1899 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



355 



surpassed anywhere in all nature. The Creator 

 has so made this organ that the bee can not 

 only see in the light, but also in the dark, and 

 fashion its beautiful comb with mathematical 

 and mechanical accuracy; and yet its wonder- 

 ful eyes are compared to the sightless orbs of 

 the unfortunate blind. 



The editor finally closes the article by say- 

 ing that the science, theory, and practice of 

 the writer on page 393 are all right, except 

 the telephone, etc., and that all that the 

 writer states sounds reasonable, and is the 

 best article received on the subject, etc. 



Honestly, now, Mr. Editor, does it sound 

 reasonable that God has given to several of 

 his creatures the power to see, and to perform 

 their various duties, and pursue their pleasures 

 in the dark, and has made the bee as blind as 

 the inmates of a blind-asylum, and unable to 

 perform the varied and beautiful operations of 

 the hive except by feeling it all out ? Is God 

 so unkind to bees, and to bees alone? Away 

 with the thought ! It is not worthy of con- 

 sideration. 



We know that the cat, dog, mouse, mole, owl, 

 fox, and many other animals can see as well 

 or better in the dark than by daylight. Is it 

 so exceptionally wonderful, then, that the bee 

 can do this ? and are our pets so inferior that 

 they must be made to depend upon X-rays 

 and the sense of touch for their wonderful 

 work? 



Now, Mr. Editor, I assume that you own a 

 cat — a good mouser ; also a dark closet or 

 room — no windows — from which you can 

 remove all the furniture excepting one chair. 

 Now tie the legs of your trousers tight at 

 the ankles ; take a live mouse, the cat, and 

 yourself into this place, and shut the door, 

 being sure no light enters. You will find use 

 for the chair. Now liberate the mouse and 

 see how long it will be before you hear the 

 sudden spring, the faint squeak, and the tri- 

 umphant growl of the feline. 



Now, will you say this was done by the 

 sense of touch ? Did Thomas or Tabitha just 

 feel carefully around until she (or he) found 

 that mouse? Not any. Now turn on the 

 light, and you will find the cat has the mouse 

 by the back of the neck, in exactly the right 

 place to avoid its bite, and not injure the 

 mouse. Now leave the room, closing the 

 door, allowing cat and mouse to remain. 

 Soon you hear the cat playing with the mouse, 

 and all this in total darkness. 



Now, Mr. Editor, if you wish to believe that 

 bees are compelled to go groping and feeling 

 their way about in the dark to accomplish 

 their beautiful work, you are welcome to do 

 so ; but if you will give the matter candid 

 investigation I think you will agree that the 

 use of X-rays, blind-asylums, and the sense of 

 touch, to account for the way bees work in the 

 dark, is not tenable. 



I suppose, after what I have said, I am ex- 

 pected to clear up the subject, and tell how 

 bees see in the dark. Yes, sir ; that is what I 

 expected to do when I began this article, or, 

 at least, to give you my idea of it ; and to this 

 end I must ask you, as a first and very impor- 

 tant step, to get rid of the popular error that 



light is necessary to vision. That it is not, 

 did space permit, I could prove by numerous 

 incidents and experiments. All strictly noc- 

 turnal animals, birds, and insects, can see 

 better in the dark than in full daylight. The 

 divine Architect has so made the eyes of all 

 nocturns that the rays of dark produce the 

 image upon the prepared retina as easily as 

 the rays of light produce it upon the retina of 

 the human eye. To the nocturns, dark is the 

 normal condition, light the disturbing element. 



Another common error is that the pupils of 

 the eyes of cats, owls, etc., expand as dark 

 approaches, to allow more of the rays of light 

 to enter the eye. On the contrary, the pupils 

 are naturally expanded to admit the rays of 

 dark, so necessary to vision, and contracted 

 to exclude the rays of light. 



Viewed from this standpoint, which I believe 

 to be the true one, there is no more mystery 

 in bees seeing in the dark than by daylight ; 

 and we can now sensibly understand how the 

 queen can easily see to place the eggs oppo- 

 site each other, and how all the operations of 

 the hive are carried on minus X-rays, blind- 

 asylums, etc. 

 hard WATER AND PURE WATER (page 364). 



A. I. R. thinks soft water was the drink 

 intended by God for man. Not so, I think, 

 or some natural provision might have been 

 made for rendering it soft without making 

 expensive machinery for softening a necessity, 

 thus denying the intended blessing to the 

 poor, and giving to the rich. No, I think the 

 plan must have been that man should drink 

 water both hard and soft. I believe much 

 depends on the person and the surroundings. 

 One brought up from infancy on soft water 

 might possibly find a sudden change to hard 

 water injurious, and vice versa. Of course, 

 muddy, impure, and stagnant water should be 

 cleansed before use. 



I have known four persons upward of one 

 hundred years of age, all living in one county, 

 and comparatively near each other, not related 

 in any way. The eldest was 126, the next 108, 

 the next 103, the youngest (who died recent- 

 ly, 100 years and one month of age) was about 

 and transacting business twenty minutes be- 

 fore death occurred. One person is now liv- 

 ing there who, in one or two years, if spared, 

 will reach the century mark, and is in fairly 

 good health. Others have died there during 

 the past winter who were upward of ninety 

 years of age. The section is remarkable for 

 longevity, and this in a region where hard 

 water is the rule and soft water a rarity. 

 Now, I don't say that hard water has done 

 this, but certainly it has not shortened life, 

 nor soft water been a factor in lengthening it. 



The old Mosaic law forbade the eating of 

 swine, but not the drinking of hard water. I 

 believe the annual consumption of thousands 

 of tons of scrofula-laden pork is responsible 

 for more disease in the human family than all 

 of the hard water drank from Adam's time to 

 the present. 



I have already quoted that it is a fearful 

 thing to teach, and I believe that one who un- 

 dertakes to teach another what he shall eat or 

 drink takes upon himself a grave responsibil- 



