1909 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



23 



BOOK REVIEWS. 



A CORRECTION. 



In the November 15th issue we stated th.it the price of 

 "Bui't and Used by Poultryinen " is 25 ets. A recent 

 letter from the publishers advises us that they can not 

 sell this book for less than 50 cts. We hope that none 

 of our readers have been inconvenienced by our mis- 

 take. 



THE CHILDREN'S STORY OF THE BEE. 



This new volume, by S. L. Bensusan, London, is 

 written in the interests of children, and the author en- 

 deavors to tell the story of the bee before a youthful 

 audience as completely as possible under the circum- 

 stances. It traces the life of the drone, queen, and 

 worker from the ess to the final destiny of each, tell- 

 ing the story of the life of each in a semi-fanciful way 

 that is most entertaining. At the same time, the book 

 gives a very clear notion of its life, and will appeal 

 strongly to those who know little or nothing about 

 these interesting insects. The volume is illustrated ; 

 has 250 pages, 8vo; price $2.00. 



The American Magazine offers its subscribers some 

 unusually good reading for the coming season. There 

 are articles on current topics of keenest interest to ev- 

 ery one. Short stories and serials by our best con- 

 temporary writers; in fact, all the departments of this 

 magazine grow more interesting with each isbue. The 

 December issue contains among other numbers the 

 following: "A Christmas Mystery," by William J. 

 Locke. "James Keeley, One of the Greatest New Ed- 

 itors in the World," by William Hard. "A Vision of 

 the New Christianity," by Roy Stannard Baker. " Bar- 

 barous Mexico," by John Kennet Turner. " A Sketch 

 of Robert T. Lincoln." by James Osman. " The Amer- 

 ican Woman," by Ida M. Tarbell. 



KIND WORDS. 



SOME ALL-AROUND KIND WORDS. 



I failed to receive Gleanings June 1st. Through it I 

 wish to express my thanks to its writers and publish- 

 ers for my splendid crop of honey this season. Had it 

 not been for the chance number dated May 15, 1906, in 

 which I took such an interest, my knowledge of the 

 management of bees would have been impossible. I 

 subscribed at once, and a few weeks later bought 

 four qut-ens from Mr. Titoff and began to study the 

 habits of the bee. When my golden beauties arrived 

 I had new eight-frame Dovetailed hives in readiness, 

 with three for each nucleus. As it was a poor year, 

 and in the dry season, when blacks could not make a 

 living, I fed, with an inverted fruit-jar, sugar and wa- 

 ter; and when I came home from the mine at 5 P.M. my 

 little pets were as delighted to see me as the Jersey 

 cow, the Berkshire pigs, or the White Plymouth Rocks. 

 When I came with their supper and pushed the hive- 

 cover to one side to put in the jar they were as eager 

 for their dinner as any of the above-mentioned pets. 

 They would gather in such numbers, right where I 

 wished to place their feed, that it was difficult to get 

 the jar down without injury to some. On these oc- 

 casions they would run over my hands and up my 

 sleeve, and show joy in so many cute ways that I real- 

 ly derived as much joy as they; and when time arrived 

 for them to hatch I was as fond of them as I was of my 

 ten-months boy. In a very short time they had crowd- 

 ed the feeder into an upper story. When they were 

 just seven days old I saw them in the pumpkin-blos- 

 soms getting pollen. How they would run around the 

 ■central stem on their tiptoes to collect the yellow meal 

 on their glossy little backs! 



I like Heads of Grain very much, and should like it if 

 more space were devoted to it. There are many valu- 

 able things any one deeply interested may pick up, and 

 would give such freely if you would only give space. 

 We can not all express our knowledge in a clear-cut 

 and forcible manner, and we are not all correct in 

 spelling and punctuation, which you who have grown 

 up in the business may think would detract from the 

 value of a high-class magazine; but you should remem- 

 ber your business has grown out of the pennies of the 

 poor rather than the twenties of the rich and educat- 

 ed. I do not say this to criticise but rather to advise 

 and suggest, for I believe you have the best interests 

 of both bees and their keepers at heart, regardless of 

 their educational qualifications. 



Before closing I wish separately and especially to 

 thank A. I. Root, that grand old man who has grown up 

 through and out of the bee business, for what he has 

 told us about bees in these last few years; and for the 

 kindly way he has in making us feel we are in the very 

 presence and company of a good old grandfather who 

 has taken a special interest in every one of our special 

 selves— who takes us into his garden, his chicken-yard, 

 his apple-cellar, his travels, his home, his heart, and 

 his confidence, and describes and points out the many- 

 little things which go to make life pleasant and the 

 goodness of God plain. These are things we had enjoy- 

 ed all our lives, but were too dull and stupid to see as 

 written in our Homes. A. D. Herold. 



Sonora, Cal., Aug. 1. 



[Many thanks, friend H.. for your very kind letter 

 and your report of how much you have enjoyed intro- 

 ducing Italian bees in your locality. Your vivid de- 

 scription takes me back to the time when I paid Rev. 

 L. L. Langstroth $20 for my first queen-bee. 



In regard to spelling and punctuation, send the let- 

 ters right along. It does not trouble us a bit; but I 

 will tell you what does trouble me since my eyes have 

 become somewhat dimmed in my old age. It is writ- 

 ing with a leadpencil, the marks being hardly visible, 

 on poor yellow paper. I do not care much about the 

 spelling; in fact, I rather enjoy short cuts in spelling; 

 but it does try me, and sometimes vexes me, I fear, to 

 be obliged to spend a lot of valuable time in decipher- 

 ing faint pencil-marks. 



HARD CIDER, AND CIDER JUST A LITTLE HARD. 



Dear Mr. Root.— I thought I would let you know how 

 much I enjoy your Home talks and temperance lec- 

 tures. Do you think that cider that is slightly hard 

 will develop a taste for more dangerous alcoholic bev- 

 erages such as beer, wine, and whisky? I like cider 

 when it reaches this stage, but believe in keeping on 

 the safe side. I have never been drunk, and hope I 

 never shall be. H. B. L. 



Afton, Va., Oct. 18. 



[Many thanks for your kind letter, friend L., and the 

 confidence which you seem to have in my judgment. 

 In regard to the cider it is a hard matter to determine 

 just when it has passed the dangerous stage, and on 

 this account I have thought best to let it alone entirely. 

 Of course, I would not object to sweet cider, the very 

 day it came from the cider-mill; but even then I fear 

 the example is bad. Just assoonas it gets hard enough 

 to give the least indication of intoxication, even when 

 drank in large quantities, the danger begins, and there 

 have been about as many murders and suicides from 

 the use of hard cider as almost any thing else. Touch 

 not, taste not, handle not, is a very good motto for all 

 these questionable drinks. I prefer to take my cider 

 right out of the apples themselves, as you will notice 

 if you have been reading GLEANINGS.— A. I. R.J 



I have been reading your sermon in Our Homes, and 

 am anxious to inquire what you believe future punish- 

 ment consists in; or do you not believe in future pun- 

 ishment? You say you do not believe in everlasting 

 torture by fire and brimstone or any other agency. 

 What do you understand by Luke 17:24, and Mark 9:44, 

 46, 48? These are not the words of Job or Solomon, 

 but of Christ himself. What has the question of 

 Abraham, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do 

 right?" to do with or rever.<e the above quotation? 

 When Jesus said to the thief on the cross, "This day 

 shall thou be with me in paradise," \yas it not in an- 

 swer to his prayer to be saved, with faith in the prom- 

 ise of Jesus that, "Whosoever cometh to me I will in 

 no wise cast out"? and, again, "It shall come to pass 

 that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord 

 shall be saved." I lost my dear wife the 9th day of 

 March last, and I believe as you do— that our departed 

 loved ones are not ignorant of our life and sorrow, and 

 that they still love us more than ever, notwithstanding 

 the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6. 



Cottage Grove Minn., Aug. 11. J. P. FuRBER. 



My good friend, I can not answer your question in 

 the fore part of your letter — that is, I can not give any 

 better answer than those I have recently given in these 

 pages; but I can utter a most hearty amen to your sug- 

 gestions in regard to the thief on the cross. May the 

 Holy Spirit be with you, and help you in your sorrows 

 in consequence of the loss of your dear wife. 



