As the orders were received, this man forwarded them to the electrotyping company to be filled, enclosing 10 cents for each cut ordered, and retaining the other 10 cents as his profit. Some merchants ordered from five to fifty of the cuts, and after the mail-order man had had several thousand more circulars printed, he used the 200 cuts he had bought in filling orders, and thereafter all orders were filled direct by the company making the electrotype cuts.
Extending his field of operations to cover more territory, the mail-order man found it so profitable that he made it a regular business.
PLAN No. 120. GREASE AND OIL REMOVER
A young Denver widow, whose husband had been a druggist, but had left her practically destitute at his death, decided that a formula she had successfully used herself for quickly removing grease, paint and oil spots from wearing apparel, carpets, silks, laces, woodwork, etc., besides being an unequaled shampoo for the hair, could be made a source of considerable revenue if properly presented to the public.
The formula for making this magic annihilator is as follows:
For making one gross of 8-ounce bottles, take aqua ammonia, one gallon; soft water, 8 gallons; best white soap, 4 pounds; saltpetre, 8 ounces. Shave the soap fine, add the water, boil until the soap is dissolved, let it get cold, then add the saltpetre, stirring until dissolved. Now strain, let the suds settle, skim off the dry suds, add the ammonia, bottle and cork at once.
This will not injure the finest texture, and its chemical action is such that it turns any oil or grease into soap, which is easily washed out with clear, cold water. It is excellent for cleaning silver, brass and copper, and is certain death to bedbugs, if applied to the places frequented by them. Used as a shampoo, with an equal amount of water and a stiff brush, it produces a lather that removes grease and dandruff, while a cloth wet with it will remove grease from doorknobs, window sills, etc. To remove grease from clothing, pour on a quantity of it, rubbing with a clean sponge, on both sides of the article to be cleaned. For carpets and coarse goods, use a stiff brush and wash out with clear, cold water. One application is sufficient for fresh grease spots, but where old and dry, apply again, if necessary. For cleaning silverware, etc., mix with an equal amount of whitening, and rub briskly with a rag.
Pasting a neat label, containing the directions, upon each of the 144 bottles, she started in business by selling it from house to house, but as the demand increased, she employed canvassers, placed it on sale at the various drug stores in the city, and later advertised it with excellent results.
Although the cost was a mere trifle, she found a ready sale for it at 50 cents per bottle, and it has proved so profitable that she has greatly increased her facilities and is to-day enjoying an income considerably larger than her late husband ever derived from his drug store.