GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



seem as if something -was sure to " happen " 

 the very first day (he pants were worn. 

 Well, dear friends, I had just donned the 

 new pants, and this was the " happen." 1 

 gently sent her to the other side of the 

 room, but she came back like a whirlwind, 

 more fierce than ever. Now, I thought I 

 was cool and gentle, but I am afraid I did 

 say something like this : " Why, j^ou old 

 heathen, who do you think is running this 

 ranch, any way? " I gave her a send with 

 my foot that made her bump against the 

 opposite wall harder than I had intended. 

 She uttered a plaintive moan and then top- 

 pled over. In a moment she recovered and 

 called faintly to her chicks, and then — what 

 do you think? With one wing dragging 

 she came at me again. About this time 

 two things occurred to me. First, what a 

 predicament I should be in if she died with 

 a dozen motherless chicks! Second, it be- 

 came apparent that she would fight with her 

 last breath. It is seldom you can teach 

 dumb animals who is "boss" by brutal kicks. 

 They will fight as long as a bit of breath is 

 left. Ma.y be you have tried it with a kick- 

 ing cow or a balky horse, and, dear friends. 

 humanity is much the same. Neighbors go 

 to law and declare they will keep on, even 

 if it takes the last copper they are worth. 

 " Not by might, nor by power, but by my 

 Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." 



Over in Europe we are now having an 

 illustration of this great truth, on a terrible 

 scale. How about the poor hen? She is 

 alive and well, but she cares for her chick- 

 ens with a broken wing dragging. A good 

 deal of the time it gets between her legs. 

 and must be very annoying. It is to me a 

 constant lesson in regard to " breathing- 

 spells." My friend, how would yon like to 

 go through life, dragging a broken wing 



between your feet and ankles? I must catch 

 her and clip it olf; but I dread another 

 encounter, especially while she has the 

 chickens. 



Shall we not enforce our laws? Yes, our 

 laws must be enforced for the good of 

 community; but while we enforce them let 

 us be sure to pray for the transgressor. 

 Love ye your enemies, do good to them that 

 hate you, etc. 



Tlie following, from Farm and Fireside, 

 very aptly, illustrates what we have been 

 considering. Would not the sam.e tactics 

 close the great war now in progress? 



A friend of mine liouglit a farm with a disputed 

 boundary on one side. He and the owner of the 

 other farm became acquainted, and each found the 

 other a pretty good sort of fellow; but still that old 

 boundary dispute stood between them. The time 

 came for a new fence. 



" Here's the line," said the old settler. 



" / understand," said the new man, " that it is 

 hrrc" 



" No," said the other, willing to cavil on the 

 " ninth part of a hair," " we've always claimed this 

 strip of land, and we must insist upon it." 



" Now look here," said my friend, " I've had this 

 line surveyed, and I haven't the faintest doubt that 

 this strip is mine, but I think too much of your 

 friendship to quarrel about it. Mind, I claim it's 

 mine, but what you say goes. We'll build the fence 

 on one condition — that you set the stakes. I'll make 

 you judge and jury too. Set the stakes and we'll 

 build the fence." 



The old di.sputant squirmed. It wasn't fair, he 

 said, to make him set the stakes. If he set 'em he'd 

 set 'em on the correct line — he'd always claimed that 

 strip, and he always would — 



" All right," said my friend, " but you'll never 

 get it by a lawsuit with me. You set those stakes 

 and we'll build the fence in the morning." 



The quarrel was settled. The stakes were set so 

 as to take the strip from the man who set them — he 

 had been neatly Glendowered. 



T commend Glendow^er's policy to line-fence and 

 boundary disputants everywhere. It may lose you a 

 point once in a while, but it will save you trouble 

 and preserve your self-respect. — Herbert Quick. 



.POULTRY DEPARTMENT 



GREKX STIFF FOR CHICKENS, AND CHICKENS 

 FOR GREEN STUFF. 



The above heading is what I am going to 

 talk about mostly ; but incidentally I expect 

 to wander from my subject somewhat. 

 Since wheat is up " out of sight " I have 

 been asking my poultry some questions, and 

 they have (I think) given me some plain 

 answers. I have, as you may recall, been 

 giving the fowls corn and wheat in those 

 elevated galvanized tubs whenever they felt 

 disposed to fly up after it. At the same 

 time we have sprouted oats for them to dig 

 up. and usually some other kind of sreen 

 stuff about every day. Added to all this 



they have ground fresli bones about twice 

 a week. Yes, there is one thing more. We 

 keep a bin of middlings to mix up with 

 various stuff from the kitchen ; and with the 

 small potatoes (too small to cook) boiled up 

 and mashed with the shorts or bran. With 

 the above "menu" we have been getting 

 close to four dozen eggs a day from five 

 dozen hens during March. We cut off the 

 wheat, however, about the first of the year, 

 and were feeling pleased to see the egg- 

 yield keep up so well. 



Well, a few days ago the hens were fol- 

 lowing me about, so'iietimes getting under 

 my feet, and evidently wanting something 



