903 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 15. 



until afternoon. The gentlemanly proprietor 

 dropped his business to tell me about au old 

 acquaintance I wanted to tind, called him up 

 through the '• phone," then took me out for a 

 ride on a new " Companion " bicycle. This 

 machine, while it has only two wheels, carries 

 two people side by side in just the nicest way 

 for a •' visit," and one of them need have no 

 skill or practice at, all. Mr. W. E. Roach, the 

 owner, finally took a man weighing over 200. 

 who had never been on a wheel, and took him 

 around as nicely as could be. I really believe 

 this arrangement is going to open a new era in 

 cycling. 



Dec. 5.— I have just ridden several miles on 

 the new wheel, and tested it over quite rough 

 roads, and it is all its name implies, and all 

 that is claimed for it. Friend R. contemplates 

 using it to show travelers over the city. He 

 does quite an extensive business renting wheels: 

 and with'the new one a guide could go along 

 and give lessons in wheel-riding, and at the 

 same time show all the points of interest. For 

 circular in resard to the wheel, address W. E. 

 Roach, 307 W. Commerce St., San Antonio, Tex. 



Our wheelride was to a beautiful spring a 

 little out of the city. The water is beautifully 

 clear and pure as it gushes forth into several 

 circular rocky basins. Speckled trout, bass, 

 and other handsome fish dart in and out of the 

 rocky crevices. As no fishing is allowed, they 

 are very tame. A water-plant, with bright- 

 green round leaves, grows in the bottom. The 

 water seemed quite warm, but it was a very 

 cool morning. My friend says that, in a hot 

 summer day. it seemed very cool and nice to 

 drink. 



San Antonio has numerous artesian wells, 

 and, in fact, the city is supplied from these. 

 Some of them are hot enough to supply the city 

 baths. One well, when first drilled, sent a 10- 

 inch column of water 30 feet high. It was 

 brought under control, and now fills the city 

 mains with water under pressure, soft enough 

 for washing, drinking, etc. By the way, I for- 

 got to mention that in New Orleans they have 

 numerous artesian wells also. I wonder if the 

 various towns and cities that find these precious 

 stores of pure water, without even the need of 

 pumping it up, always remember to " praise 

 God from whom all blessings flow." 



Mr. D Ainsworth (a Medina boy years ago) 

 overtook us on our wheelride. and I took a seat 

 in his buggy, leaving my good friend R. to run 

 his double wheel home alone. San Antonio 

 has one of the finest military posts in the way 

 of grounds and buildings in the United States. 

 The establishment is on a beautiful rise of 

 ground, and we were so fortunate as to be pres- 

 ent during the artillery and cavalry drill. I 

 kept wishing Mrs. Root could be present, as she 

 is always so much in love with fine trained 

 horses. As they bounded over the beautiful 

 grounds, accompanied, in response to the bugle 

 call, with other military music, it made one 

 think of the carnage of battle. May God forbid 

 that either men, horses, or cannon should ever 

 be needed for such work again. I don't know 

 but that I have fallen in love with San Antonio 

 and its 40.000 to .50,000 people just a little. 



The only farming crop in this region is cot- 

 ton. This they grow, and depend upon buying 

 every thing else. Near the cities there are 

 truck-gardens that depend on irrigation; but 

 cotton needs no irrigating, and so in the coun- 

 try there are no gardens, or almost none. 



Dec. 7.-1 reached the Atchley plantation 

 Saturday night, just at dark. I call it planta- 

 tion, for no other word seems to describe it. 

 Three years ago they located here, 2}4 miles 

 out in the country, that they might have room 



for their apiaries, and also that their family of 



children {nine at the present time) might be 

 brought up away from the dangers of the town. 

 As ground room is cheap, their buildings are 

 all one story; and in order to have plenty of 

 room and abundance of ventilation on all sides, 

 their home building extends out pretty long, 

 and the rooms are all separated by broad 

 porches or covered passageways. In these 

 warm climates the cooking-stove is kept well 

 away from the dining and all other rooms. The 

 buildings are all new and well finished; in fact, 

 it is hard to understand how they have been 

 able to do so much in just three years, even if 

 there are nine of them, children and all. 



Bees are everywhere. A log "bee-gum" 

 stands by the porch, another hive on the porch ; 

 bee- hives all through the front and back yard; 

 and as 1 write I am cheered by the hum of busy 

 workers going out and in a hive that has stood 

 for months close beside the office door, the bees 

 going in and out through the open door. Now. 

 this door is a busy thoroughfare all day long; 

 but the bees watch their chances and dodge 

 between your feet, sometimes a yellow shower 

 of them waiting for people to get out of their 

 way; and then the joyous hum as they gain 

 the entrance! Why, it sent me back to years 

 ago when I spent hours studying and listening 

 beside an observatory hive. These bees never 

 sting; they have become so accustomed to the 

 business of the oiifice thftt they take it as a 

 matter of course. Tell me that bees can't be 

 tamed! Why, I could sit here for hours and 

 enjoy watching them. 



Now, friends, here is a plan for a house- 

 apiary; Make a little building, say 13x14 feet, 

 and have a door at each end. Set 6 hives on 

 each side, right on the floor. Open the doors 

 every morning when it is warm enough, and 

 close them every night. Don't have any win- 

 dows, and you have your house-apiary com- 

 plete. 



This hive I am speaking of was started by 

 accident with only a handful of bees. They 

 came through the frosty and cool nights all 

 right, because there is a little fire in the office 

 almost every day, and they are now gathering 

 honey when almost all the strong colonies out- 

 side are idle because the morning is too cool. 

 The gentle heat from the fireplace near them 

 sends them out at the open door an hour or two 

 before the rest. 



Here I am talking about this one hive of bees 

 when I have not shown you round outdoors at 

 all. Well, right out by the road is the hive- 

 factory. It was after dark Saturday night be- 

 fore the whistle blew for shutting down. The 

 Atchleys have discovered the advantage of fill- 

 ing orders promptly, even if it does require get- 

 ting up before daylight and working after dark. 

 Of course, the factory is not very extensive, but 

 every thing is neat and in order. The arrange- 

 ment of their building facilitates this. The 

 office where I sit writing is far enough away so 

 as to be safe from fire if the factory burns. The 

 printing-office is also a separate building. A 

 shaft carries power from the factory. The lat- 

 ter is not insured, because it can not be done 

 down here for less than ten per cent. 



Mrs. Jennie Atchley, who now sits by my side 

 writing, is a very hard-working woman. I have 

 been pleading for a little vacation for her. She 

 not only raises queens, but she goes into the 

 factory and makes the queen-cages herself. In 

 building their house she sawed off the boards 

 and nailed them on, doing a large part of the 

 inside finish. When we consider that at the 

 same time she looks after nine children, the 

 youngest (Jennie Bee) only 14 months old, we 

 can realize something what this woman has 

 done. Mr. Atchley himself is the scholar of the 

 family. All correspondence, and all that is 



