GLHAMN(i.s IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jax. 15. 



ing to a story of killing 55 ducks at one rising— 

 at three shots. The next story, by friend Ca- 

 rey, was about killing three deer out of a bunch 

 of four before they got away. 



Good-nigh', dear readers of Gleanings. 



Dec. 2!) —Last night I went to sleep gazing at 

 the brilliant starry vault above. I believe it is 

 generally agreed that the heavens are more 

 brilliant here in the South, especially on the 

 prairies, than in the North. Well, just before 

 midnight friend Carey announced that we were 

 in for it — raindrops were falling. Our supper- 

 table was left standing. ?o as to be handy for 

 breakfast; but I tell you there was some hur- 

 ried packing of the dishes, bedding, etc., into 

 the wagon. Soon the stars were gone, and it 

 was too dark to attempt to regain the road. Our 

 fuel was about out, and no more to be had — no 

 lantern — we might get into the river, overturn 

 the wagon, or do worse. When things began to 

 look desperate Bro. Elvey remembered, evident- 

 ly, the old Bible story of the torches inside the 

 pitchers — Gideon's army. He got the end of 

 the candle left after I got through writing, 

 lighted it, and held it inside the water-pail 

 turned on its side so as to keep off the gusts of 

 wind, and we regained the wagon -road, and in 

 this manner reached a barn which happened to 

 be near — the only one, in fact, in many miles; 

 and, didn't we rejoice in the shelter! 



THE BEE-KEEPERS OF SALT-RIVER VALLEY. 



Between forty and fifty bee-keepers have pro- 

 duced, during the past season, 31 carloads of 

 honey. Many of the apiaries have over 300 col- 

 onies in one location, and some have even 300; 

 and even with this large number, as much as 

 175 or 200 lbs per colony, right through. The 

 valley is said to be pretty well stocked at the 

 present time, however. Even though the crops 

 of honey are larg-*, freight is so heavy that the 

 net price realized by the bee-keepers is very 

 low. Alfalfa boney sells, retail, at 5 cents; by 

 the 60 lb. can. 4 cents, can included. In car 

 lots, after taking out cost of cans only about 3 

 cents is realized. A nice article of well-ripened 

 alfalfa honey is nearly if not quite equal to our 

 best eastern white clover. 



Dec. 29.— After the rain slacked up I asked 

 what our bill was for the use of the barn, for 

 our bedding and horses, and the reply was $2 00. 

 We had our own provisions, and furnished our 

 own feed for the horses. I finally persuaded 

 him to accept Sl.OO. This place (Gibson's ranch) 

 was the only one where we felt like complain- 

 ing of the prices. To-day we saw great moun- 

 tains, with snow-capped peaks, towering above 

 the clouds. While some were illuminated with 

 sunshine, many others were being deluged by 

 thunder-storms, and twice we saw floods of 

 muddy water rushing down across our path. 

 My supper by the camp-fire was quail on toast. 

 These desert quail, under Mr. Elvey's cook- 

 ing, were delicious. He says he can dress eight 

 quail in sixteen minutes. 



Along at intervals we find water, and some of 

 the watering-places are curious and interesting. 

 At Squirrel hole Springs the water bubbles up 

 in little holes in the solid bed-rock of a dry riv- 

 er-bottom. The largest of these holes will ad- 

 mit a water-bucket. 



In going up a long mountain road we saw 

 ahead of us three teams with their huge loads, 

 and four or six horses, stopped by a breakdown. 

 Of course, all three stopped to help repair the 

 wagon belonging to thp unfortunate brother. 

 Mr. Elvey soon found one of the crowd was a 

 Mr. W. W. Burford. of Kansas City, a bee- 

 keeper, and a subscriber to Gleanings. He 

 walked back with us up the mountain, just to 

 have a little talk. Friend B. has been almost a 

 year exploring Arizona, and has among his col- 



lection a real miuiimy that he found in one of 

 the cliff dwellings. 



After the severe rain of Monday.night I found 

 it impossible to run my wheel over a good deal 

 of the road, on account of the sticky "doby" 

 mud. It would cover the rubber tires like melt- 

 ed beeswax; and when it got on the steel chain 

 there was no more wheeling, and it is a long 

 job to clean it otT. I tell yon. The trouble is not 

 confined to bicycles, for at some points this do- 

 by mud collected on the wagon-wheels until 

 they looked like huge barrels, and two stout 

 horses could hardly pull a light spring wagon. 

 When this load of mud dropped off the wheels 

 of the wagon it was. of course, a big obstruction 

 in the road for the next team that came along. 

 The greater part of the roads, however, are very 

 hard and firm, and there are only a few days all 

 winter when there is mud anywhere. The last 

 night of 1806 we passed at Hance's Ranch. As 

 the family were away for the winter we found 

 only the hired man and a teamster, who had a 

 sick horse. Now, these teamsters, like many of 

 the miners, seem to think the best credentials 

 of good breeding is to bring in cursing and blas- 

 phemy about every other word, whether it 

 makes sense or not. The sick horse was cursed, 

 and the weather and every thing else. I tried 

 various subjects of conversation, but the replies 

 were all the same. I finally made up my mind 

 that, even if we were in one sense forcing these 

 people to give us a shelter from the snowstorm 

 without, 1 should get these two men apart, and, 

 one by one, labor with them in regard to such 

 talk. After supper we sat around the fireplace 

 and began to tell stories; and I prayed most 

 earnestly for grace and wisdom to speak the 

 right word at the right time. My prayer was 

 answered in a very unexpected way. In fact. I 

 almost held my breath in astonishment when 

 story after story was told, without a slang word 

 of any kind. These two men were so changed 

 I could hardly believe my senses. Instead of 

 complaining and sneering at every thing good 

 and holy, they were pleasant, respectful, and 

 gentlemanly. When Mr. Elvey and myself 

 were getting under our blankets that night I 

 said: 



" Friend E., can you explain this sudden and 

 wonderful change in these two men during the 

 pleasant evening just past ? " 



"I suppose I can partly. Mr. Root. I saw 

 how their talk pained you, and I suggested to 

 Bro. Carey that he should talk with them, as he 

 is used to such characters." 



Let me explain here, if I haven't before, that 

 my companions are both professing Christians. 

 Mr. Carey is a Quaker, and in the true Quaker 

 spirit he presented the matter so well that these 

 two seemed " clothed and in their right mind," 

 all the rest of the time we were there. New- 

 year's morning the sky was bright and clear as 

 I wished all a " happy new year." Then I add- 

 ed to the teamster: 



" My dear friend, can we not, this morning at 

 least, 'praise God, from whom all blessings 

 flow ' ? " 



"Yes, sir! that's my doctrine." he replied; 

 and I inwardly prayed that it might be so. in- 

 stead of nirsihg God at every breath. 



Oh what a "happy New-year's day" I did 

 have! As we reached the mountain pass and 

 prepared to go down Copper Canyon we had a 

 glimpse of the Verde Valley, three miles below, 

 or at least we had a glimpse of the clouds away 

 down below us. How strange it makes one feel 

 to be with the sun far above the clouds! Then 

 the canyon all the way down is full of beauti- 

 ful shrubs and various kinds of evergreens; and 

 pretty soon a spring commences to send down 

 with us a clear and sparkling "babbling brook." 

 This brook is green with most appetizing and 



