OCTOBER 1, 1912 



041 



of a nice day, wait for somebody to give 

 orders. 



By the way, it just now occurs to me 

 that I want to tell a little story right along 

 in tliis line. My department has not had 

 much to say about bee culture of late; but 

 this is a bee story. You listen and see if 

 you do not agree that it is a "bee story!" 

 Our factory usually shuts down on Satur- 

 day afternoons. We have four good stout 

 horses, but they are during the week so 

 busy with the factory work that it ujjsets 

 them to stop work. Well, I had planned 

 to have some grading done on one par- 

 ticular Saturday afternoon. Four horses 

 and six big stout men were on hand to do 

 the job. Before any thing could be done, 

 a few furrows had to be plowed, and I 

 was hurrying to get the plow started. But 

 a ring in the doubletree broke before the 

 plow team had hardly made a start. I 

 rushed off with my automobile, grabbed a 

 ring out of the toolhouse, and got them 

 started. Then somebody wanted to talk 

 with the driver. Meanwhile the four horses 

 and six men were standing idle, and I was 

 very anxious to get the job done before 

 night. While I was busy on some other 

 errand with my auto, something happened 

 again. Two teams and six men were still 

 loafing. I rushed up and inquired, "Why, 

 what is the matter nowf" 



"Yellowjackets," was the reply. 



Then they jDointed to a pile of deep grass 

 where a big nest was turned out with about 

 a bushel (?) of jackets on the ground and 

 in the air. Some of them laughed, think- 

 ing they had got A. I. Root "up a stump" 

 sure. I considered the dilemma for about 

 fifteen seconds. Then I stooped down and 

 put my pants inside of my stockings. I 

 had on light low shoes, for it was a warm 

 day. I did not wait for a veil or for a 

 smoker, for I was imj^atient with the de- 

 lays we had already endured. I just 

 "waded in." There were some cheers as 

 I- stamped those yellowjackets into the soft 

 dirt and piled sods over the nest,* tramp- 



* Here is a point you will bear in mind: If you 

 wish to destroy a nest of bumble-bees, hornets, or 

 yellowjackets, break up their home as speedily as 

 possible, and get every particle of the comb con- 

 taining larvcB out of sight and covered up. These 

 insects fight for their children and their young 

 just exactly as a sitting hen fights for her chicks. 

 In fact, a swarm of bees that has got to stinging 

 every thing everywhere may be quieted almost at 

 once by moving their hives away — putting them 

 in the cellar, for instance. They fight to defend 

 their home. When their home is gone or obliterat- 

 ed they have nothing to fight for. They are lost 

 and demoralized ; therefore when you are fighting in- 

 sects get every trace of their loved ones, especially 

 their babies, out of sight as soon as possible. These 

 yellowjackets would gather in great numbers about the 

 smallest scrap of their nest left uncovered; then I got 

 plenty of soft dirt and piled it over every vestige 

 of their domicil, and tramped it down. After this 



ing them down and killing the furious 

 insects in the air as fast as I could. I did 

 not get stung at all on my hands or face; 

 but there was a little bit of "zone" where 

 my pants did not reach cjuite to my shoe- 

 top. The hissing jackets, crazy with rage, 

 discovered this narrow break in my "ar- 

 mor," and planted stings by the dozens 

 or may be hundreds wherever they could 

 reach through my thin stockings and en- 

 able their stings to "catch on." I had not 

 been stung enough of late years to be as 

 thoroughly immune to bee-poison as I used 

 to be, and my ankles swelled a little; but 

 they troubled me later on, more by burn- 

 ing and itching rather than by the swell- 

 ing. In ten minutes the team was started, 

 the men were at work, and the grading 

 was finished before night. The above illus- 

 trates why I get impatient i^hen work is 

 "blocked." I will now go 'n with my 

 story. I dread telling the rest of it; 

 in fact, I have been putting it off as long 

 as I could by talking about something else. 

 Well, here goes : 



Three bright young men, clean men in 

 the prime of life, were busy, as I have 

 told you, with tapelines, chalklines, hatchet, 

 and stakes. I pleaded and begged with 

 them to let me go on with my work in my 

 own way. I think, in fact, I told Mrs. 

 Root that very morning I would give a 

 hundred dollars if I could have my own 

 way that forenoon instead of being obliged 

 to give up to the ideas of somebody else. 

 I -finally decided I could not wait any 

 longer, and I tried, pleasantly, to tell my 

 good friends they would have to excuse 

 me if I declined to adopt any more changes. 

 I shall not soon forget the pained . look 

 that came into their bright faces as they 

 dropped every thing and went away look- 

 ing sad and sober. I told the workmen 

 they might go on with their digging, and 

 went over home and said to Mrs. Root, 

 "Sue, for the first time in my life I have 

 been rude with my three sons-in-law." 



The words were hardly out of my mouth 

 before Blue Eyes and her good husband 

 came in at the open door laughing. I rather 

 think they overheard my remark; for they 

 both replied in almost the same breath, 

 "Why, no; you have not, father. We will 

 give way, of course ; but we are sure you 

 will regret it when you come to think it 

 over more." 



The Christian spirit they showed re- 

 buked me again. But I was so sure I was 

 right that I decided to let the men go 

 ahead digging. 



all fight was taken out of them, and they were 

 soon scattered and gone. 



