616 



T'HE MMEmiCMIf MMM J©l0MlfMlU. 



point in favor of that excellent hive : 

 The covers being the exact size of the 

 boiiy of the hive, with a cleat across 

 each end and extending about one 

 inch above the surface of the same, we 

 took pieces of wire screen three inches 

 wide, and tacked one on each side of 

 the cover, and then reversing the 

 latter, tacked the projecting inch of 

 wire to the side of the hive, which gave 

 about li inches of space above the 

 tops of the frames in which the bees 

 could come up and cluster, with ample 

 ventilation from the sides. The en- 

 trances were closed by tacking a piece 

 of lath across the same. 



A good rain fell here last night — the 

 first of any consequence since June 14. 

 It will benefit the fall bloom as well as 

 other fall crops. 



Quincy, Ills., Aug. 21, 1890. 



VISITING. 



Notes of Travel Among: 

 Vork ISce>Keepers. 



IVew 



Written fur Gleanings in Bee-Culture 



BY ERNEST R. ROOT. 



The ride b}- boat on the beautiful 

 Lake Skaneateles to Borodino, to the 

 residence of G. M. Doolittle, was fine. 

 The water was so clear that, just be- 

 fore starting, I could see a large fish 

 at a depth of 12 or 15 feet oft' the dock. 

 As we steamed out into the lake, the 

 beauty of the scenei'y became more 

 and more manifest. The shores rise 

 gradually from the water's edge, and 

 oft' in the distance little towns are 

 pointed out. 



"Over in that direction," said the 

 captain, in answer to my inquiry, " is 

 Borodino." 



Doolittle has a beautiful location, I 

 thought. There are never anj- mos- 

 quitoes around this lake, I am told ; 

 and the water is so clear, and the 

 shores so inviting, it is a wonder that 

 the lake is not more visited by pleas- 

 ure-seekers. 



In about half an hour I was landed 

 on the Borodino dock. As it was rather 

 late I put np at the hotel. The follow- 

 ing morning found me on the wheel 

 .sailing toward the home of Mr. Doo- 

 little, for his place is about a mile out. 

 I looked along the road to see if I 

 could pick out Mr. D's home. That 

 place doesn't look exactly like it. 

 Finally, from the top of a hill I see a 

 very pretty country residence. Every 

 thing about the place shows neatness 

 and taste, and tlic buildings are well 

 painted. I wonder if this is not the 

 place. As my bicycle travels noise- 

 lessly along, suddenly an apiary looms 

 uj) in the rear. Yes, there is a bee- 

 cave. This naisl be the place, and so 



I turn in. I lean the bicycle against 

 an overspreading apple-tree by the 

 side of the house. 



AT THE APIARY OP MR. DOOLITTLE. 



"Is Mr. Doolittle in ?" I inquired of 

 a man in the barn. 



" He is in the shop, and will be out 

 presently." 



I strolled into the apiary meantime, 

 wondering whether my friend would 

 I'ccognize me. After waiting a mo- 

 ment, somebody steps from the shop. 

 He has a sandy beard, and he looks 

 like a portrait I have seen somewhere. 



" Good morning !" I said. "This is 

 Mr. Doolittle, I suppose ?" 



"And is this Ernest?" said he, 

 grasping my hand. " I had not ex- 

 pected to find you wearing glasses." 



" I have been using them ever since 

 I left school, five years ago, and ought 

 to have begun wearing them sooner." 



Together we went into the shop. I 

 noticed he was very careful to close 

 the door after him ; and the fact that 

 there were no robbers about was pretty 

 good evidence that this was his habit. 



As I expected, everything was or- 

 derly. In one end of the shop was a 

 small boiler and engine ; near the cen- 

 ter of the room, a saw-table ; beside 

 the windows, a work-bench. Two 

 rooms were partitioned oft'. One was 

 a bee-proof honey-room, and the other 

 a general study, or sanctum, where he 

 can be in seclusion and write his arti- 

 cles for print. In the latter room he 

 showed me his Hammond t3pe-writer, 

 the machine that does the nice work 

 he sends out. I found it was very 

 simple, and easily operated. A large 

 telescope, mounted upon a substantial 

 tripod, occupied a space upon the 

 floor. The owner not only studies the 

 handiwork of God as he finds it among 

 the bees, but he is delighted with what 

 he learns and sees beyond the vale of 

 this world. 



"Mr. Doolittle," I said, "I notice 

 you are interested in one of the 

 branches of optics. Why don't you 

 take up photography, and so illustrate 

 your articles occasionally ?" 



"Well," said he, laughing, " I had 

 thought of that very thing, but I came 

 to the conclusion that Doolittle had no 

 time with all his other work to fuss 

 with it." 



When it is remembered that he does 

 all his work in the apiaiy, wraps and 

 directs all his queens, answers all his 

 correspondence without the aid of a 

 stenographer, writes regularly- for .sev- 

 eral periodicals, makes all his supplies, 

 keeps up a good garden, takes care of 

 a horse, to say nothing of the services 

 he renders to his church and town, we 

 comprehend somewhat the force of the 

 remark, that " Doolittle has uo time" 

 for another branch of optics. 



He is precise and methodical in all 

 his work, especially so in queen-rear- 

 ing ; and as it is not an easy matter to 

 get help possessing all these require- 

 ments, Doolittle prefers to do Doolit- 

 tle's work. 



Upstairs in the shop Mr. D. has a 

 collection of bee-implements, old and 

 new. He showed me a box containing 

 some old-style honey-boxes, which a 

 few^ j'ears ago, out of the hind intentions 

 of a supply dealer, had been sent him 

 by express. The charges were $7.50. 

 There was no letter of explanation. 

 Mr. D. i^aid the charges, and the boxes 

 he has used for kindling-wood. At 

 other times hives and other implements 

 have been sent him, charges paid. He 

 had never even opened some of these 

 packages, as he had no use for them. 

 I take pains to mention this right here, 

 as we have been many times served in 

 the same way. While all this is 

 prompted by kind intentions, don't 

 send stufi" without first writing to see 

 whether it will be acceptable. 



But, to return : Mr. Doolittle lighted 

 his smoker (a Bingham). 



" I suppose," said he as we started, 

 " you don't wear a veil." 



"Oh, yes, sir ! I do." It's my father 

 you are thinking of." 



At this I pulled out my veil, for I 

 carry one with me everywhere, and we 

 together went among the bees. 



We looked at the progeny of some 

 of his breeding queens. They were 

 very beautiful. The bands were of a 

 deep yellow, and four in number. 

 Although our friend made no claims as 

 to the fifth, the latter (or what looked 

 like it) showed faintl}'. The bees from 

 his breeding queens were as handsome 

 as any I ever saw. He did not claim 

 to have originated them, he having ob- 

 tained them of a bee-keeper who is 

 now out of the business. Mr. L. C. 

 Hearu obtained one of these queens of 

 Mr. Doolittle, and Mr. Timpe, in turn, 

 of Mr. Hearn. 



"Now," said Mr. Doolittle, "what 

 next would you like most to see ?" 



"Suppose we look at some of the 

 cells reared in upper stories. I have 

 mj' camera here:, and I should like to 

 see and show to our readers whether 

 you practice what jou preach." 



We selected cell-building colonies 

 at random. In the first one we ex- 

 amined there were almost perfect rows 

 of cells built on the artificial bases. 



" Hold on a minute," I said, "and I 

 will take a shot at it with my camera. 

 There, I've got it." 



"Why," said he, "as quick as 

 that ?" 



' ' As quickly as you can snap your 

 fingers," I replied. 



So on we examined and photograph- 

 ed four or five other lots of cells : and 



