1909 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



43 



ane lifetime. Well, old friend, we're neither of us yet living in 

 the past, there's so much to look forward to in the future, and 

 there's such a glorious present — the best period in the history of 

 the world — but it's worth while now and then to stop just a min- 

 ute and look back over the way through which we've been led. 



That first visit to Medina was an event — at least with me. At 

 that time you didn't know me, but 1 knew you. Among the 

 writers for Tht Amtrii.in Bte Journjl at that time was one who 

 wrote over a nom Jr tlumr. " Novice," whose writings attracted 

 me more than any other. There was an infectious enthusiasm 

 about them. Successes and failures were recorded with equal 

 fullness. So when I learned that the real name of " Novice " 

 was A. 1. Root, and that he lived at Medina, Ohio, I made sure 

 to take in Medina the first time 1 was in that part of Ohio. It 

 was somewhat out of the way, and the only way I could get there 

 was by stage. Think of it! with the fine railroad facilities there 

 are there now. 



Although 1 had kept bees some four years longer than you, 

 you had far outstripped me in making a brilliant success of it, 

 but I think I was your match in enthusiasm: and, didn't we talk! 

 Not a few times since then we have been bedfellows at conven- 

 tions, and it so happened, on account of a visiting relative, that 

 there was a shortage of bed room that night, and we occupied 

 the same bed. The last thing I remember before dropping to 

 sleep was your detailing a scheme for running the sap from maple 

 trees directly into the hives. Whether you intended to have a 

 hive under each tree, or. anticipating John D. Rockefeller, have 

 a system of pipe-lines, I do not now remember. Your scheme of 

 having a hive planted in a hotbed was not on the carpet just at 

 that time. I wonder just how much of romance and wild schem- 

 ing there must be in a man's make-up to make him a real success 

 in any particular line. Carried too far, it makes a man a mere 

 visionary, who never gets anywhere, but it's doubtful that there 

 ever was a really successful bee-keeper who did not more or less 

 indulge in day-dreams. He'll make a lot of blunders and go 

 wild in many things, but he'll have a lot of fun while doing it, 

 and he'll finally get there. And you got there. 



I didn't make an inventory of the things I learned while there, 

 bot I may remind you of one thing you learned from me. 1 

 showed you my way of smoking bees. Think of it! Giving in- 

 struction in smoking bees to a man who has sown bee-smokers 

 by the thousand all over the world! I'm not sure, but previously 

 your plan was, perhaps, to have a burning brand to be held in 

 the hand. I can not imagine your using tobacco — the usual 

 practice at that time. Well, my improvement was to have a 

 pan of burning coals on which the smoking brands could lie. 

 You seemed quite pleased with the acquisition, bnt within a day 

 or so your burning pan set fire to the sawdust you had piled in 

 front of a hive, and you came pretty near burning up the whole 

 business. 1 wonder if that started you in having such an interest 

 in smokers. Probably you would have made smokers all the 

 same if you had never used an old tin pan, but your true enthusi- 

 ast is always tickled over the slightest improvement, for it's al- 

 most stretching the use of the word " improvement" to apply it 

 to the pan as compared with holding the brand in the hand, 

 blowing with the breath in either case. 



It has always been a pleasure tome to remember that I did not 

 fail to speak an earnest word, when the opportunity offered, that 

 might help at least a little in starting in the way of righteous- 

 ness one who has since done so much to guide others. " A word 

 in due season, bow good is it!" 



First and last I've written a good bit about bees in my time, 

 and I wonder if you know that you gave me my first real start at 

 it. When comb foundation was first mentioned I was somewhat 

 eager to learn about it. I thought I'd like to know how the 

 thing was made, and wrote to you for particulars. But I looked 

 in vain for information in succeeding numbers of the American 

 Bit Jtumal, for, of course, it was not possible for you to tell me 

 how to make foundation without any thing in the way of a ma- 

 chine. All the same I tried my hand at it. I don't know that I 

 had any idea that foundation should be embossed. I poured hot 

 wax into a pail of water, and it cooled into a sheet, but it was 

 not a very thin sheet. The bees used it, however — after a fash- 

 ion. Then I dipped a sheet of paper in hot wax, and the bees 

 did not such bad work with the coated paper, 



Ernest suggested that Dr. Miller did have 

 some failures, and some of them not very long 

 ago. In answer to the question, he replies as 

 follows: 



The years 1901 and 1906 were failures. Formerly poor years 

 outnumbered the good. The proportion has been reversed, good 

 years now being the rule. 



In the upper corner of a brood-frame, where the bees never 

 used it for brood, was a piece of coated paper that had writing on 

 it, and for years I could hold it up to the light and see the writ- 

 ing. Possibly it is in existence yet, but I don't know where. 



Well, that was not what started me to writing for t>ublication, 

 bat it was writing to you at another time that did. Sections 

 made their appearance, and I didn't make satisfactory work 

 fastening foandation in them. That was before the day of foan- 

 datioD-fasteners, and the only sections were four-piece, the top- 

 bar having in it a saw-kerf in which the foundation was held, 



the top-bar being split partly open to receive the foundation. 

 You had by that time started a little publication in which you 

 answered questions — although it had the same name it differed 

 no little from Gleanings of to-day — and in tnat you agreed to 

 answer any questions sent to you. So I wrote, asking how to 

 put foundation in sections. In order that you might fully under- 

 stand the case, I described in detail just how I had been doing, 

 even making a little diagram. Imagine my mixed feeling of 

 surprise, disappointment, and gratification, upon finding my letter 

 printed in next Gleanings, word for word, diagram and all, 

 with never a word of reply, and you paid me for it! I thought if 

 it was worth while to write about things I couldn't do, it might 

 be worth while to write about things I thought I could do, and 

 I've written for Gleanings several times since. 



You've been wondering whether, when I've had such fine 

 crops of honey, I've said, " Praise God, from whom all bless- 

 ings flow." 1 don't think 1 ever did. I used a more direct form. 

 If some earthly friend should give me so much nice honey, the 

 least I could do would be to say, " I thank you;" and as I have 

 taken super after super of nice sections from the hive, I've always 

 had the feeling that each one was handed to me by the loving 

 heavenly Father, and many and many a time I've said aloud, 

 with no one but God and the bees to hear me, " O God! I thank 

 thee!" What a comfort it is to know just who it is that gives us 

 such nice things, and to be able to thank a real person for them, 

 instead of having a general vague feeling of thankfulness without 

 anybody in particularto thank! 



While I think it may be good policy for some to renew their 

 queens frequently, I'm in hearty sympathy with you in thinking 

 that many a queen would have the best of her life cut out if not 

 allowed to live beyond a certain date. Some of these days I be- 

 lieve more attention will be paid to longevity than it now re- 

 ceives, and it's rather poor encouragement toward that sort of 

 thing if a queen is told that if she makes any attempt toward a 

 long life the punishment for that sort of ambition will be a 

 violent death. 



Well, well! what a lot of changes in bee-keeping as well as 

 in other things have taken place " since first we were acquaint!" 

 and I don't see that we're nearer the end than we were at the 

 beginning. Just as many new problems are coming up as ever. 

 I'd like to see what new ones bee-keepers will be struggling 

 with twenty years from now. Yes, I zvould like to live to be a 

 hundred, if for nothing else than to tag along after you and Terry 

 to see how you make it. And no doubt a live interest in bees, 

 poultry, potatoes, or whatever, will help to make one live longer. 

 Possibly, however, it isn't best to live too long. Five minutes 

 taste of the next life may make us wish we hadn't stayed so 

 long here. Each year of this life seems better than the last, and 

 I'm sure the life ahead will be better than this. 



C. C. Miller. 



Marengo, 111., Nov. 24, 1908. 



TEMPERANCE. 



BEE-KEEPERS AS TEMPERANCE REFORMERS. 



On p. 1332, Nov. 1, 1 said that brother York's 

 address would probably be found in the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal; but as I do not see it there we 

 hai.e concluded to give it in Gleanings. It was 

 delivered at the Detroit meeting of the National 

 Bee-keepers' Association, among some other 

 "toasts" given at the second evening session. 



Mr, Toastmaster — Ladies and Gentlemen: — The pathway of the 

 reformer is usually strewn, not with flowers, but with hardships 

 and some stings. It is not unlike that of the bee-keeper, at least 

 so far as it relates to stings, only the bee-keeper's stings are of a 

 different character and source. 



I think it was the poet Whittier who advised young men to al- 

 ly themselves with some unpopular righteous cause, and then pusn 

 ro make it win. The day was when the temperance cause could 

 be classed with the unpopular causes, but not so to-day. It is 

 rapidly getting to be very popular these days to be on the side of 

 temperance and prohibition of the liquor traffic, and against the 

 open legalized American saloon. 



But are bee-keepers temperance reformers? My experience 

 with them for nearly a quarter of a century has very clearly shown 

 that practically all bee-keepers are on the side of temperance and 

 prohibition, and the rest are coming fast. Bee-keeping and in- 

 temperance don't go well together. It is a combination that 

 would be likely to result in more stings^ and may be some "snake- 

 bites " as well. Surely the beo-keeper who indulges in strong 

 drink is stung and bitten in more ways than one. 



" I have such an indulgent husband," said a good lady. Where- 

 upon her friend, Mrs. Spiteful, said, "Yes. so John says. Some- 

 times indulges a little too much, doesn't he? " How thankful is 

 Mrs. Beekeeper that her husband is among the right kind of in- 

 dulgent ones! 



