22U 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



ing through. Luther Burbank, of San- 

 ta Rosa, Calif., the remarkable genius 

 of fruit and flowers, said of him, "In the 

 lecture by Dr. Edward F. Bigelow one 

 seemed to be taken right to the heart of 

 nature in her most charming moods. 

 Every listener was enthusiastic, and 1 

 most heartily endorse Dr. Bigelow as a 

 master educator in the study of nature." 

 Could Burbank have been with us 

 during the tour of the back yard, he 

 would doubtless have been ready with 

 a further endorsement. In the first lit- 

 tle room were pets of various kinds. 

 The photo-microscooic annaratus was 

 also close by, the instrument enabling 

 our friend to reproduce the fine pictures 

 of nature specimens and the attractive 

 enlargements. A glass cover is taken 

 from a dish on which it stands, and we 

 are told that certain moths are beins: 

 studied there. 



Out of one woodp" hut into another, 

 and forest trees are before us, not tall 

 sentinels that pierce the skies, but tiny 

 white pines coming from seed. Rose 

 bushes springing forth from seed are 

 also here, while the mimosa or sensitive 

 plant is under experiment, too. Below. 

 on one side, in a shallow tank, on the 

 floor, are specimens of the various tur- 

 tles of the vicinity, while from an ob- 

 scure and hidden corner, an elongated 

 white thing is put into your hand, which 

 you are told is a turtle's ess:. Then you 

 are invited to examine a tiny turtle that 

 is produced, while down in the tank a 

 large snapper can be detected. As fit- 

 ting companions for these, large bull- 

 frogs are also seen, and they are cer- 

 tainly big fellows. 



A covering is removed from some- 

 where else, and we are informed that a 

 plant is being grown here in the dark 

 for the purpose of investigation and ex- 

 periment. At the same time, the natur- 

 alist explains that he is not bent on devel- 

 oping new species, but endeavoring to 

 get at facts as they are, striving to ac- 

 quire knowledge of natural things as 

 they appear, and as produced around us. 

 A snail den will also be found in this 

 section of the nature laboratory, includ- 

 ing the edible French variety, as well as 

 native specimens. 



Passing into the very restricted ter- 



ritory of the garden proper, we find 

 clumps of dahlias, learning to our sur- 

 prise that last year there were no less 

 than 104 distinct species here. The seed 

 and bulb bill for this small garden 

 amounted to some $85.00 last year. A 

 few ears of corn will be found, too, but 

 they are not for the house-keeper inside, 

 they are devoted to experiment. 



We re-enter the collection of shanties 

 and are introduced to one of special sig- 

 nificance and importance, the apiary de- 

 partment. Here for experiment and 

 study are no less than thirty-five colonies 

 of bees, making it probably the largest 

 apiarian laboratory in the world, but our 

 friend will be careful to explain that he 

 is not trying to produce new species of 

 honey bee. His is not the endeavor to 

 show how bee-keeping can be made 

 profitable. It is his work to furnish 

 data regarding' the wonderful character 

 and powers of these busy little creatures, 

 and so hives in this laboratory can be 

 seen which reveal these things and in- 

 terpret to the ordinary observer that 

 which imparts surprise and delight. Our 

 naturalist has invented two hives, one 

 known as the "Pearl Agnes" and the 

 other as "The Bigelow Educational Bee- 

 Hive." The latter is a very thorough 

 and complete instrument for the study of 

 the habits of the bee and is a fine ac- 

 quisition to any home. 



From outside we were brought into 

 the house, and in the naturalist's study 

 found the same cono-ested state of affairs. 

 The lady of the house, who was in the 

 room, explained that thev were glad to 

 take the onnortu 1 ^" of the absence of 

 the presiding genius, to accomplish 

 something in the way of putting matters 

 in order. 



Dr. Bigelow a short time since was 

 chosen president of The Agassiz Asso- 

 ciation, and has entered enthusiastically 

 into the work. That the choice was a 

 wise one seems to be abundantly verified, 

 but in order that the best results may be 

 obtained, it appears imperative that fur- 

 ther steps be taken to provide a plant 

 and contributive conditions that shall en- 

 able him to much more widely develop 

 his sphere of influence and secure cor- 

 respondingly larger returns in the results- 

 achieved. 



