94 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Feb. 1 



Those who live in growing towns and cities 

 have grievous burdens thrust upon them; 

 and yet public officers — men who nave been 

 considered straight and square when they 

 are put into office (and have an opportunity) 

 if they discover that nobody is watching them, 

 because, perhaps, the people have unlimited 

 confidence in their integrity — when they 

 discover, as I have said, that nobody is watch- 

 ing, what a shame and disgrace it is — yes, a 

 disgrace on humanity — that they too have 

 been helping themselves instead of fulfilling 

 their oath ot office, and protecting the peo- 



Ele who elected them! May God help us to 

 ring about a reform and a revival along this 

 very line. May that old tenth commandment 

 — the one winding up the whole list — be held 

 up and glorified by all the world as it has 

 never been held up before— " Thou shalt not 

 covet." 



David was a man after God's own heart, 

 we are told; and he was so in his youth, and 

 even until he had got to be pretty well along 

 in life — a man whose life and character pleas- 

 ed God — that is, when compared with the 

 other people in that early period of the 

 world's history. In the 11th chapter of II. 

 Samuel we read, "The Lord sent Nathan un- 

 to David." Nathan came and told David the 

 king a little story. I suppose the king under- 

 stood it was something that recentlynappen- 

 ed in his domain. There were two men. 

 One of them was very rich, with great flocks 

 and herds. The other was a poor man who 

 had almost nothing, and nothing at all in the 

 way of flocks and herds except one pet lamb 

 which was a great favorite with all the fami- 

 ly. Well, this rich man had a visitor, and 

 tne rich man was in a hurry to prepare a re- 

 past for his guest. But instead of drawing 

 on his own great possessions he sent and got 

 the poor man's pet lamb; and he probably 

 thought that, because of his riches and pow- 

 er, and of his neighbor's helplessness, noth- 

 ing would be done about it. When David 

 heard of it he was so incensed that he decid- 

 ed, after the fashion of kings in those days, 

 that the rich man should be put to death. 

 This severe punishment was probably to be 

 considered a rebuke, and establish a prece- 

 dent. After the king had pronounced sen- 

 tence on this greedy rich man he naturally 

 inquired who it was that had been guilty of 

 such a dastardly act. The old prophet then 

 looked the king squarely in the face and said, 

 " Thou art the man." Oh that we had some 

 such prophets nowadays who would not be 

 afraia to risk their lives, and who would dare 

 to rebuke grievous sins in that way! David 

 had been spoiled by too much prosperity. 

 God, in his loving kindness, had given him 

 every thing. He had wives without number; 

 and, human-like, he was not satisfied. He 

 cast covetous eyes on the wife of another 

 man — the wife of a faithful soldier and a de- 

 voted follower of the king; and because this 

 man stood in the way of his greed he caused 

 him to be placed where his loyalty to the 

 king would be the cause of his own death. 

 Oh that we had more men who could stand 

 prosperity and promotion —who could be 



true steel, no matter how much prosperity 

 and every thing else might be entrusted to 

 their care! May God help us as a people and 

 as a nation." 



Poultry 

 Department 



By a. I. Root. 



CHICKENS IN FLORIDA — MORE ABOUT IT. 



When the 60 chicks in that " basket brood- 

 er" were, the oldest of them, about two 

 weeks old, their quarters were getting small 

 for them; and as I had in readiness a Clough 

 lampless brooder that I have already men- 

 tioned I moved them over on to my newly 

 purchased and fenced acre. This brooder 

 costs $5.00; and the "runway," which is a 

 sort of protected dooryard, is $2.50 more. 

 Well, I sent for the runway particularly, to 

 have them secure from prowlers, even if the 

 front door of the brooder was left wide open 

 nights for ventilation. This dooryard is 

 protected on top with 34-inch-mesn wire 

 netting; and as it is to be placed in front of 

 the brooder right close down on solid ground, 

 the chicks are supposed to be safe. It did 

 occur to me that I had heard of animals dig- 



ging under the edges of the coop or brooder; 

 ut as the directions said nothing about 

 further protection I concluded it was safe. 

 The circular declares repeatedly that the 

 complete $7.50 combination is "animal 

 proof;" and the word animal, to add empha- 

 sis, is in capital letters. Why am I all the 

 while buying more brooders, especially when 

 my own ten-cent one is such a good one? 

 Well, because I want to get fully posted 

 while I am about it. Did you ever have a 

 bunch of chickens that pleased you so much 

 every time you looked at them that you al- 

 most feared some calamity would befall 

 them? Well, it was only yesterday when I 

 saw those first 28 (that came from the Cy- 

 phers incubator) go on exploring expeai- 

 tions over a great part of their new acre that 

 I said to myself, "How I shall enjoy seeing 

 these lusty fellows grow to big fowls before 

 I go back to Ohio in May! " and then I added 

 in thought, " Surely nothing can happen to 

 all oi them at any rate;" and then as they 

 came tearing back, some on the wing, I add- 

 ed, "Did anybody ever see such large gauzy 

 wings before, on chickens only fourteen 

 days old?" Well, listen! this morning when 

 I went out to see my pets, before it was 

 quite daylight, I found one sprawled out 

 dead in front of the entrance. I tore off the 

 hover, and the greater part of my flock lay 

 dead and wounded, scattered all over the 

 floor. Just a few were moving a little, and 

 making pitiful peeps of distress. Investiga- 

 tion showed that some animal had dug un- 

 der the edge of this "animal-proof" run- 

 way, and then just "slaughtered the inno- 

 cents." Five or ten cents' worth of this 

 same ^4 -inch netting on the bottom as well 



