"What!" he exclaimed, "waste all this good time waiting for supper, when it might be spent telling stories? Not much!"
And back he went, despite my efforts, to the wash-room.
We finally got our supper, and landed in Cleveland around midnight.
Arnold Ringier and Walter Mott
Two other old-timers who have served the florists faithfully and well are Arnold Ringier of the W. W. Barnard Company of Chicago, and Walter Mott, at one time representative of the Henry A. Dreer Company and now with the Hammond Company of Beacon, N. Y.
Mr. Ringier is the soul of wit, and his witticisms never fall flat. He is a good mixer, well versed in his lines; and it is no wonder he has made so many friends in his years of travel. He has now retired from traveling, giving his time and attention to the inside workings of the concern.
Mr. Walter Mott, like myself, is still in the harness, covering a large area of territory east, west and south. Although no longer directly connected with the horticultural business, Mr. Mott still maintains his interest in horticulture. His notes from the road in one of the trade papers are being read with interest by his numerous friends.
William Hagerman, "One of the Boys"
The late William Hagerman, although, strictly speaking, not a traveling salesman, but a man carrying on his own business, was nevertheless "one of the boys" on the road. He mingled freely with the traveling fraternity, swapping experiences, and was always "hail fellow well met." As a dealer in bulbs, he was pre-eminently successful. It was said at one time that he intended to monopolize the bulb business. Years prior to his undertaking the sale of bulbs, he conducted a wholesale grocery store in Philadelphia. His brother-in-law, a valley grower in Germany, requested him to offer his product to the growers of Philadelphia. Mr. Hagerman undertook the task, and carried it out successfully. A second and a third time German valley was disposed of in this manner. Then Mr. Hagerman bethought himself that the field outside of Philadelphia looked promising, and that in addition to Valley pips he could offer Lily bulbs, Dutch and French stock, and other things in the bulb line. In turn, he could export Tuberoses and Caladiums from this side of the ocean. He heard that there was a demand for Apples and typewriters and bicycles abroad. Why not export such products as well? He had no sooner thought of the idea than he formulated his plans. It was a success from the start. Mr. Hagerman took to the road, and continued almost until the day of his death. He covered a large territory, and the amount of business transacted on every trip ran into high figures.
Mr. Hagerman was regarded as a salesman of great ability. There was no situation complicated enough to embarrass him. He would always find ways and means of appeasing his most irate customers. If a grower, for example, found fault with his Lilies, Mr. Hagerman was ready to face the situation and make the most of its particular circumstances, satisfying his customer, and winding up with a larger order than that of the season previous. It was remarkable that he could carry on so successful a business in a line about which he had so little knowledge. He would offer things and speak about them with assurance, as if he were perfectly at home in the field, and yet he never perhaps had seen the article he offered.
A prominent grower in New England told me of an incident that will well illustrate the character of Mr. Hagerman. This grower received a quantity of Lilium giganteum, which arrived in sprouted condition. It was a serious matter, which had to be adjusted there and then. He wrote to Mr. Hagerman, urging
