1026 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



irrepressible Detwiler. A photograph of 

 the living subject could not be more accu- 

 rate than this model in clay, for it shows 

 the man at a single glance as he is. 



I made Mr. Detwiler's acquaintance in 

 Toledo some years ago when Dr. A. B. 

 Mason was alive. The two were fast friends. 

 One day at a bee convention Mr. Detwiler 

 came in with a very crooked stick and said 

 he wanted to present it as a souvenir to the 

 venerable Dr. Mason, the presiding officer. 

 He could " talk by the yard," but he could 

 not make a " presentation speech." Then 

 he asked Mr. Emerson E. Hasty " to do 

 the job " — the same Hasty who delighted 

 our readers some twenty and more years 

 ago by his bright and breezy articles. Mr. 

 Hasty jumped to his feet; and as he did so 

 he said, "Do you want me to make a speech 

 right on the spot ? " 



" Right on the spot," responded Mr. Det- 

 wiler. 



As the former looked at the latter, and 

 saw his rough exterior, he east his eyes on 

 the cane with all its knots and curves and 

 crooks; and as he looked at the venerable 

 president with a beaming smile, Mr. Hasty's 

 face suddenly lighted up. 



" Sir," said he, " I see in this cane some 

 knots, some twists, and some curves ; tnd I 

 see in it strength and character. It has had 

 some rough experiences. It is like the man 

 who gave it, and it is like the man who 

 receives it. Both are men whom I delight 

 to honor. I thank you." Then he took his 

 seat. 



Some twenty years after this event, and 

 when I had forgotten all about our old 



Clay portrait bust of J. Y. Detwiler, of Florida. 



friend Detwiler, I ran across him at New 

 Smyrna, Fla. I say " ran across " him. 

 He had written that he hoped I would call 

 and see him. That he entertained me by his 

 continuous flow of words goes without say- 

 ing. 



A HOUSE BUILT BY THE BEEKEEPER, AND PAID FOR BY THE BEES 



BY B. KEEP 



Accounts of successful beekeeping as a 

 livelihood are interesting and encouraging 

 as showing the spirit of hopefulness and 

 persistence wliieh animates the real bee- 

 keeper. The real, simon-joure beekeeper 

 should be classed with tlie natural-born in- 

 ventor who always sees success ahead, and 

 is sustained by hope ana faith in his efforts 

 until success rewards liis labors. 



It is not often that the liking for honey 

 induces one to take up beekeeping; but 

 Robert B. Spicer, of Wharton, N. J., con- 

 fesses that his love of honey made a bee- 

 keeper of him — not at the first with any 

 thought of making it his lifework; that 

 came as a natural sequence. 



Mr. Spiecr grew up in the country where 

 there are more boulders than tillable soil — 



in fact, in the iron-mining section of New 

 Jei-sej', and soon found more profit in cul- 

 tivating bees than stony hillsides. He has 

 been at it now more than twenty years. 



He has had his " ups and downs " too, 

 having been entirely cleaned out by foul 

 brood about ten years ago ; but through 

 that experience most valuable knowledge 

 was gained by which he has since been able 

 to keep his bees fiee of diseases to the 

 present time. He was able to save most of 

 his equipment, and has hive bodies still in 

 use which were disinfected witli a blow 

 torch at that time — the disinfection being 

 evidently entirely effective. 



Mr. Spicer has been engaged during the 

 last six years in raising queens, and is 

 about the only beekeeper of this state large- 



