1910 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



455 



lation, and in much less time than a horse 

 and buggy, and at only a fraction of the ex- 

 pense. 



"liut," the reader will say, "'how about 

 bad roads in the spring when the mud is 

 bad?" I'se the livery, of course. A motor 

 cycle will not run in the mud; but a high- 

 wheeled auto buggy will negotiate mud 

 about as well as a horse and buggy. 



There are two or three auto buggies, with 

 high wheels and solid tires, that can be 

 bought at about STUn. If one wishes to com- 

 bine business and pleasure, particularly if he 

 wishes to take a man with him to and from 

 the yards, then an auto buggy would be 

 better than a motorcycle, although one can 

 carry an extra man behind by i)utting on 

 what is called the tandem seat. In this 

 connection one can carry considerable light 

 luggage by having a luggage-carrier on the 

 rear or just back of the saddle. After one 

 becomes expert he could probably carry two 

 or three empty hives filled with frames of 

 foundation or an equal bulk of supers con- 

 taining sections and foundation; but I would 



Auto Buggy made by the Auto Bug Co. This machine Is well adapted for running 



In the mud. 



not advise any one on the first few trips to 

 try to carry any luggage, because he may 

 have a bad spill. In any event, the foun- 

 dation must be very securely fastened, for 

 riding on a motor cycle is a good deal like 

 riding on horseback. There is considerable 

 jolting; and while the rider can ease up at 

 the bumps, because he can stand on the 

 pedals the same as he does on an ordinary 

 bicycle, the luggage in the rear has to take 

 the full force of all the jolts. 



Now let us go back to the consideration 

 of four-wheeled vehicles. If the roads are 

 fairly good, and one wishes to do some tour- 

 ing and combine business and pleasure, I 

 would advise getting a pneumatic-tired out- 

 fit. If he feels that he can not afford the 

 more expensive machines he will find the 

 two-cylinder five-passenger Reo, such as we 



use, or the little four-cylinder Ford, cajjable 

 of carrying four or five passengers, about as 

 reliable outfits as he can purchase. If one 

 wishes a more luxurious riding machine and 

 can afford to pay a little more let him get a 

 4-cylinder Reo at 81250, or a 4-cylinder Over- 

 land at the same price. I happen to know 

 that the 0\ erland is a first-class machine 

 and a splendid hill-climber. I am not sure 

 but that I shall get one when I get a new 

 machine. A full-page advertisement of it 

 will be found elsewhere. These machines 

 are made in immense factories so that the 

 cost of production is reduced. 



The chief cost in the way of maintenance 

 of an automobile is the pneumatic tires. On 

 a Ford a new set would cost somewhere in 

 the neighborhood of 8125. Jiy careful driv- 

 ing they will run two years, but for fast and 

 reckless driving they would not last a year. 

 I make tires last about two years, and some- 

 times more. I rarely drive faster than fif- 

 teen miles an hour, and much of the time 

 slower than that. As a natural consequence 

 my two-cylinder Reo, listing at $1000, has a 

 very low up-keei). For three years tliis ex- 

 l^ense, including repairs and rejilacement of 

 tires, has been only $50.00 per year. Fast 

 driving, or "joy rides," as they are called, 

 are expensive for repairs, and rei^lacements 

 will sometimes about equal the cost of the 



machine in a 

 single year. 

 There is no 

 earthly excuse 

 for fast driv- 

 ing, and people 

 will be killed 

 by the score 

 until our laws 

 are better en- 

 forced. 



Where roads 

 are bad and 

 ruts are deep, 

 and there is 

 need of clear- 

 ance under the 

 a X 1 e t r e e , we 

 would ad\ise 

 the use of solid 

 tires and high 

 wheels. They are not as easy on the ma- 

 chine and the engine; but with careful 

 driving there is no reason why the run- 

 ning gear should not give good service. If 

 one wishes to drive in muddy roads and 

 gooti roads all the year, the high wheels and 

 solid tires are a long way ahead of the low- 

 wheeled i)neumatic tires. In this connec- 

 tion I wish to make it very clear that pneu- 

 matic tires, even though they have chains 

 on, are not adapted for running in the mud. 

 If I get caught in a storm and have to drive 

 in the mud I do it, but I do not like the job. 

 On the other hand, from some tests that I 

 have made and seen, the high-wheeled solid 

 tires will run in the mud almost as well as 

 a horse and buggy. Such machines come 

 nearer being all the year-round machines 

 than the other type. If one has macadamiz- 



