682 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



October, ini9 



we came down to the place of starting we 

 whizzed thru the air at such a terrible 

 breakneck speed it seemed there would 

 have to be a crash of some kind when we 

 struck the ground; but the operator tilted 

 the machine so that the rubber wheels first 

 just skimmed the grassy slope uphill; and 

 the stop was quicker and easier than we 

 stop our best railway trains, with our most 

 expert engineers and latest improvements. 



Just a word about the cost of such a trip. 

 One reason why I objected at first was 

 that I was afraid I might be setting a bad 

 example before the younger ones around 

 me. One son, two sons-in-law, three gi'and- 

 children, and several of our office girls 

 made the trip. Perhaps they could afford 

 to pay $2.00 a minute for 71/2 minutes of 

 such experience;" but the whole wide world 

 is just now talking about the high cost of 

 living. Our good President and the good 

 men and women back of him are right in 

 warning our people to be careful, and to 

 be saving of their money, even if we are 

 getting better wages than ever before, and 

 to economize in every way. No doubt, the 

 price of a trip will soon come down. There 

 is going to be plenty of competition very 

 soon. One of my grandsons said something 

 like this: 



" Grandpa, if you will buy me a flying- 

 machine, which will cost you only $2,000, 

 I will take you down to Florida in about 

 six hours." 



I think the above is a little exaggerated, 

 but it may soon come to pass. And, by the 

 vv-ay. can somebody tell me something about 

 what is being done by means of this won- 

 derful gift from God toward helping mis- 

 sionaries in spreading the gospel? Is it 

 the onlv thing that can at present do the 

 work? " They are talking about exploring 

 the north pole in this way, and perhaps 

 that is all right; but is it not of far greater 

 importance that we should use it for fol- 

 lowing out the dear Savior's injunction. 

 " Go ye therefore and teach all nations,'" 

 and, "' lo, I am with you, even unto the end 

 of the world"? 



"I suppose most of you have noticed certain birds 

 that have the remarkable faculty and skill of being 

 able to remain stock-still while in the air. The 

 hummingbird in particular shows this trait. "Well, 

 when we were up at the highest point there was 

 quite a brisk north wind, and the operator almost 

 stopped the engine; in fact, I could see the blades 

 of the propeller quite plainly, and then I discovered 

 he was regulating the speed so that it would just 

 about equal the wind; and there we were for several 

 seconds suspended, as it seemed to me, .stock- 

 still It may have been dropping just a little. I 

 was afraid there was something the matter with 

 the engine, and that we were going to drop to the 

 CTOund right on top of our factory: but after he 

 had let me .see that standing still was possible when 

 the wind was just right, the motor speeded up and 

 we were otT again. 



A " SKY PILOT " AND NO MISTAKE. 



After the above was dictated I found the 

 following in the Bible Societies' Record for 

 August : 



SCBIPTURES BY AEROPLANE. 



By Bev'. A. Wesley MeU. 



Dan Davison, the aviator who piloted the Bible 

 plane, was called the world's first " sky pilot " for 

 the Scriptures. 



At 3:30 p. m. the aeroplane circled the field and 

 flew out over the Pacific Ocean, circling higher and 

 higher until it had reached an altitude of 4,000 

 feet. It then started eastward for its one-hundred- 

 niile journey, flying over San Francisco, Berkeley, 

 and other cities, en route. Two hundred Gospels 

 were dropped from the skies on these citie.^. 



THAT WONDERFUL WISCONSIN HEN. 



We have several times been enjoined to 

 be careftil about saying a thing can not be 

 done, for this is an age of accomplishing 

 seeming impossibilities. The excitement 

 just now is in regard to a Wisconsin hen 

 that lays 16 eggs in one day, 77 in one 

 week, and 151 in a month. Those of you 

 who want full particulars should hunt up 

 the TJterary Digest for July 19. Aside 

 from the story in that journal, a young 

 beekeeper. Milan Huber, Bangor, Wis., has 

 written us several letters from time to time 

 in regard to this hen. I wrote him at first 

 that hens sometimes become egg-bound and 

 skip two and maybe three days, and then 

 afterward lay two and possibly three eggs 

 in tlie course of a few hours. Now, a clip- 

 ]ung from one of the newspapers sent by 

 our young friend Huber suggests that the 

 owner of the hen, or somebody else, takes 

 advantage of this " freaky hen," and by 

 some sleight of hand manages to get extra 

 egss into the nest. From the statement sub- 

 mitted, however, this seems to be impossi- 

 ble; for we have a sworn statement from 

 what is supposed to be a good man that he 

 sat down in a rocking-chair and kept watcli 

 until this hen laid 13 eggs. 



This is dictated on the 21st of August. 

 Should any explanation occur before this 

 goes into print T will try to keep our read- 

 ers informed. 



On page 467 of our July number I said 

 as follows : 



"It is a wonderful task for a hen to lay 

 a fair-sized egg every day ; and to do this 

 she must have the best of feed, and have 

 it at frequent intervals." 



Now how does the above (which I be- 

 lieve is absolutely correct) sound when we 

 are told (as above) this wonderful hen laid 

 several? 



