1902 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



747 



and families, too, that have to be helped by 

 the neighbors year after year, that the cir- 

 cus should sjv'eep up the hard earnings, 

 largely from the poorer classes, and leave 

 in its wake something not at all encourag- 

 ing for the Sunday-schools, Endeavor socie- 

 ties, etc. By their fruits ye shall know 

 them. 



THE CABIN IN THK WOODS AS VIEWED BY 

 YOUNGER EYES. 



There has been some discussion among 

 the younger Roots, as well as among some 

 other people, as to whether this locality 

 had any special advantages or whether it 

 was only a 7iotion of mine, or one of my 

 "freaks," such as I have been having dur- 

 ing most of my life now and then. Well, 

 just a few days ago two of our daughters 

 and two grandchildren came for an outing, 

 and we, of course, anxiously awaited their 

 verdict. After three days' experience Miss 

 Carrie Belle (the j'oungest girl) wrote Hu- 

 ber (the younger boy) a letter. Before the 

 letter was posted, Mrs. Calvert (the eldest 

 (daughter) suggested it would do nicely for 

 ■Gleanings. Here it is: 



Dear Huber: — Although only three days have been 

 fpent here in our "cabin in the woods," I am in love 

 -with "the cabin," the woods, the spring-, the wonder- 

 ful views, and even the potato-patch. The scenery is 

 ihe most beautiful that one could imagine outside of 

 paradise or Scotland. Father has made bicycle-paths 

 everywhere through the woods, and there are old 

 I'lmber roads, grassy and dry, underneath, with the 

 trees meeting overhead; and these old roads, even in 

 llie middle of a warm sunny day, are as cool and dark 

 and shadowy as a fairy grotto. The woods are equal 

 to a true Grimm's Fairy Tale forest; and toward even- 

 ing it makes one feel like "The goblins'll get you if 

 ^■ou don't watch out." I imagine that Howard experi- 

 •enced that sensation the other night when he went to 

 the spring at dusk to see a phosphorescent stump. He 

 came chasing back, out of breath, because he had 

 heard a noise and was sure that he had seen a panther. 



There are clumps and clumps of red raspberries 

 growing wild everywhere along the ro^ds and paths 

 in the woods, to tempt one who starts out to take a 

 walk; and the birds— if you understood bird-notes you 

 could hear the red- eyed vireo, the chewink, pewee, 

 song sparrow, field sparrow, vesper sparrow, gold- 

 finch, and, once in a while, the loud iluttering and 

 flapping and rustling of a partridge or the scream of a 

 chicken-hawk. 



From every little hill (there are hills everywhere) 

 we can get the most beautiful view of the bay, extend- 

 ing clear around three sides of us Traverse City can 

 be seen, too, from some places. The breeze which 

 comes from the bay fills one with life and .'■trength 

 and enthusiasm, and it is a pleasure to walk. I feel as 

 if I were ju.st learning to walk up here. The first day 

 father took me to view the beauties of the plantation, 

 and I will warn you right now that he will nearly 

 walk your feet off, and then look surprised when you 

 seem to wish to stop, for there are springs, potato- 

 patches, fine views, curious stumps, wild Juneberrj' 

 hushes, celerv-rcws, beautiful paths, etc., which are to 

 he seen, and it would be hard to find a more enthusi- 

 astic or suitable guide than father is after he has once 

 started on his rounds. It all is really more beautiful 

 tlian I imagined, and the cabin is not a caliin at all, 

 hut a cosv little green-trimmed cottage. 



The second day I was here I walked over to Mr. 

 Hilbert's with father. We took a short cut through 

 the woods; but as we were not acquainted with that 

 -way, and the directions given were not very clear, the 

 " short cut " proved to be two miles while the regular 

 route was only a mile and a half. The way certainly 

 was wild. We walked through avenues of stalks and 

 underbrush where I had to hold both arms straight 

 up, and we climbed logs and rail fences too numerous 

 to mention. In one place we slid down a brushy tree- 

 trunk to a ravine Ijelow, and in another we scrambled 



through a tiny hole in tlie underbrush, about big 

 enough for a " pa'tridge. " We were supposed to be 

 following a path; but it was the wildest path I ever 

 saw. It was fine. It made you feel that you were a 

 real " wild Injun," and that all the woods and air and 

 sky and scenery belonged to yo>i. 



The walk home was just as beautiful, although not 

 so wild. It was a surprise, after we had come into the 

 boundary of our own woods, to be walking along in a 

 deep forest and suddenly come upon a potato-patch in 

 a little clearing. You immediately forgot that yon 

 were a wild Indian, and became a civilized being, 

 until the potato-patch was passed and the dense woods 

 closed around you again. 



We hope that you will come up here soon, and see 

 for yourself all the things that we have been telling 

 you, and learn to walk in the Traverse air. 

 Your loving sister, 



Bingham, Mich., Aug. 11. Carrik Belli:. 



Perhaps some allowance should be made 

 for the above, on the ground that she inher- 

 its more or less her father's disposition and 

 tastes — a "chip of the old block," 3^oti 

 know. 



A NEW APPLE, ETC. 



To-day I sent to you a small basket of Day apples. 

 I hope you will get them in good shape. I want to sur- 

 prise you as to what we can do down here. The trees 

 are eleven years old, and have borne eight good full 

 crops, and there has never been a worm found in one. 

 and I never sprayed. Remember, there are hut few 

 varieties of apples that do well here. J. W. Day. 



Crystal Springs, Miss., Aug. 4. 



The apple mentioned in the above is fair 

 size, very handsome, yellow, streaked with 

 red ; flatfish shape ; deep cut around the 

 blossom end, and quite peculiar- looking; 

 quality excellent, but rather sweet for most 

 people; but this may be owing to the fact 

 they were overripe. I can hardlj' imder- 

 stand wh}' it is never wormj-, if other ap- 

 ples are wormy unless sprayed. The finest 

 apple around the "cabin in the woods" at 

 this date (Aug. 23) is the Yellow Transpar- 

 ent. In fact, I am very much inclined just 

 now to call it the finest apple I ever got 

 hold of. I certainly never enjo3'ed eating 

 apples, at any time in my life, as I do now. 

 This apple is a beautiful waxy white and 

 yellow, and they keep several days after 

 they are as mellow as a peach. In this 

 State you can peel off the skin as you would 

 a verj' ripe peach or plum. They are not 

 nearly as sour as the Red Astrachan, which 

 is also fine here. This cool region seems 

 particularly adapted to apples, especially 

 early ones. 



THE WILD-GOOSE PLUM. 



Mr. A. I. Root :—\ notice in last Gleanings your 

 mention of Mr. Hilberfs wild-goose plums. With us 

 there are trees from different nurseries. .Some bear 

 and some do not. We have big trees here that .scarce- 

 ly ever have a plum on, while other trees are loaded 

 clown with fruit. I have always budded or grafted 

 from heavy-bearing trees. Now. if Mr. Hilbrrt will 

 write me iii the spring I will .send him .some grafts if 

 he will pay postage on them; and if they will not bear 

 it must be" his locality Thev are no more curculio- 

 proofthan the coininou wild plum to which family 

 It belongs. S. H. Blosser. 



Dayton, Va., .\ug. 11. 



