1897 



TrLEANINGS IN BEK CUI/fURK. 



805 



the " crown." he had on an old straw hat and 

 old clothes ready lor work in the apiary. 



"Well." said Mr. Doolittle cordially, "this 

 is rather nnexp cled." 



" All the belter. " I said. " We have cauijht 

 yon, not as yon wonld he. perhaps, to receive 

 company, bnt just as yon are every day in the 

 apiary." I told ]\Ir. Doolitile that I had come 

 to do some kodaking as well as to talk bees, 

 and I asked if he would have any objections 

 to my taking a photo of him just as he stood. 

 " Not at all, sir ; I am at your service." 



We then walked over to his hive of five- 

 banders that have the extra choice breeding- 

 ?|ueen. Lifting a frame out he held it up be- 

 ore us and remarked, "How do those bees 

 suit you? " 



As he did so I took a shot. The large view 

 accompanying shows him just as he stood. He 

 had opened tlie hive without smoke, without 

 veil, and the frame was pulled out in a way 

 that would be regarded as a decided intrusion 

 by some bees. But these great big yellow- 

 bees went right on with their work just the 

 same, apparently, wnthout observing it. 



The lights and shades in the picture are 

 rather strong, owing to the fact that Mr. D.'s 

 apiary is in an orchard, and the hive befoi-e 

 which he stood was in the open. 



I\Ir. Doolittle does not believe in wearing 

 fine clothes out among his bees, especially 

 when he is not expecting visitors ; and if you 

 will look sharp in the bottom of the picture 

 you will see he tucks his pants down his stock- 

 ings, to keep out crawling bees. Many a 

 man, possibly, would object strenuou.sly to 

 being "shown up" before the readers of 

 Gleanings, in every-day attire; but Mr. 

 Doolittle said he was not ashamed to be seen 

 in vrork-clothes. 



After we had looked at the beautiful bees, 

 and heard Mr. Doolittle tell how these yellow- 

 banders, unlike ordinary Italians, would cap 

 their honey as white as do the blacks, we re- 

 paired to liis shop, there to look over samples 

 of his honey produced from the drawn or 

 deep-cell foundation, to which IVIr. Doolittle 

 has already referred in one of his articles. 

 He had kept these samples for me to try, when 

 I should come. He procured a plate and case- 

 knife, and together we repaired to a cool 

 place under one of the large spreading apple- 

 trees. We first tried the cliewing quality of a 

 sample made from drawn foundation, and then 

 a sample made from ordinary foundation. It 

 was evident that there was more midrib on the 

 new product than on the old. 



While Messrs. Doolittle and Salisbury were 

 sampling, I, with my fingers all sticky with 

 honey, grabbed up the camera and took a 

 shot, and the result reduced to half-tone is 

 also shown. 



You will notice that Mr. Doolittle uses a tall 

 section, and the same are held in w-ide frames 

 while on the hive. He has been using these 

 deep sections for years, if I am correct ; and 

 although I forgot to ask him li'hy he did not 

 use the regulation 4 '4^, the reason is, no doubt, 

 owing to the fact that his markets call for 

 these tall boxes ; and as long as thej^ bring a 



little higher price, Ik will, of course, continue 

 to use them. 



.Vbout this time we were calkd to dinner ; 

 and, with apjietites whetted to the keei> by 

 the ride, Mr. vSalisbury and I enjoyed Mrs. 

 Doolittle's excellent dinner. After a most de- 

 lightful chat, on bees and the issues of the 

 day (for Mr. D. has given much thought to 

 some of the great sociological problems of our 

 times), IMr. S. and I took another route back 

 to Syracuse. He led off as usual. We passed 

 through INIarcellus, where N. N. Betsinger 

 once lived. I'rank pointed out to nie the 

 beautiful home Mr. B. once owned, but which, 

 with every thing else, had l)een swept away in 

 a lawsuit. Whether Mr. Betsinger was guilty 

 of the awful crime of which he was accused, 

 and for which he was tried, we shall, perhaps, 

 never know. I do not remember exactly the 

 result of one or more lawsviits. I believe, 

 however, the jury disagreed. The affair is a 

 most sad one, and the lawyers reaped a har- 

 vest. 



Winding around the river we came to Ca- 

 millus. At present there is there a Mr. House, 

 a bee-keeper, a brother of George W. Horse, 

 formerly one of the editors of the American 

 Apiculturist in its palmiest days. Mr. 

 House has a most beautiful location for an 

 apiary. Just back of his dwelling is a sort of 

 ravine where his apiary is kept between tw-o 

 of those big hills for which York State is 

 famous. As I have before stated, I took a 

 Kodak view, but, most unfortunatel}-, it was 

 so late in the day it did not develop up as it 

 should. But there is not a prettier site in the 

 whole world for an apiary. Possibly Mr. 

 House will favor us with a photo of his yard 

 at some future time. 



Leaving here, Mr. Salisbury took the lead 

 as usual ; but I noticed that his legs were be- 

 ginning to give out. He had not been used 

 to such long rides as I had, and was not stand- 

 ing the trip quite as w-ell, and I was just be- 

 ginning to wonder whether I hadn't better 

 push him with my wheel, when he made an 

 extra spurt, and in a short time we landed at 

 the top of a long hill, and coasted almost into 

 Syracuse. 



Frank is one whom it is a pleasure to know. 

 He is rather quiet in his manner ; and if the 

 other fellow will do the talking, he will keep 

 still, occasionally throwing in a word. He is 

 a single man, but I h.tve heard it whispered 

 that one or two nice girls were after him. If 

 they get him he'll be a prize. But the lack of 

 a wife is more than made up by a most excel- 

 lent mother, whom to know is to love almost 

 as one's own. 



MILES MORTON. 



His Comb-Honey Super; His Portable House- 

 Apiary. 



BY ERNEST R. ROOT. 



Although I have already said a few things 

 concerning friend Morton I have not said all I 

 want to say yet. In ihe first place I had bet- 

 ter formaliv introduce him — at least so far as 



