18S8 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



769 



and obliging manner at a county fair would 

 do more good than printed circulars. There 

 are cases, however, where a printed circular 

 is almost a necessity— the matter of tile for 

 underdraining, for' instance. A tile ma- 

 chine in operation at a fair is interesting to 

 almost everyl)ody, and almost every farmer 

 is interested in the prices of tile ; but it 

 would be folly for the proprietor to expect 

 to give every passer by the prices so he 

 could remember them, unless he gave them 

 the prices printed on a card , or some such 

 way. It niiiy not be necessary to have a 

 printed circular to give the prices of comb 

 and extracted iioney. when it comes to 

 having it put up in glass pails, tin pails, 

 jelly-tumblers, etc. I think, however, a print- 

 ed card is often a great convenience. 



Question No. SI.— SJunild local hce coitvcutiDns he 

 held on Ute grtmnds durimj fair time? Joties {ulio has 

 had adverse experience in arganizinij bee-conventions 

 independent of any other attractions) asserts that they 

 should he held at a fair, hccause a larger attendance 

 than would otherwise be obtained is secured. Brown 

 disagrees. He argues that there are so many outside 

 attractions, such as shows, poultry, cattle, horse-rac- 

 ing), and general sight-seeing, that the convention is 

 continually in'ernipted hy those coming in and going 

 out. Fiirther. that the members of said cnnrention on 

 tlie grimnd will nut be present half tJie time, and con- 

 sej/uently the attendance is a very variedAe quantity. 

 Wiiivh of the gentlemen named is the nearer right? 



1. No; 3. Brown. 

 Brown, by all means. 

 I agree with Bro. Brown. 



Dr. a. B. Mason. 



Paul L. Viallon. 



Chas. F. Muth. 



I never attended a bee convention on the grounds 

 during fair time. Geo. Grimm. 



Decidedlj-, no. Brown i;; right; you can't run a 

 bee-convention against a " boss trot " at a county 

 fair. Mrs. L. HarrisoiV. 



Not unless they can be held evenings. Jones Is 

 correct for evening meetings, and Brown for day 

 sessions. A. J. Cook. 



Yes, if you want to have a pleasant chat; No, if 

 you want to hold a convention and learn something. 

 Brown is right. Dadaxt & Son. 



My experience and observation have been simi- 

 lar to Brown's. I think fairs a poor place to hold 

 bee-conventions. H. R. Boardman. 



More real good can be done at a convention 

 where there are no other attractions. The attend- 

 ance may be smaller, but it is much more apt to be 

 in earnest. James A. Green. 



Brown; but there may be exceptions, as when 

 half a dozen men can be got together from differ- 

 ent parts of the county at a fair, who otherwise 

 would" never meet. C. C. Miller. 



Brown is right, in my opinion. If a man is not 

 interested enough in the convention to come to it 

 because it is a bee-convention, he is of little use to 

 it, coming when a fair draws him. 



G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



No. I wouldn't hold bee-conventions In a public 

 place. What the producers want is to meet each 

 other, not persons who may be induced to enter the 

 business. Tiiere are more in it now than can make 

 it profitable. Years ago, in this State, we found it 

 ob.iectionable to hold our conventions during fair 

 time in the same city, for the reasons stated bj' 

 Brown. James Heddon. 



I think Jones will secure the attendance of all 

 the bee-men who would go to any other place. Give 

 those variable-quantity chaps a seat near the door, 

 and let them go when they want to. They are of 

 no use to the convention anj' way. E. France. 



If a few bee-keepers will meet specially for bee- 

 keepers' interests. 1 think it of much more service 

 than twice the number met at a fair with mixed in- 

 terests. Yet if they can be got together at a fair, 

 and not at other times, then have it at the fair. 



R. WlLKlN. 



Both are right. Where the interest is sufficient to 

 make people come, it is better to be frae from dis- 

 tractions. Where the managers are determined to 

 have a convention at all hazards, knowing that peo- 

 ple would not turn out on purpose for it, they will 

 do better to doulile up teams with a fair. 



E. E. Hasty. 



Both Jones and Brown are right, and only local 

 conditions in each case can determine which is the 

 nearer right in that particular instance. Conven- 

 tions, to be most successful, require the undivided 

 time, attention, and the best thoughts of its mem- 

 bers, and it is difficult to obtain these when other 

 attractions are present. Many times, however, a 

 sufficient attendance can not be secvired except in 

 connection with fairs, etc., and in such cases it is 

 best to hold conventions, even with all the draw- 

 backs that Brown so truthfully describes, than not 

 to hold any at all. O. O. Poppleton. 



The best conventions, I believe, I ever at- 

 tended, were in the winter time, when it 

 was so cold that nobody wanted to run out- 

 doors ; and some of them were held in small 

 towns, with only a moderate number in at- 

 tendance. I can not remember one held on 

 a fairground that I thought was very much 

 of a success, for the reasons mentioned ; yet 

 they might, perhaps, be a success after all. 



BABY FOOTSTEPS. 



BY EIGENE SECOR. 



Patter, patter, patter— not the rain on the roof 



As it falls like a sweet lullaby on the ear. 

 But sweeter by far (and it hardly needs proof) 



Is the pattering music of footsteps dear. 

 Trot, trot, trot, all the livelong day. 



With tireless little feet that never »eem to rest. 

 Always under foot, but never in the way, 



Like a wee helpless bird ere it leaves the home 

 nest. 

 Many are the steps which the happy little tot 



Repeats o'er and o'er with never-ceasing zeal; 

 Many are the tumbles, very soon forgot. 



For the mother's healing kiss restores the baby 

 weal. 

 Upstairs and downstairs a hundred times a day, 



Ever on the watch at some forbidden door, 

 Singing bab3--songs in a baby's matchless way. 



While the patter of the precious feet is heard 

 upon the floor. 

 Happy little midget she, so full of Eden .ioys! 



Artless as a lambkin playing on the green! 

 Pure as are the angels whom the blessed One em- 

 ploys 



To watch and guard his children day and e'en. 

 Happy is the household where a baby runs alone. 



Though she often bids defiance to rules in force 

 before. 

 Her cheerful winning ways for chaos doth atone. 



And life is made the brighter by the patter on the 

 floor. 



