AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



87 



fit for the delicious bread that his thrifty 

 wife bakes every other day ? Does his 

 front yard look like it? The house is 

 surrounded with "plauten," quack-grass 

 and burdock, except here and there a 

 big bare spot that the dog lies in to cool. 

 Where a beautiful lawn ought to be, 

 "pussley"and weeds abound. Where 

 white clover and melilot should make 

 the air redolent with sweetest perfume, 

 the stench of decaying vegetation would 

 paralyze a Chinaman ! Where roses, 

 honey-suckles and hollyhocks should be 

 in abundance to beautify and cheer the 

 home that the "women folks" work to 

 hard to improve, there the festive mul- 

 len raises its head toward the eves, and 

 the wild buckwheat clings and thrives 

 for next year's ample seeding. 



Go just beyond, into what the leige 

 calls his orchard, and what conditions 

 do you observe ? Apple trees big enough 

 to bear bushels, and feed colonies on 

 their fragrant blooms, dying from suck- 

 ers and borers ! Dead limbs left as 

 skeletons to bleach with the suns of 

 years. The ground in which the trees 

 stand is covered with briars and bram- 

 bles that a goat would not deign to 

 tramp through. Is it any wonder that a 

 place so bereft of flowers, shade and 

 fruit, should afford little substance for 

 honey ? Why, if it were not that the 

 busy bees steal substance from his neigh- 

 bors, they would themselves starve to 

 death ! 



And what is the remedy ? Common- 

 sense and earnest work ! Root out your 

 weeds; manure plentifully ; let the plow 

 in deep ; harrow well, and sow on enough 

 white clover seed on both orchard and 

 lawn. Let the children sprinkle all the 

 soap-suds to make fast growth ; borrow 

 a knitting-needle, look up the borers' 

 holes, and push the needle in — it will do 

 its work. Carefully cut off all the 

 suckers and dead limbs; lay bare the 

 neck of the trees, and put around each a 

 good, big shovel full of those ashes you 

 have near the house— they will manure 

 and add new life to the trees, and make 

 it mighty uncomfortable for the next 

 crop of borers. 



In fact, use your common-sense and 

 energy ; then will blossoms come, bees 

 thrive, honey plenty, fruit In abundance, 

 and the family rejoice at the greatly 

 improved appearance of the dear old 

 homestead. You will be the wonder and 

 the envy of your good old neighbors. 

 They will look over the fence, admire, 

 and feel impelled to imitate your good 

 example. Methinks I hear them ex- 

 claim, " Verily, Brother Jones hath 



taken upon himself a veritable • hus- 

 tle !' Great is Bro. Jones !" 



So do, and I pledge you a sweeter 

 smile from the dear wife, and greater 

 admiration from the children. Selah ! 



North East. 111. 



'■'^^^^^mn 



The Cortland DDlon Convention. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



BT C. W. WILKINS. 



On account of the inclemency of the 

 weather on the day appointed for the 

 meeting of our association with Mr. 

 Houglin, of South Cortland, N. Y., it 

 was postponed until June 6, 1894. 



The morning of the day designated 

 dawned bright and beautiful. The roads 

 were in fair condition. The atmosphere 

 was pregnant with ozone, stimulating 

 the weak, and giving greater vigor to 

 the strong. Indeed, all nature seemed 

 to speak, and in verbal concert an- 

 nounce the proximity of not only a more 

 pleasant and a more beautiful day than 

 it had been our privilege to behold for 

 three weeks, but it also seemed to whis- 

 per, in tones both sweet and musical to 

 the ears of the apiarist, " You will have 

 the most enjoyable and profitable meet- 

 ing it has ever been your privilege to 

 attend." 



Did we realize in fact what we antici- 

 pated in theory ? As " actions speak 

 louder than words," any beholder of the 

 scene of pleasure, gayety, and spirited 

 interchange of ideas, would have turned 

 away without asking a word, confident 

 of the unimpeachable success of the 

 meeting. 



As we neared the residence of Mr. 

 Houglin, the most casual observer would 

 be impressed with the fact that he was 

 not only entering a prosperous farming 

 community, but was entering the home 

 of one of the " kings of the profession," 

 who through industry, frugality and 

 perseverance had made himself an ex- 

 ample by whose experience all might 

 learn a valuable lesson. 



