93 



GLEANINGS IN TiEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 1. 



ises in the cellar. I set a trap and caught him. 

 returning evil for good: so you see. doctor, if it 

 hadn't been for the mouse I might have lost all 

 the bees. No, sir; mice do good sometimes, 

 even to bees." 



I would say to our readers here, by way of 

 parenthesis, that I had the grate I'epaired.'and 

 now Mrs. Root and I enjoy the comfort of sil- 

 ting before it again evenings. Although open 

 fire is warm and cheerful, we want it piitnaiily 

 for ventilation. It is well known thutagrate 

 is one of the best ventilators in the woiid: and 

 our house, almost at all times, feels as licsh as 

 a spring morning. As the grate is not sulhcient 

 to entirely heat all the rooms, we have inde- 

 pendent heat besides. T di'op this simply as a 

 •nint to some of our reados who may possibly 

 have in mind the building of a new home or 

 the reconstruction of an old one. If the grate 

 is set by an experienced man theie will be no 

 trouble from tire. My fiist grate-setting was 

 veiT jjoorly done: in fact, I might say, put up 

 with criminal cai-elessness. 



Well, to retuiTi. The doctor and I strolled 

 about the bee-yard, talking about any thing 

 and every thing. Our thoughts finally reverted 

 to bee-conventions. As the air was'chilly, we 

 thought we could discuss this matter a little 

 more comfoi-tably in the house, before Dr. Mil- 

 ler's open -grate stove. 



I will remark here. that, if I hadn't a grate, I 

 would cei'taiuly have an open-grate stove. You 

 will be suiprised to see how it will freshen up 

 the atmosphere in the house. 



Well, when we had seated ourselves comfort- 

 bly, I said to the doctor: 



'"You have a big talent in helping 1o liven up 

 a bee-convention. I have been wondering for 

 some time whether we could not employ this 

 gift in some way in Gleanings. In reading 

 your articles, doctoi-. our readers do not get 

 half a glimpse of your fund of good nature. 

 Now. I have been thinking for some time that 

 it would be a good scheme for you to have a de- 

 partment of short items, where you can give 

 some of yoni' little spurts of fun' and friendlv 

 clips once in a while." 



The doctor very modestly admitted that he 

 did have a talent in that direction, and that h(^ 

 would be glad to use it if we could devise some 

 way whereby he could. To make a long stO)T 

 short, the upshot was that we started a depart- 

 ment in our journal, entitled. " Strav Straws." 

 You know the rest, and of its meritsand char- 

 acter yon are to judge. 



As it was approaching the honi- of Train titr.e. 

 after an early dinner I bade adieu to Dr. Miller, 

 and took the train for Chicago. 



A VISIT TO THE OFFICE OF THE AMEItKAX 

 BEP; .JOUHNAL. 



By looking at my railway guide I found that 

 I had a little time in the city befoi'e niv westei'u 

 train would take me honu'. On arriving at the 

 city I made direct to the business place of T. G. 

 Newman it Son, 246 Madison St. On reaching 

 the place I took the elevator and foi'thwith was 

 ushered to the top floor: and befoi-e I was 

 hardly aware of it I was in the presence of the 

 editor of the Aincriatn Bee Juiirnitl. xA.s usual 

 he was hard at work at his post, and so like- 

 wise was his son, Alfred IL. in his department. 

 I wonder whether anybody ever found them 

 other than busy. And being in the lieait of tl.e 

 city, I wondei- if they ai'e not more or less ])es- 

 tered by visitors. Evei-y thing had the appear- 

 ance of that clock-work i-cgulai'ity and system 

 that makes the o'd American Bee Jour tutl al- 

 ways on time. They have vei-y pleasant and 

 commodious quartei's. and occupy the whole top 

 floor of a large building. After a pleasant chat 

 with both the Newmans, we W(>nt back to the 



oflHce. when, whom should I meet butour friend 

 W. F. Clai'ke. of (luelph. Ontario, the former 

 editor of the ^4(iicri>r/}i Bee JouriKtW He was 

 on his way to his liome. Guelph. Out., Can. I 

 was obliged to make my stop shorter than I 

 wished: and after a short visit of perhaps an 

 hour, I took my leave. 



DOES GLEANINGS UPHOLD TRUSTS, RINGS, 

 AND MONOPOLIES! 



A REPLY TO A DISSATISFIED SrESCKIBEK. 



Please discontinue Gleaxtngs. as I do not 

 wish to take a journal that upholds trusts and 

 rings and monopolies, as I see you did in Gleax- 

 iNGS for Dec. 15. Aevix L. Pottek. 



Milan, N. H., Dec. :.'0. 



[Friend P.. we will discontinue your journal, 

 of couise: but you surely do not state it fairly 

 or truly. (Jeeaxings strives to avoid unchari- 

 table extremes: and our country is certainly 

 siifferinej because of the extreme views taken 

 by some of our people in regard to this matter 

 of labor and capital. The Bee-keepers' Union, 

 which has been such a piotection to more than 

 one of us, might be called by a certain class a 

 "trust." It is a combination of bee-keepers to 

 maintain our lights, and to protect us from 

 spitt or prejudice. Where men of wealth com- 

 bine together to wrest from any class of people 

 theii- jjist rights. CJleaxixgs" would by no 

 means uphold them: but when the laboring 

 classes make grievous mistakes in I'ushiug to the 

 hasty conclusion that some of theii' best friends 

 are enemies in disguise, Geeaxixgs can not 

 well do otherwise than to utter a voice of warn- 

 ing. One extreme is anaicliy. and the other is 

 plodding along and letting everybody who is so 

 disposed run over you and help themselves to 

 the frnits of your hard laboi", without a protest. 

 The fainiers'who sold their butter for 10 cents a 

 pound when it was justly worth 25. are a fair 

 illustration of this latter exti'eme: and small 

 be(^-keepers who take their honey to town and 

 sell it for what anybody is pleased to offer them, 

 also belong to this extreme. Just let me give 

 you a i)oint right hei'e. 



Most of the readers of GLEANiX(is are ac- 

 quainted with Dr. A. B. Mason. He is a man 

 who has been largely a sei'vant of the public. 

 He is constantly called upon to i)reside over as- 

 semblies, and. in fact, to manage ci'owdsof peo- 

 ple when nol)ody else can manage them. He 

 lias wonderful ability in that line, as you well 

 know: and yet Dr. Alason is a poor man. He 

 makes his living by keejiing bees, and by his 

 daily toil in his business of dentistry. He is a 

 devoted Christian, and a good man in every 

 way. Well, at our Di'troit convention somebody 

 spoke of the piece of newspaper pleasantry that 

 is going the romids. to the effect tiiat the poor- 

 est crop that America ever raised is her 

 "crop" (?) of millioiKtirex. Almost everybody 

 says amen to this, and seems to think it is true. 

 Why. I myself have often felt sad about it. 

 Well, perliajis we ought to feel sad: but here is 

 Dr. Mason's reply, as nearly as I can remember 

 it. Said he. "I do not agree. I do not believe 

 a word of it. I wish there were ten tUiies more 

 of them." 



I protested by saying, " Why. Dr. Mason, I 

 am astonished at you.'' 



He replied. • I repeat it: I wish there were 

 ten tlnieyi as inantj ;/i(»cc of tliein." 



Now. I presume Dr. Mason means this: That 

 it would be a blessing to America if there were 

 ten times as many men with the brains and 

 ability, judgment and wisdom, the skill and ex- 

 perience, to manage large enterprises so as 



