The independent-reporter., 1910-07-28
HOMEMADE PICKLES
PAY MORTGAGE
Maine Wom an Finds
Way out of Debt
The Preserve Market Wasn't Large
Enough In Bangor and She Went in
Debt.-SuccesS Later.

My first attempt to earn money by
making preserves and pickles left
me badly in debt" said Maine wo-
man the other day, and it seemed a
heart breaking experience 10 me
then | went in debt for the sugar.
vinegar and many other articles had
bought, expecting to pay for them
out OF the money coming 10 me toI
the sale OF my goods So many Wo-
men had fattered me about my pre-
serves and pickles that | failed Ut
terly TO realize that the demand for
home made articles of this sort is
strictly limited in a city the size OF
Bangor.
1.-TWO months after the somewhat
disastrous ending OF my experiment
my husband died. They say every
cloud has its silver lining but it was
mighty hard for me to see any silver
lining about just then. My venture
had left me in debt and | knew no"
that it was the best thing which
could have happened to me if my hus-
band had to be taken. There is
soft streak in the vast majority of us
women which causes US 10 give up 10
our grief if there isn't something i'm
peratively demanding that We exert
ourselves. Those debts and my TWO
children were what | needed.
The only way of earning money
that | knew of was by sewing and
my selling preserves and PIC chIes'
Sewing would never support us so !
decided to try pickles and preserves
had lost faith in Bangor as a mar
ket for my wares but l had a CON
siderable supply still on hand and !
determined to start out and sell them
In small place the sale of such
things is strictly limited, | argued.
and what | need is larger, much
larger market. While thinking the
matter over a friend who came in to
call said that she was going on an
rates were being offered by the steam
SllD COMPANY AlblLl Vi llt'lid anu 9iN
was going to see the sights.
1t came to me like a flash that |
must go with her and find market
for my wares. If you could have
heard the way my friends went on
when ! told them that | was going TO
New York on that excursion. | was
a widow of less than month, with
two small children and whole pile
| n
from home on an excursion and
spending what little money l did
have. OF course | could have quiet
ed them by explaining just what |
Was going to New York for, but /
was tired of having everybody know
more about my business than l knew
myself. so | held my tongue and made
arrangements for my trip.
i managed to get together loo jelly
glasses. These | filled with different
kinds of preserves and pickles and
packed among my baggage. When
We arrived in New York | hadn't in
terest in anything except grocery
stores and tea rooms. Every morn
ing at 9 O'Clock | was on my way with
a bag OF samples.
One hundred samples had seemed
tremendous supply III adh6pi phN
when | struck New York il dwindled
until | felt ! had TO be most careful
in order TO have a taste for each of
the stores | planned TO visit. | decid-
ed not to leave samples unless l got
an order That was a suggestion made
TO me at the third place | visited
and by a woman She said men were
so fond of sweets and women had so
little conscience that they would pre-
tend to like my goods and almost
promise me an order for the sake of
keeping my jelly glass and its con-
tents.
Il worked every minute of the time
we stayed in New York except the
time for sleeping and eating. For ii
all | received only three orders, ag-
gregating less than 100 pints of pre-
serves, and not one order for pickles.
The people told me they would be
glad to give larger orders If the pre-
serves proved to the taste of their
customers.
within a month after | shipped my
first order for a dozen pint jars of
preserves ordered from my sample,
the firm sent me another order, this
time for one gross of quart jars and
half a gross of pint Jars. l hadn't
the preserves to fill even the half
gross but | sent them all | had with