282 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



[December, 



Bztg," but says that it is contrary to 

 nature and thinks that this soapbubble 

 will soon burst. 



Kramer sums up queen-breeding in 

 this fashion: The absence of a scien- 

 tific basis the American breeders show 

 in their adopting more and more re- 

 fined methods and short cuts. On 

 the other hand our aim has been to 

 breed in the most natural and simple 

 manner. The gain that we have made 

 is much more satisfactory than 

 the Americans can show. According 

 to Dr. Phillips, the average yield per 

 colony has not been raised within 

 forty-five years, and really the Amer- 

 icans do not yet know what they 

 want, whether yellow bees or black 

 bees; the latest fad is the Caucasian 

 bee. It would be unwise to look to 

 America for imports to improve our 

 bees 'here. Our bees have been ac- 

 climated for thousands of years, and 

 we improve by selection, not by hap- 

 hazard crossing. 



Kramer also condemns sugar-feed- 

 ing in queen-breeding as having a 

 tendency to weaken the race. Only 

 strong colonies under the swarming 

 impulse and not tampered with are 

 used in Switzerland to rear queens. 



Our editorial office. Fort Pierce, 

 Fla., wants good articles, and also 

 good apiarian photographs for publi- 

 cation, and pays cash upon publication 

 for all worthy material. Let us ex- 

 amine anything interesting that you 

 may have in this lin^. 



OBADIAH BROWN HADWEN. 



The Worcester County Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Society has recently met with the 

 loss of one of its esteemed members in 

 the person of Mr. Obadiah Brown 

 Hadwen. 



Mr. Hadwen was one of the founders 

 of the Worcester Horticultural Society, 

 of which the Bee-Keepers' Society is 

 a branch. He was for years one of the 

 Park Commissioners of the City of 

 Worcester, and to him the city is large- 

 ly indebted for its finely shaded streets 

 and beautiful parks, one of the best 

 of which he gave to it. 



He was always interested in any- 

 thing pertaining to agriculture. It was 

 the writer's pleasure to have Mr. Had- 

 wen escort him over the ground of his 

 beautiful estate on the heights of 



Worcester and have him point out and 

 explain the beautiful collection of trees 

 and shrubs, most of which were planted 

 with his own hand and it was difScult 

 to believe that some of the giant trees 

 could have been grown in one man's 

 lifetime. 



Mr. Hadwen was a courtly gentle- 

 man of the old school, possessed a fund 

 of humor and was an enjoyable and 

 entertaining companion. He will be 

 greatly missed by those who knew him 

 and it will be long ere they fill his 

 place. A. C. M. 



Don't be a mirror — good ones are 

 costly and easily broken. 



A LAUGH IN CHURCH. 



She sat on the sliding cushion, 



The dear, wee woman of four; 

 Her feet, in their shiny slippers, 



Hung dangling over the floor. 

 She meant to be good; she had promis- 

 ed. 



And so, with her big, brown eyes, 

 She stared at the meetinghouse win- 

 dows 



And counted the crawling flies. 



She looked far up at the preacher, 



But she thought of the honeybees 

 Droning away at the blossoms 



That whitened the cherry trees. 

 She thought of a broken basket, 



Where curled in a dusky heap, 

 Four sleek, round puppies, with fringy 

 ears 



Lay snuggled and fast asleep. 



Such soft, warm bodies to cuddle. 



Such queer little hearts to beat, 

 Such swift, round tongues to kiss, 



Such sprawling, cushiony feet; 

 She could feel in her clasping fingers 



The touch of the satiny skin. 

 And a cold, wet nose exploring 



The dimples under her chin. 



Then a sudden ripple of laughter 



Ran over the parted lips 

 So quick that she could not catch it 



With her rosy finger-tips. 

 The people whispered, "Bless the 

 child," 



As each one waked from a nap, 

 But the dear, wee woman hid her face 



For shame in her mother's lap. 



■ — Our Dumb Animals. 



Going to keep bees next year in the 

 same old way? Why? 



