1884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



139 



used, tobacco-stained pipe gave me comfort or sat- 

 isfaction. My friends, it is with no little effort that 

 I confess this; but it is the truth, and I am trying to 

 tell the whole of it. As time passed on, and smok- 

 ing hindered me at my work, the habit of chewing 

 was easily acquired; and by this time my whole sys- 

 tem was impregnated with the strength of tobacco. 

 I soon began lo feel some of its bad effects; and 

 when I learned by my own experience that it was in- 

 jurious, I concluded to leave off its use. I had al- 

 ways thought one could quit at any time; but a 

 single trial convinced me of my error. I had used 

 tobacco daily for years. It had obtained a strong 

 hold on me. I tried repeatedly to leave it off, and as 

 often went back to it after a fewdnys. But one year 

 ngo to-day, Jan. 7, 1 thought, " I will not use any to- 

 bacco to-day." The next day I adhered to the same 

 resolution. Another and another day followed 

 without its use. There seemed to be some invisible 

 power helping me. I began to feel that I should 

 succeed this time, and, through the influence of 

 (jLEANiNGS, the unspoken prayers of my wife, my 

 own desire to set a better example before our three 

 boys, and the help of that invisible Power, I did suc- 

 ceed, and am, to-day, thank God, a comparatively 

 free man. I say comparatively, because 1 have not 

 wholly got away from it yet. At times the old ap- 

 petite comes upon me so strongly as to require a 

 strong effort to resist it; but I have resisted it so 

 far, and hope to continue to do so in future. 



After an experience of about 18 years in the use 

 of tobacco, I want to say to the young readers of 

 Gleanings who may think as I did, that they can 

 leave off at any time, never touch the lirst cigar. 

 To those who have acquired the accursed habit, and 

 now wish to abandon it, let me say, first think the 

 matter over, and resolve firmly that you will leave 

 it off. Do not wait until you use what tobacco you 

 now have on hand, thinking you will then stop, for 

 you will almost invariably buy more after a few 

 days; but resolve that you will stop now. And hav- 

 ing once formed this resolution, stand firm, and 

 keep it with a will, not forgetting to ask in full faith 

 for aid through Him who said, "Whatsoever ye shall 

 ask in prayer believing, ye shall receive." 



On page 793, last volume, Mr. Koot. you say: "If 

 the use of tobacco be indeed an evil," etc. Now, 

 the best physiciins pronounce it injurious to health. 

 Every candid, conscientious man who has used it 

 will tell you it is an injury in many waj'S. As I look 

 at it, whatever wo do knowingly that injures our 

 bodies is sin. As such, I hope you will continue the 

 fight against it, and may unbounded success every- 

 where attend your effort. 



For fear you may think otherwise after reading 

 what I have written, 1 will say that, while I want to 

 be a good man, I am not a professing Christian. 



Again I thank you, friend Root; and may jou 

 long be spared to continue ia the good work. 



L. M. Rogers. 



Oneida Valley, N. Y., Jan. 7, 1884. 



Thank God, friend 11., for the news you 

 bring of one more soul redeemed from the 

 bondage of tobacco. And now, dear brother, 

 let me beg of you to push right on and 

 unite yourself with some body of Christians 

 near you. Do not, I implore you, stand 

 still, and by so doiirg possibly block the way 

 for somebody else who may be just about to 

 enter the gates of the kingdom. Stand up 

 before men, and let your light shine, and 



tell the story you have told us, and help 

 others to push forward. 



Or Letters from Tlios^c Tl'Jio have Made 

 Bee Culture a Failure. 



fMUST confess, friends, that perhaps I 

 have been a little careless in not looking 



' a little sharper for reports for this depart- 

 ment ; and since we have been censured so 

 severely by several of the friends for present- 

 ing only the bright side, here goes for Blast- 

 ed Hopes. 



I send you a little of my experience with my bees. 

 I think that it may do for your journal, in Blasted 

 Hopes, as I like to see all the departments kept up; 

 but I think I shall try the black bee again before I 

 quit. I shall keep the Italians for the coming sum- 

 mer again. 



Well, in 1881 I bought one colony from Mr. A. New- 

 man, of Chicago, in July, and a good one it was, and 

 nice bees they were, and good workers; they increas- 

 ed to two, and gave 50 lbs. of honey; they wintered 

 all right. In the spring of 1883 I bought a queen and 

 3-frame nucleus from Mr. W. P. Henderson, of Mur- 

 frecsboro, Tenn. They came all right. Well, the 

 queen soon had the hive full; they commenced to 

 swarm, and they would swarm, and the young 

 swarms would swarm, and all of her breed would 

 swarm, all summer. Sometimes they would swarm 

 when the hive would be only half full. By fall I had 

 15 colonies. Next winter, about M of them died. I 

 ought to say I got about 50 lbs. of honey that sum- 

 mer from the Newman stock. Well, last spring I 

 gave them the best care I could, after Doolittle's 

 plan. I got no swarms nor a pound of honey. I 

 made two new swarms from the whole, but I think 

 they will die before spring, as they have not enough 

 honey to winter on. Hugh Williams. 



Racine, Wis., Jan. 28, 1884. 



Now, friend W., I thought the way you 

 started out you were going to give us a tip- 

 top "Blasted lloper;" but come to sum it 

 all up, it might almost do for Reports En- 

 couraging. Why didn't you stick to your 

 "Newman" stock, and let well enough 

 alone? Perhaps the last queen was part 

 Hohj-Land. 



I commenced the spring of 1883 with 18 stands of 

 black bees— 10 good ones, and 8 weak ones. The 

 spring was wet and cold ; no honey from fruit-blos- 

 som, and, in fact, no honey from any thing, so the 

 black-jacks made for the saloons and wholesale grog- 

 shops, and died by thousands inside of the windows; 

 and the consequence was. Hoop's bees petered out 

 until there was not a handful to the hive left when 

 basswood came out. Well I came out with 4(i swarms, 

 and 300 lbs. of comb honey in the fall. If I have any 

 seed left, in the spring, I shall try it again, as I am 

 determined to make bee-keeping a success, but 

 shall Italianize in the spring. M. S. Rooi*. 



Council Bluffs, Iowa, Feb. II, 1881. 



And so, friend II., it seems that saloons 

 and wholesale grog-shops are as bad on bee- 

 keei)ing as they are on Christianity, are they 

 notV If we were going to have that state 

 of affairs every year. 1 believe 1 should take 

 the bees and move olf . 



