534 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 15. 



the men who had used that cultiva'or had been 

 annoyed and hindered in their work summer 

 after summer. Not one of them had, until this 

 present time, informed me that the cultivator 

 as it was could not be made to do its best work. 

 Why didn't some of them talk to me as I came 

 around, and tell me about it? 



A few days ago our young chickens were 

 going, one every night. After a brood of eleven 

 had gone clear down to three I began making 

 a stir in the neighborhood. About a week 

 before, Mrs. Root had befriended a "tramp" 

 cat. After the cat had been fed and made at 

 home— that is, when she became sufficiently 

 acquainted— she brought forth from their hid- 

 ing-place four bright kittens, one after another. 

 I soon decided that the tramp cat was responsi- 

 ble for the loss of the chicks; but the whole 

 family said I was mistaken, as she was so kind 

 and gentle, etc. Finally the teamster said one 

 of the men who was mowing the lawn told him 

 he saw the tramp cat with one of the chickens in 

 her mouth. That was probably one of the first 

 of the eleven. I passed the man ever so many 

 times a day. and he could not scrape up energy 

 enough to tell me he saw the cat that was tak- 

 ing my chickens one by one. I questioned him 

 about it. and remonstrated because he did not 

 tell me at once, instead of telling somebody 

 else; but he had nothing to say. After the cat 

 was killed, then (not before) he volunteered the 

 information to Mrs. Root that it was not the 

 cat that had the four kittens, at all. It was 

 a yellow cat that he saw with a chicken in its 

 mouth. According to this I had killed an in- 

 nocent cat, and left her four " orphling " kittens 

 to ?et along the best they could. 



Now, a few chickens and a cat are but trifles, 

 I know; and perhaps I should not mention 

 them at all were it not that I am expecting 

 some choice Minorcas to hatch some time this 

 week, and I do not propose that one of them 

 shall be taken off every night, by considerable. 

 As I said, chickens andkittens are but trifling 

 matters; but we have more or less the same 

 state of affairs all over our establishment. In 

 one of our elevators, belting to the amount of 

 almost a hundred dollars has been destroyed 

 because we could not get the men who use the 

 heavy freight-elevator to pull the lever clear 

 up sharp either to one side or the other. When 

 the lever was left pulled part way a belt was 

 burned, so a new one had to be put in its place. 

 It would be exceedingly convenient with our 

 freight-elevators to let each man who is mov- 

 ing freight handle the elevator, but we had to 

 give it up. Two men have now the elevator in 

 charge, and a sign announces that they must 

 be called whenever it is to be used. The whole 

 great business world realizes how hard it is to 

 find men who will learn all about the business 

 they are connected with, and make it their 

 study to save their employers from loss. With 

 almost a world full of people wanting some- 

 thing to do, men who will thinli, act, and talk 

 so as to save loss are always hard to find. 



The loss of belting and the loss of life are 

 serious matters, especially when life is lost by 

 somebody's half-heartedness; but, my friends, 

 there are more important problems that meet 

 us almost daily than even this. The Master 

 tells us to beware of him who is able to destroy 

 both soul and body. 



D In the last of our two texts the disciples asked 

 the Master why it was they did not succeed in 

 banishing the evil spirit from one who was 

 brought to them. He told them it was because 

 of their unbelief; or, as I should put it, in con- 

 sequence of their half-heartedness. They fail- 

 ed in routing the evil spirit very much as you 

 and I fail in getting rid of rats and mice— par- 



don me for the illustration. People all around 

 about us admit themselves helpless victims of 

 evil habits. One man said to me, not long ago, 

 when I was remonstrating with him, that he 

 could bring me a testimonial from different 

 physicians to the effect that he was no longer 

 responsible for his occasional sprees. He said 

 the doctors to'd him that he could not help it, 

 even if he tried. May God have mercy on the 

 doctors if they really did say this. Our readers 

 are aware, of course, that I would not say, 

 under any and all circumstances, that a man 

 can by his own will power break off every evil 

 habit; but I do say it is my belief, that, while 

 there is life and reason, any person can, with 

 Ood.\s ?iefp, be emancipated from a?iyevil habit. 



But a few hours ago a poor friend wrote me, 

 telling of his struggles in breaking the bauds of 

 Satan. In his despair he was contemplating 

 something that is, if not suicide, almost next 

 door to it. Although a professing Christian, 

 he said he had " lost his will power." Just as 

 soon as he explained to me thf^.^ ircumstances I 

 felt like rejoicing that I could furnish a remedy 

 that would help him out of his troubles as safe- 

 ly and surely as you would help a man out of a 

 millpond by taking hold of his hand. Then my 

 enthusiasm was somewhat dampened because 

 I remembered my remedy would require '• will 

 power." Please do not smile when I tell you 

 that I wrote to him to change his diet to one of 

 lean meat; cut off starch and sugar entirely. 

 If he can do this he is saved; but, alas! it re- 

 quires will power. By the way, when I meet 

 either a man or a woman of late who has gone 

 through several months on a clean lean -meat 

 diet, I feel like lifting mv hat to such, out of 

 reverence and respect. The person who can 

 control his appetite to the extent of cutting off 

 the last crumb of bread, so that his diet may be 

 absolutely unfermentable, has will power to 

 fight almost any temptation that flesh is heir 

 to. I do not know just what effect the lean- 

 meat diet would have on intemperance; bu: I 

 suspect it would take off a great part of the 

 craving for intoxicants. If there is any one 

 among our readers who can give me any infor- 

 mation in regard to this matter, either for my 

 own private benefit or for the public, omitting 

 the name if he chooses, I should be very glad 

 indeed to get such testimony. I want to know 

 to what extent our diet is responsible for our 

 peculiar besetting sins. 



Now, then, dear friends, I suppose God leaves 

 us all to choose. Shall we drift along in idle- 

 ness and in shady inaction until disgust of life, 

 and then suicide or imbecility, comes on ? or 

 shall we waken up and use our brains and 

 muscles, and make things come into shape as 

 they ought to? Sin is in the world. Shall we 

 let it go on, or shall we say, " God helping me, 

 this shall continue no longer"? There are 

 illustrations all about us, showing what energy, 

 perseverance, and vehemence will accomplish. 

 There are also illustrations all about us of the 

 result of letting things drag, and go as they 

 happen. Shall we get along through life con- 

 triving to get rid of the precious hours God has 

 given us, with the least possible exertion or 

 trouble, until we slip into our graves? or shall 

 we stand up like Christian of old, with our 

 armor on, and rebuke sin and sloth and half- 

 heartedness at every turn ? 



SELLING RECIPES FOR DOING THINGS. 



Dear Oleaningti: —In the Chicago American Poultry 

 Joiirnal for April, '97, page 122, is an advertisement 

 headed " Bees for Nothing:." I have not the $3.00 to 

 throw away, so I do not feel like investig-ating- it. 

 The advertiser is A. F. Randolph, Green Valley, III. 



Ionia, Mich., June 12. Harmon Smith. 



