1904 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



767 



ful fact that the automobile copies more 

 nearly animal life than any thing' else the 

 world has j'et produced, and it is the same 

 way still. Why, not only have I an affec- 

 tion for the auto, but it really seems as if 

 the auto loves me, and delights in doing its 

 very best whenever I have hold of the 

 " reins." Beginners 3'ank on the bits, and 

 talk to it in a way that it is not used to, 

 and it gets balky and contrary, just like a 

 horse. Some of the younger ones will 

 complain that it acts so and so; but I reply, 

 " Wh}', I have just been running it, and I 

 supposed every thing was in beautiful or- 

 der." So I spring into the seat, grasp the 

 levers, and, sure enough, it is just as 

 obedient and docile to the touch as one 

 could wish. You see I am acquainted with 

 the auto, and the auto is acquainted with 

 me, just exactly as a horse knows its 

 master, and knows the master has genuine 

 love in his heart for that particular animal. 



Of course, with the tremendous service 

 the machine is doing there is more or less 

 wearing out and giving way. During the 

 past ten days it has consumed about 12 

 gallons of gasoline; and 25 miles to the 

 gallon, the general estimate with fair 

 roads, would make 300 miles. I suppose 

 almost any buggy would show S3me wear 

 and tear after covering that distance; and 

 to do such work as this, somebody must 

 keep careful watch of the oiling, of the 

 bolts, and every thing else where there is 

 wear and tear. The machine is made for 

 two persons; but in going to church and 

 other places we put on the back seat and 

 carry four and sometimes five; and this 

 double load, or a little more, is always 

 much more trying to the machine than 

 where it carries only two, or, perhaps a 

 little better still, only one. 



The machines the Olds Co. is making for 

 1904 have been very much strengthened and 

 improved — so much so that I talked with 

 the agent of that company about an ex- 

 change; but he said there are so many 

 second-hand ma'chines on the market now 

 he could not see his way to allow me more 

 then $300 for my old one. This would 

 mean $350 more to get the latest up-to-date 

 machine. That would make, say, 10 cents 

 a mile providing my machine has run 3500 

 miles during the past year, besides the re- 

 pairs and gasoline. Well, I have decided 

 not to trade. The old one is lighter than 

 the new one, makes less noise, and I pre- 

 sume it can be run at less expense for fuel 

 than the new one, so that I have decided 

 not to change. We have now only $300 in- 

 vested in the auto — no more than many 

 people put into a carriage and span of 

 horses. Of course, some repairs may be 

 needed as the different parts wear out, but 

 nothing like $350 a j^ear nor even any con- 

 siderable fraction of that amount. We 

 have all — father, children, and grandchil- 

 dren — learned to be so familiar with the 

 machine we know the instant any thing is 

 going wrong. There is an electric light in 

 the auto-house, so we can go all over it 



evenings and see that every thing about it 

 is in apple pie order. I have told you that 

 in gardening, if you want a plant to grow 

 you must love it, look at it daily, and study 

 its wants and needs. If you want a horse 

 to do his best, or a cow, you must love the 

 animal and get intimately acquainted with 

 its likes and dislikes and its wants. It is 

 just the same with the auto. Even though 

 it is greasj-, and may be the women-folks 

 would say "nasty" to handle, your love 

 for it must be so you do not mind that. 

 For the dear wife's sake, if none other, 

 have some overalls and oversleeves to put 

 on when 3'ou have to get down into the ma- 

 chine or under it. Learn how to use the 

 gasoline with the greatest economy, like- 

 wise the lubricating oil. Of late we have 

 made a great saving by using what is 

 called non-fluid oil — an oil so thick that it 

 will not run and drop on the ground even 

 during very warm weather. This is put 

 into the bearings with an oil-gun furnished 

 by the oil-dealers. With this little imple- 

 ment the oil is put just where you want it- 

 just enough and no more, without daubing 

 every thing with grease and without oiling 

 the road wherever you go. 



I would not advise anybody to purchase 

 an auto unless he is prepared to look after 

 the machine personally. If you run it you 

 should make the repairs unless there is 

 something that absolutely demands the ser- 

 vices of a machinist. You should look it all 

 over during rainy days or evenings. If you 

 depend on hired help you will have to pay 

 a big price for a competent man, and he 

 will hardly then be likely to take the inter- 

 est in it that you do yourself. With a ma- 

 chine that goes into science and mechanics 

 as this does, it can not but be a great edu- 

 cator. You must study up on chemistry, 

 mechanics, good roads, weather, lubrica- 

 tion, and so many other things, that, when 

 you become an expert, you will have acquir- 

 ed quite a general education and a most 

 valuable education for all the business of 

 life. 



There are toward twelve automobile peri- 

 odicals. Of these I would recommend es- 

 pecially the Horseless Age. 



The whole scientific and mechanical 

 world just now is working for short cuts, 

 and how to improve and make more useful 

 this wonderful gift to the children of this 

 age from the great Father above. Let me 

 give you an illustration of a discovery of 

 mine. Very likely it is not new. 



The machine when it came from the fac- 

 tory was furnished with a set of eight dry 

 batteries to furnish a spark for igniting the 

 gases. Now, these dry batteries are more 

 or less uncertain. The first set lasted 

 about four months. Of a second set made 

 by the same firm some began to fail in one 

 month; and I paid about $10 for a storage 

 batter}' to take the place of the dry cells. 

 This was heavier than the latter, and 

 proved to be still more uncertain; so I drop- 

 ped it and purchased eight more dry cells 

 at a cost of 18 cts. each. Four of these ran 



