Answer:
Wow! I mean okay, so I know that Ralph W. Emerson is a very wise man, but his wordings are often quite confusing to even comprehend. So I'm gonna give this a try, and lets see how it goes.
I believe it means that he has seen this in action. He seemed to claim that," If you know what people want and can provide the best at a fair price, that's the road to success. The hard-beaten road in the woods is the trouble and expense that some people are willing to go through to get their prized item."
Explanation: I'm almost sure that I got it right, if not, I'm really sorry, I really did tried my best. His wording is far too diffictult for me to even understand, that is if I get this one wrong.