890 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 



of. lumber, has had a good deal to do in de- 

 ciding on the width. Practical articles on 

 this matter would be very acceptable 

 just now. We should also like to hear from 

 others, whether brace-combs are sometimes 

 built through the honey-board, as Dr. Mil- 

 ler explains, and whether such building 

 through is frequent, or only of rare occur- 

 rence. In regard to the break-joint feature, 

 I never could see that such arrangement of 

 the slats made any appreciable difference 

 one way or the"; other, and I have watched 

 the thing in our apiary quite closely. There 

 were, so far as I could observe, just as many 

 brace-combs when the slats were break- 

 joint as when they were not. Ernest. 



In addition to what Ernest has said, I 

 would say that I well remember friend 

 Hall's thick top-bars. I think it was the 

 first intimation that ever came to my know- 

 ledge, that having the top-bars very thick 

 would answer the same purpose as the hon- 

 ey-board in discouraging the building of 

 bridge -combs up against the sections. I 

 told him, and I can not help thinking now, 

 that getting the bees so far away from the 

 brood would not only discourage bridge- 

 combs, but it would discourage them from 

 going into the supers. There has been a 

 great deal of complaint already, that full- 

 blooded Italians are slow to commence in 

 the boxes. Now, is it not true, that, the 

 further we get surplus sections from the 

 center of the brood-nest, the more we in- 

 crease this difficulty ? 



J. M. JENKINS. 



A SKETCH BY A FRIEND. 



gT M. JENKINS, of Wetumpka, Ala., is a native 

 cJl of tDat state - and was b°ra Jan. 17, 1856. 

 |w| His early boyhood was attended with many 

 " ' incidents of an interesting character, 

 which, for lack of space, we must allow the 

 reader to learn of by cultivating a more intimate 

 acquaintance with him. When he was but fifteen 

 years old his father was killed by the explosion of a 

 boiler in the sawmill of which he was part owner; 

 and, as is frequently the case with the widowed and 

 the fatherless, the settling-up of affairs was so 

 managed in the interests of others as to deprive 

 them of their rightful share in the property, and 

 they were left with but small means at their com- 

 mand for support. 



The family now consisted of the mother, the son, 

 and two younger sisters. With more keen percep- 

 tion of duty than is usually found in a boy of his 

 age, Master Jenkins realized that the cares and re- 

 sponsibilities of becoming the man of the family 

 practically devolved upon him. 



At this time of life he was slight of build, and 

 rather delicate in health; but he bravely put forth 

 his best efforts to fill the place so sadly made va- 

 cant. The family were living upon a farm at the 

 time, and. naturally, the efforts of our young 

 friend were first turned in this direction; but his 

 good will and purpose far exceeded his physical 

 ability, and farming was not a success. The moth- 

 er, in her faithful love for her children, and pur- 

 pose to keep the little band together, finally de- 

 cided to move to Birmingham, Ala., with a view to 

 bettering their condition. From early childhood 



the boy had manifested a great love for machinery, 

 and it was his ambition to learn a machinist's trade, 

 and to eventually become an engineer. Having a 

 fixed purpose in view, he sought a position in this 

 line; but being a stranger, and without influence, 

 he was unsuccessful in his efforts to find an open- 

 ing. At last a chance acquaintance, learning of 

 the boy's eager desire for employment, offered him 

 a job in the round-house of the Louisville & Nash- 

 ville K. R., at Birmingham, as a wiper. For the 

 benefit of our young readers, especially the boys, I 

 will explain that the duties of this position requir- 

 ed him to wipe off the grease and dirt from the lo- 

 comotives as they came in off the road; draw the 

 fires, fill the sand-boxes, shovel the tenders full of 

 coal, load on wood, turn the engines on the turn- 

 tables, and fire them up for the outgoing trips. 

 Now, this was all hard, dirty work, and I fear that 

 some of our boys would shrink before such a task. 

 But our young friend was resolute in his purpose; 



J. M. JENKINS. 



and as this opening was in line with his ambition to 

 become an engineer, he gladly accepted the posi- 

 tion at $1.25 per day. Considering his age (seven- 

 teen) and his slight build, it is a marvel that he ever 

 endured the work; but his true pluck manifested 

 itself to such a degree that the company, recogniz- 

 ing his worth, offered him a position as fireman on 

 a locomotive, at the expiration of five months' ser- 

 vice in the round-house. Many predicted certain 

 failure for him here, on account of the arduous du- 

 ties ; but again he was victor of the situation. 

 Wholly upon his own merits he rapidly arose in the 

 estimation of the company, and, having become 

 thoroughly competent to run an engine, at the age 

 of twenty we find him running a switch-engine. 

 In 1878 (now twenty-two years old) he was put up- 

 on the road as a full-fledged engineer. As an evi- 

 dence of the high esteem in which he was held by 

 his company, two years later he was tendered the 



