1899 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



29 



you would not hesitate to take your horse and 

 buggy and ride around the island Sunday 

 evening." 



"You are right, Mr. Root. The greatest 

 reason, if not the only one, why I do not go 

 out riding Sunday evening is because of the 

 example it would set to those who, when they 

 once get started in Sunday riding, would have 

 no conscience or scruple to control their 

 actions." 



About nine o'clock loads of people might be 

 seen coming from every point of the compass. 

 All came— -old and young. I do not know 

 that I ever attended a Sunday-school or meet- 

 ing where there was so much diversion in the 

 way of childish prattle from those who were 

 not old enough to know any better ; but the 

 childish prattle just made me feel happy, and 

 I am sure my two friends felt as I did about 

 it. The meeting kept increasing in size all 

 day long, and we had four different services ; 

 and after the evening meeting had got started 

 the people came crowding in to such an extent 

 that we tied up the side curtains of the tent, 

 and there was a great circle spread out on the 

 grass all around in every direction from the 

 speaker. The services were all short, some- 

 times all three of us taking part in one meet- 

 ing. Some arose for prayers at the close of 

 the meeting ; but aside from this I know that 

 good was done to many more, by the animat- 

 ed faces and close attention given to every 

 word that was uttered. 



In the afternoon we were invited a couple 

 of miles away to take dinner at a farmhouse. 

 Let me say, by the way, that I made a similar 

 visit in the same place seven years ago last 

 November, and I felt greatly pleased to ste so 

 many prosperous farms and new comfortable 

 houses that have been built in the interval 

 since I was there. They do not get large 

 crops of wheat on those great Dakota farms — • 

 that is, not great crops per acre ; but when 

 the people become acquainted with the cli- 

 mate, and make due calculation for the possi- 

 ble dry summers, they manage to get along 

 very well. 



The next morning we were up bright and 

 early, and I was greatly interested in seeing 

 Bro. Peck pack his tent, and load it all on to 

 a one-horse wagon — not only the tent alone, 

 but a si'le tent for sleeping and cooking, and 

 seats enough to accommodate about a hundred 

 people. The whole outfit, wagon included, 

 under Bro. Peck's careful planning, cost only 

 about $150. Such a tent answers every pur- 

 pose for outdoor meetings much better out on 

 these dry prairies than it would in ordinary 

 localities. In fact, one can sit oi sleep on the 

 ground out here, without any trouble. 



After we were all loaded up two of us were 

 to ride wheels, and the third was to drive the 

 horse. In order to enjoy the trip we changed 

 about. First one would drive, and then an- 

 other. And, by the way, ver> providentially, 

 the wind changed during the night, and blew 

 just the other way. In one of the finest 

 stretches of road on our way home, Bro. Peck 

 and I timed ourselves for speed. If I remember 

 correctly I rode a mile in a fraction less than 

 four minutes. Bro. Peck got it down to three 



minutes and a half, and said -he thought he 

 could make it three. But neither of us felt 

 like exerting ourselves unduly just to tell how 

 fast we could ride. 



The artesian wells of South Dakota that I 

 had so much to say about in November and 

 December, 1891, are still pouring forth their 

 liquid treasures. But I was greatly disap- 

 pointed to find that, at least in the vicinity of 

 Mitchell, but little use is made of the water for 

 irrigation. Several had an idea that the min- 

 erals that this artesian water contains are 

 rather detrimental to at least many crops. 

 There were, however, different opinions in 

 regard to the matter. We passed many arte- 

 sian wells, some of them throwing large 

 streams of water ; but it seemed to be used 

 mainly for watering stock. In many places it 

 just runs off into a quagmire instead of being 

 a benefit to any one. 



The next day we made a trip off about 

 twenty miles to the north. We had the usual 

 powerful wind that blows almost every day in 

 those regions. If it is behind you, all right ; 

 but if it is coming in }'our face, travel on a 

 wheel — that is, with most wheels — would be 

 practically out of the question. There were 

 three of us with two wheels and the horse and 

 buggy. We decided we could get home that 

 afternoon by changing about ; and with my 

 chainless Columbia I found I could make some 

 headway, even when the wind blew a regular 

 gale ; and then when it slacked up I could 

 shoot ahead at a pretty fair speed. In this 

 way I made ten miles in one afternoon with- 

 out becoming very much fatigued. On the 

 way I caught up with a wheelman whom I 

 afterward found to be the mayor of the city of 

 Huron. Just for fun I told him to try my 

 wheel and I would try his. He had one of 

 the best up-to-date chain wheels. I could not 

 ■work his against the wind at all, and had to 

 give it up ; but he got along very nicely on 

 mine. 



THE WEATHER ALMANACS, LONG -WEATHER 

 PREDICTIONS, ETC. 

 My attention has just been called to an 

 article published last January in the Monthly 

 Weather Review, by the U. S. Weather Bureau, 

 Washington, D C. From this article I make 

 the following extract : 



The least rational almanacs are those that pretend 

 that the weather is controlled by planetary combina- 

 tions and stellar influences, therefore such predictions 

 are properly said to be based upon astrology. 



Let me copy still further from the same 

 article : 



The least scientific system of preparing the almanac 

 predictions was explained to the editor many years 

 ago by a gentleman whose almanac made the greatest 

 pretensions to high scientific accuracy. This gentle- 

 man stated that on certain days he felt endowed with 

 a certain ability or inspiration. These were his 

 weather-making days, on which he sat down, and, 

 with the most absolute confidence in the accuracy of 

 his work, wrote np the weather for the coming year, 

 c ntinuing at the work for a considerable time until 

 the inspiration seemed to leave him, whereupon he 

 necessarily stopped, and delayed resuming the work 

 until again filled with the spirit of divination. 



Doubtless some almanac-makers adopt a combina- 

 tion of the preceding methods ; but, in general, these 

 seem to be the principles most widely recognized in 



