens  danger  of  disturbing  plants  during  cultivation,  and 
minimizes  labor  of  cultivation.  In  setting  by  hand  in  loose  soils  an 
opening  about  4  inches  deep  is  made  with  one  hand  and  the  plant 
set  with  the  other,  and  earth  filled  in  and  firmed.  Usually  a  dibble, 
trowel,  or  punch  is  used. 

Some  varieties  of  plants  are  better  adapted  for  certain  soils  and 
locations  and  methods  of  planting.  The  grower  should  investigate 
carefully  before  investing  his  money  and  labor.  Plants  should  be 
purchased  from  highly  reliable  nurseries,  preferably  those  nearby, 
as  small-fruit  plants  do  not  benefit  from  long-distance  shipping. 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  359 

Valuable  details  on  strawberry  culture  in  various  sections  are  pro- 
vided by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  Farmers'  Bulletins 
No.  1026,  for  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  Coast  regions,  No.  1027,  for 
Western  United  States,  No.  1028,  for  Eastern  United  States. 

The  last  bulletin  points  out  that  "many  million  dollars'  worth  of 
strawberry  products  are  manufactured  each  year.  Among  the  more 
important  of  these  are  preserves,  jams,  essences  for  flavoring  can- 
dies, flavoring  extracts,  syrup  for  soda  fountains,  and  crushed  fruit 
for  flavoring  ice  cream  and  sauces.  Strawberries  are  also  packed  in 
the  proportion  of  about  3  parts  fruit  to  1  part  sugar  (or  its  equiva- 
lent in  a  heavy  syrup)  in  small  packages,  frozen,  and  sold  to  the 
retail  trade.  The  varieties  considered  best  for  preserving  are  light, 
bright  red,  acid,  with  a  strong  strawberry  flavor,  and  firm  fleshed, 
so  they  will  not  break  to  pieces  in  cooking.  For  the  ice  cream  trade, 
varieties  with  a  deep-red  color  and  high  flavor  are  desired. 

"The  varieties  chiefly  used  in  eastern  United  States  are  Blakemore, 
Klondike,  Missionary,  Howard  17  (premier),  and  Parsons  (Gibson). 
Blakemore  is  the  best  variety  for  preserving,  but  is  used  for  the  small 
package  trade  as  well.  Klondike  is  one  of  the  best  for  both  ice  cream 
trade  and  the  small  package  trade  but  is  dark  for  preserves.  Mis- 
sionary is  used  for  both  preserves  and  for  flavoring  ice  cream.  Al- 
though Howard  17  ( Premier )  is  reported  as  very  good  for  ice  cream 
flavoring  and  the  package  trade  in  Massachusetts,  it  is  not  so  desira- 
ble farther  south  as  other  sorts.  In  Minnesota,  Beaver,  Culver,  and 
Dorsett  are  considered  suitable  for  freezing.  In  tests  in  Maryland, 
Joe  and  Blakemore  rate  highly  as  varieties  for  the  small  package 
trade.  Eastern  berries  are  rarely  canned." 

As  with  other  farm  and  plantation  products,  your  own  roadside 
stand  ( or  one  in  co-operation  with  neighbors )  offers  a  way  to  high- 
est profits  from  your  acre  or  acres,  with  local  individual  and  com- 
mercial places  next  on  the  list. 

BLACKBERRIES     AND     DEWBERRIES 

Erect  blackberries  and  trailing  blackberries,  called  dewberries  in 
many  sections,  are  cultivated  successfully  over  a  wide  area  extend- 
ing west  and  southwestward  from  New  Jersey.  They  have  become 
popular  for  the  fresh  market  and  for  canning,  jam,  and  pies.  Because 
of  a  long  growing  season  they  have  become  a  very  profitable  crop 
in  several  states. 


360  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

The  fruit  does  not  "travel"  well,  so  plantations  should  be  located 
close  to  good  roads  and  the  markets.  The  berries  will  flourish  on 
nearly  any  type  of  soil  with  suitable  moisture  conditions.  Most  de- 
sirable is  a  coarse,  sandy,  or  clay  soil  with  a  mellow  subsoil.  The 
plants  may  be  purchased  from  nurseries,  or  home  grown,  and  culti- 
vated in  rows  8  feet  apart  with  the  plants  3  or  4  feet  apart  in  the 
row.  The  life  of  the  plantation  varies  with  soil  and  moisture  condi- 
tions in  various  parts  of  the  country.  Some  plantations  have  been 
productive  for  more  than  15  years. 

The  berries  grow  on  last  year's  canes  and  after  harvest  the  old 
canes  are  pruned  and  burned. 

Technical  details  are  available  in  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  1995, 
issued  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 

GOOSEBERRIES 

Gooseberries,  although  sour,  have  a  delicate  taste  in  pies  and  pre- 
serves and  have  a  ready  market  in  many  areas. 

Soil  and  cultivation  requirements  are  about  the  same  as  for  black- 
berries. They  are  planted  3  to  4  feet  apart  in  rows  6  feet  apart  and 
require  annual  pruning  to  keep  the  bushes  3  to  4  feet  in  height. 

GRAPES 

Grapes  for  juice,  canning,  wines,  and  jellies  have  become  a  tre- 
mendously important  crop  in  many  sections.  They  represent  quite 
an  investment  if  grown  on  a  commercial  scale,  but,  properly  culti- 
vated, produce  profitable  crops  for  many  years. 

Grapes  are  planted  in  the  spring  about  9  feet  apart  in  rows,  with 
rows  about  10  feet  apart.  They  require  careful  pruning  and  training. 
Productive  soil  about  the  same  as  for  other  small  fruits  is  required. 

There  is  a  large  number  of  varieties  available,  and  favored  varie- 
ties for  your  own  section  should  have  first  consideration  under  the 
guidance  of  local  growers  and  the  Department  of  Agriculture. 

CURRANTS 

There  is  growing  interest  in  currants  for  their  own  particular 
flavor  in  jellies,  pies,  and,  occasionally,  wine.  They  require  cultiva- 
tion in  soil  about  the  same  as  that  for  strawberries.  The  fruit  grows 
on  both  young  and  old  canes. 


TOWN    AND    COUNTRY  361 


BLUEBERRIES 

If  you  are  interested  in  small-fruit  growing  and  are  not  pressed 
for  early  cash  income,  you  should  give  serious  consideration  to  the 
potentialities  of  cultivating  blueberries.  There  are  wide  areas  where 
wild  blueberries  provide  a  profitable  harvest,  but  in  recent  years  the 
cultivated  varieties,  because  of  size  and  flavor  and  other  factors, 
have  become  increasingly  important,  and  the  field  is  not  over- 
crowded. With  intelligent  planting  your  yield  in  the  third  year 
would  be  considerable,  and  when  the  plants  reach  full  bearing  in 
the  sixth  or  seventh  year,  it  is  reasonable  to  expect  to  net  a  $1000 
annual  profit  per  acre,  perhaps  more.  And,  having  reached  this 
point,  your  acre  or  acres  of  blueberries  will  go  on  bearing  good  crops 
under  proper  handling  for  fifty  or  even  seventy-five  years. 

Illustrative  of  the  long  life  of  blueberry  plants  is  the  case  of  Joe 
Eberhardt,  who,  with  his  wife,  began  experimenting  with  blue- 
berries in  1925  on  the  West  Coast,  while  he  was  still  working  in  a 
factory.  They  imported  100  plants  from  New  Jersey  and  crossed 
them  with  others,  and  secured  fine  berries.  Keep  in  mind  that  he 
started  small,  with  only  100  plants— you  can  plant  more  than  1000  to 
a  full  acre. 

He  studied  his  markets  and  found  that  with  fine  berries  carefully 
boxed  and  wrapped  in  cellophane  he  could  get  fancy  prices.  Some 
twenty  years  later,  according  to  the  Readers  Digest  Manual  of  Small 
Businesses,  'Tie  has  more  than  20  acres  in  blueberries,  which  he  sells 
from  June  to  September  to  local  home-canners  and  grocers,  or  ships 
as  far  east  as  Denver.  He  also  does  a  thriving  business  in  selling  the 
plants. 

"There  may  be  similar  opportunities  to  perfect  other  wild  or  culti- 
vated fruits  and  vegetables  to  be  packed  for  the  luxury  trade  and 
shipped  by  refrigerated  express  or  by  airplane  to  the  best  markets. 
The  sale  of  plants  or  seeds  offers  further  sales  possibilities. 

"Eberhardt  found  that  quick  financial  returns  cannot  be  expected 
from  this  business;  that  the  young  blueberry  plant  should  not  be  per- 
mitted to  fruit  for  one  or  two  seasons  after  it  is  set  out;  that  a  com- 
mercial crop  cannot  be  expected  until  the  third  year;  and  that  from 
six  to  eight  years  are  required  to  reach  full  maturity.  Then,  under 
ideal  conditions,  they  should  produce  about  four  tons  to  the  acre/' 

If  you  figure  roughly  1.15  pints  per  pound,  more  or  less,  according 


362  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

to  growing  conditions  and  variety,  and  multiply  by  the  prevailing 
rate  for  blueberries  in  your  area,  you  can  easily  arrive  at  your  gross 
income  per  acre. 

Cultivated  blueberries  are  one  of  the  comparatively  newer  highly 
profitable  crops  in  New  Jersey,  North  Carolina,  Michigan,  Washing- 
ton, Oregon,  Massachusetts,  New  York,  and  several  other  states,  in- 
cluding part  of  the  Southeast. 

"Blueberries  can  be  produced  in  home  gardens  if  the  soil  is  natu- 
rally acid  or  is  properly  treated,"  according  to  Farmers'  Bulletin  No. 
1951,  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture.  "They  do  not 
succeed  in  ordinary  rich  garden  soils  and  soon  die,  but  they  do  thrive 
in  naturally  moist  acid  soils  such  as  those  in  which  native  blueberries 
and  huckleberries,  azaleas,  laurel,  and  rhododendrons  grow.  For 
small  plantings  mulching  with  leaves,  sawdust,  hay,  or  straw  to  a 
depth  of  5  or  6  inches  helps  to  retain  moisture,  to  keep  down  weeds, 
to  control  erosion,  and  to  keep  the  ground  cool.  Blueberries  should 
not  be  planted  on  soils  limed  in  recent  years  unless  actual  tests  have 
shown  that  they  are  still  acid  enough  for  blueberries.  For  the  less 
acid  soils,  decaying  oak  leaves  or  acid  peat  mixed  in  the  soil  around 
the  plants  helps  to  make  conditions  suitable,  but  plants  on  such  soils 
will  always  require  extra  care." 

Pertinent  pointers  on  planting  and  cultivation  are  offered  in  the 
same  bulletin:  "The  plants  are  usually  set  4  or  5  by  8  feet,  4  or  5  by 
10,  or  6  by  8  as  early  in  the  spring  as  the  soil  becomes  suitable  for 
working.  Setting  them  5  by  8  feet  (1,089  plants  per  acre)  or  6  by  8 
(908  plants  per  acre)  is  suggested  for  new  plantings.  Setting  4  by  10 
feet  (1,089  plants  per  acre)  or  5  by  10  (871  plants  per  acre)  is  sug- 
gested for  plantings  for  standard  tractor  cultivation/' 

Order  top-grade  plants  from  reliable  nurseries,  plant  according  to 
specifications,  and  you  have  a  crop  that  keeps  you  occupied  from 
spring  to  fall  with  comparatively  little  time  investment  for  pruning 
during  the  winter.  There  is  nearly  a  score  of  cultivated  varieties  from 
which  to  pick  the  variety  best  suited  for  your  own  area. 

RASPBERRIES 

Red  and  black  raspberries  are  a  popular  and  profitable  home  plan- 
tation crop,  and,  as  with  strawberries,  if  conditions  and  handling  are 
correct  you  can  expect  to  make  a  profit  of  $800  to  $1000  an  acre. 
Both  types  can  be  planted  in  fall  or  spring  and  require  well-drained, 
fertile  soil.  Their  cultivation  is  limited  to  the  Northern  United  States. 


TOWN     AND     COUNTRY  363 

Red  raspberries  producing  red  fruit  have  erect  canes  and  are 
propagated  by  suckers  from  the  roots  of  the  parent  plant.  Popular 
varieties  include  the  Latham,  Cuthbert,  Taylor,  and  Washington. 
Black  raspberries  with  black  fruit  have  arched  canes  that  root  at  the 
tips  in  the  fall.  The  Cumberland  is  the  most  important  commercial 

type- 
Raspberries  are  grown  in  the  hill,  linear,  or  hedge  system,  and 

technical  details  regarding  planting  and  pruning  are  available  in 
Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  887,  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agri- 
culture. This  bulletin  points  out  that  "the  average  yield  for  the 
United  States  is  less  than  1,000  quarts  per  acre.  No  grower,  however, 
should  be  satisfied  with  such  yields.  Records  of  red-raspberry 
growers  in  New  York  indicate  that  the  average  yield  of  good  fields 
is  between  1,300  and  1,400  quarts  per  acre,  whereas  that  of  the  best 
fields  is  as  high  as  4,000  quarts.  Good  fields  of  black  raspberries  in 
the  same  state  average  between  1,400  and  1,700  quarts  per  acre,  and 
the  purple  varieties  average  between  1,700  and  2,300  quarts." 

When  you  consider  that  in  some  areas  red-raspberry  plantations 
have  been  bearing  fine  crops  for  as  many  as  thirty-five  years  without 
indication  of  becoming  less  fruitful,  it  is  obvious  that  the  planter 
should  follow  the  known  methods  and  make  adequate  investment  in 
fertilizer,  devoting  the  time  necessary  to  stake  and  train  the  canes 
properly. 

The  grower  who  does  give  his  plantation  its  best  chance  to  pro- 
duce high  yields  gains  a  profit  that  is  a  sound  return  on  investment. 
As  with  other  home  garden  products,  his  own  roadside  stand  for 
fresh  or  prepared  berries  yields  the  biggest  profit. 

"A  large  part  of  the  raspberry  crop  is  marketed  fresh,  to  be  used 
in  the  home  for  various  culinary  and  dessert  purposes,"  according  to 
Bulletin  887.  "In  addition,  large  quantities  are  canned  or  are  pre- 
served by  freezing.  .  .  .  No.  2  is  the  standard  size  can  for  packing 
raspberries. 

"Raspberries  to  be  used  for  pie  making,  preserving,  and  other  uses 
generally  have  been  packed  in  the  larger  sized  No.  10  cans.  In  recent 
years,  however,  fruit  to  be  used  in  this  trade  is  largely  packed  in 
barrels  or  large  cans,  either  with  or  without  sugar,  and  frozen. 

"Raspberries  are  also  made  into  jams,  jellies,  and  preserves,  and 
quantities  are  used  for  making  essences  and  extracts.  The  juice  is 
sometimes  sold  for  use  as  a  beverage,  and  it  is  used  also  in  the  mak- 
ing of  ice  creams  and  sherbets. 


364  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

"Brief  directions  for  utilizing  raspberries  follow: 

"Canning  in  tins.— Only  cans  that  have  been  lacquered  on  the  in- 
side should  be  used  for  raspberries.  Stems,  leaves,  and  defective 
fruit  should  be  discarded  and  the  cans  should  then  be  filled  with  a 
certain  weight  of  berries.  Hot  water  or  hot  sugar  syrup  should  be 
added,  the  can  exhausted,  the  top  inserted  and  sealed,  and  the  whole 
can  sterilized.  The  sterilizing  process  takes  12  minutes  at  212°  F.  If 
a  syrup  is  added  it  should  be  of  the  right  degree  of  density  to  bring 
out  the  flavor  of  the  particular  variety.  Usually  the  density  will  range 
from  15°  to  50°.  A  50°  syrup  is  made  by  adding  8  pounds  6  ounces 
of  sugar  to  1  gallon  of  water,  and  a  15°  syrup  is  made  by  adding  1 
pound  7/2  ounces  to  each  gallon  of  water. 

"Canning  in  glass  jars.— If  there  is  no  objection  to  shrinkage,  the 
berries  may  be  put  in  the  jars,  covered  with  a  hot  syrup  of  15°  to 
50°  density,  and  then  sterilized  for  20  minutes  at  212°  F.  The  covers 
should  be  fastened  on  immediately  after  cooking.  If  jars  full  of  fruit 
are  desired,  the  berries  should  be  cooked  before  being  packed  in  the 
jars  and  less  syrup  used. 

"Making  jam.— For  making  jam  the  fresh  berries  may  be  thor- 
oughly mashed  or  they  may  be  left  whole.  If  they  are  used  whole, 
some  water  must  be  added  before  they  are  cooked;  cooking  will  take 
longer  than  if  no  water  is  added.  Ordinarily  sugar  equal  in  weight 
to  the  berries  should  be  added  before  they  are  cooked.  If  the  fruit 
is  very  acid  more  sugar  should  be  used;  if  it  is  mildly  acid  less  sugar 
will  be  needed.  The  jam  should  be  cooked  at  212°  F.  for  20  minutes 
or  until  it  is  of  the  desired  thickness  and  then  placed  in  jars  and 
sealed. 

"Frozen  storage.— From  16  to  22  million  pounds  of  red  and  purple 
raspberries  are  frozen  each  year  to  be  used  fresh  or  by  the  pie,  pre- 
serve, and  ice  cream  industries.  The  berries  are  picked  over,  washed 
if  necessary,  and  put  in  barrels  or  smaller  containers,  usually  with 
sugar.  If  with  sugar,  the  proportion  is  1  part  of  sugar  to  2,  3,  or  4 
parts  of  berries,  depending  on  the  purpose  for  which  they  are  to  be 
used.  The  packages  must  be  placed  in  freezing  storage  promptly. 
Since  1927  an  increasing  quantity  has  been  frozen-packed  in  small 
containers  for  home  consumption.  These  are  mostly  packed  in  the 
proportion  of  1  part  of  sugar  to  3  parts  of  berries." 

A  most  useful  publication  is: 

Profitable  Country  Living  for  Retired  People,  by  Haydn  S.   Pearson. 
Doubleday  &  Co.,  Inc.,  575  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 


Part  Seven 


HOW  AND  WHERE  TO  PACKAGE 
AND  SELL  HOME  PRODUCTS  AND 
SERVICES 


CHAPTER     FORTY-SEVEN 


Accepted  Marketing  Practices  Available 
for  Yow 


YOU  MAY  HAVE  selected  and  developed  an  excellent  and  needed 
home  product  or  service,  but  unless  you  can  sell  it  at  a  profit  it  is 
almost  useless.  Men  and  women  who  have  never  engaged  in  market- 
ing either  product  or  service  are  often  inclined  to  think  that  some 
seventeenth  sense  or  some  great  genius  is  involved.  That  is  not  the 
case.  There  is  no  mystery  about  selling,  and  many  men  and  women 
with  no  previous  experience  have  simply  used  their  native  common 
sense,  resourcefulness,  and  determination  to  successfully  market 
their  services  or  wares.  They  simply  recognize  that  everything  goes 
through  selling  processes  and  that  the  hundreds  of  thousands  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  selling  aren't  paragons.  They  realize  that  to  sell 
they  must  do  something  about  it.  At  the  outset  customers  won't 
simply  land  in  the  lap;  although,  once  a  home  business  is  under  way, 
it  often  happens  that  business  is  thrust  upon  the  operator.  Success- 
ful salesmen  use  the  established  methods  of  selling  with  any  effec- 
tive variations  they  can  devise. 

Among  the  generally  accepted  ways  of  selling  direct  to  customers 
or  through  the  services  or  establishments  of  others  are  the  following: 

1.  Direct  to  customers  from  your  home  shop  or  lawn  or  garden 

2.  Direct  to  customers  from  your  own  or  others'  roadside  markets 

3.  Direct  mail.  See  chapter  forty-nine 

4.  Telephone.  See  chapter  fifty 

5.  Woman's  Exchanges,  co-operatives,  craft  and  guild  shops 

6.  Gift  and  specialty  shops 

7.  Door  to  door 

8.  Sale  of  others'  products  through  home  demonstration 

9.  Agents 

10.  Department  and  chain  stores 

11.  Publicity  and  advertising  via  periodicals,  television,  radio 


368  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 


SALES     IN     YOUR     HOME 

You  can  establish  a  "shop"  or  sales  outlet  in  and  around  your  own 
home,  advertise,  and  sell  direct  to  buyers.  Many  men  and  women 
do  this.  Before  undertaking  such  selling  methods,  however,  you 
should  consider  some  of  the  disadvantages  as  well  as  the  advantages. 

In  your  own  home  shop  you  are  your  own  salesman  and  don't 
have  to  pay  commissions.  Your  overhead  is  very  low.  You  are  your 
own  boss.  Your  products  or  services  may  be  such  that  you  have  little 
difficulty  in  getting  customers  and  the  profits  can  be  high.  Many 
have  established  such  home  shops,  marketing  their  food  and  craft 
products,  and  their  initial  efforts  have  led  to  establishment  of  larger 
shops  outside  of  the  home.  It  is  an  excellent  training  process,  but  it 
has  its  problems. 

Some  of  the  problems  of  the  home  shop  are  these:  You  must  ad- 
vertise to  get  your  buyers.  If  you  have  advertised  and  are  away 
when  customers  come,  you  suffer  a  loss.  It  may  be  confining.  You 
are  subject  to  constant  interruption.  You  have  made  your  home  at 
least  a  semi-public  place.  The  time  you  devote  to  serving  shoppers 
as  well  as  buyers  cannot  be  devoted  to  making  your  products  or  per- 
forming your  salable  service.  You  may  have  to  increase  the  amount 
of  time  you  devote  to  housekeeping.  Many  have  weighed  these  dis- 
advantages and  others  they  see  attaching  to  their  own  particular 
operation  and  have  gone  ahead  successfully. 

HOME     DEMONSTRATION     AND 
DOOR-TO-DOOR     SELLING 

Some  men  and  women  who  like  to  meet  and  talk  with  people  and 
entertain  and  make  money  by  so  doing  use  their  homes  for  quite 
profitable  home-demonstration  parties,  and  operate  from  their 
homes,  sometimes  with  the  same  demonstration-party  products,  and 
sell  door  to  door.  It  is  not  at  all  uncommon  for  home-demonstration- 
party  women  to  make  $20  or  more  per  afternoon  or  evening,  having 
several  "parties"  a  week,  and  some  of  them  also  do  door-to-door  sell- 
ing for  additional  earnings  during  other  hours. 

There  is  a  wide  range  of  products  available  for  home-demonstra- 
tion or  door-to-door  selling  or  both.  These  opportunities  are  listed 
in  local  newspapers  and  various  periodicals.  One  word  or  two  of 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  369 

warning,  however.  There  are  some  companies  that  provide  shoddy 
products,  and  you  should  be  on  guard  or  you  will  impose  on  friends 
and  relatives  and  strangers.  One  good  safeguard  is  to  check  with 
your  nearest  Better  Business  Bureau.  The  branches  are  listed  in  Part 
Eight  of  this  book.  This  bureau  has  led  the  fight  to  rid  the  country 
of  "gyp"  organizations  and  protect  you  and  your  customers. 

There  are  many  nation-wide  organizations  doing  billions  of  dollars 
of  business  annually  through  home-demonstration  and  door-to-door 
salesmen  and  -women.  Among  them  are  Stanley  Home  Products, 
Westfield,  Mass.;  Better  Brushes,  1910  Arthur  Ave.,  Bronx.,  N.Y.; 
Fuller  Brush  Co.,  Hartford,  Conn.;  Doehla  Greeting  Cards,  Inc., 
Nashua,  N.H.;  Peggy  Newton  Cosmetics,  Dept  G.,  Newark,  N.J.; 
Linda  Lee  Cosmetics,  185  Montague  St.,  Brooklyn,  N.Y.  There  are 
many  others. 

Most,  if  not  all,  of  the  companies  provide  demonstration  kits  and 
intensive  sales  instructions  to  their  agents.  Many  men  and  women, 
setting  their  own  time  and  operating  as  independent  agents  for  such 
organizations,  develop  a  steady  and  often  sizable  income.  Typically, 
a  woman  entering  the  home-demonstration  field  will  attend  one  or 
more  demonstrations  in  process  of  operation.  She  will  learn  how  it 
is  done.  She  will  invite  friends  and  relatives— and  ask  them  to  invite 
others— to  a  home  entertainment.  There  will  be  refreshments,  small 
gifts,  prizes,  conversation,  cards,  radio,  and  what  not  to  make  the 
affair  interesting.  The  product  or  products  for  sale  will  be  intro- 
duced at  one  point  during  the  party  and  the  guest-customers  will 
have  an  opportunity  to  buy.  The  party  may  last  for  two  hours,  sel- 
dom longer.  Thousands  upon  thousands  earn  good  livings  this  way. 

Sometimes  the  products  sold  at  home  demonstrations  are  also 
readily  salable  from  door  to  door  in  communities  where  such 
methods  of  selling  are  not  prohibited.  Harry  Doehla,  of  Fitchburg, 
Massachusetts,  handicapped  by  arthritis,  developed  his  own  home 
business  of  making  greeting  cards.  By  direct  mail,  he  secured  thou- 
sands of  home  and  door-to-door  salesmen  for  his  cards,  and  it  be- 
came a  million-dollar  business. 

Illustrative  of  such  greeting-card  selling  are  these  reports:  "I  have 
sold  Doehla  cards  for  15  to  20  years  and  my  sales  increase  all  the 
time.  I  contact  friends  personally,  phone,  and  by  cards  through  the 
mail.  My  Ladies  Aid  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  sells  these 
cards  the  year  round.  I  have  been  card  chairman  for  years.  So  far 
this  year  I  have  ordered  1125  boxes.  One  customer  recently  bought 


3/O  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

$20  worth  and  I  have  several  large  orders  on  hand."— Mrs.  J.  R. 
Simpson,  Casper,  Wyoming. 

The  money  I  make  selling  greeting  cards  is  very  necessary  to  help 
feed  and  clothe  the  six  of  us  with  present  prices.  However,  I  have 
derived  many  other  benefits.  We  moved  here  five  yars  ago  and  I 
knew  only  two  people.  The  past  Christmas  was  my  third  at  selling 
cards.  My  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances  has  grown  until  I 
know  just  about  everyone."— Gertrude  C.  Blancher,  Hammondsport, 
New  York. 

Youngsters,  the  middle  aged,  the  retired  supplementing  their  pen- 
sions, the  handicapped,  have  found  various  products  that  they  can 
sell  directly  to  increase  their  incomes,  either  on  a  pin-money  or  on  a 
full-living  basis. 

WOMAN'S   EXCHANGES,   GIFT  AND 
SPECIALTY   SHOPS 

For  generations  women  have  yearned  for  creative  expression,  use 
of  their  skills,  and  increased  income  at  home.  As  far  back  as  1878 
Mrs.  William  Chote  recognized  this  yearning  and  organized  the 
New  York  Exchange  for  Woman's  Work,  now  located  at  541  Madi- 
son Ave.,  New  York  City.  In  organizing  the  exchange,  she  estab- 
lished the  slogan,  "Every  Purchase  You  Make  Helps  a  Woman  to 
Help  Herself."  The  organization  still  functions  actively  and  other 
Woman's  Exchanges,  listed  in  local  telephone  books,  can  be  found 
in  numerous  towns  and  cities  across  the  country,  operating  inde- 
pendently but  along  the  lines  of  the  New  York  Exchange. 

These  non-profit  Exchanges  are  customarily  backed  by  women  of 
prominence  in  the  community.  If  your  home-product  output  is  small, 
your  local  Woman's  Exchange  is  perhaps  your  best  immediate  out- 
let. The  exchange,  if  your  product  passes  its  strict  requirements,  will 
put  it  on  sale  on  consignment.  Consignment  selling  means  that  your 
products  will  be  put  on  sale  and  you  will  be  paid  when  they  are 
sold,  after  deduction  of  only  a  20-  to  25-per-cent  charge  for  your 
share  of  overhead  and  other  expenses.  If  the  products  do  not  sell, 
you  must  take  them  back. 

Products  on  sale  in  such  exchanges  vary  according  to  local  regu- 
lations but  frequently  include  foods,  toys,  novelties,  children's  and 
women's  apparel,  accessories,  lingerie,  linens,  various  gift  items. 
Your  experience  in  dealing  with  the  exchange  and  meeting  its  re- 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  3/1 

quirements  may  be  very  valuable  as  you  are  developing  your  own 
home  business. 

Gift  and  specialty  shops  in  your  local  area  will  ofttimes  take  your 
products  on  consignment,  but  they  may  charge  40  to  60  per  cent  of 
the  sales  price,  so  your  own  pricing  must  take  this  "mark  up"  into 
consideration.  Creators  of  home  products,  craftsmen  and  others, 
whose  friends  want  to  buy  their  products  or  have  specialties  made 
to  order,  have  reached  the  point  where  they  should  seriously  con- 
sider broader  markets.  You  can  sell  some  of  your  items  to  friends  and 
to  local  stores,  but  if  you  want  to  build  up  more  than  a  pin-money 
income,  you  will  need  to  operate  on  a  more  professional  basis. 

A  brief  and  authentic  survey  of  general  craft-marketing  practices 
is  part  of  that  useful  booklet,  The  Craftsman  Sells  His  Wares: 
"When  a  craftsman  tries  to  sell  his  product  only  two  courses  are 
open  to  him:  he  must  pay  someone  to  do  it  for  him,  or  do  it  himself. 
If  he  makes  the  second  choice  he  gives  up  precious  production  time 
and  as  a  result  has  less  to  sell.  He  will  do  far  better,  whether  he  is 
selling  at  wholesale  or  retail,  to  rely  on  the  middleman  or  agent  and 
to  realize  that  the  agent  has  certain  set  practices,  can  be  of  inesti- 
mable help  and  must  charge  for  his  efforts.  The  middleman  is  there 
because  no  one  has  devised  a  better  means  of  selling  that  will  meet 
the  public  demand.  Manufacturers  realized  this  long  ago  and  now 
find  the  middleman  indispensable.  The  craftsman  should  regard  him 
as  a  valuable  ally.  If  he  picks  his  agent  carefully,  he  will  benefit 
greatly.  From  him  he  will  get  advice  as  to  fashion  trends,  public 
reaction,  prices,  and  the  type  of  market  which  is  best  suited  to  his 
particular  work.  It  is  the  agent's  business  to  know  these  things  and 
it  is  to  his  best  interest  to  impart  them  to  his  source  of  supply— the 
craftsman.  Selling  on  consignment,  except  in  those  instances  where 
complete  trust  can  be  placed  on  the  consignee,  is  not  recommended. 

"Once  a  product  is  developed  and  properly  priced  where  shall  it 
be  sold?  There  are  several  avenues  open;  we  start  with  the  least  de- 
sirable: the  local  outlet. 

"This  includes  shops,  tourist  stands,  or  novelty  vendors  within  a 
reasonable  radius  of  the  craftsman's  work  bench.  These  outlets  £re 
tempting,  but  they  usually  have  serious  limitations.  Unless  they  are 
in  big  metropolitan  centers,  they  offer  no  challenge  to  the  craftsman 
and  may  keep  his  work  at  a  level  lower  than  his  greatest  potential. 
Though  they  may  provide  a  first  step  up  the  ladder  the  owners  of 
such  shops  are  often  not  in  a  position  to  know  the  best  work  or  care 


372  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

for  it.  Hlogically,  too,  they  may  have  no  faith  in  their  local  crafts- 
men, preferring  to  buy  their  stock  from  the  large  centers. 

"A  craftsman's  own  shop,  involving  him  personally  in  the  business 
of  retail  selling,  is  so  full  of  pitfalls  that  it  is  rarely  advisable. 

"Department  stores  are  a  second  outlet  for  handmade  merchandise 
but  are  of  doubtful  value  for  a  number  of  reasons.  In  the  first  place 
the  buyer  for  a  special  department  is  conditioned  by  long  habit  to 
expect  volume  from  America  and  to  look  to  European  craftsmen  for 
his  few-of-a-kind  merchandise.  True,  during  the  war  he  turned  to 
American  craftsmen  for  whatever  he  could  find.  But  unless  the 
American  craftsmen  can  continue  to  do  superior  work  now  that  the 
war  is  over  the  buyer  will  revert  to  his  life-long  habits  of  buying 
abroad.  Secondly,  each  department  must  show  a  profit  and  profits 
come  from  volume  sales  which  are  easier  to  achieve  through  quan- 
tity manufactured  goods.  While  there  is  a  field  for  the  craftsman 
through  the  department  store  it  will  only  be  for  prestige  merchan- 
dise. It  is  highly  competitive  and  will  usually  require  continued 
production.  It  should  not  be  attempted  without  the  advice  of  an 
agent  who  is  constantly  in  touch  with  the  demand. 

"The  best  gift  shops,  well  established  and  with  a  regular  clientele, 
are  the  ideal  outlets  for  craft.  There  are  many  of  them  scattered 
throughout  the  country.  They  are  patronized  by  the  group  in  the 
community  who  appreciate  high  quality  and  are  willing  to  pay  for 
it.  These  shops  depend  on  the  unusual  for  their  merchandise,  on 
things  which  department  stores  do  not  carry.  They  do  not  place  large 
orders  which  a  craftsman  cannot  hope  to  meet  and  which  might 
push  him  into  over-expansion  with  its  evil  result  of  inferior  execu- 
tion and  quality.  Many  of  them  will  buy  'wholesale-in-limited-edi- 
tions'  as  well  as  individual  pieces.  Those  shops  are  the  master  crafts- 
man's friend." 


SELLING     TO     DEPARTMENT,     CHAIN     STORES, 
AND     MAIL-ORDER     HOUSES 

Buyers  for  department  stores,  chain  stores  and  mail-order  houses 
are  constantly  on  the  alert  for  salable  new  products.  You  can  locate 
these  buyers  by  inquiring  in  stores  in  your  own  area  or  in  the  direc- 
tories listing  branch  offices.  If  you  have  a  good  product,  and  if  you 
have  samples  of  the  product  that  you  can  reproduce  without  varia- 
tion and  in  sufficient  quantity,  you  need  have  no  hesitation  about 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  373 

approaching  these  buyers.  They  are  fine  and  shrewd  businessmen 
and  -women  whose  advice  may  be  invaluable  to  you.  Put  on  your 
best  dress  and  hat  if  you  are  a  woman,  or  your  best  suit  topped  by  a 
haircut  and  a  shave  if  you  are  a  man,  and  march  in  and  sell  your 
wares. 

Should  the  buyers  accept  your  product  for  testing  or  for  certain 
sales,  you  will  have  eliminated  all  further  selling  problems  and  you 
will  have  no  credit  risk  whatever  with  well-established  houses.  They 
will  be  interested  only  if  you  can  assure  them  of  delivery  of  your 
product  in  quantity  and  of  a  uniform  quality.  There  is  a  variation 
in  "mark  ups"  according  to  store  and  product  and  location,  but  as  a 
rough  "rule  of  thumb"  you  can  figure  that  a  product  for  which  you 
must  receive  $1.00  must  be  one  that  can  be  sold  retail  for  $2.00;  the 
store  needing  that  mark  up  to  cover  its  costs  and  provide  a  profit. 

Department  stores  and  chains  such  as  W.  T.  Grant  Company, 
J.  C.  Penney,  Kresge's,  and  Woolworth's,  are  logical  markets  for  al- 
most any  items  such  as  they  sell  regularly,  but  it  must  be  kept  in 
mind  that  they  are  interested  in  large-volume  sales  and  you  might 
go  slightly  "mad"  trying  to  produce  your  home  product  on  a  scale 
large  enough  to  satisfy  such  markets. 

There  is  no  mystery  involved  in  presentation  of  your  project  to  the 
buyers.  You  show  your  samples  and  tell  your  story  simply  and  dis- 
cuss the  details  regarding  your  production,  shipments,  prices,  etc. 

You  follow  the  same  processes  in  selling  to  representatives  of  mail- 
order houses  which  are  particularly  on  the  alert  for  novelties  and  a 
wide  variety  of  appealing  gift  items.  Frequently,  with  some  of  the 
smaller  mail-order  houses,  your  volume  of  production  need  not  be 
as  large  as  it  would  have  to  be  for  a  department  store  or  one  of  the 
chains.  You  may  deliver  your  product  to  a  place  designated  by  the 
mail-order  house,  or,  in  some  instances,  you  will  fill  orders  received 
from  the  mail-order  house  and  ship  directly  from  your  own  home. 
Customarily,  the  mail-order  house  will  test  your  product  on  a  small 
scale,  but  before  testing  they  will  want  to  be  assured  that  if  the  test 
is  successful  you  can  quickly  swing  into  larger  production  so  they 
can  follow  up  the  test  with  considerable  advertising  and  large- 
volume  sales. 


374  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 


AGENTS,    JOBBERS,    AND    WHOLESALERS 
WILL    SELL    FOR    YOU 

If  you  are  sure  you  have  a  good  product  and  are  able  to  produce 
in  quantity,  you  can  locate  agents  by  inquiry  through  wholesale 
houses  handling  your  type  of  product.  If  your  product  is  one  that 
should  logically  be  sold  through  gift  shops  and  you  want  an  agent 
to  do  your  selling  for  you,  you  can  inquire  of  America  House,  32 
East  52nd  St.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 

Your  agent  will  charge  a  commission  which  is  open  to  negotiation, 
but  customarily  it  will  be  10  to  20  per  cent,  and  a  good  agent  earns 
that  commission.  He  may  find  outlets  you  never  dreamed  of  and 
give  you  guiding  advice  that  is  valuable. 

The  agent  as  well  as  the  jobber,  who  buys  many  things  from  a 
variety  of  sources  and  then  sells  them  to  interested  stores,  may  be 
interested  in  smaller  outputs  and  special  items.  Because  of  their 
familiarity  with  the  established  outlets,  both  agent  and  jobber  may 
be  invaluable  to  you.  Keep  in  mind,  however,  that  if  you  can  make 
your  own  sale  you  save  or  "earn"  that  percentage  that  would  other- 
wise go  to  agent  or  jobber. 

Unless  you  are  well  along  with  sales  and  production,  the  whole- 
saler is  probably  out  of  your  business  world.  If,  however,  you  are 
operating  on  a  sizable  scale,  the  wholesaler,  who  buys  from  manu- 
facturers for  resale  to  various  outlets,  may  prove  to  be  invaluable. 
Wholesalers  can  be  located  in  business  and  classified  telephone 
directories. 


HOW     TO     GET    PUBLICITY     AND     ADVERTISE 

Don't  be  bashful,  don't  hide  your  light  under  the  Biblical  bushel, 
don't  believe  that  better  mousetrap  story  attributed,  perhaps  erro- 
neously, to  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson.  America  is  a  nation  of  publicity 
and  advertising.  Get  your  share  and  it  may  help  you  to  make  a  for- 
tune. You  get  it  by  planning  for  it  and  asking  for  it.  You  will  get 
free  publicity  that  may  establish  you  in  business  if  your  product  is 
good,  if  you  figure  out  interesting  or  unusual  angles,  if  you  are  an 
interesting  person. 

Your  local  periodicals,  radio  and  television  stations,  are  always  on 
the  alert  for  stories  about  interesting  people  engaged  in  interesting 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  375 

occupations— particularly  if  there  is  some  colorful  angle  involved. 
Study  your  product  and  review  your  activities  to  see  if  there  is  not 
some  one  angle  or  two  that  can  be  emphasized  to  make  you  and 
your  activity  or  your  product  of  interest  to  the  general  public. 

When  you  have  your  appeal  figured  out,  simply  make  calls  or  use 
the  mail  to  reach  the  newspaper  or  magazine  or  radio  or  television 
program  director  you  think  might  be  interested.  Newspapers  or 
magazines  may  find  you  and  your  product  involve  material  for  a 
good  human-interest  story.  American  Magazine  has  for  years  publi- 
cized interesting  people  and  their  work  and  their  products.  Clemen- 
tine Paddleford,  noted  food  editor  of  the  New  York  Herald  Tribune, 
frequently  includes  in  her  columns  stories  of  men  or  women  who 
have  developed  delicious  food  products.  Her  stories  have  frequently 
prompted  floods  of  orders.  Other  columnists  and  feature  reporters 
do  the  same,  week  in  and  week  out.  They  may  almost  throw  pro- 
fessional publicity  agents  out  of  their  offices,  but  it  is  amazing  how 
often  they  welcome  a  simple,  straightforward  approach  from  an 
earnest  man  or  woman  who  will  make  good  reading.  New  York  was 
a  big  city  to  Barbara  Holder,  22-year-old  from  Bloomington,  Indi- 
ana. She  had  made  her  Bathket,  a  waterproof  basket  container  for 
bath  accessories.  She  needed  publicity  to  get  the  interest  of  a  cos- 
metics buyer  for  a  department  store.  She  studied  the  city  papers, 
marched  into  the  Journal- American  editorial  offices.  City  editors  are 
supposed  to  be  hard-boiled  but  this  one,  who  would  have  dodged  a 
professional,  was  interested  in  a  girl  who  frankly  said  she  had  some- 
thing she  wanted  to  publicize.  He  had  her  interviewed  and  pictured 
with  her  Bathket.  She  got  more  publicity.  She  got  orders  from  de- 
partment stores.  She  was  in  business.  Editors  won't  bite  you.  Radio 
and  television  programs  welcome  interesting  people,  and  you  prob- 
ably qualify  if  you  have  developed  your  product  so  that  it  is  worthy 
of  sale.  Go  after  publicity.  It  can  be  yours  for  the  asking. 

Look  about  you  in  your  own  community  for  opportunities  to 
"plant"  a  bit  of  publicity.  You  can  send  items  about  your  work  to 
your  local  editors.  It  is  well  to  supply  a  sample  of  your  product  and 
charge  that  off  to  advertising.  If  you  have  pictures,  maybe  they 
will  be  welcomed.  You  may  get  publicity  by  appearing  be- 
fore clubs  and  other  groups,  or  in  their  bulletins  and  announce- 
ment sheets.  Countless  items  you  have  read  in  papers  and  magazines 
stem  from  a  publicity  approach.  If  there  is  a  good  interesting  angle, 


376  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

the  periodicals  waive  the  publicity  angle  and  offer  the  pictures  and 
material  as  legitimate  features,  which  they  are. 

If  you  happen  to  know  a  writer  or  an  advertising  man  or  woman, 
they  may  give  you  good  advice  and  help  you  along  the  way.  The 
writer  of  this  book  welcomes  letters  and  "publicity"  from  men  and 
women  of  achievement  and  often  publicizes  them  in  books  and 
magazines. 

If  you  want  to  do  direct  advertising,  your  best  approach  is  to 
study  the  advertising  used  by  others  who  have  similar  products  or 
services  to  sell.  Unless  you  are  ready  to  advertise  on  a  sizable  scale, 
an  agency  will  seldom  be  interested.  But  never  be  afraid  to  approach 
an  advertising  man  or  an  agency  for  advice.  They  may  "take  you  on" 
or  direct  you  to  someone  who  will  gamble  on  you  and  help  you  out 

You  can,  of  course,  place  your  advertising  directly  with  any  peri- 
odical. You  can  experiment  and  test  with  small  linage  whenever  you 
have  products  available  to  fill  orders  you  may  receive.  Local  papers 
will  often  provide  someone  to  help  you  prepare  your  advertising  and 
advise  you.  Get  acquainted  with  their  offices.  Virtually  all  advertis- 
ing mediums  will  provide  rate  cards  on  request.  From  these  you  can 
figure  the  cost  of  your  advertising,  whether  it  be  for  a  classified 
newspaper  ad  or  a  full  page,  or  time  on  radio  or  television  programs. 

PLANNING    YOUR    MARKETING    PROGRAM 

Here  the  writer  and  the  reader  of  this  book  are  indebted  to  the 
U.  S.  Department  of  Commerce  for  a  checklist  that  can  be  of  in- 
estimable service  to  you  in  the  profitable  marketing  of  your  new 
product.  The  checklist  is  also  indicative  of  the  type  of  information 
that  can  be  secured  in  booklets  costing  only  a  few  cents,  yet  giving 
you  concentrated  business  experience.  The  checklist  is  from  a  guide- 
book by  Gustav  E.  Larson  under  the  general  supervision  of  Nelson 
A.  Miller,  chief  of  the  marketing  division  of  the  department,  and 
available  in  full  from  the  U.  S.  Government  Printing  Office. 

CHECKLIST  TO  HELP  YOU  INTRODUCE  YOUR 
NEW  CONSUMER  PRODUCTS 

The  users  of  the  product: 

1.  What  types  of  consumers  will  use  the  product? 

2.  How  many  potential  prospects  are  there? 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  377 

3.  Where  do  they  live? 

4.  Will  the  price  of  your  product  meet  their  requirements? 

5.  Will  your  product's  price  compare  with  existing  products  and 
with  similar  products  which  may  be  introduced? 

6.  Is  the  market  likely  to  expand  or  contract  in  the  next  two, 
five,  or  10  years? 

7.  How  often  will  consumers  buy  the  product? 

8.  Will  the  product  sell  evenly  throughout  the  year,  or  season- 
ally? 

9.  What  features  of  the  product  appeal  most  to  consumers? 

10.  Are  the  products  of  this  kind  usually  bought:  for  cash;  on 
open  account  credit;  time  payments;  or,  on  an  installed  basis 
with  the  expectation  of  service? 

11.  If  bought  on  an  installed  basis,  will  the  price  include  cost  of 
installation? 

Competition: 

1.  What  competition  will  your  product  face? 

2.  What  is  the  reputation  of  competitive  products? 

3.  Are  manufacturers  likely  to  enter  the  field  with  similar  prod- 
ucts? 

4.  Can  any  competitor  bring  out  a  seriously  competitive  item 
quickly? 

5.  Will  marketing  your  new  product  cause  competitors  to  give 
you  additional  or  keener  competition  on  your  regular  line? 

6.  How  does  your  company  stand  in  relation  to  competitors  in 
the  field  to  be  served  by  the  new  product? 

7.  Will  you  use  your  company  name  on  the  new  product,  or  will 
you  build  up  a  brand  name  for  it? 

8.  Can  your  product  compete  favorably  on  a  price  basis  with 
similar  products  already  on  the  market? 

Manufacturers  price  policy: 

1.  Do  you  know  what  your  price  policy  will  be? 

2.  Have  you  determined  who  will  be  entitled  to  discounts  and 
allowances? 

3.  Have  you  set  up  a  discount  and  allowance  schedule  for  dis- 
tributors, wholesalers,  retailers,  and  others? 

4.  Have  you  decided  on  your  f  .o.b.  net-pricing  point  and  policies 
affecting   credit,    collections,    returned    goods,    consignment, 
order  cancellation,  and  retail-price  maintenance? 


378  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

5.  Have  you  considered  insurance  and  transportation  costs  in 
determining  your  price? 

The  sales  program: 

1.  Can  your  existing  sales  setup  handle  the  new  product? 

2.  If  so,  will  changes  or  additions  be  necessary? 

3.  If  a  separate  sales  force  will  be  required,  have  you  deter- 
mined how  to  set  up,  how  many  and  what  kind  of  men  you 
will  need,  how  to  pay  them,  etc.? 

4.  Have  you  an  existing  promotion  and  advertising  setup  which 
can  handle  the  new  product? 

5.  Have  you  a  satisfactory  advertising  agency  connection,  or 
are  you  planning  one  for  the  new  product? 

6.  Have  you  decided  on  the  details  of  the  advertising  program? 

7.  Are  you  familiar  with  sales-promotion  practices  followed  by 
distributors  in  this  field? 

8.  Are  you  familiar  with  sales-promotion  and  advertising  prac- 
tices of  competitors? 

9.  Are  you  familiar  with  sales-distribution  channels  of  com- 
petitors? 

10.  Have  you  determined  what  type  and  how  much  sales-promo- 
tion assistance  you  will  give  your  own  salesmen? 

11.  Are  you  planning  an  organized  publicity  campaign  (as  dis- 
tinguished from  advertising)? 

12.  Will  your  promotion  and  advertising  budget  be  based  on: 
(a)  cost  of  attaining  a  definite  objective;  (b)  percentage  of 
estimated    sales;    (c)  an    arbitrary    sum;    (d)  some    other 
system? 

Legal  and  related  problems: 

1.  Is  the  new  product  patentable? 

2.  Is  its  trade-mark  protected? 

3.  Are  all  claims  to  royalties  or  other  indemnities  settled? 

4.  Do  royalties  limit  the  market  for  the  product? 

5.  Is  there  anything  in  the  product,  its  labeling  or  advertising, 
which  may  cause  you  to  become  involved  in  a  possible  viola- 
tion of  federal,  state,  or  local  statute  or  ordinance? 

6.  Will  codes,  trade  agreements,  etc.,  restrict  its  sale  in  certain 
areas? 

7.  Is  there  anything  in  your  pricing  policies,  trade  practices,  or 


PACTAGING    AND     SELLING  379 

selling  setup  that  might  involve  a  violation  of  federal  or  other 
statute  or  ordinance? 

8.  Have  local  tax  and  other  problems  been  considered? 

9.  Have  all  transportation  problems  been  considered? 

10.  Are  there  any  special  postwar  regulations  which  affect  your 
product? 

11.  Are  there  any  labor  or  union  regulations  which  might  affect 
your  product? 

12.  Are  there  any  other  problems,  peculiar  to  your  product,  that 
should  be  considered? 


CHAPTER    FORTY-EIGHT 

Fortunes  in  Roadside  Marketing 


OPPORTUNITIES  FOR  part-time,  full-time,  seasonal,  or  year-round  home 
business  at  the  roadside  are  increasing  yearly  as  more  millions  of 
autos  roll  along  highways  carrying  shoppers,  eaters,  sleepers,  and 
ready  cash— motorists  spend  over  $6,000,000,000  annually  on  their 
vacation  trips.  Perhaps  as  a  child  you  set  up  a  roadside  lemonade 
stand  and,  without  paying  mother  for  the  lemons  and  sugar,  you 
profited.  That  simple  process  of  roadside  marketing,  adjusted  to  in- 
clude costs,  ranges  today  from  the  sale  of  jellies  in  a  little  stand  to 
great  supermarkets  for  produce,  furniture,  antiques,  or  whatever 
tourists  and  neighboring  shoppers  are  likely  to  buy,  and  that  in- 
cludes almost  anything. 

Men  and  women  who  live  by  the  highways  have  a  highly  re- 
munerative business  prospect  that  beckons.  Thousands  more  may 
well  consider  securing  locations  on  or  near  roadsides  so  that  home 
is  combined  with  business  that  sends  sons  and  daughters  to  college 
and  provides  retirement  income  far  beyond  that  available  in  most 
pension  plans.  The  roadside  is  available  and  countless  millions  of 
customers  roll  by  and  can  be  tempted  to  stop  and  buy.  What  you 
do  about  it  is  strictly  up  to  you— so  you  may  be  interested  in  what 
others  have  done  in  the  way  of  securing  income  at  the  roadside. 


380  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Starting  with  an  idea,  500  borrowed  dollars,  a  sign:  "Dates- 
Wholesale  and  Retail,"  Russ  Nicoll  and  his  wife  and  daughter  gar- 
nered $3500  their  first  year  with  a  roadside  stand  on  Highway  99, 
near  Thermal,  California,  and  a  few  years  later,  with  additional 
products,  had  an  annual  business  of  more  than  $150,000.  Russ  Nicoll 
says  that  a  man  "with  imagination,  enthusiasm  for  work,  and  a 
family  willing  to  play  along  with  him,"  can  make  his  own  bonanza 
by  the  roadside  almost  anywhere  in  the  U.S.A. 

1  could  have  done  the  same  in  other  places  with  nuts,  hams,  fish, 
cheese,  pottery,  weaving,  or  any  local  product  distinctive  enough 
for  my  customers  to  talk  about,"  Russ  Nicoll  reports  through  the 
well-known  writer  Frank  J.  Taylor  in  the  Readers  Digest.  "It's  a 
rare  part  of  the  country  that  doesn't  produce  something  better  than 
you  can  find  anywhere  else. 

"There's  a  fellow  on  Foothill  Boulevard  with  a  couple  of  old  rail- 
road refrigeration  cars,"  he  said.  "He  brings  down  delicious  moun- 
tain apples  and  sells  them  chilled.  I  know  a  man  who  started  a  place 
under  some  walnut  trees  and  specialized  in  nuts.  Now  he  has  one  of 
the  busiest  eating  places  in  the  state.  Another  man  did  the  same 
with  berries.  I  send  orders  regularly  to  a  fellow  who  specializes  in 
cheeses,  and  to  Massachusetts  for  fish.  There's  a  fellow  up  in  the 
Sierra  Nevada  who  sells  a  wild  honey  at  $1  a  pound.  There's  no 
limit  to  the  products  in  this  country,  especially  things  to  eat,  that 
can  be  developed  by  imagination  combined  with  integrity.  If  I  were 
a  young  fellow  making  a  new  start  I'd  lose  no  time  grabbing  off 
one  of  these  opportunities  by  the  roadside." 

BASIC     TIPS     FROM     THE     EXPERTS 

Multiple  opportunities  are  recognized  by  the  N.  Y.  Department  of 
Commerce,  which,  through  Miss  Jane  H.  Todd,  deputy  com- 
missioner in  charge  of  the  Woman's  Program,  has  issued  these  re- 
markably valuable  and  concise  tips  for  anyone  contemplating  road- 
side marketing: 

Location— First  of  all,  your  site.  Choose  carefully,  avoiding  road 
sections  with  depressions  where  mud  accumulates,  or  where  there 
are  heavy  tar  patches.  Keep  away  from  the  bottom  of  a  hill  on  the 
down  side  of  the  road.  A  fork  in  the  road,  or  a  single  corner,  makes 
a  good  location,  but  a  "four  corners"  is  not  for  you  unless  yours  is 
an  extremely  large  affair.  Select  a  spot  with  natural  landscaping;  a 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  381 

big  tree  if  it's  possible,  and  plan  plenty  of  "pull  off"  space.  If  you 
must  choose  a  treeless  site,  plan  for  a  big,  spreading  umbrella,  or 
some  other  artificial  shade.  If  your  cornfield— or  any  part  of  it— can 
be  planted  to  provide  a  natural  background,  so  much  the  better.  It 
practically  shouts  freshness!  After  your  choice  is  made,  make  a 
traffic  count  of  your  own.  Cars  headed  home  will  stop  to  buy  more 
often  than  cars  starting  out.  Try  to  be  on  the  "going  home"  side. 

Structure— Next  in  importance  is  the  stand  itself.  Remember  that 
this  is  a  seasonal  market  and  the  investment,  therefore,  should  be 
relatively  low.  Use  simple  materials  that  fit  the  surroundings,  and 
that  suggest  the  farm  itself.  Many  people  have  been  successful  with 
a  rustic  structure  of  treated  logs  or  weathered  shingles,  or  have 
built  with  shiplap  or  wooden  siding  and  painted  it  vivid  green  and 
white.  The  tips  are:  Keep  the  whole  design  functional  and  basi- 
cally simple.  Insulate  the  roof  and  weatherproof  the  entire  structure. 
Excellent  plans  may  be  obtained  from  Cornell  University.  (Cornell 
Ext.  Bull.  466,  Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  N.Y.)  If  you  intend  to  sell 
some  of  your  jellies  or  preserves,  adjust  the  plans  to  include  a  win- 
dow in  the  back  wall  with  shelves  across  it  for  display  purposes.  A 
corner  cupboard  is  convenient,  too,  for  samples  of  other  homemade 
products  and  to  add  eye  appeal.  An  old-fashioned  rocker,  touched 
up  with  gay  color,  will  add  a  homey  touch  and  prove  its  worth  on 
many  a  scorching  afternoon. 

Signs— Signs  are  almost  of  equal  importance  to  the  stand  itself 
and  should  have  a  professional  air.  Avoid  small  cluttered  signs  and 
amateurishly  lettered  ones.  The  number  of  signs  is  largely  depend- 
ent on  the  traffic.  On  a  rapid-traffic  highway,  two  should  be  used; 
one  a  half  mile  in  advance  on  either  side  of  the  roadside  stand,  and 
another  about  100  feet  ahead  of  the  stand.  On  secondary  roads,  one 
sign  about  150  feet  in  advance  is  usually  sufficient.  The  owner's 
name  should  appear  on  the  side  of  the  stand  and  again  on  the  top,  in 
simple,  block-type  lettering.  If  the  stand  specializes  in  certain  prod- 
ucts, a  seasonal  sign  may  be  put  on  top  of  the  permanent  one  ("Can 
tomatoes  now"),  or  may  be  placed  alongside  the  stand  itself.  The 
text  of  the  sign  is  best  if  factual  and  starkly  simple;  the  text  short 
with  the  "homey"  touch,  stressing  selling  points.  Avoid  comic  signs. 
Be  sure  the  signs  are  dignified  and  down  to  earth. 

Selling  techniques— Arrange  vegetables  and  fruits  according  to 
color.  Keep  moist  and  fresh.  Painting  measuring  baskets  to  fit  in  with 
general  decor  is  a  good  touch.  Baskets  should  be  kept  immaculately 


382  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

clean.  In  front  of  the  stand,  place  samples  of  vegetables  and  fruits. 
Keep  permanent  stocks  in  back  where  they  may  be  kept  cool  and 
in  darkness.  On  the  ground  in  front  of  the  stand,  display  only  large 
staples.  It  is  advisable  to  grade  carefully,  offering  seconds  at  sharply 
reduced  prices.  Quality  must  be  maintained  throughout.  If  possible, 
place  the  best  vegetables  and  fruits  in  the  bottom  of  baskets,  and 
try  to  keep  on  hand  a  supply  of  varying  ripeness.  Avoid  mixing  too 
many  types  of  products.  Baked  goods  are  better  sold  only  with 
flowers,  eggs,  and  dairy  produce,  and  should  be  cellophane- 
wrapped. 

Try  seasonal  displays  (pumpkins  for  Halloween),  and  if  you  are 
on  a  well-traveled  road,  open  your  stand  again  in  December  for 
Christmas  greens  and  for  yuletide  delicacies  on  order.  Use  "ap- 
proach displays*'  only  if  there  are  two  persons  on  duty  at  the  stand. 
Otherwise,  children  frequently  handle  and  bruise  fruits  and  veg- 
etables while  an  attendant  is  waiting  on  a  customer. 

Keep  all  your  surplus  materials,  bags,  string,  cartons,  etc.,  out  of 
sight.  Flowers  from  your  garden,  or  wild  flowers  from  your  neigh- 
borhood set  out  in  simple  stone  crocks  are  sellable.  Printed  penny 
postcards  pointing  out  special  attractions  and  handed  out  with  each 
package  bring  repeat  customers.  For  example,  in  midsummer,  hand 
out  cards  advertising  your  peach  crop,  or  a  little  later,  your  apples. 
Mail-order  business  can  build  up  quickly.  Point  out  interesting  spots 
in  the  neighborhood  or  any  unusual  folklore— anything  that  will 
make  your  particular  stand  memorable.  Get  customers'  names  for 
mailing  lists,  if  possible.  If  you  are  in  a  rural  area  and  there  is  an 
R.F.D.  list,  use  this,  too.  Concentrate  your  advertising  in  nearby 
centers  of  population  in  order  to  build  up  permanent  trade.  If  you 
are  on  a  secondary  road  with  a  long  stretch  between  gas  stations, 
it  may  pay  to  have  a  small  sign  allowing  the  use  of  toilet  facilities. 
Mothers  with  small  children  appreciate  this,  and  father  frequently 
buys  heavily  while  waiting  for  the  family. 

Personnel— The  personality  of  the  salesperson  is  tremendously 
important.  You  need  enthusiasm  without  overzealousness  and  a  very 
real  interest  in  people. 

A  knowledge  of  stock,  of  the  surrounding  area,  coupled  with  alert- 
ness and  friendliness  will  build  up  for  you  a  "repeat"  trade.  Tie  in 
your  costumes,  too,  with  the  rural  theme— stick  to  simple  cotton 
dresses  and,  for  convenience,  wear  big  aprons  with  deep,  slim 
pockets  to  hold  change,  bills,  and  pencils.  And  see  to  it  that  the 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  383 

dresses  and  aprons  are  as  fresh  and  crisp  as  the  vegetables  them- 
selves. 

Pricing  and  Measurement— Never  overprice.  Your  selling  price 
should  be  on  a  par  with  store  prices  or  a  little  less.  For  higher 
profits,  plan  in  advance  for  varieties  that  mature  early  and  a  result- 
ant supply  of  "first-on-the-market"  fruits  and  vegetables.  Remember 
that  traffic— and  sales— are  usually  higher  on  Saturday  and  Sunday 
and  keep  your  stand  open  through  the  rush  periods.  Never  appear 
to  be  penny-pinching.  Figure  cost  of  bags,  baskets,  and  string  ahead 
of  time  and  include  these  in  your  price.  To  economize  in  wrapping 
does  not  pay. 

Summarized  briefly,  the  success  of  your  roadside  stand  is  depend- 
ent on  these  five  things: 

1.  A  large  number  of  potential  permanent  customers— whether  these 
are  from  a  neighboring  city  or  from  traffic  traveling  to  and  from 
work. 

2.  Produce  that  is  fresh,  of  excellent  quality,  well  displayed. 

3.  A  fair  price— and  that  means  a  price  fair  to  both  operator  and 
customer. 

4.  An  attractive,  well-run  stand  open  for  business  when  the  customer 
wants  to  buy. 

5.  Courteous,  friendly  service. 

And  above  all,  NEVER  GYP  THE  CUSTOMER. 


SERVE-YOURSELF         CUSTOMERS 
LEAVE     $100     A    WEEK    END 

Although  most  roadstands  require  at  least  one  and,  as  business 
grows,  two  or  more  in  attendance,  it  is  even  possible  to  do  business 
on  the  highway  without  anyone  at  the  cash  register!  The  writer  Ed- 
win Diehl  tells  us  how  this  has  been  done  successfully: 

"Ed  Price  of  Port  Murray,  New  York,  lifted  his  small  part-time 
business  to  prominence  as  well  as  profit  by  following  the  lead  of 
big  business  in  dealing  with  the  public.  Ed  has  a  small  apiary,  but 
the  shingle  that  hung  from  a  tree  in  front  of  his  home  advertising 
honey  didn't  pull  in  ten  customers  a  week.  His  bees  were  producing 
honey  twenty  times  faster  than  he  was  able  to  sell  it! 

"What,  he  asked  himself,  did  the  big  chain  stores  do  to  stimulate 
business?  And  how  could  he,  Ed  Price,  get  the  motorists  speeding 
past  his  door  each  day  to  stop  in  and  buy  honey?  Self-service  was 


384  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

the  answer  to  the  big  chain  grocery  stores,  but  who  ever  heard  of  a 
self-service  road  stand? 

"Ed  Price  had  enough  presence  of  mind  to  know  that  some  of  the 
screwiest  ideas  attracted  attention  and  would  best  speak  up  for  his 
business.  Over  the  weekend  he  constructed  a  small  stand.  He 
painted  two  large  signs:  "Honey— The  Health  Sweet:  SERVE  YOUR- 
SELF/' He  marked  the  prices  on  the  jars,  placed  them  in  an  attrac- 
tive array  on  easy-to-reach  shelves.  He  placed  signs  300  feet  from 
his  stand  on  the  road,  dropped  five  dollars  in  change  in  a  bowl  on 
the  stand's  counter,  and  sat  back  to  wait. 

"On  the  first  weekend  Ed  Price  took  in  $100.  Strangely,  Ed  didn't 
lose  any  money  because  of  theft;  in  fact,  he  found  he  had  a  dollar 
more  in  the  kitty  than  he  should  have  had. 

"One  of  the  first  Sunday  drivers  to  spot  the  unique  road  stand 
was  a  Newark  Evening  News  reporter.  He  purchased  some  honey, 
then  visited  with  Ed  Price.  A  week  later  the  story  of  the  nation's  first 
self-service  road  stand  was  a  big  feature  in  the  paper.  The  As- 
sociated Press  carried  it  over  its  nation-wide  wires.  Ed  Price's  sales 
began  to  boom.  Today  the  bees  are  working  overtime!" 

HUNGRY     TRAVELERS     LEAVE     DOLLARS 
FOR     HOME     BUSINESS 

Although  unique  appeals  are  not  absolutely  essential  for  luring 
the  dollars  of  a  hungry  motoring  public,  they  are  always  helpful. 
For  instance,  several  efforts  were  made  to  lure  diners  to  an  old  toll- 
house on  the  highway  at  Silver  Springs,  Maryland,  not  far  from 
Washington,  D.C.,  but  without  success.  Then  "Mrs.  K."  opened 
Mrs.  K's  Toll  House  with  the  added  attraction  of  an  outstanding 
collection  of  rare  Lutz  glass— and  the  curious  came  and  remained 
to  eat.  Walter  Knott,  his  wife  Cordelia,  and  the  children,  didn't  have 
a  special  attraction  other  than  their  fine  berries  and  excellent  cook- 
ing at  the  beginning  of  their  roadside  business,  but  when  Mr.  Knott 
accumulated  a  lot  of  western  antiques  and  established  a  reproduced 
"ghost  town,"  the  curious  came  in  larger  numbers  and  the  business 
increased  tremendously. 

The  inspiring  story  of  the  Knott  family  success,  as  told  in  the 
Readers  Digest  by  Frank  J.  Taylor,  is  well  worth  the  study  of  a  man 
or  woman  or  entire  family  contemplating  establishment  of  a  road- 
side business: 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  385 

"In  1940  over  100,000  cars  stopped  at  a  roadside  farm  known  as 
Knott's  Berry  Place,  on  a  highway  near  Buena  Park,  22  miles  south 
of  Los  Angeles.  In  exchange  for  country  fried  chicken,  berry  pies, 
fresh  produce,  nursery  stock  and  cut  flowers,  the  occupants  of  these 
cars  left  $509,031  with  Farmer  Knott,  who  promptly  passed  on  much 
of  it  to  his  neighbors.  I  never  saw  such  an  establishment! 

"In  1920  this  region  supported  only  a  handful  of  rural  families. 
Today  the  Knott  place  is  surrounded  by  a  thriving  community. 
Walter  Knott,  still  the  farmer,  in  shirt  sleeves  and  baggy  trousers, 
explains  his  success  simply:  I'm  lucky  to  have  a  family  that  works 
hard  and  pulls  together/ 

"It  has  been  a  pull,  too.  Knott  and  his  wife,  when  they  were 
married,  struck  out  to  homestead  on  the  Mojave  Desert.  To  feed  his 
growing  family,  Knott  worked  in  the  mines  between  crops.  Finally, 
flat  broke,  he  gave  up  homesteading  and  moved  to  a  vegetable  farm 
which  he  ran  on  shares.  In  a  few  years,  with  hard-earned  savings, 
he  leased  10  acres  of  land— now  a  part  of  his  berry  farm.  He  had 
begun  to  buy  the  place  at  $1500  an  acre,  the  prevailing  boom-time 
price,  when  in  1929  values  toppled  to  $350  an  acre.  Neighbors  told 
him  he  was  'crazy  to  keep  on  paying  for  that  land.'  Knott  didn't  think 
so.  He  stuck  to  his  guns  and  his  bargain. 

"Noting  the  wide  spread  between  wholesale  and  retail  prices, 
Knott  opened  a  roadside  stand.  Here  his  wife,  son  and  three  daugh- 
ters sold  berries  and  served  pie  and  coffee  while  Walter  Knott 
farmed.  They  built  a  small  dining  room  and  added  fried  chicken  to 
the  menu.  The  enterprise  flourished.  On  peak  days  Knott  and  his 
wife  dressed  chickens  and  baked  pies  long  before  daylight.  During 
these  busy  years  they  raised  their  holdings  to  120  acres,  80  of  which 
are  now  planted  to  berries. 

"Walter  Knott  was  forever  experimenting  to  find  better  farm 
products.  He  found  an  exceptionally  delicate  red-stalked  rhubarb 
and  popularized  it  as  cherry  rhubarb.  He  discovered  and  grew  a 
superior  asparagus.  Seeking  better  berries,  he  planted  some  40 
varieties  of  blackberries,  raspberries,  loganberries  and  strawberries. 

"One  day  a  Department  of  Agriculture  official  called  to  inquire 
about  a  Rudolph  Boysen  who  was  said  to  have  originated  a  new 
berry.  Knott  had  never  heard  of  Boysen  but  he  joined  in  the  hunt. 
When  they  located  Boysen  they  found  that  he  had  indeed  originated 
a  new  berry,  a  cross  between  blackberry,  raspberry  and  loganberry, 
but  had  abandoned  his  experiments.  His  neglected  vines  were 


386  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

barely  alive.  Knott  moved  them  to  his  berry  patch,  where,  after 
careful  cultivation,  they  bore  fruit  of  prodigious  size  and  superior 
flavor.  From  that  handful  of  roots  Knott  has  raised  boysenberry 
stock  and  shipped  it  to  every  state  and  15  foreign  lands. 

"Soon  customers  flocked  to  Knott's  roadside  stand  for  his  big 
juicy  berries,  often  an  inch  and  a  half  long  and  so  fat  that  60  of  them 
filled  a  pound  basket,  as  contrasted  with  the  120  to  160  ordinary 
ones  required  to  make  a  pound.  Deep,  10-inch,  three-pound  boysen- 
berry pies  baked  by  Mrs.  Knott  sold  for  50  cents  apiece.  On 
Mother's  Day,  Mrs.  Knott  and  her  helpers  have  baked  784  pies;  on 
a  normal  day  they  bake  200.  To  have  berries  the  year  around,  Knott 
quick-freezes  150,000  pounds  every  summer. 

"At  the  end  of  the  first  year  Knott  doubled  the  size  of  the  dining 
room.  Later  additions  have  brought  the  seating  capacity  to  600.  The 
once-small  kitchen  now  is  100  feet  long,  and  60  women  can  work 
in  it  at  the  same  time. 

'In  the  kitchen  Mrs.  Knott  is  boss  and  will  have  no  professional 
chefs.  When  she  wants  help  she  hires  another  farmer's  wife.  She 
serves  only  three-and-one-half -pound  Rhode  Island  Red  and  Plym- 
outh Rock  chickens,  raised  under  carefully  prescribed  conditions 
by  35  neighboring  farmers. 

"Son  Russell  runs  the  roadside  market,  which  sold  $108,234  worth 
of  fruit,  pies,  preserves  and  chicken  over  the  counter  in  a  single 
year.  Daughters  Virginia  and  Elizabeth  are  co-bosses  of  the  dining 
room,  and  Marian  is  in  charge  of  the  flower  shop.  The  girls  hire  their 
school  and  college  friends  for  waitresses  and  bus  boys,  and  every 
week-end  during  the  season  60  to  80  college  students  earn  $8.00  to 
$15  apiece.  The  Knotts  at  peak  periods  give  employment  to  400 
people. 

"Once  Walter  and  Cordelia  Knott  let  the  youngsters  run  the  busi- 
ness while  they  went  touring.  'All  the  way  across  the  country  we 
saw  farms  near  centers  of  population  waiting  to  be  turned  into  hum- 
ming roadside  businesses,'  Knott  said.  'All  they  needed  was  a  family 
looking  for  an  opportunity  and  willing  to  dig  in.  What  we  have 
done  can  be  done  by  any  family  that's  taken  an  economic  beating 
and  been  toughened  to  work.' " 

Reading  the  story  of  the  Knott  family  one  might  say— "Oh,  but 
they  were  lucky  to  develop  a  special  berry  and  I  wouldn't  dream  of 
building  a  business  like  that— it's  too  big."  The  point  to  register  is 
this:  The  Knotts  started  only  with  little  produce  and  some  berries  in 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  387 

a  sparsely  settled  area  and  set  up  a  little  KX  x  16'  shed  and  started 
making  money  at  the  roadside.  They  didn't  set  out  to  do  a  half- 
million  dollar  annual  business.  They  set  out  to  make  some  money  at 
home.  They  made  any  "luck"  they  had  by  getting  started  and  cash- 
ing in  on  their  own  resourcefulness.  And  they  are  not  the  only  ones. 

You  have  undoubtedly  driven  by  or  stopped  at  many  roadside 
eating  places  and  figured  that  they  were  launched  with  a  lot  of 
credit  or  cash.  Actually,  almost  all  of  them  started  in  a  very  small 
way,  frequently  taking  advantage  of  regional  appeals.  You  may  have 
stopped  at  the  roadside  Clam  Box  near  Cos  Cob  and  Greenwich, 
Connecticut,  on  the  Boston  Post  Road.  That  fine  establishment  with 
its  branches  elsewhere  was  once  a  tiny  run-down  shack.  I  stopped 
there  in  its  early  days  and  had  the  best  seafood  meal  I  have  ever 
eaten.  Mama  Gross  and  Papa  Gross  and  the  children  were  at  work 
there,  and  because  what  they  offered  was  so  desirable  their  estab- 
lishment grew  and  grew  into  a  highly  profitable  business  and  thrives 
year  after  year.  Discriminating  Manhattan,  Westchester,  and  Con- 
necticut diners  drive  scores  of  miles  to  leave  money  at  this  family 
roadside  place.  Drive  from  the  Clam  Box  on  the  East  coast  to 
Perk's  Place  at  Tujunga,  California,  and  there  you  will  be  served 
Mexican  foods  such  as  tamales,  chili,  enchiladas,  and  tacos.  Deebert 
Perkins  set  that  place  up  on  a  "shoestring,"  a  little  roadside  place 
with  stools,  without  any  previous  restaurant  experience,  and  within 
two  years  was  clearing  $700  a  month  profits.  A  large  part  of  his 
business  is  done  with  paper  carton  "take  away"  foods. 

Obviously  the  open  air  and  the  open  road  stimulate  appetites,  and 
from  your  own  observation  you  know  that  well-located,  inviting, 
and  sometimes  not-so-inviting  roadside  eating  and  refreshment 
places  pack  in  the  cash  customers.  Those  who  can  offer  no  regional 
specialties  such  as  Mexican  foods  and  seafoods  use  the  good  old 
standbys  such  as  hot  dogs  and  hamburgers.  And  other  refreshment 
places  offer  cold  cherry  or  apple  cider  by  the  glass,  or  in  jugs  to 
take  away— or  both.  One  place  in  New  England  refreshes  the 
traveler  with  a  specialty  of  big  milk  shakes,  and  from  coast  to  coast 
there  are  cold-custard  stands,  and  places  to  stop  for  cokes  or  coffee 
qr  ice  cream  and  in  nearly  every  instance  one  specialty  leads  to  side 
lines  that  often  overshadow  the  beginning  specialty. 


388  MONET-MAKING    IDEAS 


ANTIQUES,     REGIONAL     HANDICRAFTS, 
SOUVENIRS     ON     THE     HIGHWAY 

From  their  homes,  with  displays  on  the  lawns  near  the  roadways, 
or  from  specially  established  stands  or  old  barns,  a  multitude  of  road- 
side specialists  offer  an  almost  limitless  variety  of  products  other 
than  food. 

In  southern  areas  there  is  direct  sale  of  rope  hammocks  and  orders 
taken  for  shipment  to  the  tourist's  home.  In  the  Southwest  the 
stands  offer  Mexican  pottery  and  Indian  blankets  and  trinkets.  In 
New  England  and  other  older  areas  the  antique  business  in  homes 
and  sheds  at  the  roadside  does  a  steady  and  highly  profitable  busi- 
ness. In  all  areas  there  are  roadside-minded  folk  who  set  up  stands 
supplied  by  local  craftsmen— various  fabric  articles,  metal  and 
wooden  lawn  ornaments,  weather  vanes  and  the  like  in  variety  too 
broad  to  list  outside  of  a  big  catalogue. 

Through  the  co-operation  of  federal  and  state  departments  and 
state  colleges  of  agriculture,  200  or  more  roadside  and  demonstra- 
tion markets  have  been  established.  There  are  such  supervised  mar- 
kets for  food,  dairy,  poultry,  and  other  products  in  Alabama,  Ari- 
zona, Arkansas,  California,  Connecticut,  Delaware,  Indiana,  Iowa, 
Kentucky,  Maine,  Michigan,  North  Carolina,  Pennsylvania,  South 
Carolina,  Virginia,  Washington,  and  perhaps  other  states.  You  can 
secure  detail  on  such  established  markets  and  the  aid  of  specialists 
from  your  county  agent  or  state  college  of  agriculture. 


CHAPTER    FORTY-NINE 

How  to  Make  Money  at  Home  by  Mail  Order 


THERE  is  NO  mystery  about  making  money  at  home  by  mail  order. 
The  fun  you  have  in  the  process  is  a  bonus.  Selling  by  mail  is  noth- 
ing more  nor  less  than  a  type  of  merchandising.  The  principles  of 
this  method  of  putting  more  than  100,000  mailmen  to  work  for  you 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  3^9 

can  be  mastered  by  an  average  man  or  woman,  young  or  old.  The 
proved  methods,  when  mixed  with  the  common  sense  and  determi- 
nation of  an  average  individual,  can  be  successfully  applied  either 
part  time  or  full  time  and  in  your  own  home. 

The  place  where  you  now  are,  whether  it  be  in  the  country,  small 
town,  or  city,  is  the  place  from  which  you  can  operate  to  add  a  few 
hundred  or  thousands— even  many  thousands  of  dollars  to  your 
present  income.  There  are  part-time  mail-order  operators  who  net 
from  $2000  to  $5000  annually.  Some  who  started  part  time  have 
dropped  other  endeavors  to  devote  full  time  to  mail-order  selling, 
thus  gaining  incomes  of  from  $5000  to  more  than  $20,000  a  year. 

If  such  earnings  interest  you,  it  is  easy  for  you  to  start  on  a  small 
scale  and  keep  your  operations  at  a  desired  level.  Surprisingly,  how- 
ever, you  may  find  yourself  with  a  thriving  small  business  at  your 
command.  The  only  "magic"  in  home-mail-order  operations  is  the 
very  fact  that  you  can  establish  yourself  in  business  with  so  little 
capital  and  have  a  chance  to  develop  a  small  fortune.  Some  home- 
mail-order  enterprisers  have  started  with  as  little  as  $100  capital, 
but  that  is  rather  small  except  for  "pin-money"  operations.  Many 
started  with  a  few  hundred  and  developed  more  rapidly  increasing 
revenue. 


WHY         DIBECT     MAIL         IS     TEMPTING 

Examine  a  number  of  reasons  why  the  home-mail-order  activity 
is  particularly  inviting: 

1.  It  lends  itself  to  part-time  endeavor  so  it  can  be  fitted  in  with 
your  other  activities  in  keeping  a  home  or  earning  a  salary  else- 
where. 

2.  It  is  comparatively  easy  to  transfer  part-time  operations  to  full- 
time  activity  after  the  initial  processes  have  been  worked  out. 

3.  It  is  an  ideal  one-man  or  one-woman  business. 

4.  Age  is  no  particular  factor.  Young  or  old  can  enter  the  field;  and 
more  and  more  people  in  or  nearing  retirement  can  find  mail- 
order activity  particularly  well  suited  to  them. 

5.  Location  is  of  no  major  importance  as  mail-order  activities  can 
be  carried  on  from  a  farmhouse  or  a  city  apartment— your  own 
home. 

6.  Very  little  initial  capital  is  required  as  you  need  not  invest  in 
expensive  equipment,  leases,  etc. 


3QO  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

7.  Long  and  expensive  training  and  advanced  education  are  not 
essential,  even  though  always  desirable.  An  excellent  booklet  on 
the  mail-order  business,  published  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of 
Commerce,  states:  "The  mail-order  business  is  unique  in  that  it 
can  be  started  with  a  minimum  of  capital  and  without  any  speci- 
fied set  of  experience.  In  mail-order  work,  anyone  with  imagi- 
nation, determination,  and  a  willingness  to  study  and  experi- 
ment, may  have  very  little  difficulty  in  getting  started.  This  is 
almost  a  perfect  example  of  learning  by  doing." 

8.  Distribution  of  mail-order  products  and  services  is  available 
locally  or  nationally  through  your  postal  services. 

9.  Prospective  customers  are  not  confined  to  a  small  local  area  with 
intensive  local  competition. 

10.  Mail-order  buying  is  steadily  on  the  increase  and  many  millions 

of  individuals  are  accustomed  to  this  method  of  "shopping." 
There  are  a  number  of  more  or  less  obvious  reasons  why  mail- 
order business  has  grown  into  the  billion-dollar  classification  with 
many  millions  of  steady  customers.  Here  are  a  few  of  them: 

1.  It's  easy  to  buy  by  mail.  It  is  easier  to  fill  out  a  coupon  or  write  a 
letter  to  a  mail-order  house  than  to  get  shaved  or  doll  up  the  hair 
and  go  to  a  store  and  be  pushed  around. 

2.  It's  often  cheaper  to  buy  by  mail.  Mail-order  houses  don't  have  to 
pay  for  premium  store  locations  and  all  of  the  heavy  overhead  of 
a  fine  "front,"  and  that  can  be  reflected  in  prices.  A  postage  stamp 
eliminates  the  cost  of  bus  or  subway  or  gasoline  and  car  parking, 
etc. 

3.  There  is  no  pressure  of  salespersons  across  the  counter.  The  mail- 
order buyer  is  subject  only  to  the  "pressure"  of  the  direct-mail 
letter  or  other  form  of  mail-order  advertising,  and  can  make  up 
his  mind  at  his  leisure. 

4.  Many  customers  like  the  idea  of  sending  away  for  goods  or  serv- 
ices they  desire  and  enjoy  receiving  packages  in  the  mail. 

5.  Frequently  articles  and  services  that  can't  be  found  elsewhere  are 
made  available  by  mail  order. 

6.  It  is  a  definite,  almost  imperative  service  for  large  numbers  of 
customers  who,  because  of  isolated  location  or  physical  restric- 
tions, cannot  get  to  shopping  centers  without  great  difficulty. 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  391 

THE     THREE     TYPES     OF     MAIL-ORDER     BUSINESS 

For  these  and  other  reasons,  three  broad  types  of  mail-order  busi- 
ness have  been  developed  with  each  type  to  some  extent  overlapping 
the  others: 

1.  The  large,  general  mail-order  house  carrying  a  large  stock  of  a 
variety  of  items  that  may  range  from  birdseed  to  automobiles. 
This  type  of  house  depends  almost  entirely  on  catalogue  selling 
and  supplemental  sales  through  regional  stores. 

2.  The  manufacturer  who  sells  direct  to  customers,  or  to  retailers  or 
jobbers,  who  in  turn  may  sell  to  agents  and  other  outlets. 

3.  The  specialty  mail-order  operator  who  sells  one  item  or  a  line  of 
somewhat  related  items  direct  to  customers. 

This  third  type  is  the  one  that  is  of  primary  interest  to  the  home- 
mail-order  operator.  Strictly  speaking,  there  is  a  difference  between 
"mail-order"  and  "direct-mail"  selling,  one  depending  almost  solely 
on  selling  from  printed  matter  sent  through  the  mails,  and  the  other 
depending  on  orders  secured  through  coupons  and  other  appeals  by 
use  of  space  advertising  in  periodicals.  So  many  home-mail-order 
people  use  one  or  both  of  these  methods,  we  will  use  the  terms  in- 
terchangeably in  dealing  with  selling  where  orders  prompted  by 
advertising  or  letters  are  received  and  fulfilled  by  use  of  the  mail 
services. 

The  specialty  mail-order  operator  may  be  the  Southern  woman 
who,  without  previous  mail-order-selling  experience,  used  the  mails 
to  sell  thousands  of  pounds  of  fruit  cake  and  thus  support  the  family. 
Up  in  the  Green  Mountains  of  Vermont  "The  Honey  and  Apple 
Man"  sells  his  apples  and  honey  spread  by  letter  to  people  whose 
names  are  on  available  lists.  In  the  servants'  quarters  of  a  lovely 
home  at  Highland  Park,  a  suburb  of  Chicago,  are  the  offices  of 
Northmore  Home  Products,  selling  a  variety  of  specialities  by  mail. 

Before  reading  in  detail  about  how  you  can  establish  your  own 
home-mail-order  business,  step  into  the  converted  servants'  rooms 
of  that  Highland  Park  home  and  meet  Whitt  N.  Schultz,  who  in  less 
than  four  years  nursed  a  $1200  investment  into  a  business  grossing 
over  $100,000  annually. 

When  Whitt  Northmore  Schultz  doffed  an  army  sergeant's  blouse 
after  four  years  in  the  army,  mostly  overseas,  he  was  still  on  the 
sunny  side  of  30  and  interested  in  selling  a  brass  holder  for  a  stamp 
roll  and  paper  clips.  He  could  reach  no  more  than  10  prospective 


392  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

buyers  daily,  and  consequently  sales  were  not  up  to  expectations. 

In  an  effort  to  reach  more  buyers,  Mr.  Schultz  devised  a  little  2&- 
inch  advertisement  for  the  gift  and  housewares  section  of  the  New 
York  Herald  Tribune.  That  was  in  November  of  1947  and  that  one 
little  $80  advertisement  brought  in  about  900  orders  at  $3.50  the 
copy.  Right  there  Mr.  Schultz  found  himself  in  the  mail-order  busi- 
ness. 

Continuing  to  advertise  his  product  in  newspapers  and  magazines 
as  well  as  in  direct  letters  to  prospects,  Mr.  Schultz  studied  various 
details  of  mail-order  selling  and  added  a  number  of  products  to  the 
Northmore  line.  These  products  include  a  cling-to-you  apron,  a 
medicine  cabinet  Tidy  Shelf,  a  personalized  coffee  server,  the  Master 
Key  vacuum  can  and  bottle  opener,  flower-pot  stands,  shears  that 
cut  and  hold  a  grip  on  flower  stems,  a  cellophane-tape  dispenser, 
and  other  items  calculated  to  intrigue  the  interest  and  lure  the  cash 
of  buyers  by  mail. 

These  mail  buyers,  a  multitude,  are  waiting  for  you  and  the  prod- 
ucts or  services  you  have  to  offer.  Immediately  on  deciding  to  ex- 
plore this  field  for  your  own  home-business  purposes,  a  number  of 
questions  will  arise: 

What  will  you  sell?  From  among  the  hundreds  and  thousands  of 
possibilities,  exactly  what  product  or  service  will  you  select? 

Where  will  you  get  it? 

To  whom  will  you  sell  it? 

How  much  will  you  charge? 

Will  you  use  space  advertising  in  periodicals  or  direct-letter  mail? 

How  will  you  prepare  the  copy? 

How  will  you  get  started? 

You  will  get  started  in  your  own  home-mail  business  by  not  let- 
ting such  questions  dismay  you  in  any  way.  Anyone  beginning  a  new 
project  has  a  lot  of  questions  that  require  precise  answers.  The  an- 
swers to  the  above  and  many  other  pertinent  questions  relating  to 
mail-order  selling  will  be  given  in  these  pages,  so  that  you  can  profit 
by  the  experience  of  thousands  of  others. 

HOW     TO     SELECT     YOUR     MAIL-ORDER 
PRODUCT    OR     SERVICE 

Literally,  almost  anything  that  people  desire  or  need  can  be  sold 
by  mail,  but  let  us  use  common  sense  and  stay  on  safe  ground.  Some- 


PACKAGING    AND    SELLING  393 

one  may  package  ice-cream  cones  in  dry  ice  and  dream  up  a  sales 
appeal  that  would  make  it  possible  to  sell  them  by  mail,  but  shipping 
problems,  cost  of  sales,  and  the  like  would  make  the  trick  rather 
hazardous.  Seriously,  however,  there  is  available  to  you  a  multitude 
of  articles  and  services,  some  of  them  rather  ordinary  but  made 
entrancing  and  salesworthy  by  clever  appeals. 

Your  own  observation  of  direct-mail  letters  you  receive  and  the 
mail-order  advertisements  in  newspapers  and  magazines  and  "on  the 
air,"  will  make  it  clear  that  potentially  profitable  mail-order  items 
fall  into  these  three  classifications: 

1.  Products.  This  is  merchandise,  staples  such  as  food  and  cloth- 
ing and  cigarettes,  or  specialties  such  as  gift  novelties  and  home- 
handicraft  items. 

2.  Services.  These  are  personal  services  such  as  consultation  in 
special  fields,  mending  of  garments  for  bachelors,  typing  of  bills  or 
manuscripts,  baby  sitting,  catering. 

3.  Information.  This  involves  correspondence  schools,  instruc- 
tional pamphlets,  collections  of  intriguing  recipes,  booklets  in  special 
fields. 

There  are  thousands  of  variations  involved  in  these  classifications 
and  your  own  special  appeal  to  buyers  may  well  be  a  money-maker. 
You  will  do  well  in  making  your  own  selection  to  be  guided  to  some 
extent  by  the  type  of  article  or  service  you  would  enjoy  handling. 
Mail  selling  can  become  as  fascinating  as  the  most  challenging  of 
games.  If  you  are  to  live  with  it,  you  may  as  well  get  some  fun  as 
well  as  profit.  As  an  illustration,  if  you  love  books  and  hug  the  home 
fireplace,  you  would  be  well  advised  to  consider  selling  books  by 
mail  rather  than  be  inspired  by  Edward  A.  Myers.  This  Princeton, 
New  Jersey,  man,  wearying  of  town  life,  craved  out-of-door  work 
and  established  his  Saltwater  Farm  at  Damariscotta,  Maine,  from 
which  he  sells  lobsters  and  steamer  clams  direct  by  mail  from  the 
lobster  and  clam  beds  to  your  kitchen  or  outdoor  fireplace  hundreds 
of  miles  away. 

It  is  the  "twist,"  the  "extra  ingredient,"  the  "special  appeal"  in 
direct  mail  that  makes  business  possible  for  a  Myers.  As  a  general 
rule,  the  beginner  in  mail  order  should  not  try  to  sell  staple  mer- 
chandise, as  he  will  have  established  competition  in  local  stores  al- 
most everywhere  and  a  low  margin  of  profit.  But  if  he  can  glamorize 
the  staple  product  or  add  something  extra  to  make  it  more  appeal- 
ing, success  may  well  be  attained. 


394  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Books,  for  instance,  are  staple  merchandise,  but  something  extra 
was  added  when  book  clubs  were  conceived.  The  clubs  gave  the 
members  selection  and  the  direct  mail  provided  delivery  in  the 
home.  And  the  clubs,  by  mail,  reached  hundreds  of  thousands  in 
small  towns  and  country  areas  where  bookstores  were  not  readily 
available. 

It  is  the  matter  of  availability  that  lends  great  possibilities  to  the 
specialty  item  or  line  of  products.  The  specialties  have  novelty  and 
exclusive  features  and  often  can  be  secured  only  by  direct  mail.  This 
is  a  field  to  be  carefully  considered  by  the  new  mail-order  business- 
man or  -woman,  and  particularly  if  there  is  logically  a  broad  mass 
appeal  in  the  item  offered. 

Specialties  or  novelties  of  your  own  manufacture  may  well  have  a 
mass  appeal,  and  the  mail-order  operator  who  controls  his  own  sup- 
ply of  products  is  in  an  ideal  position.  Each  week  sees  the  introduc- 
tion of  new  inventions  and  gadgets  on  the  market,  and  while  many 
of  them  fail  either  through  fault  of  product  or  inept  promotion, 
there  are  many  that  do  succeed  and  yours  may  be  next. 

Valuable  detail  on  commodities  of  your  own  make  for  mail-order 
sale  is  given  in  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Commerce  manual  on  the 
mail-order  business  by  Nelson  A.  Miller  and  Joseph  H.  Rhoades, 
which  states: 

"There  are  many  items  easy  to  make  simply  by  following  instruc- 
tions. In  other  cases,  once  construction  fundamentals  are  grasped, 
plans  can  be  worked  out  to  make  a  variety  of  articles  of  your  own 
design,  for  example,  useful  novelties  that  will  be  yours  exclusively, 
until  competition  sets  in  that  may  change  your  plans.  However,  a 
versatile  person  need  have  little  fear  of  keeping  ahead  of  the  crowd, 
due  to  his  skill  in  manufacture,  or  an  advantage  in  acquiring  raw 
materials,  or  judgment  in  selecting  marketing  methods,  or  other 
superiority. 

"Mail-order  goods  of  your  own  manufacture  fall  in  two  principal 
groups:  (1)  goods  made  by  an  artisan  or  craftsman,  by  hand  with 
simple  tools  or  with  the  aid  of  light  power  machinery,  as  for  exam- 
ple, book  ends,  indoor  dog  kennels,  knock-down  furniture,  wall 
racks,  seashell  necklaces,  lawn  novelties,  throw-rugs,  tropical  prod- 
ucts, and  (2)  chemical  specialties  which  any  "mixer"  can  learn  to 
compound  at  home,  on  the  kitchen  stove,  in  a  small  shop,  or  in  his 
garage.  This  is  the  so-called  proprietary  field,  where  the  making  and 


PACKAGING    AND     SELLING  395 

selling  of  simple  products  has  crowned  the  efforts  of  many  limited- 
capital  operators  with  success. 

"Because  of  its  general  appeal  and  widespread  fascination,  atten- 
tion may  well  be  concentrated  on  this  topic. 

"If  you  have  an  interest  in  this  field— stemming  from  your  own 
personal  needs,  past  or  present,  or  growing  from  a  business  with 
which  you  are  familiar,  or  arising  out  of  experience  with  a  good 
preparation  which  to  your  judgment  possesses  undisputed  merit- 
investigate  possibilities.  Since  the  first  essential  is  to  have  a  reliable 
and  workable  manufacturing  formula,  select  a  compound— or  better 
a  related  line  of  compounds— study  its  chemistry  and  find  out  its 
uses;  also  its  limitations.  Devote  time  and  energy  toward  learning 
if  you  have  a  sound  idea.  There  are  a  number  of  good  formula  books 
on  the  market,  some  of  which  are  in  the  public  library.  Many  of  the 
small  trade  magazines  have  very  helpful  formulary  sections.  After 
you  have  tracked  down  all  the  necessary  fundamentals,  and  are 
ready  to  go  ahead,  it  is  often  wise  to  get  the  professional  assistance 
of  a  competent  mail-order  chemist,  who  can  put  you  right  and  keep 
you  in  the  money-making  'groove,'  for  his  success  depends  on  yours 
and  that  of  his  other  clients. 

"In  starting  out,  pick  something  in  demand  which  is  easy  to  manu- 
facture, and  if  possible  choose  a  repeat  article  or  line'  of  products 
so  that  the  sale  of  one  item  can  be  used  to  introduce  others.  Proprie- 
tary manufacture  offers  a  wide  margin  of  profit,  the  container  some- 
times costing  more  than  the  contents,  and  yet  the  compound  can  be 
competitively  priced.  Sometimes  common  products  go  well,  when 
promoted  with  a  'new  angle/  For  example,  one  man  in  offering  a 
window  cleaner  (the  one  ingredient,  carbon  tetrachloride,  is  nor- 
mally available  at  most  any  drug  store),  sold  a  combination  of  spray 
atomizer  with  his  'magic  preparation/  He  showed  how  an  otherwise 
bothersome  chore  could  be  accomplished  in  a  jiffy.  The  same  propo- 
sition was  a  'natural'  for  cleaning  automobile  windshields.  He  ex- 
ploited that  market,  too. 

Is  there  anything  you  would  like  to  put  up  and  sell  by  mail,  and 
perhaps  to  local  trade  as  well?  To  locate  potential  users  of  simple 
chemical  preparations,  it  is  not  necessary  to  reach  across  the  conti- 
nent to  find  a  prospect.  A  profitable  market  may  lie  literally  in  the 
backyard,  waiting  to  be  cultivated.  While  there  are  many  different 
kinds  of  specialties,  suited  to  a  variety  of  chemical  interests,  only  a 
few  can  be  pointed  out  here. 


39^  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

"Household  specialties.— These  are  good  sellers  if  not  so  common 
as  to  be  had  at  convenient  corner  or  downtown  stores.  Some  of  the 
items  appealing  to  women  include  spot  removers,  rug  cleaners,  fur- 
niture rejuvenators,  cleaning  powders,  ink  removers  (those  that  do 
not  take  out  the  color  too),  insect  sprays,  vermin  liquidators.  For 
men  who  are  handy  at  doing  things  about  the  home,  these  often  fill 
a  need:  caulking  materials,  adhesives,  hot  and  cold  solders,  water- 
proofing preparations,  paints  (including  luminous),  solvents,  chim- 
ney cleaning  powders. 

"Automobile  specialties.— Washing  and  polishing  aids,  motor  car 
^beauty  packs'  (an  assortment  of  car  beautifiers),  touch-up  and  car- 
painting  helps,  seat  covers,  motor  and  body  accessories,  parts,  and 
attachments. 

"Medical  and  toilet  preparations.— In  this  field  great  caution  must 
be  exercised  in  keeping  within  legal  requirements.  They  are  many 
and  exacting.  While  it  is  possible  for  a  small  operator  to  manufac- 
ture health  specialties,  dentifrices  (with  instructions  on  the  care  of 
the  teeth),  simple  remedies,  medicated  foot  relief,  cosmetics,  and 
the  like,  competent  professional  counsel  should  be  consulted,  for 
standards  and  legal  requirements  are  strict  for  the  compounding 
and  distribution  of  medical  items.  Many  chemical  compounds,  reme- 
dies, drugs,  and  all  narcotics  and  poisons  are  restricted  to  sale  on  a 
doctor's  prescription  and  can  only  be  dispensed  by  a  registered 
pharmacist." 

The  great  variety  of  products  being  successfully  sold  by  mail  is 
made  clear  in  the  display  and  classified  advertisements  in  various 
craft  and  farm  and  popular  science  magazines.  The  larger  Sunday- 
newspaper  sections  include  hundreds  of  items  calculated  to  secure 
dollars  by  mail.  This  book  gives  many  case  histories  of  individuals 
producing  and  selling  their  home  products. 

Careful  appraisal  of  the  products  already  being  offered  may  well 
suggest  to  you  the  item  or  items  you  are  most  interested  in  handling 
and  best  qualified  to  produce  or  sell.  Following  is  a  suggestive  list 
for  your  convenience,  even  though  it  does  involve  some  repetition. 
In  searching  through  the  list  always  keep  in  mind  the  desirability 
of  some  special  angle  that  is  your  own;  some  appeal  that  will  make 
the  product  particularly  desirable— something  special!  As  a  simple 
illustration,  the  mere  listing  of  candy  as  a  product  for  mail  sales  is 
quite  ordinary  and  you  might  not  be  able  to  compete  with  the  larg- 
est established  candy  manufactures— but  one  housewife  secured 


PACKAGING    AND    SELLING  397 

recipes  for  old-fashioned  candies  and  sold  the  assemblies  success- 
fully. If  you  live  in  the  South  you  would  give  thought  to  your  re- 
gional pralines,  and  if  in  Vermont  to  your  maple-sugar  candies. 

OVER     100    PRODUCTS    SUCCESSFULLY 
SOLD    BY     MAIL 

Herewith  is  a  list  of  more  than  100  products  being  successfully 
sold  by  mail.  The  list  is  only  a  tiny  sampling  but  is  presented  to  in- 
dicate the  broad  range  of  possibilities.  Such  products  are  always 
subject  to  improvement,  change,  new  appeals.  Make  an  adventure 
of  examining  the  list  and  applying  your  imagination  and  ingenuity 
or  possible  special  knowledge  to  develop  your  own  angle  that  may 
glamorize  the  product  as  your  first  venture  in  the  home-mail-order 
business. 

Animals,  Birds,  and  Fish 

Canaries  Hamsters 

Cats  Oysters 

Chickens  Rabbits 

Clams  Shetland  ponies 

Crabs  Shrimp 

Dogs  Songbirds 

Ducks  Tropical  fish 

Geese  Turkeys 

Goldfish  White  rats 

Foods  ( canned,  frozen,  preserved,  etc. ) 

Candies  Jellies 

Fruits  Nuts 

Game  Pickles 

Raw  and  cooked  hams  Preserves 

Honey  Sausages 

Miscellaneous 

Ant  palaces  Birdhouses 

Art  products  Boats 

Automotive  accessories  Books 

Bags  Building  gadgets  and  supplies 

Bath  accessories  Camera  accessories 


398 

Cameras 

Car-washing  devices 

Christmas  cards 

Cigarettes 

Cigars 

Clothing 

Collectors'  items 

Courses  of  instruction 

Cow  feed 

Designs 

Dog  food 

DoUs 

Doughnut  machines 

Drug  sundries 

Electric  lanterns 

Electric  novelties 

Fences 

Fire  Extinguishers 

Fishermen's  accessories 

Fixtures 

Furniture 

Games 

Handicraft  instructions 

Handicraft  products 

Handicraft  supplies 

Health  lamps 

House  furnishings 

Hunters'  accessories 

Insecticides 

Insurance 

Jewelry 

Kitchen  deodorizers 

Kitchen  gadgets 

Lamps 


MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Lawn  decorations 

Lawn  supplies 

Luggage 

Magazine  subscriptions 

Microscopes 

Musical  instruments 

Musical  scores 

"Nature  remedies" 

Nursery  stock 

Pamphlets 

Phonograph  attachments 

Photo  enlargements 

Picture  tinting 

Plumbing  fixtures  and  gadgets 

Puzzles 

Real  estate 

Recording  attachments 

Recording  instruments 

Sporting  goods 

Stationery 

Taxidermy  supplies 

Tobacco 

Tools 

Toys 

Traps 

Travel  gadgets 

Travel  guides 

Vermine  eradicators 

Weed  killers 

Window  washers 

Woods,  rare,  fancy 

Zipper  menders 

Zippers 


SELLING 

BY     MAIL 


NSTRUCTION     AND     INFORMATION 


The  foregoing  deals  largely  with  products  that  are  successfully 
sold  by  mail.  Throughout  this  book  there  are  specific  references  to 


PACKAGING    AND     SELLING  399 

give  you  other  leads  that  should  help  in  your  own  selection  of  a 
product  for  mail  sales.  The  astute  reader  will  avoid  staple  products 
unless  he  or  she  has  some  special  qualification  or  something  new 
that  makes  the  staple  product  particularly  inviting.  The  fruitful 
possibilities  in  services  that  are  made  available  by  telephone  and 
direct  mail  and  other  means  of  advertising  are  explored  in  other 
chapters.  The  third  broad  field  that  is  wide  open  for  the  mail  opera- 
tor is  that  of  sale  of  information,  soundly  summarized  in  the  previ- 
ously mentioned  mail-order  manual  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Department 
of  Commerce,  as  follows: 

"Selling  instruction  and  information  by  mail  embraces  a  large 
field.  At  one  extreme  is  the  correspondence  school  which  aims  to 
bring  a  university  campus  to  the  door,  and  at  the  other  extreme  is 
the  small  operator  who  for  10  cents  or  25  cents  will  send  information 
about  something  you  would  like  to  know  or  will  reveal  a  'secret*  or 
formula  of  some  kind.  In  between  these  two  extremes  are  many 
possibilities.  Those  individuals  who  are  conscious  of  mail-buying 
opportunities,  and  who  seek  training  at  home  and  in  spare  time  wul 
discover  many  pieces  of  useful  information  to  be  had  at  small  cost. 
Mail-order  operators  who  specialize  in  selling  bits  of  education  are 
in  a  socially  desirable  enterprise,  and  a  well  managed  one  can  pro- 
duce very  profitable  and  satisfying  results. 

"Little  wonder  then  that  for  the  small  operator,  selling  'infor- 
mation* is  attractive.  One  authority  states:  'At  least  50  per  cent  of  all 
the  beginners  start  their  career  in  mail  order  by  offering  a  plan, 
formula,  or  information  sheet.  At  least  49  per  cent  lose  money  in 
their  first  venture.  Some  quit  then  and  there  because  their  visions  of 
fast,  easy  money  are  shattered.  Others  realize  their  mistakes,  profit 
by  their  experience  and  go  on  to  a  successful,  profitable  mail-order 
business/ 

"If  you  have  imagination  and  vision,  mail-order  enterprises  pro- 
vide a  chance  to  sell  your  knowledge.  Many  people  possess  informa- 
tion for  which  others  would  willingly  pay  a  fair  price.  If  you  have  a 
special  field  in  which  you  have  reason  to  believe  others  would  be 
interested,  write  up  an  instruction  sheet  or  folio  about  it. 

"This  often  pays.  Even  if  you  do  not  have  the  essential  back- 
ground information,  by  self-training  you  can  become  somewhat  of 
an  expert.  Exhaust  the  literature  on  a  subject  in  public  libraries  and 
elsewhere,  write  up  the  material  in  the  most  attractive  form,  get  it 
out  as  a  leaflet  or  treatise,  and  market  it  by  mail.  The  right  kind  of 


400  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

manuscript  very  often  makes  money  if  followed  through.  Do  you 
know  something  or  can  you  make  something  a  little  better  than  most 
people?  Write  it  up.  For  simple  instruction  booklets  of  all  kinds, 
written  for  the  layman,  there  is  usually  a  ready  market.  There  is  a 
demand  for  reliable  information,  and  this  is  particularly  true  for 
Tcnow-how'  courses  in  brief  portfolio  form.  And  this  can  be  a  repeat 
order  proposition,  for  the  buyer  of  one  folio  is  often  a  prospect  for 
similar  courses  or  booklets. 

"How  to  get  started.— An  excellent  way  to  get  started  in  selling  in- 
formation is  to  push  what  you  yourself  have  written.  By  having 
several  hundred  or  several  thousand  copies  made,  you  can,  at  small 
cost,  try  out  the  plan.  With  the  right  mail  selling  methods,  you  may 
profit,  just  as  many  others  are  doing.  In  this  field  the  buyer  usually 
gets  good  value  in  obtaining  something  which  required  weeks,  or 
even  months  or  years  to  prepare,  and  there  is  a  long  gross  profit  on 
each  sale.  Treatises  which  sell  for  $1  may  cost  only  5  cents  to  35 
cents  to  print. 

"There  are  many  spare-time  operators  making  money  year  after 
year  in  liow-to'  courses.  The  classified  columns  and  display  advertis- 
ing sections  of  the  craft  magazines  are  replete  with  such  offerings. 

"Typical  avenues  of  approach.— Of  the  hundreds  of  reliable  self- 
help  topics  being  offered  by  mail,  the  following  are  illustrative. 

"1.  Formulas  alone  are  difficult  to  sell.  Value  lies  not  entirely  in 
the  formula,  recipe,  kink,  or  knack  of  getting  some  result,  but  also 
in  the  plan  and  the  person  pushing  that  process  or  formula.  Well 
presented  with  instructions  for  using,  formulas  singly  or  in  group 
sets  in  treatise  form  are  being  successfully  sold  by  mail.  Many  of 
them  can  be  built  around  simple  household  preparations.  In  selling 
a  plan,  a  formula,  and  the  like,  work  out  a  set-up  of  your  own  and 
merchandise  it  in  a  way  to  build  a  satisfied  clientele. 

"2.  Help  to  the  handyman  strikes  a  chord  for  those  who  are  inter- 
ested in  making  money  or  saving  it.  Since  handymen  are  made  and 
not  just  born  with  particular  skills,  those  who  like  to  tinker  and  find 
out  how  to  do  things  for  themselves  are  usually  on  the  lookout  for 
down-to-the-earth  useful  information.  If  you  are  a  handyman,  what 
have  you  learned  'the  hard  way?  Do  you  know  something  for  which 
others  might  be  glad  to  pay  a  reasonable  price?  For  example,  any- 
one familiar  with  work  in  various  trades— radio,  electrical,  carpentry, 
painting,  and  miscellaneous  mechanical  jobs— has  a  fund  of  informa- 
tion which  might  well  be  worked  up  into  an  inexpensive  mimeo- 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  4O1 

graphed  treatise  or  series  of  them,  including  drawings  and  diagrams. 
Some  mail-order  operators  have  done  this  to  advantage. 

"3.  Writing  for  profit  has  an  appeal.  Although  the  field  has  been 
well  worked  in  the  high-class  high-cost  strata,  there  is  still  room  for 
inexpensive  sets  of  writing  instruction  and  advisory  service.  A  large 
proportion  of  the  adult  population  has  the  urge  to  write.  These 
would-be  authors  range  all  the  way  from  those  merely  seeking  the 
'pride  of  authorship/  to  those  who  have  the  desire  of  some  day 
spending  full  time  in  writing,  and  earning  a  living  at  it.  And  many 
of  these  people  are  already  successful  in  some  line  of  work.  They 
are  eager  for  assistance  in  writing.  Helpful  guidance  such  as  can  be 
offered  in  folios  could  find  a  ready  market. 

"4.  Application  of  chemistry  offers  a  wide  choice  for  those  who 
are  qualified  in  one  or  more  branches  of  this  science.  Any  one  who 
has  specialized  in  any  phase  of  chemistry  might  well  be  able  to  con- 
tribute acceptable  leaflets  and  booklets  on  the  subject,  which  could 
be  of  value  to  others.  Think  of  the  possibilities  in  acquainting  peo- 
ple with  the  myriad  uses  of  common  chemical  substances,  for  exam- 
ple, in  the  field  of  cements  and  glues,  caulking  compounds,  liquid 
coating  solutions,  and  solvents.  Not  only  is  there  opportunity  in  sell- 
ing information  in  this  field,  but  also  in  merchandising  useful  prep- 
arations of  your  own. 

"5.  Hobbies  range  all  the  way  from  playthings  to  highly  technical 
pastimes.  Many  people  have  hobbies  which  follow  definite  patterns. 
Have  you  a  hobby,  as  stamp  collecting,  for  example?  Mail-order 
affords  a  profitable  avenue  to  pass  these  pleasures  on  to  others,  and 
often  persons  who  have  hobbies  do  not  hesitate  to  pay  well  for  addi- 
tional knowledge.  Hobbies  can  become  part-time  income  sources, 
and  finally  full-time  occupations. 

"6.  Health  and  exercise  is  a  subject  in  which  a  large  percentage  of 
the  population  is  interested.  A  person  well  qualified  to  write  about 
physical  training,  camping,  swimming,  or  fishing,  for  example,  is  in 
a  good  position  to  sell  his  knowledge  by  mail.  But  warning  is  neces- 
sary regarding  health  information  or  goods:  Be  sure  that  the  propo- 
sition applies  to  prevention  and  not  to  curative  effects.  Another  cau- 
tion is  to  beware  of  making  false  claims,  for  the  health  field  can  be 
dangerous  ground. 

"7.  Other  subjects  in  the  information-selling  field  abound,  such  as 
making  money  in  a  particular  line  of  work,  increasing  knowledge  for 
pleasure  or  profit,  how  to  gain  prestige  by  being  able  to  speak  in 


402  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

public,  how  to  play  a  musical  instrument,  how  to  learn  speed  typing 
and  shorthand  at  home,  and  so  on. 

"Information,  instruction,  or  education  by  mail  can  be  started  with 
a  minimum  of  capital,  with  little  mailing  costs.  Further,  it  is  an  easy 
way  to  get  started,  and  is  one  of  the  most  profitable  areas  of  mail- 
order selling/' 

SELLING     SERVICES     BY     MAIL 

Persons  qualified  in  a  trade  or  profession  are  often  able  to  market 
their  services  by  mail,  very  frequently  on  a  part-time  basis  to  sup- 
plement regular  employment.  Here  are  some  typical  illustrations: 

1.  Stenographic  and  clerical: 

( a )  addressing  and  circular  mailing 

( b )  typing  of  manuscripts  ( sometimes  with  revision  and  editing ) 

2.  Assistance  in  publication  work: 

(a)  writing  of  sales  literature  and  information  folios 

(b)  editorial  aid  to  authors,  photoplay  writers,  and  businessmen 

(c)  printing,  mimeographing,  multigraphing,  planographing 

3.  Skilled  trade  and  professional  service: 

(a)  photographic  work  (as  development  of  films) 

(b)  commercial  art  work 

( c )  patent  attorneys  ( assistance  in  securing  a  patent  and  render- 
ing of  advice  in  the  marketing  of  a  new  invention ) 

(d)  analytical  chemistry  (consultant  chemists  specialize  in  ana- 
lyzing products   and   suggesting   improvements,   including 
better  marketing  policies) 

( e )  economic  advisers,  as  in  the  line  of  tax  relief,  especially  help- 
ful to  smaller  industrial  corporations 

(f )  advertising  writers,  who  help  business  concerns  with  adver- 
tising problems 

(g)  mail-order  counselors,  catering  to  beginners,  also  small-mail 
dealers  who  wish  to  perfect  their  methods  and  expand 

4.  News  and  information  services: 

(a)  current  information  bulletins  and  special  releases,  put  out  by 
specialized  reporters  situated  in  a  strategic  center 

(b)  market-analysis  reports  in  investment  and  commodity  fields 

( c )  syndicated  materials,  as  a  column  for  newspapers 

Your  personal  selection  of  the  mail-order  item  you  will  offer  will 
depend  on  many  factors,  chief  of  which  might  well  be  the  selection 


PACKAGING    AND    SELLING  403 

of  a  service  or  product  you  are  familiar  with  and  would  thoroughly 
enjoy  handling.  If  you  have  no  strong  leaning  toward  a  particular 
item,  you  can  select  something  that  intrigues  your  interest  and  con- 
centrate on  it  at  the  beginning.  Numerous  possibilities  are  men- 
tioned in  this  chapter.  More  suggestions  are  available  throughout 
this  book.  At  this  point  it  might  be  advisable  to  review  suggestions 
already  offered.  It  is  to  your  advantage  to  narrow  down  the  possi- 
bilities so  that  mail-order  principles  that  are  suggested  may  have  a 
more  specific  application  to  your  own  contemplated  home  business. 
Your  selection  may  be  influenced  by  consideration  of  the  following 
activities  of  experts  and  amateurs  in  the  mail-order  field  and  their 
methods  of  advertising. 

CASE    ILLUSTRATIONS    OF    MAIL-ORDEB 
TREASURE    HUNTERS    AT    WORK 

At  the  outset  anyone  contemplating  establishment  of  a  mail-order 
business  should  bow  deeply  from  the  waist  to  the  memory  of  the 
young  railway  clerk  who  saved  a  few  dollars,  bought  some  watches, 
sold  them  by  letters  to  prospects,  and  thus  started  one  of  the  great 
pioneer  successes  in  mail  order.  This  is  the  oft-told  tale  of  the  found- 
ing of  the  firm  of  Sears,  Roebuck  and  Co.  which  in  1951  reported  a 
record-high  sales  volume  of  $2,556,371,110  with  a  net  profit  of 
$111,894,654.  Since  that  time  a  multitude  of  others  have  made  their 
own  amateurish  start  and  won  more  moderate  success.  The  oppor- 
tunities for  launching  mail-order  operations  are  better  today  than 
they  were  many  years  ago  when  the  Sears  project  was  started,  be- 
cause today  millions  are  thoroughly  accustomed  to  buying  by  mail. 

THE    CASE    OF    THE    CIGARETTE    CONTAINER 

Mrs.  Kathleen  Weller  was  living  comfortably,  but  she  wanted 
some  interesting  activity  of  her  own,  and  she  wanted  to  make  some 
more  money  of  her  own.  She  decided  she  would  like  to  launch  a 
little  home-mail-order  business.  Her  husband  agreed  that  the  risk 
would  be  small  and  encouraged  the  venture. 

Mrs.  Weller  located  a  calfskin  cigarette  case  at  a  supplier's.  It  was 
attractively  designed  and  priced  low  enough  to  permit  a  markup 
that  was  estimated  to  cover  the  cost  of  advertising  and  shipping  and 
provide  a  reasonable  profit. 


404  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

This  enterprising  woman  placed  a  very  small  advertisement  in  a 
New  York  newspaper.  Within  48  hours  the  first  orders  were  received 
by  mail  and  she  bought  a  couple  dozen  of  the  cases  to  fill  them. 
Months  later  she  was  still  receiving  stray  orders  from  that  first  little 
advertisement.  Operating  on  the  principle  that  what  works  once  may 
work  again,  she  placed  other  advertisements  and  within  a  year  had 
a  mail-order  business  with  customers  in  many  states. 

Using  the  experience  gained  from  her  first  low-cost  venture,  Mrs. 
Weller,  one  by  one,  added  other  products  to  her  mail-order  line- 
cast-iron  foot  scrapers;  a  bronze-frog  paperweight  copied  from  a 
Revolutionary  days'  original;  brass  candle  snuffers;  a  bronze  door 
knocker  copied  from  one  used  in  a  home  built  in  1765;  and  other 
items. 

Some  of  her  business  principles  are  available  to  anyone:  Every 
customer  is  valued  as  a  friend.  Orders  are  filled  on  the  day  they  are 
received.  Because  of  the  nature  of  the  items,  each  is  wrapped  as  a 
gift. 


THE     CASE     OF     THE     HOBBY 

OF     SMOKIN'     HICKORY     HANK     AND     WOOD     CHIPS 

AT     $1.50     A     POUND 

Recipe  for  a  mail-order  success 

Take  one  hobby 

Add  a  sensible  idea 

Mix  with  action 

Add  one  small-space  mail-order  ad 

Bank  your  profits 

That,  in  brief,  is  the  procedure  followed  by  Harry  B.  Goldsmith 
who  buys  wood  by  the  truck  load  and  sells  it  for  $1.50  per  pound! 

As  one  of  his  hobbies  while  head  of  the  Grove  Laboratories  in  St. 
Louis,  Mr.  Goldsmith  became  an  outdoor-cooking  enthusiast,  and 
many  will  testify  that  he  can  barbecue  to  a  gourmet's  taste.  Just 
plain  ordinary  fireplace-broiled  steaks  didn't  satisfy  this  hobbyist. 
He  took  a  leaf  from  the  pioneer  meat  curers  and  tossed  a  handful  of 
hickory  chips  on  the  coals  just  before  broiling.  Hickory-smoked 
steaks  have  a  flavor  of  their  own. 

Believing  he  could  share  that  special  flavor  with  the  public,  Mr. 
Goldsmith  established  a  mail-order  business  at  his  home  at  Stam- 
ford, Connecticut,  where  he  had  moved.  He  started  in  the  fall  of 


PACKAGING    AND    SELLING  4°5 

1950  with  a  small  ad  in  the  Pacific  Coast  Edition  of  the  Wall  Street 
Journal,  no  doubt  figuring  that  readers  of  such  a  publication  would 
include  many  with  the  price  of  steaks  and  outdoor  fireplaces  and 
indulgence  in  little  luxuries  of  life.  That  initial  advertisement  drew 
so  many  orders  he  developed  a  series  of  ads  placed  in  House  6-  Gar- 
den, House  Beautiful,  Gourmet,  Outdoor  Life,  and  other  mediums. 
He  also  garnered  all  the  free  publicity  he  could  secure  from  food 
editors  and  others.  In  the  second  year  of  his  operation  the  major 
problem  was  to  secure  adequate  production  to  fill  the  mail  orders. 

Mr.  Goldsmith  adopted  Hank  Gardner  as  his  business  name  and 
signs  his  direct  mail  "Smokin'  Hickory  Hank."  The  hickory  chips  are 
^-inch-thick  pieces  cut  from  the  trunks  of  young  hickory  trees  and 
aged.  They  are  sold  by  the  bag  of  50  at  $2.95  the  bag,  enough  for  a 
dozen  cook-outs.  Wanting  a  name  that  would  not  be  confused  and 
could  be  patented,  he  called  the  product  Carya  Smokin*  Hickory 
Disks.  His  business  is  called  the  Carya  Hickory  Industries.  The 
brand  name  evolved  from  the  fact  that  the  pecan  tree  is  a  form  of 
hickory  and  the  word  pecan  is  derived  from  the  Greek  word  carya. 

The  mail-order  advertising  had  overflow  advertising  value  and 
Mr.  Goldsmith  began  placing  his  chips  on  sale  in  retail  stores. 

THE  CASE  OF  FRUIT  CAKE  BY  THE  TON 

Although  mail-order  operators  customarily  secure  names  of  agents 
and  buyers  from  established  list  brokers  or  by  advertising,  a  re- 
sourceful southern  woman  secured  her  own  list,  as  revealed  in  this 
letter  from  Mrs  J.  F.  Kempton,  now  of  Decatur,  Georgia,  who  re- 
tired after  many  years  of  making  as  much  as  20,000  pounds  of  fruit 
cake  annually: 

"My  mothers  recipe  for  a  fruit  cake  started  a  spare  time  hobby 
that  really  grew  into  a  business  at  a  time  when  our  family  fortunes 
reached  a  low  ebb.  Since  I  had  very  little  money  and  had  to  go 
slowly,  I  decided  to  make  a  few  pounds  and  see  if  it  would  sell. 

"I  got  a  large  50-pound  lard  can  with  a  tight  fitting  cover;  bought 
a  few  tin  pans  that  would  hold  two  pounds  each,  and  some  pot 
covers  to  keep  water  from  dropping  on  the  cakes.  I  put  some  empty 
tomato  cans  in  the  bottom  of  the  lard  can;  put  water  in  the  can  to 
almost  the  top  of  the  small  cans,  then  set  my  cakes  on  top  of  those 
cans,  popped  the  lid  on  the  big  can  and  steamed  the  cakes  on  top 
of  my  stove  for  two  hours.  I  had  decorated  the  tops  of  the  cakes  with 


4<>6  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

crystallized  cherries,  and  halves  of  blanched  almonds.  They  were 
very  pretty,  and  steaming  kept  them  moist  longer. 

"They  sold  so  well  I  soon  had  to  arrange  to  bake  more.  I  bought  a 
small  steamer  to  hold  about  20  pounds  and  got  pans  of  different 
sizes,  from  one  to  five  pounds. 

"I  did  not  advertise,  but  got  names  from  a  religious  paper  pub- 
lished in  Boston,  which  carried  a  list  of  visitors  to  the  Mother 
Church  from  all  over  the  United  States.  We  picked  names  from 
those  lists,  and  wrote  them,  asking  if  they  would  like  to  handle  my 
cake.  I  received  a  good  many  answers  from  California  to  New  York, 
and  sold  them  the  cake  for  75  cents  per  pound.  They  sold  them  for 
$1.25  and  $1.50. 

"By  that  time  my  business  had  grown  so  much  I  had  to  get  larger 
steamers,  and  arrange  some  plan  for  shipping  the  cakes.  I  went  to 
the  American  Can  Company  and  bought  decorated  tin  boxes  for  the 
different  sizes.  They  made  beautiful  packages,  and  I  began  to  get 
orders  from  business  firms  for  large  orders  to  be  used  as  gifts  to  their 
customers  and  employees  at  Christmas. 

"I  built  this  business  up  to  20,000  pounds  a  year.  I  shipped  by  pre- 
paid express  and  always  received  money  for  the  cake  with  the 
orders.  I  kept  right  on  making  it  right  in  my  home  for  35  years,  until 
a  few  years  ago,  when  my  husband  passed  on  at  the  age  of  83,  totally 
deaf  and  blind.  I  was  nearly  80  years  old,  and  my  children  said  it 
was  time  for  me  to  quit  working.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  caring  for 
my  husband  and  raising  my  children,  who  have  all  done  well.  Every- 
one said  my  cake  was  the  best  they  ever  tasted.  I  had  changed  my 
recipe  from  time  to  time  until  it  was  perfect  and  I  am  still  getting 
letters  from  various  people  and  businessmen  asking  for  it.  My  cake 
finally  was  sold  in  Mexico,  England  and  France,  and  carried  the 
name  of  'Mrs.  Kempton's  Royal  Fruit  Cake.'  Many  people  will  re- 
member it." 


THE     CASE     OF     GIFTS     EVERY     MONTH 

Although  a  multitude  of  mail-order  sales  are  of  a  single  product  or 
service,  the  desire  of  most  operators  is  to  establish  a  "repeat"  busi- 
ness so  that  once  a  mail  customer  is  secured  additional  sales  will  re- 
sult. The  Book-of-the-Month  Club  and  the  Literary  Guild  and  their 
imitators  are  outstanding  examples  of  this  procedure. 

Resourceful  Sidney  C.  Anschell  of  Seattle,  Washington,  had  been 


PACKAGING    AND    SELLING  407 

in  the  importing  business  for  many  years  before  he  evolved  the  idea 
of  the  International  Gift  of  the  Month  Club,  patterned  after  the  book 
clubs.  He  believed  that  women  especially  would  be  thrilled  to  re- 
ceive a  surprise  gift  from  a  different  foreign  country  each  month. 
Within  two  years  he  had,  in  1951,  a  membership  of  42,000  receiving 
12  gifts  a  year.  The  members  were  secured  by  direct-letter  mail  post- 
marked in  France,  and  the  deliveries  are  made  by  mail  from  the 
Orient,  Europe,  and  Latin  America.  The  gifts  are  purchased  from 
small  industries  and  groups  of  craftsmen.  There  is  much  to  be 
learned  by  any  home-mail  order  operator  from  a  study  of  the  suc- 
cessful processes  of  such  a  resourceful  individual. 

Many  of  the  principles  involved  in  the  rather  complicated  Inter- 
national Gift  of  the  Month  Club  are  basic  to  mail-order  selling  and 
can  be  adapted  to  more  simple  home  operations.  As  illustration  of 
another  of  many  approaches  to  the  gift-of-the-month  procedure, 
there  are  two  married  couples  in  Yarmouth  Port,  Massachusetts, 
who  merged  their  capabilities  to  establish  the  Cape  Cod  Box  of  the 
Month.  The  Cape  Cod  boxes  are  mailed  to  all  sections  of  the  coun- 
try. They  contain  local  products,  such  as  beach-plum  jellies,  bay- 
berry  candles,  and  fish-net  garments.  These  Cape  Codders  capi- 
talize on  their  regional  appeal,  and  many  of  the  millions  of  tourists 
to  the  Cape  recapture  memories  by  securing  the  gift  boxes.  This 
business  was  founded  on  a  capital  of  about  $300.  Others  who  are 
not  content  to  send  a  box  of  hankies  to  aunt  Minnie  or  who  want  a 
more  unique  gift  for  someone  else  welcome  such  out-of-routine 
possibilities. 

i 

THE  CASE  OF  THE  600-YEAR-OLD 
HERB  RECIPE 

Frederick  Anderson,  who  has  a  farm  in  Bucks  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, found  an  old  book  on  English  cookery  that  contained  an 
herb-salad  recipe  600  years  old.  He  grew  the  herbs  on  his  farm  but 
was  unhappy  with  the  end  result.  As  a  hobby,  however,  Mr.  Ander- 
son experimented  with  his  own  mixtures.  He  sent  little  jars  of  mixed 
herbs  to  his  friends  as  gifts.  They  were  enthusiastic  about  this  mix- 
ture of  basil,  thyme,  savory,  fennel,  lovage,  sage,  dill,  coriander,  and 
borage.  The  Anderson  Mixed  Herbs  were  sold  by  mail  order  only, 
and  there  are  now  1000  customers  on  the  list.  The  items  include: 
mixed  herbs  two-ounce  jar,  75  cents;  mint  mixture,  two  ounces,  75 


408  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

cents;  herb  mustard,  five  and  one  half  ounces,  75  cents;  herb  salt, 
four  ounces,  75  cents;  eight-ounce  bottles  of  vinegar,  55  cents.  The 
kinds  of  vinegar:  basil,  burnet,  chive,  mint,  mixed-herb,  tarragon, 
and  tarragon  and  fennel  and  wild  garlic.  The  prices  include  postage 
east  of  the  Mississippi  and  10  per  cent  is  added  for  orders  west  of 
the  river. 

THE     CASE     OF     VERMONT'S     HONEY     AND 
APPLE     MAN 

Ted  Henry,  who  advertises  himself  as  Vermont's  Honey  and  Apple 
Man,  uses  basically  simple  direct-letter-mail  techniques  to  sell  his 
creamed  honey  spreads,  maple  syrup  and  fudge,  select  apples,  and 
other  products.  He  mails  a  four-page  circular  printed  in  red  and 
black  on  white  and  illustrated  with  his  attractively  packaged  gift 
items.  The  first  page  is  devoted  to  a  "folksy"  letter  that  smacks  of 
sincerity,  telling  about  his  products  and  the  service  of  inserting  gift 
cards  with  the  packages.  He  says  he  specializes  in  apples  with  a 
variety  of  gift  boxes  of  apples  or  a  combination  of  apples  and  his 
other  regional  products.  He  buys  and  bottles  the  honey  spread  in 
attractive,  colored  gift  crocks.  The  crocks  are  wrapped  in  colorful 
paper  and  ribbons  and  after  the  contents  are  gone  the  crocks  are 
still  charming  as  bric-a-brac.  The  beautifully  packaged  apples  are 
usually  boxed  with  15,  24,  or  48  to  the  box.  The  Honey  and  Apple 
Man  has  been  operating  his  direct-mail  business  from  the  Ridge- 
view  Orchards  at  Shoreham,  Vermont,  for  several  years. 

THE     CASE     OF     THE     MAGAZINE     BARGAIN     MAN 

You  have  probably  had  direct  mail  from  Arthur  T.  White,  "The 
Magazine  Bargain  Man,"  who  for  many  years  has  successfully 
operated  a  mail-order  magazine-subscription  business  from  West- 
field,  Massachusetts.  He  started,  as  many  others  have  done  in  almost 
every  community,  by  taking  orders  from  his  friends.  Mr.  White  in- 
troduced an  "easy  budget  plan"  for  his  early  customers  and  has 
developed  that  to  the  point  where  he  accepts  and  enters  subscrip- 
tions without  any  advance  payment.  The  customer  pays  $1.00  a 
month  for  orders  of  less  than  $6.00  and  one  sixth  of  the  total  per 
month  for  larger  orders. 

The  Bargain  Man  mails  thousands  of  circulars  every  year  to 
names  on  his  list  and  lists  secured  from  brokers.  He  maintains  that 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  4°9 

he  will  meet  any  special  offer  that  is  made.  His  circulars  are  fre- 
quently quite  homespun.  In  the  Christmas  season  his  folders  solicit 
gift  orders.  At  that  time  he  includes  a  booklet  wishing  his  customers 
a  merry  season.  The  booklet  is  personalized  with  photographs  of 
himself  and  members  of  his  family.  He  takes  original  subscriptions 
and  renewals  and  has  a  thriving  business,  despite  the  fact  that  he 
requires  crutches. 

Each  year  thousands  of  men  and  women  launch  their  own  maga- 
zine-subscription businesses  from  their  homes,  selling  by  telephone 
and  direct  mail.  This  type  of  home  business  is  easily  controllable 
and  lends  itself  to  a  pin-money  operation  or  a  larger-scale  drive  for 
additional  income. 

The  pattern  set  by  Arthur  White  is  typical.  Any  man  or  woman 
wanting  to  get  started  in  a  home  magazine  subscription  business 
can  do  so  by  writing  to  the  various  magazines  and  asking  them  for 
instructions.  Some  of  the  larger  magazines  provide  beginners  with 
detailed  information  about  their  own  particular  publication.  On 
occasion  they  supply  the  solicitor  with  order  forms  and  other  ma- 
terials. Not  all,  but  many  of  the  national  magazines,  welcome  be- 
ginners. On  occasion,  The  Crowell-Collier  Publishing  Company  has 
run  coupon  advertising  in  various  magazines  carrying  this  message: 
"Want  Extra  Income  for  new  clothes,  travel,  everyday  expenses, 
'extras'?  Collier's  offers  you  an  opportunity  to  make  a  substantial 
spare-time  income  for  new  clothes,  entertainment,  'extras/  or  just 
to  meet  the  rising  cost  of  living.  Use  the  telephone,  mail,  and  per- 
sonal calls  to  take  care  of  new  and  renewal  subscriptions  for  Colliers, 
the  American  Magazine,  Woman's  Home  Companion  and  all  pub- 
lications. For  money-making  supplies,  mail  a  post  card  or  the  coupon 
now."  The  company  offers  to  send  details  without  cost  or  obligation. 
This  offer  is  rather  typical. 

The  wise  beginner  seeks  out  the  periodicals  calculated  to  be  of 
interest  to  the  groups  he  can  reach  by  mail  or  telephone  or  personal 
solicitation  and  expands  his  list  to  include  some  of  the  lesser-known 
magazines  that  conduct  less  "high-powered"  solicitation  than  many 
of  the  larger  periodicals.  As  he  gains  experience  with  this  type  of 
home  business  he  can  expand  with  mailings  to  selected  lists  and 
make  group  offers  and  a  variety  of  appeals.  The  commissions  will 
vary  somewhat,  but  a  common  basis  is  75  cents  for  a  $3.00  order. 
When  volume  is  developed,  agencies  get  as  much  as  half  and  some- 
times more  than  half  of  the  list  sales  price  of  the  magazine. 


41O  MONET-MAKING    IDEAS 


THE    CASE    OF    THE    CLEAN    WIPING    CLOTHS 

There  is  always  a  need  for  clean  wiping  cloths  for  special  pur- 
poses. M.  E.  Dodge,  a  teacher,  employed  two  women  to  wash  rags 
and  put  them  on  the  market  in  Charlotte,  North  Carolina.  As  he 
developed  his  operation,  he  secured  secondhand  laundry  equip- 
ment and  in  a  few  years  took  in  two  partners  and  established  a 
modern  plant  employing  more  than  a  score  of  people. 

A  home  business  of  this  kind  can  be  started  with  a  washing 
machine  and  not  more  than  $100.  Sales  can  be  made  by  direct  mail 
to  individuals  and  particularly  to  office  buildings,  garages,  printers, 
and  a  variety  of  manufacturing  concerns.  Despite  the  popularity  of 
paper  towels  and  the  like,  there  is  need  for  rags  made  clean— and 
for  some  purposes,  sterile.  The  Sanitary  Institute  of  America,  105 
West  Monroe  St.,  Chicago  3,  111.,  provides  a  monthly  bulletin  help- 
ful to  anyone  interested  in  this  business. 


THE  CASE  OF  THE  NOSTALGIC  CANDY 

A  fascinating  illustration  of  how  necessity  and  resourcefulness 
put  a  woman  of  no  business  experience  into  a  successful  mail-order 
operation  is  found  in  this  informative  letter  from  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Nelson  of  Lynn,  Massachusetts: 

"Being  in  the  mail-order  candy  business  is  far  removed  from  any- 
thing I  had  ever  contemplated.  I  used  to  be  in  summer  stock  and 
pick  up  a  few  dollars  doing  monologues  for  women's  clubs,  running 
style  shows— all  far  removed,  as  you  can  see.  However,  I  thought 
it  would  be  a  good  idea  to  make  some  money  in  a  little  more  regular 
fashion,  so  I  was  in  a  receptive  mood— the  old  'gag'  about  necessity 
being  the  mother  of  invention. 

"At  this  point  I  had  two  children,  Garrison,  six  years  old,  and 
Abigail,  four. 

"Well,  I  used  to  go  to  the  store  with  them  when  they  had  a  few 
cents  to  get  some  candy  and  it  was  really  pathetic.  The  few  un- 
interesting pieces  made  me  think  back  to  the  time  when  I  was  a  kid 
and  the  storekeeper's  time  wasn't  quite  as  valuable  and  he  could 
afford  to  stand  for  hours  while  we  decided  on  what  we  wanted.  I 
remember  that  he  had  four  shelves  in  his  case  with  the  containers 
(glass,  square  plates)  loaded  with  the  most  amazing  collections  of 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  411 

penny  candy.  Dear  old  A.  O.  Sprague,  if  he  only  knew  the  troubles 
that  lay  ahead  of  me,  just  because  of  him! 

"So  you  see  the  germ  of  the  idea  was  planted  and  it  grew  rapidly. 
I  talked  to  a  few  friends  who  started  remembering  back  and  they, 
too,  thought  it  would  be  the  makings  of  a  business. 

"The  idea  of  packaging  penny  candies  in  a  box  with  Garrison's 
drawings  on  top  came  so  naturally  I  hardly  know  when  it  was  formu- 
lated. I  went  to  see  a  man  who  had  a  very  lush  gift  shop.  I  asked 
him  if  he  thought  it  was  a  salable  idea  and  he  was  most  enthusiastic. 

"Then  I  went  to  find  a  printer  who  was  equipped  to  reproduce 
the  drawings,  just  as  they  were  without  improving  them  and  to  keep 
the  same  feeling  of  rough  childishness.  This  was  a  lot  harder  than  I 
expected.  I  was  turned  down  by  about  20  printers.  There  were  too 
many  colors,  being  about  twice  the  usual  four.  After  some  time  I 
located  a  printer,  strangely  enough  in  my  own  city  of  Lynn,  who 
had  just  secured  a  beautiful  new  offset  press.  He  didn't  sneer  at  the 
idea  the  way  so  many  others  had.  After  about  a  month  the  boxes 
were  finally  made  and  I  started  bringing  them  to  a  few  gift  shops 
on  the  North  Shore.  A  big  Vermont  gift  shop  found  them  and  started 
placing  orders  by  the  gross.  I  didn't  know  the  meaning  of  such 
orders  at  the  time.  Then  this  same  gift  shop  advertised  it  in  one  of 
the  high-style  magazines  and  their  catalogue.  Then  another  gift 
shop  catalogued  it  and  my  house  was  a  bedlam.  ( I  do  this  at  home. ) 
What  I  didn't  know  about  production  1  I  was  too  poor  to  call  in  an 
expert,  and  anyhow,  I  think  anyone  with  real  business  acumen 
would  have  had  a  nervous  breakdown,  if  they  had  tried  to  bring 
order  out  of  our  chaos. 

"However,  we  managed  (my  mother,  who  was  my  staunchest 
supporter,  and  some  neighbors )  to  get  through  Christmas.  I  thought 
everything  was  fine.  If  we  could  do  so  well  in  two  months,  what 
must  lie  ahead?  But  January,  February,  and  Lent  lay  ahead.  One 
uninitiated  in  business  can't  imagine  how  little  business,  in  fact  none, 
you  can  do  at  times.  So  I  realized  that  our  one  and  only  item,  the 
pound  box,  was  just  a  gift-wonderful  at  Christmas  and  'a  dog'  the 
rest  of  the  year. 

"So  we  started  some  bags  to  retail  for  19  cents.  And  a  big  grocery 
chain  store  became  interested.  So  we  were  catapulted  into  another 
madhouse,  the  largest  order  being  10,000  bags.  Packed  by  machine, 
that  would  be  one  thing,  but  we  put  in  such  a  diverse  assortment 
that  a  machine  was  impossible.  Well,  they  reordered  about  10  times 


412  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

and  then  called  it  a  day.  You  see,  by  another  fluke,  we  had  hit  on  a 
good  time— it  was  summer,  all  the  other  candy,  chocolates,  etc., 
couldn't  take  it.  But  good  old  penny  candy,  built  to  withstand 
months  of  lying  idle  in  showcases,  showed  its  stamina  and  so  when 
the  cool  weather  came  around  the  competition  was  too  much  and 
we  slipped  to  the  rear  ag'ain. 

"By  the  way,  you're  probably  wondering  where  I  buy  the  candy? 

"Well,  there  are  wholesale  houses,  which  carry  quite  a  cross  sec- 
tion of  penny  candy.  You  see,  it  is  still  manufactured,  and  although 
the  individual  storekeeper  doesn't  carry  a  large  selection,  being  sold 
everywhere  throughout  the  country,  there  apparently  is  enough  of 
a  demand  to  warrant  these  companies  still  making  candies.  I  bought 
directly  from  all  over  the  country  and  really  had  quite  a  variety. 
Now,  I  have  much  of  it  purchased  by  a  wholesaler,  who  has  more 
storage  room  than  I. 

"Where  were  we?  Oh,  yes,  the  grocery  store  (chain)  didn't  order 
any  more— it  was  fall.  So  we  had  Christmas  business  again. 

"By  this  time  we  had  figured  out  an  assembly  line  and  we  were 
working  more  smoothly. 

"January  again.  Well,  it's  just  like  any  other  business.  Boxes  for 
Valentines,  Easter,  Halloween,  a  'turkey  dinner'  for  Thanksgiving, 
a  corsage  at  Christmas.  But  this  time  we  offered  50-cent  boxes,  as 
well  as  the  $1.50  selection,  with  special  names— for  men  only,  at  the 
ball  game,  on  the  farm,  etc.  with  hand-painted  names  in  watercolors 
on  the  boxes  and  appropriate  candy  inside— fried  eggs,  bacon,  milk, 
etc.— very  cute  packages  and  candies. 

'We've  shipped  candy  all  over  the  country.  It  has  been  mailed 
overseas.  To  almost  as  many  grownups  as  children.  We  have  a  'To 
a  Good  Boy'  card  and  'To  a  Good  Girl.'  The  candies  are  generally 
liked. 

"It's  all  much  ado  about  nothing  but  it's  more  or  less  a  living  and 
fun  to  be  able  to  take  time  off  and  go  swimming  or  to  be  able  to 
harmonize  with  some  of  the  packers,  without  fear  of  losing  your 
job— that's  worth  something  too." 

THE     CASE     OF     THE     IDEA    AND     THE     RINGS 

Often  there  seems  to  be  a  magic  quality  to  the  linking  of  a  good 
idea,  a  good  product,  an  individual  who  links  faith  to  action— and 
mail  order.  When  Lieutenant  Max  Twentier  was  recovering  from 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  413 

Italian-front  wounds  in  an  army  hospital  he  noticed  that  neither 
he  nor  his  buddies  in  the  hospital  were  thinking  or  talking  much 
about  home.  They  were  reviewing  their  military -service  experiences. 
He  was  no  psychologist,  but  he  figured  that  all  people  like  to  recall 
important  memories.  He  wondered  if  the  memories  of  the  service- 
men would  fade.  He  had  the  idea  that  a  token  or  emblem  would 
serve  to  prompt  memories.  As  soon  as  he  was  mustered  out  Max 
Twentier  had  an  Indianapolis  jewelry  house  make  a  ring  bearing 
the  insigne  of  his  old  army  division.  Special  single  orders  are  high 
priced,  but  the  ring  was  so  definitely  what  he  had  in  mind  he 
gambled  his  savings  on  105  more  rings,  one  for  each  of  the  army 
divisions.  He  sent  the  samples  to  each  division's  commanding  gen- 
eral. He  planned  that  if  the  officers  were  interested  a  large  sale 
could  be  developed  and  that  volume  production  would  permit  a 
lower  price  for  the  rings.  What  happened?  Nothing,  for  months! 
Twentier  went  back  to  his  old  job  running  a  bus  station  in  Bisbee, 
Arizona.  It  seemed  that  his  idea  was  a  flop  and  he  almost  forgot 
about  it  until  one  day  he  opened  a  letter  with  the  insigne  of  the 
3rd  Armored  Division  and  removed  a  check  for  $150,000,  advance 
payment  for  6000  rings.  Twentier  and  his  idea  had  won.  He  wired 
the  jeweler  to  go  ahead.  Other  orders  poured  in  so  fast  he  had  to 
quit  his  job  and  organize  assistance  and  spread  his  offer  of  new 
samples  to  marines,  air  force,  and  navy  organizations.  The  business 
grew  to  the  point  where  he  started  his  own  factory  in  Phoenix, 
Arizona.  He  developed  rings  and  pins  for  veterans'  womenfolk  and 
added  lines  of  costume  jewelry  to  carry  the  business  after  his  first 
natural  market  should  become  saturated. 

Basically  this  man  had  latched  onto  one  of  the  strongest,  if  not  the 
strangest,  appeals  recognized  by  the  psychologists.  All  people  long 
for  distinction.  He  sold  them  rings  that  give  them  recognition  for 
their  services  after  their  uniforms  were  gone.  All  folk  yearn  for  the 
old  home,  old  and  happy  memories,  thoughts  of  the  old  swimming 
hole,  or  of  those  they  loved  who  are  gone.  Serviceable  ideas  appeal- 
ing to  these  deep-seated  yearnings  can  become  home  money-makers. 


TIPS     ON     STARTING     YOUR     OWN 
MAIL-ORDER     BUSINESS 

Your  success  in  mail-order  work  will  depend  largely  on  your 
selection  of  a  salable  product,  your  costs  of  operation,  proper  pric- 


414  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

ing  of  the  product,  proper  selection  of  advertising  mediums.  You 
can  begin  and  continue  operations  in  your  own  home.  If  any  local 
zoning  laws  restrict  your  doing  business  in  a  residence  area,  you 
can  still  do  most  of  your  work  in  your  own  home  and  simply  use  a 
rental  post-office  mailbox  for  receipt  of  orders.  The  fee  for  the  box 
will  be  small. 

Before  getting  under  way  with  your  actual  operation,  you  should 
appraise  your  product  and  its  possibilities  carefully.  You  should  so 
far  as  possible  handle  a  product  in  which  you  have  a  personal  in- 
terest. The  man  or  woman  interested  in  novelties  might  be  bored  to 
distraction  trying  to  sell  lobsters  by  mail— and  vice  versa.  Whatever 
your  product  may  be,  give  careful  consideration  to  its  sales  appeal, 
because  everything  will  depend  on  its  acceptance  at  a  cost  per  order 
that  permits  you  to  profit. 

YOUR    ADVERTISING    COPY 

The  sales  appeal  will  have  direct  bearing  on  the  advertising  copy 
you  will  use.  Specialists  have  studied  various  classifications  of  moti- 
vating forces  in  human  behavior  and  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Com- 
merce, in  its  booklet  on  the  mail-order  business,  sits  these  down  to 
two  basic  types  to  consider  in  preparing  persuasive  advertising  copy. 
These  are  the  "reason-why"  appeal,  and  the  "emotional"  appeal. 

"Reason-why  appeal,  a  favorite  in  private-brand  advertising,"  this 
booklet  explains,  "is  employed  where  the  attempt  is  to  show  the 
superiority  of  one  make  of  a  product  over  others. 

"In  appealing  to  the  prospective  buyers'  reason,  feature  such 
points  as  price,  value,  use,  durability,  appearance,  economy,  etc. 
This  appeal  requires  that  you  become  intimately  acquainted  with 
a  product,  the  materials  entering  into  its  fabrication,  and  the  proc- 
esses of  its  manufacture,  pick  a  significant  point  to  play  up,  and 
weave  a  story  around  it.  The  copy  should  be  given  news  value  and 
the  selling  features  dramatized.  Is  there  anything  about  your  prop- 
osition which  can  be  dramatized?  Give  the  best  selling  points— tell 
the  truth,  and  don't  exaggerate.  If  there  are  bad  points— make  the 
copy  believable  by  not  overlooking  these  either.  Better  still,  remove 
the  bad  points.  If  you  wait  for  the  buyer  to  discover  short-comings 
of  your  proposition,  an  article  will  not  stay  'sold'— and  you  may  soon 
be  out  of  business.  High-pressure  copy  can  be  successfully  used, 
but  avoid  exaggeration,  so-called  puffing  and  blowing.  Stick  to 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  4*5 

facts,  and  drive  home  to  the  prospect  the  value  of  the  product. 

"Emotional  copy  is  employed  to  work  on  the  feelings,  desires, 
hopes  and  aspirations-in  short,  the  personal  interests  of  the  pros- 
pects to  be  reached.  This  calls  for  visualizing  your  proposition  at 
the  reception  end.  Playing  on  the  human  emotions  pays  in  prepar- 
ing sales  literature.  Among  the  array  of  needs  and  desires,  people 
want  health,  wealth,  security,  knowledge,  power,  affection,  recogni- 
tion, self-preservation,  admiration.  In  writing  emotional  copy,  fea- 
ture points  relating  to  the  service  your  product  may  render.  What 
could  its  use  mean  to  the  prospect?  But  avoid  unjustified  claims;  it 
is  too  easy  in  mail  order  to  imagine  your  proposition  can  do  some- 
thing it  will  not.  Overplaying  an  emotional  appeal  may  leave  a  pros- 
pect cold,  for  after  he  gets  your  product,  he  may  well  feel  he  has 
been  let  down.  This  destroys  any  confidence  you  have  tried  to  build 
up.  But  properly  used,  emotional  copy  can  be  powerful  in  human- 
izing and  dramatizing  an  appeal." 

The  preceding  appeals  are  well  known  to  professional  advertising 
men  and  are  used  judiciously  in  selling  their  products.  You  should 
study  them  to  find  those  which  apply  to  your  direct-mail  product. 
Keep  the  appeal  in  mind  in  phrasing  your  advertisement  for  pub- 
lications or  over  the  air  waves  or  on  postal  cards  and  in  direct-letter 
selling. 

Writing  of  successful  direct-mail  advertisements  requires  con- 
siderable skill.  If  you  can  get  a  professional  to  prepare  your  copy, 
you  are  in  clover.  If  you  have  contact  with  anyone  who  is  in  the  ad- 
vertising business,  you  should  discuss  your  copy  with  them  and  pay 
careful  attention  to  their  criticisms  and  suggestions.  Even  though 
the  professionals  have  developed  a  special  copy-writing  talent,  it  is 
on  record  that  many  amateurs  can  prepare  successful  direct-mail 
advertising.  They  can  often  get  into  the  copy  a  sincerity  and  honesty 
and  homely  appeal  that  a  professional  would  have  difficulty  cap- 
turing. 

You  can  try  your  own  skill  at  copy  writing  by  studying  carefully 
the  direct-letter  mail  you  receive,  or  examining  in  detail  the  small- 
and  large-space  direct-mail  appeals  you  will  find  in  many  news- 
papers and  magazines.  You  can  study  those  made  to  you  by  radio 
and  television.  You  may  see  a  particular  way  to  adapt  the  profes- 
sional methods  to  your  own  product. 

In  very  small  space  you  would  have  difficulty  in  getting  in  all  of 
the  elements  that  are  desirable,  but  these  elements  should  guide 


416  MONET-MAKING    IDEAS 

you  even  in  a  one-inch  advertisement.  You  need  a  headline  or  the 
first  few  words  that  are  calculated  to  make  the  appeal  your  product 
has  to  offer— words  you  hope  will  reach  the  selfish  interest  of  the 
buyer.  Add  an  inspirational  appeal,  something  to  help  make  your 
offer  more  desirable.  You  should  give  as  clear  and  concise  a  descrip- 
tion of  your  product  as  space  allows— after  all  the  buyer  wants  to 
know  what  he  is  getting.  If  space  permits,  give  one  or  more  illustra- 
tions of  the  success  or  efficacy  of  your  product.  No  doubt  you  are 
familiar  with  the  case  illustrations  used  as  testimonials  in  direct- 
mail  advertising.  Have  your  copy  make  as  clear  as  possible  the  value 
of  your  product  to  the  customer,  and  give  your  copy  a  note  of 
urgency.  This  is  important  at  the  close  of  your  advertisement.  If 
your  headline  hasn't  caught  the  reader's  interest,  they'll  never  get 
to  the  close  of  your  ad,  but  if  they  do  you  want  to  urge  action- 
order  now,  today.  You  have  bought  the  space  and  caught  interest 
of  your  prospect  but  all  is  lost  if  you  dont  get  action.  Action  to  you 
is  the  order,  the  filling  in  of  a  coupon,  the  request  for  further  in- 
formation leading  to  a  sale. 

COMMON    SENSE    IN    SELECTING 
ADVERTISING     MEDIUMS 

The  use  of  plain  ordinary  common  sense  in  selecting  advertising 
mediums  will  save  you  from  loss.  The  beginner  shouldn't  try  some- 
thing revolutionary.  Mail-order  buyers  are  a  type  of  individual.  It 
is  best  for  the  beginner  to  follow  the  beaten  paths  and  place  his 
advertising  dollars  in  mediums  where  other  direct-mail  operators 
have  done  the  exploring.  Advertise  food  products  in  pages  where 
other  food  products  are  offered;  novelties  and  gifts  in  pages  devoted 
to  novelty  and  gift  advertising.  And  always  keep  timing  in  mind, 
of  course,  if  yours  is  a  product  of  seasonal  appeal. 

The  great  bulk  of  mail-order  business  comes  through  three  main 
channels: 

1.  Advertising  in  newspapers,  magazines,  almanacs 

2.  Direct  letters,  post  cards,  circulars,  catalogues,  etc.  mailed  to 
names  on  lists 

3.  Radio  and  television 

There  are,  of  course,  many  miscellaneous  mediums,  such  as  post- 
ers, for  instance,  but  the  three  channels  above  are  suitable  for  most 
mail-order  beginners  and  professionals  as  well. 


PACKAGING    AND    SELLING  417 

With  your  own  product  always  in  mind,  you  can  make  selection 
of  publications  advertising  somewhat  similar  products  and  in  those 
publications  seek  out  the  pages  or  departments  most  suitable  for 
your  product.  If  your  appeal  is  chiefly  to  women,  study  the  women's 
magazines  and  women's  pages  of  newspapers;  if  your  appeal  is  to 
men,  examine  the  men's  pages  and  men's  magazines;  if  mechanical, 
study  the  popular  science  magazines,  etc.  Follow  the  leaders  who 
have  explored  the  field. 

If  you  are  planning  to  use  direct-letter  mailings,  you  can  secure 
lists  from  brokers  who  will  advise  you.  If  you  are  selling  fishing 
tackle,  you  can  get  lists  of  individuals  who  have  previously  pur- 
chased fishing  tackle  and  can  be  tempted  again.  If  you  are  selling 
books,  you  can  get  lists  of  book  buyers.  If  you  are  selling  novelties 
you  can  get  lists  of  novelty  buyers.  There  are  many,  many  such 
classifications.  You  can  use  your  own  resourcefulness,  as  Mrs.  Kemp- 
ton  did,  in  securing  agents  for  sale  of  her  fruit  cake  by  carefully 
selecting  names  from  a  published  list.  Names  in  special  fields  are 
available  in  directories. 

Your  local  directories  may  put  you  in  touch  with  list  brokers. 
Some  of  the  list  brokers  include: 

George  R.  Bryant,  595  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  22,  N.Y. 

Walter  Drey,  257  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 

Guild  Co.,  160  Englewood,  Englewood,  N.J. 

Willa  Maddern,  215  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 

Moseley  Mail  Order  List  Service,  Inc.,  38  Newbury  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Names  Unlimited,  Inc.,  352  4th  Ave.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 

James  E.  True  Associates,  419  4th  Ave.,  New  York  16,  N.Y. 

Prices  for  use  of  lists  vary  considerably,  but,  as  a  sample,  you  may 
pay  $15  per  thousand  for  the  list  and  the  cost  of  addressing.  If  you 
develop  a  sizable  list  of  your  own,  you  may  be  able  to  rent  it  through 
a  broker  and  net  around  $6  per  thousand  names  every  time  they 
are  used.  Save  your  names  for  rental  or  for  your  own  use  with  allied 
products.  Lists  of  actual  buyers  are  valuable,  but  they  "die"  rapidly 
and  after  names  are  two  years  old  the  number  of  "nixies,"  i.e.  non- 
deliveries, multiplies  rapidly.  Avoid  "uncleaned"  lists  abounding  in 
"nixies." 

If  you  want  to  use  radio  or  television,  you  can  get  information 
from  the  stations  you  want  to  use— rates,  time  available,  etc.  Al- 
though there  are  cases  of  fabulous  success  in  securing  direct  orders 
by  these  mediums,  the  beginner  is  well  advised  to  concentrate  first 


418  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

on  use  of  publications  or  direct-letter  mailings.  Later  you  may  be 
able  to  use  television  and  radio  to  great  advantage. 

Complete  lists  of  publications  are  available  in  Standard  Rate  and 
Data,  333  North  Michigan  Avenue,  Chicago  1,  111.  This  publication 
is  usually  available  in  advertising  offices  and  all  offices  allied  with 
publishing,  local  libraries,  and  in  printers'  offices. 

Publications  will  send  rate  cards  on  request,  giving  the  costs  for 
various  types  of  advertising  in  their  pages  and  closing  dates  which 
will  govern  your  timing  of  insertion  of  your  advertisement. 

It  is  strongly  recommended  that  the  beginner  start  small.  Use 
small  space  and  wait  for  your  results.  Your  gamble  is  thus  mini- 
mized. When  you  discover  a  medium  or  list  that  is  fruitful  you  can 
follow  up  with  more  extensive  advertising.  This  writer  once  tested 
a  full  page  in  a  small  newspaper  at  a  cost  of  $125.  The  results  were 
so  good  that  a  campaign  was  planned  that  eventually  resulted  in 
buying  of  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  of  space  for  the 
sale  of  that  one  product.  Tests  can  be  made  for  less  initial  risk  than 
that  and  with  smaller  space.  One  of  the  fine  aspects  of  direct  mail 
is  that  you  can  start-small-test-and-retest.  If  your  product  and  your 
copy  is  good,  you  can  expand  the  operation  rapidly. 

KEYS,     PRICES,     RECORDS 

In  all  of  your  direct  mail-advertising,  the  copy  should  be  "keyed" 
so  you  can  have  an  accurate  record  of  the  results  of  a  given  "effort." 
You  can  devise  your  own  key  to  be  printed  in  your  advertising 
matter,  in  your  coupon  or  return  envelope  or  card.  For  instance: 
"Dept.  104T"  in  the  return  address  of  your  coupon  may  indicate 
that  the  order  is  received  from  an  advertisement  in  the  tenth  month, 
October,  of  1954,  in  the  New  York  Times.  Make  it  "H"  and  you  have 
keyed  the  New  York  Herald  Tribune.  You  can  use  numerals  and 
initials  in  many  ways  to  identify  the  source  of  the  order. 

Pricing  of  your  product  will  be  all  important.  You  must  figure 
in  every  item  of  expense— the  basic  cost  of  the  product,  your  over- 
head, your  incidentals,  your  cost  of  advertising,  your  cost  of  wrap- 
ping and  shipping— don't  overlook  anything.  One  day  a  so-called 
business  engineer,  not  too  familiar  with  direct  mail,  made  a  test 
and  told  the  owners  of  the  company  he  figured  he  could  develop 
direct  mail  to  carry  the  overhead  of  the  company.  He  went  into  a 
sizable  campaign  and  lost  about  $15,000.  The  figures  given  to  him, 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  41Q 

and  which  he  didn't  check,  had  omitted  the  cost  of  postage,  wrap- 
ping, clerks.  Put  down  every  item  of  cost  in  figuring  your  costs  and 
prices. 

There  will  be  one  wide-open  area  where  the  gamble  comes  in. 
You  won't  know  until  after  you  have  run  your  test  how  much  you 
must  pay  for  each  order.  The  cost  per  order  will  determine  the 
success  or  failure  of  your  venture.  Only  a  very  small  percentage  of 
the  names  on  a  list  or  the  readers  of  a  periodical  will  buy  your 
product.  A  small  test  will  tell  you  whether  you  can  go  ahead  or  not 

Because  of  the  importance  of  cost  per  order,  as  weU  as  for  sound 
operation  as  a  whole,  it  is  essential  that  you  keep  close  and  accurate 
records  on  each  ad.  More  than  one  beginner  may,  five  days  after 
his  advertisement  has  appeared,  figure  that  the  venture  is  a  failure 
and  only  half  the  expected  and  needed  orders  have  been  received. 
An  expert  might  at  that  point  assure  him  that  the  ad  was  a  success 
because  in  that  particular  medium  the  "pull"  would  continue  to 
more  than  double  the  orders  received  in  the  first  five  days.  There 
are  variations  with  different  products,  mediums,  and  your  location. 
If  you  are  in  the  West  and  your  advertisement  appears  in  the  East, 
you  must  allow  time  for  mail  delivery  to  you.  Also,  with  a  magazine, 
all  copies  are  not  sold  the  first  day  the  magazine  is  on  sale,  and  it 
may  be  that  days  and  weeks  and  even  months  later  there  is  a  strag- 
gling of  orders.  Keep  daily  records  of  orders  received,  no  matter 
how  large  or  how  small.  These  records  are  valuable  to  you  and 
without  them  you  may  fail. 

MISCELLANEOUS    TIPS    ON    MAIL    ORDER 

Don't  be  afraid  to  offer  "money  back  if  not  entirely  satisfied."  It 
inspires  confidence.  With  a  good  product  surprisingly  few  ask  for 
money  back.  If  many  should  demand  money  back,  you  are  made 
aware  there  is  something  wrong  with  your  product  or  your  ad- 
vertisement is  misleading. 

Be  sure  you  have  assured  delivery  of  enough  of  your  product  to 
permit  fulfillment  of  orders— otherwise  you  have  paid  for  the  ad- 
vertising and  will  lose  revenue. 

Use  a  simple,  easy-to-remember  company  name  or  your  own 
name,  especially  if  it  is  easy  but  somewhat  distinctive. 


420  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Be  sure  you  have  adequate  wrapping  and  shipping  materials  such 
as  labels. 

Fulfill  orders  promptly;  on  day  of  receipt  if  at  all  possible.  Delays 
are  costly. 

Check  with  your  local  postmaster  to  determine  the  cost  of  mail- 
ing your  letters  and  your  products.  He  will  advise  of  most  beneficial 
rates.  He  will  also  advise  you  as  to  whether  or  not  your  methods  of 
wrapping,  etc.  are  acceptable. 

Watch  shipping  weights  carefully  so  that  a  small  change  of  weight 
doesn't  throw  you  into  a  higher  shipping-cost  bracket. 

Consider  possibility  of  developing  a  line  of  somewhat  related 
products  so  you  can  cash  in  with  repeat  orders  from  buyers  you 
secure. 

Remember  in  figuring  costs  that  in  small  quantities  your  product 
may  cost  too  much  to  carry  your  overhead  and  advertising,  but  that 
if  you  can  develop  sufficient  volume  the  cost  of  your  product  may 
be  sharply  reduced  so  that  the  operation  is  profitable. 

Ratio  of  selling  price  to  cost  of  product  is  often  figured  at  4  to  1 
but  there  is  no  "magic"  in  that  ratio.  There  are  variations  and  under 
some  circumstances  even  2  to  1  will  provide  adequate  revenue. 

Experts  are  never  afraid  to  experiment.  They  test  and  test,  change 
size  of  copy,  test  various  prices— a  $2.00  product  raised  to  $2.50  may 
cut  the  orders  by  as  much  as  68  per  cent.  Try  other  mediums;  try 
other  appeals  in  copy. 

Some  mediums  permit  split-runs.  In  such  cases  you  can  use  the 
same  copy  with  two  different  prices  and  make  an  acid  test;  or  test 

two  completely  different  ads  on  the  same  product. 

•i 

Conventional  selling  cost  by  mail  is  15  per  cent,  but  there  are 
operators  who  have  succeeded  with  mail-selling  costs  averaging 
35  per  cent.  Test  your  own  product  and  analyze  your  records! 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  421 

Don't  be  afraid  to  ask  questions  of  others  who  may  have  experi- 
ence with  mail-order  selling. 

Use  an  agency  experienced  in  direct-mail  selling  if  your  opera- 
tion is  large  enough  or  promising  enough  to  interest  it 

Urge  cash  or  check  with  order  and  promise  money  back  if  not 
satisfied.  If  you  use  C.O.D.,  ask  for  a  deposit  as  rejections  are  costly. 
Many  mail  operators  avoid  C.O.D.  offers. 

Offer  of  free  examination  lets  you  in  for  some  loss  and  involves 
you  in  detailed  billing  process  and  much  bookkeeping.  It  is  usually 
avoided  by  beginners. 

Adjust  complaints  quickly.  Right  or  wrong,  your  customer  is 
"right."  You  may  get  some  unreasonable  complaints.  Many  find  it 
cheaper  to  replace  product  on  claim  of  non-delivery  than  to  engage 
In  correspondence. 

HELPFUL    BOOKS    AND    PAMPHLETS 
FOR    MAIL-ORDER     OPERATORS 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Mail-order  Business.  U.  S.  Department  of 
Commerce.  U.  S.  Government  Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 

How  to  Start  Your  Own  Mail-Order  Business,  by  Ken  Alexander.  Stravon 
Publishers,  113  West  57th  St.,  New  York,  N.Y. 

How  to  Make  Money  with  Your  Direct  Mail,  by  Edward  N.  Mayer,  Jr. 
Funk  &  Wagnalls  Co.,  153  East  24th  St.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 

How  to  Sell  through  Mail  Order,  by  Irvin  Graham.  McGraw-Hill  Book 
Co.,  Inc.,  330  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 

Successful  Mail  Selling:  Working  Information  on  Every  Step  of  Mail  Sell- 
ing, by  Harold  P.  Preston.  The  Ronald  Press  Co.,  15  East  26th  St., 
New  York  10,  N.Y. 


CHAPTER     FIFTY 


Ways  to  Make  Money  by  Telephone 


A  COMFORTABLE  part-time  or  full-time  home-earned  income  is  as  near 
to  you  as  your  own  home  telephone.  Men  and  women  throughout 
the  country  are  steadily  profiting  by  the  sale  of  services  or  products 
without  ever  leaving  their  homes.  The  facilities  and  the  techniques 
used  by  these  telephone  money-makers  are  available  to  anyone  who 
seriously  sets  out  to  dial  dollars. 

Anyone?  Yes,  almost  anyone  with  a  reasonably  pleasing  voice 
backed  by  patience  and  persistence  and  a  modicum  of  resourceful- 
ness. 

But  you  have  never  sold  anything?  You  couldn't  even  sell  rafts  at 
a  shipwreck?  How  do  you  know,  if  you  haven't  tried? 

Here  is  a  woman  who  tried.  Helen  Reo  in  Minneapolis,  Min- 
nesota, had  never  sold  anything  to  anyone  in  her  life  until  one  day 
she  told  a  Letter-Service  owner  she  thought  she  could  use  the  tele- 
phone to  collect  some  of  the  "bad"  accounts  he  was  wailing  about. 
He  made  a  generous  discount  offer,  but  his  skepticism  was  plain. 
Helen  Reo  took  his  list  of  clients  who  didn't  even  answer  the  collec- 
tion letters.  She  proceeded  on  the  assumption  that  most  people  are 
honest  and  want  their  credit  rating  unsullied.  She  called  the  first 
man  on  the  list  and  told  him  that  the  Letter  Service  was  certain  that 
a  man  of  his  identification  in  the  community  must  have  a  good  rea- 
son for  not  paying  for  the  service  rendered.  She  asked  him  to  ex- 
plain what  the  trouble  had  been— assuming  that  the  Letter  Service 
was  at  fault.  This  gave  him  a  "face  saver"  and  he  spouted  his  in- 
dignation about  some  trivial  matter  and  she  sympathetically  agreed 
with  him,  offered  apologies,  and  suggested  that  he  make  what  he 
personally  considered  a  fair  adjustment  of  the  bill.  The  Letter  Serv- 
ice would  have  gladly  settled  for  half.  The  client  "knocked  off" 
98  cents  from  a  $200  billing  and  felt  fine.  He  paid  the  balance  and 
Helen  Reo  pocketed  20  per  cent.  Before  the  first  day  of  telephoning 


PACKAGING    AND    SELLING  423 

was  completed,  she  had  assurances  of  several  more  checks— some 
for  the  full  amount  and  some  for  slightly  less  in  settlement,  and  the 
checks  began  coming  in.  That  is  only  one  way  one  woman,  without 
previous  telephone-money-making  experience,  dialed  dollars.  And 
there  are  many  other  ways  that  will  be  explored  in  these  pages. 

The  major  point  to  register  in  this  story  is  that  she  had  a  definite 
approach  clearly  in  mind.  Many  telephone  solicitors  are  provided 
with  "canned"  or  carefully  planned  little  "speeches"  to  use  when 
connections  are  made.  Others  have  worked  out  their  approaches  in 
detail.  This  procedure  not  only  saves  time,  makes  the  call  more  con- 
vincing and  satisfactory,  it  bolsters  the  solicitor  so  there  is  no  chance 
of  becoming  tongue-tied.  Of  course  there  are  many  men  and  women 
who  are  naturally  glib  and  might  not  require  the  prepared  material, 
but  such  material  is  invaluable  to  the  glib  and  the  less  vocal  as 
well. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  shy  individual  may  well  become  one  of 
the  most  successful  of  telephone  salesmen  of  services  or  products, 
because  that  shyness  will  prompt  careful  preparation.  Some  twenty 
years  ago  a  shy  young  man  named  Walter  B.  Grosvenor  was  a  typist 
in  a  noted  advertising  agency  in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  was  down- 
right afraid  to  even  answer  the  telephone.  Once  he  was  trapped 
and  had  to  answer  the  phone.  A  client  wanted  to  know  if  certain 
proofs  were  ready  for  examination.  Why  not?  When  would  they  be 
ready?  Who  was  handling  the  engraving?  etc.  Grosvenor  couldn't 
well  say  that  he  was  only  a  typist  and  not  supposed  to  know  the 
answers.  He  mumbled  that  he  would  get  the  answers  and  report 
back.  He  was  almost  a  wreck  after  the  ordeal  on  the  telephone. 

The  young  Mr.  Grosvenor  dug  up  all  the  answers  and  reported 
them  to  his  manager  who  insisted  that  he  call  the  client  back  with 
the  data.  Again  the  lad  was  afraid  of  the  telephone,  but  he  got  an 
idea.  He  listed  all  the  questions  and  the  answers  and  figured  out 
even  more  detail  that  the  client  might  want.  When  he  called  back 
he  was  ready  with  a  prepared  report  that  he  found  made  the  call 
not  quite  so  terrifying.  He  didn't  overcome  his  fear  of  the  phone 
overnight,  but  by  following  that  same  process  of  preparing  himself 
with  facts  he  found  that  he  could  be  of  more  and  more  precise  serv- 
ice to  others  despite  his  tendency  to  be  phone-shy.  This  very  prepa- 
ration contributed  to  his  rapid  advancement  to  the  management  of 
the  Cleveland  offices  of  his  agency. 

Obviously  any  fear  of  the  telephone  can  be  overcome,  and  most 


424  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

folk  can  make  an  easier  approach,  as  did  the  Minneapolis  woman 
with  her  collection  service. 

Billions  of  dollars  of  business  is  transacted  each  year  by  mail  and 
telephone.  And  the  approaches  to  money  by  telephone  are  many 
and  varied,  including  doctors'  exchanges,  public-listing,  telephone- 
answering,  and  -secretarial  services  as  well  as  direct-sales  solicita- 
tion. 


TELEPHONE     P U B L I C  -  L  I  S  T I N G     BUREAU 

The  telephone  was  essential  in  establishment  of  a  unique  com- 
munity clearinghouse  by  Nemuel  E.  A.  McDonald  in  a  city  in  Vir- 
ginia. Mr.  McDonald's  public-listing  bureau,  as  reported  by  the 
Readers  Digest,  "provides  a  pool  for  two  listings:  first,  of  everything 
that  anybody  wants  to  sell,  rent  or  exchange;  second,  of  anything 
that  anybody  wants  to  buy  or  hire,  whether  merchandise  or  serv- 
ice. Usually  a  direct  contact  is  established  between  seller  and  buyer; 
McDonald  acts  strictly  as  a  middleman;  he  handles  no  money  and 
his  clients  must  drive  their  own  bargains. 

"No  charge  is  made  for  listing  ^Wants'  or  'Offers,'  but  he  charges 
a  flat  fee  when  a  sale  is  completed  or  a  service  rendered.  He  handles 
most  of  the  business  by  telephone— making  200  to  300  calls  daily, 
within  a  radius  of  nearly  100  miles.  McDonald  is  on  call  24  hours  a 
day.  Persons  whom  he  has  helped  often  help  in  the  search  for  de- 
sired articles;  they  are  compensated  for  this  aid. 

"A  public  listing  bureau  might  be  operated  in  a  home,  starting  as 
a  part-time  business  by  a  man  and  his  wife,  with  a  typewriter,  a 
telephone,  newspaper  advertising,  and  a  car  for  emergency  errands. 
Earnings  of  $40  to  $100  per  week  are  possible  with  a  one-man  opera- 
tion, depending  on  the  community  and  the  man's  ingenuity,  aggres- 
siveness and  business  ability.  A  constant  search  for  salable  mer- 
chandise and  services,  by  a  continuous  canvassing  of  merchants, 
apartment-house  managers,  home  owners,  farmers,  small  industries 
and  others  would  be  required  to  keep  the  listings  alive  and  interest- 
ing. 

"Such  a  business  must  conform  to  local  and  state  laws  and  regula- 
tions/' 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  425 


TELEPHONE-ANSWERING 
AND     -SECRETARIAL     SERVICES 

The  man  or  woman  who  is  closely  confined  to  home  and  wants  to 
really  establish  a  profitable  home  business  by  telephone  should  con- 
sider carefully  the  assets  and  the  liabilities  involved  in  constant  tele- 
phone calls  resulting  from  operation  of  a  telephone-answering 
service.  Such  a  service  is  simply  a  plan  to  receive  telephone  calls  for 
others  who  are  away  from  home  or  office  and  must  retain  contact 
with  their  clients  or  customers.  Services  have  been  established  for  a 
limited  number  of  paying  clients,  providing  cover  during  specified 
hours,  and  have,  in  other  cases,  provided  24-hour  "protection,"  and 
in  larger  cities  have  become  large  and  highly  profitable  businesses. 

They  may  be  started  in  a  city  of  20,000  or  more,  or  possibly  in 
special  circumstances,  in  smaller  communities.  Your  best  starting 
point  is  to  discuss  the  possibilities  in  your  area  with  the  management 
of  the  local  telephone  company.  He  can  inform  you  as  to  your 
competition,  if  any,  and  the  technical  problem  involved  regarding 
installation  of  one  or  more  additional  telephones  and  the  rates  in- 
volved, so  you  can  figure  your  costs  aside  from  your  time. 

One  woman  launched  her  answering  service  after  having  signed 
up  only  six  subscribers  and  discovered  that  she  could  "break  even" 
on  costs  on  that  basis.  She  recommends  having  a  dozen  clients  avail- 
able at  the  outset  and  reports  that  profits  came  as  soon  as  she  had 
more  than  six.  After  a  few  months  she  had  acquired  25  subscribers, 
had  installed  a  small  switchboard  in  a  little-used  room  in  her  home, 
and  was  making  very  comfortable  profits.  The  charges  would  vary  in 
different  communities,  but  in  this  case  each  customer  paid  an  "in- 
stallation" fee  of  $1.50,  $5.00  per  month  to  the  telephone  company, 
and  $15  to  the  answering  service.  This  provided  for  100  calls  a 
month  with  a  charge  of  eight  cents  for  each  additional  call.  She 
figured  about  $50  a  week  profit  with  around  30  subscribers. 

Ray  Giles,  who  has  analyzed  many  small  money-making  ventures, 
reports  the  case  of  a  young  Pennsylvania  woman,  Emily  W.,  who 
makes  more  than  $1800  annually  as  telephone  secretary  to  a  group 
of  professional  men. 

Emily  secured  the  endorsement  of  officers  of  the  County  Medical 
Association,  according  to  Ray  Giles,  and  "called  on  physicians  who 
couldn't  afford  full-time  secretaries  to  sell  them  her  telephone  serv- 


MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

ice.  For  a  small  monthly  fee  Emily  offered  to  list,  under  the  doctor's 
name,  a  special  telephone  number  which  patients  would  ring  when 
the  medical  man  was  away  from  home.  This  number,  the  same  for 
all  clients,  connected  with  Emily. 

"And  was  she  businesslike!  Each  doctor  had  to  write  the  answers 
to  a  list  of  mimeographed  questions  which  asked  his  clubs  and  other 
places  he  was  likely  to  frequent  when  out  of  the  office.  Since  then 
she  has  obtained  other  professional  men  as  clients—  architects,  ac- 
countants, and  the  like—  who  are  so  delighted  with  her  skill  at  finding 
them  when  they  are  supposed  to  be  unfindable  that  they  call  her 
their  Lost  and  Found  Department/' 

There  are  many  such  doctor's  exchanges  and  many  communities 
can  support  more  than  one.  Investigation  among  professional  people 
and  consultation  with  your  telephone-company  management  may 
reveal  ample  opportunity  for  a  resourceful  individual  such  as  your- 
self. Such  a  service  may  be  limited  to  having  only  two  telephones, 
one  for  incoming  and  one  for  outgoing  calls.  The  fees  charged  may 
vary  from  about  $12  to  $16  a  month  according  to  the  prevailing 
rates  in  your  own  community.  Your  sleep  may  be  interrupted,  but 
you  make  them  pay  for  it! 

A  telephone-answering  service  lends  itself  to  combination  with 
activities  involved  in  conducting  a  home-typing  bureau  such  as  is 
discussed  elsewhere  in  this  book. 


SELLING    PRODUCTS    AND    SERVICES    BY    PHONE 

Anyone  who  has  had  a  telephone  for  a  few  months  has  had  experi- 
ence with  telephone  salesmen.  During  the  past  30  days,  my  house- 
hold has  had  telephone  solicitors  offering  roofing  and  gutter  repairs, 
house  painting,  interior  decorating,  a  carpet  special  sale,  gardening 
services,  landscaping,  upholstering,  frozen  foods,  auto-seat  covers, 
new  and  used  automobiles,  television  repair,  real  estate,  a  charity 
worthy  of  contributions,  tickets  to  theater  and  ball  games.  Appar- 
ently this  must  be  a  shabby  household!  At  other  times  there  have 
been  telephone  offers  of  individual  and  family  and  house  photo- 
graphs, including  aerial  views,  maps  of  Scarsdale,  oil  portraits,  in- 
surance of  various  kinds,  inventory  services,  new  houses,  lots,  summer 
homes,  cruisers,  dishwashers,  and  about  everything  except  flit  guns 
and  why  that  has  been  overlooked  I  wouldn't  know.  You  may  have 
had  the  same  experience,  and  nearly  everyone  has  from  time  to  time 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  427 

made  purchases  as  a  result  of  such  telephone  solicitation  conducted 
either  by  specialized  organizations  or  home-telephone  salesmen. 

Selling  by  telephone  has  many  advantages  over  telephone-listing 
or  -answering  services  in  that  it  is  not  as  confining.  The  phone  sales- 
man or  saleswoman  has  better  control  of  time  devoted  to  the  project 
and  results  are  large  or  small  according  to  the  skill  and  time  devoted 
to  the  moving  of  merchandise  or  services. 

The  way  in  which  a  young  Californian  launched  himself  as  a  tele- 
phone salesman  is  recounted  by  Ray  Giles  in  Your  Life  magazine. 
"Fred  telephoned  every  merchant  he  knew  with  this  proposal:  'Will 
you  pay  me  a  small  commission  on  every  sale  you  make  through  my 
efforts?  Ill  telephone  people  who  aren't  your  regular  customers 
about  some  special  you  offer  for  that  day  or  week.  When  they  ask 
for  it,  you'll  know  they  came  through  me/  His  telephone  personality 
was  so  pleasing  that  he  went  to  work  immediately.  He  is  so  success- 
ful at  charming  people  into  stores  that  he  has  married,  bought  a  car, 
and  is  ready  to  finance  a  home.  For  six  hours  every  day  he  sits  in  his 
den  glued  to  that  telephone/' 

This  young  Californian  was  simply  an  amateur,  however,  com- 
pared to  the  fabulous  Earl  Prevette  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
who  reports  that  in  20  years  he  wrote  $10,000,000  of  life  insurance 
chiefly  by  telephone.  He  tells  about  how  he  did  this  and  gives  his 
philosophy  of  phone  money-making  in  his  book,  How  to  Sell  by 
Telephone.  Prevette  figured  that  with  more  than  20,000,000  tele- 
phones in  this  country,  with  a  possible  prospect  at  the  end  of  every 
connection,  it  would  be  a  wise  idea  to  use  those  facilities  in  finding 
his  clients.  Although  it  is  advisable  to  dream  no  little  dreams,  it  is 
not  suggested  that  the  beginner  at  telephone  selling  should  expect 
huge  profits  at  the  outset.  This  extremely  successful  case  is  related 
simply  to  indicate  the  great  potentialities  in  telephone  selling.  The 
beginner  who  is  not  thoroughly  versed  in  various  forms  of  insurance 
might  better  arrange  with  a  local  insurance  salesman  for  a  commis- 
sion on  prospects  "warmed  up"  by  telephone  calls  and  turned  over 
to  the  salesman  for  "closing"  of  the  sale. 

There  are  smaller-scale  phone-sales  procedures  as  exemplified  by: 

The  New  York  woman  who  used  classified  ads  to  find  lonely 
people  who  for  set  fees  could  telephone  her  and  discuss  their  prob- 
lems and  hopes  and  even  their  very  loneliness.  She  was  an  interest- 
ing, sympathetic  woman  and  broke  her  own  loneliness  with  these 
many  contacts. 


428  MONET-MAKING    IDEAS 

The  woman  who  called  offices  and  factories  and  arranged  for  de- 
liveries of  box  lunches. 

The  man  who  called  newcomers  to  the  area  and  advised  them  as 
to  the  stores  and  services  he  represented. 

The  woman  who  secured  "leads"  for  a  real  estate  agency. 

The  many  men  and  women  who  earn  a  steady  income  by  selling 
magazine  subscriptions  and  taking  renewals  by  telephone. 

The  woman  who  specialized  in  making  Santa  Glaus  and  birthday 
calls  to  children. 


PRODUCTS  AND  SERVICES  SOLD  BY  TELEPHONE 

Complete  listing  of  all  products  or  services  that  are  sold  by  tele- 
phone would  require  a  separate  volume.  Your  telephone  area,  den- 
sity of  population,  regional  and  seasonal  popularity  will  all  have  a 
bearing  on  your  selection  of  prospects.  Your  own  investigation  and 
resourcefulness  will  be  of  great  value.  Indicative,  however,  of  the 
possibilities  is  this  random  introductory  list: 


Accounting 

Advertising 

Ash  and  rubbish  removal 

Automobile  accessories 

Beauty  shops 

Bedding  renovating 

Bookkeeping 

Box  lunches 

Bridal 

Building  and  house  cleaning 

Camera  repairing 

Carpet  Cleaning 

Catering 

Cleaning  and  dying  clothes 

Clothes  mending 

Cosmetics 

Dance  instruction 

Debt  collection 

Decorating 

Employment 

Entertaining 


Extermination 

Food  specials,  frozen,  etc. 

Furniture  cleaning,  repairing 

Fur  repair,  cleaning,  storage 

Gardening 

Garden  products 

Gift  shopping 

Gift-shop  specials 

Greeting  cards 

Hat  cleaning,  repair 

Hat  specials 

Home  appliances 

Insurance 

Jewelry  repair 

Jewelry  specials 

Kitchen  appliances 

Kitchen  products 

Landscaping 

Laundry 

Linen  services 

Magazine  subscriptions 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  429 

Market  research  Real  estate  leads  and  listing 

Moving  Rentals 

Newspaper  clipping  Shoe  repairing 

Nursery  stock  Tailoring 

Oil-burner  contracts  Telephone  answering 

Painting,  paper  hanging  Telephone  secretary 

Phonograph  specials  Telephone  solicitation 

Photography  Tires,  specials,  repairs,  capping 

Plastering  Travel 

Plumbing  Tutoring 

Polls  Typewriter  repair 

Printing  Typing 

Radio,  television  sales  and  repair     Window  and  wall  cleaning 

Telephone  selling  has  many  advantages  for  the  beginner.  He  can 
"start  small"  and  experiment  in  a  limited  way  with  different  services 
and  products  in  a  search  for  the  type  of  thing  he  can  sell  best.  He  or 
she  can  start  from  scratch  and,  if  persistent,  develop  into  a  first- 
class  solicitor  who  will  be  recommended  by  merchants  and  others 
and  the  part-time  selh'ng  may  well  be  developed  into  a  full-time 
operation  and  comfortable  steady  income.  The  experienced  tele- 
phone solicitor  can  move  almost  anywhere  in  areas  of  reasonably 
dense  population  and  "take  his  business  with  him." 

As  a  first  step  you  should  consider  your  past  experience  and  pos- 
sible familiarity  with  certain  products  or  services. 

As  a  second  step,  review  the  leads  given  in  this  chapter  and  search 
through  other  pages  for  articles  or  services  you  would  prefer  to  deal 
with.  Once  you  are  experienced  you  may  find  that  you  get  fun  and 
profit  from  selling  almost  any  worth-while  product. 

As  a  third  step,  search  the  classified  ad  sections  of  newspapers  in 
your  area  that  may  be  seeking  telephone  solicitors  and  before  going 
ahead  discuss  your  plans  with  representatives  of  the  local  telephone 
company. 

In  some  fifty  cities  the  companies  have  telephone  users  listed  by 
streets  instead  of  the  scattered  alphabetical  listing  in  the  book.  Such 
lists,  when  available,  are  invaluable  in  saturating  a  given  area-  with 
calls.  For  instance,  a  broad  scattering  of  calls  might  involve  ex- 
orbitantly expensive  deliveries  for  your  client. 

Then  consider  carefully  the  comparatively  small  costs  involved 
and  the  amount  of  business  you  would  need  to  do  to  "break-even," 


43O  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

and  consider  the  time  you  have  available  for  the  project.  Go  ahead 
and  test  it  if  you  see  a  chance  to  gain  reasonable  payment  for  your 
time. 

Prepare  your  telephone  sales  talk  carefully  and  have  it  before  you 
whenever  you  make  a  call  until  you  have  it  memorized  in  whatever 
revised  form  seems  most  effective.  Some  organizations  will  provide 
you  with  carefully  organized  sales  talks  and  kits,  as  does  the 
Readers  Digest  of  Pleasantville,  New  York.  "Right  in  your  telephone 
is  hidden  a  ready  source  of  extra  income,"  says  Allan  Scott,  of  that 
organization.  "Thousands  of  men  and  women  earn  an  extra  $5.00  to 
$50  every  week  by  using  their  telephones  to  secure  Reader's  Digest 
subscriptions.  We  send  a  Community  Representative  Kit.  This  kit 
gives  clear  directions  on  what  to  say,  how  to  say  it;  tells  successful 
methods  which  help  some  Digest  representatives  earn  over  $5000  a 
year.  Others  earn  'pin  money  in  spare  moments." 

YOUR  VOICE  OVER  THE  WIRES 

Your  voice  can  be  an  asset  or  a  liability  in  making  money  by  tele- 
phone. "Juries,  dogs,  grown-ups  and  children  react  in  about  the  same 
way  to  voices,"  according  to  Margery  Wilson,  author  of  Charm  and 
other  books  on  etiquette.  "The  human  voice  is  a  variable  quantity. 
No  matter  what  you  think  your  voice  sounds  like,  rest  assured  it 
doesn't  sound  that  way  all  the  time.  Every  shade  of  emotion,  en- 
thusiasm, boredom,  love,  hate,  assurance  and  fear  are  reflected  in 
your  voice  as  they  pass  across  your  consciousness.** 

No  matter  how  you  think  your  voice  sounds  by  telephone  it  would 
be  well  to  find  someone  with  a  tape  or  disk  recorder.  Speak  into  it 
and  play  it  back  and  study  it  for  any  defects.  On  more  than  one 
occasion  I  have  heard  records  of  my  voice  in  radio  broadcasts  and  I 
simply  wouldn't  know  the  voice  as  mine  without  the  identification  of 
the  subject  matter  broadcast.  My  voice  sounds  fine  to  me  but  tends 
to  a  monotone  and  that  is  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  I  have  what 
telephone  companies  call  "lazy  lips,"  a  common  fault  in  speech. 

The  fault  is  so  common  the  New  York  Telephone  Company  issued 
this  remedial  message: 

"To  be  easily  and  accurately  understood  it  is  necessary,  of  course, 
to  speak  distinctly.  You  do  this  if  you  pronounce  your  words  care- 
fully, giving  proper  form  to  each  sound  in  every  word. 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  43! 

"Just  try  this :  Open  your  mouth  slightly— and  now,  hardly  moving 
your  jaw,  or  tongue,  speak  a  few  sentences. 

"You've  heard  people  talk  in  just  about  that  way,  and  probably 
had  trouble  in  understanding  them.  They're  suffering  from  stiff  jaws, 
lazy  lips,  sleepy  tonguesl  No  wonder  their  words  sound  mumbled, 
shut  in,  or  'swallowed.' 

"If  your  speech  is  not  as  clear  and  distinct  as  it  should  be,  here  are 
some  simple  exercises  for  your  lips,  tongue  and  jaw  which  will  make 
them  flexible  and  more  quick  and  sure  to  do  their  duties. 

"To  exercise  the  lips:  (1)  extend  them  forward  in  open  circular 
form;  then  let  them  relax  and  return  to  normal.  Repeat  several  times. 
( 2 )  Starting  with  lips  closed  puff  them  apart  with  the  breath,  as  for 
the  sound  of  'p'  in  the  word  'part,'  and  repeat  this  rapidly.  (3)  Re- 
peat, adding  the  various  vowel  sounds,  in  order,  as  'pah,'  'pay,'  etc. 
(4)  Again  repeat,  substituting  the  V  sound,  as,  *bah,'  'bay,'  etc. 

"To  exercise  the  tongue:  (1)  with  mouth  well  open,  curve  tip  of 
tongue  upward  to  touch  gums  just  back  of  front  teeth,  and  return  to 
normal.  Repeat  several  times,  gradually  speeding  up.  (2)  Repeat, 
sounding  lah'  each  time  tongue  is  lowered.  (3)  Again  repeat,  suc- 
cessively using  the  sounds  'tah,'  'nah,'  and  'dah.' 

"To  exercise  the  jaw:  (1)  drop  the  jaw,  with  muscles  relaxed,  far 
enough  to  permit  inserting  the  thumb  sidewise  between  the  teeth. 
Return  to  closed  position,  and  repeat  several  times.  (2)  Repeat, 
sounding  the  syllable  'mah'  each  time  the  jaw  is  dropped.  (3)  Re- 
peat, using  the  sounds  'maw'  and  'moh/  Avoid  any  forcing  down  or 
stiffening  of  the  jaw.  It  should  drop  loosely." 

While  clarity  is  very  important  do  not  let  any  suggested  changes 
instill  artificially  produced  honeyed  tones  in  your  voice.  Sincerity 
and  naturalness  are  of  the  highest  importance.  You  may  amuse  your- 
self, if  no  recorder  is  available,  by  standing  in  a  room  corner  as  close 
as  you  can  get.  Speak  directly  into  the  corner  and  you  will  hear 
yourself  more  as  others  hear  you. 

A  helpful  book  is  How  to  Sell  by  Telephone,  by  Earl  Prevette. 
Cummings  Enterprises,  the  Keystone  State  Bldg.,  Philadelphia  7,  Pa. 


CHAPTER    FIFTY-ONE 


How  to  Package,  Name,  and  Label 
Jour  Product  Successfully 


YOU  HAVE  a  fine  idea  and  an  excellent  product,  but  that  is  not  enough 
if  you  are  to  sell  it  successfully.  You  must  give  it  a  good  name,  an 
inviting  label,  and  an  attractive  package  if  you  are  to  win  the  steady 
income  your  efforts  and  your  product  deserve.  It  is  at  this  stage  that 
many  a  man  or  woman  bent  on  establishing  a  home  business  feels 
blocked  because  of  lack  of  any  previous  experience  in  packaging. 
There  is  no  mystery  involved  in  wise  naming,  labeling,  and  packag- 
ing. Your  own  good  judgment  and  careful  consideration  of  the  pos- 
sibilities are  all  that  are  required.  These  pages  will  give  you  the 
basic  information  needed  and  point  the  way  to  the  "tools"  available 
to  you,  whether  your  package  requires  beautiful  cellophane  or  kegs 
or  crates  or  a  plastic  bottle  that  will  spray  your  product,  or  any  of 
the  thousands  of  package  forms  and  wrappers  already  designed  and 
awaiting  selection  or  adaptation  to  your  own  particular  require- 
ments. 

Don't  underestimate  the  importance  of  proper  packaging.  Your 
success  or  failure  depends  on  your  efforts  in  this  direction.  There 
are,  of  course,  many  instances  in  which  home  products  are  sold  to 
friends  and  neighbors  in  homely  makeshift  containers.  There  are 
housewives  and  home  craftsmen  and  others  who  have  started  their 
own  small  businesses  in  a  very  small  way  without  paying  much 
attention  to  proper  packaging.  Without  exception,  however,  your 
sales  will  be  more  plentiful  and  continuing  and  your  ultimate  profits 
much  larger  if  you  name  and  label  and  package  your  product  pro- 
fessionally. 

HOW     TO     NAME     YOUR     PRODUCT 

You  want  a  name  for  your  product  that  will  identify  it  when  satis- 
fied customers  want  to  order  it  again.  You  want  a  name  that  is  in- 
viting and,  if  possible,  descriptive.  You  want  a  name  that  you  can 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  433 

patent  to  protect  yourself  from  imitators.  If  for  some  reason  you 
require  a  simple  name— your  own,  for  instance,  as  part  of  your  com- 
pany name— you  can  develop  a  good  supplemental  "blurb"  or  slogan 
to  identify  your  wares  additionally.  As  you  search  for  a  name  put 
down  every  possibility,  no  matter  how  wild,  on  sheets  of  paper— 
ofttimes  a  freak  suggestion  will  on  reconsideration  prompt  an  ideal 
name.  Use  your  own  taste  and  judgment  and  ask  your  friends  to 
help  on  the  basis  of  names  you  have  under  consideration.  Keep  the 
buyer  in  mind.  Put  yourself  in  the  position  of  the  buyer.  Would  the 
name  intrigue  you?  Which  would  you  rather  buy  for  yourself  or  as  a 
gift:  Hogwallow  Honey  in  a  cracked  jar  with  a  smudged  label,  or 
Flower-Fields  Honey  in  a  golden  jug  that  would  grace  the  family 
table? 

The  U.  S.  Department  of  Commerce  points  out  that  a  successful 
product  name  has  certain  general  characteristics.  To  the  extent 
possible,  it  is: 

1.  Short 

2.  Simple 

3.  Easy  to  spell 

4.  Easy  to  read 

5.  Easy  to  recognize 

6.  Easy  to  remember 

7.  Pleasing  when  read 

8.  No  disagreeable  sound 

9.  Easy  to  pronounce 

10.  Pleasing  when  pronounced 

11.  Cannot  be  pronounced  in  several  ways 

12.  Does  not  go  out  of  date 

13.  Adaptable  to  package  or  label 

14.  Can  be  easily  connected  with  trademark 

15.  Available  for  use  (not  in  use  by  another  firm) 

16.  If  to  be  exported,  pronounceable  in  all  languages 

17.  Not  offensive,  obscene,  or  negative 

18.  Not  similar  to  some  foreign  word 

19.  Descriptive  or  suggestive  of  product  and  use 

Frequently  the  product  itself  will  suggest  an  appropriate  name,  as 
it  did  for  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Nelson  of  Lynn,  Massachusetts,  who  had 
the  idea  of  selling  penny-candy  assemblies  with  its  nostalgic  appeal 
and  named  her  package  "Joys  of  Childhood  Candy."  Throughout  this 
book  you  will  encounter  the  descriptive,  suggestive,  identifying  names 


434  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

selected  by  others  for  their  particular  products.  You  may  want  to 
give  your  product  a  worldly  or  a  rustic  appeal.  Frequently  the  re- 
gional appeal  is  valuable:  southern  products,  Cape  Cod,  the  salt 
ocean,  the  fresh  water  of  inland  lakes  (Land  O'  Lakes  butter),  Ver- 
mont maple  syrup,  redwood  products  in  California,  Indian  names 
from  the  Southwest.  Careful  consideration  in  selection  of  a  name  is 
rewarding. 

ELEMENTS    OF    A    GOOD    PACKAGE 

Even  more  rewarding,  in  all  probability,  is  the  proper  selection  of 
package  for  presentation  of  your  wares.  Your  package  should  of 
necessity  perform  the  function  for  which  it  is  intended.  It  should 
have  the  proper  strength,  be  designed  to  present  your  offering  en- 
ticingly, be  convenient  to  handle.  You  should  consider  the  uses  of 
your  package,  its  storage  possibilities.  Will  it  stand  up  under  ship- 
ment and  protect  against  spoilage?  Will  it  be  satisfactory  for  display 
in  stores?  Will  it  be  immediately  destroyed  in  the  home,  or  used  for 
a  period  of  days  or  weeks  or  months?  And  how  will  it  be  stored  at 
home? 

Outlining  the  elements  of  a  good  package,  the  U.  S.  Department 
of  Commerce  booklet  on  developing  and  selling  new  products  states 
that  the  package  should: 

1.  Protect  the  product 

2.  Carry  the  product  in  convenient  quantities 

3.  Keep  marketing  costs  down 

4.  Advertise  and  stimulate  purchase  of  product 

5.  Provide  necessary  information  to  the  buyer 

6.  Help  clerk  to  sell  the  product 

7.  Help  sale  of  other  products  in  line 

8.  Reduce  amount  of  returned  goods 

"In  many  instances,  a  package  should  be  so  designed  as  to  stand 
out  on  the  shelf.  Many  manufacturers  and  retailers  also  believe  that 
the  color  combination  on  a  new  package  should  be  identical  with  the 
general  color  combination  of  the  manufacturer's  existing  line  of 
products.  It  is  also  considered  desirable  for  the  customer  to  be  able 
to  read  the  name  of  the  product  when  it  is  in  a  stack  four  or  five  feet 
away.  And  if  the  package  is  to  be  sold  separately  from  special  dis- 
plays, it  should  look  well  in  a  pyramid  or  other  arrangement." 

At  the  outset  you  may  feel  bewildered  as  to  where  to  turn  for  the 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  435 

package  you  need,  but  there  is  no  mystery  involved.  There  are  hun- 
dreds of  places  available  to  give  you  leads  to  an  amazing  array  of 
materials.  There  is  a  packaging  world  open  to  you,  specialists  avail- 
able to  help  you,  and  sources  of  information  that  are  yours  for  the 
using. 

STANDARD     PACKAGING     FORMS     AVAILABLE 

At  the  outset  you  can  survey  here  the  standard  packaging  forms 
that  are  available  and  can  be  used  "as  is"  or  adapted  to  your  par- 
ticular product.  These  standard  forms  are  developed  into  so  many 
thousands  of  special  uses  it  would  take  a  volume  of  hundreds  of 
pages  simply  to  list  them  all.  The  standard  packing  forms  include: 
set-up  boxes,  folding  cartons,  paper  containers,  metal  cans,  glass 
bottles  and  jars,  fiber  and  composite  containers,  plastic  packages, 
capsules,  molded  pulp  and  fabric  containers,  bags,  collapsible  tubes, 
seals,  labels,  tags,  liners,  closures. 

Set-up  Paper  Boxes.  Available  to  you  are  set-up  paper  boxes  for 
the  packaging  of  almost  anything.  They  are  re-usable  and  can  be 
covered  in  multiple  ways  to  adapt  them  to  your  particular  uses  if 
you  have  some  bright  ideas  to  make  them  more  individual.  They 
come  in  a  variety  of  shapes  and  sizes,  plain  or  artistically  decorated. 
Some  have  transparent  tops  or  peepholes  to  reveal  the  contents. 

Folding  Cartons.  There  is  an  almost  bewildering  array  of  folding 
cartons  that  have  many  values  for  you.  Because  they  are  flat  they  are 
economically  produced  in  a  variety  of  appealing  colors  and  can  be 
printed  to  contain  the  legend  of  your  own  product.  Among  other 
economies  involved  are  the  ease  of  shipping  to  you,  your  storage  in 
small  space,  the  ease  of  handling.  They  can  be  set  up  as  needed  at 
convenient  times.  They  are  available  for  a  wide  variety  of  products 
and  so  standardized  they  simplify  your  own  packaging  problems. 

Glass  Containers.  For  centuries  glass  containers  have  been  in  use 
around  the  world.  They  can  be  secured  in  numerous  shapes  and 
sizes,  ranging  from  little  things  to  imposingly  large  forms.  In  many 
instances  the  glass  bottles  and  jars  and  boxes  are  so  artistically  de- 
signed they  are  highly  valued  as  collectors'  items,  for  vases,  jewel 
boxes,  re-use  in  many  ways  in  home  and  kitchen,  and  their  sales 
appeal  can  greatly  enhance  the  value  to  you. 

Metal  Cans.  The  designing  of  metal  cans  has  been  developed  to 
offer  safety,  economy,  versatility,  purity,  insurance  against  spoilage. 


MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Cans  require  a  label  which  adds,  of  course,  to  your  costs  but  carries 
your  identification  and  sales  message.  They  are  made  in  a  large 
variety  of  shapes  and  sizes  for  special  purposes  ranging,  for  instance, 
from  beautiful  candy  boxes,  cake  containers,  cans  with  spraying 
devices  attached,  to  the  plain,  basic  tomato  can.  There  may  well  be 
a  can  for  your  own  product  that  will  increase  the  salability. 

Fiber  and  Composite  Containers.  The  fiber  cans  and  other  con- 
tainers are  made  with  paper  board  and  metal  or  paper-board  tops 
and  bottoms  and  are  lined  with  combinations  of  various  materials 
such  as  cellophane,  sprayed  coatings,  aluminum  foil,  etc.  to  meet 
requirements  of  the  material  to  be  packaged.  They  have  many  ad- 
vantages for  a  variety  of  products— opening  and  reclosing  features, 
rigidity,  economy. 

Plastic  Packages.  You  are  undoubtedly  familiar  with  the  increas- 
ing popularity  of  plastic  packages  with  hinges,  or  spouts  for  spray- 
ing, or  "window"  display  of  contents,  and  in  many  instances  the 
packages  can  be  re-used  by  the  buyers.  Because  of  the  transparent 
tops  and  side  walls  you  can  get  various  color  effects.  They  can  be 
used  for  packing  nuts  and  bolts  or  fancy  candies  and  a  thousand 
other  things. 

Collapsible  Tubes.  The  collapsible  metal  tube  made  of  lead  or 
aluminum  or  tin  and  coated  is  available  for  products  of  infinite 
variety,  ranging  from  anchovy  paste  or  concentrated  lemon  juice  to 
grease  or  ink.  They  are  available  for  medicinal  and  chemical  com- 
pounds, and  there  may  be  a  tube  for  your  own  product. 

The  proprietor  of  the  home  business  must  use  his  or  her  own 
resourcefulness  in  securing  the  ideal  package  for  a  given  product. 
The  large  manufacturers  are  not  especially  interested  in  filling  small 
orders,  so  the  home-business  operator  should  use  local  business  di- 
rectories to  locate  jobbers  from  whom  they  can  obtain  information 
and  packaging  materials,  and  frequently  local  stores  are  willing  to 
overorder  for  their  own  requirements  to  sell  you  a  small  supply  for 
testing  purposes. 


THE    U.    S.    DEPARTMENT    OF    COMMERCE    WILL    HELP 
YOU 

Requirements  for  individual  packing  and  shipping  containers  are 
so  varied  it  is  beyond  the  scope  of  any  one  book  such  as  this  to  pro- 
vide the  detailed  information  required.  But  the  U.  S.  Department  of 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  437 

Commerce,  Washington  25,  D.C.,  and  all  of  its  many  field  offices  in 
various  cities,  has  specialists  who  are  at  your  service  on  specific  re- 
quests for  information.  They  will  direct  you  to  proper  sources  of 
information,  and  for  a  few  cents  the  business-information  service  of 
the  department  will  send  a  directory  of  basic  information  sources. 
This  directory  states: 

"The  publications  listed  below  are  available  from  the  Superin- 
tendent of  Documents,  Washington  25,  D.C.,  at  5  cents  each,  except 
starred  (*)  items,  which  are  available  free  from  the  Commodity 
Standards  Division,  National  Bureau  of  Standards,  Washington  25, 
D.C." 

*  RIO— 47  Milk  and  cream  bottles  and  bottle  caps 

R20-28     Steel  barrels  and  drums 

R41— 42     Agricultural  insecticides  and  fungicides  (packages) 

R42-43     Grocers'  paper  bags 

R44— 36     Boxboard  thicknesses 

R59  Rotary-cut  lumber  stock  for  wire-bound  boxes 

R60— 43     Packaging  of  carriage,  machine,  and  lag  bolts 

R64— 30     One-pound  folding  boxes  for  coffee 

R65— 31     Packaging  of  overhead  electric  railway  materials 

R69  Packaging  of  razor  blades 

R70-46     Salt  packages 

Ril— 32      Glass  containers  for  preserves,  jellies,  and  apple  butter 

R 104-30     Packaging  of  flashlight  batteries 

R107-31     Glassine  bags 

R117— 30     Packaging  of  dental  plaster,  investment,  and  artificial  stone 

R 120— 40     Ice-cream -brick  molds  and  cartons 

R 123-43     Carbonated-beverage  bottles 

R 126-41     Set-up  paper  boxes 

R 127— 41     Folding  paper  boxes 

R 128-41     Corrugated-fiber  boxes 

R 129— 41     Notion  and  millinery  paper  bags 

R 13 1—35     Glass  containers  for  mayonnaise  and  kindred  products 

R 132— 36     Ice-cream  cups  and  cup  caps 

R 135-32     Wooden  butter  tubs 

R 144— 45  Paints,  varnishes,  and  related  products  (colors  and  contain- 
ers) 

R145— 33     Packaging  of  electric  railway  motor  and  controller  parts 

R146— 41  Corrugated-  and  solid-fiber  boxes  for  canned  fruits  and  vege- 
tables 

*R148— 47  Glass  containers  for  cottage  cheese  and  sour  cream 

*R155— 40  Cans  for  fruits  and  vegetables  (names,  dimensions,  capacities, 
and  designated  use) 

R 156— 41     Extracted-honey  packages 

R 16 1—35     Packaging  of  automotive  (bus)  engine  parts 


438  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

R162— 36     Tinned-steel  ice-cream  caps 

R170-38     Spice  containers  (tin  and  fiber) 

R171— 38    Wooden  boxes  for  canned  fruits  and  vegetables 

R172— 38     Stock  folding  boxes  for  garments  and  dry  cleaning 

R 173— 38     Stock  folding  boxes  for  millinery 

R175— 40  Heavy-duty,  round-nesting,  paper  food  and  beverage  contain- 
ers and  lids 

R178— 41     First-aid  unit  dressings  and  treatments  (packaging  of) 

R188— 42     Spring  and  slotted  clothespins  (sizes  and  packaging) 

*R189— 42  Round  and  flat  hardwood  toothpicks  (packaging  and  sizes) 

R192— 45  Crayons,  chalks,  and  related  art  materials  for  school  use 
(types,  sizes,  packaging,  and  colors) 

R193— 42     Packages  for  shortening,  salad  oil,  and  cooking  oil 

R196— 42     Glass  containers  for  green  olives 

R197— 46     Glass  containers  for  maraschino  cherries 

R200— 43     Paper  boxes  for  toiletries  and  cosmetics 

R203— 44  Containers  and  packages  for  household  insecticides  (liquid- 
spray  type) 

R208-46     Milk-shipping  cans 

R209— 4o     Peanut-butter  packages  and  containers 

R2 18-46     Paper  tubes  for  packaging  milk-bottle  caps 

R226— 47     Standard-grade  galvanized  ware 

R228— 47  Pallets  for  the  handling  of  groceries  and  packaged  merchan- 
dise 


TRADE  AND  INDUSTRY  ORGANIZATIONS  WILL  HELP 

Many  of  the  packaging  trade  and  industry  organizations  have 
pamphlets  available  free  or  for  small  fees.  A  comprehensive  list  may 
be  found  in  Trade  and  Professional  Associations  of  the  United 
States,  Industrial  Series  No.  3,  published  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of 
Commerce. 

Be  as  specific  as  you  possibly  can  when  you  request  information 
from  these  associations.  If  you  are  vague,  your  requests  may  be 
ignored.  But  don't  let  that  stop  you.  Get  in  touch  with  the  U.  S.  De- 
partment of  Commerce  field  office  nearest  to  you.  Field  offices  are 
listed  in  Part  Eight. 

Among  the  trade  and  industry  organizations  are  the  following: 


TRADE     AND     INDUSTRY     ASSOCIATIONS 

Adhesive  Manufacturers  Assn.  of  America,  441  Lexington  Ave.,  New  York 

17,  N.Y. 
American  Veneer  Package  Assn.,  Inc.,  1025  Connecticut  Ave.,  N.W., 

Washington  6,  D.C. 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  439 

Can  Manufacturers  Institute,   1126  Shoreham  Bldg.,  Washington,  D.C. 

also  60  East  42nd  St.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 
Coated  and  Processed  Paper  Assn.,  1002  Union  Trust  Bldg.,  Providence, 

R.I. 
Collapsible  Tube  Manufacturers  Assn.,  19  West  44th  St.,  New  York  36, 

N.Y. 
Division  of  Simplified  Practice,   Bureau  of   Standards,   Department   of 

Commerce,  Washington  25,  D.C. 
Fibre  Box  Assn.,  224  S.  Michigan  Ave.,  Chicago,  111. 
Fibre  Drum  Manufacturers  Assn.,  P.O.  Box  1328,  Grand  Central  Station, 

New  York  17,  N.Y. 
Folding  Paper  Box  Assn.  of  America,  521  5th  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 

also  337  West  Madison  St.,  Chicago  6,  111. 
Glass  Container  Manufacturers  Institute,  8  West  40th  St.,  New  York  18, 

N.Y. 
Glassine  &  Greaseproof  Paper  Manufacturers  Assn.,  122  East  42nd  St., 

New  York  17,  N.Y. 
Label  Manufacturers  National  Assn.,  1700  Eye  St.,  N.W.,  Washington 

6,  D.C. 
Laminated  Foil  Manufacturers  Assn.,  1002  Union  Trust  Bldg.,  Providence 

3,  R.I. 

Liquid-Tight  Paper  Container  Assn.,  1532  Lincoln-Liberty  Bldg.,  Phila- 
delphia 7,  Pa. 
National  Assn.  of  Frozen  Food  Packers,  1415  K  St.,  N.W.,  Washington, 

D.C. 
National  Assn.  of  Glue  Manufacturers,  55  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36, 

N.Y. 
National  Assn.   of  Sanitary  Milk   Bottle   Closure   Manufacturers,    1532 

Lincoln-Liberty  Bldg.,  Philadelphia  7,  Pa. 

National  Burlap  Bag  Dealers  Assn.,  Inc.,  60  Bolivar  St.,  Brooklyn,  N.Y. 
National  Canners  Assn.,  1133  20th  St.,  N.W.,  Washington,  D.C. 
National  Confectioners  Assn.,  1  North  LaSalle  St.,  Chicago  2,  111. 
National  Fibre  Can  and  Tube  Assn.,  41  East  42nd  St.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 
National  Flexible  Packaging  Assn.,  6075  Northwest  Highway,  Chicago 

31,  111. 

National  Food  Distributors  Assn.,  110  North  Franklin  St.,  Chicago,  111. 
National  Meat  Canners  Assn.,  59  East  Van  Buren  St.,  Chicago,  111. 
National  Paint,  Varnish  &  Lacquer  Assn.,  1500  Rhode  Island  Ave.,  N.W., 

Washington,  D.C. 
National  Paperboard  Assn.,  80  East  Jackson  Blvd.,  Chicago,  111.  also  40 

East  41st  St.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 

National  Paper  Box  Manufacturers  Assn.,  1106  Liberty  Trust  Bldg.,  Phila- 
delphia 7,  Pa. 

National  Wooden  Box  Assn.,  Barr  Bldg.,  Washington  6,  D.C. 
Packaging  Institute,  342  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 
Paper  Bag  Institute,  Inc.,  369  Lexington  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 
Paper  Cup  and  Container  Institute,  Inc.,  1790  Broadway,  New  York  19, 

N.Y. 


440  MONEY-MAZING    IDEAS 

Paper  Pail  Assn.,  Ill  West  Washington  St.,  Chicago  2,  111. 

Paper  Shipping  Sack  Manufacturers  Assn.,  370  Lexington  Ave.,  New 

York  17,  N.Y. 

Paraffined  Carton  Assn.,  Ill  West  Washington  St.,  Chicago  2,  111. 
Steel  Shipping  Container  Institute,  Inc.,  570  Lexington  Ave.,  New  York 

22,  N.Y. 
Technical  Assn.  of  the  Pulp  &  Paper  Industry,  122  East  42nd  St.,  New 

York  17,  N.Y. 

Textile  Bag  Manufacturers  Assn.,  611  Davis  St.,  Evanston,  111. 
Waxed  Paper  Institute,  38  South  Dearborn  St.,  Chicago  3,  111. 
Wirebound  Box  Manufacturer  Assn.,  327  South  LaSalle  St.,  Chicago  4,  HI. 
Wooden  Box  Institute,  55  Montgomery  St.,  San  Francisco  5,  Calif. 

Much  helpful  information  in  planning  your  packages  can  be  se- 
cured from  Modern  Packaging  Encyclopedia,  published  annually, 
with  sources  of  supply  and  a  mass  of  illustrated  material.  This  pub- 
lication is  associated  with  the  trade  magazine,  Modern  Packaging, 
122  East  42nd  St.,  New  York,  N.Y.,  edited  by  Pearl  Hagens  who  has 
given  intelligent,  understanding,  highly  valuable  advice  to  many 
beginners  as  well  as  professionals  with  packaging  problems.  This 
monthly  magazine  conducts  a  packaging  consultation  service. 

Printers  of  labels  who  can  be  located  through  your  local  direc- 
tories can  be  very  helpful  as  you  plan  to  glamorize  or  personalize 
your  product  in  standard  containers.  Frequently  the  artistically  de- 
signed package  may  cost  more  than  the  product  it  contains  and  still 
make  your  entire  offering  salable  at  a  profitable  figure. 

The  wise  home-business  operator  will  go  to  the  stores  and  shops 
where  products  in  his  general  field  are  displayed  and  sold.  A  study 
of  your  competition  will  often  give  you  ideas  that  you  can  incorpo- 
rate in  your  own  work.  And  if  your  sales  can  be  developed  to  a  rea- 
sonably large  volume,  you  can  locate,  through  the  sources  given 
here,  organizations  that  will  even  prepare  as  well  as  label  and 
package  and  warehouse  and  ship  your  product  for  you,  relieving  you 
of  all  that  detail  and  giving  you  a  highly  efficient  and  professional 
service. 

You  can  solve  your  own  particular  problem  of  packaging  if  you 
really  work  at  it.  It  is  at  this  point  that  many  a  home-business  opera- 
tor becomes  discouraged  and  gives  up— but  that  leaves  a  wider  field 
open  for  you  if  you  methodically  plan  and  investigate.  Elsewhere  in 
this  book  you  have  read  about  Mrs.  Nelson  who  went  to  a  score  of 
printers  before  she  discovered  that  one  of  her  local  plants  could  turn 
out  the  type  of  printing  and  box  she  wanted  for  her  candy  product 


PACKAGING     AND     SELLING  44! 

Her  persistence  at  that  point  carried  her  through  to  the  establish- 
ment of  a  profitable  business  that  has  repaid  her  many  times  over 
for  that  initial  effort.  You  have  also  read  about  Mrs.  Kempton  who 
went  to  the  American  Can  Company  for  decorated  containers  for 
her  fruit  cakes. 

Points  to  review  in  connection  with  your  package  include  these: 
Strength  adequate  for  the  purposes  of  display  and  shipping  or  both. 
Dependable  source  of  supply. 

Is  it  designed  to  enhance  sales  appeal  and  encourage  repeat  buying? 
Is  it  practical? 
Can  the  over-all  sales  price  cover  the  cost  of  product  and  container 

adequately? 
Will  the  package  take  the  printing  or  label  clear  and  in  colors  to 

convey  your  message? 

The  matter  of  labeling  properly  is  of  vital  importance.  If  your 
labels  are  wrong  you  may  have  to  call  in  your  product  and  go  to  the 
expense  of  relabeling.  Full,  complete  honesty  in  labeling  is  re- 
quired. This  is  especially  true  where  food  and  chemical  products  are 
involved.  The  label  must  show  what  has  gone  into  a  food  product, 
how  much  it  weighs,  name  and  address  of  maker,  packer  or  dis- 
tributor. Most  commodities  are  sold  by  net  weight,  numerical  count, 
or  standard  measure.  You  can  check  with  your  local  or  state  bureaus 
of  weights  and  measures  and  local  or  state  health  departments.  Don't 
just  dash  out  the  wording  of  a  label  that  sounds  all  right  to  you. 
Check  carefully  to  get  the  facts  and  requirements  applying  to  your 
particular  product. 


Part  Eight 


HOW  TO   MIND  YOUR  OWN 
HOME   BUSINESS 


CHAPTER  FIFTY-TWO 

You  Adopt  the  Business  Attitude 


WHEN  YOU  DECIDE  to  establish  a  small  home  business  of  your  own,  it 
is  vital  that  you  adopt  the  business  attitude— and  consider  the  lowly 
turtle.  You  can  have  fun  in  operating  a  home  business,  but  no  matter 
how  small  you  start  it  is  important  that  you  consider  it  as  a  BUSI- 
NESS and  not  just  a  lark  or  something  you  "take  a  whirl  at."  It  is 
also  advisable  that  you  adopt  the  old  motto  that  goes  something  like 
this:  "Consider  the  turtle— it  makes  no  progress  without  putting  its 
neck  out."  If  you  have  ever  observed  a  turtle  making  its  slow,  steady, 
and  customarily  safe  progress,  you  note  that  it  looks  out  of  its  shell, 
then  takes  positive  action  by  putting  its  neck  out— but  cautiously. 
The  turtle  rarely  puts  its  neck  out  so  far  it  cant  withdraw  it  quickly 
to  avoid  serious  damage. 

In  adopting  the  business  attitude  you  give  yourself  strength  in 
your  undertaking,  you  investigate  thoroughly,  you  plan  carefully, 
you  work  positively  for  the  success  of  your  operation.  Throughout 
this  volume  you  have  encountered  the  stories  of  hundreds  of  indi- 
viduals who,  without  previous  business  experience,  launched  suc- 
cessful home  enterprises.  In  almost  every  case  considered  the 
successful  ones  adopted  the  business  attitude.  They  took  their 
projects  seriously  and  took  time  to  get  pertinent  facts.  Even  in 
striving  for  pin  money  in  simple  projects,  there  is  more  pin  money 
to  be  had  by  being  businesslike  in  your  approach.  It  is  even  more 
important  where  your  investment  is  larger. 

The  chief  importance  of  the  business  attitude  is  that  with  it  you 
carefully  study  your  operation  and  keep  adequate  records.  This  is 
done  because  of  the  simple  reason  that  frequently  the  small  project 
grows  apace,  and  the  more  businesslike  your  beginning,  the  better 
background  you  will  have  for  transition  of  your  minor  home  business 
into  a  really  sizable  business  that  may  support  you  and  your  family 
and  provide  for  its  future. 

Essentially  there  is  little  difference  between  your  small  home 
business  and  a  business  set  up  in  a  small  store  or  shop  or  office. 


446  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Ofttimes  the  transition  from  one  to  the  other  is  almost  forced  upon 
you,  and  your  own  home-business  operation  on  a  small  scale  is  an 
ideal  training  course  for  the  operation  of  a  business  on  a  larger  scale. 
Countless  thousands  of  men  and  women  have  followed  this  course. 
You  have  read  about  many  of  them  in  these  pages.  The  most  suc- 
cessful of  them  use  businesslike  caution. 


AVOIDING     THE    PITFALLS     OF     SMALL     BUSINESS 

A  surprisingly  large  percentage  of  new  businesses  fail  each  year 
for  the  simple  reason  that  the  operators  haven't  adopted  the  business 
attitude  and  apparently  never  heard  of  our  turtle  that  sticks  its  neck 
out— but  cautiously.  There  is  often  advantage  in  the  bold  stroke— but 
can  you  afford  it?  Some  of  the  failures,  when  analyzed,  reveal  that 
the  operators  had  almost  planned  for  collapse  rather  than  planning 
for  success. 

If  you  want  your  project  to  FAIL,  here  are  a  number  of  the  proved 
ways  to  attain  that  failure  rather  quickly: 

1.  Go  off  half  cocked.  Jump  into  a  project  without  careful  planning 
and  risk  your  family  savings  or  borrowed  money  in  a  "BIG" 
operation  WITHOUT  first  testing  it  on  a  small  scale. 

2.  Overlook  some  of  your  costs,  your  own  time  included,  and  so 
underprice  your  service  or  your  product. 

3.  Don't  bother  to  figure  out  whether  you  have  enough  capital  to 
carry  through  on  a  small  scale.  Overlook  this  item  and  you  may 
have  to  stop  just  when  you  have  reached  a  point  where  you 
could  cash  in  profitably. 

4.  Don't  bother  with  records,  and  this  way  you  can  go  on  kidding 
yourself  you  are  doing  beautifully  until  you  find  you  have 
flopped. 

5.  Overestimate  your  sales  ability  and  underestimate  the  time  it 
will  take  to  get  your  product  flowing  steadily  to  market. 

6.  Underestimate  your  competition  and  go  into  business  with  an 
inferior  product  instead  of  making  sure  your  product  is  thor- 
oughly acceptable. 

7.  Don't  bother  with  a  credit  policy;  use  your  own  credit  too  freely 
and  give  credit  too  freely  to  others. 

8.  Dip  into  your  bank  account  or  sugar  bowl  for  personal  expendi- 
tures so  you  don't  know  whether  you  are  winning  or  losing  until 


MANAGING     YOUR     HOME     BUSINESS  447 

the  money  is  gone;  also  let  members  of  the  family  do  the  same 
kind  of  "dipping."  (You  sapl) 

9.  If  your  product  is  initially  successful,  expand  it  more  rapidly 
than  your  finances  will  permit.  Put  your  neck  out  farther  than 
the  cautious  turtle. 

10.  Put  members  of  your  family  or  friends  on  your  pay  roll  without 
being  sure  you  get  adequate  services  in  return. 

11.  Ignore  the  fact  that  even  the  most  successful  of  business  opera- 
tions hit  snags,  make  mistakes,  encounter  poor  seasons. 

12.  Borrow  money  from  your  relatives  or  friends  or  anywhere  you 
can  get  it  without  having  a  definite  plan  as  to  how  that  money  is 
to  be  used  and  how  and  when  it  is  to  be  repaid.  (You  swindler! ) 

13.  Buy  carelessly.  Ignore  the  fact  that  discounts  are  vital,  and  you 
can  wipe  out  any  chance  you  have  for  profit. 

14.  Figure  that  now  you  are  "in  business"  you  can  take  it  easy  and 
the  business  will  take  care  of  itself. 

15.  Ignore  zoning  and  health  and  licensing  laws  and  regulations. 

16.  Don't  bother  to  get  advice  and  don't  bother  to  build  up  your 
own  little  business  library,  and  ignore  the  fact  that  thousands  of 
specialists  are  available  without  charge  to  help  any  man  or 
woman  who  has  a  good  product  or  service  and  a  sound  plan  to 
put  it  into  operation  and  make  it  profitable. 

YOU  CAN  WIN  AS  OTHERS  HAVE.  GET  STARTED 

You  can  read  in  this  book  and  elsewhere  of  thousands  of  men  and 
women  who  have  started  small  and  carefully  and  established  thriv- 
ing home  businesses.  Frequently  they  have  done  this  on  little  or  no 
capital;  as  a  matter  of  fact,  many  failures  are  "blessed"  with  too 
much  capital. 

The  elements  of  business  records,  taxes,  investigation  may  sound 
forbidding  as  you  see  them  concentrated  in  a  few  pages.  Actually, 
when  you  take  up  these  matters  one  at  a  time  and  learn  as  you  go 
along,  they  can  become  fascinating.  Good  judgment,  so-called  com- 
mon sense,  if  you  possess  it,  is  a  capital  beyond  measure! 

If  you  can  make  or  do  something  better  or  cheaper  that  others 
need  or  desire  and  get  started  today,  you  have  a  good  chance  to 
profit  with  your  home  business.  Although  it  would  be  fine  if  you 
could  "know  all  the  answers"  before  starting,  that  might  require 
that  you  spend  your  life  in  "getting-ready-to-begin-to-start-to-com- 


448  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

mence"  your  home  business.  In  a  lifetime  of  working  with  business- 
and  professional  men  and  women  and  analyzing  their  operations, 
this  writer  has  not  met  one  who  knew  all  of  the  answers  at  the  out- 
set. This  writer  successfully  established  and  operated  several  very 
successful  businesses  with  less  crystallized  knowledge  of  the  proc- 
esses involved  than  is  contained  in  this  one  volume.  Don't  be  afraid 
of  business.  Use  your  common  sense.  Get  started! 

HELPFUL  BOOKS  AND  PAMPHLETS  FOR  BUSINESS 
FOLK 

Booklets  prepared  under  direction  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Com- 
merce and  available  from  the  Government  Printing  Office,  Washing- 
ton 25,  D.C.: 

Establishing  and  Operating  Yowr  Own  Business 

A  Small-Business  Index  to  Selected  Publications 

American  Business  Directories 

Checklist  to  Help  You  Introduce  Your  New  Industrial  Products 

State,  Regional,  and  Local  Market  Indicators,  1939-1946 

Merchandise  Display  for  Simplified  Service  in  Department  and  Specialty 

Stores 

Developing  and  Selling  New  Products 
National  Associations  of  the  United  States.  A  directory. 

How  to  Run  a  Small  Business,  by  J.  K.  Lasser.  McGraw-Hill  Book  Co., 
330  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 

How  to  Organize  and  Manage  a  Small  Business,  by  Nelms  Black.  Univer- 
sity of  Oklahoma  Press,  Norman,  Okla. 

Information  Sources  for  Small  Businesses,  by  James  C.  Yocum  and  Emma 
Ferrin.  Bureau  of  Business  Research,  Ohio  State  University,  Colum- 
bus, O. 

Steps  to  Successful  Credit  Selling,  by  Dr.  Clyde  William  Phelps.  National 
Retail  Credit  Assn.,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

A  Guide  for  Retail  Advertising  and  Selling.  National  Assn.  of  Better 
Business  Bureaus,  Inc.,  405  Lexington  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 

A  Popular  Guide  to  2,500  Government  Publications,  by  W.  Philip  Leidy. 
Columbia  University  Press,  2960  Broadway,  New  York  27,  N.Y. 

See  books  and  pamphlets  listed  in  following  chapters  and  else- 
where in  this  book. 


CHAPTER     FIFTY-THREE 

Sole  Proprietorship,  Partnership,  Corporation? 


WHEN  YOU  LAUNCH  your  own  home  business  you  should  consider 
whether  you  will  operate  it  as  the  sole  proprietor,  form  a  partner- 
ship with  members  of  your  family  or  others,  or  set  up  a  corporation. 
These  are  the  three  most  common  and  basic  forms  of  business  or- 
ganization, and  each  has  certain  advantages  and  disadvantages.  Your 
selection  of  one  best  suited  to  you  will  depend  to  some  extent  on  the 
type  of  business  you  contemplate,  financial  requirements,  and  plans 
for  the  future. 


SOLE   PROPRIETORSHIP: 
ADVANTAGES   AND   DISADVANTAGES 

Most  home  businesses  are  started  and  operated  under  sole  pro- 
prietorship. Among  the  advantages  of  this  form  of  operation  are 
these: 

It  is  the  simplest,  fastest,  and  easiest  way  to  get  started,  to  con- 
tinue operation,  to  quit  if  and  when  you  want  to  with  the  minimum 
of  formalities. 

It  provides  the  most  complete  amount  of  privacy. 

An  individual  has  great  freedom  of  action,  is  not  bound  by  the 
restrictive  requirements  of  partnership  agreements  or  corporate 
charter  limitations. 

You  are  the  sole  "boss,"  closely  in  touch  with  all  details  of  your 
business  and  your  customers;  you  keep  your  own  hours;  all  responsi- 
bility centers  directly  in  you. 

The  profits  are  all  yours  after  payment  of  taxes. 

There  may  be  certain  income  tax  and  social  security  advantages 
according  to  your  own  special  circumstances.  Consult  an  attorney  or 
certified  public  accountant  who  can  help  you  start  most  wisely. 


45°  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

Some  of  the  disadvantages  of  sole  proprietorship  are  these: 

The  disability  or  death  of  a  sole  proprietor  may  halt  operations 
entirely. 

You  carry  all  the  responsibility  for  organization,  conduct  of  the 
business,  and  are  entirely  dependent  on  your  own  capabilities  except 
as  you  reach  out  for  intelligent  help.  The  load  may  be  so  heavy  you 
hamper  growth  of  your  operation. 

Your  liability  for  losses  incurred  by  yourself  or  employees  is  un- 
limited. You  become  personally  responsible  for  all  debts  of  your 
operation,  and  if  you  should  unwisely  become  too  deeply  involved 
financially,  creditors  may  attack  many  of  your  possessions  and  even 
your  salary  checks  from  other  sources  can  be  involved  in  litigation. 

PARTNERSHIP: 

ADVANTAGES  AND  DISADVANTAGES 

A  partnership  can  be  set  up  quickly  and  easily  for  little  expense. 
A  partnership  is  simply  an  arrangement  by  which  two  or  more  per- 
sons go  into  business  together  on  the  basis  of  a  written  agreement 
Don't  for  one  short  minute  consider  going  into  partnership  with 
anyone  without  a  carefully  drawn-up  agreement  prepared  by  a 
lawyer.  The  partnership  operates  under  its  self-imposed  agreement 
and  has  no  limitations  as  does  a  corporation. 

Advantages  of  a  partnership  include  these: 

It  usually  results  in  a  greater  assembly  of  capital  than  the  sole 
proprietorship . 

It  usually  brings  into  the  partnership  others  who  can  make  a  sound 
contribution  to  the  success  of  the  enterprise  and  perhaps  to  its  serv- 
ices, credit,  friendly  connections  that  can  be  helpful. 

It  can  result  in  a  much  stronger  organization  for  the  profit  of  all. 
For  instance,  one  partner  may  be  fine  on  production  but  weak  on 
selling  and  promotion,  whereas  the  partner  who  is  a  good  salesman 
may  be  a  scatterbrain  as  far  as  production  is  concerned.  Partners 
can  unite  specialized  skills  for  the  common  good  of  all  in  the  enter- 
prise. 

If  there  are  profits  after  taxes,  the  partners  share  them.  The  part- 
nership makes  an  income  tax  report  but  pays  no  tax  as  does  a  cor- 
poration. Each  partner  includes  income  from  the  partnership  in  his 
individual  tax  return. 

If  there  are  losses,  they  are  shared  by  the  partners. 


MANAGING     YOUR     HOME     BUSINESS  451 

A  partnership  may  make  it  easier  to  get  credit  for  supplies— or 
loans  when  and  if  necessary— because  of  the  greater  personal  lia- 
bility of  all  partners  involved. 

Disadvantages  of  a  partnership  include  these: 

Disability,  death,  bankruptcy,  or  withdrawal  of  a  partner  may  end 
or  disable  the  partnership. 

Each  partner  is  an  individual  and  people  act  like  people.  While  all 
may  be  harmonious  in  a  small  venture  with  no  large  profits,  if  the 
enterprise  grows  and  considerable  sums  are  involved,  the  change  in 
circumstances  can  change  the  individuals  involved.  The  partnership 
is  a  close  business  relationship,  and  changing  personalities  may 
result  in  irritations  and  disagreements  that  affect  the  business  health 
of  the  partnership.  Sometimes  wives  and  children  of  partners  de- 
velop other  irritations  and  jealousies  that  are  troublesome. 

Partners  may  develop  serious  disagreement  as  to  division  of  re- 
sponsibilities, and  one  may  feel  he  contributes  a  great  deal  more 
than  another  and  should  have  a  greater  share  in  the  profits. 

There  is  unlimited  liability  for  each  partner,  which  may  result  in 
one  or  more  partners  having  to  use  personal  assets  to  pay  debts  of 
the  partnership.  A  partner  can,  however,  buy  insurance  to  protect 
against  such  an  event.  Consider  this  responsibility  carefully  before 
going  into  a  partnership.  A  partner,  honest  today,  may  become  in- 
volved in  domestic  or  other  financial  difficulties  that  make  him  des- 
perate enough  to  become  a  thief. 

A  partnership  interest  is  usually  difficult  to  sell  to  others. 

Contracts  made  by  one  partner  are  binding  on  all  partners,  even 
though  made  without  the  knowledge  or  consent  of  other  partners. 

CORPORATION : 

ADVANTAGES     AND     DISADVANTAGES 

One  or  more  individuals  can  organize  a  corporation  that  is  char- 
tered by  public  authority  to  conduct  the  business  specified.  A 
corporation  is  a  more  complicated  business  structure  than  a  sole 
proprietorship  or  a  partnership,  and  unusually  involves  a  greater 
expenditure. 

Some  of  the  advantages  of  a  corporation  are  these: 
Liability  of  a  corporation  stockholder  is  customarily  limited  to  the 
exact  amount  of  the  individual's  investment  in  the  stock  and  his 
share  of  any  surplus  that  may  have  been  accumulated.  Risk  is  spread 


MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

over  a  number  of  stockholders.  If  a  corporation  goes  bankrupt,  you 
lose  only  your  investment.  Your  other  holdings  are  not  involved  in 
any  way. 

Unless  restricted  by  some  special  arrangement,  a  stockholder  can 
sell  his  shares  in  a  corporation. 

It  is  sometimes  easier  for  a  corporation  to  secure  additional  capi- 
tal than  is  the  case  for  proprietors  or  partners. 

Profits  of  a  corporation,  when  voted  by  the  corporate  board  of 
directors,  are  distributed  as  dividends  precisely  according  to  the 
units  of  stock  owned. 

Some  of  the  disadvantages  of  a  corporation  include  these: 

The  higher  cost  of  organization,  necessity  of  board  of  directors, 
and  more  formal  operation. 

A  corporation  is  restricted  to  the  kinds  of  business  authorized  in 
its  charter  and  subject  to  a  number  of  regulations  and  restrictions 
involved  in  the  corporation  laws  of  the  home  state  and  other  states 
in  which  it  may  want  to  do  business. 

If  stock  is  to  be  offered  to  the  public,  an  expensive  and  somewhat 
troublesome  procedure  is  required  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
registration  of  the  stock  with  the  Securities  and  Exchange  Commis- 
sion of  the  United  States. 

The  corporation  pays  taxes  on  its  profits  before  dividends  can  be 
declared,  and  then  you  pay  taxes  on  the  dividends  you  receive. 

Corporation  reports  and  tax  returns  and  other  operations  result 
in  somewhat  larger  expenditure  for  legal  and  accounting  fees. 


CHAPTER     FIFTY-FOUR 

10  Ways  to  Get  the  Money 


THERE  ARE  MANY  ways  to  raise  money  for  the  launching  and  main- 
tenance of  a  small  home  business  of  your  own.  Particularly  at  the 
start  you  may  find  it  difficult  to  get  money  from  others  for  your 
operation.  However,  if  your  idea  is  sound  and  you  have  tested  it  and 
demonstrated  that  you  know  what  you  are  doing,  and  if  you  have 


MANAGING     YOUR     HOME     BUSINESS  453 

Demonstrated  your  responsibility  and  good  character,  you  may  find 
it  easier  to  get  money  than  would  appear  on  the  surface. 
Here  are  some  of  the  ways  in  which  money  can  be  raised: 

1.  Yowr  own  savings.  This  is  the  best  way  of  all  for  a  small  start, 
as  you  are  not  burdened  with  interest  and  can  operate  freely.  Don't 
risk  all  of  your  savings.  Take  only  a  part  and  start  small.  The  great 
advantage  in  starting  on  "a  shoestring"  is  that  you  are  completely 
independent  in  testing  your  project  on  a  small  scale  to  determine 
the  potential  of  your  idea  or  product  or  service  and  its  profitable 
marketability.  Operating  on  the  well-known  shoestring,  you  are 
working  in  your  own  business  laboratory  and  learning  all  phases  of 
your  operation  firsthand.  If  you  find  that  your  project  has  greater 
potentialities,  it  is  better  that  you  start  small,  for  once  it  is  proved 
in  testing  you  can  make  a  better  deal  for  financing  and  still  retain 
complete  control. 

2.  Yot/r  life  insurance.  Examine  your  life  insurance  policies.  Most 
such  policies  have  provision  for  making  loans  against  the  cash  value 
and  face  value  of  the  policy.  If  you  have  heavy  family  responsibili- 
ties, it  is  not  recommended  that  you  borrow  money  on  your  insur- 
ance. When  you  borrow  on  a  life  insurance  policy  you  are  charged 
interest  and  the  amount  of  protection  is  automatically  reduced  by 
the  amount  of  the  loan  and  any  accrued  interest,  and  if  the  policy 
becomes  a  claim  before  the  loan  is  repaid  the  loan  and  interest  are 
deducted  before  payment.  Many  policies  have  cash  surrender  values, 
but  usually  this  kind  of  policy  is  such  a  fine  fundamental  asset  for 
family  protection  that  a  man  or  woman  should  be  hesitant  to  sur- 
render the  policy  for  the  immediate  cash  available.  Sometimes  life 
insurance  policies  with  cash  surrender  values  are  used  as  collateral 
for  a  loan  at  a  bank  or  elsewhere. 

3.  Loans  on  your  property.  Your  automobile  and  some  of  your 
household  goods,  real  estate  and  other  possessions,  such  as  stocks 
and  bonds,  can  often  be  used  as  collateral  for  loans. 

4.  Money  from  family  and  friends.  This  is  one  of  the  most  com- 
mon methods  of  raising  money  and  it  is  also  one  of  the  best-known 
ways  to  wreck  family  and  friendly  relationships  of  many  years' 
standing.  Suppose  you  can't  pay  the  interest  on  time.  Or,  perish  the 
thought,  suppose  you  can't  repay  the  loan  on  time— or  ever!  Also, 
Sister  Susie  or  Uncle  Oscar,  who  provided  some  cash  for  your  home 
business,  may  decide  they  want  a  slice  of  it  and  should  go  on  your 
pay  roll  just  because  of  the  financial  aid  and  not  because  of  any 


454  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

other  contribution  they  can  make.  This  puts  a  dead  weight  on  youf 
enterprise  that  may  wreck  it. 

5.  Partners  or  stockholders.  This  is  discussed  in  another  chapter. 
Partners  can  contribute  both  capital  and  experience.   Beginning 
home  businesses  rarely  incorporate,  and  if  they  do,  stock  in  such 
enterprises  is  difficult  to  sell.  These  methods  of  money  raising  can 
often  be  considered  later,  after  testing  of  your  project. 

6.  Local  capital  pools.  Some  communities  have  individuals  or 
small  groups  of  bankers  and  other  businessmen  with  capital  who 
will  make  loans  on  promising  enterprises.  If  you  have  a  sound  proj- 
ect you  may  be  able  to  interest  one  of  these  individuals  or  groups, 
who  can  be  located  by  inquiry  at  your  bank  or  among  business 
friends.  They  are  more  apt  to  assist  you  after  you  have  started  and 
demonstrated  the  possibilities  of  your  home  project.  In  Albert  Lea, 
Minnesota,  for  example,  there  is  a  local  committee  for  economic 
development  that  set  up  a  private  organization  called  Jobs,  Inc. 
Capitalized  at  $100,000,  this  group  has  provided  fixed  and  operating 
capital  for  new  and  old  local  industries. 

7.  Your  local  bank.  You  will  probably  have  difficulty  getting  your 
local  bank  to  help  finance  your  beginning  home  business,  but  it  is 
well  worth  your  time  to  discuss  its  possibilities,  as  the  banker  will 
have  a  "tough"  view  and  may  raise  questions  that  you  should  be  able 
to  answer  in  interesting  others.  Some  banks  do  have  a  policy  of  loan- 
ing to  small  beginning  enterprises,  and  if  your  idea  is  exceptionally 
good  and  you  have  a  sound  record  of  reliability  behind  you,  you  may 
be  able  to  get  the  funds  you  require.  Usually,  however,  the  loans 
will  be  on  a  six-months-to-a-year  basis,  and  you  want  to  be  sure  you 
can  repay  or  your  credit  will  be  damaged.  The  actual  bank  interest 
you  may  pay  on  a  small  business  loan  may  be  12  to  16  per  cent 
( 6  to  8  per  cent  discounted ) .  Some  banks  make  small  personal  loans 
on  character  and  with  co-signers  to  the  notes.  Also,  they  may  make 
loans  secured  by  your  automobile,  home,  or  other  property. 

8.  Finance  companies  and  factors.  Finance  companies  and  factors 
do  a  large  business  aiding  financing  of  small  businesses,  usually  spe- 
cializing in  providing  some  financing  on  the  basis  of  your  receivables 
—money  owed  to  you  by  customers.  Most  small  home  businesses  are 
conducted  on  virtually  a  cash  basis,  however,  so  this  type  of  financ- 
ing is  usually  limited  to  larger  operations. 

9.  Small-loan  or  personal-finance  companies.  In  most  states  the 
laws  restrict  these  companies  to  loans  of  $300  or  less.  Their  rates  of 


MANAGING     YOUR     HOME     BUSINESS  455 

interest  are  higher  than  some  other  sources,  but  in  most  states  these 
rates  are  limited  by  statute. 

10.  "GI"  loans.  There  are  special  provisions  for  so-called  GI  loans 
by  private  lenders  and  insured  by  the  Veterans  Administration. 
These  loans  for  servicemen  and  -women,  because  of  Veterans  Ad- 
ministration guarantees,  may  make  it  easier  to  get  financing  from 
private  or  bank  sources.  Information  regarding  such  loans  can  be 
secured  from  field  offices  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Commerce  or 
the  Veterans  Administration  in  Washington. 


HELPFUL  PAMPHLETS  FOR  LOAN  SEEKERS 

The  Small  Businessman  and  Sources  of  Loans.  U.  S.  Department  of  Com- 
merce. Government  Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 

The  Small  Businessman  and  His  Bank.  U.  S.  Department  of  Commerce. 
Government  Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 

Facts  You  Should  Know  about  Borrowing.  Better  Business  Bureau,  405 
Lexington  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 

Facts  Veterans  Should  Know  before  Starting  a  Business.  Better  Business 
Bureau,  405  Lexington  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y. 


CHAPTER     FIFTY-FIVE 

Yowr  Home-Business  Management 


YOU  CAN  DESTROY  a  good  idea,  lose  your  initial  investment,  waste  all 
of  your  planning  and  work  in  the  production  of  your  product  or 
delivery  of  your  home  service  if  you  do  not  keep  simple,  accurate 
records  of  your  operations,  buy  and  price  carefully,  and  observe 
regulations  applying  to  your  project. 

Your  records  can  help  you  become  a  successful  home-business 
man  or  woman  or  speed  you  on  the  way  to  failure.  If  this  gives  you 
visions  of  slaving  at  all  hours  of  the  night  trying  to  be  a  certified 
public  accountant,  destroy  those  visions.  You  can  keep  necessary 
records  without  slavery. 

It  would  be  ideal  if  you  knew  someone  experienced  in  bookkeep- 


MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

ing  and  accounting  who  could  help  you  set  up  a  simple  set  of  books 
that  you  could  easily  follow  with  an  occasional  checking  by  an 
experienced  person.  Sometimes  a  neighboring  store  has  a  book- 
keeper who  would  like  to  earn  a  few  dollars  after  hours  setting  up 
your  books  and  keeping  an  eye  on  them  for  you.  Your  local  banker 
might  put  you  in  touch  with  someone  who  will  help,  or  help  you 
himself.  If  such  help  is  not  readily  available  you  can  go  ahead  with 
the  simple  account  books  you  can  purchase  in  stationery  stores  or 
you  can  adapt  the  forms  you  will  find  in  business  books  listed  in 
these  chapters. 

Your  records  can  be  much  simpler  than  those  required  for  small 
stores  of  various  types.  You  can  secure  all  the  information  you  need 
about  setting  up  your  books  by  adapting  the  systems  offered  in  U.  S. 
Department  of  Commerce  booklets  or  other  books.  Illustrative  of 
the  material  offered  is  the  following  brief  quotation  from  Record 
Keeping  for  Small  Stores,  a  manual  for  small  retailers  describing 
what  records  are  needed  and  how  these  may  be  kept  with  a  mini- 
mum of  time  and  effort,  prepared  under  the  direction  of  the  U.  S. 
Department  of  Commerce  and  available  from  the  Government 
Printing  Office: 

"  'Why  keep  a  lot  of  complicated  records?  I  can  see  what's  going 
on  in  my  business— I'm  here  every  day.  Anyway,  I'm  so  busy  run- 
ning my  store  I  don't  have  time  for  keeping  records.  Besides,  I  don't 
know  anything  about  it.' 

"This  is  the  view  often  expressed  by  small-store  retailers  when  the 
subject  of  record  keeping  is  discussed.  There  are  several  things 
wrong  with  this  view.  In  the  first  place,  neither  a  large  number  of 
records  nor  complicated  records  are  necessary.  A  set  of  useful 
records  can  be  simple,  easy  to  keep,  and  will  require  little  of  the 
retailer's  time.  Secondly,  if  the  average  small-store  retailer  is  so  well 
posted  on  the  condition  of  his  business,  through  his  intimate  daily 
association  with  it,  why  is  it  that  so  many  of  the  unsuccessful  and 
bankrupt  retailers  are  found  to  have  had  poor  records  or  no  records 
at  all?  .  .  . 

"In  a  study  of  retail  management  practice,  made  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Commerce,  it  was  found  that  among  the  stores  surveyed 
most  of  the  profitable  ones  kept  good  records,  whereas  most  of  the 
unprofitable  ones  kept  poor  records :  It  is  not  surprising  that  83  per 
cent  of  the  profitably  operated  stores  kept  up-to-date  accounts,  that 
88  per  cent  of  them  kept  neat  and  orderly  books  .  .  .  Compare 


MANAGING     YOUR     HOME     BUSINESS  457 

these  percentages  with  those  for  unprofitably  operated  stores— 40 
per  cent  and  47  per  cent  .  .  .' 

"How  does  the  keeping  of  records  decrease  the  chances  of  failure 
and  increase  the  chances  of  a  retailer  staying  in  business  and  earning 
a  profit? 

"This  can  best  be  answered  by  listing  some  of  the  types  of  infor- 
mation that  a  system  of  records  can  furnish.  A  simple  but  adequate 
system  can  answer  the  following  questions: 

"How  much  business  ( cash  and  charge )  am  I  doing? 

"How  much  am  I  collecting  on  my  charge  business? 

"How  much  do  my  customers  owe  me  now  (both  current  and 
past  due),  and  can  my  business  stand  this  much? 

"How  much  cash  do  I  have  on  hand  and  in  the  bank?  Is  this  the 
amount  I  should  have  on  hand  or  is  there  any  cash  shortage? 

"How  much  stock  (inventory)  do  I  have  on  hand? 

"How  much  merchandise  do  I  take  out  of  my  store  for  personal  or 
family  use  which  I  do  not  consider  as  sales? 

"How  much  money  do  I  owe  my  wholesalers  and  others? 

"How  much  gross  margin  did  I  earn? 

"How  much  were  my  expenses,  including  non-cash  expenses? 

"How  much  net  profits  (if  any)  did  I  earn?  How  much  income 
taxes  will  I  have  to  pay? 

"What  is  my  net  worth;  that  is,  what  is  the  amount  of  my  proprie- 
torship in  the  store? 

"What  are  the  trends  in  my  sales,  expenses,  profits,  net  worth,  etc.; 
that  is,  how  is  my  store  progressing  from  year  to  year? 

"How  does  my  store  compare  with  other  stores  in  the  same  line  of 
business? 

"With  answers  to  such  questions  available,  the  retailer  knows 
when  something  is  wrong;  he  knows  where  the  unfavorable  condi- 
tion has  developed  (whether  in  sales,  collections,  turn-over,  ex- 
penses, gross  margins,  etc.),  and  he  is  in  a  position  to  do  something 
about  unfavorable  conditions  before  the  store  is  forced  to  close  its 
doors.  .  .  . 

"The  daily  records  which  any  small  store  needs  are  not  necessarily 
complicated.  They  may  be  very  simple— easy  to  use,  and  easy  to 
understand.  They  reflect  only  the  daily  activities  in  the  store.  These 
activities  deal  with  cash  received  from  sales  and  from  other  sources, 
and  with  payments  for  merchandise  and  expenses,  and  other  pay- 
ments on  loans,  purchases  of  equipment,  and  the  like." 


MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

A  simple  form  of  recording  such  transactions  is  shown  in  Fig- 
ure 1. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  book  to  give  you  a  course  in  bookkeep- 
ing and  accounting,  but  in  emphasizing  the  value  of  records  which 
become  more  and  more  important  as  a  home  business  grows  you 
may  want  to  examine  an  illustrative  balance  sheet  and  profit-and- 
loss  statement  with  supplemental  information  adapted  from  a  De- 
partment of  Commerce  booklet. 


Date 

REMARKS 

CASH  RECEIPTS 

CASH  PAYMENTS 

Cash  sates 
and  Rec'd. 
on  Account 

Other 
in* 
come 

Merchan- 
dise 

^  eo  c 

£•£& 
o    & 

Other 
Paym'ts 

<ft> 

© 

<£) 

($) 

© 

(f) 

ty 

oti 

*l 

SI 

1.  Total  the  day's  Cash  Receipts  from  Cash  Sales  and  customers 
payments  on  account.  Enter  this  total  in  Column  C 

2.  Total  the  day's  Other  Cash  Receipts.  Enter  this  total  in  Col- 
umn D 

3.  Total  the  day's  Cash  Checks  Paid  Out  for  Merchandise.  Enter 
this  total  in  Column  E 

4.  Total  the  day's  Cash  and  Checks  Paid  Out  for  Expenses.  Enter 
this  total  in  Column  F  * 

5.  Total  Other  Cash  and  Checks  Paid  Out  for  Withdrawals.  Pay- 
ment on  Fixtures,  etc.  Enter  this  total  in  Column  G 

While  this  form  has  serious  limitations  it  is  shown  because  it  is 
simple,  easy  to  use,  and  better  tlian  no  record  at  all.  More  com- 
plete records  are  recommended. 


Figure  1— A  simple  form  for  recording  daily  transactions. 


MANAGING     YOUR     HOME     BUSINESS 


THE     PROFIT- AND-LOSS     STATEMENT 

The  profit-and-loss  statement  is  a  summary,  in  dollars  and  cents, 
of  the  business  operations  of  an  enterprise  during  a  given  period  of 
time.  In  it,  income  from  sales  is  set  off  against  expenses  and  cost  of 
goods  sold  for  the  same  period  of  time.  Through  this  comparison 
of  income  and  expenses  it  is  possible  to  determine  the  net  profit 
or  loss  during  that  period. 

A  "P  &  L"  statement  can  be  prepared  monthly,  quarterly,  and  cer- 
tainly annually.  Besides  aiding  you  in  analysis  of  your  business,  it 
provides  data  for  income  tax  purposes  and  shows  how  much  you 
have  made  or  lost  on  the  year's  operations.  So  you  must  understand 
and  learn  to  prepare  this  statement.  It  is  essential  to  know  that  if 
you  do  business  as  a  single  proprietor  or  under  a  partnership  agree- 
ment, you  pay  taxes  on  the  annual  profit  of  the  business  regardless 
of  whether  this  profit  is  withdrawn  in  the  form  of  cash  or  left  in  the 
business. 

Sales  figures  for  the  year's  operations  are  taken  from  the  totals  on 
your  sales-record  sheets. 

Cost  of  goods  sold  is  determined  by  the  following  formula:  cost 
value  of  merchandise  stock  on  hand  at  the  beginning  of  the  period, 
plus  cost  value  of  the  purchases  during  the  period,  minus  value  of 
inventory  at  the  end  of  the  period  (at  cost).  This  is  shown  in  the 
schedule  below  with  figures  inserted  to  aid  explanation: 

Value  of  inventory  at  beginning  of  period  (at  cost)   .      .  $   516 

Add:  Net  purchases  during  the  period  (purchase  discounts 

are   deducted) 2,864 

Add:  Transportation  charges  on  purchases,  freight,  express, 

trucking,  parcel  post,  etc 52 

Total  equals  the  cost  of  goods  handled 3,432 

Subtract:  Value  of  inventory  at  the  end  of  period  (at  cost)  613 

Balance  is  the  cost  of  goods  sold 2,819 

Cost  of  goods  sold  is  figured  on  the  basis  of  purchases  of  merchan- 
dise acquired  for  resale,  whether  obtained  as  finished  articles  or  as 
goods  for  further  processing.  In  the  latter  event,  supplementary  cost 
records  must  be  kept  to  determine  the  cost  of  goods  manufactured. 

You  can  see  from  the  above  that  you  need  to  take  a  physical  in- 
ventory; that  is,  a  count  of  the  goods  on  hand  in  order  to  figure  the 


460  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

cost  of  goods  sold.  Be  sure  to  include  in  your  inventory  the  cost 
value  of  goods  paid  for  but  not  yet  delivered  at  the  end  of  the  year. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  there  are  goods  in  stock  which  have  not  been 
paid  for,  do  not  count  these  as  part  of  the  inventory. 

Expenses  constituting  all  operating  costs,  including  office  supplies, 
are  taken  from  your  records.  They  should  include  not  only  the  cash 
but  also  the  non-cash  expenses,  such  as  depreciation,  bad  debt 
losses,  etc. 

A   TYPICAL   PROFIT-AND-LOSS   STATEMENT 

Per  cent 
of  sales 

1.  Net  sales xxxx    100.0 

2.  Less:  Cost  of  goods  sold: xx.x 

3.  Beginning  inventory  Jan.  1 xxxx  xx.x 

4.  Plus:  Net  purchases  (includes  freight  in)  .     xxxx  xx.x 

5.  Total xxxx  xx.x 

6.  Less:   Ending  inventory  Dec.  31   ...     xxxx  x.x 

7.  Cost  of  goods  sold    .......  xxxx        x.x 

8.  Gross  margin xxxx        x.x 

9.  Less:  Total  expense: x.x 

10.  Owner's  withdrawals  (cash  and  mdse. )    .  xxxx  x.x 

11.  Wages xxxx  x.x 

12.  Advertising       . xxxx  x.x 

13.  Supplies xxxx  x.x 

14.  Rent xxxx  x.x 

15.  Heat,  light,  power,  and  water  ....  xxxx  x.x 

16.  Taxes,    licenses xxxx  x.x 

17.  Cash  short/over xxxx  x.x 

18.  Miscellaneous   expense xxxx  x.x 

19.  Depreciation xxxx  x.x 

20.  Bad  debts xxxx  x.x 

21.  Total  expense xxxx        x.x 

22.  Net  profit xxxx        x.x 

A     TYPICAL     BALANCE     SHEET 

The  balance  sheet  is  a  statement  of  assets— those  things  owned  by 
the  business;  and  the  liabilities— those  amounts  owed  by  the  busi- 
ness. The  difference— assets  minus  liabilities— equals  the  net  worth, 


MANAGING     YOUR     HOME     BUSINESS  461 

or  capital  of  the  enterprise.  It  gives  a  clear  picture  of  your  business 
at  a  given  time,  usually  the  end  of  your  tax  year, 

If  you  have  carefully  kept  your  records,  some  of  the  information 
will  be  ready  for  entry  on  the  balance  sheet,  while  the  other  figures 
can  easily  be  calculated.  The  balance  sheet  may  appear  like  this: 

Currents  Assets: 

Cash  on  hand  and  in  bank xxxx 

U.S.  defense  bonds xxxx 

Accounts  receivable .     xxxx 

Merchandise  inventory xxxx 

Total,   current  assets xxxx 

Fixed  Assets: 

Fixtures  (at  original  cost) xxxx 

Less,  depreciation  reserve xxxx 

Total,  fixed  assets xxxx 

Total  assets  (current  plus  fixed  assets)  .  xxxx 

Current  liabilities: 

Accounts   payable,   merchandise 

Notes  payable,  current  ( due  within  12  months )  . 

Total   current   liabilities    .     .     .      .      .  xxxx 

Fixed  Liabilities: 

Notes  payable,  long-term  ( due  beyond  12  months )  xxxx 

Total  liabilities xxxx 

Net  worth: 

Capital  (permanent  investment) xxxx 

Proprietor,  personal  ( accumulated  net  profits,  less 

personal    withdrawals) xxxx 

Total  net  worth xxxx 

Total  liabilities  and  net  worth  . .      .     .  xxxx 

(should  equal  total  assets) 

A  brief  explanation  of  some  of  the  items  appearing  on  the  balance 
sheet  follows: 

Current  assets,  defined  as  those  things  which  can  be  turned  into 
cash  inside  of  12  months,  are  made  up  of  cash  on  hand  and  in  the 
bank,  securities,  if  any,  accounts  receivable,  if  any.  Most  beginning 
home  businesses  operate  almost  entirely  on  a  cash  basis. 

Fixed  assets  are  those  assets  which  ordinarily  would  be  held  more 
than  one  year  before  turning  into  cash.  In  this  classification  come 
real  estate,  machinery,  and  equipment.  If  you  wish  you  can  amortize 


462  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

this  investment  over  a  period  of  years— frequently  10  years— and 
deduct  a  percentage  of  the  original  price  each  year. 

Current  liabilities  are  obligations  with  less  than  a  year  to  run  be- 
fore falling  due.  These  are  usually  small  or  nonexistent  in  a  small 
beginning  home  business. 

Fixed  liabilities  are  notes  and  mortgages  with  more  than  one  year 
yet  to  run  before  falling  due.  There  would  ordinarily  be  no  occasion 
for  a  small  business  to  incur  long-time  obligations.  As  operations 
expand,  the  need  frequently  arises  for  the  purchase  or  construction 
of  a  plant  to  house  the  business,  and  purchase  of  equipment  which 
may  be  mortgaged  with  the  fixed  liability  extending  for  years. 

Net  worth  is  simply  the  difference  between  the  assets  and  liabili- 
ties of  a  business. 

By  comparison  of  balance  sheets  for  several  consecutive  periods, 
the  progress  of  a  business  can  be  watched  and  unfavorable  condi- 
tions can  often  be  corrected. 

TIPS     ON     BUYING     AND     PRICING     CAREFULLY 

Much  of  the  success  of  your  home  business  will  depend  on  your 
buying  and  pricing  wisely.  A  survey  of  your  local  conditions  and 
products  offered  by  competitors  or  in  related  lines  will  be  of  assist- 
ance. Often  your  suppliers  will  give  you  valuable  information  relat- 
ing to  your  pricing.  Sometimes  there  is  a  tendency  for  the  beginner 
in  a  home  business  to  overestimate  possible  sales  and  to  invest  too 
much  in  basic  supplies.  Again,  you  are  advised  to  start  small  and 
test  carefully.  In  testing  small  quantity  sales  your  costs  often  run 
higher  than  they  would  if  you  were  buying  in  quantity.  For  test 
purposes  you  may  want  to  pay  that  difference,  do  your  arithmetic, 
and  if  the  test  warrants,  then  you  can  buy  in  quantity,  for  your  profit 
may  lie  in  the  discounts  for  larger  purchases  of  supplies. 

The  U.  S.  Department  of  Commerce  gives  the  following  tips  on 
buying  and  pricing  for  a  mail-order  operation,  and  to  some  extent 
the  principles  are  applicable  to  other  small  businesses: 

To  insure  profitable  business  operation,  there  must  be  sufficient 
margin  between  cost  and  selling  price  to  cover  operating  expenses 
and  net  profit.  This  spread  between  the  cost  of  goods  and  selling 
price  is  called  the  gross  margin.  Here  is  an  example  of  how  costs 
and  profits  are  figured,  the  standard  "merchandising  equation": 


MANAGING    YOUR     HOME     BUSINESS  463 

Per  cent 

Sales    price 100 

Cost  of  goods  sold —60 

Gross    margin 40 

Operating  expenses -—30 

Net   profit 10 

Cost  of  goods  means  not  only  the  prime  cost  but  also  freight  or 
other  transportation  charges  against  each  incoming  shipment.  The 
expense  of  doing  business,  including  salary  or  wages  to  the  proprie- 
tor, must  come  out  of  the  gross  margin.  What  is  left  is  the  net  profit 

There  are  two  principal  ways  of  buying  and  pricing: 

1.  Buying  to  sell  at  a  specific  price.  In  many  lines  of  retailing  and 
in  some  lines  of  mail-order  selling,  the  retail  price  of  an  item  is  more 
or  less  set  by  custom  or  competition.  In  such  instances  you  cannot 
expect  to  buy  the  item  at  whatever  price  offered  and  then  add  an 
arbitrary  mark-up  to  arrive  at  the  selling  price.  The  mark-up  is  de- 
termined by  the  amount  you  have  to  pay  for  the  item  you  wish  to 
sell.  The  net  delivered  cost  price  is  the  proper  amount  to  subtract 
from  the  selling  price  to  determine  the  margin  of  gross  profit  out  of 
which  all  expenses  and  profits  must  come. 

Often  merchandise  of  the  same  sort  will  be  offered  by  different 
suppliers  at  different  trade  discounts  and  different  cash  discounts 
for  payment  within  a  certain  number  of  days.  Then  some  of  the 
prices  will  be  quoted  to  you  f.o.b.  factory,  which  means  that  you 
have  to  pay  the  freight.  Other  merchandise  will  be  priced  to  you  at 
delivered  cost.  Do  not  let  attractive  discounts  or  delivered  prices 
influence  you  too  much  in  buying.  The  net  delivered  cost  less  all 
discounts  and  plus  all  freight  charge  is  the  amount  you  must  set  up 
on  any  item  when  comparing  prices  of  different  suppliers. 

2.  Buy  and  then  add  the  mark-up  desired.  In  a  great  many  of  the 
ordinary  mail-order  specialty  items  there  is  really  no  set  amount  at 
which  you  must  price  your  goods  for  sale.  A  price  can  be  set  either 
on  what  you  think  the  item  might  bring  as  a  good  value  to  the  cus- 
tomer, or  the  price  may  be  set  by  adding  a  mark-up  to  the  cost  price 
which  will  cover  estimated  expenses  and  profits. 

One  way  of  going  about  this  is  described  in  the  following  hypo- 
thetical sample: 
Assume  you  buy  1000  units  at  $1.00  each  ($1000  cost)  and  wish 


464  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

to  mark  up  cost  price  sufficiently  to  arrive  at  a  selling  price  to  cover 
expense  and  net  profit. 

Estimated  Expenses: 

Advertising  expense $  100 

Proprietor's   wages 200 

Outside   wages 50 

Printing 50 

Postage  and  wrapping 200 

Total  estimated  expense  .     .  600 

Estimated  profit 400 

Estimated  expense  and  profit  .      .      .  1000 

(Amount  to  be 

added  to  cost ) 

Cost   of   goods 1000 

Estimated  sales 2000 

A  selling  price  would  be  set  in  this  calculation  of  $2.00  per  unit. 
The  mark-up  would  be  50  per  cent  of  selling  price. 
Percentagewise,  the  operation  would  appear  as  follows: 

Sales    ($2000) 100 

Cost  of  goods — 50 

Expense: 

Advertising 5.0 

Proprietor's    wages    ....     10.0 

Outside    wages 2.5 

Printing 2.5 

Postage,  etc 10.0 

Total    expense    .      .     .  —30 

Net    profit 20 

No  rent  has  been  included  in  the  example;  neither  has  heat,  light 
and  power,  or  other  possible  expense  items  such  as  depreciation  on 
equipment,  insurance,  repairs,  etc.  Where  such  items  are  to  be  in- 
curred, then  they  should  be  included  in  the  expense  estimate. 

There  will  of  course  be  wide  differences  in  the  amounts  set  up  for 
the  different  items  of  expense.  In  some  cases  the  postage  and  wrap- 
ping will  be  less  costly  or  more  costly  than  shown  in  the  example. 
Likewise  advertising  expenses,  outside  wages,  and  printing  costs 
will  show  wide  differences  for  different  goods  or  services  offered. 


MANAGING    YOUR    HOME    BUSINESS  465 


FIGURING    MARK-UP 

Since  expenses  of  doing  business  are  figured  on  a  percentage  of 
sales  basis,  mark-up  should  be  based  on  sales  and  not  on  cost  price. 
Anyone  new  to  the  merchandising  field  may  easily  be  misled  into 
thinking  that  a  line  of  goods  is  more  profitable  than  is  actually  the 
case.  Frequently,  for  example,  small  mail  dealers  are  offered  a  prop- 
osition carrying  "100  per  cent"  or  "200  per  cent"  margin  of  "profit." 
A  glance  at  the  mark-up  conversion  table  which  follows  shows  that 
a  100-per-cent  mark-up  on  a  cost  is  a  50-per-cent  mark-up  on  sales; 
also,  a  200-per-cent  mark-up  on  cost  is  66.6-per-cent  mark-up  on 
sales.  A  100-per-cent  mark-up  on  sales  is  possible  only  when  the 
goods  have  been  secured  free,  without  any  cost,  and  then  sold  at  a 
price. 

To  show  why  and  how  a  percentage  mark-up  over  cost  is  differ- 
ent from  a  percentage  mark-up  on  selling  price,  the  following  exam- 
ple is  used: 

Cost  price $1.00 

Mark-up +.50 

Selling   price $1.50 

Percentage  of  mark-up  to  cost  ($0.50  to  $1.00)  is  50  per  cent,  and 
percentage  of  mark-up  to  selling  price  ($0.50  to  $1.50)  is  33%  per 
cent.  Suppose  you  know  what  percentage  on  sales  you  need  on  an 
item  to  cover  expenses  and  profit  and  you  want  to  know  what  per- 
centages on  cost  you  must  add.  Here's  the  way  it  works  in  a  formula 
that  can  be  used  for  any  desired  mark-up  on  selling  price: 

Divide  the  desired  percentage  mark-up  on  sales  by  100  minus  this 
desired  percentage. 

Example:     Desired  mark-up  on  sales,  50  per  cent 

50        =  jffl  —  I  =  100  per  cent  added  to  cost 
100  -  50        50 

Example:     Desired  mark-up  on  sales,  33%  per  cent 

33%         =  33%  =  %  —    50  per  cent  added  to  cost 
100  —  33%         66% 


4  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Example:     Desired  mark-up  on  sales,  75  per  cent 

75        =  75_=  %  =  300  per  cent  added  to  cost 
100  —  75        25 

Mark-Up  Conversion  Table 

Mark-Up  Mark-Up 

Per  Cent  of  Per  Cent  on 

Selling  Price  Cost 

5.0 5.3 

10.0 11.1 

15.0 17.7 

20.0 25.0 

25.0 33.3 

30.0 42.9 

35.0 53.9 

40.0 66.7 

45.0 81.8 

50.0 100.0 

66.6 '    .  200.0 

75.0 300.0 

80.0 400.0 

88.8 800.0 

100.0* 

^Possible  only  when  goods  are  secured  free  and  then  sold  at  a  price. 

From  the  daily  records  of  your  home  business  you  can  prepare 
monthly,  quarterly,  and  annual  balance  sheets  and  profit-and-loss 
statements,  or  you  can  have  the  statements  prepared  by  a  part-time 
accountant.  In  this  way  you  will  be  able  to  study  the  condition  of 
your  business.  You  will  have  a  road  map.  You  will  know  where  you 
have  been  and  where  the  money  has  come  from  and  where  it  has 
gone  and  how  much  may  remain  as  your  profit.  The  more  accurately 
you  can  determine  where  you  are  now  and  where  you  have  been, 
the  more  clearly  you  can  see  where  you  are  going  with  your  home 
enterprise.  You  will  need  such  simple  records  in  determining  your 
cost  of  products  or  services  and  you  need  to  know  those  costs  if  you 
are  to  set  properly  the  prices  for  your  products  or  services.  These 
records  also  will  prove  invaluable  in  planning  for  expansion,  which 


MANAGING    YOUR    HOME    BUSINESS  467 

so  often  does  follow  the  small  beginning  you  make  in  a  home  enter- 
prise. 

LAWS  AND  REGULATIONS  AFFECTING 
HOME  ENTERPRISES 

There  is  a  maze  of  laws  and  regulations  applicable  to  most  forms 
of  business,  either  large  or  small.  While  many  home  enterprises  can 
be  conducted  without  any  licenses  or  other  regulations,  others  will 
be  involved.  Your  residence,  for  instance,  may  be  governed  to  some 
extent  by  zoning  regulations;  the  preparation  of  food  for  sale  must 
meet  certain  sanitation  and  other  health  laws.  The  laws  and  regula- 
tions may  be  local,  state,  or  federal,  and  it  is  essential  that  you 
check  on  your  own  enterprise  to  determine  what  regulations  may 
apply.  No  one  book  can  give  you  the  information  needed,  but  it  is 
readily  obtainable  from  village,  city,  county,  state,  and  government 
offices. 

In  these  offices  you  will  find  men  and  women  who  are  working 
for  the  best  interests  of  all  of  the  people  and  in  so  doing  are  at  your 
service.  You  need  have  no  hesitancy  in  calling  on  them  personally, 
writing  to  them,  calling  by  telephone.  They  are  at  your  service,  and 
frequently  you  will  find  that  they  can  be  of  great  service  to  you, 
saving  you  time  and  giving  sound  advice.  For  anyone  who  has  a 
sound  product  and  a  sound  project,  the  matter  of  obtaining  licenses 
or  other  permits  and  complying  with  established  laws  is  reasonably 
simple.  Don't  let  these  details  dim  your  eagerness  to  proceed  with 
your  project;  such  detail  is  a  necessary  part  of  any  business.  Al- 
though a  listing  of  some  of  the  laws  and  regulations  may  seem 
formidable,  you  should  keep  in  mind  that  you  have,  at  the  outset, 
only  one  product  or  service  to  offer,  and  usually  the  regulations  are 
clear  and  simple  in  application  to  the  individual  enterprise.  Indica- 
tive of  the  laws  you  may  encounter  are  these: 

Food  and  drug  laws.  Nearly  every  state  has  its  own  food  and 
drug  laws  with  specific  requirements  as  to  ingredients,  labeling, 
sanitation,  and  inspection  of  factories  or  kitchens  where  food  is  pre- 
pared for  sale.  Your  state  department  of  agriculture  can  usually 
provide  you  with  any  needed  information  regarding  state  laws,  or 
check  with  your  local  health  officials.  If  you  can't  locate  your  local 
authorities,  ask  your  family  physician,  who  will  probably  know. 
Above  the  state  level  are  the  federal  laws— the  Pure  Food,  Drug  and 


468  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

Cosmetic  Act  of  1938,  forbidding  interstate  commerce  in  any  mis- 
branded  or  adulterated  food.  Don't  make  any  untrue  claims  for  your 
product  on  the  label  or  in  advertising. 

Industrial  Homework.  You  can  go  ahead  with  handicraft  work 
in  your  own  home  with  little  difficulty.  However,  if  you  take  home 
or  have  sent  to  you  work  to  do  for  some  manufacturer,  you  begin  to 
become  involved  in  laws  designed  to  prevent  exploitation  of 
workers.  When  your  home  enterprise  begins  to  grow  and  you  want 
men  or  women  to  work  for  you  in  their  homes,  you  become  an  em- 
ployer, and  there  are  many  state  and  federal  regulations  that  apply. 
You  can  get  information  from  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Labor. 

Labeling  and  Standards.  There  are  strict  laws  regarding  label- 
ing of  food,  drug,  and  other  products.  If  you  sell  only  within  your 
state  you  can  get  the  rules  and  regulations  from  your  state  depart- 
ment of  agriculture.  If  you  sell  in  other  states  you  can  check  regard- 
ing regulations  with  your  nearest  field  agency  of  the  Department 
of  Commerce  or  the  Federal  Security  Agency  in  Washington.  The 
label  must  give  required  information  as  to  maker,  name  of  product, 
net  weight,  what  the  contents  are,  etc.  Check  your  own  state  laws 
before  investing  in  labels  and  before  marketing  your  product.  A 
little  expenditure  of  time  may  save  you  trouble  and  financial  loss. 
Follow  the  rules  and  find  out  what  the  required  standards  are  for 
certain  products.  You  can  undoubtedly  meet  all  of  the  requirements, 
but  be  sure  you  do.  These  laws  are  for  your  own  protection  as  well 
as  the  protection  of  others,  and  they  rule  out  unfair  "quack"  com- 
petition. 

Labor  Laws.  Whenever  you  employ  others  to  help  you  in  your 
own  home  or  elsewhere  you  become  subject  to  state  or  federal  labor 
laws,  or  both.  You  can  get  all  the  information  you  need  from  your 
own  state  department  of  labor  or  the  Wage  and  Hours  and  Public 
Contracts  Division  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Labor,  Washington 
25,  D.C.  Even  if  it  is  your  aunt  Susie  whom  you  employ— the  laws 
apply  to  you. 

Licensing.  There  is  no  great  complication  in  the  securing  of 
licenses  which  may  apply  to  your  enterprise— it's  as  easy  as  getting  a 
dog  license  in  most  instances.  But  get  your  license  you  must!  You 
may  need  a  license  to  raise  animals  or  game  birds  or  for  your  road- 
side stand.  Your  village  or  county  clerk  may  issue  the  license  needed 
for  your  particular  enterprise  or  can  direct  you  to  the  proper  office  in 


MANAGING    YOUR    HOME    BUSINESS  469 

your  locality  or  state.  The  cost  of  a  license  may  range  from  $1.00  to 
$1000,  but  is  low  for  most  home  enterprises  that  require  licenses. 

Sanitary  Regulations.  Your  city  or  state  department  of  health 
undoubtedly  has  sanitary  regulations  that  apply  to  some  home  enter- 
prises, such  as  food  preparation,  raising  of  animals,  etc. 

Taxes.  It  would  take  a  separate  book  to  list  the  various  tax 
possibilities  in  any  enterprise,  and  then  the  book  would  be  incom- 
plete. Basic  Tax  Information  for  Small  Business  Enterprises  can  be 
secured  from  field  offices  or  main  offices  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of 
Commerce,  Finance  and  Tax  Division,  Washington  25,  D.C.  If  you 
employ  younger  members  of  your  family  you  may  want  to  curtail 
their  work  so  they  do  not  earn  enough  to  eliminate  the  $600  income 
tax  exemption.  If  you  are  retired  and  drawing  social  security  pay- 
ments you  may  lose  that  payment  in  months  when  you  earn  more 
than  $75  in  some  "covered"  occupation.  You  will  also  want  to  in- 
quire about  state  and  federal  income  taxes,  sales  taxes,  license  taxes, 
property  taxes,  miscellaneous  other  taxes  that  may  apply  to  your 
operation. 

Trade  Practices.  Many  laws  affecting  business  deal  with  federal 
and  state  regulations  of  trade.  There  are  federal  laws  designed  to 
eliminate  monopolies  and  prohibit  contracts,  combinations  and 
conspiracies  in  restraint  of  trade,  unfair  methods  of  competition, 
discrimination  in  price,  etc.  State  trade  regulations  involve  general 
antitrust  statutes;  resale  price  maintenance  laws  or  fair-trade  acts, 
price-discrimination  laws,  and  statutes  prohibiting  sales  below  cost 
—sometimes  referred  to  as  unfair-practices  acts.  Although  home- 
business  operators  may  not  become  involved  under  these  laws  it  is 
well  to  check  them,  particularly  as  your  operation  expands. 

Weights  and  Measures.  Laws  involving  weights  and  measures 
are  important  in  connection  with  labeling  and  marketing  of  many 
home  products.  Some  states  have  separate  departments  dealing  with 
weights  and  measures  and  others  combine  the  regulation  in  various 
departments.  You  can  usually  locate  the  agency  involved  in  direc- 
tories of  state  offices  or  by  writing  to  your  state  department  of 
agriculture  or  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  U.  S.  Department  of  Com- 
merce, Washington  25,  D.C. 

Zoning  Laws.  Every  home-business  operator  should  check  up 
on  possible  application  of  zoning  laws  to  his  or  her  enterprise.  You 
can  check  with  your  village  or  city  or  county  officials. 


47°  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

In  case  all  of  these  items  of  home-business  management  appear 
to  be  involved  and  bewildering,  you  should  keep  in  mind  that 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  others  have  met  these  problems  and 
gone  on  to  profit.  The  faint  of  heart  drop  out  of  the  race  rather  than 
write  a  few  letters  and  make  a  few  telephone  or  personal  calls.  That 
eliminates  a  lot  of  possible  competition.  Nothing  insurmountable 
is  involved,  and  specialists  and  officials  will  assist  you  every  step  of 
the  way— but  you  have  to  take  the  first  steps. 


HELPFUL     HOME-BUSINESS     RECORD     BOOKS 
AND     PAMPHLETS 

Accounting,  Basic  Information  Sources.  Free.  U.  S.  Department  of  Com- 
merce, Washington  25,  D.C. 

Basic  Tax  Information  for  Small  Business  Enterprises.  Free.  U.  S.  De- 
partment of  Commerce,  Washington  25,  D.C. 

Dome  Simplified  Weekly  Income  Tax  Records.  Dome  Publishing  Co., 
505  5th  Ave.,  New  York,  N.Y. 

Record  Keeping  for  Retail  Stores.  U.  S.  Department  of  Commerce,  Wash- 
ington 25,  D.C. 

How  to  Keep  Accounts  and  Prepare  Statements,  by  E.  A.  Saliers.  The 
Ronald  Press  Co.,  15  East  26th  St.,  New  York  10,  N.Y. 

The  Small  Businessman  and  His  Financial  Statements.  U.  S.  Department 
of  Commerce.  Government  Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 

Handbook  of  Accounting  Methods,  by  J.  K.  Lasser.  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co., 
Inc.,  250  4th  Ave.,  New  York  3,  N.Y. 

Bookkeeping  for  Personal  and  Business  Use,  by  Raymond  V.  Cradit. 
American  Technical  Society,  Drexel  Ave.  at  58th  St.,  Chicago  37,  111. 

Essentials  of  Cost  Accounting,  by  J.  G.  Blocker.  McGraw-Hill  Book  Co., 
330  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  36,  N.Y. 

Elementary  Cost  Accounting,  by  George  H.  Newlove  and  S.  P.  Garner. 
D.  C.  Heath  &  Co.,  285  Columbus  Ave.,  Boston  16,  Mass. 

General  Accounting,  by  H.  A.  Finney.  Prentice-Hall,  Inc.,  70  5th  Ave., 
New  York  11,  N.Y. 

Useful  Records  for  Family  Farms.  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture.  Gov- 
ernment Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 

Small  Business  and  Government  Regulation.  U.  S.  Department  of  Com- 
merce. Government  Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 

Small  Business  and  Government  Licenses.  U.  S.  Department  of  Com- 
merce. Government  Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C. 

See  helpful  books  listed  in  other  chapters. 


CHAPTER    FIFTY-SIX 

Thousands  of  Specialists  Ready  to  Help  You 


WHEN  YOU  CONSIDER  launching  your  own  home  business  and  when 
you  are  under  way  with  your  project  you  may  feel  very  much  alone, 
but  actually  there  are  literally  thousands  of  specialists  at  your  com- 
mand. These  experts  are  ready  and  willing  to  help  you  meet  your 
problems  and  provide  invaluable  information  relating  to  your  par- 
ticular project. 

You  may  have  believed  that  only  big  business  corporations  could 
afford  thoroughly  experienced  specialists  in  various  fields.  The  great 
corporations  do  have  their  high-salaried  experts,  but  these  experts 
frequently  turn  to  the  very  specialists  who  are  available  to  you  free. 
Many  millions  of  dollars  have  been  expended  by  state  and  federal 
government  departments  amassing  information  and  experimenting 
and  training  specialists  who  will  help  you  by  mail,  and  in  some 
circumstances  right  in  your  own  home  kitchen  or  barn  or  garage  or 
attic  or  basement  workshop. 

Besides  the  state  and  national  organizations  there  are  many  sound 
businessmen  and  -women  who  will  help  you  on  the  local  level.  In 
many  communities  you  can  turn  to  your  local  chamber  of  commerce 
or  branches  of  the  National  Better  Business  Bureau  or  members  of 
service  organizations  such  as  the  Rotary,  Kiwanis,  and  Lions  clubs. 
The  local  chamber  of  commerce  can  often  supply  you  with  helpful 
studies  and  reports  or  refer  you  to  bankers  or  businessmen  who  are 
frequently  very  generous  in  helping  others  get  started  in  business. 
Your  local  and  county  officials  in  various  departments  will  help  you 
in  the  matter  of  health  laws,  zoning  and  other  regulations,  or  direct 
you  to  the  proper  authorities  in  your  own  area. 

The  wise  home-business  operator  will  make  inquiry  and  examine 
local  directories  to  seek  out  the  authorities  in  various  fields  who  will 
provide  free  help  and  advice  and  direction  to  others  who  can  be  of 
assistance.  Those  who  are  not  in  communities  where  such  personal 


4/2  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

direction  is  available  can  secure  an  amazing  amount  of  sound  busi- 
ness help  by  mail  from  state  and  national  organizations  such  as  those 
mentioned  in  this  section  and  elsewhere  in  this  book. 

The  U.  S.  Department  of  Commerce,  Washington  25,  D.C.,  main- 
tains a  number  of  field  offices  to  which  small  businessmen  and 
-women  can  turn  with  their  business  problems,  particularly  in  secur- 
ing by  mail  or  in  person  any  of  a  large  number  of  books  and 
booklets  free  or  at  very  nominal  cost.  These  publications  deal  with 
multiple  phases  of  business  management  and  the  establishment  and 
operation  of  businesses. 

Addresses  of  the  field  offices  follow: 

Atlanta  3,  Ga.,  603  Rhodes  Bldg. 

Boston  9,  Mass.,  1800  Customhouse 

Buffalo  3,  N.Y.,  242  Federal  Bldg. 

Charleston  3,  S.C.,  Chamber  of  Commerce  Bldg. 

Chicago  4,  111.,  357  U.  S.  Courthouse 

Cincinnati  2,  O.,  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Cleveland  14,  O.,  750  Union  Commerce  Bldg. 

Dallas  2,  Tex.,  Chamber  of  Commerce  Bldg. 

Denver  2,  Colo.,  566  Customhouse 

Detroit  26,  Mich.,  1018  New  Federal  Bldg. 

Houston  14,  Tex.,  603  Federal  Office  Bldg. 

Jacksonville  1,  Fla.,  425  Federal  Bldg. 

Kansas  City  6,  Mo.,  724  Dwight  Bldg. 

Los  Angeles  12,  Calif.,  1540  U.  S.  Post  Office  and  Courthouse 

Memphis  3,  Term.,  229  Federal  Bldg. 

Minneapolis  1,  Minn.,  201  Federal  Office  Bldg. 

New  Orleans  12,  La.,  408  Maritime  Bldg. 

New  York  18,  N.Y.,  17th  Floor,  130  West  42nd  St. 

Philadelphia  2,  Pa.,  1510  Chestnut  St. 

Pittsburgh  19,  Pa.,  1013  New  Federal  Bldg. 

Portland  4,  Ore.,  Room  313,  520  Southwest  Morrison  St. 

Richmond  19,  Va.,  Room  2,  Mezzanine,  801  East  Broad  St. 

St.  Louis  1,  Mo.,  107  New  Federal  Bldg. 

San  Francisco  11,  Calif.,  307  Customhouse 

Savannah,  Ga.,  403  U.  S.  Post  Office  and  Courthouse  Bldg. 

Seattle  4,  Wash.,  809  Federal  Office  Bldg. 

U.     S.     DEPARTMENT     OF     COMMERCE 
SMALL-BUSINESS     BOOKLETS 

Under  direction  of  specialists  in  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Com- 
merce a  number  of  thoroughly  sound  and  amazingly  helpful  book- 
lets (some  approach  the  dimensions  of  full-sized  books)  on  the 


MANAGING     YOUR     HOME     BUSINESS  473 

establishing  and  operating  of  small  businesses  have  been  published. 
These  booklets,  priced  at  from  10  cents  to  35  cents,  can  be  ordered 
from  the  Government  Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C.  Some 
or  several  of  these  booklets  should  have  a  place  in  your  home-busi- 
ness library: 

Establishing  and  Operating  an  Automobile  Repair  Business 

Establishing  and  Operating  an  Apparel  Store 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Retail  Bakery 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Beauty  Shop 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Bookkeeping  Service 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Book  Store 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Building  Contracting  Business 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Drug  Store 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Dry  Cleaning  Business 

Establishing  and  Operating  an  Electrical  Appliance  and  Radio  Shop 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Retail  Feed  and  Farm  Supply  Store 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Flower  Shop 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Gift  and  Art  Shop 

Gift  and  Art  Shop,  work  sheet  for  estimating  initial  capital  requirements 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Hardware  Store 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Heating  and  Plumbing  Business 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Jewelry  Store 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Laundry 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Lettershop 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Mail  Order  Business 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Metal  Working  Shop 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Motor  Court 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Music  Store 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Weekly  Newspaper 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Painting  and  Decorating  Contracting  Busi- 
ness 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Small  Print  Shop 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Real  Estate  and  Insurance  Brokerage  Busi- 
ness 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Restaurant 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Small  Sawmill 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Service  Station 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Shoe  Repair  Business 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Sporting  Goods  Store 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Stationery  and  Office  Supply  Store 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Small  Woodworking  Shop 

Establishing  and  Operating  a  Variety  and  General  Merchandise  Store 

Other  booklets  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Commerce  have 
been  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  book.  This  list  is  not  complete, 
and  new  booklets  in  various  fields  are  being  issued  regularly.  The 


474  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

department  also  provides  free  leaflets  dealing  with  cost  ratios  and 
monthly  trends  in  various  businesses  which  may  apply  to  your  par- 
ticular home  business  or  small  business. 


YOUR    STATE    H  O  M  E  -  D  E  M  O  N  S  T  R  A  T  I  O  N    AND 
MARKET    SPECIALISTS 

In  your  own  home  state  there  is  at  least  one  school  or  college, 
largely  land-grant  colleges,  that  maintains  a  home-demonstration  or 
home  economics  leader  to  give  you  experienced  assistance  on  many 
home-money-making  projects.  About  half  of  these  institutions  have 
marketing  specialists  or  services  to  assist  you  in  one  or  more  actual 
markets,  mostly  in  operation  at  roadsides.  Virginia  has  six  such 
markets;  Michigan  has  twenty-five. 

Each  year  large,  established  businesses  pay  consulting  specialists 
hundreds  or  thousands  of  dollars  for  special  assistants  no  better, 
and  frequently  not  as  good  as,  the  men  and  women  whose  courteous 
and  intelligent  service  is  available  to  you.  Large  appropriations 
maintain  these  services.  You  are  entitled  to  use  them  free  of  charge. 
Explore  the  facilities  in  your  home  state  and  be  as  specific  as  you 
possibly  can  in  making  your  inquiries  and  other  requests. 

Home-demonstration  or  home  economics  leaders  can  be  reached 
through  the  following  list  of  institutions;  and  although  all  may  help 
you  with  marketing,  the  ones  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*)  have 
either  established  markets  or  market  specialists,  or  both,  and  there 
may  be  other  such  sources  of  aid  in  your  particular  state: 

ALABAMA 

*  Alabama  Polytechnic  Institute,  School  of  Agriculture  and  Home 

Economics,  Auburn 
ARIZONA 

*  University  of  Arizona,  College  of  Agriculture,  Tucson 
ARKANSAS 

*  University  of  Arkansas,  College  of  Agriculture,  Fayetteville 
CALIFORNIA 

*  University  of  California,  College  of  Agriculture,  Berkeley 
COLORADO 

Colorado  A  &  M,  Fort  Collins 
CONNECTICUT 

*  University  of  Connecticut,  College  of  Agriculture,  Storrs 


MANAGING     YOUR     HOME     BUSINESS  475 

DELAWARE 

*  University  of  Delaware,  School  of  Agriculture,  Newark 
FLORIDA 

University  of  Florida,  College  of  Agriculture,  Gainesville 
GEORGIA 

University  of  Georgia,  College  of  Agriculture,  Athens 
IDAHO 

University  of  Idaho,  College  of  Agriculture,  Moscow 
ILLINOIS 

University  of  Illinois,  School  of  Agriculture,  Urbana 
INDIANA 

Purdue  University,  Lafayette 
IOWA 

*Iowa  State  College  of  Agriculture,  Ames 
KANSAS 

Kansas  State  College,  Manhattan 
KENTUCKY 

University  of  Kentucky,  College  of  Agriculture  and  Home  Eco- 
nomics, Lexington 
LOUISIANA 

Louisiana  State  University,  College  of  Agriculture  and  Home 

Economics,  Baton  Rouge 
MAINE 

*  University  of  Maine,  College  of  Agriculture,  Orono 
MARYLAND 

University  of  Maryland,  College  of  Agriculture,  College  Park 
MASSACHUSETTS 

University  of  Massachusetts,  Amherst 
MICHIGAN 

*  Michigan  State  College,  East  Lansing 
MINNESOTA 

*  University  of  Minnesota,  College  of  Agriculture,  St.  Paul 
MISSISSIPPI 

Mississippi  State  CoUege,  State  College 
MISSOURI 

University  of  Missouri,  College  of  Agriculture,  Columbia 
MONTANA 

Montana  State  College,  Bozeman 
NEBRASKA 

University  of  Nebraska,  College  of  Agriculture,  Lincoln 


4/6  MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

NEVADA 

University  of  Nevada,  College  of  Agriculture,  Reno 
NEW  HAMPSHIRE 

University  of  New  Hampshire,  Durham 
NEW  JERSEY 

*  Rutgers  University,  State  University  of  New  Jersey,  New  Bruns- 
wick 
NEW  MEXICO 

*New  Mexico  College  of  Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts,  State 

College 
NEW  YORK 

Cornell   University,   New  York  State   College   of  Agriculture, 

Ithaca 
NORTH  CAROLINA 

*  North  Carolina  State  College  of  Agriculture,  Raleigh 
NORTH  DAKOTA 

North  Dakota  Agricultural  College,  Fargo 
OHIO 

Ohio  State  University,  College  of  Agriculture,  Columbus 
OKLAHOMA 

*  Oklahoma  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College,  Stillwater 
OREGON 

Oregon  State  College,  Corvallis 
PENNSYLVANIA 

'Pennsylvania  State  College,  School  of  Agriculture,  State  College 
RHODE  ISLAND 

University  of  Rhode  Island,  Kingston 
SOUTH  CAROLINA 

*Clemson  Agricultural  College,  Clemson 
SOUTH  DAKOTA 

South  Dakota  State  College,  Brookings 
TENNESSEE 

*  University  of  Tennessee,  College  of  Agriculture,  Knoxville 
TEXAS 

*  Texas  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College,  College  Station 
UTAH 

*Utah  State  Agricultural  College,  Logan 
VERMONT 

University  of  Vermont,  CoUege  of  Agriculture,  Burlington 


MANAGING     YOUR     HOME     BUSINESS  477 

VIRGINIA 

*  Virginia  Polytechnical  Institute,  Blacksburg 
WASHINGTON 

*  State  College  of  Washington,  Pullman 
WEST  VIRGINIA 

*West  Virginia  University,  College  of  Agriculture,  Morgantown 
WISCONSIN 

University  of  Wisconsin,  College  of  Agriculture,  Madison 
WYOMING 

University  of  Wyoming,  College  of  Agriculture,  Laramie 

AGRICULTURAL     EXPERIMENT    STATIONS 
IN     THE     UNITED     STATES 

Specialists  in  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  in  Washington, 
D.C.,  and  Agricultural  Experiment  Stations  in  the  United  States 
have  studied  a  multitude  of  problems  relating  to  agriculture  in  the 
various  states  and  printed  this  information  in  hundreds  of  author- 
itative publications  that  can  be  obtained  from  the  Director  of  the 
Station,  usually  free  of  charge. 

These  stations  are  located  as  follows: 

STATE  CITY 


Alabama 

Auburn 

Alaska 
Arizona 

College 
Tucson 

Arkansas 
California 
Colorado 

Fayetteville 
Berkeley 
Fort  Collins 

Connecticut: 

(State  Station) 
(Storrs  Station) 
Delaware 

New  Haven 
Storrs 
Newark 

Florida 

Gainesville 

Georgia  : 
(State  Station) 
(Coastal  Plain  Station) 
Hawaii 

Experiment 
Tifton 
Honolulu 

Idaho 

Moscow 

478 


MONET-MAKING    IDEAS 


STATE 

Illinois 

Iowa 

Kansas 

Kentucky 

Louisiana: 

(University  Station) 
Maine 
Maryland 
Massachusetts 
Michigan 
Minnesota 
Mississippi 
Missouri: 

(College  Station) 

(Fruit  Station) 

(Poultry  Station) 
Montana 
Nebraska 
Nevada 

New  Hampshire 
New  Jersey 
New  Mexico 
New  York: 

(State  College) 

(Cornell  Station) 
North  Carolina: 

(State  College  Station) 
North  Dakota: 

( State  CoUege  Station) 
Ohio 

Oklahoma 
Oregon 
Pennsylvania 
Puerto  Rico: 

(Federal  Station) 

(College  Station) 
Rhode  Island 
South  Carolina 


CITY 

Urbana 
Ames 
Manhattan 
Lexington 

Baton  Rouge 

Orono 

College  Park 

Amherst 

East  Lansing 

University  Farm,  St  Paul 

State  College 

Columbia 

Mountain  Grove 

Mountain  Grove 

Bozeman 

Lincoln 

Reno 

Durham 

New  Brunswick 

State  College 

Geneva 
Ithaca 

Raleigh 

Fargo 
Wooster 
Stillwater 
Corvallis 
State  College 

Mayagiiez 
Rio  Piedras 
Kingston 
Clemson 


MANAGING     YOUR     HOME     BUSINESS  479 

STATE  CITY 

South  Dakota  Brookings 

Tennessee  Knoxville 

Texas  College  Station 

Utah  Logan 

Vermont  Burlington 
Virginia: 

(College  Station)  Blacksburg 

( Truck  Station )  Norfolk 
Washington: 

(College  Station)  Pullman 

(Western  Washington)  Puyallup 

West  Virginia  Morgantown 

Wisconsin  Madison 

Wyoming  Laramie 


BETTER     BUSINESS     BUREAUS     ARE     GUARDIANS 

The  National  Association  of  Better  Business  Bureaus,  Inc.,  with 
headquarters  at  405  Lexington  Ave.,  New  York  17,  N.Y.,  and 
branches  in  many  localities,  for  decades  has  served  as  guardian  of 
businessmen  and  -women  and  the  consumer  as  well.  The  Bureau 
has  fostered  legislation  and  conducted  services  that  expose  un- 
scrupulous business  practices.  If  you  find  that  you  have  been  im- 
posed upon  or  if  you  want  to  check  on  your  own  product  and 
methods  of  operation,  you  will  find  sound  advisers  in  these  bureaus. 

Branch  offices  of  the  Better  Business  Bureau  are  located  in  the 
following  cities: 

Akron  8,  O.  5  East  Buchtel  Bldg. 

Albuquerque,  N.  Mex.  262  Korber  Bldg. 

Better    Business    Bureau    of     P.O.  Box  1687 

New  Mexico,  Inc. 

Amarillo,  Tex.  320  Blackburn  Bldg. 

Atlanta  3,  Ga.  301  Peters  Bldg.,  Peachtree  St. 

Austin  1,  Tex.  502  Nalle  Bldg. 

'Bakersfield,  Calif.  1701  Chester  Ave. 

Better  Business  Division 

Chamber  of  Commerce 

Baltimore  1,  Md.  200  West  Saratoga  St. 


480 

Baton  Rouge,  La. 
*Binghamton,  N.Y. 

Chamber  of  Commerce 
Boston  11,  Mass. 
Bridgeport,  Conn, 
Buffalo  3.  N.Y. 
Charlotte  2,  N.C. 

Charlotte-Piedmont  Better 

Business  Bureau 
Chicago  4,  IU. 
Cincinnati  2,  O. 
Cleveland  15,  O. 
Columbus  15,  O. 
Corpus  Christi,  Tex. 
Dallas  1,  Tex. 
Dayton  2,  O. 
Denver  2,  Colo. 
Des  Moines  9,  la. 

Detroit  26,  Mich. 

Elkhart,  Ind. 

Fort  Wayne  2,  Ind. 

Fort  Worth  2,  Tex. 

Grand  Rapids  2,  Mich. 

Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  Canada 
Better  Business  Bureau  Man- 
times,  Inc. 

*  Hamilton,  O. 

Better  Business  Division 
Hamilton  Merchants  Assn., 
Inc. 

Hartford  3,  Conn. 

Honolulu  2,  Hawaii 

Houston  2,  Tex. 

*Huntington  11,  W.  Va. 

Indianapolis  4,  Ind. 

Kansas  City  6,  Mo. 

*Lima,  O. 

Lincoln  8,  Neb. 

Long  Beach  2,  Calif. 


MONEY-MAKING    IDEAS 

305  Roumain  Bldg. 
66  Chenango  St. 

52  Chauncy  St. 
Stratfield  Hotel 
610  Brisbane  Bldg. 
208  Wilder  Bldg. 


14  East  Jackson  Blvd. 

144  West  4th  St. 

345  Hanna  Bldg. 

198  South  High  St 

509  Lawrence  St. 

2022  Bryan  St. 

8  North  Jefferson  St. 

1632  Walton  St. 

Insurance  Exchange  Bldg.,  Rms. 

432-440 

600  Woodward  Ave. 
214M  West  Marion  St. 
309  Central  Bldg. 
402  Burk  Burnett  Bldg. 
29-33  Pearl  St.,  N.W. 
Queen  Bldg. 


803  First  National  Bank  Bldg. 


190  Trumbull  St. 

813  Alakea,  Box  3078 

301  West  Bldg.,  817&  Main  St. 

916  5th  Ave.,  P.O.  Box  669 

930  Lemcke  Bldg. 

1025  Grand  Ave.,  Suite  226 

212  North  Elizabeth  St. 

315  Continental  Bldg. 

1211  Heartwell  Bldg. 


MANAGING     YOUR     HOME    BUSINESS 


Los  Angeles  14,  Calif. 

Louisville  2,  Ky. 

*  Marion,  O. 

Better  Business  Division 
Chamber  of  Commerce 

Memphis,  Term. 

Milwaukee  3,  Wis. 

Minneapolis  5,  Minn. 

Montreal  2,  Que.,  Canada 
New  Orleans  16,  La. 
Schenectady  5,  N.Y. 
Scranton  3,  Pa. 
Seattle  1,  Wash. 

Shreveport  24,  La. 

South  Bend  1,  Ind. 

Spokane  8,  Wash. 

Springfield  3,  Mass. 

Springfield,  Mo. 

Stockton  5,  Calif. 

Syracuse  2,  N.Y. 

*Terre  Haute,  Ind. 

Better  Business  Division 
Chamber  of  Commerce 

Toledo  4,  O. 

Toronto  1,  Ont.,  Canada 

Tucson,  Ariz. 

Tulsa  3,  Okla. 

Utica  2,  N.Y. 

'Vallejo,  Calif. 

Better  Business  Division 
Chamber  of  Commerce 

Vancouver,  B.C.,  Canada 

Washington  4,  D.C. 

•Wheeling,  W.  Va. 

Better  Business  Division  Ohio 
Valley  Board  of  Trade 


481 

1010  Lincoln  Bldg.,  742  South 

Hill  St. 

303  Speed  Bldg. 
118  North  State  St 


430-32  Falls  Bldg. 
712  North  6th  St. 
North  American  Life  &  Casualty 

Bldg.,  1750  Hennepin  Ave. 
660  St.  Catherine  St.  W. 
611  Audubon  Bldg. 
246  State  St. 

310  Chamber  of  Commerce  Bldg. 
Joseph  Vance  Bldg.,  Rms.  718- 

719 

404  First  National  Bank  Bldg. 
107  North  Main  St. 
218  Columbia  Bldg. 
1275  Main  St. 
300  Landers  Bldg. 
322  East  Weber  Ave. 
351  South  Warren  St 
629  Cherry  St. 


214  Commerce  Bldg. 

350  Bay  St. 

Santa  Rita  Hotel 

Suite  208-A,  Daniel  Bldg. 

8  Elizabeth  St. 

315  Maryland  St 


789  West  Fender  St. 
438  Evening  Star  Bldg. 
Board  of  Trade  Bldg.,  Rm.  308 


482  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

'Wichita  2,  Kan.  300  filler  Theater  Bldg. 

Business    Protective    Bureau 

Chamber  of  Commerce 

Winnipeg,  Man.,  Canada  438  Main  St. 

Worcester  8,  Mass.  32  Franklin  St. 

*  Indicates  Associate  Member 

AGENCIES     TO     ASSIST     VETERANS 

The  serviceman  or  -woman  who  wants  help  in  establishing  and 
managing  a  business  can  secure  valuable  assistance  by  writing  to  all 
of  the  following  agencies,  some  of  which  have  regional,  field,  or 
district  offices  which  can  provide  an  even  more  personal  service: 

Committee  for  Economic  Development,  285  Madison  Ave.,  New 

York  16,  N.Y. 
Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Domestic  Commerce,  U.  S.  Department  of 

Commerce,  Washington  25,  D.C. 
Educational  Institutions  offering  courses  and  providing  information 

on  business  administration  and  research  and  libraries. 
Local  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
Local  Veterans  Service  Center. 

United  States  Armed  Forces  Institute,  Madison  3,  Wisconsin. 
Veterans'  Administration,  Washington  25,  D.C. 
Veterans  Personnel  Division,  Selective  Service  Systems,  Washington 

25,  D.C. 

HOW  AND  WHERE  TO  GET 
INFORMATION  YOU  WANT 

Problems  you  may  encounter  in  starting  and  operating  your  own 
home  business  may  be  new  to  you,  but  it  is  inconceivable  that  others 
have  not  had  almost  precisely  those  same  problems.  Specialists  have 
doubtless  written  about  them.  Other  specialists  have  provided  in 
print  the  basic  information  needed  to  meet  your  problems,  and  there 
are  many  "tools"  ready  for  your  hand  and  use  in  locating  the  infor- 
mation you  want.  Your  library  and  your  bookstore  can  give  you  the 
keys  to  this  information. 

You  may  not  have  used  a  public  or  special  library  since  you  were 
in  school.  At  that  time  you  may  have  been  digging  only  for  historical 
or  literary  material.  You  may  have  forgotten  that  librarians  are  spe- 


MANAGING     YOUR     HOME     BUSINESS  483 

cialists  in  aiding  anyone  looking  for  special  information.  Much  of 
their  time  is  spent  in  assisting  businessmen  and  -women.  Their  care- 
fully maintained  indexes  are  available  to  all  and  scientifically  de- 
signed to  narrow  down  your  search  for  special  information. 

You  can  use  these  indexes  yourself  or  with  the  aid  of  the  librarian. 
In  a  few  minutes  the  librarian  can  make  you  familiar  with  the  in- 
dexes. The  library  has  a  card  catalogue  that  indexes  every  book  on 
its  shelves  by  author,  by  title,  by  subject  matter.  All  you  have  to 
know  is  your  alphabet  and  the  index  will  give  you  the  key.  If  the 
books  you  want  aren't  available,  the  librarian  may  be  able  to  get 
them  for  you  on  loan  from  other  libraries.  Or  from  directories  and 
indexes  available  you  can  get  leads  that  will  take  you  to  your  book- 
store or  you  can  order  direct  from  the  publishers. 

When  you  have  located  books  that  apply  to  your  interest  and 
problems  in  connection  with  a  home  business,  you  should  examine 
the  bibliographies  carefully.  Often  the  bibliographies  are  in  the 
back  of  a  book.  Sometimes,  as  in  the  book  you  are  now  reading,  the 
references  to  other  books  and  periodicals  and  sources  of  informa- 
tion are  broken  down  and  presented  where  rather  specifically  ap- 
plicable to  the  subject  under  consideration.  Of  necessity  there  is  an 
overlapping.  Such  listings  give  you  a  short  cut  to  building  your  own 
specialized  library  of  reformation  in  the  particular  field  of  your 
interests. 

In  searching  for  books  not  available  in  your  local  library  you 
should  consult  the  Cumulative  Book  Index,  which  lists  all  books  in 
print  in  the  United  States  and  is  kept  current  with  monthly  supple- 
ments. For  the  very  newest  books  you  can  examine  Publishers' 
Weekly,  which  describes  new  books  weekly  as  they  are  put  on  the 
market. 

Many  magazines  are  currently  publishing  information  that  would 
be  of  value  to  you,  and  yet  you  can't  examine  them  ah1.  They  contain 
much  information  that  hasn't  yet  been  made  more  permanent  in 
books,  and  it  is  easier  to  locate  that  information  than  you  might 
expect.  Nearly  every  library  contains  The  Readers'  Guide  to  Peri- 
odical Literature.  This  guide  indexes  by  author  and  subject  matter 
the  contents  of  more  than  100  well-known  magazines.  This  guide  in- 
dexes the  more  general-interest  magazines. 

More  specialized  information  is  listed  in  The  Industrial  Arts  Index 
of  some  200  periodicals  devoted  to  science,  industry,  economics, 
business,  finance,  management,  etc.  There  are  a  large  number  of 


484  MONEY-MAKING     IDEAS 

magazine  guides  for  special  fields.  You  can  locate  them  by  examin- 
ing the  Special  Libraries  Directory. 

There  are  literally  hundreds  of  trade,  business,  and  professional 
magazines  and  papers  for  specialized  interests.  You  can  locate  the 
ones  you  want  by  asking  your  librarian  for  Ayer's  Directory  of  News- 
papers and  Periodicals,  in  the  back  of  which  you  will  find  a  subject 
classification.  These  papers  will  inform  you  of  various  trade  associa- 
tions that  can  supply  needed  information.  In  searching  for  the  right 
trade  group  for  you,  you  can  examine  National  Associations  of  the 
United  States,  which  is  somewhat  outdated  but  because  of  the  sta- 
bility of  most  such  associations  is  still  very  useful. 

From  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  U.  S.,  Washington  25, 
D.C.,  you  can  secure: 
State  Industrial  Directories 
Where  and  How  to  Find  Names  of  Manufacturers 

From  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Commerce,  Washington  25,  D.C., 
you  can  secure: 

Basic  Information  Sources.  Free. 
State-Local  Businessmen's  Organizations.  Free. 

From  the  U.  S.  Government  Printing  Office,  Washington  25,  D.C., 
you  can  secure: 
American  Business  Directories 

There  are  hundreds  of  trade  and  professional  organizations,  and 
directories  listing  them  are  frequently  available  even  in  the  smallest 
of  public  and  school  libraries  or  in  field  offices  of  the  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Commerce. 


INDEX 


More  Than  1,000  Tested  Ways 
to  Make  Money  at  Home 


Founders  of  home  enterprises  are  urged  to  use  this  carefully  pre- 
pared index  as  a  means  of  locating  and  rediscovering  information  on 
projects  in  which  they  are  interested.  You  may  have  concentrated 
your  interest  in  some  chapter  or  parts  of  this  book  and  overlooked 
the  fact  that  in  other  chapters  there  may  be  information  that  is  di- 
rectly applicable  to  your  project.  This  index  can  be  valuable  to  you. 


Abraham  &  Straus,  Brooklyn,  178 

Accounting,  17 

Acme  Newspictures,  131 

Advertising,  374-76 

Afghanistan,  25 

Agricultural  Experiment  Stations  (list 

of,  by  city  and  state),  477-79 
Agricultural  Research  Administration, 

318 
Airplane   Model   Building,   book   on, 

161 

Akron,  Col.,  309 
Alabama,  388 

Alabama  State  Hatchery,  304 
Alaska,  26,  152,  348 
Albany,  N.Y.,  293,  348 
Albuquerque,  N.M.,  187 
Alfred  University,  21 
Alice  in  Wonderland,  79 
Altman's,  N.Y.,  178 
America  House,  67,  85,  96,  200,  374 
American  Can  Co.,  406,  441 
American     Craftsmen's     Cooperative 

Council,  Inc.,  67 
American     Craftsmen's     Educational 

Council,  70 
American     Craftsmen's     Educational 

Council,  Inc.,  67 
American  Hotel  Association,  222 


American  Kennel  Club,  298 

American  Magazine,  375,  409 

American  Motel  Magazine,  222 

American  Motor  Hotel  Association, 
222 

American  Steel  Foundries,  27 

Andover,  Mass.,  236 

A  New  Bag  of  Tricks  for  Every  Busi- 
ness, 11 

Angler's  Roost,  149 

Animal  Breeders'  Associations,  298-99 

Animals,  raising.  See  name  of  animal, 
and  287-301 

Animals,  17 

Antiques,  books  on,  76,  261;  collect- 
ing, books  on,  139;  at  roadside 
stands,  388;  shows,  137 

Apples,  39,  351-54,  355-56 

Arden,  Elizabeth,  166 

Arizona,  165,  388 

Aronson,  Louis,  24 

Artificial  flowers,  156 

Arts,  17;  teaching  of,  275 

Asparagus,  333-35 

Associated  Press,  The,  131,  141 

Association  Films,  Inc.,  134 

Australia,  144 

Austria,  29 

Austria-Hungary,  182 


486 

Autry,  Gene,  94 

Ayer's  Directory  of  Newspapers  and 
Periodicals,  484 

Babies,  services  for.  See  Services  for 

Parents 

Baby  Sitters  Club,  249 
Baby  sitting,  246,  247,  249;  on  large 

scale,  249-50 

Baking,  hobbies  from,  171  ff. 
Balance  sheet,  460-62 
Ballymena,  Ireland,  141 
Banning,  Cal.,  180 

Basic  Tax  Information  for  Small  Busi- 
ness Enterprises,  469 
Basin,  Wyo.,  325 
Basket  weaving,  102-3 
Baytown,  Tex.,  80 
Beachcombing,  156-57 
Beans,  332,  335-36 
Beauty  business,  at  home,  275 
Beavers,  295;  books  on,  299-300 
Bedford  Village,  N.Y.,  193 
Beebe,  Ark.,  349 
Beekeeping,  7,  141-42,  383-84;  books 

on,  142 

Belton,  Mo.,  93 
Bendix  washing  machine,  29 
Berea,  Ky.,  190 
Berea  College,  190 
Berkeley,  Cal.,  221 
Best  Western  Motels,  222 
Better  Broilers  from  Batteries,  307 
Better  Brushes,  369 
Better  Business  Bureau,  10,  369 
Better     Business     Bureaus     (list     by 

cities),  479-82 

Betty  Lee  Food  Products,  175 
Beverly  Hills,  272 
Birds,  Raising.  See  name  of  bird 
Bisch,  Dr.  Louis  E.,  4 
Bishop,  Hazel,  7 
Blackberries,  357,  359-60 
Blaisdell,  George  C.,  29 
Blinder  aft  Organization,  102 
Block  Printing,   108;  books  on,   113; 

linoleum,    108,    111-12;    potatoes, 

111-12;  wood,  111-12 
Bloomington,  Ind.,  375 
Blueberries,  357,  361-62 
Book  clubs,  394 
Book-of-the-Month  Club,  406 
Books,  393;  collecting,  books  on,  139 


INDEX 

Bookstores  for  children,  253 

Booshay  Spaghetti  Sauce,  180 

Boston,  163,  176,  213,  406 

Boston  University,  213 

Botany,  17 

Boy  Scouts,  102 

Bradley  Weavers,  99 

Braiding,  99,  103,  104;  books  on,  104 

Branson,  Mo.,  86 

Brasstown,  N.C.,  78 

Bread  baking,  201-4;  books  on,  204-7 

British  Columbia,  26 

Broccoli,  332 

Bronx,  N.Y.,  369 

Brooklyn,  N.Y.,  199,  369 

Brooklyn  Woman's  Exchange,  197, 
200 

Brower  Mfg.  Co.,  307 

Bucks  County,  Pa.,  116,  164,  407 

Budgereegahs,  143-44 

Bureau  of  Agricultural  Economics,  351 

Bureau  of  Animal  Industry,  298,  311 

Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Domestic 
Commerce,  482 

Bureau  of  Standards,  469 

Bureau  of  Zoological  Research,  152 

Business  of  Your  Own,  A  (pamphlet), 
163 

Business,  books  on  management  of, 
470;  laws  governing,  467-70;  types 
of,  449-52.  See  also  name  of  busi- 
ness 

Business  services,  236-42.  See  names 
of  services 

Businesses  (list),  booklets  on  specific 
ones,  473 

Butterflies,  145-46;  books  on,  146 

Cabbage,  332 

Cabins.  See  Tourist  houses 

Cakes,    195-204,    405-6;    books    on, 

204-7 

California,  165,  255,  334,  388,  406 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  237 
Cameras.  See  Photography 
Campbell,  Ky.,  122 
Canaan,  Conn.,  347 
Canada,  86,  96,  143,  149 
Canal  Zone,  155 
Canape  Cupboard,  209 
Canapes,  books  on,  216 
Canaries,  143-44;  books  on,  144 
Candlemaking,  162-64;  book  on,  164 


INDEX 

Candy,  7,  397,  410-12,  433,  440 

Candy  business,  6 

Candymaking,  184-90;  books  on,  190 

Canning,  hobbies  from,  172  ff. 

Canning  raspberries,  364 

Cape  Cod,  163,  172,  358,  359,  434 

Cape  Cod  Box  of  the  Month,  407 

Capons.  See  Chickens 

Carnegie,  Dale,  12 

Carving,  books  on,  80-81 

Car  washing,  30 

Casserole  Kitchen,  211,  212 

Casseroles,  books  on,  216 

Cat  breeders'  associations,  298-99 

Caterers,  type  of,  208-9,  213 

Catering,  207-15;  books  on,  215; 
guides  for,  214;  services  and  prod- 
ucts, 172  ff. 

Caterer,  So  Yo«  Want  to  Be  a,  208 

Cats,  295-97;  books  on,  300 

Cauliflower,  325 

Cavies.  See  Guinea  pigs 

Celery,  332,  341 

Ceramics.  See  Pottery  making 

Ceramic  sculpture,  books  on,  123 

Chard,  Swiss,  340 

Charles  &  Co.,  197,  204 

Charm,  430 

Cheese,  26 

Cherries,  356 

Chicago,  82,  87,  134,  166,  185,  222, 
410,  418 

Chickens,  6,  302-5;  books  on,  315; 
selling  fowl  and  eggs,  305-8 

Chicory,  340 

Childhood  Interests,  Inc.,  80 

Children,  boarding  of,  252-53;  book- 
store for,  253;  caring  for,  248-49; 
lending  library  for,  253;  swap  ex- 
change for,  262 

Children,  services  for.  See  Services  for 
Parents 

China  painting,  106;  books  on,  107 

Chinchilla  Breeders'  Association,  299 

Chinchillas,  293-94;  books  on,  300 

Chinese,  110,  111 

Chip  carving,  79;  books  on,  80 

Churchill,  Winston,  4 

Cincinnati,  O.,  166,  196 

Clam  Box,  387 

Cleaning  and  laundering,  books  on, 
261 

Cleveland,  O.,  26 


487 

Cleveland,  Tenn.,  304 

Clocks,  books  on,  139 

Clover  raising,  155 

Cocktails,  book  on,  216 

Coin  collecting,  books  on,  139 

Collecting,  136-41;  guides  to,  137; 
publications  on,  139-40;  types  of, 
137-38 

Colliers,  409 

Colonial  Candle  Co.,  163 

Colorado,  193 

Columbia  University,  7 

Connecticut,  202,  388 

Contests,  161-62;  book  on,  162 

Cookbooks,  204-7 

Cookie  making,  195-204;  books  on, 
204-7 

Cooking,  17,  18;  books  on,  184;  hob- 
bies from,  171  ff.;  regional  special- 
ties, 172 

Copper,  157-58;  books  on,  158 

Copyrights,  54-55 

Cora,  324,  325,  332,  339 

Cornell  University,  213,  221,  381 

Coronet  Films,  134 

Corporations,  451-52 

Correspondence  school,  399 

Cosmetics,  7,  166-67;  books  on,  167 

Costume  jewelry,  159;  books  on,  160 

Counseling,  18 

Country  Gentlemen,  305 

Country  living,  279  ff.;  books  on,  286- 
87;  types  interested  in,  283-84; 
ways  ot  earning  extra  income  from, 
285 

Cradle  Gym,  81 

Craft  Groups,  67-70 

Craft  Horizons  (magazine),  67,  111 

Crafts,  18;  teaching  of,  275 

Craftsman  Sells  His  Wares,  The 
(pamphlet),  70,  371 

Crawfordsville,  Ark.,  302 

Cress,  342 

Crocheting,  94,  95;  books  on,  97,  98 

Crowell-Collier  Publishing  Co.,  409 

Cuba,  348 

Cucumbers,  324,  332,  342 

Cumberland  Center,  Me.,  290 

Cumulative  Book  Index,  483 

Currants,  357,  360 

Dache,  Lilly,  90 

Dallas,  Tex.,  93,  188,  197 


488 

Darwin,  Charles,  4 

Day  nursery,  252 

Death  Valley,  165 

Delaware,  388 

Denver,  Col.,  149,  263,  265,  332,  361 

Department  of  Defense,  44 

Desserts,  books  on,  216 

Dewberries,  357 

Diane  Hand  Knits,  95 

Diaper  services,  253 

Diehl,  Edwin,  383 

Dimitri,  Ivan,  125 

Direct  mail,  3,  6.  See  also  mail-order 
selling 

Dixie  Cup,  28 

Doehla  Greeting  Cards,  Inc.,  369 

Dogs,  295-97;  books  on,  300;  busi- 
nesses from,  297 

Dollmaking,  84-88;  books  on,  88 

Dolls,  17,  18 

Dolls  to  Make  for  Fun  and  Profit,  85 

Dothan,  Ala.,  324 

Doylestown,  Pa.,  149 

Dressmaking,  books  on,  98 

Dressmaking.  See  Sewing 

Driftwood,  164;  collecting  of,  156-57 

Drug  laws,  467-68 

Ducks,  312,  314;  books  on,  315 

Durrani,  Ataulla,  25 

Earthworm  breeding,  150-53;  book- 
let on,  153 

East  Calais,  Vt,  79 

East  Lansing,  Mich.,  221 

Eastman  Kodak  Co.,  132,  162 

Eau  Claire,  Wis.,  344 

Edison,  Thomas,  4,  28 

Editor  and  Publisher,  130 

Editor  and  Publisher  Yearbook,  270 

Ed-U-Cards,  Inc.,  40 

Egypt,  137 

Electrical  gadgets,  17 

Embroidery,  books  on,  97 

Encyclopaedia  Britannica  Films,  Inc., 
134 

Endive,  341-42 

England,  406 

Entertainers,  275-76 

Europe,  86,  407 

Exchange  shop.  See  Swap  services 

Exercise,  401 

Extra  income,  6 


INDEX 

Fairmont,  Minn.,  313 

Fancy  food  specialties,  174-84;  books 

on,  184 

Farming,  279  ff. 
Farming.  See  Country  Living 
Felt  products,  96 
Fibre  and  Floral  Co.,  156 
55  French  Dressing,  178 
Film  distributors,  134;  instruction  in, 

133;  showings,  133-34 
Films,  publications  on,  136;  where  to 

obtain,  134 
Fish,  393 

Fish  cooking,  books  on,  184 
Fishponds,  146-47;  books  on,  147 
Florida,  141,  159 
Florida  State  University,  221 
Flower  services,  268-69 
Flowers,  preserving  of,  154-57 
Flylike,  150 
Fly   tying,    148-50;    books    on,    150; 

equipment  companies,  150 
Folly  Cove  Designers,  112 
Food  laws,  467-68 
Food  specialist.  See  Catering 
Ford,  8,  9,  11 
Ford,  My  Life  and  Work,  11;  Today 

and  Tomorrow,  11 
Ford  Field,  129 
Forest  Hills,  L.I.,  197 
Forestry,  18 
Fort  Myers,  159 
4-H  Clubs  (and  projects),  302,  303, 

304,  309,  324,  325,  332 
Fourth  Estate,  The,  130 
France,  198,  406,  407 
Frederics,  John,  90 
French  endive.  See  Chicory 
Fritos,  188 

Frog  farming,  148;  book  on,  148 
Fruit  farming,  350-56;  books  on,  356. 

See  also  name  of  fruit 
Fruit  raising,   17,   18,  386.  See  also 

Fruit  farming  and  name  of  fruit 
Fuel  and  oil,  10 
Fuller  Brush  Co.,  369 
Furniture  collecting,  books  on,  139 

Gadgets,  37 
Galesburg,  111.,  185 
Gallinger  Crafts,  100 
Game  birds.  See  name  of  bird 
Games,  17,  18 


INDEX 

Gardening,  for  fruits,  vegetables,  flow- 
ers, 17,  18,  133-34,  316-45;  books 
on,  345-46;  herbs,  barks,  roots, 
347-50,  books  on,  350;  orchards, 
350-56,  books  on,  356;  fruit  gar- 
dens and  plantations,  357-64,  books 
on,  364.  See  also  name  of  product 

Gardens,  3 

Geese,  312,  314;  books  on,  315 

Gems.  See  Jewelry 

General  Foods,  Inc.,  26 

Genung,  A.  B.,  279,  280,  351 

German  silver,  157-58;  books  on,  158 

Germany,  149,  182 

Gift  shops,  78,  370-72 

Giles,  Ray,  427 

Girl  Scouts,  102 

Glass  collecting,  books  on,  139-40 

Glassware,  164;  books  on,  124 

Glass  Wax,  30 

Gloucester,  Mass.,  112 

Goat  raising,  297-98;  books  on,  300 

Good  Housekeeping,  237 

Goode,  Kenneth  M.,  11 

Gooseberries,  357,  360 

Gourmet,  405 

Grace  A.  Rush,  Inc.,  196 

Grand  Rapids,  Mich,  177 

Grant,  W.  T.,  Co.,  373 

Grapefruit,  356 

Grapes,  357,  360 

Grass  Root  Jungles,  125 

Gray,  Dorothy,  166 

Great  Neck,  N.Y.,  254 

Greens,  339-40 

Greenwich,  Conn.,  7,  256 

Greenwich  ( Conn. )  Time,  239 

Greenwich  Village,  67,  80 

Greeting  cards,  selling  of,  370 

Gregg,  John  R.,  4 

Grocery  business,  13 

Grove  Laboratories,  404 

Guernsey  House,  196 

Guinea  pigs,  291-92,  293;  books  on, 
299 

Guineas,  312,  314 

Hallcraft  Co.,  165 

Hall-Craft  Leather  Creations,  115 

Halifax,  Va.,  180,  181 

Hammacher  Schlemmer,  39 

Hamsters,  293;  books  on,  299 

Handbook  for  Recreation  Leaders,  253 


Hand  decorating,  10-5-8;  books  on, 
107;  on  cork,  108;  on  metal,  108; 
on  wood,  108 

Handicraft  books,  pamphlets,  maga- 
zines, 72-73 

Handicraft  products,  how  to  sell,  70 

Handicrafts,  instruction  in,  67 

Handiwork,  400 

Harland,  Wis.,  152 

Hartford,  Conn.,  102 

Harvard  University,  5,  213,  265 

Hatmaking,  90,  91;  books  on  97 

Hawaii,  109 

Hawkins  Million  Dollar  Hen,  307 

Health,  401 

Heinz,  H.  J.,  344 

Herb  raising,  347-50;  books  on,  350 

Herbs,  407-8;  book  on,  184 

Hillcrest  Kennels,  296 

Hobbies,  17,  18,  401 

Hobby  books,  pamphlets,  magazines, 
72-73 

Hobby  crafts  (at  home),  63  flF.;  how 
to  get  started,  67;  how  to  select, 
64-66;  instruction  in,  67;  local 
groups,  66-67;  value  of,  64 

"Hobby  Lobby"  (radio  show),  153 

Hobby  shows,  67 

Hoefer  Lures,  149 

Holiday  House,  175 

Hollywood,  Cal.,  95,  157 

Hollywood  Hills,  Cal.,  115 

Home  business,  5,  7;  books  on  448;  at- 
titudes necessary  for,  445-48;  in- 
formation on,  10;  pitfalls  of,  446- 
47;  qualities  necessary  for,  9; 
relation  to  interests,  20;  what  to 
choose,  15-17 

Home  economics,  information  on, 
474-77 

Home  fix-it  sendees,  258-59 

Home  food  specialty,  how  to  select, 
182-84 

Home  freezing,  books  on,  287 

Home  kitchens,  174-84 

Home  letter-service,  241 

Home  repair,  books  on,  261 

Home  Service,  Inc.,  256 

Home  workshops,  63  ff.;  books  and 
pamphlets  on,  76;  costs  of,  73 

Honeycutt,  Ann,  211,  212 

Honolulu,  348 

Hooking,  99,  103;  books  on,  104 


490 

Hors  d'oeuvres,  books  on,  215 
Horse-radish,  344-45 
House  and  Garden,  405 
House  Beautiful,  405 
House  of  Herbs,  317 
Houston,  Tex.,  188,  221,  289 
How  to  raise  money.  See  Money 
How  to  Sell  by  Telephone,  427,  431 
How  to  Turn  People  into  Gold,  11 
Hughes  Worm  Ranch,  152 
Human  relations,  18 
Hungerford,  Ed,  137 

Ideas,  how  to  develop,  33-36;  how  to 
sell,  57-60;  where  to  sell,  57-60 

//  You're  Thinking  of  a  Little  Place  in 
the  Country  (leaflet),  279 

Illinois,  334 

Indiana,  388 

Insects,  18,  145-46;  books  on,  146 

Intelligence  Quotient  (I.Q.),  4 

International  Gift  of  the  Month  Club, 
407 

International  Motor  Courts  Associ- 
ation, 222 

International  Year  Book,  130 

Inventions,  23;  books  for  those  inter- 
ested in,  60;  how  to  protect,  54-57; 
how  to  sell,  57-60;  needed,  41-44; 
needed  by  Armed  Services,  44-53; 
where  to  sell,  57-60 

Inventors'  Sales  Bulletin,  58-59 

Iowa,  388 

Irish  potatoes,  325 

Ithaca,  N.Y.,  213,  221,  381 

ames,  Dr.  William  (quotation),  5 

ams,  191-95;  books  on,  195 

ellies,  191-95;  books  on,  195 

ersey  City,  N.J.,  166 
Jewelry,  412-13;  collecting,  books  on, 

140;  making  from  plastics,  118 
Jones,  Mrs.  Casey,  95 
Juices,  191-95;  books  on,  195 
Junior  Achievement,  Inc.,  12 

Kale,  340 

Kansas  City,  94,  260 

Keets.  See  Guineas 

Keller,  Allan,  201 

Kentucky,  388 

Kettering,  Charles  F.,  6,  24 

Kettle  Cove  Industries,  Inc.,  6,  176 


INDEX 

Kettle  Cove  Products,  175 

Keystone  Pictures,  131 

Kindergarten,  253 

Kinderhook,  N.Y.,  348 

Kiwanis  Club,  471 

Kleinert's,  130 

Knitting,  94-95;  books  on,  97-98 

Know-How  Workshop,  Inc.,  255 

Kraft,  James  L.,  26 

Kraft,  Mrs.  Julia  Stevens,  185 

Kresge's,  373 

Labeling  (a  product),  432,  435-41 

Labor  laws,  468 

Labor  relations,  18 

Lacemaking,  books  on,  98 

Lafayette,  Ind.,  307 

La  Junta,  Gal.,  110 

Lamp  making,  164-65 

Lamp  shades,  164-65;  books  on,  165 

Languages,  18 

Larchmont,  N.Y.,  212,  213 

Larson,  Gustav  E.,  376 

Latin  America,  407 

Laws,  governing  individual  businesses, 

467-70;  labor,  468 
League  of  New  Hampshire  Arts  and 

Crafts,  67 

Leathercraft,  113-16;  books  on,  116 
Lebanon,  O.,  92 

Lending  library,  for  children,  253 
Lettershop,  240 
Lettershop-home,  236-37 
Lettuce,  341-42 
Library  of  Congress,  55 
Life  (magazine),  125 
Life  insurance  (selling),  427 
Lincoln  County,  Me.,  78 
Linda  Lee  Cosmetics,  369 
Linoleum-block  printing,  108 
Lions  Club,  471 
Literary  Guild,  406 
Livingston,  Mont.,  160 
Los  Angeles,  Gal,  39,  148,  150,  155, 

156,  188,  242,  264,  294,  385 
Louisiana,  186 
Lucite,  119 
Lynn,  Mass.,  6 

MacRae's  Blue  Book,  58 
Magazine-subscription  business,  409 
Magic,  17 
Mail-order   selling,   388-422;    advan- 


INDEX 

tages  of,  389-90;  advertising,  414- 

16,    lists,    417-18;   books   on,   421; 

case  histories,  403-13;  how  to  start, 

413-14;    instruction    in,    398-402; 

products  for,  392-97,  list,  397-98; 

services   for,   402-3;   tips,   419-22; 

types  of,  391 
Maine,  78,  388 
Mamaroneck,  N.Y.,  178 
Management,  of  home  business,  455- 

70;  books  on,  470 
Manchester,  Mass.,  6,  176 
Manchester  Center,  VL,  290 
Manhattan,  39 
Manual  crafts,  17,  18 
Market  research,  270 
Market  specialists,  list  of,  474^-77 
Marketing,  376-79 
Marketing,   roadside,   379-88;   guides 

to,  380-83 
Mark-up,  465-67 
Marmalades,  193 
Martin,  Beatrice,  90 
Mary  Anne  Novelty  Co.,  85 
Maryland,  340,  359 
Masonite,  32 

Massachusetts,  193,  359,  362 
Maternity  clothes,  93 
McCall's  Pattern  Book,  91-92 
Mechanical  toys,  17 
Mechanix      Illustrated      (magazine), 

130,  165,  290 
Medicinal  plants,  349-50;   books  on, 

350 

Mendham,  N.J.,  121 
Mending,  254-55;  books  on,  260-61 
Meriden,  Conn.,  99 
Merriam- Webster,  8 
Metalcraft,  157-38;  books  on,  158 
Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  255 
Mexico,  406 

Michigan,  334,  362,  388,  474 
Michigan  State  College,  221 
Microfilming,  132 
Midland,  Mich.,  87 
Midland  City,  Ala.,  324 
Miles,  Dr.  Catharine  Cox,  5 
Milford,  Conn.,  94 
Miller,  Nelson  A.,  394 
Millerton,  N.Y.,  308 
Millinery  Research,  90 
Milwaukee,  Wis.,  115,  150 
Mimeographing,  239 


491 

Mineral  collecting,  books  on,  140 

Mink  ranching,  294-95;  books  on,  299 

Minneapolis,  Minn.,  179 

Minnesota,  359 

Minnesota  Mining  and  Manufacturing 
Co.,  38 

Minute  Rice,  26 

M.I.T.,  213 

Model  making,  160-61;  books  on,  161 

Modern  Packaging  (magazine),  440 

Modern  Packaging  Encyclopedia,  440 

Modern  Talking  Picture  Service,  Inc., 
134 

Mojave  Desert,  385 

Money,  how  to  raise,  452-55;  books 
on,  455 

Montclair,  N.J.,  296 

Motels  (or  motor  courts),  219,  220; 
experience  needed,  221,  informa- 
tion booklets  on,  222;  costs,  222-23; 
courses  on,  221;  size,  222;  locations, 
223-26;  future  of,  226;  as  retire- 
ment occupation,  229;  check  list, 
229-32 

Motel  Managers  Association,  The,  221 

Mother  Goose,  200 

Motion  Picture  Producers  Association, 
134 

Motion  pictures,  publications  on,  136 

Motor  Court  .  .  .   (pamphlet),  221 

Motor  courts.  See  Motels 

Mt.  Vernon,  111.,  307 

Movie  distributors,  134 

Murphy,  T.  E.,  99 

Museum  of  Natural  History,  67 

Mushroom  Culture  for  Amateurs,  343 

Mushrooms,  343-44 

Music,  17,  18 

Muskmelons,  332,  336-38 

Muskrats,  295;  books  on,  299-300 

Nadeau,  Elphege,  99 
Nadeau  loom,  100,  102 
Nahant,  Mass.,  247 
Naming  (a  product),  432,  433 
Nashua,  N.H.,  369 

National  Association  of  Better  Busi- 
ness Bureaus,  Inc.,  479 
National  Associations  of  the  U.S.,  484 
National  Better  Business  Bureau,  471 
National  Bureau  of  Standards,  437 
National  Cotton  Council,  91 
National  Inventors'  Council,  44 


49* 

National  Junior  Vegetable  Growers 
Association,  332 

National  Newspaper  Snapshot  Con- 
test, 130 

National  Safety  Council,  250 

National  Western  Stock  Show,  309 

Nature,  18 

N.E.A.  Service,  Inc.,  131 

Nectarines,  356 

Needlecraft,  books  on,  98 

Needlework,  89,  90,  94-96;  books  on, 
97 

Newark,  N.J.,  369 

Newark  Evening  News,  384 

New  Hope,  Pa.,  164 

New  Jersey,  7,  196,  197,  334,  361,  362 

New  Orleans,  267,  332 

Newton,  Peg,  92-93 

New  York,  67,  100,  132,  133,  137, 
152,  196,  199,  222,  244,  255,  347, 
362,  404,  406,  479 

New  York  City,  80,  83,  85,  181,  211 

N.  Y.  Daily  News,  212 

N.  Y.  Herald  Tribune,  12,  186,  375, 
392,  418 

N.  Y.  Journal- American,  376 

N.  Y.  State  Department  of  Commerce, 
67,  193,  222,  380;  Woman's  Pro- 
gram of,  200,  208,  214 

N.  Y.  State  Employees'  Merit  Award 
Board,  162 

N.  Y.  Telephone  Co.,  430 

N.  Y.  Times,  75,  418 

N.  Y.  University  School  of  Commerce, 
151 

N.  Y.  Woman's  Council,  197 

N.  Y.  Woman's  Exchange,  197,  370 

N.  Y.  World-Telegram  and  Sun,  201 

No-Cal,  35 

Norfolk,  Conn.,  204 

Noroton,  Conn.,  274,  307 

Norris,  Kathleen,  254 

North  Carolina,  362,  388 

Northridge,  Laddie,  90 

Northwestern  University,  5 

Norwalk,  Conn.,  202 

Notary  public,  241 

Novelties,  companies  interested  in,  59 

Nursing,  18 

Office  management,  18 

Ohio,  209 

Ohio  Earthworm  Hatchery,  152 


INDEX 

Oklahoma  City,  245 
Old  Greenwich,  106 
Omnibook,  35 
Orange,  N.J.,  202 
Oranges,  356 

Orchards,  selection,  managing,  plant- 
ing of,  354-56 
Oregon,  362 
Organizing,  17,  18 
Orient,  407 

Ottumwa  Nut  Co.,  189 
Outdoor  Life,  405 

Pacific,  39 

Packaging  (a  product),  432,  434-41; 
list  of  pamphlets  on,  437-38 

Paddleford,  Clementine,  80,  181,  186, 
203,  347,  375 

Parakeets,  143-44;  books  on,  144 

Parent-Teacher  Association,  251 

Paris,  199 

Parsley,  342 

Partnerships,  450-51 

Party  Corner,  209-10 

Pasadena,  CaL,  122,  162,  273 

Patents,  54,  56 

Pawnee,  Okla.,  91 

Peaches,  356 

Pears,  356 

Peas,  325,  335 

Peggy  Newton  Cosmetics,  369 

Penney  Co.,  J.  C.,  373 

Pennsylvania,  165,  308,  334,  340,  348, 
407 

Pepperidge  Farm,  202 

Peppers,  325 

Perk's  Place,  387 

Personal  services,  269-70 

Pets,  boarding  of,  273;  other  services 
for,  273-74;  books  on,  274 

Pewter,  157,  158;  books  on,  158 

Pewter  collecting,  books  on,  140 

Pheasants,  312-14,  332 

Philadelphia,  144,  267 

Phoenix,  Ariz.,  122 

Phone-answering  service,  240 

Photographers'  Association  of  Amer- 
ica, 126 

Photographic  equipment  rental,  133 

Photography,  124-34;  types  of  pictures 
to  sell,  127;  markets,  128-34;  rates, 
128-30;  equipment  rental,  133;  film 
instruction  and  showing,  133-34; 


INDEX 

films,  where  to  obtain,  134;  publi- 
cations on,  135-36 

Pie  making,  195-204;  books  on,  204-7 

Pigeons,  315;  books  on,  315 

Pinon  Nut  and  Candy  Co.,  187 

Pipe  blocks,  349 

Pittsburgh,  271 

Plant  disease,  book  on,  346 

Planting  dates,  318-24 

Plastic  craftwork,  117-19;  where  to 
obtain  supplies,  119;  books  on,  119- 
20 

Plastics,  117,  161,  164;  where  to  ob- 
tain, 119;  books  on  how  to  use, 
119-20 

Play  equipment,  80-84 

Pleasantvule,  N.Y.,  430 

Plexiglas,  119 

Plums,  356 

Plywood,  74-75 

Plymouth  Meeting,  Pa.,  165 

Poland,  89 

Politics,  18 

Polling,  270 

Popular  Science  Monthly  (magazine), 
125 

Potatoes,  324,  325,  332 

Pottery  collecting,  books  on,  140 

Pottery  making,  120-23;  books  on, 
123-24 

Poughkeepsie,  N.Y.,  200 

Poultry  raising,  301-15;  books  on,  316. 
See  also  name  of  fowl 

Power  tools,  75 

Prepared-meal  expert.  See  Caterers, 
Catering 

Prescott,  Wis.,  149 

Preserves,  191-95;  books  on,  195 

Preserving,  hobbies  from,  172  ff. 

Press  Association,  Inc.,  131 

Prevette,  Earl,  427,  431 

Princeton,  N.T.,  393 

Products  sold  by  mail  (list),  397-98 

Profit  and  loss  statement,  459-60 

Profitable  Broiler  Production  in  Indi- 
ana (bulletin),  307 

Profitable  Hobbies  (magazine),  165 

Proprietorship  (sole),  449-50 

Public  stenography,  239-40 

Publicity,  374-76 

Publishers  Weekly,  483 

Pullman,  Wash.,  221 

Pumpkins,  338-39 


493 

Purdue  University,  307 
Pyrogravure,  108 

Quilting,  196 

Quilt  making,  books  on,  98 

Quince,  356 

Quincy,  111.,  307 

Quincy,  Mass.,  210 

Rabbits,  289-91,  293;  books  on,  299 

Rabbit  breeders'  associations,  298-99 

RCA  Laboratories,  25 

Raising  small  animals.  See  name  of 
animal,  and  287-301 

Rand,  James  H.,  III.,  29 

Raspberries,  357,  362-64 

Readers  Digest  (magazine),  100,  131, 
152,  154,  163,  186,  188,  302,  380, 
384,  424,  430 

Readers  Digest  Manual  of  Small  Busi- 
nesses, 193,  203,  209,  211,  252,  256, 
257,  260,  264,  271,  273,  290,  312, 
347,  349,  361 

Readers'  Guide  to  Periodical  Litera- 
ture, The,  483 

Record  Keeping  for  Small  Stores,  456 

Recordak  Corporation,  132 

Recordings,  242-46;  books  on,  246; 
rentals  and  sales  of,  244-46;  uses 
of,  243,  244 

Records.  See  Recordings 

Relishes,  193 

Reminder  services,  266-68 

Repair  work  (home  workshop),  7 

Repairing  (general),  254-60;  books 
on,  261 

Repairs,  Inc.,  255 

Rhoades,  Joseph  H.,  394 

Rhode  Island,  349 

Rivers,  Lucille,  91-92 

Riverside,  Gal.,  115 

Roadside  marketing,  379-88 

Roadside  stands,  78 

Roadstands.  See  Roadside  marketing, 
Selling,  Marketing 

Rochester,  N.H.,  103 

Rock  collecting,  books  on,  140 

Rodgers,  Mrs.  Dorothy,  255 

Rogers,  Roy,  94 

Ronson  Delight,  24 

Ronson  lighter,  29 

Ronson  wrench,  24 

Rosemary's  Delicacies,  177 


494 

Rotary  Club,  471 
Rubinstein,  Helena,  166 
Rudkin,  Margaret,  202 
Rug  collecting,  books  on,  140 

Sacramento  Valley,  334 

Safety  goggles,  26 

St.  Paul,  Minn.,  38,  179 

St.  Petersburg,  Fla.,  155 

Saks  Fifth  Avenue,  113 

Salads,  books  on,  215 

Sampson,  Mrs.  Hannah,  103 

San  Antonio,  Tex.,  188,  222 

Sandwiches,  books  on,  215 

San  Francisco,  102,  268 

San  Joaquin  Valley,  334 

Sanibel  (an  island),  159 

Sanitary  Institute  of  America,  The, 
410 

Saranac  (N.Y.)  Craft  Guild,  121 

Sarnoff,  David,  25 

Saturday  Evening  Post,  The,  99,  125, 
130 

Sauces,  book  on,  184 

Scarsdale,  N.Y.,  20,  268,  426 

Schenectady,  N.Y.,  304 

Schick,  Jacob,  26 

Science,  5,  17,  18 

Science  and  Mechanics  Magazine,  59 

Scotchlite,  38 

Scotland,  149 

Scott,  Walter  Dill,  5 

Scranton,  Pa.,  91,  244 

Seamstress.  See  Sewing 

Sears,  Roebuck  and  Co.,  403 

Secretarial  services,  by  phone,  425-26 

Selling,  17,  20;  to  agents  and  jobbers, 
374;  door-to-door,  368-70;  gift 
shops,  370-72;  greeting  cards,  370; 
home  demonstration,  368-70;  home 
product  or  service,  367-79;  in  home 
shop,  368;  how  to  advertise,  374- 
76;  how  to  get  publicity,  374-76; 
how  to  market  your  product,  376- 
79;  mail  order,  388-422;  to  mail- 
order houses,  372-73;  roadside  mar- 
keting, 379-88;  services  by  mail 
(list),  402;  to  stores,  373;  by  tele- 
phone, 422  ff.,  list  of  products  and 
services,  428-29;  ways  of,  367  ff.; 
to  Woman's  Exchanges,  370-72 

Seminole,  Okla.,  156 

Service,  18 


INDEX 

Services,  boarding  plants,  269;  clean- 
ing, 260;  entertaining,  276;  flower, 
268-69;  general  repair,  254  ff.;  home 
beauty,  275;  mending,  254-55;  mis- 
cellaneous, 276;  personal,  269-70, 
271;  pets  (boarding),  273;  re- 
minder, 266-68;  rentals,  271-72; 
swap,  262-64;  travel,  264-66;  tu- 
toring, 274-75 

Services  for  parents,  246-53.  See  also 
name  of  service 

Serving,  17 

Sewing,  88-91,  92,  93,  94;  books  on, 
98;  home  classes  in,  91 

Sharpsburg,  Pa.,  344 

Shell  collecting,  books  on,  140 

Shellcraft  jewelry,  159;  books  on,  160 

Sherburn,  Minn.,  196 

Shoeshine  stand,  8 

Shoreham,  Vt,  408 

Shorthand  system,  4 

Shows,  arts  and  crafts,  67;  hobby,  67 

Sierra  Tackle  Co.,  150 

Silk-screen  printing,  108,  110-11; 
books  on,  111 

Silver,  books  on,  140 

Silver  foxes,  295;  books  on,  300 

Silver  Springs,  Md.,  384 

Silver  Springs  Gardens,  Inc.,  344 

Sip-N-See  straws,  118 

Sitters  service,  250 

Smorgasbord  cooking,  book  on,  215 

Snuffbox  collecting,  books  on,  140 

Soil  preparation  and  testing,  317—18 

South  Africa,  149 

South  Carolina,  334,  388 

South  Dakota,  94 

Soybeans,  336 

Spanton  Sport  Sales  Co.,  151 

Spare-time  activities,  3 

Speaking,  17,  18 

Special  Libraries  Directory,  484 

Spice  cooking,  book  on,  184 

Spinach,  340-41 

Sports,  17,  18;  teaching  of,  275 

Squabs,  312,  314;  books  on,  315 

Squash,  332,  338-39 

S.S.  Pierce,  176 

Stamford,  Conn.,  239,  404 

Stamp  collecting,  books  on,  140 

Standard  Rate  and  Data,  418 

Stanley  Home  Products,  369 

Stencil  painting,  110 


INDEX 

Sterling,  157-58;  books  on,  158 

Strawberries,  357,  358-59,  360 

Styling  (clothing),  91,  93 

Success  Today  (magazine),  149 

Sugar  Bush  Farm,  189 

Summer  stock,  6 

Summit,  N.J.,  186 

Superintendent    of    Documents,    313, 

437 

Swap  services,  262-64 
Sweet  potatoes,  325 

Tallahassee,  Fla.,  221 

Tanning,  book  on,  154 

Taxes,  469 

Taxidermy,  153-54;  books  on,  154 

Taylor,  Frank  J.,  380,  384 

Teaching,  18 

Teaching  Film  Custodians,  134 

Teale,  Edwin  Way,  125 

Technical  needs,  44 

Telephone,  money-making  from,  422- 
32 

Telephone  answering  service,  425-26 

Television,  18 

Temple,  Tex.,  222 

Tennessee,  95 

Tested  Sentences  That  Sell,  11 

Texas,  82,  252 

Textile  painting,  108, 109-10;  book  on, 
110 

Textiles,  18 

The  Importance  of  Living,  11 

The  Industrial  Arts  Index,  483 

The  Jelly  Shop,  192 

The  King  and  I,  114 

The  Toy  Yearbook,  83 

Thermal,  Gal,  380 

This  Week  Magazine,  133 

Thomas'  Register  of  American  Manu- 
facturers, 58 

Tidy  Toy  Co.,  87 

Time  (magazine),  294,  304 

Tin,  157-58;  books  on,  158-59 

Todd,  Jane  H.,  208,  380 

Tomatoes,  324,  325,  332,  343 

Tourist  cabins,  220,  232-34.  See  also 
Motels 

Tourist  Court  Journal,  222 

Tourist  houses,  219-21;  costs,  219-20, 
232-36.  See  also  Motels 

Tours,  264-66 

Towsley,  Lena,  132 


495 

Toy  Guidance  Council,  Inc.,  83 
Toys,  18,  81-84;  companies  interested 

in,  59;  publications  on  making  and 

marketing  of,  83-84 
Trade  and  industry  associations  (list), 

438-40 
Trade  and  Professional  Associations  of 

the  U.S.,  438 
Trade  practices,  469 
Trade  Winds  Trading  Co.,  157 
Trademarks,  54,  56-57 
Trading,  18 
Trailer  camps,  220,  232-34.  See  also 

Motels 

Trapping,  book  on,  154 
Travel  services,  264-66 
Travelers  United  Hosts,  Inc.,  222 
Tufting,  96 
Tujunga,  Gal.,  387 
Tulsa,  188 
Turkeys,  308-10;  books  on,  315;  how 

to  smoke  and  cure,  311-12;  selling 

methods  for,  310-12 
Tutoring,  274-75 
Twitty,  Tom,  121 
Typewriting,  18,  236;  books  on,  241; 

rates,    237-38;    soliticing    business, 

218;  types  of,  238-39,  240 
Typing,  7;  services,  237  ff. 

Union  Springs,  N.Y.,  118 

United  States,  143,  149 

U.  S.  Armed  Forces  Institute,  482 

U.  S.  Bureau  of  Agricultural  Econom- 
ics, 279 

U.  S.  Chamber  of  Commerce,  484 

U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  10, 
142,  147,  174,  279,  286,  288,  297, 
298,  309,  311,  314,  318,  334,  335, 
336,  337,  338,  339,  341,  343,  344, 
351,  355,  356,  357,  360,  362,  363, 
385,  477 

U.  S.  Department  of  Commerce,  10, 
56,  74,  174,  178,  219,  220,  221,  224, 
229,  376,  394,  399,  433,  436,  437, 
438,  456,  469,  472;  field  offices,  list 
of,  472 

U.  S.  Department  of  Interior  (con- 
servation bulletins),  313 

U.  S.  Department  of  Labor,  468 

U.  S.  Government  Printing  Office,  156, 
222,  253,  315,  376,  456,  473 

U.  S.  Patent  Office,  56 


496 

U.  S.  Weather  Bureau,  318 
United  World  Films,  134 
Universal  Trade  Press  Syndicate,  131 
University  of  California,  221 
University  of  Houston,  221 
University  of  Nebraska,  283 
University  of  Wisconsin,  166 
Updegraff,  Robert  R.,  11 
Upholstery,  books  on,  76 

Valley  City,  N.D.,  79 
Vegetable  gardening,  books  on,  346 
Vegetables,  easy  to  grow  (list),  333; 
tall  planting  dates  (table),  329-31; 

r'ng  planting  dates  (table),  326- 

Veri-Neet  (clothes  hangers),  40-41 
Vermont,  39,  172,  189 
Veterans,  agencies  assisting,  482 
Veterans'  Administration,  482 
Victor,  Sally,  90,  91 
Virginia,  388,  474 

Wall  Street,  7,  202 

Wall  Street  Journal,  405 

Wanamaker's,  103 

Warren,  O.,  187 

Washington,  362,  388 

Washington,  D.C.,  37,  142,  156,  174, 

222,  253,  288,  295,  313,  332,  334, 

352,  437,  468,  469,  473 
Washington  State  College,  221 
Watermelons,  332 
Waterbury,  Conn.,  130 
Weaving  (textiles),  99,  100,  101,  102; 

books  on,  104;  centers,  100;  for  the 

blind,  102;  products  to  make,  101 
Webb,  Miss.,  301,  303 
Webster,  Robert  E.,  318 
Weld,  Me.,  77 
Wellesley  College,  213 
Westfield,  Mass.,  369,  408 
Westfield,  N.J.,  209 
Wheeler,  Elmer,  11 
Whitehall,  Wis.,  349 
White  House,  121 


INDEX 

White  mice  and  rats,  292-93;  books 

on,  299 

White  Plains,  N.Y.,  250 
Wholesalers,  374 
Wiggam,  Dr.  Albert  Edward,  5 
Wild  plants,  preserving  of,  154-57 
Willoughby,  Charles  G.,  132 
Wilson,  Margery,  430 
Wine  cooking,  books  on,  184 
Wisconsin,  151 
Woman's  Exchanges,  370-72 
Woman's  Home  Companion,  409 
Woman's  Life  (magazine),  196 
Woman's  Program  (of  the  N.  Y.  State 

Department    of    Commerce),    200, 

208,  214,  380 

Woodcarving,  77  ff.;  books  on,  80-81 
Woodstock,  N.Y.,  163,  164,  189 
Woodworking,  74,  75 
Woodworking  Shop  .  .  .,  74 
Woodworkers  of  Weld,  77 
Woollcott,  Alexander,  107 
Woolworth's,  373 
Woonsocket,  R.I.,  99 
Words,  18 
World's  Fair,  137 
World  War  I,  312 
World  War  II,  39,  79,  89,  121,  254 
Worms,  breeding  of,  7 
Worthington,  O.,  152 
Wrentham,  Mass.,  102 
Writing,  17,  237,  401 
Wyoming,  94 

Yale  University,  5,  198 

Yellowstone  Park,  160 

Y.M.C.A.,  214 

Y.W.C.A.,  214 

four  Life  (magazine),  180,  192,  237, 

427 

Yours  to  Venture,  11 
Yutang,  Lin,  11 

Zippo  lighter,  29 
Zoning  laws,  469 
Zworykin,  V.  K.,  25