500 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 1. 



could wish, yet the individuals connected will 

 ever tend to make us prize it highly. 



Gko. W. Brodbfxk. 



Los Angeles, C'al., Feb. 1. 



[Friend B., you may think we have been a long 

 time finding a place for the above picture in 

 Gleanings; but I suppose our readers will be 

 as glad to see it now as almost any time. You 

 didn't tell us that No. i» was "Rambler;" in 

 fact, by looking closely you will see a small por- 

 tion of the strijjed breeches that have so many 

 times delighted our eyes. As I look over the 

 picture while adding my notes, it brings back so 

 vividly that pleasant month in Los Angeles 

 that it almost seems as if we were back there. I 

 don't suppose you will feel so much interested 

 in No. 10 as I do; but she looks in the picture so 

 <'xactly as she did when I found her in San 

 Francisco that it makes my heart beat quicker 

 when I look at the picture. /\ndNo. Ill Dear 

 friend B., it almost makes me feel bad to think 

 how much you and your good wife did for us 

 when we were there; and it almost seems as if 

 we didn't quite say "thank you'' for it all. 

 And how I do like to see friends Cook and j\Ic- 

 Intyre sitting there together like a couple of 

 brothers! It makes me think of the time when 

 I told Prof. Cook that he must get acquainted 

 with Dr. Miller; and then I told Dr. Miller that 

 he must get acquainted with Prof. Cook. It 

 was really one of my fond projects to get the 

 two to know each other. Well, it was just so 

 with Cook and Mclntyre; and even if they did 

 talk bees and entomology and other things so 

 much that ihey almost forgot I was around, it 

 didn't trouble me a bit. I haven't so much to 

 say about the others, foi- I didn't get to know 

 them quite so well as I did the otheis; but I got 

 acquainted enough to ff(>l toward them like a 

 lot of kind br .thei'S and sisters, which they re- 

 ally were. Say! don't you think that's a nice 

 crowd to be in, any way? Some such thought 

 must have b(^en on my mind, and that's what 

 made me look so good-natured and happy.] 



A.I. R. 



JOKES IN GLEANINGS. 



AN "outsider"' thinks THEV OUGHT TO BE 

 LABELED. 



Editor Gl callings. ■—! hope you will pardon 

 the intrusion, for I am not a subscriber to your 

 journal, albeit a "constant reader" through 

 the coui'tesy of one who is, and with whom I 

 exchange. We can not afford to each subscribe 

 to all the bee-journals we wish to read, so we 

 are neighborly. 



What I wish to say is, that I should think 

 you would shut down on those people who are 

 eternally reminding the Dadants that they are 

 Frenchmen— as if they were to blame. I dare 

 say they are as good United States as any of 

 their traducers. Dr. Miller, who takes every 

 opportunity to speak of those "miserable 

 Frenchmen over at Hamilton," would certainly 

 think the wit rather far fetched if he were 

 reminded of his likeness to St. Patrick. Ham- 

 baugh would not care to have the honored 

 name he bears traced to Hamburger — Limbur- 

 ger— bah! cheese it! We like a joke as well as 

 any one, but don't mix them up with your ar- 

 gument so much, else we may not be, able to tell 

 which is argument or which is intended for 

 joke. 



I don't know Dadant from a last year's bird's- 

 nest — never had even a circular from him, 

 though lam a bee-keeper; but if I wanted to 

 deal with him or any of the crowd — Miller, 

 Doolittle, Hambaugh, et omnes (is that correct? 

 twenty-five years since I tried Latin afore), I'd 



just deal with them regardless of " previous 

 condition of servitude." 



I suppose I ought to apologize for writing, 

 even; if so, I'll accept it. This is " not neces- 

 sarily for publication, but as evidence of good 

 faith."' C. H. Clayton. 



Lang, Cal., April 10. 



[Upon receiving the above we studied upon it 

 for some time to know whether the writer was 

 joking or really meant what he said. As it 

 was a case wherein Di'. Miller was particularly 

 involved, we sent it to him. asking him what 

 his opinion was in regard to it. In reply he 

 wrote, "Some tilings in it look plainly in the 

 direction of its all being a joke, and there sure- 

 ly is some joking about it: but the last sentence 

 in the second paragraph seems in earnest, in 

 which he condemns the fault in which he him- 

 self sins so grievously." We then wrote Mr. 

 Clayton himself, explaining that Dr. Miller, 

 Mr. Dadant, and Mr. Hambaugh were old-time 

 friends, and were in the habit of bantering each 

 other at conventions and through the bee-jour- 

 nals. We further added, that, if he meant it 

 for a joke, we would give it insertion, and that 

 we thought our readers would so understand it 

 — at least if we appended a footnote to that 

 efPect. Mr. Clayton replied in the same face- 

 tious style; and as it is somewhat sparkling in 

 its humor, we present the same to our readers.] 



Editor Gleanings: 



There! just what I expected! The whole 

 staff of (Cleanings turned down. The proof of 

 the pudding is in the eating. If they don't 

 know a joke, how in the world can you expect 

 us "outsiders"' to recognize oiu>— unless "'tis 

 English, you know"? Of course, I could see 

 that Dr. M. et al. were joking, else Taylor 

 would not keep bees to eke out a living; he 

 would have too much to do defending libel 

 suits, etc. My mother always said I was a 

 Icette smarter than common children, hence I 

 knew they were joking all the time. But, 

 seriously, all jokes should be labeled in three 

 colors, like Mark Twain's picture, "This is a 

 horse." Then there could be no mistake about 

 it — it would be known like the woman's turkey 

 — by "walk, talk, and conversation." How 

 would this do for a label on Hambaugh"s joke? 

 " Monsieur, by gar, you're a Frenchman; voiis 

 understandes? This is the first of April, and 

 this is a joke." This, coupled with a footnote 

 by the editor, explaining that it was intended 

 as a joke, would make it real spicy. I hate 

 to have to explain a joke. Don't you? Why 

 can't we "outsidei's" be let into the secret, so 

 we can laugh with Dr. M. and Ernest? Misery 

 loves company. I am, I suppose, what you call 

 an outsider. lam not a subscriber to Glean- 

 ings. I read it through kindness of a more for- 

 tunate neighbor; but I hope by and by, as soon 

 as I can afford it, to get on the inside, and pay 

 for Gleanings. Times have been mighty 

 " corky " for a year or two, and the " kids " are 

 lightning on shoe-leather; so. per force, I must, 

 for a time at least, stay outside the fence, and 

 continue to swap journals with my neighbor; 

 but whatever betide, I shall not fail to take an 

 interest in every thing pertaining to bee culture. 



Lang. Cal., April 30. C. H. Clayton. 



[While the correspondence above was appar- 

 ently intended for the private ear of the editor, 

 we thought it might be interesting to the read- 

 ers in general. It will explain, perhaps, a little 

 better to some of the "outsiders" how some of 

 the principal eontributoi'S do sometimes banter 

 each other— not because they have any ill will 

 or spite, but because they are such good friends 

 they can poke fun at each other's expense, and 

 not " get mad." If Dr. Miller et al. are jokers. 



