47H 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 



In 1874, the family residence, a large new house, 

 with all its contents, was consumed by fire. There 

 were eighteen flrst-class Italian colonies of bees in 

 the cellar. On learning- of the loss, some members 

 of the Central Iowa IJee-keepers' Association offei'- 

 ed to make him a present of fourteen colonies as 

 a starter. 



The same year we moved to Ohio, which has since 

 been our home. In the summer of 1875 we lived in 

 a suburb of Cincinnati, and made and sold the Mur- 

 phy honey-extractor, most of them going to South- 

 ern States. 



In 187t), Dr. M. was chosen secretary of the Buck- 

 eye Union Poultry Association, and held the posi- 

 tion for four years. 



In the winter of 1879 he tried what has since been 

 known as the "Pollen Theory," and, with the ex- 

 perience of that and succeeding winters, he has 

 been made a firm believer in that theory. This was 

 several years before any thing was said about it in 

 the bee-journals. 



In 1881 Mr. Mason succeeded in getting the Tri- 

 State-Fair Association at Toledo to offer fair pre- 

 miums for the display of the products of the apiary, 

 and the display has increased in attractiveness each 

 year; and last fall it was said the display was the 

 most attractive of any on the grounds. He was ap- 

 pointed superintendent of the department the first 

 year, and still holds the position. 



During the years 18S:i and 1883, when but little was 

 generally known about foul brood, his apiary of 7.'") 

 colonies was badly infected, nearly every colony 

 having it in 1883, and he has frequently stated the 

 loss was from 300 to 500 dollars; but he cured it 

 that year, and has had none since. 



For several years he has been a member of the 

 Michigan State Bee - Keepers' Association, and in 

 1886 was made an honorary member. 



At Chicago, in Nov., 1887, on his o4th birthday, Mr. 

 M. was chosen president of the N. A. B. K. Society. 



Early in October last, he made what he called a 

 "new departure" in bee-keeping. Having become 

 satisfied, in theory, that it was of no special benefit for 

 bees to be flying after frosts had destroyed all honey- 

 producing blossoms, he concluded to prepare a few 

 colonies for wintering, and place them in the cellar 

 as soon as there came a killing frost. On the night 

 of Oct. 15th there was a hard frost. On the night of 

 the 19th he placed the prepared colonies in the cel- 

 lar. On April :i7th, 1888, the bees were taken from 

 the cellar, after undergoing a confinement of six 

 months and eight days, and were in good condition, 

 having lost in weight 79^ pounds on an average. 



The other colonies, put in the cellar in November, 

 were weighed at the same time, Oct. 19, and, when 

 taken out with those put in Oct. 19, were found to 

 have lost in weight, on an average, over 11 pounds. 



During the past winter he has delivered two ad- 

 dresses at farmers' institutes, and one at a horti- 

 cultural meeting, the subject being "The Benefits 

 of Bee-keeping to the Agi-iculturist and Horticul- 

 turist." 



Mr. Mason has been chosen to superintend the 

 Apiarian Department of the Ohio Centennial Ex- 

 position, to be held at Columbus from the 4th of 

 September next, till Oct. 19th. 



He is now serving his third term as assessor of the 

 precinct in which we live, having been re-elected 

 by an increased majority. Mus. A. B. Mason. 



Auburndale, Ohio. 



Well, my good friend, we all owe you a 



vote of thanks. I have many times won- 

 dered how it was that your good husband 

 had developed sucli a wonderful faculty 

 for making everybody feel pleasant at any 

 sort of a public meeting. You have given 

 us the key to it all. fie has been under 

 drill, lo these many years. lie has, in fact, 

 been drilling himself to be a servant, for I 

 presume little if any pecuniary reward has 

 ever been received for the arduous duties he 

 is expected to take upon himself. Most 

 people under like circumstances would have 

 said right out, as some of the good " pil- 

 lars " do occasionally at oiu' church meet- 

 ings : " Well, to come right down to the 

 point, dear brethren, I ivoii't serve—so 

 there ! " " Whosoever will be chief among 

 you, let him be your servant.'" Now, Dr. 

 Mason has been the servant, and I hope he 

 will not get cross if I say that, at most 

 meetings I have attended lately, he has Ijid- 

 den very fair to be chiefest among us, and 

 nobody felt jealous of him either. Friend 

 M. may thank God for his physical strength 

 and endurance; but very likely he has his 

 aches and pains, and seasons of feeling as 

 though he would much rather stay at home, 

 as well as the rest of us. I told you once of 

 the happy faculty which Dr. Miller has of 

 pleading for Christ, when opportunity of- 

 fers. One might think that, from his elo- 

 quence, he was agent for some large estab- 

 lishment, and that he had something to sell 

 before he got through with you. Well, Dr. 

 Mason seems to have this same happy fac- 

 ulty ; but the individual who thinks that by 

 and by he will discover that the doctor has 

 some sordid motive, will find himself mis- 

 taken. The inspiring motive, and the great 

 fountain-head from which all this zeal, lov- 

 ing good nature, and willingness to help, 

 spring forth, is from his devotion to the 

 Lord Jesus Christ. May God grant that 

 more of us may learn to be constantly seek- 

 ing first the kingdom of God and his right- 

 eousness ! 



POLLEN AND POLLEN GRAINS. 



PKOF. COOK TELLS US SOME WONDEKFUL THINGS 

 ABOUT THEM. 



fOLLEN is the male element of plants, and cor 

 responds to the sperm-cells of animals. When 

 we remember that no plant-ovule can pos- 

 sibly develop without the fructifying in- 

 fluence of these pollen grains, we understand 

 how necessary they are in the vegetable economy. 

 Pollen grains are very small; often appearing, 

 when shaken from the plant, like a cloud of dust. 

 Their color is exceedingly varied. Some are almost 

 black, others nearly white, though for the most 

 part they are either orange or yellow. Their form 

 is also extraordinarily diverse. Some are spherical, 

 others cucumber-shaped; still others crescent 

 form, and yet others remind us of a dumb- 

 bell. We have in our college library a book 

 at least three times as large as the ABC, devoted 

 entirely to pollen grains. In this volume are many 

 pages used exclusively to illustrate the varied 

 forms and markings of different kinds of pollen 

 grains. So characteristic are the forms of pollen 

 grains that we can often tell what plants our bees 



