1898 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



933 



"When I measured with tny eye the size of his 

 hands and the strength of his musciilar arms I 

 conchided that a nieat-bh)ck was about right. 

 He needed something that would not permit 

 of a typewriter jogghng as it would do on a 

 light flimsy table. 



I do not know whether these personal rem- 

 iniscences concerning our apicultural writers 

 are interesting to our readers or not ; but I be- 

 lieve soaie great man has said that half the 

 world is interested in knowing how the other 

 half lives; at all events I am sure that half of 

 our bee-keepers are always intes sted in know- 

 ing something about Doolittle and Miller. As 

 a pair they came very near being the leaders 

 ers in apicultural literature, in spite of the 

 fact that they do not know any better than to 

 use such miserable cheap desks on which to 

 pound out their thoughts. 



SNAPSHOTS AT THE HOME OF DR. C. C. 

 MILLER. 



On my return from Omaha I stopped off at 

 Marengo, 111., the place where vStray Straws 

 are gathered. Of coiirse, I was armed with a 

 camera, but I did not use it on this occasion, 

 as I borrowed the doctor's, who was so well 

 pleased with my little folding pocket kodak 

 that he bought one like it. I told him one 

 forenoon that I wanted to see him get down 

 to business writing Stray Straws, and that he 

 should sit in his office chair, in front of his 

 favorite mahogany roll top or drop cabinet 

 desk, with his favorite bee -journals and other 

 paraphernalia near at hand, and that he him- 

 self was to put on his blandest smile. 



Instead of procuring a very elaborate office 

 desk he picked up a connnon stool on which 

 was his typewriter. This he placed in front 

 of the lounge. In place of a swing - back 

 swing around eleganth' equipped office chair 

 he took out a common straight-back affair. 

 He then piilled off his coat and vest, hung 

 them over the back of the chair, scattered 

 books and papers, especially bee journals, 

 around on each side of him, on the floor. 

 Then I took the little kodak, set it on another 

 stool, and proceeded to take a snapshot, or, 

 rather, a "time exposure." 



" There, that is splendid," I said ; but Mrs. 

 Miller and Emma protested, "Oh, that vest 

 looks so distressed! and then, how it looks to 

 have books and papers scattered all over the 

 floor ! " I insisted that I wanted every thing 

 just as the doctor usually has it when he 

 is writing Straws. To fix him up real prim, 

 and to have every thing orderly, wouldn't do. 

 They finally yielded, though reluctantlv, and 

 I pressed the button. I don't mean to imply 

 that the doctor is more disorderly than the 

 average man who has women "as neat as 

 wax " around to " pick up after hi:n." But I 

 wanted our readers to see the man of Straws 

 in his free and eas}' style ' ' at home ' ' 



I asked the doctor why he set his stool so 

 far out in the room — why he didn't hie himself 

 off into one corner. " Oh! when I get tired, " 

 he answered, "I stretch myself out on the 

 lounge, and rest." 



Well, the result of the shot is shown in No. 

 2. I don't envy him the stool and the straight- 



hack chair ; but I do begrudge him that com- 

 fortable lounge, so inviting, and the time it 

 takes to use it. Yes, I begrudge him that quiet 

 retreat at home, awa}- from the whirl of 

 machinery and the frequent interruptions 

 from employees. 



The doctor has a beautiful home, inside. 

 Magnificent and expensive hand paintings 

 adorn the walls. Books, papers, and easy- 

 chairs greet the vistor. 



After I left that home — a place that seems 

 like home to me — the doctor tried his hand at 

 kodaking, and the results are shown in 1, .3, 

 4, 5, and 6. Under No. 1 the doctor wrote : 



1. Miller frame, yi bottom-bar not yet nailed on. 

 2. Fra:ne filled with foundation, and little sticks em- 

 bedded. 3 Foundation so far drawn out that sticks 

 no 1 'nger show. -1. Same with unsealed honey. Oct. 

 13, 1X118. 



The doctor showed me some of his frames 

 of foundation, and also the combs that had 

 been built ottt on the sticks. I would explain 

 that he uses square sticks about as small as 

 can be sawn, say about the size of a toothpick, 

 and in length about equal to the depth of the 

 frame. Fottndation is put in, and then the 

 sticks are inserted in their proper place. I 

 believe the doctor values the sticks because 

 they are self-supporting, require fastening 

 neither at the top nor bottom, and effectually 

 prevent all sag of the foundation, thus en- 

 abling him to use sheets that fit clear out to 

 the end bars as well as clear down to the bot- 

 tom-bar. He showed me quite a number of 

 his combs that were built out from foundation 

 thus prepared, that looked like solid boards. 



Of snapshop No. 8 the doctor wrote: 

 Miller house from southwest. Sept., 1898. 



This is a very natural view. Say (his 

 women-folks mustn't read this), I have been 

 wondering why the doctor did not paint the 

 whole of his house instead of stopping at the 

 point just over the tops of the trees. I know 

 he does not believe in painting his hives, but 

 I did not suppose he was a believer in doing a 

 half-way job on the outside of the house ; for 

 inside it's just lovely. 



Of picture No. 4 the doctor writes : 

 Bees brought home from out-apiary, waiting to be 

 put in cellar. Shop at left. Oct. 1.'), 18!I8. 



These are eight-frame hives having cleats at 

 the end, for convenience in lifting and han- 

 dling. Thev are all numbered by means of a 

 tin tag painted white, the nitmber being in 

 black." The tags may be seen on the front of 

 the hives. Under the shop shown at the left 

 is a large bee- cellar. The first floor above is 

 used for nailing up general work, such as 

 hives, and for putting up supers. The second 

 story is for general storage. 



No. 5 (the number does not show, but it is 

 beneath 2 and 6) is thtts spoken of by Dr. 

 Miller : 



Wagon-rack for hauling bees. Holds 22 colonies, 

 and !• go in box under rack. Oct. 15, 1898. 



Something of this kind is almost indispens- 

 able. Without it one could carry only about 

 half as many colonies, and even then with not 

 the same security. 



Of No. the doctor has this to say : 



Sixteen potatoes (Carmen No. 8, ^ bushel), 28^i 

 pounds ; 3 largest potatoes weigh 6 lbs. 9^ oz. The 

 stick lying on the potatoes is a foot rule. Oct. 11. 



