1888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



40!» 



something of the kind; but his idea was to have a 

 reporter in each county in the important honey- 

 producing- States. We thought of this in the first 

 place, but the undertaking was too great for us to 

 attempt, before gaining some experience on a 

 smaller scale. If our present methoa shall prove 

 successful, which we think it has done, we may yet 

 get reports from every county; but it would hardly 

 pay to do this more than once in a year, while with 

 our present plan we can make reports that will be 

 valuable to bee-keepers three or four times a year. 



PROPOLIS ASP CLOSED-END FKAMES. 



Friend W. Z. Hutchinson, of the Bee-Kecpcrs' Br- 

 vino, reminds "Brother Root" of the time when he 

 was so slow to admit that the bottoms of the sec- 

 tions might with safety be exposed to bees in the 

 way the very popular T super is arranged. To 

 which I own up and confess, that I am now better 

 posted than I was a year or two ago. Many thanks 

 to brothers Heddon and Hutchinson for so patient- 

 ly explaining to me the very great advantage of 

 using a honey-board in this very matter of propolis; 

 and I will frankly agree to own up in the same way 

 when we succeed with closed-end frames inside of 

 close-fitting hives. 



DEATH OF WILLIAM OLDROYD. 



The following is just at hand as we go to pre.ss: 



My father (Win. Olclroyd) was buried April 24, at Mt. Vernon, 

 Oliio, He went south for his health, but could not regain it. 

 He often spoke of ,vou with great regard, and 1 thought 1 

 would drop you word of our great loss. O. H. Oldroyd. 



Springtieltl, 111., May ."i, 1888. 



Our older readers will remember friend O. as the 

 man who furnished ink to the readers of Glean- 

 ings, and whose letters ap])eared in the Home Pa- 

 pers (see January issue, 1880). He was familiarly 

 known in Gleanings as " W. O." All doubts and 

 uncertainties are now for ever ended with friend 

 W. O. His anxieties and conflicts are ended. Even 

 though we have no full particulars in regard to his 

 last moments, we can rest assured that he was wel- 

 comed into the other land with the words, " Well 

 done, good and faithful servant." 



LET HIM THAT THINKETH HE STANDETH T.-VKE 

 HEED LEST HE FALL. 



After the words were printed on page 40.5, 

 wherein I tried to tell of the dangers that beset 

 even the best of us if we are not constantly on the 

 watch for Satan, I came across the following in the 

 Sundny-School Times, written by Alexander Mc- 

 Laren, D. D. : 



Everyman is a mystery to himself; and he who 

 has learned himself best, will be the readiest to ac- 

 knowledge that the material for any sin is stored 

 within, and may be set ablaze by some flash from 

 hell. Vesuvius was (juiet for centuries, and trees 

 grew and cattle fed in the crater. Who knows what 

 combustibles lie inert in the caves of his own 

 heart? 



I suppose this is true of every human being: I 

 Imow it is true of A. I. Root, but A. I. Root never 

 knew it until he started out to be a Christian. And 

 this is one glorious part of Christ's service— it helps 

 us to see how bad we are, and keeps us busy at 

 home, watching and wecdinij. 



THE BRITISH BEK.-K KEI'ER'S GUIDE-BOOK. 



The work bearing the title above is l)y Thomas 

 Wm. Cowan, F. G. S., F. R. M. 8. It is paper bound, 

 and contains 17.5 pages. It has now reached its ninth 

 edition and .seventeenth thousand. It has been 

 frequently revised, and lias been translated into 

 French, Danish, Swedish, Russian, and Spanish, 



and we understand that arrangements are now be- 

 ing made to publish it in several other European 

 languages. This work, doubtless, has had the 

 largest sale of any bee-book in Europe. Its author, 

 Mr. Cowan, has kept steadily in view throughout 

 the whole work, "■ rnultum in parvo," in its most lit- 

 eral sense. The larger portion of the present edi- 

 tion has been re-writtcn. It seems to be specially 

 adapted for the cottager, and, in fact, for beginners 

 the world o\er. In this respect it is (juite similar 

 in purport to our A B C of Bee Culture, which has 

 likewise had a large sale— 33,000. Mr. Cowan has 

 not lost sight of the very important fact that a book 

 to be popular should be placed at a low price, and 

 be written in the purest and simplest of English. 

 Price Is. 6d., or 36 cts. in our money. It can be ob- 

 tained of the publishers, Houlston & Sons, Pater 

 Noster Square, London, Eng. 



POTATOES KNEE-HIGH MAV 10. 



That is the way ours are, neighbors; how are 

 yours? Yes, we started them in the greenhouse, 

 and then jtut squash-boxes over them. A few days 

 ago the tops of many of them were pushing so hard 

 against the glass that we stripped bff the boxes. 

 The glass was never moved, nor slid back at all. 

 During the month of April the heat is none too 

 great, leaving the glass right in place. These same 

 boxes have done duty, first over potatoes, then to- 

 matoes, and, lastly, on the squashes; and they will 

 come in play still another time, to keep the bugs off. 



P. S.— Since the above was written, we have had 

 a pretty severe frost. It came on the night of the 

 13th. It was toward Sunday night that the thermom- 

 eter indicated danger; i. e., it indicated 45° at sun- 

 down. Whenever the thermometer says .50 or lower 

 at sundown, and the sky is clear, you had better 

 cover up your jilants. Well, notwithstanding it was 

 Sunday night, Caddie and Huber and Ernest and 

 John helped put the panes of glass back into their 

 places on the squash-boxes. We waited till nearly 

 dark before we went about it, and altogether it took 

 us only 30 or 35 minutes. We did not take the time 

 to slide the glass into the grooves, but simply laid 

 them on top of the boxes. This morning every to- 

 matoplant that did not have a box over it was wilt- 

 ed as if it had been in boiling water. Those that 

 had only mos(iuito-netting in place of theglasswere 

 scorched on top; but where the glass was laid over 

 the box loosely, not a plant was injured. Now, 

 friends, was it right and proper to spend half an 

 hour in covering plants on Sunday night, after sun- 

 down, when it will save you a great many dollars? 

 I confess I did not feel as happy about it, and as 

 perfectly sure that it is just the thing to do, con- 

 sidering the influence of the act on others, and all 

 these things; and yet, on the other hand, we should 

 be getting over to that side where we obey the letter 

 rather than the spirit, if we should let all our plants 

 freeze when nothing was needed excei)t to lay the 

 lights of glass on top of the boxes. We could not 

 well have done it Saturday night, because the sun 

 would very likely be too hot for them during Sun- 

 day. But I can say this: I felt happy this Monday 

 morning in thanking God for having placed within 

 my reach, such efficient means for averting the 

 damage from late frosts. 



A MODERN RIP VAN WINKLE. 



Having occasion to write a series of two or three 

 articles tor the Farm and Fireside, Springfleld, 0., 



