1898 



GI.EANINGS IN BEE CUI^TURE. 



449 



falls on the roofs, for cistern water has a dis- 

 tinct taste of smoke to one who has been accus- 

 tomed to drinking distilled water for several 

 days. Another thing, the reservoir of the 

 Sanitary still, after water has been boiled in it 

 for a week, shows a darkish deposit that looks 

 as if it might be smoke or other impurities ta- 

 ken from the water washed off from the slate 

 roofs. If you should happen to prefer distill- 

 ed water to either tea or coffee, it might be 

 actual economy, rather than an expense, to 

 purchase and use a Sanitary still. When this 

 whole big world of ours has a craze for drink- 

 ing pure water, and for telling the truth (for 

 I declare the one makes me think of the oth- 

 er), what a millennium we shall have ! 



Mr. J. E. Blackburn, Ohio Dairy and Food 

 Commissioner, in a recent address said as fol- 

 lows: 



Is it any wonder that a child that has been raised 

 on soothing-syrups, or other preparations containing 

 morphine, should take to cigarettes before it is able to 

 leave its mother's apron-strings? 



NOTES or TRAVLL 



I BY A. I. ROOT. 



'?1^<5i)-=r;^ 



SOME OF THE IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEEI.S FOR 

 THE YEAR 1898. 



It is very poor policy to run any kind of 

 machinery when there is no reason why it 

 should be running. The man who lets his 

 windmill run and wear itself out because he is 

 too negligee t to stop it is a loolish man; and 

 the manufacturer who lets belting and shaft- 

 ing wear out in like manner, when they 

 mijjht just as well be standing still, is not a 

 prudent and economical man. Well, in the 

 same way we have for years been running the 

 chain and sprocket-wheels on a bicj'cle when 

 they might as well have been much of the 

 time standing stiil. Yes, mure than that: 

 Most bicycle-riders go through the motions of 

 pedaling when the muscles of their limbs 

 might be resting, so as to be ready for the hill 

 iu the distance. There has always been an 

 objection, however, against removing your 

 feet from the pedals, especial 1}' where the 

 roads are bad, and where you need perfect 

 control of your wheel. The new 1898 Eclipse 

 has an automatic arrangement whereby the 

 pedals, chain, and sprockets may all be at 

 rest, including the legs of the rider, whenever 

 he is going down hill. Whenever you wish 

 to use the pedals, just pedal ahead. 



Now you may say, " What is one going to 

 do when he is under the necessity of back- 

 pedaling?" Well, the Eclipse folks fix this 

 by arranging an ingenious automatic brake 

 that operates whenever you move the pedals 

 backward. When I am off on a trip with this 

 wheel, especially if I have a strong ivind at 

 my back, I am pedaling only half of the time; 

 for you know that, on any trip, no matter 

 which direction you go, providing you return 



to the starting-point, there is just as much 

 down hill as up hill, and with a good wind 

 you can rest whenever there is level ground 

 and good roads. I use this wheel constantly 

 in going back and forth between the house 

 and the factory, a distance of some 400 feet, 

 on stone flagging. As there is a gradual fall 

 of about 6 inches in 100 feet, my wheel carries 

 me nicely over the distance without touching 

 a pedal at all. 



Now, I have discovered two very nice things 

 about this wheel that I believe even the man- 

 ufacturers do not know of — at least they have 

 not mentioned them in their circulars. When- 

 ever you are going over a piece of road such 

 as we have around Medina every spring, you 

 do not need to have your pedals strike the 

 ground, even if you run into a wagon-track 

 that is ever so deep. Get up sufficient mo- 

 mentum to get through the Ijad place, and 

 stop pedaling till you get out of the rut. 



Another thing, who has not been annoyed 

 by having a wheel that is in real good order, 

 going ahead or going backward, or tumbling 

 down, whenever one tries to stand it up any- 

 where? With the Eclipse, just back the 

 wheel a few inches and the rear wheel is 

 locked by the brake. When you want to 

 start, push it forward and it is all loose again. 



The second improvement in wheels that I 

 have noticed particularly is the "gear-case." 

 Ernest and John and Constance have each a 

 Cleveland thus protected. We have not had 

 a very dusty time yet this, spring; but they 

 say the chain never gets dusty or gritty, no 

 matter if you run through the mud and rain. 

 This is quite an important item; for the easi- 

 est-running wheel in the world, if the chain is 

 exposed to dust or water, will gradually get 

 to running harder and harder for every mile 

 3'ou travel until you stop and clean off the 

 chain and give it a coating of lubricant. 



And this brings us to a consideration of the 

 chainless wheel. 1 have had one of the Co- 

 lumbia chainless that cost 812-"), for about a 

 week past, and, somewhat to my surprise, I 

 am forced to admit that it runs as easily as 

 any chain wheel I ever rode. It is certainly 

 equal to any for climbing hills, and, so far as 

 I can see, the claims made by the Pope Man- 

 ufacturing Co. are not at all exaggerated. 

 As to whether it will keep running still easier 

 instead of harder, as long as it is used, only 

 time can determine. The Columbia chainless 

 is certainly a very nice thing. It does seem, 

 however, that §125 is ver^^much more than 

 such a machine need cost. My impression is 

 that, after the machinery has been perfected 

 for making these chainless wheels, they can 

 be sold at as low a price, or possibly less, than 

 the ordinary chain wheels. The first cost of 

 a factory for making the chainless is, howev- 

 er probably considerably more than for chain 

 wheels. 



A VISIT TO THE JORDAN CELERY-FARM. 



3Iay 26. — Since the above was written I 

 have made a trip of 16 miles to the Jordan 

 celery-farm; and I am happy to say that the 

 chainless is not only equal to, but ahead, in 

 point of ease of running, of any wheel I have 

 ever before ridden, especially in climbing 



