878 



GLExVNINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 



The plants were not accurately spaced, and 

 they d=d not economize the ground under 

 the glass, when that ground was so extreme- 

 ly valuable. Some of the plants were nearly 

 a foot apart, others perhaps two inches ; and 

 when plants were pulled up for market, the 

 ground was not at once prepared, and more 

 plants set out, as we do it in our green- 

 houses, lint my mission of the morning had 

 been accomplished ; I knew just how if was 

 done, even though I had played truant a lit- 

 tle in being " late to school." I had also 

 seen it demonstrated that poultry can ])e 

 made to do beautifully, and lay right through 

 the winter, by a modification of the manner 

 in which we raise plants in the winter time. 

 Many of the poultry-journals say that artifi- 

 cial heat makes fowls tender, and engenders 

 disease. I should put it this way : Artificial 

 heat in the hands of a slipshod manager will 

 probably engender disease and feebleness in 

 either plants or animals. There is no suc- 

 cess in any thing without intelligent pains- 

 taking. 



The time approached for me to take the 

 train home. I asked the president for per- 

 mission to say a word or two to tlie friends 

 before I left. In mv brief talk I closed up 

 with the little text at the head of this talk. 

 I then wanted to get away as quietly as pos- 

 sible, that I might not disturb the interest 

 of the meeting by going out before the regu- 

 lar close. But, up hopped our jolly friend 

 Jones, and proposed a recess of live "minutes 

 .so that they could all shake hands with 

 " Bro. Root " before he went away. I per- 

 sisted that it was a little too much disturb- 

 ance and diversion ; but his motion was car- 

 ried with a good deal of merriment. Now, I 

 had already shaken hands a good many times 

 with almost all the bee-friends there, among 

 them quite a number with whom unpleas- 

 antness had at some time occurred. There 

 was one brother present who had, some time 

 before, publicly charged me with something 

 of which I was entirely innocent. At the 

 time he did it I wrote to him, giving him 

 full proof of his mistake, asking him to cor- 

 rect it as publicly. He had never done it. 

 Of course, I did not feel very much like 

 shaking hands with him while" he let that 

 unjust charge stand before the bee-keeping 

 world. While the rest were shaking hands 

 with me before my departure, lie came up 

 too and put out his hand. I remembered at 

 once that he had not yet recalled his un- 

 truthful accusation, but I quickly decided 

 that it did not matter (so far as concerns my- 

 self) even if he never did. I had just had 

 proof that I had as many friends — yes, a 

 good many more, than I deserve ; and what 

 does it matter, even if some people do believe 

 me greedy and unprincipled ? There are 

 plenty of others who do not. I put out my 

 hand as pleasantly as I ever did, and gave 

 him a hearty " God bless you, friend Blank." 

 Now, I did not mean by this that I vvished 

 that God would prosper him in doing wrong, 

 but I did mean that I wished tliat God 

 would prosper him in all praiseworthy un- 

 dertakings. My friend, did you ever pass 

 through a similar experience V 



At night I arrived at Elyria ; and as I 

 was tired and sleepy I turned eagerly toward 



the first hotel in sight. After I had asked 

 for accommodations I discovered that one- 

 half of the hotel was a beer-saloon, and a 

 rather hard place for a Christian at that. 

 What should I do y Why, put up with it, 

 and do all I coidd to bring about " thy king- 

 dom come," etc. Before lying down as usu- 

 al, I knelt and prayed for those I had left ; 

 and I not only prayed for the bee-keepers, 

 and for the editors of all the bee-journals, 

 but I prayed for the saloon-keepers as well ; 

 and before my head had touched the pillow I 

 was astonished to find a great flood of happi- 

 ness and peace pouring into my soul, and 

 the feeling I have often mentioned before, as 

 though invisible friends were all round about 

 me. It Avas not very strange, after all. I 

 had fought against my natural temptations, 

 and had allowed the spirit of Christ to tri- 

 umph ; and suddenly there came into my 

 mind the Avords of the old hymn, that I al- 

 ways like at such times. I began to sing the 

 tirst lines, and was a little surprised to find 

 that the words came sharp and clear to my 

 memory, so I sang the verse all through: 



Know, my soul, thy full salvation; 



Rise o'er sin and fear and care; 

 Joy to find, in every station. 



Something- still to do or bear. 

 Think what Spirit dwells within thee; 



Think what Father's smiles are thine; 

 Think that Jesus died to win thee: 



Child of heaven, canst thou repine? 



Then came delicious, health-giving sleep ; 

 and as I sank into unconsciousness it seem- 

 ed to me as it never had l)efore, perhaps, that 

 he Avho has God for a friend has nothing to 

 fear, either in life or in death. 



Dear reader, these are my last words to 

 you at the close of the year 1885. I thank 

 you for having followed me in my humble 

 efforts thus far ; and may the blessing that 

 only God the Father can give to his children 

 be your portion ! 



EDIT0]^I)qk 



Isaiah 55 : 12. 



HOW DEEP SHOULD WE PITT OUR SUB-EARTH VEN- 

 TILATORS? 



It depends on what we want the warm air for, I 

 think. For a cellar for wintering- bees, perhaps 

 three or four feet is all that is necessary. If we 

 want warm air for a cold frame to grow hardy 

 plants, perhaps we shall need to go as deep as eight 

 or ten feet, to get the best results; but I hardly 

 think the temperature is higher at from 40 to 100 

 feet in the earth than it is down 8 or 10 feet. 



SWARMINO OUT IN DECEMBER. 



TiiEY left the old hive and went as far as a quar- 

 ter of a mile. It is true, the parent stock suffered 

 some depletion, but yet there is quite a goodly 

 number left yet. It was not bees that swarmed out, 

 and it was not the queen, but it was the queen- 

 clerk Lizzie, and Ernest went along with her, to 

 start a new home. The happy couple are just now 

 on tlieir way to visit friends in the east; but they 

 expect to be back in a few days, and take up their 

 permanent abode within about a fourth of a mile of 

 the paternal mansion, as before mentioned. 



