1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



149 



heard the fierce zero wind whistling through 

 the attic. Let me explain that, while our house 

 is warmed mainly by means of hot water from 

 the exhaust steam from the factory, we have, 

 during the past winter, put in a furnace heater 

 to reinforce the water-pipes on Sundays when 

 the factory is not running, and during severe 

 weather in winter. In the attic is a soft- water 

 tank, or standpipe, for the hot-water pipes. 

 Just as I was getting to sleep it occurred lo me 

 that this tierce wind, with the low temperature, 

 might possibly freeze over the standpipe. Then 

 if we should fire up the boiler in the cellar the 

 pipes would be bursted, and the house would be 

 flooded with water at a time when such a ca- 

 tastrophe might turn the scale between life 

 and death. I climbed up into the attic in my 

 night clothing. My teeth were chattering 

 before I reached the tank. Sure enough, it was 

 frozen over. One blow with my fist, however, 

 broke the ice, and then I went down precipi- 

 tately to the cellar to fire up the heater; but 

 when I reached there I remembered that the 

 sick bed was in the room just above. The 

 clatter of shoveling coal and handling the fur- 

 nace might awaken the patient. I picked up 

 lumps of the hard coal with my fingers — enough 

 to make a huge fire that would last until morn- 

 ing. Then it occurred to me that the tank in 

 the attic would stand a very much better 

 chance if it were covered with some carpeting 

 I knew where to get hold of. By the time this 

 was done my teeth were chattering again; but 

 as my sleeping-room had a radiator in it I was 

 soon comfortably warm. 



To be sure that all my racket had not dis- 

 turbed and worried the patient, I stole down 

 once more to the sick-room, and my heart was 

 gladdened on finding not only the nurse sound 

 asleep, but the dear wife was breathing almost 

 as quietly as if she had not been sick at all; 

 and then another prayer of thanksgiving and 

 praise went up to the great God above. For 

 many days and nights before, even in her sleep, 

 there had been groans of distress from the pleu- 

 risy, and incoherent talk from the delirium, 

 that was plain to be heard, even in the dining- 

 room. 



Next morning, when I told iny adventures of 

 the night, Mrs. Root «aid. *• Why. you poor dear 

 husband, it was really wicked to disturb and 

 weary you like that. I think I must have been 

 out oif my head when 1 told the nurse to wake 

 you up. Since you speak of it. 1 have only the 

 faintest recollection of something of the sort " 

 Then they all wondered when I told them that 

 my night experience had been an exceedingly 

 happy one. It wa« a happy one because I was 

 enabled to do service that gave relief and sleep 

 to the dear wife; and when I woke up at inter- 

 vals it was not with that disturbed and awful 

 feeling that I had been having for so many 

 nights before. Let me explain: After the 

 worry and anxiety of the day T would quickly 

 fall into a sound sleep. This will apply to my 

 daytime naps as well as to my sleep at night. 

 When I first wake up it is almost always with 

 a feeling of light heartedness. joy. and thank- 

 fulness; but during this period of uncertainty 

 and anxiety I would wake up as usual, and 

 then would come the feeling. " Oh I what is it — 

 that dull heavy load, that awful dread that was 

 with me when I lay down?" Finally the sad 

 truth would burst upon me. " Oh ! it is the dear 

 wifp;" and then the burdens and care and 

 anxiety settled themselves down upon my 

 shoulders as before. But (xod in his graciou'; 

 mercy has seen fit to give her another lea*e of 

 life, and in so doing has given me back again 

 that precious gift, the greatest gift God ever 

 gave to man, a " helpmeet." 



KATS AND MICE, PIGS AND CHICKENS. 



Some of you may wonder what the above 

 heading has to do in the department for High- 

 pressure Gardening. Well, it has a good deal, 

 as you will see when 1 get to the end of my 

 story. Some years ago I visited a very fine 

 country residence; and the owner, in showing 

 me over his premises, marched us into the 

 kitchen or dining-room. Said he: 



"There, friends, do you see any flies about 

 here? There are no screens up, and the doors 

 and windows are wide open." 



We were obliged to confess that we did not 

 see any; and yet their absence during an Au- 

 gust afitrnoon was so unusual we asked for an 

 explanation. It was something like this: 



*• Boys, the flies do not come here, because we 

 take great pains to leave nothing around that 

 can bait them. Sec here! The place where we 

 wash dishes, and every thing that might at- 

 tract flies, is inclosed fly-tight. These lids shut 

 down as you will notice, so that every thing is 

 so quickly out of the way the flies have not 

 time to get baited and congregate here." 



You see. it is something like letting bees start 

 robbing. I am iu)t sure that flies go back to 

 their home, and bring others along with them, 

 but they operate much in the same way. It is 

 a shame and a disgrace to have a kitchen or din- 

 ing-room blackened up and disfigured by flies 

 or flyspecks. Why! if a body is ever excusable 

 fiir committing suicide. I have sometimes 

 thought it might be the one who is obliged to 

 live and stay constantly in the presence of such 

 filth and annoyance. 



Well. I did not start out to write about flies, 

 so we will switch ofi' by remarking that rats 

 and mice comf under the same category. If 

 you do not bait them or leave articles of food 

 exposed they will not be around. Some of the 

 young friends here on our premises look at me 

 in astonishment because I make a fuss when 

 somebody spills corn, wheat, or other seeds, 

 that mice are fond of. and 1 suppose they think 

 I am getting to be a fussy old man when I com- 

 plain if they do not get every kernel when they 

 go to work to sweep it uu. But I think my 

 head is level, after all. We have no rats or 

 mice in our seed toom; and yet great quantities 

 of seeds and bags are piled up everywhere. We 

 had so much alsike and buckwheat, however, 

 that it had to be carried into a distant building 

 for storage, a few days ago. and pretty soon I 

 was told the mice were just riddling the bags. 

 The cat and bisulphide of carbon were called 

 into play, but still the mice hoihered us. Fi- 

 nally we made a platform of plank laid on some 

 tall stone crocks, and the sacks of seed were 

 stacked on this platform. Now they are un- 

 touched. Then somebody said there were mice 

 in the machine shop. I directed the boys to 

 get a dozen traps and set them all over. Then 

 somebody said there were mice also in our new 

 upper sRw-room. where nothing but lumber is 

 used. What should mice he doing in such 

 placfS? Whv! some of the friends, may be the 

 Tiewer one*, while eating their dinner, careless- 

 ly scattered the f rumhs. or perliaps threw their 

 vinnds on the floor, or into a basket of shav- 

 \ncr<. 



Now. I hone all our helpers will read this; 

 and I hope ihey will help me in carefully sav- 

 ing every «crap and crumb left from dinner. 

 What shall be done with it ? Well, if they will 



