432 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



June 



gard to Florida ; but 1 am inclined to think 

 that you would find it x^leasant almost any- 

 where. I judge so from the tone of your 

 writing. Well, now, it is a sad fact that 

 there are some people who will complain, no 

 matter where you put them. If they go to 

 Florida, they come back in disgust, and 

 sometimes live their lives out in the same 

 way. It is a grand thing to have the re- 

 sources of every purt of our United States 

 fully developed and brought out ; but it is a 

 grander thing to find things to be thankful 

 for, and 'pleasant neighbors, wherever we 

 happen to be. 



THE HONEY EXHIBIT AT THE TRI- 

 STATE FAIR. 



DR. MASON TELT.S US ABOUT IT, AND OUR ARTIST 

 SHOWS US HOW IT LOOKED. 



fRIEND ROOT:— You ask me to give a descrip- 

 tion of the picture of the exhibit of honey at 

 theTri-State Fair, Toledo, last September. The 

 most important part of the exhibit, of course, 

 is the exhibitors, four of whom sit in a row in 

 the foreground as if they were waiting for " some- 

 tin." The one on the left is my son Ellis, whom you 

 saw here four or five years ago. The one to his left 

 is Mr. A. M. Gander, of Adrian, Mich.; and if you 

 don't know that the next one Is "our mutual 

 friend " W. Z. Hutchinson, I'm sure I'll not tell you. 

 The one on the right, perhaps you will not recog- 

 nize; and for fear you may not, I will simply sug- 

 gest that it is intended to represent "yours truly." 

 The exhibit of comb honey in crates on the shelves 

 at the left, a portion of which is hidden by what is 

 in front, is the product of the apiary of a bee-keep- 

 er and fruit-raiser who is over 80 years old, Mr. L. 

 Eastwood, of Waterville, O., who has contributed 

 something toward a display for seven or eight years. 

 The large pyramid at the left is Mr. Hutchinson's 

 exhibit of comb and extracted honey. To the left 

 of the pyramid stands his book-case, filled with bee- 

 literature; and to the left of that, an observatory 

 hive with bees in it. In front of this sits a crate of 

 comb honey, with three of Root's painted, lettered, 

 and varnished tin pails, filled with honey, belonging 

 to my son. On the floor to the right of the pyramid 

 are samples of comb and extracted honey, entered 

 for best quality by Mr. Hutchinson. The pyramid 

 is decorated with beeswax hearts, strung on a blue 

 ribbon. He took enough premiums to pay all ex- 

 penses, and fair pay for his time. 



On the shelves, beginning just where the left side 

 of Mr. H.'s pyramids hides the view, and extending 

 along the shelves as far as the comb honey shows, 

 was Mr. Gander's exhibit of comb and extracted 

 honey. About half of this exhibit is hidden by the 

 pyramid. This scarcely seems possible by looking 

 at the picture; but when I tell you that twelve or 

 fifteen bee-keepers could sit behind the shelves and 

 eat their picnic dinner, and that the shelves are 

 about seven feet high, it shows a difl'erent face; 

 but such is the fact. 



Mr. Gander's exhibit did not show to as good ad- 

 vantage as it would had not the pyramid been in 

 the way; but that did not lessen his chances of get- 

 ting premiums, of which he took all to which he 

 was entitled. He is an expert in raising fine comb 

 and extracted honey, and has a knack of display- 

 ing every thing to the best advantage. 



Just beyond and above Mr. H.'s head, and to the 

 right of the Vandervort mill, by looking closely you 

 may see a glass pyramid of extracted honey, about 

 three and a half feet high, and sixteen inches square 

 at the bottom. The pyramid of shelves at the right 

 is four feet square, and about four feet high, load- 

 ed down with extracted honey. On top of this pyr- 

 amid is a glass show-case In which is comb honey. 

 At the right, where the shelf seems to end, is a right 

 angle; and the shelving extends back about ten 

 feet, nearly to the wall, just leaving a narrow pas- 

 sageway by which to get behind the shelves to rest, 

 sleep, visit, or eat. 



Commencing at the right of Mr. Gander's exhibit, 

 and extending around the corner, on the shelves 

 toward the wall, is extracted honey, which, with the 

 pyramids of extracted honey in front, constitutes 

 the exhibits of my son and myself. On the right- 

 hand corner of the platform stands, as you see, a 

 Given press, with an observatory hive sitting on it; 

 and in front are displayed some queens. The honey- 

 extractors, hives, bees, etc., were to the right of the 

 honey-exhibit, and are not shown. 



Taken all together, it was a fine display— equal, if 

 not exceeding, in attractiveness any honey-show I 

 ever saw. We have been exceedingly fortunate In 

 getting judges. Messrs. Thos. G. Newman, H. R. 

 Boardman, and H. H. Overmyer, were the judges 

 the first year; and Mr. Newman, Mr. C. F. Muth, 

 and the Hon. Mr. Cotton, did the judging the second 

 year. For the last four years, Mr. H. D. Cutting 

 has been our judge, and we are thorough con- 

 verts to the system of judging by experts. 



In all these six years, not a single exhibitor has 

 expressed dissatisfaction with the awards. This will 

 seem all the more singular when it is Known that I 

 have all the time been superintendent of the de- 

 partment, and one of the largest exhibitors, and se- 

 lected the judges. More than once have I taken 

 more in premiums than all other exhibitors combin- 

 ed. As superintendent, I have never granted A. B. 

 Mason any privilege not equally accorded every 

 other exhibitor, and our judges have been as true as 

 steel. 



These exhibits have been a center of attraction, 

 and a spot ai-ound which bee-keepers have congre- 

 gated, and visited and become acquainted. 



Auburndale, O. A. B. Mason. 



Friend Mason, the above report, together 

 with the picture, gives us pleasure in a good 

 many ways. Especially are we gladf to 

 know that this matter of awarding premi- 

 ums can be so managed as to have every 

 thing pleasant and harmonious. In the 

 same way, there seems to be a good spirit 

 among the exhibitors at these tri-state fairs. 

 I remember one year, that, when friends 

 Vandervort :ind Pelham were both exhibit- 

 ing their foundation-mills, as a matter of 

 course each one took pains to mention and 

 hold up prominently the good features of 

 his machine. Well, it is rather tiresome 

 for one to stay right in the same spot two 

 or three days and talk right over about the 

 same thing; therefore friend Vandervort, 

 when lie wished to go over the grounds for 

 a little recreation, would say to his rival 

 and competitor, Mr. Pelham, " Look here, 

 friend P., there isn't any use of both of us 

 sticking right here to these mills all the 

 time. I want to run around ; and while I 

 am gone, I want to ask you to show people 



