548 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jui,y 15. 



for that kind of work. During the afternoon 

 I was hindered so many times by rain that I 

 finally waited for a train at the town of Irwin, 

 between Marysville and Springfield. 



The gathering of bee-keepers and strawber- 

 ry-growers was at the same beautiful place in 

 a grove surrounding a schoolhouse. The 

 friends of the year before were present, and 

 we were also honored by the presence of Mr. 

 Nick Ohmer himself, and his good wife ; and 

 last, but not least, his brother, J. P. Ohmer, 

 was on hand. The latter brought a Nick Oh- 

 mer strawberry-plant growing in a tub. I 

 thought I had seen some gigantic specimens 

 of Nick Ohmer strawberries and fruit on our 

 own place ; but that plant in the tub " broke 

 the record," in foliage, size of leaf, and size of 

 fruit. Three or four great stems of fruit, al- 

 most as large as peaches, reclined on the edges 

 of the tub, and made a very appropriate ob- 

 ject-lesson in letting people know the possi- 

 bilities of strawberry-growing. A quart of 

 berries stood beside the plant, showing twelve 

 berries making a heaping boxful. Some of 

 you will no doubt recall to mind the fact that 

 J. P. Ohmer is the man who grows strawber- 

 ries successfully through the sides of a barrel. 

 He told us that, although the barrel culture 

 was a success, the average person would prob- 

 ably be unwilling to take the necessary pains 

 to make it a success. I was very anxious in- 

 deed to accept his kind invitation to call at 

 his place and see his strawberry-barrels ; but 

 my time was so limited I was obliged to fore- 

 go that pleasure. 



OUR 

 HOMES, 



BY A. I. RQQT. 



Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have en- 

 tered into the heart of man, the things which God 

 hath prepared for those that love him. — I. Cor. 2:9. 



No good thing will he withhold from them that 

 walk uprightly. — Psalm 8-1:11. 



Until recently I have always rather supposed 

 that the first of my two texts referred to the 

 home in heaven, after this life is past, and no 

 doubt this is true ; but an experience of the 

 few days past has made me think that it may 

 also refer to our lives here on earth — to a life 

 that is in full accord and harmony with the 

 plans of the great Father above. As the ex- 

 perience I allude to comes interwoven in a re- 

 cent wheelride, I think I will give you the 

 story in detail, even if the whole does not re- 

 fer directly to our texts. In this way it will 

 be more connected. 



About 42 years ago, when I was a boy in my 

 teens, I traveled over a portion of the north- 

 western part of the State of Ohio called the 

 Black Swamp at that time ; and almost every 

 summer for several years past I have declared 

 I was going over the ground I passed in that, 

 boyhood trip, and see what changes forty 

 years or more had wrought. Along the last of 

 June, when the strawberry season was over, I 

 told Mrs. Root that, when we had a good 



strong east wind, she might expect me to 

 start off very suddenly on this trip. Monday 

 morning, the 26th, was bright and cool, and 

 there was quite a strong wind from the north- 

 east. Toward noon it began to blow suffi- 

 ciently to send a wheelman at pretty good 

 speed, and I expected to start right after din- 

 ner. But copy for the journal had to be look- 

 ed after, work assigned to the different men 

 and boys in my department, and it was after 

 two o'clock before I was ready. It came so 

 near supper time I told Mr. Root I should like 

 a nice piece of beefsteak to sort o' back me up 

 for my long ride. After eating the steak I re- 

 membered some other things that had to be 

 seen to, and it was just three o'clock when I 

 got on my wheel. 



By the way, during the hot weather of late 

 my strength has been somewhat oozing out, 

 and it was hard work to get up either strength 

 or enthusiasm. I think it was on the after- 

 noon of that same day that I thought of pray- 

 ing for physical strength just as I did at Yel- 

 lowstone Park, and I went off by myself and 

 asked for just that one thing — physical 

 strength if it was the Father's pleasure to give 

 it. The prayer was answered, for I think I 

 never rode twenty miles any easier than I did 

 that afternoon, reaching Wellington just about 

 five. About this time I was ready for another 

 steak, and then I was off for friend Board- 

 man's, at East Townsend, Huron Co., about 

 20 mile? further. I might have made it very 

 easily had not darkness and sandy roads come 

 in both together ; therefore it was after nine 

 o'clock when I heard the welcome roar of his 

 200 or more hives of bees. God has not seen 

 fit to bless friend Boardman's home by giving 

 him a family of children ; so when I came up 

 on the porch and ran against a baby- carriage, 

 it was one of my first pleasant surprises ; but 

 in talking about bees and other things during 

 the evening I rather forgot about the baby- 

 carriage until the next morning, when I was 

 up and looking over friend Boardman's beau- 

 tiful grounds among the hives, various kinds 

 of fruit trees, his poultry-yards, etc. 



As I stood out near the well, a baby face 

 peered around the corner of the doorway, and 

 then dodged back. Pretty soon I caught a 

 glimpse of it again ; and after a little effort to 

 scrape up acquaintance the little one and I 

 were good friends. I had been greatly enjoy- 

 ing walking around the pretty home, and that 

 innocent little face capped the climax. I felt 

 more intensely than 1 had ever before, per- 

 haps, that no home is quite complete — at least 

 no neighborhood is just what it ought to be — 

 without one or more baby faces and childish 

 prattle. A mother had died in their place, 

 leaving this helpless infant ; and Mr. and Mrs. 

 Boardman had taken it into their home. At 

 breakfast, the little one had a place right be- 

 side me. Although scarcely a year and a half 

 old, she sat by herself, fed herself for the most 

 part, listened to and smiled at our talk on gar- 

 dening, bees, poultry, etc., and seemed to be 

 happy and contented, even though she had no 

 memory of her own mother. Mrs. Boardman 

 remarked, "Mr. Root, our baby never cries 

 before she goes to sleep, and never cries when 



