564 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 



sorry a bit. In fact, I felt glad to think my 

 neighbor got his thirteen acres secured in 

 nice shape. They commenced on mine 

 about four o'clock! There were indications 

 of a storm when we got started. If nothing 

 happened we would get through before dark 

 and before the storm. One of our best men. 

 and one wlio usually handles the team, said 

 he could pitch it on" faster than the boy who 

 was pitching it, if I thought it best for them 

 to swap places. The boy, ulthough a splen- 

 did one for any kind (>f luiid work, was not 

 much used to handlinu a team ; and, against 

 mv better judgment, I consented to letting 

 him load and dricc The load was on, and 

 they were hurrying to reach the machine be- 

 fore the otherload was off, when he uncau- 

 tiously drove near where an under-drain had 

 been made some time before. The wagon- 

 wheels cut into the soft damp ground so 

 that the load was stuck. The storm and 

 night had almost come. What did wisdom 

 dictate':' My decision was to stop the ma- 

 chine, drive the otlier empty wagon along- 

 side, and pitch oft part of the load. One of 

 the men belonging to the machine said he 

 could make that team pull that load out of 

 there, lie v^orried the team, strained them 

 to their uttermost, broke t>ro whitfletrees. 

 and even then did not get it out. Another 

 man said his team would pull it out. I beg- 

 ged to have the empty wagon run down and 

 take it slowly but .-oinhi. The new team 

 broke the harness: and when they got it 

 hxed, the horses got discoui-aged and woidd 

 not try any more. Tlien scantling and plank 

 were carried to pry the wlieels out. After a 

 delay until it began to sprinkle, indicating 

 the coming of the storm, my plan was adopt- 

 ed. >.'ow, I am very well aware that many 

 good teamsters (wliich I am not) will often 

 get a load out by mak'nuj the horses take 

 right liold of it when they think they can't 

 doit ; in fact. 1 have seen a good many loads 

 pulled out, when I should have gone for 

 another wagon. l»ut all things considered, I 

 like my way best. 1 do not like to see horses 

 whipped, nor made to strain themselves to 

 their uttermost. How often a little wisdom 

 will help the work along! In this case a lot 

 of hands stood idle a long while, while the 

 rain came up and night came on, which 

 might all have been avoided had 1 listened 

 to the convictions ot my best judgment, and 

 not intrusted any one but an experienced 

 driver, and one who knew llie '" lay of tlie 

 ground." Wlien the rain began to come 

 down so as to make sure that the work nuist 

 be stopped, all hands turned inand\\orked 

 like '' beavers" in loading what we did not 

 get thrashed, on to our tluee empty wagons, 

 and pushing them into slipds and warehouses, 

 luitil l)y eight o'clock our grain was all se- 

 cure. Nien and teams worked hard, and 

 strained every nerve, witliout supiier or feed, 

 until my property was secured. We are all 

 human, and wp all lack in judgment many 

 times ; but as 1 went to bed that night 1 had 

 reason to thank (iod that o\a- little band 

 during tliat emergency weie limut^t and ^ »", 

 for not even the smallest boy liad shown tlu^ 

 least bit of objection to their severe liard 

 work, without a bite of supper until long 

 after their usual time. 



This morning our colt " Nancy " is sick. 

 She probably worked too hard, especially as 

 it was slippery and severe on a horse with- 

 out shoes. Some of the friends declared 

 that I had better send for a '■ horse-doctor." 

 Now, then, Avhere is wisdom once more? If 

 -I knew of an cdmatcd Chri^tinn man who 

 has a good reputation for doctoring horses, 

 I should gladly send for him. Do they have 

 such in your neighborhood, friends? I con- 

 sidered the matter a while, and finally de- 

 clared that if Nancy were going to die. she 

 should die in the natiual way. and not from 

 the effect of powerful drugs whicli I have 

 often seen administered to sick horses, and 

 the poor dumb friends died after all. " Even 

 the most powerful kinds of medicine 

 wouldn't save them,'' so the horse-doctor 

 said. Now, dear friends, very likely I have 

 not any great stock of wisdom ; but this one 

 thing makes me feel happy : I am searching 

 diligently for wisdom day by day ; yes, plead- 

 ing the p/m?u",sr tiod has given at' the head 

 of this little talk. 



]'. »S'.— Nancy is dead! \Vhen it was cer- 

 tain that her malady was no trifling one, I 

 sent for our family physician and two or 

 three men whom I knew to be conversant 

 Avith horses, and more or less accustomed to 

 handling sick horses. I was pleased to 

 know that the doctor had once studied as a 

 veterinary surgeon : but he frankly admitted 

 that it is "often very difficult indeed to decide 

 what is best to do with a sick horse, and he 

 is as much opposed as I am to guessing at 

 the trouble and then administering ])Owerful 

 drugs. ]Many times relief is given by me- 

 chanical means or appliances, and of course 

 we should always spare no expense in avail- 

 ing ourselves of the most intelligent and ex- 

 perienced help in saving these dumb friends 

 of ours from sulfering. liut let us hope that 

 the age is fast passing away, of (/Kcsxhvj at 

 the trouble and then (ji(€,sf<ing again that some- 

 thing that Avould kill a well horse might 

 possibly hit the trouble and correct it. 



HAVING FISH FOR PETS. 



OUT HOW TO KEEl' 

 Ht)USi;. 



HEM IN THE 



HEN I was youny-, and did not have much to 

 do, 1 loved pets of all kinds; but my favor- 

 ites now are fisli, and I nearly always have 

 some of one kind oi' another. As I write 

 lean look up to a shelf by a shady win- 

 riow and see four lovely earp in a five -gallon 

 demijohn. It is clear and nice, and the fish look as 

 if tloatins in air. The bottle is two-thirds full of 

 water. The laifrest flsh is about fom- inches long; 

 t)ut in the bottle he looks to be six inches. 1 prefer 

 a bottle to a globe, because they hold more water, 

 and so it does not need renewing so often. 



The first w(>ek after |)Utting the little fellows in 

 their cage you must change the water four or five 

 times a day; but after that they will not need 

 changing oftener lluin once a week. You can al- 

 ways tell when to change the water, for they will 

 put their noses out of it and hang their tails straight 

 down and Hoat around that way. Do not put the 

 coldest water you can get on carp, but let it be with 

 the first chill oflf, or It vriU stififen them right out 



