900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Sept. 15 



Very much can be done by the owners of 

 horses in the way of educating them to un- 

 derstand, and not object to the presence of 

 automobiles. And I fear, my good friend, 

 you are making a mistake in rejoicing that 

 there are no more automobiles in your 

 neighborhood. For a little while we shall 

 all have to take great care, until this new 

 creation is introduced; and perhaps it is the 

 better way to go to the extreme of taking 

 unnecessary care until this new inethod of 

 locomotion adjusts itself to the surround- 

 ings. The advent of the electric car has 

 caused many deaths; but, notwithstanding, 

 the amount of good they do to humanity 

 so far overbalances the evil that I have not 

 yet heard of any town or city where they 

 even talk about pulling up the rails and 

 stopping the traffic. May God give us wis- 

 dom, and kind and neighborly feelings, while 

 we all work together to avoid accidents. 



A man who is pretty well acquainted with 

 horses said he felt sure almost any horse 

 could be trained in just a couple of days to 

 overcome his fear of the auto; and I see by 

 the auto magazines that hundreds of farmers 

 tied their horses beside the road when that 

 great string of autos passed on the way 

 from New York to St. Louis. It w^as not 

 only people who Hved right along the line, 

 but horses were brought from away back in 

 the country. You see, the idea was that, 

 even if they were disposed to be frightened 

 when the first one came along, by the time 

 seventy or eighty had passed it would be 

 something of an old story. Now, almost 

 daily, horse-owmers bring their horses right 

 up near my machine; and I know by expe- 

 rience it makes a very great difi^erence if 

 the man in the auto will talk to the horse, 

 and say "soothing words" to him as one of 

 the auto journals expressed it. When the 

 horse sees that a live man has charge of the 

 machine, and especially when he hears the 

 man's voice, he quickly gains confidence. 

 One of our own horses was at first disposed 

 to be frightened; but now I pass right under 

 their noses, and they pay no more attention 

 to it than they would to a horse and buggy. 



There is another point: When horses have 

 not been worked for some time, and espe- 

 cially where they have been kept in a stable, 

 when first taken out they are frisky, and 

 seem to be hunting up some excuse to be 

 frightened or to make believe they are 

 frightened. They do it in a sort of playful- 

 ness. In such cases a firm hold on the 

 hues, and perhaps a httle judicious use of 

 the whip, would cause them to give up their 

 antics. 



AUTOMOBILES ON COUNTRY ROADS. 



Since the above was dictated I find that 

 my good friend T. B. Terry has taken up the 

 matter in the Practical Farmer for Sept. 

 10. I extract the following from his article : 



It is to us more than " a difference of opinion in re- 

 ga rd to how a man shall travel," my dear Mr. Root. My 

 wi fe has a grood horse and carriage, and has been in the 

 ha bit of driving anywhere about. But now she scarcely 

 go es out at all, and when she does it is in constant terror 

 fo r fear an auto will come along. There are many 

 th ousands of farmers' wives who suffer in the same 



way. I know Ihis from word of mo.ith and fioai letters 

 from different parts of the country where autos are 

 used. To be sure, laws have been passed in Ohio to 

 regulate the matter in a measure, but what do they 

 amount to when one gets into trouble and the auto is 

 gone before you can even look at it? We farmers fur- 

 nish the land and keep up our roads. We do not object 

 to any use of them that does not materially interfere 

 with our safety and comfort. But do you think it mor- 

 ally right that our women in many cases must almost 

 give up using the highways, in order that a compara- 

 tively few wealthy men from cities and large towns may 

 take pleasure on them with horse-scaring machines? 

 You do not seem to think of our side of the question, 

 only of your legal rights. Kindly put yourself, and 

 your wife and little grandchildren, in our places. It is 

 very different in cities, where so much is going on and 

 horses see such things so frequently that they soon be- 

 come accustomed to them, and whei-e there is police 

 protection against high speed and the drivers can readi- 

 ly be caught. The " difference of opinion," my good 

 friend, is as to whether many shall suffer in order that 

 a few may take pleasure. 



Many thanks, dear friend T., for present- 

 ing the matter not only fairly but so kindly 

 as you do. If I said it was a matter of dif- 

 ference of opinion, I shall have to beg par- 

 don, for it is more than that. Our good 

 friend Atkinson, of the Farm Journal, 

 frankly admits that automobiles are on the 

 increase, and I believe you take the same 

 thing for granted. Now, you two friends of 

 mine, standing nearly at the head of two 

 great agricultural journals, usually not only 

 recognize all that is going on in the world, 

 but I believe you generally take also a wise 

 look in regard to what is coming. Is it not 

 possible that Mrs. Terry, hke Mrs. Root, 

 will very soon ride in an automobile, because 

 it is so much more convenient and may be 

 cheaper than to ride behind a horse? My 

 first good bicycle cost $150. A better one 

 can now be purchased for a good deal less 

 than $50 without the $100. With the tre- 

 mendous manufacturing industry that is now 

 started in automobiles, the price will come 

 down rapidly. We have just received notice 

 from one of the largest firms in the land, 

 announcing a big reduction in price for the 

 coming year. Other firms will follow. Now, 

 friends Terry and Atkinson, what will you 

 say when there are more automobiles than 

 horses, providing the users of the automo- 

 biles, as a matter of course, contribute more 

 to the roads than those who drive horses? 

 I hardly need remind you that keeping roads 

 in good repair for automobiles will be a 

 small matter compared with the expense of 

 making good the damage done by the hoofs 

 of horses, and by iron wheels. Of course, I 

 grant it is a little hard on the women and 

 children just now; but such has been the 

 case with the advent of every change in 

 travel. Steam and electric cars have been 

 a hindrance and annoyance to horse vehicles 

 from the biginning up; but we all consented 

 to put up with it. Friend Terry admits that 

 the horses get used to them in towns. How 

 long will it take to educate all the hoi-ses in 

 the land in a like manner?* Nothing like 



*My good friend T., you can take that horse your wife 

 drives, and teach him in a very little time so he will pay 

 no more attention to the horseless carriage than to car- 

 riages drawn by horses: and may be your good wife (if 

 she sets about it with the right kind oi faith) will edu- 

 cate the horse quicker than you can. I was going to of- 

 fer to go over your way and show you how easily it can 



