AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



557 



known, and he was quite pleased with 

 the new acquisition, and before I had 

 got very far away, he had succeeded in 

 setting Are to the sawdust and burning 

 up, I think, one of his colonies. 



In 1869, I think it was, he got 

 $1,500 for the honey from 48 colonies. 

 A shower of inquiries induced him to 

 send out a circular answering the main 

 part of the inquiries. Several editions 

 of this circular were sent out gratis to 

 all applicants, and then it occurred to 

 him to issue a quarterly under, the name 

 of "Gleanings," at 25 cents a year. 

 The cordial reception to this led him to 

 change it to a monthly before the issue 

 of the second number, and at a later 

 date it was changed to a semi-monthly. 



In the meantime he commenced to 

 manufacture bee-keepers' supplies, his 

 total force being himself, a windmill, 

 and the lad Ernest. By the way, I think 

 the windmill is one of his most enduring 

 hobbies. For a time Oleanings was 

 printed with a windmill, and of late 

 years an abundant supply of water is 

 furnished to the factory by an immense 

 windmill on an adjacent elevation. On 

 one of my visits he said to me, with 

 much the tone he would have used if I 

 had called in question his loyalty to his 

 government, "Why, you haven't been 

 to see the windmill !" From that small 

 beginning with the windmill, gradually, 

 year by year, grew the largest bee-sup- 

 ply establishment in the world, of which 

 I spoke in my opening paragraph. That 

 business was his hobby, and he threw 

 into it all his energy, and by prompt 

 and fair dealing, trying to do always as 

 well or a little better than agreement, 

 he has obtained a strong hold upon cus- 

 tomers in all parts of the world. 



Other hobbies have claimed his atten- 

 tion, carp-raising being one of them ; 

 among the rest market gardening, and 

 this seems to have a lasting hold, partly 

 for his love of the business itself, and 

 partly because it furnishes a means of 

 employment for many who need it. 



His latest hobby is, I believe, the 

 bicycle. 



With the strong impulses he pos- 

 sesses, he is not likely to hold middle 

 ground in anything. So he has put his 

 religion into his business in such a way 

 that some who do not know him, accuse 

 him of doing it for ostentation and gain. 

 Whoever comes to know him well enough 

 can never hold such a view. Whatever 

 else they may doubt about him, they 

 will never doubt his utter sincerity. 

 Indeed, ostentation is no part of the 

 man in any respect. I happen to know 

 of more than one occasion in which he 



has used money liberally for what he 

 considered the general good of bee-keep- 

 ers, without allowing it to be known to 

 more than two or three participating. 



Every day the factory whistle sounds 

 10 minutes before 12, to give all the 

 employes an opportunity of 10 minutes 

 at a prayer-meeting held in the largest 

 room of the factory, thus taking none of 

 their own time for it. Aside from his 

 usual church and Sunday-school attend- 

 ance, part of his regular Sunday pro- 

 gramme is to visit his aged mother — one 

 of the sweetest old saints I ever knew — 

 and on the way to stop at the county 

 jail, to be locked in with whatever pris- 

 oners happen to be there, for half an 

 hour, or an hour, to try to lead them 

 toward a better life. On Saturday, in 

 the midst of business hours, he goes a 

 mile up town to attend the church 

 prayer-meeting. 



In personal appearance there is noth- 

 ing remarkable about him. You would 

 pass him in any crowd without ever 

 thinking of him as the steam-engine 

 that he is. Rather under the medium 

 height, and of slight build, he atones for 

 his lack of distinguished appearance by 

 having a good-looking son, of command- 

 ing presence. 



Seen at a distance, you will respect A. 

 I. Root for his remarkable business 

 qualifications. Seen at shorter range, 

 you will at first be puzzled to know what 

 to make of him, but as you get to know 

 him better, you will give him a high 

 place in your esteem, as a man of warm 

 heart, unselfish earnestness, and thor- 

 ough integrity. C. C. Miller. 



COWYEXTIOW DIRECTORY. 



1893. 



Time and place of meeting. 



May 18, 19.— South Texas, at Wharton, Tex. 

 T. H. Mullin, Sec, Eagle Lake, Tex. 



In order to have this table complete, 

 Secretaries are requested to forward full 

 particulars of the time and the place of 

 each future meeting. — Thb Editob. 



North American Bee-Keepers' Association 



President— Dr. C. C. Miller Marengo, Ills. 



Vice-Pres.— J. E. Crane Middlebury, Vt. 



Secretary— Frank Benton. Washington, D. C. 

 Treasurer— George W. York. . .Chicago, Ills. 



« » » ♦ » 



National Bee-Keepers' Union. 



President— Hon. R. L. Taylor.. Lapeer, Mich. 

 Ghn'l Manager— T. G. Newman, Chicago, 111. 



