TM® MMERicar* mmm journss<. 



103 



I 



sting in that cushion. Then what be- 

 comes of the sting? One powerful 

 thrust of poison in the stomach or 

 mouth of so small a bird would often 

 j)roduce death. 



So, in after years, I had learned to 

 doubt some of the things " even re.ad 

 in books," and, as a bee-keeper, 

 "watched out" for Mr. Toad. But 

 he had a bright eye to business, and 

 was never oli' his guard. He looked 

 ])rctty full, though, aud suspicion was 

 strong against him. Sometimes he 

 was placed on the alighting-board and 

 watched. In this position, he would 

 pick up the flies, and never touch a 

 bee. Yes, he knew better than to get 

 stung. But the bee-papers harped 

 away about toads, and I could not say 

 they were wrong. 



A medium-sized toad was placed in 

 a nail-keg and put in the sun without 

 food or water all day. At the cool 

 I wilight, he was tenderly placed on 

 trial on the alighting-board. His game 

 t ye glittered with tears of joy ; but his 

 larly education made liim proof 

 against temptation, and he was re- 

 manded to prison another night and 

 .lay. 



While standing on the alighting- 

 board, a bee sent its sting into the 

 tender membranes of the toad's foot, 

 init the foot never stirred, and did not 

 seem to feel pain, nor did it swell in 

 the da3"s to come. 



Each night Mr. Toad was brought 

 out for trial, for four daj^s, with the 

 same results. Hunger and the burn- 

 ing sun had reduced his size and 

 health, but reptile and batrakian that 

 he was, unlike a man, he showed his 

 snperioritj' to the low passions of re- 

 sentment and hungei", and I let him 

 go. Prof. Cook will easily see that in 

 this respect, development has not im- 

 proved the human race. Well, the 

 decision of the court was, that toads 

 had some good qualities, and, among 

 the rest, they knew better than to swal- 

 low a live bee. 



A year went bj', and all the papers 

 still howled toad ! One wet daj' a 

 toad crawled under a hive when it saw 

 the bee-man approach. It looked 

 guilty, and was promptly placed on 

 the alighting-board. Four minutes 

 went by — but without touching a bee. 

 In the fifth minute it swallowed seven. 

 The officer immediately naljbed that 

 toad, and the ordinary methods of 

 vivi-section were applied, with the fol- 

 lowing result: Five stingers were 

 found firmly imbedded in the coalings 

 of the stomach, which was promptly 

 mailed to our distinguished author on 

 anything pertaining to the bee — Prof. 

 Cook. But I never heard from him, 

 and if the clerks from the Post-office 

 threw it out, they did their duty. 



Kalamazoo, Mich. 



BASSWOOD. 



The Ciiall(>ii;;e Accepted, and 

 I lie Proof Furnisilied. 



Written lor the jLitierican Bee Journal 

 BV OH. A. B. MASOX. 



In the Amekic AN Bee Jouknai, for 

 1888, Mr. R. McKnight, in his inimit- 

 ably eloquent and facetious way, pays 

 me several compliments, and I enjoyed 

 the article right well, as I do every- 

 thing he writes. I enjoyed it not so 

 much for what he said, as for the 

 kindly way in which he said it, and 

 were it not for the " challenge " he 

 gave on page 71)1 of the Amekican Bee 

 Journal for 1887, I should be more 

 than pleased to let the matter rest with 

 his pleasant words and kind wishes. 

 But were I to tlo so, it would be a 

 tacit acknowledgement on my part, 

 that I had made an assertion, to back 

 which I had no proof. To be sure, it 

 is some time sini'c Mr. McKnight made 

 his "challenge," but it is not too late 

 to prove that I was right, and did not 

 "misstate the facts." 



On page 7\)\ of the American Bee 

 Journal for 1887, he says : 



" Ur. Mason misstates the facts 

 when he says that ' Canadians, in a 

 Wiley way,' or any other way, 

 either here or elsewhere, have 

 sought to destroy confidence in the 

 good qualities of American basswood 

 honey, and claim superiority for their 

 own. I chnlknije him to name a soli- 

 tary Canadian (apart from Mr. Pettit) 

 ivho has made sw'li. a statement. (Italics 

 are mine.) 'One swallow does not 

 make a summer,' nor one man a na- 

 tion, and it is not generous on the 

 Doctor's part to manifest such antip- 

 athy against his 'cousins across the 

 border, and their relatives across the 

 pond,' because one of our people holds 

 and expre.sses opinions peculiar to 

 himself, and in which his fellow coun- 

 trymen do not .sympathize." 



To be sui-e, " one swallow does not 

 make a summer, nor one man a na- 

 tion," but if twii did, the "summer" 

 and the " nation " might be made, but 

 there are four with which to make the 

 " summer" and the " ixation." 



To be sure, three of " the swallows," 

 or men, besides Mr. McKnight, Messrs. 

 Pettit, Jones and Corueil, have not 

 denied making the claim of superiority 

 of Canadian over our linden honey, 

 and Mr. Pettit has the manliness to 

 "Stick to his convictions." All honor 

 to the man who does it. I doubt not 

 that Messrs. Jones and Cornell would 

 have done the same, if they had said 

 anything, but wliat must we think of 

 a man who makes sucli a clain), and 

 then denies it ? Well, I guess we shall 



liavc to think his memory was a little 

 treacherous. 13] 



I was quite sure that I did not " mis- 

 state the facts," and to show that I did 

 iu)t, allow wm: to quote from a circular 

 now lying before me, tens of thousands 

 of wliich were distributed in Great 

 Britain. The heading is as follows : 



"The Bee-King and His Bees. 

 From the Pall Mall Budget. A Chat 

 al)out Canadian Bees."' After speak- 

 ing of " the exhibit of the Ontario Bee- 

 Keepers' Association " at the Colonial 

 Exiiibition, it says : 



" It has come over in charge of a 

 deputation from the association, who 

 are at present on a visit to this country 

 with a view to open the English mar- 

 k(^t to the best honey in the world, as they 

 constantly described (italics are mine) 

 the article which they have on view." 



I believe the " deputation " consisted 

 of Messrs. Pettit, Jones, Cornell and 

 McKuight^ — three besides Mr. Pettit, 

 and they among the most noted Cana- 

 dian bee-keepers who "constantly de- 

 scribe " the Canadian honey as " the 

 best honey in the world." To be sure, 

 " one man don't make a nation," as 

 Mr. McKnight says, but how is it about 

 four doing il ? 



How does the above look by the side 

 of Mr. McKiiight's " challenge ?" Now 

 who is it that " misstates the facts ?" 



Near the close of the circular before 

 referred to, the " deputation" says : 



"We publish a weekly bee-journal, 

 which keeps all our members well in- 

 formed of the latest appliances for 

 securing the maximum of yield, and 

 the minimum of risk ; and we think 

 that all who visit our exhibit at the 

 Colonies, will admit that for colour, 

 flavour, and specific gravity we throw all 

 'other honeys in tile shade." (Italics are 

 mine.) Don't " claim superiority for 

 their own !" Haven't " sought to de- 

 stroy confidence in the good qualities 

 of American bas.swood honey, and 

 claim superiority for their own !" 

 Well, what does it mean then, I wonder ? 



In another place the " Budget," as 

 quoted by the circular, says : " It was 

 with pecidiar interest that we bade Mr. 

 Jones welcome as he entered our office 

 with two oilier representatives (Messrs. 

 Pettit and McKnight) of the Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association," etc. ; and further 

 says : " We claim to be located in the 

 verv heart of the honey-belt of the 

 United States." Since when have the 

 Cana<lians claimed " to be located " in 

 the United States? Will .some Cana- 

 dian please make me a present of a 

 map of Canada, showing Avhereabouts 

 Ontario is located in the United States? 

 I have some pretty good maps of the 

 Uniti^d States, but I do not find 

 "Ontario" on any of them, and it 

 seems a little strange that while claim- 

 ing superiority for their honey over 



