84 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Jan. 15 



ness has seen fit to grant me as a precious 

 gift. 



Now, do not misunderstand me. This 

 following out and developing new lines is 

 not an unalloyed joy. 1 never could have 

 experienced that thrill when I was experi- 

 menting with my simple apparatus with a 

 battery and steel pen had I not been through 

 weeks of discouragement because m/ bat- 

 tery would not work; neither should I en- 

 jov my automobile as I now do h id it not 

 beei for the days and weeks that it took me 

 to learn all about a machine that is neces- 

 sarily more or less complicated. Men who 

 have wealth, especially where the wealth 

 hts been inherited, so they do not have to 

 work hard for any thing, can have no such 

 enjoyment as you and I have. They are to 

 be pitied. At one time when I was study- 

 ing the honey-bee the matter seemed to be 

 so intricate and complicated I could hardy 

 believe I should ever get to be an expert. 

 I once bought a choice queen I searched 

 for the black one I wished to replace, until 

 I was almost ready to give up in despair. 

 I told my good wife that, if it were not 

 wicked to waste so much inoney, I would 

 make a trip to Ouinby or Langstroth, and 

 ask them to teach me how to find the queen 

 in a hive full of black bees; and I remember 

 distinctly wondering then whether it were 

 possible /should ever be an expert in that 

 line, and be able to teach others. Why, I 

 craved the possession of skill, along that 

 line, more than I craved anything else this 

 world has to offer. Little by little I ac- 

 quired the coveted knowledge; but it took 

 months and years to do so. Later I became 

 interested in greenhouses, especially grow- 

 ing lettuce under glass. I had bad luck 

 with it. I wrote to Peter Henderson, and 

 asked him so many questi ns that he prob- 

 ably could not take time to answer them. 

 Then I sent him some postal cards address- 

 ed to myself, and begged him to write yes 

 or no in answer to my questions. He kind- 

 ly did this, and added some valuable infor- 

 mation—at least it was valuable to me; but 

 the matter was very complicated, and there 

 were so many circumstances and CDnditions, 

 many times, that I despaired of ever be- 

 coming an expert. But I followed this line 

 of work for over twenty years, and succeed- 

 ed beyond my highest expectations. I not 

 only learned how to accomplish wonderful 

 results, but I keenly enjoyed the pleasure 

 of writing books on strawberries, potatoes, 

 tomatoes, and other garden products, tell- 

 ing others, who were eager to know, how 

 these results could be accomplished. 



A few days ago, when I was having so 

 much enjoyment and so many triumphs 

 over difficulties in running my automobile 

 during the winter time, I felt as if I »iust 

 give other people the benefit of my triumphs; 

 but I reasoned that our journal is a bee- 

 paper. Of course, it has a side issue in 

 High-pressure Gardening, Health Notes, 

 etc. This is all right, for a great part of 

 our bee-keepers are also more or less engag- 

 ed in growing crops; but when it comes to 



the auto I reasoned there are probably so 

 few who feel as if they could afford one, or 

 even were interested in the matter, that such 

 talks would be oat of place. Perhaps the 

 greater part of our readers are prejjdiced 

 against automobiles. I considered writ- 

 ing for some one of the half a dozen or more 

 automobile journ ils; and then there came a 

 feeling that I have not for 3'ears written any 

 thing- for any journal except Gleanings, 

 although I have had some big offers of pay 

 if I would do so. And then I made this de- 

 cision — that, so long as God lets me live, 

 whatever good I can do in the way of teach- 

 ing or instructing shall be given through 

 the journal that I started almost in my boy- 

 hood. Since making that decision I have 

 found quite a few bee-keepers who are 

 thanking God that it is their privilege to 

 own and enjoy an automobile. There is 

 Doolittle, of New York, and Mercer and 

 Mclntyre, of California; and another, whom 

 Ernest has recently visited and ridden with 

 (Mr. F. A. Salisbury, of Syracuse. N. Y. ), 

 in an Olds automobile purchased since I 

 bought my own. People talk about "rid- 

 ing hobbies; " but the auto and the wheel 

 are the only hobbies I have ever been able 

 to ride in real truth. 



Now I wish to tell you something about 

 the enjoyments 1 have had with it during 

 the past wintry months of November and 

 December. When the zero weather came 

 on us so suddenly 1 was reminded that the 

 water in the radiating-tubes would freeze 

 and burst the pipes unless something was 

 done. So I took the poultry house I have 

 told you so much about, close by our dwell- 

 ing — the one that is over the pipe that car- 

 ries the exhaust steam to our home. The 

 hot earth underneath keeps it all winter 

 long above the freezing-point. By making 

 double doors instead of a single door, the 

 automobile goes back into this poultry- 

 house. It is a nice warm place when any 

 repairs are needed. There is an abun- 

 dance of daylight, for the south side and 

 the roof overhead are made of glass sashes. 

 As an electric wire runs near, I soon had 

 this house lighted by electricity, so I could 

 look the auto over evenings, giving it loving 

 touches here and there, just as I used to do 

 with poultry when I succeeded in making 

 them lay in winter. Well, the auto would 

 start out; and after the engine was once in 

 motion it would keep the water warm, even 

 in zero weather. But sometimes I wish ta 

 stop for an hour or more, leaving the ma- 

 chine outdoors. This is especially the case 

 in attending church. By the wa}', I have 

 never heard, that I know of, of any one be- 

 fore using an auto to take people to church. 

 It makes me sad to think that the greater 

 part of their owners, so far as we can learn 

 from the automobile journals, not only do 

 not attend church, but I am afraid they 

 never think of churches. The great runs 

 are mostly made on Sunday; and I fear this 

 is often the case, because Sunday is the 

 only day the owner can get away from bus- 

 iness. A man and his wife recently made 



