102 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 1. 



he broke off when he did. Well, one day a stur- 

 dy German neighbor came to see him, and to 

 learn about bee-keeping. While he looked on 

 and listened he smoked a meerschaum pipe. 

 Hiseve caughton the new unused smoker, and he 

 wanted to buy it. Friend M.. with a twinkle in 

 his eye, told him inoiicy could not buy it, but 

 that he would gii?c it to him on one condition. 

 Then he lold him the story. Our sturdy 

 brother looUed at his favorite pipe, and stood 

 aghast at the fearful price he was to pay, and 

 then he doubtless reflected that his nerves, too, 

 were suffering from the nicotine poison. He 

 forgot about the bees, and looked first at his 

 pipe and then at the new smoker on the shelf. 

 For a couple of hours he fought the battle, and 

 considered the matter in all its bearings. Did 

 you ever see a German deliberate on a trade? 

 No doubt he smoked his pipe all the harder, as 

 he made up his mind. But it was finally made 

 up. and he answered, "All right! I take him." 

 He gave friend March his pipe and took down 

 the smoker: and although years have passed, he 

 has never used tobacco since, and. like friend 

 M., is rejoicing in the renewal of youthful 

 nerves. 



While in the office of Posson & Son, Portland, 

 who handle bee-supplies for us, a man came 

 into the inner office, where a lady works the 

 typewriter, with a cigar in his mouth. As he 

 went out the senior member of the firm looked 

 at me and remarked that the man had unusual 

 cheek. I asked him if he had read Gleanings 

 enough to know where I stood on tobacco. Said 

 he. "Mr.Root, although I have used more to- 

 bacco than enough to balance my weight, you 

 can't hate it worse than I do;" and then he told 

 me his experience. Years ago his wife was in 

 poor health; and one day he thought a buggy- 

 ride would do her good. When a little way from 

 home she looked so deathly pale he turned his 

 horse about in alarm, to take her back home. 

 As he turned, the wind blew the smoke of the 

 cigar the other way and she revived. But even 

 then the good and' patient wife tried to hide 

 from him the real cause of her sickness. He 

 guessed it. however, and threw awaj his cigar, 

 and they finished their ride with no more of the 

 faintness. He has never used tobacco since. 



Oh! hold on! There is one very important 

 point in friend March's experience I came near 

 omitting. In one corner of the room is a book- 

 rack, tilled with choice books, almost from floor 

 to ceiling; in another corner there are as many 

 more. Said our good friend, with a wave of his 

 hands: 



" Friend Root, there is my tobacco." and. 

 pointing to the other corner, he said, "there is 

 more of my tobacco. When I gave it up and took 

 a smoker I resolved to use an amount, to buy me 

 a library, equal to the amount I had been using 

 for the purchase of tobacco, and there is the 

 library of good, useful books." 



Now, it seems to me, dear friends, all this tes- 

 timony ought to give the Tobacco Column a 

 "boom." It is a .sn/e thing to boom, as I sup- 

 pose you will all agree; and as I sit here and 

 write (in a neat little room in the McLallen 

 House. Roseberg, Oregon) it is New Year's day 

 —the day for starting every thing good. Of 

 course, it will be long past that day when this 

 reaches your eye; but remember that, when the 

 above was written. I prayed that God might 

 bless my feeble words in such a way that r/oof?. 

 fruit may be the result of this testimony of such 

 weight and convincing power. A bright new- 

 smoker stands all the while on friend March's 

 raantlepiece. I presume it is to keep fresh in 

 his mind the fierce battle he fought and tvon. 

 Oh! wait a little. I am not quite done yet. 

 When I was at vSeattle, Mr. C. M. Sheafe and 

 family entertained me most royally: and while 



talking over their plans for the education of 

 their three boys (all in their teens, I believe), 

 the subject of tobacco came up. Friend S. 

 broke square off from the habit Nov. 21, so he 

 was right in the midsi of the battle at the time 

 of my visit, and I oflVrcd him what encourage- 

 ment I could. I picked up his good wife's little 

 Bible, and read from tlie third chapter of Reve- 

 lation, the 5th, 12th, and 21st verses. Dear 

 reader, if you are striving to overcome <tny bad 

 habit, suppose you read them. 



Friend March gave tne the following actual 

 occurrence, which forcibly reminds me of the 

 truth of the little text. " Love ye youreuemies; 

 do good to them that hate you." Across the bay 

 from Anacortes lived a man noted for his intense 

 hatred of Christians and Christianity. He was 

 terribly profane and blasphemous, and could 

 not find words to express his contemnt for min- 

 isters, especially for one particular minister in 

 Anacortes. One blustering, windy night his 

 house took fire, and burned so fiercely that he 

 and his wife did not save even clothes to pro- 

 tect them from the winter weather. Well, this 

 minister he had abused so much started out be- 

 fore the house was done burning, and raised 

 him money enough to build again; and with the 

 money, and clothing for them to put on at once, 

 he went over in a boat and did his errand as if 

 they had been warm friends all their lives. I 

 hardly need tell you tlie result. He was hum- 

 bled to the dust, took back all he had ever 

 said, and has never been heard to swear 

 since then. If any of his old comrades now 

 commence to abuse Christians, and denounce 

 the Christian religion, he turns on his heel and 

 leaves the crowd so quickly that his silent pro- 

 test is perhaps more effective than any words 

 he could use. I think Anacortes may well be 

 proud of stich a minister: and. by the way. how 

 many such ministers have you in your town? 

 How many laymen? Why. my friend, there is an 

 undeveloped (lold-mhie in these seven little 

 words spoken by our Lord and Master: " Do 

 good— to those — that Jiate you." 



The junior member of the firm of Posson & 

 Son took me over to see an Italian market-gar- 

 den. After spending nearly three weeks in 

 Portland and Washington I had made up my 

 mind pretty well what might be done with 

 hardy vegetables in the open air, even during 

 winter time; therefore I was not surprised to 

 find outdoors, without protection, beets, turnips, 

 radishes, lettuce, carrots, peas, spinach, cab- 

 bage, cauliflower, onions, and corn salad. Rad- 

 ishes were in all stages of growth, some, in fact, 

 just coming up. Early peas they plant about 

 as we plant corn, only they put from a dozen to 

 twenty peas in a hill. A whole field of them 

 was just coming up, and they looked so much 

 like corn, I climbed the fence and pulled up 

 some. I think such an arrangement would have 

 some advantages for dwarf peas that are not to 

 be brushed or supported. Turnips, beets, and 

 onions are sown at intervals so as to be young ■ 

 and fresh all winter long. The ownersaid that, 

 once in a while, they had a winter so severe 

 some of the stuff was injured, butso seldom that 

 they take the chances. As the stuff is carried to 

 market every day all winter they are pretty 

 sure to sell a good deal of it any way. Mr. 

 Posson was so determined I should see the famed 

 Will«?i-mette (put your accent on the second syl- 

 lable) Valley, and for other reasons. I swapped 

 my steamer ticket for one by rail. This valley 

 is indeed one of the finest agricultural regions 

 in the world. I saw grapevines as thick as my 

 arm. These were trained on trellises similar to 

 the Fuller system. Even on this New Year's 

 day I saw apples on the ground under the trees 

 in such quantities that the ground was more 

 than covered. I feel sure they were in good 



