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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Nov. 1 . 



lieve it met with more favor witla the young or 

 middle-aged ; and it might seem out of place 

 for a man of my age to be letting his thoughts 

 run a good deal in the direction of " the girl I 

 left behind me." Yes, every mile I passed re- 

 mindtd me that I was so much nearer, not only 

 the girl I left behind me, but the other girls and 

 boys flocking around her, to say nothing of the 

 grandchildren; and my heart overflowed at the 

 thought of meeting them all again after an ab- 

 sence of two months. I fell to musing a good 

 deal, and I don't think 1 was as talkative as 

 usual; but in coming through Georgia I over- 

 heard some of the young farmers talking about 

 planting for watermelons. Said I: 



'• Why, do you dare plant watermelons as ear- 

 ly as this, especially when you are having such 

 severe frosts ? " 



" Why, stranger, some of us have found that 

 it pays to plant very early. If the weather 

 should swing around favorable, and these ear- 

 ly-planted seeds grow, we are that much ahead. 

 But we do not place very much dependence on 

 this very early planting, however. Most of the 

 large melon-growers commence very early, and 

 then put some more seeds in the same hill, say 

 every week, for several weeks. If the first and 

 even second planting is killed, then the third 

 will probably come on all right. The seed costs 

 but little; and at this season of the year, when 

 we have not very much to do, the time costs but 

 little, as the hills are a good way apart: and in 

 this way we make a sure thing of reaping the 

 a,dvantage of an extra-early spring if we should 

 have one." 



Now, friends, is there not a big idea here? 



As I go over that pleasant visit of two months, 

 and think of the friends I found there, I feel a 

 great longing to go over the same ground once 

 more. There were several points that I did not 

 explore to my full satisfaction, because of poor 

 health. Providence permitting, I may at some 

 future time give you some further glimpses of 

 that land of flowers and sunshine. Let me con- 

 fess to you that, when I kneel down at night, 

 after the cares of the day are over, I can ask 

 God's blessing on the friends away down in 

 Florida, with a better understanding of the 

 matter than I ever had before. 



Our Homes. 



Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth 

 them, and flsh likewise.— John 31: 13. 



And they g-ave him a piece of a broiled flsh, and 

 of a honey-comb. And he took It, and did eat be- 

 fore them.— Luke 24: 43,43. 



I have been teaching the " meat cure " pretty 

 vehemently for some time back, dear friends; 

 and after Ernest backed me up on it as he did, 

 I confess I felt somewhat anxious. Suppose I 

 am making a mistake. Suppose the good 

 friends who have been cured, together with 

 myself, have unconsciously got into that state 

 of mind, like the Electropoise patients, and 

 that I am really doing the thing I have so 

 strongly condemned, of imagining a good deal. 

 It would indeed be a serious matter. I have 

 prayed earnestly over it. For four years of my 

 early life I was a vegetarian. I have by no 

 means forgotten the arguments I used then. I 

 often think of them; and I have prayed that 

 God would open the way to discover if some 

 vegetable product might not be found that 

 would do all lean meat does, and thus avoid, at 

 least in part, the taking of animal life. 



After a slight attack of my malarial chills 

 last summer I said to Mrs. Root, " If there is a 



doctor on earth who can get me out of these 

 troubles I would willingly give him .?1( 00;" and 

 I prayed over it — not for my sake alone — of 

 course not— but for the sake of suffering hu- 

 manity whom I try to leach "doctoring with- 

 out medicine." God has answereti thai prayer, 

 or. at least, it seems so; and it didn't cost flOOO' 

 either. Of late 1 have been pleading with the 

 great Father again. I have asked him if it 

 were not possible that we might enjoy the 

 fruits and grains, so luscious and plentiful, at 

 least in moderation, while we secured health. 



Little by little as I prayed, my mind began to 

 turn toward the great sanitarium of Battle 

 Creek, Mich. — toward the peculiar people who 

 live tliere, and who not only live on vegetable 

 diet, but who persist in having their Sunday on 

 Saturday. May be the idea was suggested 

 somewhat by the fact that we had received an 

 order from them for a carload of stuff for boxes 

 to contain their " health crackers," etc. I said 

 again to Mrs. Root, " Dear wife, I would give 

 another $1000 to know how to keep well, and to 

 teach others, if it could be done, and still allow 

 them to have bread and butter, peaches, baked 

 apples, etc." 



As Battle Creek stanas at the head in this, I 

 felt it might really be a duty to visit, there — a 

 duty I owed to the readers of Gleanings, to 

 pay them a visit, that I might not lead them 

 into error. If I am to teach " doctoring with- 

 out medicine," surely I ought to see both sides 

 of every phase of the matter. 



At this crisis a letter came that almost seem- 

 ed to have the finger of Providence in it. 



Dear Friend Roof;— I have wanted to have you 

 come here and see how our Institution is run, ever 

 since I have been here; but I felt as if I was a 

 cracker from the Flatwoods. that I did not care to 

 say too much about it; but in some way your work 

 was mentioned tlie other day before some of our 

 manag'ers here, and tliat broug-ht up the subject of 

 A. I. Hoot. Of course, we are interested in any 

 thing that will forward educational work, and lead 

 to better living' and happier homes and happier 

 people. The manafrement instructed me to say to 

 you that, if you would come here and visit us, we 

 would furnish the transportation, and consider you 

 our gruest while here, and I should be pleased to 

 have you come and see a business that is conducted 

 without a view to money-making', but whose entire 

 profits are to be used either in the betterment of 

 the plant or in charity. We have a family now of 

 about 1300 peonle, patients, guests, and helpers, and 

 1 think it would do you good to come and see some 

 of our meetings. Irving Keck. 



Battle Creek, Mich., Oct. 8, 189.5. 



I replied at once, accepting with thanks the 

 kind invitation, of course declining to let them 

 pay any of my expenses, for I always want the 

 privilege of speaking through Gleanings with- 

 out bias, unprejudiced by fear or favor. On the 

 23d of October, as I stepped from the train I 

 was glad to see the friendly face that greeted 

 me -'o kindly last winter at Bowling Green, Fla. 

 Little did friend K. or myself expect, when we 

 parted away down at Bartow. Fla.. to meet so 

 soon, and under such changed circumstances. 

 But I must hasten. At the Battle Creek Sani- 

 tarium it is the custom, once a week, for pa- 

 tients and others who may wish to attend, to 

 be instructed by Dr. Kellogg in regard to health 

 questions. Questions are sent up by the audi- 

 ence, and Dr. K. answers. It was my good for- 

 tune to be present on just the very evening of 

 one these health-lectures. 



Of course. I drank in every word, and I did 

 it with almost as much intense interest as I 

 pursued the subject of bee culture years ago. 

 I am going to try to report the teachings of the 

 evening pretty fully, as I am sure they are of 

 interest and value to all; and may God give 

 me grace to lay aside all my own prejudices (if 



