1902 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



437 



Blessed are the meek ; for they shall inherit the 

 earth.— Matt. 5:5. 



Charity suffereth long, and is kind. — I. Cor. 13:4. 



But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then 

 peaceable, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy. — 

 James 3:17. 



I have spoken several times of the spring- 

 on our place, away over at the further cor- 

 ner of our 40 acres, and over one-fourth 

 mile from our "cabin" — the one that runs 

 300 barrels a day. Well, that spring-, after 

 running- a fewr rods, g^radually disappears 

 in the black sandy loam and woods dirt, 

 and this spot has always been covered with 

 the rankest and most luxuriant veg-etatiou. 

 When I first saw it I declared I would some 

 day clear it up and try it for celery, onions, 

 etc. Not only did all kinds of wild flowers 

 flourish here, but it was a reg-ular thicket 

 of maples, elms, ashes, basswoods, etc., 

 from 1 inch to 6 inches in diameter. The 

 huge stumps bore witness that at one time 

 great trees flourished here ; but they were 

 all cut ofl^ j'ears ago. We have just cleared 

 up about half an acre about this spot. 



On the morning before commencing the 

 work, I remember asking God to prepare 

 us for the trials and vexations that the day 

 might have in store for us, and to give us 

 the Holy Spirit in our hearts that we might 

 disarm and drive out the evil one, should he 

 come near and gain a foothold. My helpers 

 were two boys, two men, and a splendid 

 team of heavy horses. The small trees I 

 have mentioned were cut oft" two or three 

 feet up, and the big team then "yanked" 

 them out with a stout log-chain. You may 

 say this is a simple matter; but I very soon 

 decided there was considerable science in 

 pulling stumps, especiallj^ where there were 

 so many small ones. A team heavy enough 

 to pull a green elm four or five inches 

 through is necessarily unwieldy, and should 

 not be backed, or turned around any more 

 than can be avoided. The owner of the 

 team commenced by pulling one, then back- 

 ing up to get the next close to it, and so on. 

 Well, elm roots are sometimes a rod long ; 

 and when the team has hold of it they 

 should, of course, go ahead until every long 

 root is loose, so the boys can gather and get 

 them out of the way rapidly. Now, the 

 team must either back up this distance or 

 turn around and go back, then turn about 

 again. I suggested we pull alongside of a 

 strip of stumps, so that, when the last root 

 was torn loose, the chain could be quickly- 

 released, and without moving the team (or 

 going back), wrapped around the stump 

 that happened to be nearest. At the end of 

 the row, turn about; do the same thing back 

 again, or, better still, keep going round 

 and round a "block" of stumps. After 

 overcoming a great many objections to this 

 "new departure" I got men and team to 

 working nicely, and almost expected Mr. B. 



to thank me for showing how to save the 

 strength of the team, and his own, while he 

 did almost double the work. When I came 

 round an hour later, however, I heard, be- 

 fore I got in sight, the well-known yells of 

 "Back! back! back!'''' indicating they had 

 got back on the old plan again. I inquired 

 what the trouble was with the new way, 

 overcame the objections, and got them start- 

 ed right once more ; but all da}' it was the 

 same way. While I was near, ever}' thing 

 went on smoothly with no backing, or al- 

 most none ; but when I was fairly out of 

 sight they fell back in the same old "rut." 



Now, friends, I know this is no new thing. 

 The good wife has it over and over with the 

 hired girl ; and not only farmers, but every 

 one who hires help of every kind, has more or 

 less of it. Yes, I know very well that sonie- 

 ti)nes the hired man has the better head of 

 the two, or perhaps knows his own business 

 better than does his employer, but there is a 

 world full of people who can't believe there 

 is any better way than the one their fathers 

 used or that the neighbors all around them 

 use. 



Well, during the second day, when Mr. B. 

 was tired out, and the big team was tired 

 out, and tired out, too, with so much yelling 

 and "backing" (at least so it seemed to 

 me), / got tired of so much waste of time 

 and strength. Many of the little saplings 

 were but little larger than a good-sized hoe- 

 handle; but the great teain must go through 

 with the same program. I asked, as pleas- 

 antly as I could, why not work on the plan 

 I had taught him. What do you think was 

 one of his reasons ? Why, he said his horses 

 could not stand it to keep pulling stumps 

 right along one right after the other. 



I replied, "Very good, Mr. B., that may 

 be true; but would it not be better to pull a 

 few and then let the team stand still and 

 rest? There certainly is not much resting 

 for you or tliem either in backing or turning 

 around every time you pull a sapling that 

 one light horse might pull easily." 



To tell the truth, I was getting somewhat 

 provoked by such obstinacy, and more pro- 

 voked by such philosophy. I fear I had 

 forgotten my praj'er of the morning, and 

 forgotten, too, the beautiful admonitions in 

 the texts at the head of this talk. Mr. B. 

 was tired and nettled, because he saw my 

 temper was coming up. He replied hotly : 



"Well, Mr. Root, if my work doesn't suit 

 you, you pay me oft' and g-et somebody else. 

 I have worked very hard, and done the best 

 I know how." 



My hand went in m}- pocket for his money 

 almost involuntarily ; for, as a rule, with 

 few exceptions, when a man asks for his 

 pay and says he will quit, there is nothing 

 to do but to pay him oft'. When my hand 

 got down into my pocket I remembered mj' 

 money was all left at the house, and I also 

 remembered my prayer in the morning. 



" Mr. B., it will be a piece of folly for you 

 and me to quarrel now, after we have got 

 along so nicely together, I don't want you 

 to work any harder — in fact, not so hard. 



