886 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Fig. 13. — Sweet clover bordering the road — the white variety on the left and the yellow on the right. 



about our craft. After sifting away the 

 chaff, there is a bulk of wheat left. Why, 

 then, is it? I can think of only one reply, 

 not to our credit, and that is that we over 

 here are too lazy. We are satisfied with 

 contributions to our Bee Journal and Rec- 

 ord — very good papers, and not to be sur- 

 passed for useful reading-matter; but we 

 should keep more in touch with you. 



Now, even across the Atlantic, I think I 

 can hear some one say, " Practice what you 

 preach. Set the example, and write yourself 

 more frequently." Well, there are two or 

 three ways of looking at that proposition. 

 First of all, there are your editors to consid- 

 er. They might not think my manuscripts 

 worth the paper they are Avritten on, or the 

 penny stamp it costs to post, and forthwith 

 throw it in the waste-paper basket (which I 

 am informed is rather caf)acious), with the 

 ejaculation, " What rubbish ! " I almost 

 think they would be right. When I come 

 (o think of it, my bump of conceit must be 

 fairly well developed to have the " cheek " 

 to tell other people what to do. Another 

 way of looking at it (this time from my 

 IDoint of view), I could not pretend to do it. 

 It is rather too tall an order. There are 

 many " specialists " whose writings I am 

 sure would interest you. I only attemjDt a 

 chatty letter, with just occasionally a glim- 

 mering streak of wisdom, a friendly some- 

 thing now and then from the old country. 



" The old country ! " Why do we like you 

 better than the other boys? Sentiment is 

 out of fashion, does not exist, it is said. 



Don't you believe it. It can not be gotten 

 rid of. Why, you might just as well tell 

 me the sun does not shine, or the earth does 

 not go round. Why, then, do you call us 

 " the old country," and why do we give you 

 the place nearest to ourselves? (I seem to 

 be always asking questions and answering 

 them myself.) Because you are so knit to- 

 gether with us by blood relationship. Is 

 there a single family in Great Britain, high 

 or low, rich or poor, which has not got its 

 ofl'shools with you, forming units of your 

 great nation ? and " blood is thicker much 

 than water." Do we not both speak the 

 same language? and, being related in kin- 

 ship, are also related in the currency of 

 thought and literature. These are strands 

 in the mighty cable which lashes us insepa- 

 rably together. 



But we beekeepers — have we not another 

 link to unite us? " There is a freemasonry 

 in beekeeping; a beekeeper is a brother to 

 fellow beekeepers all the world over." These 

 golden words were said to me by Mr. T. W. 

 Cowan. Would you have an object-lesson, 

 an example? There is one at yotir door. 

 Refer to the November issue of your con- 

 temporary, the American Bee Journal, and 

 its very last words in the article, " With the 

 Editor in Sunny France." "We are getting' 

 badly spoiled, for we are welcomed and 

 feasted, and comiDlimented everywhere. We 

 did not realize that we could find so many 

 friends in Europe." This, of course, might 

 be expected to happen to Mr. Dadant, whose 

 name, of course, is known where beekeeping 



