THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



25 



mg off on a reminiscent strain. Then 

 somebody over in Canada is an artist as 

 well as a plioto,y;rapher, as shown by the 

 delightful view he look of the home of 

 John Newton, and allowed it to be repro- 

 duced in the American Kee-Keeper. As 

 a scene of sweet, simple, rural beauty it 

 is seldom equaled. I take pleasure in 

 copying both prose and pictures. 



Although both pictures w'ere but recent- 

 ly taken, the second one, giving a glimpse 

 of one of our apiaries on tlie Indian river, 

 suggests, in the chronology of a bee-keep- 

 ing career, "Twent\ Years Later," and 

 presents a view (literally and metaphori- 

 cally), decidedly more shady. 



It was in Oxford county, in 18S5, that 

 "John and Harry" (Mr. Newton and the 

 writer) were drilled in rudimental bee- 

 keeping together, under Mr. J. B. Hall. 



■•»..,-,, 



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API.\RY OF JOHN M: VTdN, THAMESFORD, ONTARIO. 



The engraving herewith shown, of Mr. 

 Newton's home, reflects atypical Ontario 

 scene — an ideal "summer in t'pper Cana- 

 da," as it was known in those "Days 

 Gone By" of which Riley writes in his 

 reflective muse. 



The picture, with bee-hives beneath the 

 old apple trees on the banks of the River 

 Thames, the graveled country road, the 

 little farm-house and broad fields of roll- 

 ing land in the background, presents in 

 a most beautiful and striking manner, 

 to the writer, a scene of rural life in Ox- 

 ford county, his boyhood home. It is 

 here that my apicultural enthusiasm was 

 kindled, when a lad; here that all the 

 dreams of great apicultural achievements 

 which characterize the earlier stages of 

 the bee-fever wer^ fully indulged; where 

 mv ambition outgrew my resources and 

 resolutions flourished like unto a ragweed. 



It was there that we clipped our first 

 qvieen; not, however, until dexterity had 

 been acquired in taking hold of the wing 

 with just the right movement. In this 

 exercise the male population of the hive 

 was made to suffer. Whether Mr. Hall, 

 in advising this method as an initial ex- 

 ercise, was prompted wholly by the de- 

 sire to impart to his verdant class profi- 

 ciency in practical clipping, or Ahether it 

 was actuated by a thought looking to the 

 reduction of the surplus drones, is a mat- 

 ter now to old to question. But, be that 

 as it may, the clipping of queens by 

 means of a knife, instead of scissors, was 

 there learned, and is one of the few- 

 things of which "locality "has not neces- 

 sitated the unlearning, being yet in al- 

 most daily use in my work. 



Mr. Newton, "like a good boy," has 

 remained! at home, and during all these 



