1898 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Acklin said there had been a good deal of 

 trouble made by the boys, and I presume the 

 conductor singled out the ringleader and took 

 him captive. On my previous visit Dr. E. K. 

 Jaques, of Crystal, Minn., who lives in the 

 suburbs of Minneapolis, urged me to make 

 him a call. We did so the next day, and he 

 very kindly took his fine team and carriage 

 and showed us around. First we visited the 

 market-gardens that supply the twin cities, 

 and it was indeed a rare treat. They get won- 

 derful crops, and seemed to do well, even 

 though most of their vegetables, melons, etc., 

 are sold at exceedingly low prices. We passed 

 two very pretty thrifty fine-looking gardens 

 that had a little bit of history connected with 

 them. The doctor said he was sure it would 

 interest me in two ways. He pointed over to 

 the beautiful fields of various vegetables, each 

 one being a perfect picture of thrift and luxu- 

 riance, and then he spoke something as 

 follows : 



' ' Mr. Root, ten years ago that man was one 

 of the most hopelessly intemperate cases we 

 have in our neighborhood. His poor wife did 

 every thing in the world to get along and 

 keep starvation from the door. He had re- 

 formed again and again, only to go back 

 deeper and deeper ; and just when everybody 

 had decided his case was utterly hopeless, the 

 Salvation Army got hold of him. People 

 laughed when he joined their ranks and began 

 presenting Christ Jesus to his old comrades. 

 He did not mind their laughs and sneers, how- 

 ever. He stopped all his bad habits, and 

 went to work, and for ten years he has been 

 a most exemplary father, husband, and citizen. 

 Now, none of us can be positively sure that 

 he will not, even yet, in some unguarded 

 moment, go back ; but the Salvation Army 

 has certainly helped that man to make a good 

 record for ten years; and I say God speed them 

 in their work." 



By this time we had got along in sight of 

 another equally fine-looking vegetable-garden, 

 and the doctor resumed : 



"Mr. Root, I have not finished my story 

 yet. The man who owns that place over 



there was a boon companion of Mr. . 



After he was rescued he went after his special 

 chum. This chum, however, did not take 

 kindly to any thing pious. He jeered and 

 ridiculed, and tried to throw off his old com- 

 rade; but the old comrade was in dead earnest. 

 He held on to his friend, and prayed and 

 wrestled (perhaps as Jacob wrestled on that 

 memorable night — who knows?), and finally 

 righteousness triumphed over ifiiquity. The 

 spirit of Christ Jesus was more powerful than 

 the iron chains of that old appetite. The two 

 men were rescued from the spoiler, and there 

 are records of two clean lives for ten years, or 

 almost that, instead of one. Perhaps, Mr. 

 Root, you might mention this in some of your 

 writings, as an encouragement to some of the 

 members of the Salvation Army in the work 

 they are doing." 



Now, the doctor did not say all that I have 

 said in the above, but he stated it very strong- 

 ly in his own words, and I have taken the 

 liberty to give the facts in my own words. 



God speed the Salvation Army, even if they 

 do not always do things just as you and I 

 would do them. At least one organization of 

 these people has asked to have GIvEanings in 

 their reading-room, and I hereby propose to 

 send it free of charge to any Salvation Army 

 quarters where it will be read, as long as they 

 want it. 



After we had got through the melon-patches 

 and gardens, the doctor kindly took us around 

 among the lumber - mills of Minneapolis. 

 Why, I was perfectly astounded. I knew 

 there was a good deal of lumber brought down 

 the Mississippi River, and worked up some- 

 where about Minneapolis; but I did not know 

 there were acres and acres of lumber-yards — 

 great piles as high as lofty buildings, put up 

 so straight and true that it looked like a model 

 city of pine boards ; and, by the way, I wish 

 the foreman of our lumber-yard could take 

 some lessons from these piles in sticking up 

 lumber so it will season straight and true. 

 And then, further along, there were piles of 

 kindling-wood — kindling enough, so it seemed 

 to me, to start breakfast for every family in 

 the whole Northwest for years to come. Many 

 of these lumber-mills are turned by the power 

 of the Mississippi River, that I have told you 

 about before, but quite a few of them are 

 worked by steam-plants. 



Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after 

 righteousness, for they shall be filled.— Matt. 5:6. 



I have from time to time published a good 

 many kind words from our readers and our 

 customers. I have given you letters from 

 those who are greatly pleased with our work, 

 who have praised our accuracy and commend- 

 ed our methods of doing business. I think it 

 is no more than fair that I should now give 

 you something on the other side. The letter 

 I am going to quote is not unkind in any 

 sense ; in fact, I take it as an exceedingly 

 kind epistle to myself personally. I believe 

 the writer is a special friend of mine, or else 

 he would not have written thus frankly. Our 

 very best friends tell us plain truths. I have 

 written a good many times about how to do 

 business. To day I want to say something 

 about how not to do business. I am now 

 ready to submit the letter I have mentioned : 



Afr. A. I. Root, dear Sir.— I have a matter which I 

 wish you to look up, believing vou have the power, as 

 president of The A. I. Root Co.,'and thinking possibly 

 some employees in said company need a shaking-up. 

 A short time after purchasing T. K. Elvey's apiary 

 and fixtures he handed to me your price list, 8od edi- 

 tion. March, 1897, which had just reached him. I saw 

 by this list that you had the new metal rabbet already 

 on the market. I thought the idea so good that I or- 

 dered 1000, taking pains to make every thing clear, 

 even to cutting out the cut and marking the desired 

 rabbet with a pencil so as not to have any mistake, as 

 I had been warned not to order so many, by Mr Al- 

 bert Broomell, as he stated said company would be sure 

 to send the old-style rabbet as they did him when or- 

 dering an odd size. But I told him I could make it 

 clear, as I had dealt with you when I was in the East. 



